August 2015 Archives (all archives)
August 31
Sidebar Love
Can I just say thank you to whoever is responsible for keeping up the sidebar on the Blue? I have loved seeing it come to life in the past month or two and really appreciate being able to rely on it for awesome posts or comments I have missed. I'm sure I'm not alone in this (ahem).
Seeking a Particular Answer
I am looking (badly) for a very favorited answer to an AskMe from the last few years about how men shouldn't consider themselves feminists because they ask if they can help but instead should just help. [more inside]
August 30
I guess we really have Bryan Fuller to blame for this
I know most folks paid to join MetaFilter to join the conversation on the blue, and I know plenty other folks paid to join just to Ask some questions (or give some answers). This here, though, is the first I've seen of someone joining the site strictly for the discussion in FanFare. Do you know of any earlier instances or did queenofbithynia just make a new entry into our record books?
August 28
Who from MeFi contacted me right after Katrina?
I live in the north shore, about an hour away from NOLA. Soon after the storm had passed through my city, I was contacted by a guy and gal from here. You were some of the very first people I spoke with aside from my wife and next door neighbors. [more inside]
Does anyone else feel Metafilter's moderation culture is ridiculous?
I joined Metafilter because I was interested in community feedback, not the feedback of the same tiny handful of moderators who all think alike.
[more inside]
August 27
Metafilter on the A.V. Club!
Smells Like Teen Espírito
Metafilter's own MiguelCardoso mentioned nadawi's post on timeless songs in his daily column in Portuguese newspaper Público today. Here's a rough google translation.
August 26
Mentioned in comments, Dutch comedian who parodies language class
I've been searching on MetaFilter and just can't find it: there was a comment a few years ago that linked to the YouTube channel of a Dutch comedian who parodies I think ESL class aimed at Dutch immigrants. So it's this weird but highly amusing hybrid of Dutch and English with plenty of caustic puns (in Dutch). Anyone recall who or what I am talking about?
August 25
Metafilter Colours.
(Or, "colors", if you prefer..)
While wearing my standard-version MetaFilter t-shirt a few days ago, I offhandedly commented to my husband that I liked the sort-of lime-ish green colour of the "Filter" portion of text. He was totally perplexed because, apparently, the colour is NOT green it's yellow. WHAT?? [more inside]
August 24
Is MetaFilter a community?
In one sense, of course, it obviously is. It says "Community weblog" right under the title!
But there are other meanings of community. I was really struck by feckless fecal fear mongering's comment in the emotional labor MeTa thread:
"You've got family here. Yeah, online never substitutes for someone who can touch your shoulder. And... there's thousands and thousands of people right here in this community who have demonstrated they'll give and give and give... Not that whole "I heard a thing and I care for five minutes." Real, true, love and caring for another human being; "shared pain is lessened; shared joy is increased. Thus do we refute entropy."
Mefi? Mefi actually does that shit. Mefi actually cares--look at the whole NYC sex worker thing a few years ago, or really anything on AskMe. People here give a fuck."
To what extent is this how we see MetaFilter? [more inside]
AskMe thread about Must-haves for home buying
I am looking for an AskMe post from the last three months or so, where the question was along the lines of "my realtor wants me to put together a list of what a new house absolutely must have, and what it must not have, in order for us to consider it. Please help us come up with such a list." Search as I might, for the life of me I cannot seem to find the post. Halp?
August 23
"Mom," I said. "He has legs."
I think we're due for another "this comment made me choke on my own spit" meta thread! [more inside]
August 22
Another 'Only at Metafilter' Moment
In the Ask thread Did people actually say "shwench", town of cats posted a question about a 30 year old William Safire article asking about one slang term referenced in the article. A few weeks later, Slanguage Guy posted a confirmation of the slang term, and he is the one who sent the original usage to Safire 30 years ago!
August 21
14!
It randomly dawned on me that today, 14 years ago, I signed up for MeFi. I wonder what any users think this place was, is, and might be 14 years from now. [more inside]
August 17
Time for some thrilling heroics
Would it be possible to auto-add new Fanfare posts for specific shows to our "Recent Activity" page? [more inside]
Let’s Encourage and Help Folks Make Their First Posts
Over the past few months, we’ve talked about ways to encourage first (or second or third) time posters and help you/them become more comfortable with posting to Metafilter. I propose we spend September helping new posters successfully make the leap into the wonderful world of FPPs. [more inside]
August 15
Rhaomi appreciation society
A shout-out to Rhaomi for contributing consistently stellar fpps - most of which fall under the 'megapost' umbrella. [more inside]
August 11
MetaFilter Clicker Heroes clan, anyone?
So MetaFilter's into clicker games, generally, and the Clicker Heroes 0.20 patch just dropped and adds clans. I couldn't find an existing MetaFilter clan -- and I'm just a few rubies shy of the 50 needed to create one. Anyone else playing CH and feel like teaming up? [more inside]
So... anyone interested in starting a Metafilter D&D campaign?
I hear tell that Roll20 makes it pretty easy to run campaigns online. I have basically no experience with D & D, but I keep running into people and podcasts that make it seem pretty fun, especially if you have a good sense of humor. Any nerds want to come help me figure it out? :D [more inside]
Spotify playlist sharing as a potential feature of Mefi Music
This recent AskMe, the sad demise of This Is My Jam, and some recent music posts on the Blue have got me thinking. How feasible is it to set up some kind of venue for members to share music playlists independent of the Mefi Swap? I'm thinking Spotify playlists in particular, and wondering if there's any scope for adding this as an additional feature to Mefi Music. [more inside]
August 10
(re)request: delete IRL
I have a proposed IRL event that never happened & I'd like an easier way to delete it than contacting the mods. This has been discussed before & I like the suggestion from that thread to add a "never happened" category, which was never implemented. Is this possible/desirable?
Looking for a post on the Blue featuring a fairytale webcomic
I remember this appeared on Metafilter but I can't find the original post. I think it featured a female artist/illustrator or graphic novelist. She writes and illustrates gothic-ish fairytales / folktales. [more inside]
August 9
Strange, yet fascinating - GISHWHES 2015
Another year, another bunch of people doing zany art nonsense because their celebrity puppet master demands it. The Greatest International Scavenger Hunt the World Has Ever Seen just wrapped up for 2015, and the (unofficial) Metafilter Team StrangeFascination (plus our new friends Minion Mayhem), featuring Lou Stuells, divka, kjs4, usonian and His thoughts were red thoughts did pretty good. See this year's submissions here. [more inside]
Can someone help me find this dispatch about HIV/AIDS?
Can someone help me find an article about HIV/AIDS that was linked on the blue? It was written by an at-the-time healthy person during the AIDS crisis, posted publicly (possibly a newspaper column or a transcription of a radio dispatch), with a clear sense of urgency and a call to action, primarily directed at other gays. It mentions being at a hospital and taking care of sick folks. It tries to dispel rumors about HIV/AIDS transmission and criticizes the government (maybe the CDC specifically) for inaction. The webpage itself mostly black text and a white background, no flashy user interface. That's all I can remember. I've tried searching myself for many hours with no luck. Thank you.
August 7
Looking for a recent article on music criticism
The article I'm trying to recall was a very well written reflection on what the purpose of criticism is. I think the author was mainly concerned about music criticism. There was a central thread through out the story of a particular album (from the late 60s or 70s) that a friend of the author interpreted as being a nihilistic tribute to love. It was moving and I wish I had bookmarked it.
Help me find this article about the Sociology of Relocating
I'm remembering an article that unexpectedly resonated with me and I'm thinking it was posted 2011-2012ish . It was about the mutual loss when young people have to move away from a community to find work. IIRC, it wasn't about a specific location, and it talked about how difficult it is to rebuild support networks. Please hope me Metatalk !
Fantasy Football (Soccer) Redux: The Draft Version
In case the regular FF league wasn't enough for you how about an American-style draft league? [more inside]
August 6
Looking for an AskMe about kitchen hacks, I THINK
A few years ago there was a looong thread in AskMe that *might* have been about kitchen hacks, but then again, it might have been about "little things you never knew how to use properly." I remember it because it was the first time I'd ever heard of end locks, the holes you poke in the ends of tin foil/saran wrap boxes to stabilize the roll. Does anyone remember the thread I'm talking about?
August 5
Wait What?
My first FPP post ever, and I'm accused of a political agenda. Did I do it wrong? [more inside]
Anonymous responses
A couple of times on the blue recently, I have wanted to respond anonymously to an FPP, but the trouble involved in asking a mod to do so in my stead seemed off-putting to me. [more inside]
Strange Club
After some discussion, it looks like there's enough interest, so I'm starting up Strange Club on FanFare. It's all about the strange, sublime, arty, and unclassifiable. Join up, and vote for the first viewing here. We're also welcoming film suggestions and ideas for the club over in the discussion thread.
August 3
Holiday Movie Club 2015
After last year's success, it's time to organize the 2015 Holiday Movie Club, a series to watch heartwarming holiday films from approx. (American) Thanksgiving to New Years.[dates variable] [more inside]
AskMe about Scale of Artistic Ability in Children
Hi all. I remember seeing a post on AskMe about a parent trying to assess their child's artistic ability based on a link they provided with drawings that showed what is standard for each age group. I've searched google and through the Arts questions with no luck.
Ring any bells?
107: Breakin' the Dowels with ColdChef
Hey, it's episode 107 of the MetaFilter Best of the Web podcast, featuring special guest host GJ "ColdChef" Charlet, who joins me and Jessamyn to chat for about 90 minutes about Metafilter favorites, learning to drive stick shift, dealing with emotional labor, and a whole bunch of interesting funeral and graveyard tidbits. [more inside]
Looking for a comment about "50 Shades of Grey"
I'm trying to find a comment on MetaFilter that summarized how 50 Shades of Grey went from fanfic to published work, and specifically talked about the books' author having a background in marketing. Do you know which comment I'm looking for and where it is? More details inside. [more inside]
About time
Looking for something I read ~2012 (+/-) on the blue *I think*... Had to do with different cultures' experience/perception of time. [more inside]
♫ I wanna be a part of it.. MeTa, MeTa
Come with us on the MeFiMusic train, for a journey from city to city, with your fellow mefites as your musical guides... [more inside]
August 1
aniola joined the conversation. Yesterday, 8:11 PM.
aniola: why are there thousands of users on metafilter and only ever a dozen or so in chat?
going to maine: That seems like a great question for metatalk, actually. I move that you ask it. [more inside]
going to maine: That seems like a great question for metatalk, actually. I move that you ask it. [more inside]
A pony of many genders
Would it be possible to put a place for preferred pronouns in the profile? [more inside]