MetaTalk

This person in the youtube videos does not need any more free publicity

thewalrus — Fri, 24 May 2013 21:05:29 GMT

Doing sickening things to your own body to earn revenue by Youtube page-views/ad-clicks is not something that needs to be promoted with its own post on MeFi.

We have images! ... In search results?

filthy light thief — Fri, 24 May 2013 02:52:03 GMT

I used the search field while logged out tonight, and saw this: thumbnails next to search results. Is this some left-over from MetaFiltrest, or have thumbnails been part of non-user searches for a while?

I realize now that non-user searches are different from user searches. But how are the images related to the posts? Checking the related threads, I don't see the thumbnail images anywhere.

Presidential Deathmatch

codacorolla — Thu, 23 May 2013 22:44:51 GMT

I remember reading something linked here around a year ago which ranked all U.S. presidents in terms of toughness, however I can't find it in search. Does anyone else remember this?

Don't worry about the vase, Neo.

zarq — Thu, 23 May 2013 20:20:50 GMT

The Oracle of MeFi is a curated tumblr of "intelligent, insightful, funny or otherwise interesting comments from all over MeFi," created by Foci of Analysis. Via Projects.

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Submissions can be offered here.

Memorial Day MetaTalk Queue

pb — Thu, 23 May 2013 18:37:08 GMT

It's a holiday weekend in the US and we're turning on the MetaTalk Queue.

As we often do around holidays, we're going to queue MetaTalk posts instead of posting them directly to the site. If the post can be handled by a moderator via email, we'll do that. If not, the post will be added when there are enough moderators around to help out. This helps the MetaFilter staff take some time off to be with friends and family. Thanks, and have a good weekend.

Obligatory "obligatory pet pic" comments

drlith — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:21:23 GMT

Maybe I'm the only one, but the "pics or GTFO" business with respect to pet questions on AskMe really gets on my nerves. I feel like it makes MetaFilter come off as clique-y, and it trivializes serious questions about pet behavior and health. I've been letting this issue bother me for a long time now without saying anything, but a recent example has finally pushed me over the edge of raising the topic here.

When someone comes into a thread with nothing more to add than "The rules are you must post a picture of your pet before we can answer your question" I flag it, and I believe those comments usually get deleted as not answering the question. I'm not sure most pet-question responders have noticed that happening, though. If it is in fact true that the mods delete such replies if their attention is brought to them via flagging, might it be good for the mods to state that so everyone is aware that "pics or GTFO" is, in fact, off-topic in AskMe pet threads?

However, that leaves the issue of pics-or-GTFOs buried in otherwise on-topic replies. The last-straw comment, for me, was this one, in which knile essentially says that he doesn't have much standing to answer the question but is going to answer anyway just so he can launch into the "welcome to MetaFilter, ur doin it rong" because it's supposedly an "inviolable rule" to post pet pics to accompany a pet question. It may seem kind of innocuous in that post, but I recall several occasions where someone has posted about a pet that is sick or has real behavioral issues, and even then the pet pic people are on with the "sorry your pet is seriously ill, but you must post a picture before we can answer your question!" Ok...a slight exaggeration, but still. Example 1, Example 2

In my experience, people with pets generally love showing them off to others. I don't think we gain anything in terms of being a friendly community or seeing more cute pet pictures by heckling AskMe askers to give up the goods.

How do I set the (new xxxx) number?

MoxieProxy — Wed, 22 May 2013 19:17:32 GMT

You know the number that tells you how many new posts have been added? Sometimes mine works, sometimes it doesn't. Most of the time, it just tells me the number of posts in the whole thread, even if I've responded. Is there way to reset it, or get it to count correctly? And am I in the right place to ask this question?

The thread of life.

mykescipark — Wed, 22 May 2013 04:09:48 GMT

I said goodbye to my beautiful, adoring, smart, and sympathetic mom this evening. I'd like to thank Metafilter for helping me through this beautiful/awful/harrowing/redemptive experience.

My mom was hospitalized for a supposedly routine colostomy surgery on May 6. Unfortunately, she developed hospital-acquired pneumonia early on in the recovery process. After watching the situation unfold in a tense and terrible couple of weeks, we decided she would not want to be (potentially permanently) trached, ventilated, and sent into a home for the remainder of her days. As a result, tonight we reunited her with her late beloved twin sister after six lonely years.

I want to call out the amazing denizens of MeFi Chat for allowing me to crash the party, day and night, with a regular stream of updates, venting, worrying, and ordinary pleas for entertainment. The regular crew (you know who you are) never failed to rise to whatever level of support I needed, whether it was lending an empathetic ear or just letting me ride their coattails for a bit while I regained my strength.

I'd also like to cite these two threads for their advice on similar situations, with a special call-out to cat pie hurts, who offered his own empathy and post-thread experiences in private messages.

My brother and I are still coming down from "voom-voom-get-'er-done" mode in terms of handling her care from start to finish, and now begins the healing and grieving process. But I had to take a moment to give my love and thanks to the MeFi community for affording me the emotional strength to return her to her sister with a maximum of love and attention. Love and respect, y'all.

The tiniest of ponies.

Evilspork — Tue, 21 May 2013 23:28:36 GMT

When previewing an IRL post and you get an error, the error is kind of in the middle of the page and in normal text, so it's hard to see what's missing from the form. Having it at the top of the page and with IRL's alt-color beige, would help a lot.

MetaFilter Chat for All

pb — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:54:28 GMT

We just added MetaFilter Chat to the list of sites at the top of every page.

You'll find the new Chat link in the top row of links between IRL and MetaTalk at the very top of every page. We added this chat space last November so members could discuss US election results in real-time with no plans for it beyond that night. Many members have enjoyed having it available so we're going to keep it running. By adding a link to Chat at the top of every page, we're making it more widely available.

The Chat link will take you to a page that has a brief description of MetaFilter Chat and you can connect from there. We also added a couple ground rules for Chat.

Let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

Summer of the Wake

naju — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:37:00 GMT

Inspired by this post from yesterday and this post from last year, I'd like to do a "Summer of the Wake": reading Finnegans Wake from June to mid-August.

Wait, hear me out! It would be about 9 pages a day for 10 weeks, or 60 pages a week. Totally doable, if you're so inclined.

This essay from Michael Chabon will either whet your appetite or send you running. Despite the reputation, the Wake can be fun as hell if you allow it to be. It'd make a great group reading experience. Jameson is optional, but bring enough for everyone.

So who's in for tackling this "famously unread" novel? And what would work best for a discussion forum: Google Groups, GoodReads, something else? GoodReads seems cozy.

Oklahoma mefites, please check in when you can

madamjujujive — Mon, 20 May 2013 22:09:05 GMT

Listening to the news and it is terrifying. Two mile wide tornado? Winds up to 300 mph? Photos of Moore #1, #2, #3. Live coverage from KFOR.

Ding, Threads are Done

KChasm — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:59:19 GMT

Is there a way to be alerted whenever a thread on the blue closes? Some sort of alert system? A site somebody else has already set up? I'm just wondering if there's some preexisting way someone's already done this.

Price of Metafilter

Renoroc — Sun, 19 May 2013 18:54:08 GMT

This post got me wondering if anyone has tried to buy Metafilter, how much an honest value would be, and if people would leave if a similar entity to Yahoo bought the Blue.

I know who you are.

unSane — Sun, 19 May 2013 02:45:24 GMT

Isn't this a pretty straightforward example of doxing?

Memories of MeFi troll

Chrysostom — Fri, 17 May 2013 17:24:54 GMT

Settle / KettleBlack reflects.

Was my comment deleted?

escape from the potato planet — Fri, 17 May 2013 04:22:44 GMT

This evening, I posted a comment in the FPP about Red Letter Christians.

The gist of it was:

"I guess that being nice while believing in mythical nonsense is better than being a dick while believing in mythical nonsense. On that level, I applaud this movement.

However, I've never understood why people can't just be nice while not believing in mythical nonsense. Seems like the best of both worlds, doesn't it?"

I no longer see that comment in the thread. Was it deleted?

If so, what exactly was my offense? All I've really done is to refer to Christianity as "mythical nonsense", which is what I believe it to be.

I realize that the sentiment won't be loved by everyone, but I don't think it's an unreasonable thing to say. If I referred to the cult of Zeus (or any other deity who no longer claims many adherents) as "mythical nonsense", I doubt that my comment would be deleted. What is the difference?

In short: what is the MeFi policy or guideline that I overstepped here? Is it not permissible to express negative opinions of religion on MetaFilter?

"The Most Insane News Story You'll See Today"

stbalbach — Fri, 17 May 2013 02:11:37 GMT

We met homeless, hatchet-wielding hitchhiker Caleb "Kai' Lawrence McGillivary in February. He became a meme. Earlier this week Kai was arrested for murdering a lawyer. "I believe that everyone is a little safer with this person off the streets," the prosecutor said. (This is a follow-up) (closed)

A post about metatalk hasn't been deleted yet, and I wonder why

twoleftfeet — Wed, 15 May 2013 22:47:56 GMT

A post about how to use "Metatalk" skill to discuss communication problems and it hasn't been deleted. But I thought we could discuss why it hasn't been deleted. Communication is important, I'm just sayin'

AskMe about mixed up text messages

amro — Wed, 15 May 2013 17:56:36 GMT

I could have sworn that there was an AskMe not too long ago about sending one text message but having a different one come up on your recipient's phone. Of course, I can't find it. Am I thinking of something I read somewhere else, or does this question exist?