"Have you tried turning him off, then turning him back on again?"
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 6:16 AM on September 18, 2008

About two years ago, I decided that I disliked posting on boards under pseudonyms.
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 3:05 PM on August 27, 2008

Well done jscalzi!
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 1:19 PM on August 11, 2008

It seems to have been established that the post, whatever its imperfections, is staying up, and that further discussion of its worthiness is thus unnecessary, so maybe this grey thread can be closed up? What further purpose does it?
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 1:15 PM on August 11, 2008

... does it serve?

Twitchy mouse finger.
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 1:15 PM on August 11, 2008

I posted early in the LongBoing and it then dominated my "Recent Activity" for weeks. At first it was irritating, and then it became strangely compulsive, like a soap opera. Once it pulled in Wikipedia, I was hooked.

So, .

By the way, what exactly did VB do to get unpersoned? Did anyone actually figure that out?
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 3:53 PM on July 30, 2008

Wotan-esque, eh? Very appropriate, since today is Wednesday.
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 4:08 PM on July 30, 2008

I enjoyed the article, FWIW. And the disccussion made me chuckle.
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 2:01 PM on July 23, 2008

Could someone explain the #mefi / mefi IRC thing to me? I mean, I understand what IRC is, I understand the concept of a mefi channel on IRC, I just don't understand the bad blood that seems to exist between #mefi-users and some (presumably) non-#mefi-users. It's particularly confusing to the uninitiated because, of course, you can't tell who is a #mefi user and who isn't.
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 2:22 PM on July 13, 2008

It would be nice if people realised that the recent rise in popularity of that word in the UK was the same as the disintegration of the pointless taboo around fuck. It isn't Ken Tynan and the Sex Pistols sticking it to establishment prudes, it's a word with a lot of hate in it. However, stemming that particular tide is a Cnut-like endeavour.
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 12:46 PM on July 9, 2008

Why? Because you are offended by it?

To be frank, I'm not particularly offended by it, and have used it, but strive not to. I've discussed its level of offense several times when it has come up in the text of magazines I have worked for, and the my female friends and colleagues have said with near unamity that they consider it pretty hateful. So now I do my best to avoid it because I see it as being strongly offensive to many people whom I care about... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 1:16 PM on July 9, 2008

Unamity=unanimity.
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 1:18 PM on July 9, 2008

As Effigy mentioned, I'm already among the nine writers (I wrote the second chapter) and also a professional editor. I want to help, but I can't commit very much time. My day job tends to leave my quite edited-out and I didn't want to take on the whole burden. Also, I'm in the linguistic minority, English English, and would have to fight my instinct to make everything -our, -ised, lorry, flat, chimney, gorblimey, etc.
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 6:04 AM on July 7, 2008

One thing we certainly need is for at least one, maybe two or three, people who have not written chapters to read the whole manuscript when it's finished. They can then report back on continuity errors and any other glaring inconsistencies. We really need fresh eyes for that, people who haven't been reading the monthly galleys and who can treat it as a single document.

Also, we need to set up a single master manuscript that gets edited by one person, then signed off and... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 8:32 AM on July 7, 2008

As to whether we should strive to keep the individual authors' voices or harmonise: I don't think anyone really wants to make the story sound like it was by a single author. That would be an enormous editing job, and would rather defeat the object.

BUT there are inevitably going to be places where the tone seriously clashes and detracts from the story. I think that fixing those problems will be a relatively minor job, not a thoroughgoing rewrite of any sections. My... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 12:57 PM on July 7, 2008

allkindsoftime I am: A) Officially pissed I missed the original collaboration project and the chance to write for it.

I don't see why we can't do it again next year. But I suppose it's possible that we're all on the brink of a spectacular falling-out ....
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 12:59 PM on July 7, 2008

Is this when I'm supposed to storm out in a huff? My sense of dramatic timing is off.

Now would be perfect. If you shout "hack!" at me, I'll reply "popinjay!", then you can storm out of the project and I can withdraw my chapter. That should really fup things uck.
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 1:10 PM on July 7, 2008

Popinjay!
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 1:16 PM on July 7, 2008

(Crosses out Mister_A's name on Chapter 3, writes in own in red crayon, walks away nonchalently)
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 1:24 PM on July 7, 2008

If it was posted in MeTa, you could increase its exposure by putting it on the sidebar.
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 1:41 PM on July 7, 2008

You know what I hate? The verb "curate". It used to have a simple, limited meaning, now it's used everywhere. I think people think it sounds somehow brainier and more academic and creative than simply compiling, editing, or sponsoring something. Anyway, I'll watch out for some arsewitted designer curating sex with their girlfriend or boyfriend. Because it will happen.
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 9:22 AM on June 28, 2008

Badum, tish.
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 9:35 AM on June 28, 2008

Metafilter: Wedged Between Arianna Huffington and Michelle Malkin in an Angry Threesome
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 1:17 PM on June 12, 2008

I thought the Hipster was a rejected name for the Extruded Plastic Dingus.
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 4:24 AM on June 16, 2008

Eponysterical.

Plus, I think this counts as the most grudging acceptance of the principle of free speech I have ever read.
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 12:17 PM on March 28, 2008

There's some kind of strange ansible connection between Metafilter and the London Review of Books. jennydiski, etc.

I love Lanchester - The Debt to Pleasure was excellent. I also enjoy his reviews.
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 2:58 PM on March 8, 2008

I used to just love playing the Chaosium Call of Cthulu rpg while at school and uni. Great game. If anyone in London fancies a trip down memory lane, it might be fun. But I'd have to retrieve the rules from the WPW National Archive (my parents' attic in Dorset).
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 3:49 PM on March 5, 2008

IANALP, but I think the term now preferred by the group in question is "little people", but then I'm getting that from an old episode of CSI so who knows.

Some years ago, I worked for a magazine that dealt with housing and homelessness. Being social care types, the readership were a highly PC bunch. One Hallowe'en, we had reason to include a little picture of the Wicked Witch from the film the Wizard of Oz. I remember someone - it might have been me - saying... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 11:18 AM on January 31, 2008

This would never have happened under George Earle Buckle.
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 6:22 PM on January 30, 2008

Accounting troll: ... And this is our random number generator:

Random number generator troll: ... nine, nine, nine, nine, nine, nine, nine, nine, nine, nine ....

Dilbert: How can you be sure that's random?

Accounting troll: That's the thing. You can never be sure.
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 2:12 PM on January 18, 2008

"The New York State bird is no longer a hand gesture"

I forget who made that crack about improving manners in the Empire State.
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 5:42 PM on January 3, 2008

Texas: He's really from Connecticut
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 5:58 PM on January 3, 2008

I would like to participate, if places are still available.
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 3:22 PM on December 12, 2007

Short stories, continuous narrative, interweaved narratives, Thieves' World, it all sounds good. Yeah. The more I think about this, the more I would like to participate.
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 3:32 PM on December 12, 2007

One idea: before embarking on an ambitious project like a novel or compilation, what about a small-scale trial? Each participant putting 1000 words towards a short story, for instance?

Just a thought.
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 3:42 PM on December 12, 2007

It's pretty harsh to change the participation rule to mailing in (what was for me) the middle of the night, and then cap the number at seven rather than 12. I was really enthusiastic about this & pleased to have caught the thread early enough to join in - what a disappointment to wake up to.
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 2:49 AM on December 13, 2007

I would just like to add that the roster looks great and thus far I am extremely happy with arrangements.
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 2:37 PM on December 14, 2007

Very good!
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 7:28 AM on December 9, 2007

I've already played with one for a while. I work for a magazine, and we got one in to review. Tom Coates wrote the revieww, and it's in the edition that's coming out now.

Do I win?
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 6:58 AM on December 9, 2007

I'm a recovering alcoholic. I sought help when I was 27 after a long serious of ultimata from my partner, compunded by losing a job. I saw that thread in its early stages and chose not to participate. I didn't want to participate because:

1. The asker appeared to be more interested in finding a way to remain with his girlfriend and staying drunk, rather than getting clean.

2. I did not want to assist that behaviour.

3.... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 3:23 AM on December 4, 2007

compounded, not compunded
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 3:23 AM on December 4, 2007

UbuRoivas: You may be right. On the other hand a key indicator of alcoholism is the inability to stop once started - he clearly admits this. The fact that he can from time to time "hold off" and not binge drink means he's controlling the drinking out of self interest - I never went to Christmas dinner at my parents house drunk - I would be called on it and it would cause a scene. So I wouldn't drink on Christmas (or if I did, I'd have two or three beers and stop).... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 5:12 AM on December 4, 2007

Shothotbot: in order to be useful a suggestion has to be "heard." For most of us, an aggressive or sarcastic phrasing directly decreases out chances of taking the advice seriously.

True, entirely true. But Anonymous ruled out stopping drinking, and ruled out seeking any help (AA, therapy) that ran the risk of telling him that he needed to stop drinking. So if the advice was "you need to stop drinking" or "you should seek help... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 8:10 AM on December 4, 2007

shothotbot: if the question is "How do I get out of this situation? I don't want to do X, Y or Z", I think "Do X, Y or Z" is a fairly obvious breach of the "junker" rule; the questioner clearly doesn't want to scrap the car, don't tel him to scrap the car. The questioner doesn't want to go to AA, don't tell him to go to AA. But there are many interpretations of the hadith.
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 8:30 AM on December 4, 2007

it's an appropriate answer to say "you seem like an alcoholic, this is what I know about alcoholics" and move on, especially if you're not calling names or being an asshat. Even "you need to stop drinking" is a decent answer if you can back it up (personal experience, medical information, etc) and not be an as about it.

OK, that's useful to know. I've been applying a far too narrow interpretation of the rules.
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 8:45 AM on December 4, 2007

It's anonymous in terms of the society at large.

It's also anonymous in that "what's said in the room stays in the room". You don't tell anyone who you met in AA, or what you heard in AA. The ame is true of most therapy groups. I didn't go through AA, as I found it conflicted with my atheism and I have some other fundamental problems with its philosophy, but I know many people for whom AA is a lifeline.
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 9:26 AM on December 4, 2007

Koeselitz: ...which doesn't rule out quitting, and doesn't even rule out AA, those are just things he "doesn't feel like doing."

Maybe you're right. But Anonymous also said: "I don't really want to stop drinking. Scratch that. I can't bear the thought of having to quit drinking."

"Scratch that" - doesn't that quite explicitly mean "I rule that out"?
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 9:35 AM on December 4, 2007

OK, I thought he meant "scratch that" as in "scratch the idea of stopping drinking". As in: "I don't really want to stop drinking. To hell with that. I can't bear the thought of having to quit drinking."

But it looks like I was probably wrong about that.
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 9:59 AM on December 4, 2007

I reckon the only way a writer's group would work on Mefi is if it was part of Mefi. Somehow. A bit like Music.

I think that's a very good idea. I don't know how it could work, though.
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 7:08 PM on November 5, 2007

brain_drain: Imagine two overlapping Venn diagram circles, one labeled "RABBITS" and the other "HUMAN VAGINAS," with the common area labeled "NOOOOOOOOO!"

I thought the overlapping area was called "Hugh Hefner publications". Same difference, I suppose.
posted to MetaTalk by WPW at 6:58 PM on July 6, 2007