We had another boy, not a girl, and named him Charles Xavier Lastname.
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 7:27 PM on October 4, 2007

I get 15+ favorites for relaying a joke I heard once at a comedy club. For my original Ralph Macchio joke in this thread, zip.

Clearly, I know nothing about comedy.
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 8:34 PM on June 13, 2007

Add a button. "Flag this post as 'Silly.'" With a sufficient number of "Silly" flags set, a Silly Critical Mass, the post is automatically hidden from view for those people that have set "Don't show me silly shit" in their account settings.

Me? I like the silly, for this reason:

Paris Hilton is not the Best of the Web all by herself.

On the other hand, Metafilter geniuses with Snark Guns set... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 8:56 PM on June 8, 2007

19 people have flagged this comment as incorrect by any reasonable standard

Now that is the best idea I've heard yet.

For one thing, it'd cut down on the flamewars if I could just press the "Umm, no" and "Umm, hell no" buttons.

Derailing the callout (but thanks, Mayor Curley), I'm biased against softball in general. I spent too much time as a sportswriter covering collegiate... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 8:51 PM on June 8, 2007

And that's not counting the borderline ones or the grossly misinformed flamebait

One man's grossly misinformed flamebait is another man's "are-you-fucking-kidding-me-spew-mountain-dew-on-the keyboard" reaction to seeing outright nuttiness passed off as "best of the web" information.
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 2:08 PM on June 6, 2007

Can't you smell the eco-habitat reclamation. Is this carbon friendly?

Oh hell no, it's not carbon-friendly. But it's par for the course for tires that can't be otherwise used or recycled.

The things you learn from episodes of Dirty Jobs...
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 9:18 PM on June 4, 2007

This just seems too bizarre for words. Have any of these people even seen a burning tyre?

Again, referencing the episode of Dirty Jobs, the tires are burned in a large-scale, factory-sized blast furnace. They're not just tossed out back and lit with a match. It's still dirty as hell. Hence the name of the show.

Something in my head said that they ground them up and used them as a component in the surfaces of tennis... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 1:14 PM on June 5, 2007

I used to be easily grossed out by things ... I was always being tricked ... I wasn't happy ... I decided to do something about it.

So, rather than, say, finding a new group of friends that have advanced past high-school grossouts, you deliberately blackened a teeny, tiny portion of your soul.

Let us all know how that works out for you.
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 11:33 PM on May 27, 2007

CHATFILTER! CHATFILTER! BURN THE HOBBITSES!

Lighten up, people.
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 3:51 PM on May 27, 2007

There's an Internet phenomena I like to call the Tragedy of the Weak Link

I like it. But you could also call it a lack of defensive design.
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 4:21 PM on May 14, 2007

The only movie I can think of where knowing the ending would really have changed my experience is Carrie

Ahem.

The Sixth Sense.

But my favorite example was Titanic.

I was talking to my cousins, and I was marveling at the marketing campaign and the central gimmick to the story, that managed to inject an air of anticipation into a completely known subject. I mean, everyone knows... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 4:26 PM on May 14, 2007

idiotfilter: It turns out he was imagining the whole rescue, and is still in the torture chamber.

What is that a reference to?

SPOILER!
SPOILER!
SPOILER!



Brazil



SPOILER!
SPOILER!
SPOILER!
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 3:13 PM on May 15, 2007

MeFi is not a popularity contest.
Ranking people is a bad idea. Full stop.

I've seen this and similar ideas shot down by numerous people numerous times, so I don't think it'll ever happen.

That being said, the anti-scoreboard crowd just doesn't seem to understand how effective positive rewards are when it comes to encouraging good behaviors and better communities. There's a reason the pinball machine lights up... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 9:27 AM on May 7, 2007

taking a weak, point-missing jab at presumed motivation makes you look pretty silly, frogan.

Actually, in that instance, I'm just parroting some of the sentiment from one of the previous posts about scoreboard ideas. Sorry, I didn't just dream that one up myself.

/sidenote: it's bad form for moderators to get personal ... being a moderator means you're above the fray. It's part of the job description.
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 10:24 AM on May 7, 2007

Positive rewards for what, though? Many of the most favorited comments are one-liners that don't really add that much to the site.

Here's where I would venture to guess that one-liners make up the bulk of the favorites right now and "stay the course" won't change that either.
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 10:26 AM on May 7, 2007

Thirty-seven!
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 11:05 PM on April 11, 2007

I suggest that this is not parallel. ... The Batman question ... names a result - a preternaturally fit individual with specific gymnastic & combat capabilities - and questions how such a person would reach that goal.

I concur and do not think it violates the guidelines.

Moreover, aren't we all getting a little tired of the "it doesn't meet the guidelines game?"
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 1:00 PM on April 10, 2007

"can God beat Batman?"

Batman would soften up God by sending his homies Thor, Zeus and Quetzalcoatl out first, because they all have a score to settle with the Big Guy.

And once God was tired, Batman would fuck Him up with Satan's pitchfork, on which Batman spent billions of dollars making an exact duplicate.

And just before Batman is about to skewer the Almighty, he'd... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 11:03 PM on April 10, 2007

/me waits for the post where someone claims AskMe is being overrun by heathens
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 2:27 PM on April 5, 2007

I have to put forth that a large number of people within the community are of the type that attribute internal decisions as the result of external forces, or attribute external forces more, ahem, more weight and validity than they deserve.

The person that is fat and has a related issue ... doesn't want to be told that they're fat because of their own action. And others seem to suggest that the very notion of "fatness" is some kind of... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 2:06 PM on April 4, 2007

Is there some way in which armchair medical advice answers a question asking for social advice?

I can think of many instances where this would be true. And your own example...

Q: I have bad gas and sometimes it escapes noisily without me wanting it to.

... warrants a medically related answer. "Try Beano and you won't need a funny joke in the... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 7:20 PM on April 4, 2007

just because someone asks a question related to a medical condition doesn't mean they aren't already aware of the treatment options for said condition.

Please point me to the evidence where you can make this assumption. Moreover, please re-read your statement, because it contradicts itself. A person asks a medically related question ... but already knows the treatment options ... so why are they asking the question at all? That makes no sense.... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 10:01 PM on April 4, 2007

People ASSUME that the OP hasn't explored her options for treatment...

But you're assuming she has ... and that assumption is worse, because it's assuming something exists, and it may not, whereas the opposite tack is the safer and more responsible play.

We're not doctors, but hypothetically -- a middle-aged man walks into an emergency room with chest pains. It could be nothing... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 11:23 AM on April 5, 2007

Seconding the pwnage. Thanks. That was awesome.
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 10:07 PM on March 31, 2007

we've always been pretty set against having any sort of a Best Answer ranking here

Which just kills me because I think it would be the A-No. 1 way to encourage the good stuff and keep the Super MeFi's super-active. When there's a medical answer, I want to see ikkyu2's post ranked high so people know ikkyu2 is the bomb diggity. That sort of thing.
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 7:57 PM on March 20, 2007

Why are you convinced all your food will kill you?

Because it does. Frequently.

An estimated 76 million cases of foodborne disease occur each year in the United States. The great majority of these cases are mild and cause symptoms for only a day or two. Some cases are more serious, and CDC estimates that there are 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths related to foodborne diseases each year.... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 8:56 PM on March 16, 2007

So the statistics you cite are not really meaningful for the kinds of questions people are asking.

Right. I'm so sorry to have confused you with the facts from those idiots at the CDC. Your combination of the Chewbacca defense and half-assery is so much more compelling.

Now, look at the monkey. Look at the silly monkey.
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 9:42 PM on March 16, 2007

Question: Why do you think bad food will kill you?

My Answer: Because it does.

Your Comment: Your stats are meaningless. Ergo, it's safe. Go ahead and eat the warm tuna sandwich.

My Comment: Bitch, please.
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 9:53 PM on March 16, 2007

So I don't understand why the 5,000 deaths would be especially relevant, since we don't know how many are due to "leaving food out on counters" rather than " pooping and not washing hands after."

Wow. I mean ... wow. Sigh.

So I don't understand why the 5,000 deaths would be especially relevant

Because many many people like to play fast and... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 12:09 AM on March 19, 2007

You know when I throw out hummus? When I can see the mold.

Another thing you would've learned in Bio 101 is that fungus grows through a medium in addition to emerging on the surface. This is why Brie and Stilton cheeses are so tasty -- the mold on the rind and injected into the curds grows into the cheese itself.

So, in the case of your hummus ... by the time you can see the mold ...... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 4:09 PM on March 19, 2007

Likewise, the Edward James Olmos post was more about the incident and the actor than Battlestar Galactica, it seemed like.

That's exactly what I was thinking. ;-)

As the poster of this particular FPP, the post came about not because of the episode of BSG per se, but solely because I had actually seen Edward James Olmos in a cable re-run of Zoot Suit, a role I saw him in the original stage presentation,... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 3:58 PM on March 12, 2007

I fail to see how anything was "answered" here, so I don't see it being sidebar-worthy. The question was "how do you reconcile your faith with the proof that it's all bullshit?" And the answers from the faithful were, "It's not bullshit."

So, what'd we learn here? I guess we learned that Mormons are nice people. But we all knew that.

* you know, except for the Mormons that still demand revenge by blood... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 12:13 PM on March 8, 2007

A Wall Street Journal reporter tracked me down for something I wrote on AskMe, and quoted me in the article. Do I win a prize?
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 10:06 PM on February 17, 2007

... and then somebody tells him how to pirate software here.

Did I tell him HOW to pirate software? If I told you how mp3 ripping and compression works, am I teaching you to pirate music?

I told him how CD Keys work. I even pointed out where it might not work. I didn't point him toward any specific tools or provide any links. His question boiled down to "how do I install something on two machines?" And really, my... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 10:45 AM on January 28, 2007

YAY I FINALLY GET TO FLAME OUT AGAIN

Whoopee. Release the doves.
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 10:21 PM on January 16, 2007

And sorry for not coming here with data.

Oh, like that EVER stops anyone...
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 10:35 PM on January 2, 2007

Here's the post. If I could delete it, I would.
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 1:35 PM on January 1, 2007

Unbuggered. Thanks!
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 2:05 PM on January 1, 2007

Don't base a thread on a photo from MSNBC in the first place??

I live and learn ... ;-)
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 2:10 PM on January 1, 2007

Godspeed, Logboy.

side note ... MeFi could use a method of charitable giving ... something along the lines of the Penny-Arcade guy's Child's Play.
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 2:12 PM on December 24, 2006

I was right in the middle of answering this question and it was deleted out from under me. Long post, too, with legitimate points about bureaucracies and local governments. What the heck?
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 6:15 PM on December 14, 2006

This question is not time sensitive and the OP can ask it again next week if they want to, perhaps the way limeonaire suggested. Phrasing matters.

Ehhh ... Agreed. I getcha. Thanks.
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 7:07 PM on December 14, 2006

I love you Jessamyn. You don't get enough thanks when things go right. It's kinda like an umpire at a baseball game -- nobody notices him when the game goes well.

But ... bad call, Jessamyn. Otherwise, all the other fun hard-science-sci-fi questions would be axed, too, including one of mine.
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 9:34 PM on December 11, 2006

You mean I actually helped someone? And I'm being thanked for it? I'm usually pegged as the whacko libertarian curmudgeon around here.

/me blushes a little

Congrats, mate. Don't let us down.
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 10:04 PM on November 13, 2006

I think this thread is just turning into a "dump on women" thread.

And that's a problem because ... ?

/me ducks to avoid punch
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 8:01 PM on October 22, 2006

I mean, has anyone asked a question and have the hive mind come up totally blank?
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 8:50 PM on October 16, 2006

Bad call, jessamyn. Sorry. A little too quick with the hook.
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 9:17 PM on October 9, 2006

Jessamyn, thanks for your patience; I'm sure these threads are a pain in the ass but I think your explanations do help.

Agreed.
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 9:01 AM on October 10, 2006

Disagreed: exactly what sort of explanation has there been in this thread? ... a meaningless justification for the original deletion.

I was just thanking jessamyn for the continued work and explanations, even though I ultimately disagreed. It's called being polite. Look it up.
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 5:51 PM on October 10, 2006

I keep trying it, and it never seems to work, but I'll try it again...

ASAVAGE ... I SUMMON THEE!
posted to MetaTalk by frogan at 1:15 PM on September 15, 2006