July 5, 2001

3:14 PM

No link here. Today I saw for the first time March 2000 referred to as the Bust. With a capital B. And then I started thinking that the web in the last few months feels a little less exciting; fewer things going on, less stuff to talk about. Is it just me? Has anybody seen/read something promising and exciting on the Web or about the Web in the last 6 months or so? Do we really need the promise of riches to take risks and/or to innovate?
posted by costas (44 comments total)

i like metatalk.
posted by moz at 3:17 PM on July 5, 2001

Som does this new usage "the Bust with a capital B" have a URL. Where did you read it? What exactly did the author mean by it? Who was the author?
posted by rschram at 3:31 PM on July 5, 2001

The web was lower-key before the easy millions. The easy millions made it the talk of the town because everyone wants easy millions. Now it's kinda low-key again because the people who just wanted the easy millions are looking for them elsewhere and we have our 'net back. At least that's how I see it. These days, things online seem a lot more like they did when I first showed up around '96-97.
posted by tomorama at 3:34 PM on July 5, 2001

So does this new usage "the Bust with a capital B" have a URL? Where did you read it? What exactly did the author mean by it? Who was the author?

What kind of Bust was he discussing?

Shakespearian?
posted by iceberg273 at 3:35 PM on July 5, 2001

Who likes wood?
posted by Shadowkeeper at 3:47 PM on July 5, 2001

Who here likes pancakes? I love pancakes.

Get real. Waffles are far superior, with all those nooks and crannies to hold the syrup and butter. MMMMMM...Waaaafles.
posted by dchase at 3:47 PM on July 5, 2001

posted by waxpancake at 3:48 PM on July 5, 2001 [1 favorite has favorites]

Granted this is a weblog, not every great discussion needs to be spawned from media coverage of world news.
posted by tomorama at 3:49 PM on July 5, 2001

Mmmm, pancakes.

Breakfast foods rule.
posted by ebarker at 3:50 PM on July 5, 2001

Who here likes pancakes?

Pancakes with blueberries in them are very good. I can use the web to learn more about pancakes. In fact, I found this website of sketches of pancakes to be quite delightful. And innovative. And promising.

I also like waffles. And omletes. I like omletes. And fruit salad, and cold cereal, and whole wheat toast and jam.

I like breakfast. But I prefer it later in the morning. I don't like mornings.
posted by iceberg273 at 3:50 PM on July 5, 2001

jinx, ebarker.
posted by iceberg273 at 3:51 PM on July 5, 2001

There's a lot of cool things going on in the Internet. This is admittedly a hard time for dotcoms, but it is probably the best environment I have ever seen for open source development, which is getting progressively more polished and professional. More open source developers are starting to build cool things for users, and not just other developers.

Certainly it's a good time for things like weblogs, which are growing like hotcakes. LiveJournal has 225K users, Blogger has about 210K, and I expect that we will see about 2 million weblog accounts out there by the end of the year, of which about half will be syndicated. That's a big deal, I'd think.
posted by markkraft at 3:53 PM on July 5, 2001

I like pancakes... I like links, too.

Costas... it's a thought-provoking question. Of course, there are millions of thought-provoking questions, which is why MetaFilter limits itself to questions -- or statements, for that matter -- associated to links.

Then, it tends to be links that haven't been mentioned before (or not for a long time), and aren't to something you've created.

If all of this sounds familiar, it's because it's pretty much our creed around here... and you were introduced to it when you signed up. And you _know_ that because you've been around a long long time (since May 8th of 2000).
posted by silusGROK at 3:54 PM on July 5, 2001

I think my point was that an URL would help contextualize the query. I don't feel particularly eloquent on th e subject of "Is the Internet hot ot cold?" However, I could respond to an article on my levels, as could most pancake-lovers.
posted by rschram at 3:56 PM on July 5, 2001

Pancake hijack!

I like to put easy-over eggs between two pancakes. It used to be weird, but lately I've seen them on the menu that way.

Man, now I have *got* to have pancakes. Darn you all to heck.
posted by frykitty at 3:57 PM on July 5, 2001

self abuse
posted by Postroad at 4:00 PM on July 5, 2001

Oh man... waxpancake, that's a great comment.

Nicely done.

*lol*
posted by silusGROK at 4:01 PM on July 5, 2001

No, I don't have the original link. Yes, I know the rule. Thanks for pointing it out everybody, but my comment was a general comment on the state of the Web: the absense of a link it's part of the commentary, not just my laziness.

I will go back to my corner now. That was a great comment though, waxpancake :-)...
posted by costas at 4:18 PM on July 5, 2001

the absense of a link it's part of the commentary, not just my laziness.

Too subtle for the masses, I'm afraid. Alas.
posted by iceberg273 at 4:20 PM on July 5, 2001

dear iceberg,

nice.

xo

jessamyn
posted by jessamyn at 5:27 PM on July 5, 2001

waffles? baah.

a good pancake is spongy and light in such a way it will absorb the syrup and melted butter.
posted by jcterminal at 5:51 PM on July 5, 2001

Pancakes of the world, unite!
posted by waxpancake at 6:39 PM on July 5, 2001

masses are the pancakes for the opiates.
posted by clavdivs at 6:50 PM on July 5, 2001

I went to McDonalds and ordered "pancakes" .. and was laughed at. As if "pancake" is an ancient word that no one uses anymore and I was from a little village that time had left behind. Its "hotcake"now.. a more modern upbeat and sexy word.. besides, McDonalds doesnt use a "pan" they have a state of the art modern grilling station. Hotcakes.. I dunno.. I like pancakes.
posted by stbalbach at 7:14 PM on July 5, 2001

You are all wrong. The correct answer is French toast.

And, of course, heaping quantities of sausage, bacon, and eggs.
posted by davidmsc at 7:52 PM on July 5, 2001

"Well, there's egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam..."

mmmmmm....spam.....
posted by jpoulos at 8:09 PM on July 5, 2001

I dunno, stbalbach, state of the art modern grilling stationcake has a nice ring to it.
posted by hijinx at 8:19 PM on July 5, 2001

That could work. People could call them "sotamgriscs" for short.
posted by youhas at 10:55 PM on July 5, 2001

Another interesting thread gets hijacked by the pancake crowd...

All media undergo slack periods and boom periods. It's just part of life’s ebb and flow. Every 10 years, pundits decide that the Theatre is dying (there's even a song called "The Theatre Is Dying" in a little known Rodger's and Hammerstein masterpiece called "Me and Juliet"). Then someone comes out with "Angels in America" and the form is revived.

I moaned about "The End of Cinema" in the 80s. I really though Spielberg and company had finished it off. Then it bounced back in the 90s (and surprisingly, one of the high bounces was Spielberg's "Shindler's List.")

So maybe the Web is going through a slow phase just now. It will go through many phases, some slow, some fast.
posted by grumblebee at 6:35 AM on July 6, 2001

I want pancakes! Yo quiero pancakes! Click click bloody click pancakes!
posted by dagnyscott at 6:44 AM on July 6, 2001

To hell with you all.

I want MORE COWBELL!
posted by metrocake at 8:28 AM on July 6, 2001

Pancakes.
posted by allaboutgeorge at 11:56 AM on July 6, 2001

Okay, I'll take the bait. Call me unironic, call me out of the loop.

WHAT THE HECK IS THIS PANCAKE THING ABOUT?

Sorry. Just wondering.
posted by Tin Man at 7:22 PM on July 6, 2001

Tin Man: I think aaron's initial point about pancakes was that if people are going to use MeFi to talk about whatever they want, regardless of the rules, which require posters to link to something on the web, then he should be free to talk about his love for pancakes. Personally, I think pancakes suck, so I'm going to post to the front page, declaring my hatred for them. Is there anything you'd like to talk about, Tin Man? How's the family?
posted by jpoulos at 8:15 PM on July 6, 2001

They're doing great. I had pancakes with my family once.
posted by Tin Man at 10:06 PM on July 6, 2001

I'll have starfish and coffee, maple syrup and jam.
posted by anildash at 10:33 PM on July 6, 2001

Anybody want any toast?
posted by feelinglistless at 8:48 AM on July 7, 2001

In Mexico, we do things right. There's nothing like tortilla strips and chicken simmered in hot, hot tomatillo salsa to start off your morning. Mmmm...chilaquiles.
posted by jennak at 11:24 AM on July 7, 2001

I vote for more cowbell. "things go better with cowbell." cowbells are the bomb. cowbells rule my world.
posted by davidmsc at 1:42 PM on July 7, 2001

Cinnabon
posted by briank at 6:53 PM on July 7, 2001

Someone better register 8816.org, damn quick.
posted by ceiriog at 11:35 AM on July 10, 2001

Dammit. Aaron had to go and link back here, and I like a fool read the whole thing, and now I won't be satisfied until I've had some pancakes.
posted by moss at 12:33 PM on September 9, 2001

Oh, I see you're a waffle man ...
posted by feelinglistless at 1:31 PM on October 8, 2001 [1 favorite has favorites]