July 2014 Archives (all archives)

July 31

Fanfare Posting Etiquette

Recently I have seen several old movies just appear on Fanfare without any notice. I would like to participate in these discussions, but have a hard time watching them with no prior notification. I know the threads stay open for a long time, but the great majority of the comments come in the first couple days of a thread being posted. Wouldn't it be nice if we had some kind of guideline asking people to post a Fanfare talk notice a few days before posting older movies/tv shows? I am not pointing fingers at anyone, and I know this is all new functionality, but it would be nice if we had some idea that these older things would be posted prior to them landing on the main Fanfare page. Plus, I imagine it would push up the amount of discussion, which would be nice. Yes/No/Maybe? Just to be clear, with new shows/movies this isn't an issue because we can assume that people will already be watching, but with something like Who Framed Roger Rabbit, a few days to notice so I can plan a rewatch would make a big difference to me (and others?).
posted by Literaryhero to Etiquette/Policy at 7:20 AM PST - 78 comments

Thanks for helping a columnist out.

In my latest column, this comment helped me to write the introduction to a piece I was stuck on while I was on deadline, a few days after it had been made by elgilito. Thank you elgilito for your research, and your French, and thanks Metafilter for being part of my media diet. You are an odd and useful tool in my writing, and an unlooked-for blessing.
posted by Mistress to MetaFilter-Related at 2:42 AM PST - 7 comments

July 30

#JulyByWomen slightly passes goal

The original JulyByWomen project aimed for an ambitious 90 extra posts this month. As August approaches, the tag #JulyByWomen has hit 397. The original thread is archived, so here's a place to celebrate, analyse and discuss plans to first take over Metafilter, then the world! continue the fabulous diversity and discussions July brought.
posted by viggorlijah to MetaFilter-Related at 11:43 PM PST - 164 comments

Bless my buttons! Wired (via book excerpt) has cited MF re: sockpuppets!

AS SLEUTHS STARTED PICKING APART THE STORY, SOME BELIEVERS SUFFERED GENUINE ANGUISH BECAUSE OF THE CYNICISM.

Then, on May 19, the user “acridrabbit” posted a simple question: “Is it possible that Kaycee did not exist?” Not only were there some inconsistencies in Kaycee’s story—some odd-sounding descriptions of how the doctors talked about leukemia, the difficulty people were having in finding an address for flowers and cards—but it also appeared that nobody had ever met Kaycee in person.
[more inside]
posted by Buttons Bellbottom to MetaFilter-Related at 1:44 PM PST - 43 comments

The threads that never end...

Friends, I just wanted to point out something to you that you might not have been aware of, and that I was only reminded of a few hours ago, when I saw a reply to a comment in a thread here at Mefi. The reply, you see, was to a comment made SEVEN YEARS AGO. Yup. It's Metafilter Music, neighbors, where the threads never end. Never! Y'all stop in sometime, y'hear, and leave a comment! And don't worry if you're a little late to the party. At MeFiMu, the party never stops.
posted by flapjax at midnite to MetaFilter-Related at 6:46 AM PST - 42 comments

July 29

Metafilter Fantasy Football Challenge 2014/2015

Are your nether regions still aglow from this summer's World Cup? Have the ritual scars from last year's dread ceremony almost healed? Well, the stars have come right again and the new Premier League season is almost upon us! Prepare to light the candles, chant the chants, and come in second to Hogtown Hotspur with the Metafilter Fantasy Football League! If you played before, just log back in to your account and you'll be back in the league. New? No problem. It's easy to play, helps you learn the game (and maybe even fall in love with a team), plus will give you another excuse to drink early on weekends. [more inside]
posted by robocop is bleeding to MetaFilter-Related at 5:21 PM PST - 44 comments

Abuse Complaint Handlers

I'm trying to find an FPP about the people who handle abuse and content complaints at various social networks. It went into detail of various policies about therapy after having to look at such terrible stuff every day. Does this ring a bell?
posted by mkb to MetaFilter-Related at 1:44 PM PST - 7 comments

Allowing non-posters to add tags

Tags for posts are wildly variable, and plenty of tags that ought to be used on a post very often are not. It would be easy to fix this if any member, not just the poster or moderators, were able to edit or at least add tags to a post. This would make the entire tag system more accurate, make topics easier to find, research, and browse through, and otherwise make the site more useful. Any chance this could be implemented? Thanks.
posted by shivohum to Feature Requests at 7:52 AM PST - 71 comments

July 28

Another Metafilter Baby

One by one, our ranks swell. . . please join me in welcoming Madamina's daughter Josephine to the planet! Born at three minutes past midnight, 7 lbs 1 oz and as perfect as a peach. May her reign be long and her justice swift!
posted by KathrynT to MetaFilter-Related at 10:42 PM PST - 77 comments

Tourette Syndrome Update

One of the first Ask questions I ever asked was about my Tourette Syndrome. A few different commented or contacted me to say that they'd never seen TS described so accurately before. I recently rewrote and expanded that comment into an article for xojane, and as a result, have been asked to present a keynote speech at the Tourette Syndrome Foundation of Canada's yearly conference in October 2015. [more inside]
posted by Juliet Banana to MetaFilter-Related at 1:31 PM PST - 69 comments

I think this Pony would be loved by many: previewing before 24 hours

Would it be possible to be able to preview your FPP, prior to your 24 hour time limit? [more inside]
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome to Feature Requests at 1:00 PM PST - 47 comments

July 25

Best practice: previously, previouslier, and ALL THE PREVIOUSLY

When a subject of an FPP has been posted about once or twice, it's easy enough to include the usual (previously) link or two. If that applies to more than one subject in a post, sometimes it's easy to provide the details in the extended description area in one way in another. Lately I've started to notice that some posts I make have subjects that have been visited too many times to list individually, so I have just been linking the (previously) to the MeFi search results. However, this is imperfect because it will sometimes include unrelated posts. As a poster, how do you deal with (previously) links? As a reader, what is your preference regarding format and labeling conventions?
posted by Room 641-A to Etiquette/Policy at 10:28 PM PST - 57 comments

July 24

If You Use IFTTT Then Consider Sharing Recipes

As of yesterday there is an Also On option for IFTTT. If you use the service, please consider adding IFTTT to your profile page. If you are also creating MetaFilter-related "recipes" then please consider sharing them on the wiki. Thanks for adding this useful service to the list, pb!
posted by terrapin to MetaFilter-Related at 7:04 AM PST - 63 comments

July 23

Goodreads vs FanFare vs ?: MeFi Reading Group

During the initial discussions surrounding FanFare back in March, some talk was had regarding adding books and other reading to the subsite at some future time. It was noted in passing that there is a two-year dormant MetaFilter Goodreads Group. I'm curious about moving forward on one of these options and would like to solicit opinions from the group. [more inside]
posted by Celsius1414 to MetaFilter-Related at 11:37 AM PST - 49 comments

Metafilter-Youtube Rolling Playlist

Oh noes! The automatically generated youtube channel for metafilter videos doesn't seem to be working anymore... [more inside]
posted by joecacti to Feature Requests at 9:08 AM PST - 14 comments

July 22

Mefiquote for Chrome/Tampermonkey?

Does Mefiquote work for any Chrome users out there? How did you get it running?
posted by IAmBroom to MetaFilter-Related at 11:30 AM PST - 13 comments

MeFites, What Purse Do You Carry?

Because we are having great fun in this thread sharing links to cool purse sites, and we have been talking about the Meaning Of Purses, and in the past we have done desks: What purse do you carry, and what story does it tell about you? LINKS OR PICS PLZ. What important things does it carry? Gentlemen, you are welcome to share your manbags or fancy wallets, but you must agree to ooh and ahh over purses. This is a place of PURSE ADMIRATION, not judgment or scorn.
posted by Eyebrows McGee to MetaFilter-Related at 10:45 AM PST - 468 comments

July 21

Link to preferred discussion thread in deletion?

In this recently deleted post we're told to go to the most recent I/P thread. Couldn't there be a link to the thread in the deletion? I'm not sure where exactly to go, particularly if it doesn't appear in the first page of the popular posts tab. [more inside]
posted by leotrotsky to Feature Requests at 10:41 AM PST - 39 comments

What it says on the tin

I don't like the "does what it says on the tin" phrase, such as employed by this recent post. Mostly, I just feel like it's overused. There have, however, been posts where I didn't understand what they were about and the description that it "does what it says on the tin" did not help. I think we can come up with better descriptions. For example, in this post, maybe a pull-quote of a helpful tip or something. [more inside]
posted by Galaxor Nebulon to MetaFilter-Related at 8:06 AM PST - 266 comments

July 19

Nintendo Wii U & 3DS/2DS ID enfriendening

The last Nintendo console friend code swap we had was back in 2012. Well the Wii-U is out now, and it's finally gotten an ultra-popular game out for it (MK8), so let's do the swappy thing. 3DS/2DS users also welcome, for those games that take advantage of the recently-added Nintendo Network ID functionality on those systems. [more inside]
posted by JHarris to MetaFilter-Related at 11:19 PM PST - 30 comments

New Resource for Collaborative FPPs on Same Sex Marriage Legalization

There has been some concern that some of the recent FFPs about state-level same sex marriage legalization have been relatively thin. For the states where legal SSM is still pending, prewriting draft text and collecting links to background information would help us create more substantial FPPs that could still be posted in a timely manner as soon a ruling is issued or a law is passed. To this end, all interested MeFites are invited to use these MetaFilter wiki pages to collaborate on future FPPs for each state.
posted by Jacqueline to Feature Requests at 11:18 PM PST - 34 comments

July 18

MeFi Diplomacy 2014 round 2

MeFi Diplomacy 2014 round 2 is now open for participants. If you'd like to take part, go to PlayDiplomacy and search for game 86044. Specs about the game inside. [more inside]
posted by jbickers to MetaFilter-Related at 5:05 PM PST - 161 comments

A IRL project, based upon Metafilter postings.

Ok, so I work for a Public Access television station. I am finally getting to the point where I have time, and a possible team of people to help me produce my own show for our channels. While brainstorming for ideas, or whenever I am just out walking and thinking to myself, I often find myself mulling over the many myriad of things that I have learned over the years of reading Metafilter, and how much I can definitely credit the users of Metafilter for enlightening me on many subjects that are often either overlooked in the mainstream media, or are contentious current social issues that many times require them to be unpacked and explained through either individual personal experience, or through often very engaging discussions with participants from all walks of life, many times with input from actual experts in the subjects that are discussed. So my idea was to make each show based around some of the fantastic posts that I have found on Metafilter, and I would like to use some of the information that users have provided. [more inside]
posted by daq to MetaFilter-Related at 2:50 PM PST - 18 comments

New Features: FanFare Talk, and Movies

Today we're releasing a spot for discussing plans for TV and Movie watching (stuff like the Horror Film Club, the Summer camp series, etc) by adding a discussion area to FanFare called FanFare Talk. We're also adding the ability for new posts in the Movies section to be added by members instead of just me for the last couple months of testing. Both discussion posts and movie posts will need to be approved before going up, as TV shows still are moderated. The front page of FanFare has been updated to show the titles of recent Talk posts along with a new tab in the upper right to get to all the discussion posts. [more inside]
posted by mathowie to Feature Requests at 9:22 AM PST - 48 comments

Sausage fingered pony

I was wondering whether other sausage fingered mefites have the same problem I do. When bashing my opinions into the text box on my mobile or nexus starting the message often means accidentally hitting the link through my username or even the html tags link. Its a particular problem when trying to cut and paste at the beginning of posts since my paste function pops up over the username. If its not just me is there any chance these links could be given a little more space in the page design?
posted by biffa to Feature Requests at 4:07 AM PST - 25 comments

July 17

Fantastic commenters will never know they're fantastic

I'm seeing a lot of great comments on the blue lately; I mark them as favorites, of course, but sometimes I flag them as "Fantastic". However, the commenter doesn't receive this feedback. [more inside]
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome to Feature Requests at 5:27 PM PST - 78 comments

Please help me improve my comment

I waded into the discussion with a comment that I thought was asking for some help understanding the argument of the article under discussion. Can it be improved, or should I not have posted at all? [more inside]
posted by tew to Etiquette/Policy at 1:36 PM PST - 121 comments

FPP's celebrating every judge's ruling on SameSexMarriage are NewsFilter

I had a comment deleted calling the recent Florida decision a weak FPP. I'm happy to have the mods quote my comment, it included the word 'circlejerk'. I contacted the mods and was told "You are welcome to skip threads you aren't interested in". That's.....not cool. [more inside]
posted by BlerpityBloop to Etiquette/Policy at 1:03 PM PST - 381 comments

I don't want to see this

Is there a "hide" button for Metafilter posts? [more inside]
posted by sparklemotion to Feature Requests at 11:13 AM PST - 26 comments

July 16

Trying to Track Down an Old Comment

Quite some time ago there was a post on ruins that included links to one artist's idea of what an "ideal ruin" would be. The image was a photoshop creation that included a creek flowing through a ruined stone structure. I know this description is very vague, but I'd appreciate it if the description rings a bell for anyone. Thanks.
posted by Quip to MetaFilter-Related at 8:44 PM PST - 4 comments

So What Are You *Really* Trying To Say?

Responding to this FPP, KokoRyu makes a point about how there could be demographic parallels between issues in the developing world & New York City c. 1970; namely the large number of young people inhabiting both: "Just as the New York of the 60's and 70's was a violent place because of demographics, the same may be true of the world, with it's young, growing population today." [more inside]
posted by Alvy Ampersand to Etiquette/Policy at 10:47 AM PST - 279 comments [closed]

"Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!"

Mefite Paul-Olivier Dehaye’s three-week Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) at Coursera, "Teaching Goes Massive: New Skills Required" 'reportedly launched on June 23 without controversy. The course targeted people in higher education who felt “threatened,” “lost” or “unprepared technology-wise,” -- a MOOC for MOOC skeptics, in other words.' And then the mindfuck began. Inside Higher Ed notes that in trying to figure out what is going on, someone uncovered a handful of comments he made on MeFi related to the project.
posted by zarq to MetaFilter-Related at 7:06 AM PST - 71 comments

July 15

Add The Atlantic to the list of web-IRL-zines that link MetaFilter

What Happens When Digital Cities Are Abandoned?
Exploring the pristine ruins of Second Life and other online spaces
LAURA E. HALLJUL 13 2014, 6:55 AM ET [more inside]
posted by Buttons Bellbottom to MetaFilter-Related at 11:35 PM PST - 8 comments

July 14

MeFi GISHWHES Team?

Registration for The Greatest Scavenger Hunt The World Has Ever Seen is open for one more week. Teams are comprised from members worldwide. A Metafilter team would me mighty indeed. Anyone want to play?
posted by Lou Stuells to MetaFilter-Related at 8:32 PM PST - 52 comments

Mathowie should do an AMA

MetaFilter is a long-running site with plenty of long-time members, but it's always stayed fresh through a slow and steady influx of new users to add new perspectives and replace those who've left. With the recent slump in Google traffic, we should consider ways to more actively promote the site elsewhere, in order to maintain this healthy growth and make sure the site and its values do not become complete unknowns to newer generations of web users. In that spirit, I've acquired the subreddit /r/MetaFilter and given it a fabulous CSS makeover with loads of informative links on MeFi history and culture. [more inside]
posted by Rhaomi to MetaFilter-Related at 5:56 PM PST - 87 comments

PhoBWanKenobi makes xojane!

Hooray for MeFi's own PhoBWanKenobi, who was interviewed for this xojane piece, "Phoebe North Talks About Her New YA Novel "Starbreak," Writing, Parenting, Faith -- And Sexy Plants." Congratulations! I asked PhoBWanKenobi if she was OK with me posting this, and she gave me the go-ahead.
posted by MonkeyToes to MetaFilter-Related at 5:53 PM PST - 42 comments

deleting derails & off-topic comments

I was under the impression that derailing & off-topic comments (especially at the beginning of a thread) were going to be automatically deleted more often now that mod staffing is decreased. Do we have a community consensus backing up that standard? [more inside]
posted by flex to Etiquette/Policy at 8:31 AM PST - 111 comments

July 13

Help me find a thread about compassion fatigue and evolution.

I *swear* I found a discussion thread here a few years back about feeling overwhelmed by all the problems and natural disasters of the world and not being able to do more to help. Someone posted that there was research (or at least a theory) that our brains haven't evolved beyond "knowing" a set number of people - our local families and community members (essentially, people we'd met in person a few hundred years ago) vs. now being connected to people all over the world via the Internet (and extended news coverage of tragedies, etc.). Does this ring a bell for anyone?
posted by Twicketface to MetaFilter-Related at 1:51 PM PST - 9 comments

July 12

FanFare talk page?

Does FanFare need its own talk page, like Music? It seems like there have been enough Fanfare planning posts here lately to make a new space for them, and to keep MetaTalk more MetaFilter related. [more inside]
posted by that's how you get ants to Feature Requests at 5:42 PM PST - 25 comments

July 11

FanFare: Slings & Arrows?

The FPP I made on Slings & Arrows (probably some spoilers there if you haven't seen the show yet) was pretty well received, so who's interested in working our way through the series? [more inside]
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering to MetaFilter-Related at 8:17 PM PST - 36 comments

July 10

MeFi Horror Film Club, #5: Martyrs

We're going non-English again this week, but also taking a dip in the more extreme end of horror. Martyrs, a 2008 French film by Pascal Laugier is emphatically not for beginners. It's so violent, in fact, that it is sometimes lumped in with films like Saw and Hostel as "torture porn." The twist is, this film has--so I am given to understand (haven't seen it yet myself)--an ending that casts the subgenre in an entirely different light, and considerably more thought and sense of purpose than the genre typically bothers with. It is--I want to emphasize again--seriously and ceaselessly violent and upsetting. [more inside]
posted by DirtyOldTown to MetaFilter-Related at 5:18 PM PST - 73 comments

July 9

FanFare Breaking Bad rewatch?

I just watched the finale of Breaking Bad last week, after snorting the entire series over the course of about six months. Withdrawal is giving me a fever, and the only prescription is more Heisenberg. Who wants to jump in the RV with me? [more inside]
posted by scody to MetaFilter-Related at 11:34 AM PST - 44 comments

Forthcoming Cult Film Club films

The next one is The Big Lebowski, which I will post Monday June 14. It's widely available to watch online, or you can simply replay the whole film in your mind, as can everybody in our generation. And then, alternating between old and new: [more inside]
posted by maxsparber to MetaFilter-Related at 11:09 AM PST - 29 comments

Export the full text of Metafilter favorites

I'd like to export the "wisdom of Metafilter" that I've favorited over the years, but I'd like to do it with the least amount of effort and risk of error. The two methods I've found so far will require quite a bit of copy/pasting. Am I missing a special killer-combo-move, or will I just have to roll up my sleeves and get my ctrl+ C/P fingers warmed up? [more inside]
posted by guy72277 to MetaFilter-Related at 6:08 AM PST - 13 comments

July 8

94: Incremental RPGs

This episode of the podcast was recorded on July 7th and features Jessamyn, cortex, and me going through the best of the last 30 days of the site, and the whole thing runs about 1hr 35min long. [more inside]
posted by mathowie to MeFi Podcast at 5:53 PM PST - 38 comments

A poor showing even by the low standards of I/P posts

This is a poor post that links to at least one highly biased source and is generally framed in an exceptionally one-sided manner. While current events may be significant enough to warrant an exception to the (unofficial?) I/P moratorium, this post did not merit it.
posted by Behemoth to Etiquette/Policy at 1:25 PM PST - 63 comments

MeFi15

To celebrate Metafilter's 15th anniversary this month, I have given myself a MeFi-themed manicure. I thought I would share with you all. [more inside]
posted by phunniemee to MetaFilter-Related at 7:22 AM PST - 61 comments

July 7

Metafilter mentioned (and linked) at Fast Company

"Why Academics Are Incensed By Facebook's Emotion-Manipulating Social Experiment" by Chris Gayomali
Comments on Metafilter filled a spectrum ranging from "meh" to furious: "I don't remember volunteering to participate in this. If I had tried this in graduate school, the institutional review board would have crapped bricks."
(See, was that so hard, New Yorker?)
posted by pmurray63 to MetaFilter-Related at 7:04 PM PST - 23 comments

July 4

AskMe quoted on NewYorker.com

AskMe gets a shout out on the New Yorker's Page-turner blog.
posted by tavegyl to MetaFilter-Related at 1:06 PM PST - 103 comments

unique distinct idiosyncratic peculiar

I've noticed that I use a pair of tags for my front page posts that no other or only a few other posters use. Doing some digging, I've found a few unique or highly limited tags. Do you know of any more? [more inside]
posted by the man of twists and turns to Etiquette/Policy at 9:03 AM PST - 53 comments

July 3

Team Metafilter on Kiva

The team is going strong with 340 members who made almost 4000 loans totaling over $115,000. Great! There is room for improvement regarding two slight issues though. [more inside]
posted by travelwithcats to MetaFilter-Related at 3:42 AM PST - 59 comments

July 2

Pony Request: add favorites option to tag page

I'd like to be able to add favorite posts easily and quickly when I consult a summary page using the tag feature. [more inside]
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome to Feature Requests at 2:08 PM PST - 22 comments

July 1

Metafilter gets a Mention

This Guardian article on words with longer histories than you'd expect, gives this AskMe a mention.
posted by Ned G to MetaFilter-Related at 5:39 AM PST - 32 comments