https://www.metafilter.com/ The past 24 hours of MetaFilter Thu, 10 Sep 2026 07:49:14 GMT Thu, 10 Sep 2026 07:49:14 GMT en-us http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 60 I'm a boring guy! / I'm a boring guy / My name is Gary / My name is Garry / And we're roommates
A humorous, minimal, and disturbing animated short by K Pakiz and published by Dropout]]> https://www.metafilter.com/214459/Boring-Guys tag:metafilter.com,2026:site.214459 Thu, 10 Sep 2026 07:49:14 GMT Going To Maine animation cartoon Dropout fashion KPakiz life SLYouTube https://www.metafilter.com/214459/Boring-Guys/rss previously, previouslier) has another delightful video about fonts, this time set to the tune of a certain light opera patter song [slyt]]]> https://www.metafilter.com/214458/Papyrus-is-a-virus-and-restraint-is-the-inoculum tag:metafilter.com,2026:site.214458 Thu, 10 Sep 2026 06:54:25 GMT Jon_Evil Comedy Dorky ElleCordova Fonts GilbertAndSullivan Parody ReinaDelCid slyt Typography https://www.metafilter.com/214458/Papyrus-is-a-virus-and-restraint-is-the-inoculum/rss A Kalbarri tourism operator says it is the first time they have seen emus swimming in one of Western Australia's longest rivers.]]> https://www.metafilter.com/214457/Tourists-at-right-place-right-time-find-emus-swimming-in-WA-river tag:metafilter.com,2026:site.214457 Thu, 10 Sep 2026 05:00:50 GMT chariot pulled by cassowaries Emus https://www.metafilter.com/214457/Tourists-at-right-place-right-time-find-emus-swimming-in-WA-river/rss Péter Nádas obituary - "Nádas had lived, as he reflected, under a succession of Hungarian regimes—fascist, communist, oligarchical and populist—'that strove against knowledge'. As these grand designs succeeded one another, always undermined by human weakness and delusion, he embarked instead on an inner history of his times rooted in the entangled desires and dreams of people who seek, but never find, escape from their besetting isolation."[1,2,3] (previously)]]> https://www.metafilter.com/214456/Own-Death tag:metafilter.com,2026:site.214456 Thu, 10 Sep 2026 04:09:49 GMT kliuless obituary P�terN�das https://www.metafilter.com/214456/Own-Death/rss Roommate stores eggs in the milk drawer.]]> https://www.metafilter.com/214455/Exceeds-eggspectations tag:metafilter.com,2026:site.214455 Wed, 09 Sep 2026 19:57:52 GMT latkes eggs fridge milk https://www.metafilter.com/214455/Exceeds-eggspectations/rss Entropy is a daily cryptogram game that utilizes a simple substitution cypher. Everyone gets the same puzzle each day, but the cypher is unique to you. Prior games are linked through the game's bluesky page and under Game Info -> Previous Puzzles. Those won't count toward a streak though.]]> https://www.metafilter.com/214454/A-daily-cryptogram tag:metafilter.com,2026:site.214454 Wed, 09 Sep 2026 18:59:48 GMT Roger Dodger cryptogram game https://www.metafilter.com/214454/A-daily-cryptogram/rss WinHelp was MicroSoft's help document format on Windows up to 95. Some users repurposed it as an ezine format in the nineties and early aughts. The Internet Archive has a collection of nearly 400 examples, all of which are viewable in your browser.

Most of the collection is computer related, unsurprisingly, with the target audience ranging from rank beginners to technical experts. Some examples:

• Roadmap to the Information Superhighway #8 Spring 1995
  • The Roadmap to the Information Superhighway was a Winhelp ezine/hypertext reference from Lighthouse Productions, providing an index of resources available on the Internet, as well as some information about getting started on the Internet. It coexisted with the Inter-Active Yellow Pages, and had similar content.
• WOLR100 - WinOnLine Review #100
  • The WinOnLine Review was a WinHelp magazine published by the Windows Online BBS. It was formerly known as Windows Online "the Weekly", and before that, "Windows Online News", Under these names, it ran from 1991-1996, and had 115 issues altogether.
• Orange Bytes Vol. 21 Issue 6 (NOCCC)
  • NOCCC (the North Orange County Computer Club) was founded in 1976 and is currently active (2026), with their Web site located at https://www.noccc.org/. This is a Winhelp version of the Orange Bytes newsletter, which has been published in various formats, including by snail mail. Vol 21 Issue 6 (June 1996) may have been the final Winhelp version of the newsletter
• Electrified Sysop Magazine #1
  • Electrified Sysop was an ezine published by Welsh Communications (formerly Pro-Data), containing news and information pertaining to BBS administration. There was an Electrified BBS (formerly the Electrified Visual Basic BBS).
• The Hardware Book v1.3
  • The Hardware Book was a free PC hardware reference in both 16 and 32 bit Winhelp formats... Both 32-bit and 16-bit Winhelp versions were released at least up to v1.3, based on Wayback Machine.

There's also a number of non-computer, and a few non-English, publications. Some examples:

• The Meaning of Liff
  • The Meaning of Liff is a humorous dictionary by Douglas Adams and John Lloyd, who assigned creative meanings to existing place names, in an effort to create words for concepts in need of them. It was put into WinHelp hypertext format by Michael Malcolm Anderson, who remarks that many items reference other items, making WinHelp/hypertext a good format.
• The Bear and the Bee
  • The Bear and the Bee is an original WinHelp children's book by LeftJustified Publiks. It suggests a $6 donation, and requests works from other authors for publishing. LeftJustified Publiks is be currently (2026) active at https://leftjustified.com/
• Fire and Fur: The Last Sorcerer Dragon by Roger C. Schlobin
  • Omnimedia published a number of eBooks in the WinHelp format, as shareware versions with their contents partially encrypted by Softlock technology.
    • NOTE: Despite the description, all (AFAICT) of these titles are completely readable on the Archive.
• Obserwator Issue #001 (PL)
  • Obserwator (Observer) was a Polish language ezine, which covers news and politics related topics, as well as some reviews and poetry.

WinHelp was replaced by Compiled HTML Help in a Windows 95 update, with native support removed entirely in Windows 10. Most of the Archive's collection was uploaded by one person, Vannevar K (h/t Jason Scott.)]]> https://www.metafilter.com/214453/Help-Windows-Me tag:metafilter.com,2026:site.214453 Wed, 09 Sep 2026 17:18:53 GMT ChurchHatesTucker ComputerHistory Computers ElectrifiedSysopMagazine EZines FireAndFur History InternetArchive Obserwator OrangeBytes RoadmapToTheInternetSuperhighway TheBearAndTheBee TheHardwareBook TheMeaningOfLiff VannevarK Windows WinHelp WinOnLineReview https://www.metafilter.com/214453/Help-Windows-Me/rss Shuffle Islands This game describes an algorithm for shuffling cards fairly. It's used in statistics, cryptography and computer games. It has to be implemented carefully because a common mistake produces a shuffle that's catastrophically biased ... I've chosen the format of an Interactive Fiction ("Choose Your Own Adventure") game rather than an article because I can use games, random events and quizzes, and because you can skip sections if they don't interest you. Please explore the islands at your own pace and don't feel required to visit every section.]]> https://www.metafilter.com/214452/Shuffle-Islands tag:metafilter.com,2026:site.214452 Wed, 09 Sep 2026 14:20:35 GMT Wolfdog adventure cyoa game randomness shuffling https://www.metafilter.com/214452/Shuffle-Islands/rss "Everybody in a rich country like this one should be able to have a good life."

(slTheWalrus)]]> https://www.metafilter.com/214451/Manitoba-Has-an-Ambitious-Plan-to-End-Homelessness tag:metafilter.com,2026:site.214451 Wed, 09 Sep 2026 14:00:20 GMT Kitteh homelessness housing kellyannereiss manitoba provinicialpolitics the wabkinew walrus https://www.metafilter.com/214451/Manitoba-Has-an-Ambitious-Plan-to-End-Homelessness/rss Wasians, by carving out a separate space within mixed-race identity, had the air of superiority, as though they were closing the door behind them as they left the ethnic ghetto. [ungated]]]> https://www.metafilter.com/214450/What-was-once-an-isolating-experience-is-now-a-mass-coming-of-age tag:metafilter.com,2026:site.214450 Wed, 09 Sep 2026 10:25:31 GMT chavenet American Asian Assimilation Culture Hapa Hollywood Quapa Race Wasian https://www.metafilter.com/214450/What-was-once-an-isolating-experience-is-now-a-mass-coming-of-age/rss