Thanks, bigmusic (and everyone else). It feels awesome to be out of debt. And yes, tehloki, I still need to shake the prozac. But that's a priority, and it's going to happen sooner rather than later. My wife and I have a plan.

Metafilter has been instrumental to Get Rich Slowly's success. When I first got the germ of an idea, I asked a question about personal finance web sites. When the answers seemed to indicate there was a place for a personal finance blog (I didn't... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 7:18 AM on December 11, 2007

I'm much more annoyed by the posters who put some essential piece of information in the title field without including it in the body of the question. We hates it, my precioussssss.....
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 12:53 PM on February 14, 2007

...but non-descriptive titles suck too.
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 12:54 PM on February 14, 2007

Okay. I have a Wii. And I play it often. And I keep tabs on upcoming games. But I have no idea what these codes are for. Can somebody please explain?
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 7:57 AM on January 8, 2007

Hold on. I don't even understand this sentence.

"Ironically, for the off-topic stuff from this post on people from different beliefs working together for common good."

There's no sentence there. What does this mean? I'm not trying to be snarky, though maybe I'm being dense. I'm trying to parse this but can't, though obviously many others have done so without problem. What do you mean by this fragment, Deej? Seriously.
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 12:13 PM on January 2, 2007

Whew. Thanks. I think.
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 12:27 PM on January 2, 2007

Frykitty, I was at the last meetup, and didn't even notice the smoke, though I know the smokers were in the room next-door. On the other hand, I'm not overly sensitive to smoking, either.
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 10:54 AM on December 26, 2006

This callout is gay.
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 7:14 AM on December 19, 2006

Me: This callout is gay.
Divine_Who: Ahh, the inevitable. As much as I love the edgy type comics who can pull off this kind of stuff, I regret their effect on the rest of us.

Yeah, that was dumb. I apologize. Seriously. I'm in the camp that's completely baffled by this thread. I tried to craft something smart to say, but couldn't think of anything, so resorted to stupid instead of silence. Again: I apologize.
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 7:49 AM on December 19, 2006

Is it possible to delete your own account in protest?

Can I have your stuff?
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 7:09 AM on December 19, 2006

Ikkyu, you were looking at the reach chart, not the pageviews chart. Pageviews seem to range between 20 and 40 million per month, which is still a hell of a lot!
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 9:35 PM on December 11, 2006

That's not the thread I was thinking of b33j, but in a way it's better. I'm not sure why it wasn't showing up in my searches, though. I think I was trying to be overly clever in my search terms. Thanks.
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 9:58 AM on December 2, 2006

Thanks, neda. That was exactly the thread I was looking for.
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 12:04 PM on December 2, 2006

I sometimes link to my personal finance site from within a money-related AskMe question. I don't always identify such links as self-links. I only link to my personal finance site if doing so relates directly to the question. At first I was worried about doing this, but then I realized it makes a lot more sense than cutting-and-pasting whole articles. It's all about context.
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 3:37 PM on November 11, 2006

I plan to be there! I've never been to an *official* meetup before. Does Matt by drinks for everyone?
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 12:33 PM on October 27, 2006

Does Matt do spellchecks for everyone?
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 12:37 PM on October 27, 2006

There need to be two AskMes: analfilter and casualfilter.

Seriously, though — despite what the strident minority believe, AskMe is great for these kind of questions. I understand that Matt doesn't want them, and that's his call, but I think there's a place for yet another section here in which all of us who love these sort of discussions could congregate.
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 8:39 PM on October 24, 2006

...It's called MetaChat. Jesus, catch the fucking clue bus already.

Ah, klangston, always quick with the scintillating wit. Such a lovely human being. So articulate. So handsome.

I know that Metachat exists, and I've even looked at it in the past, but it's a not a part of this site. It's great that others find it useful, but it doesn't appeal to me at all. But thanks for your helpful suggestion, klangston, and the delightful way in which you gave it.
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 11:36 PM on October 24, 2006

Why do I never pay attention to these things? Why do I always find out the day *of*? (Answer: probably because I don't visit MeTa as often as I should.) When and where is the meetup? My wife and I have plans, but maybe I can wiggle out of them. I'd love to meet cortex, and to see Matt and Cat again...
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 2:03 PM on October 22, 2006

I didn't know much about Wozniak before yesterday. But I read the thread, watched the painful Colbert clip, and then followed the link to the long Founders at Work interview. I read the whole damn interview, sitting in front of my computer, ignoring my wife and all my chores. It was a long interview. It was amazing.

I loved the insight into this guy's head. He's a frickin' genius, a man with a passion for one thing: engineering. Sure, he's childlike in... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 9:42 AM on October 4, 2006

Maybe I'm just commenting more often so that I'm noticing it more. What's metafilthy? Actually, I should just follow the threads from my contributions page, shouldn't I?
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 12:21 PM on October 3, 2006

Not a greasemonkey user. It's a code thing. Matt's got it coded to jump to "theadXX#comment", which it dutifully does. Maybe this isn't a bug report -- if this is historic behavior, maybe this is a pony request. A teeny tiny pony.
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 12:28 PM on October 3, 2006

Hm. This Metafilthy — is it PC-only, or am I just an idiot for not figuring out how to install it on a Mac? (In other words: I downloaded it to my Powerbook, but can't fet Firefox to recognize it, and don't know what to do with a XPI extension. Aren't I helpless today?)
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 12:50 PM on October 3, 2006

Matt, I don't mind scrolling down so much because that's the behavior I expect after posting a comment someplace. Also, I still have scroll after posting a comment with the current setup — I just have to scroll up. (The #comment target is the comment box itself.)

Ortho, thanks. I'm not sure why I didn't think of that on my own. Installed and ready for use next time I relaunch Firefox.
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 1:39 PM on October 3, 2006

Probably not a big deal either way, Matt. At least you're aware of it!
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 5:35 PM on October 3, 2006

Odd. Now one of the others is marked, too. I am so confused.
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 9:49 AM on September 20, 2006

---

posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 2:02 PM on August 3, 2006

Mathowie, you have got to save yeti's animated bar to pull out for next April Fools Day. I'll cry if you don't. I want every post separated with it...
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 2:57 PM on August 3, 2006

---

posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 2:03 PM on August 3, 2006

.
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 1:25 PM on July 28, 2006

My dot blinks. Or it would if Matt weren't such a meanie.
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 1:25 PM on July 28, 2006

You gotta love it.
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 7:55 AM on July 28, 2006

Huh. If you're wanting motivation then read some good personal finance books. Go look up the power of compound returns. Learn the consequences of not maintaining sound money habits. Set some goals. Goals are great at providing motivation. Motivation comes from within. (You're welcome to come visit my personal finance site, too. See profile.)

iconomy is on the right track. I think asked something like:Do you have any tricks to... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 10:51 PM on July 17, 2006

Bigmusic, before you made this last clarification, I posted your question at GRS. I have to say that personally, I'm still confused as to what you want, even though you've clarified several times. I'm trying to help, but it really seems that the thing your looking for is something that has to come from within, is some sort of personal motivation. I don't get that from my receipts or anything. I get that from my goals for life, for which my money is just a tool...... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 7:59 AM on July 18, 2006

Since when is it being a dick to call a spade a spade? Nobody's being a dick in that thread but the original poster, klangston.
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 10:09 AM on June 26, 2006

I bow to your superior intellect, klangston. You continue to impress, as you have since you joined. I will go back to my moronic pastimes...
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 10:17 AM on June 26, 2006

Paulsc is on a roll.

Paulsc is always on a roll. He's my favorite AskMe poster. (Grumblebee is a close second.) Awesome detailed, thoughtful responses on a wide range of subjects, well-written, and never snarky.

Way to be, Paulsc!
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 10:50 AM on May 17, 2006

This is fucking awesome, Matt.
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 9:49 AM on May 10, 2006

Damn it -- I love these "what's your favorite current music" threads and derive great value from them. Seriously. For the past year or so, most of the new music I try has come from these threads. I love to track down all of the suggestions and give them a try. This thread wasn't worthy of deletion.
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 9:47 AM on April 9, 2006

I'm not convinced that this is evidence that single-link Newsfilter post are bad. I think it's evidence that any post that relies on tenuous sources filled with stupid logic and lots of finger-pointing are bad, no matter how many links they have and no matter whether they're Newsfilter or anything else. The story is just stupid, and I can't believe amberglow thought it was worthy of posting.
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 8:40 AM on April 8, 2006

Kudos to my belly for a tasty snack.
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 12:01 PM on March 23, 2006

Doesn't bother me at all. In fact, the opposite bothers me. I hate scrolling through the main AskMe page and not being able to understand what the hell the question is because it's been posted to the title field. I don't see the title field (because I don't read AskMe with RSS) unless I click to open the question. How can I know if it's a question I can answser if it doesn't show up on the main page? (Also, sometimes I forget that the title field is now displayed on the question page, so that... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 8:03 AM on March 13, 2006

There's no damn question before the 'more inside'. I hate those.

Jesus Christ. Amen, brother. These are so annoying. I especially hate: (a) people who think they're only allowed, say, eighty characters on the front page, so post like half a sentence; and (b) people who write a normalish block of text but then intentionally use an ellipses and a more inside just before arriving at the question. WTF?
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 8:05 AM on March 13, 2006

Am I a total jerk for thinking that if one of my friends wanted to post a question to AskMeFi I would tell them to create their own account.

Yes? Is there any other possible answer?

I've posted questions for friends a couple of times before. What do I care? These people really needed help, and I had a way to get help for them. Just computer stuff both times. If I really wanted to post some sort of sensitive question, I... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 7:59 AM on January 24, 2006

Paulsc's comments over the past few weeks have been consistently outstanding, as his ratio of answers to best answers demonstrates. What he has to say is thoughtful, polite, and to the point.

And I agree: AskMe is at its best when personal stories like this are revealed.
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 3:08 PM on November 3, 2005

I loved the question. I'm a Filson man myself ("might as well have the best"), and have often wondered what other, similar products exist. If you're not a Filson man, and have no interest in top quality products, then the question probably sounds lame to you. It's not. It's a good one, and I've been following it, hoping more people would answer.
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 8:30 AM on September 12, 2005

Ah. Thanks, driveler.

Yikes. I thought self-links were okay in comments. (I actually thought they were okay everywhere but as a blue FPP.) I do that all the time.

(Hides head in shame.)
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 1:21 PM on July 21, 2005

Thanks, Matt. Actually, I kind of like the site and think it's mildly relevant, though. Still, I understand your motivations and appreciate the explanation. Now that I have the link, I'm happy. (Well, I really should break the addiction to MeFi and go outside and ride my bike, which is the reason I asked the question in the first place. I love this comment preview thing. I could just sit here and type for hours, watching the text update below. What a great pony!)
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 1:42 PM on July 21, 2005

The one thing I'd dearly love to see — and I have no idea if this is feasible (or even desirable to anyone else) — is for a question to pop to the top when it receives an answer. This would keep those questions with active conversations percolating near the top of the list so that the conversation don't just fade when the question scrolls off the page. I know this introduces all sorts of headaches for new questions, etc., but I'd love a way to have questions with active conversations to stay... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 9:01 AM on July 14, 2005

For the record, Amelie is one of my favorite films. I, too, find it charming, uplifting, and just so cute. However, it's not funny. I wanted funny. I wanted Arrested Development, and that's what I got. (I'm almost afraid that everything else I draw from the thread will pale in comparison.)
posted to MetaTalk by jdroth at 12:56 PM on July 11, 2005