Most Favorited Posts in the Past 7 Days:
MetaFilter Gift Swap 2021 THANK YOU!
By tradition, the first gift recipient gets to start the annual swap THANK YOU thread....
How MeFi (and other providers) deal with trust & safety issues
MetaFilter and several other online service providers responded to a survey about how they prevent and respond to harmful content. A new research paper analyzes those trust and safety techniques: "These findings have implications for policy debates over the regulation of online service providers’ anti-abuse obligations and their use of end-to-end encryption." It's research and it's written in academic language but I figured that it would make sense to mention it here since it's a published paper that analyzes MeFi. See the appendix for some quotes from MetaFilter management.
MST3K: Turkey Day 2021
The folks who provide the show Mystery Science Theater 3000 stream a day-long series of episodes for folk to watch over Thanksgiving Day, and at that time we in MST Club "traditionally" put the YouTube embed of the stream in our cytube page, in place of our usual weekly show, as a shelter from the official feed chat's overwhelming scroll rate. The show is currently producing a 13th season right now, and it's known they're producing new material for between-episode interstitials this year, and going to announce the episodes for the new season. Assuming nothing goes wrong (it might), all of this takes place at the above link, starting at 9 AM Eastern Time.
Support for those isolating with COVID - poetry edition
Hello all! I wanted to make a post where people who are isolating from their families because of COVID can support one another and receive support from the community. All support is welcome but because I am a lover of poetry, I am specifically requesting poems that help you be brave, feel gratitude, take heart, and/or continue on.
Mefi Art & Makers Group, Update
You may have seen the first post, here. What begin as an idea for a visual arts group sharing their current works, turned into an idea for a group that would include anyone that makes any kind of thing at all, to share their thing weekly (or bi-monthly). I saw maybe 16 interested parties, but only five made it over to our first posting board, here: Mefi Art & Maker's Club Introductions.
You are still welcome to post there! (Big pink plus sign in bottom right - or you can comment on other people's posts). You do not have to join that platform to do these things.
RIP Samizdata
Samizdata's mother let me know that he died last night of a massive heart attack. He was 51. Memorial links, etc. will be provided when they appear.
I knew him here and on Twitter, where he was a chatty, thoughtful and supportive presence. I'll miss him a lot.
Rocking Homelessness?
I'm uncomfortable that this "How Can I Be Homeless?" question was approved. Seems to me this person should not be helped to pursue a course of action that is not only dangerous but which will almost certainly involve his making use of resources intended to help people who truly have nowhere to turn.
Metatalktail Hour: Holidays and tea towels
Happy week Metafilter! For many Mefites in the US, this is Thanksgiving week so there might be travel, family with all its good and bad aspects, and/or a special meal. And for many Mefites, it's just a week. So, if you're celebrating, here's wishing you a wonderful holiday, and if you're not, just sending you some good mid-week vibes. Also I'm in the market for a new tea towel (or other pleasing kitchen towel), so please share your tea towel ideas or links.
179: Calendrical Is Totally A Word
In our triumphant return to posting podcasts at the turn of the month, Jess and I talk about time management and reminders, complicated conversational dynamics, the assassination of JFK (but only very briefly), and a bunch of somewhat more MetaFilter-centric things. We time-managed our way up to about 93 minutes. Also I play a euphonium.