MetaTalk

Good Saturday evening, MetaFilter – Euro Time Shift Edition! I'm filling in for Eyebrows to pose a topic suggested by holborne, who asks, "What are some memorable or funny (or both) interactions you've had with [non-threatening] strangers in public? (I thought of it mostly because I've had kind of adorable interactions with guys who handed me their newspapers on public transport after they caught me reading over their shoulders, although since no one really reads newspapers anymore that makes me old.)"
posted by taz at 7:35 AM Dec 8 2018 - 162 comments [12 favorites]

Could we have a books section here that's not Fanfare (for nonfiction/history/deeper reading on things discussed in FPP for instance)?
posted by twoplussix at 7:34 AM Dec 5 2018 - 53 comments [18 favorites (10 in the last 7 days)]

The holidays are here and whether you celebrate Christmas or not, it's a time where people often spend money buying gifts for friends and family. I thought it would be cool to have a place where we might think of others. It'd be nice if we could share some links to places on the web, local organizations and communities that we can donate money to. It would signal boost these places and provide an opportunity to share some joy with others less fortunate than ourselves.
posted by Fizz at 8:45 AM Dec 6 2018 - 33 comments [9 favorites]

It's here! (Finally!) This year's drive marks a decade of MetaFilter's donations to New York Cares' Winter Wishes program. More details are inside, but for those in a hurry, here's the link right to the wish list.
posted by houseofdanie at 12:49 PM Dec 12 2018 - 16 comments [7 favorites]

Let the happiness and niceness continue! (This is the official 2018 Secret Quonsar Thank You Thread.)
posted by theappleonatree at 10:02 AM Nov 17 2018 - 514 comments [56 favorites (6 in the last 7 days)]

Update today from houseofdanie, fearless organizer of the Winter Wishes Gift Drive: she's had some real-life setbacks that delayed the start this year, but it is happening.
posted by LobsterMitten at 10:22 AM Dec 11 2018 - 2 comments [5 favorites]

I'm sure that I'm not alone in wondering how things work out in the case of particularly interesting Ask.MeFi posts.
posted by Glomar response at 12:44 PM Dec 10 2018 - 68 comments [4 favorites]

We had a discussion earlier this year about allowing two Ask MetaFilter questions per week, and I think it's worth a shot. Today we're rolling it out, and we'll see how it goes.
posted by cortex at 12:43 PM Jun 8 2017 - 75 comments [34 favorites (2 in the last 7 days)]

I don't mean this to be Tone policing, but there are two Book posts on Fanfare about Jodie Picoult and the framing of the posts feels .. off?
posted by Faintdreams at 4:07 PM Dec 10 2018 - 21 comments [2 favorites]

This recent thread, from October 8, is just about to close. It's been an extraordinary one, and is still active as of this afternoon.
posted by jokeefe at 5:46 PM Nov 7 2009 - 707 comments [116 favorites (1 in the last 7 days)]

Anyway, we made a kid!
posted by greenish at 12:54 PM Nov 13 2018 - 94 comments [76 favorites (1 in the last 7 days)]

I wanted to let folks know that long-time MeFite rtha, who was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer earlier this year, has ceased chemotherapy treatment and moved to in-home hospice care to focus on comfort and quality of life, and to ask you to come share well-wishes with her and her spouse gingerbeer. [Addendum: rtha passed away on the 10th. —c]
posted by cortex at 11:21 AM Nov 8 2018 - 578 comments [45 favorites (1 in the last 7 days)]

I think the community would benefit from talking about how the recent thread about "tramp stamps" went. A number of Mefites have expressed that they felt that this thread felt like a big step backwards, like they were somehow visiting Metafilter in 2005 and not 2015. What can we do as a community to maintain whatever advances we've made in pushing back on the boyzone mentality here?
posted by dialetheia at 10:09 AM May 14 2015 - 1847 comments [39 favorites (1 in the last 7 days)]

Aka the anti–fucking fuck thread. I remember we had some threads soon after the 2016 election where Mefites shared their efforts toward making the world a better place, and I would love to do it again, especially since I could use some inspiration to get my butt moving as midterms approach!
posted by sunset in snow country at 12:58 PM Oct 4 2018 - 123 comments [24 favorites (1 in the last 7 days)]

Etiquette question. I was sure - but am now thinking I was mistaken - that one was required to exercise a degree of caution or decorum for how masturbation was mentioned and/or described in posts on the blue. Why, I don't know or can't remember. Ergo, I skipped daintily around the word in a recent post, but a subsequent blunt comment didn't elicit any adverse reactions. Searches across both MetaTalk and the blue don't turn up contentious vexations, so was I mistaken and it's okay to mention masturbation in any broad manner and context, or not?
posted by Wordshore at 3:28 PM Feb 2 2017 - 78 comments [2 favorites (1 in the last 7 days)]

Hi, Mefites! I have a need to see your pets in their holiday finery - sweaters, headgear, what-have-you. Have a picture of your cat in the tree? Need to see that too.
posted by 80 Cats in a Dog Suit at 7:12 PM Dec 12 2018 - 5 comments [1 favorite]