"Oh, snap!" was in use when I was a kid, with the same meaning. I remember it from junior high and high school, which would put it in the 1970s. I seem to recall the black kids saying it first, then it moved into general use over the next few years, and to me it seemed like brand new slang but if cortex and the OED say it dates back to the 1600s, who am I to argue?
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 10:09 AM on August 4, 2008

Welcome back! I was wondering about you a few days ago, and hoping we'd see you again. Hurray!
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 8:37 AM on August 3, 2008

Oooh, a picnic! Sounds great! Is anything on at Stern Grove this Sunday? That would be a picnic + music meetup, which might be fun. The grove is in the fog belt but the trees and topography tend to shelter it from the wind somewhat.

Somebody ping aubilenon - we need to make sure he shows up with some more of his excellent homemade treats!
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 3:57 PM on July 21, 2008

I was just going to look up the schedule for Stern Grove, but our hostess beat me to it. Latin rock sounds like fun - I'd be up for a picnic and concert!

Based on past experience, I think we should get there pretty early and stake out some space on the grass. I haven't been there in a few years, but assuming it hasn't changed much, the best spots are on the flat part of the lawn and there aren't really any chairs or tables. If you get there late you have to sit on the... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 7:38 AM on July 22, 2008

Please do, mayfly wake! It's always nice to meet a newly local MeFite.
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 2:19 PM on July 26, 2008

I'll be in the concert area, staking out some turf on the lawn. Look for a small gal with dark hair and a teal backpack sitting on a striped picnic blanket. I'll have a sign that says "MeFi" but it's kinda small, so look for the blanket, I guess. It's got light green and yellow and white stripes and a fringe at the ends. I expect to get there around noon (Muni willing) and I'll be on the lookout for you guys!

I also don't have twitter, being something of... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 10:59 AM on July 27, 2008

Self-replicating potatoes? Sounds like a great idea! Not so much for a cheesy horror movie (although that would admittedly be awesome, since The Potato That Ate Detroit would replicate and its offspring would go on to eat Cleveland and Cincinnati), but for a food crop that could be produced in a more normal way. (Hey, the whole goal of living organisms is to self-replicate, and only a few oddities produced by humans are incapable of reproducing by themselves.)

Most... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 9:26 AM on July 26, 2008

22022 is a SQLServer error code indicating that the server agent is not running so it can't be notified of this action. Guess what's not running at my house!

It's also the KEGG database entry number for protein-tyrosine sulfotransferase 2 from mouse, an enzyme I have never worked on!

How's this for weird: it's the ID number of Geotrans, a maritime shipping agency on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean,... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 9:05 AM on July 20, 2008

I didn't get one either. Man, I miss out on all the fun around here!

*sulks*
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 7:28 PM on July 16, 2008

I've been thinking about organizing a birdwatching/photography/local history walk on Telegraph Hill - how about that Saturday? (July 5th)

Proposal: Meet at the Montgomery BART station, climb the Greenwich Steps to Coit Tower, share a potluck picnic lunch and enjoy the views, then descend the Filbert Steps and look for the wild parrots of Telegraph Hill, and finally saunter back to the Ferry Building for ice cream, beer, or whatever. That puts us at the Embarcadero... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 1:34 PM on June 17, 2008

So, jouke, would you like to go for a walk before buying us a round of beer? Or would it be better if I posted a separate thread for the "Parrots of the Barbary Coast" meetup?

Local history pun there; that area of San Francisco was known as the Barbary Coast in the 1800s because of the organized (and disorganized) crime and vice operations based there. Telegraph Hill was something of a fortress for gangs and criminals, and it was too dangerous... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 7:34 AM on June 18, 2008

OK, here's the plan for July 5th (note that jouke will be around for a while, so further meetups are a definite possibility):

1. Meet at 11:00 a.m. in the Montgomery BART/Muni station. Concourse level (not train platforms), dead center of the station. You don't need to pay a fare if you're coming by some other means, just enter the station and go to the middle.

2. We walk to Telegraph Hill and climb some stairs.

3.... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 1:33 PM on June 28, 2008

Sorry, I won't be able to join you tonight, but I hope some of you can make it to the meetup on July 5th. And maybe we can do something else before jouke goes home to the Netherlands - gotta get me some stroopwafels, dangit!
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 3:45 PM on July 3, 2008

seriously, you guys should make it a point to come to meetups with aubilenon - he brings the best home-made treats!
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 2:09 PM on July 7, 2008

I don't think I'll be able to make it, but good luck with your new life in SoCal, and come back to visit us!
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 7:58 AM on April 13, 2008

08:47 on Sunday, no updates since Saturday at 21:42 ... must have been quite a meetup! Or maybe it's still going on? Anyway, sorry I couldn't make it, and I'm looking forward to the pictures. assuming y'all weren't too smashed to work a camera
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 8:47 AM on April 20, 2008

Mmm, no thanks. One more thing to feel guilty about, and a whole bunch of noise on the Gray.
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 7:43 PM on April 7, 2008

Aw, Smedleyman, come back!
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 4:36 PM on April 6, 2008

Just a word of encouragement to all the people who think their voices are not so great: you are often the best types for a chorus, where "mediocre" voices that blend well work better than bright, brassy solo voices.

Don't worry about auditions - this is just for fun and I seriously doubt we'll have so many people show up that we'll need to turn anyone away.

Looks like we're heavy on altos (it always seems to work out that way) -... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 11:17 AM on March 11, 2008

ClaudiaCenter and I are in the process of organizing our first meetup rehearsal (thanks, everyone who has offered logistical support!), but here's a small homework assignment to get us started:

"The Silver Swan" by Orlando Gibbons is short, beautiful, and not too hard. (It also has 2 alto lines, and we've got lots of altos!) The full score is available for free on the page Claudia linked, along with MIDI files of the individual voice parts and a balanced mix.... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 7:37 AM on March 12, 2008

It was so much fun, and we sounded so good (eventually), we're planning to keep going! Seems like every other Tuesday in Padraigin's basement works pretty well for everyone so far, so we'll meet again on April 1st at 7 pm in our gracious hostess' well-appointed laundry room recording studio.

Please work on "April is in my Mistress' Face" and "Now is the Month of Maying" from Chorusrehearsal.com for our next rehearsal. If you can learn more than one... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 7:58 PM on March 19, 2008

Hey lothar, we didn't get any dudes last time but we might get a fella from Sac on Tuesday. And I've decided to hold down the T1 line unless/until some real tenors show up (I believe rtha is going to sing T1 too), so you won't be all alone in the T/B section. Hope to see you there!
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 7:23 PM on March 30, 2008

Pretty much any weekend starting the 2nd weekend in March would be good for me. 1 - 4 worked pretty well last time, and segued nicely into beer and dinner.

Your dog can lick my face, but I hope she's not the jealous type - I plan to ogle a few birds while I'm there.
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 6:32 PM on February 27, 2008

Nice to see the Crissy Field Gang again and meet the world's fastest wiener dog. Also our new friend from Oz by way of Singapore - have a wonderful stay in the USA and a safe trip back home, Shiny Thing!

I'm totally looking forward to a beer with both of you - in SF, Singapore, or some other port of call. Cheers!
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 9:17 PM on March 24, 2008

Timed out for me too. I think we done busted it.

Anyway, does it have a section on applied microbiology which we can consult before asking the Green "Should I eat this?" Because that would be a very useful feature. (Developers, take note. Might be worth the buyout right there.)
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 11:55 AM on February 26, 2008

As another data point, I have actually encountered the "black people don't like dogs" stereotype in the wild, but it was a long time ago (1980s). It was in Baltimore, that unfortunate border town where Yankee trash meets Southern cracker, and I haven't heard it since I left Mobtown. Whether that's because it's a regional thing, or because it simply died out over time, I don't know.

and they used warshcloths there, too
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 7:46 AM on February 26, 2008

Sigh. I never paid the vanity fee to have my dissertation published 20 years ago, although if you come to my house I'll gladly let you read it. (Or you can go to the University of Michigan's microfilm archives, if that's more convenient.)

Übergeeks, after they've finished with roofus' oeuvre (that Overactive Bladder sounds like a must-read) may wish to peruse the chapters I've co-authored in these books:

Molecular Basis of... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 12:05 PM on February 23, 2008

I'll try to come - Friday is better for me, but I can probably do Thursday as well. Please pick a venue that is BARTable or Muni-friendly!

Welcome to our lovely city; we'd love to hoist a beer in your honor.
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 6:40 PM on February 5, 2008

tangerine, why not bring your Dad to the meetup?
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 7:10 PM on February 7, 2008

Pancakes! There's an idea! And meetups that don't keep me up late on a school night! Had to bail out early because I get up at oh-dark-thirty ...

Anyway, nice to see current friends and meet new ones. Jouke, I hope you're enjoying your visit to San Francisco, and thanks for the Dutch licorice! Come back soon, with or without licorice, and have a good trip home.

Hope to see y'all again soon at a meetup.... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 8:10 PM on February 22, 2008

Best wishes for a complete recovery, nickyskye, and thanks for gracing us with your presence.
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 7:25 PM on February 19, 2008

OK, maybe the comment was a little hyperbolic, and I dislike the dilution of "Nazi" to mean pretty much any unpleasant person, but it was an interesting and rather touching personal account. Not the best of the sidebar but far from the worst. Nobody's being shouted down or silenced by sidebarring that comment, and anybody who sees an agenda in the sidebar needs to look again: anatomy of a disk drive, Solid Gold dancers, and messy desks are pretty typical of the random stuff that... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 8:49 PM on January 29, 2008

I'm sorry caddis can't spell "next".
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 7:33 PM on January 28, 2008

*snorts, sits up, rubs eyes*

I'm sorry I was asleep and missed the poetry baton!
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 7:22 AM on January 29, 2008

That's him! I saw him only once but evidently he's something of a regular there. His balancing stones are awesome, more so in person because you know they're not Photoshopped. Thanks for the link, tellurian!
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 8:22 PM on December 17, 2007

I have to fess up to being a n00b at both birding and photoggerating, which is why I've posted this meetup. So I can learn from you guys!

Anyway, us n00bs can hang together for moral support while the hardcore types get their geek on.

If somebody can show me how to use my damn camera properly I will be forever grateful, will compose paeans to your awesomeness, and will buy you a beer. Any takers?
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 11:44 AM on December 18, 2007

Hey, a chance to watch jessamyn watching people watching dogs watching birds! And a chance to carpool to same! (Yes, rtha, I'd like to ride with you.)

Let's hope the weather cooperates this weekend. I think a light drizzle would be OK, and so far the forecast looks good.

*crosses fingers, squints at sky*
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 8:23 PM on January 22, 2008

Sounds like a great backup plan to me. Personally, I love going for walks in the rain, so I'm hoping for a meetup rain or shine.

As a possible alternate plan in case of pouring rain, the Exploratorium isn't too far from Crissy Field. Although it will probably be crowded on a rainy weekend, it's a blast (and warm and dry). Just a thought.
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 8:51 PM on January 24, 2008

Sounds good to me: no rain = Crissy at 1, rain = 21st at 2.

Who's on first?
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 8:55 PM on January 25, 2008

Yay! Cloud cover is continuous but high, which suggests no rain (if I remember my amateur meteorology). I'm keeping my fingers crossed anyway.

scrump, dude, I plowed through A Game of Thrones just so I could discuss it with you at this meetup, and you go and get the flu instead! Dude!
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 9:50 AM on January 26, 2008

Well, phooey - none of my photos came out well enough to justify setting up a Flickr account. But it was great to see some of you again and meet others for the first time!

I hope y'all are up for some future birds + cameras + beer meetups, because this is a recipe for excellence.
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 11:14 AM on January 27, 2008

Tangerine, I think you meant "scamps" and "bubbleheads", no?
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 6:55 PM on January 27, 2008

Psst! rtha and gingerbeer are in the cabal - that's how they get the mods to come to their meetups. But don't tell anyone I blew their cover!
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 8:17 AM on January 28, 2008

Good idea.
And can't we please have a little formatting? Maybe just small and italics if it's not too much trouble? Text is so much more expressive with visual aids. And I always close my tags!
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 7:18 PM on January 17, 2008

Mister_A, how is 65536 a palindrome? It doesn't read the same backwards as forwards.

Now me, I'm a palindrome. 22022, baby.
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 7:27 AM on January 11, 2008

I think there's value in educated guesses, as long as the Answerer is clear that they are speculating. I'm a research scientist and much of my work is driven by educated guesses: we make a hypothesis based on a guess/hunch/previous-kinda-similar-experience, then we do an experiment to test it. Sometimes we guess right, sometimes we guess wrong, but if we stopped guessing altogether we'd be dead in the water most of the time.

We don't do experiments on AskMe, but by... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 9:02 PM on January 10, 2008

Lovely. Thanks, and may we all find our peace.
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 11:49 AM on January 9, 2008

I'm possibly up for a weekend, except the 26th (got a date with some birds then. I'll check back in later to see what plans are firming up.
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 7:41 PM on January 8, 2008

Just popping in to say that Miko and the MeFi Detective Squad are the Best of the Web, and this thread is a thing of beauty. Rock on.

Oh, and happy new year.
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 7:57 PM on December 31, 2007

Huh. Guess I left the meetup way too early. Then again, since nothing ever happens when I'm around, maybe it's good I left early so y'all could get to the fun stuff sooner!

*keeps looking around for Astro Zombie, readies Excitement-Cancelling Hug for deployment*
posted to MetaTalk by Quietgal at 11:19 AM on December 16, 2007