McCAIN-PALIN: A BRIDGE TO NOWHERE!
posted to MetaFilter by ericb at 11:03 AM on September 5, 2008

Read "On Writing Well" by Zinsser, especially Chapter 12 on interviews, and Chapter 21.

Every outstanding teacher has a special sauce. What is his? What has he discovered about giving a good lecture that nobody else is knows (yet).

When creating a course, a semester is never long enough. You always have to decide what goes in and what goes out. How does he do it?

Does he feel his lecturing is theatrical?... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by gmarceau at 11:04 AM on August 24, 2008 marked best answer

I'd like to point out that this argument is stupid, even for the internet.
posted to MetaFilter by dirigibleman at 3:44 PM on August 20, 2008

It's on, bitches.
posted to MetaTalk by HITLERTRON 5000 at 3:44 PM on August 19, 2008

Oh.. ta. Yeah. that's pretty conclusive.

And another plug for Cavic's blog. Now that is one class act.
posted to MetaFilter by dirtynumbangelboy at 5:14 PM on August 16, 2008

Can I applaud the motivations behind this recent bender of apologizeration while still saying, "for fucks sake, why not just be all the mensch you can be in future threads, instead of constructing a spanktunnel of love and forgiveness on MetaTalk?"

I am serious here. I think it's great when someone realizes that they've behaved shabbily and tries to correct that behavior. But starting a thread where the majority of people are telling you how great you are? A... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by dirtdirt at 1:13 PM on August 7, 2008

In looking for the cat's previous owner, has anyone thought to look inside the cat?
posted to MetaFilter by ZachsMind at 7:14 PM on July 30, 2008

I wonder about that. I really feel that just like telcos not giving a shit whether you do or do not like their cell phone service, some web properties are big enough that they don't have to care as much about "reputation damage"

Simile and metaphor are the last refuge of the elephant in the room, in my opinion.

As far as I can tell, and I'm relying pretty heavily on Occam's Razor here, Cory's entire life support... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by felix at 2:04 PM on July 8, 2008

My appreciation for our own mods here is going thru the roof, if you know what I mean. And I'm sure you do.
posted to MetaFilter by konolia at 2:46 PM on July 9, 2008

Nothing's changed, has it? I mean, we had this tremendous coming together against a common enemy, we felt like a watershed moment, and now what? More like a Watergate moment. Lots of finger pointing, but at the end of the day, no one goes to club Fed.

Same old, same old. Everything's like it was, DRM kittens and brass iPhones. Except we now can't link to BB without a security detail locking down our ISP (and see how long they... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by maxwelton at 10:17 PM on July 9, 2008

krautland: I don't think the whatever-it-was that VB may or may not have done is the important factor. What has kept this entire story alive has been the periodic zap that BB has given it. "Clear!" yells Teresa and slaps the paddles onto its chest. VB, I think, is waiting in bemused fascination to see what happens next. (Me, too.) She's said that her life is an open book; anything Xeni says (short of calling her names) is okay. Consider the story as it has... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by CCBC at 11:53 PM on July 13, 2008

cortex: Also, can someone please clarify Takuan's role re: moderation? [ . . . ] If I'm off the mark -- if you don't have any official responsibilities here, and your comments are strictly those of a commenter -- then I apologize for the misunderstanding.

Takuan: where'd ya come from anyway? Ain't seen you around these parts afore. [ . . . ] what is your intent?

cortex: To read and discuss. What on... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by spiderwire at 10:38 AM on July 21, 2008

Oh gawd, after checking in with the lessons learned and moderation threads over at BB, it is so nice to get back here to our comfortable little home. Jess, matt, cortex, vacapinta, pb, I am going to start trashing you all sometimes just on principle - the principle of keeping mefi from devolving into lock-step sycophancy, because man that stuff is not pretty. They should get rid of comments yesterday, it is doing their "brand" no good whatsoever.

I find it... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by madamjujujive at 10:00 PM on July 23, 2008

h! Nw w s th vlnc nhrnt n th sstm!!
posted to MetaFilter by Justinian at 3:51 PM on July 28, 2008

WOW that thing is close to us.

Well, relatively. That's around 384400 km. Here we are from a different perspective.
posted to MetaFilter by zennie at 2:59 PM on July 18, 2008

Six Pronouns in Search of an Antecedent.
posted to MetaFilter by hydrophonic at 10:22 AM on July 18, 2008

Also, putting aside the greatly deserved respect accorded to Danila for her history on Metafilter, really, I have nothing but disgust for the conversational tactic of a melodramatic announcement to a group that "I'm not going to post here anymore" because a personal sacred cow has been violated. (And for something to be a sacred cow, it need not be of no value.)

If Metafilter is beginning to bug you that much, install this userstyle and take a break from the... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by WCityMike at 9:51 AM on July 11, 2008

I think the use of the superscript can help us all here.

"Wow, did you see what that cuntUK just did?" is no need for offense, but if someone says "I bet you didn't even read the link you stupid cuntUS," then you know they are a misogynist. Similarly, it OK to say "These niggersI'm black are always hanging around my apartment," but if you say "We should round up the niggersbigot and shoot them," then that person should probably be... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Meatbomb at 2:00 PM on July 9, 2008

What do people why don't understand this pyramid think they are doing? Seriously. I do not understand the ass hats. Could it be any clearer?

You must make a distinction between people why don't understand this pyramid and people why understand it and disagree with it. Then we can decide if you're one of those people why don't understand the asshats, or one of those people why understand the asshats but disagree with them.
posted to MetaFilter by weapons-grade pandemonium at 1:17 PM on May 21, 2008

Ok, you know what? I fucking went and googled fred zindi. Guess fucking what.

He wrote a paper about how unequal educational opportunities between black and white zimbabweans lead to poor testing among black zimbabweans and offered solutions to address the problem through equalizing the educational gap. Here's the pdf. It's the 4th link in this google search.

God damn it, Big Sky. That's so fucking weak. Seriously. weak. fucking. sauce.... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by shmegegge at 10:29 PM on April 18, 2008

Mr. President Dr. Steve Elvis America writes "How is it trolling to encourage people to respond to the arguments that other people actually make, instead whipping themselves into a frenzy over something no one actually said? That's a very strange definition of trolling."

My grandfather used to say things like, black people (well, that's not the term he used) are better athletes because the weak ones died off on the boats coming to the US.... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by krinklyfig at 1:26 PM on April 19, 2008

And the black majority went on to demonstrate to the world - leaving no uncertaintly - that they were utterly incapable of running their own affairs.

I presume you attribute the current situation and bleak prospects of the United States to the "fact" that the white majority are utterly incapable of running their own affairs.
posted to MetaFilter by languagehat at 7:32 AM on April 18, 2008

You're right, shmengee. Even though Armitage was able to pick through my un-nuanced message better than you were, you're completely right. I've been on the receiving end of Languagehat's ire, but that's no reason for me to kick the guy when he's trying to make amends. And for that, I apologize. Now, where's my sycophantic pile of favorites?
posted to MetaTalk by Dave Faris at 1:48 PM on April 16, 2008

This kid is amazing.

I laugh at the comments such as this one under "California Dreaming":

Shure he can play! But can he write music? can he compose? i think not.. This kid is amazing now.. but in ten years, he'll be nothing (if not a cover artist)

Don't be a hater because you suck, mean commenter.
posted to MetaFilter by LoriFLA at 9:14 AM on April 16, 2008

I have been practicing the Pledge without invoking the name of Undergod.
posted to MetaFilter by the Real Dan at 1:48 PM on April 15, 2008

Those comments in the LJ thread about how the $670 price is via an Amazon affiliate are mine, and I'm stickin' with them; this really does appear to be the author misunderstanding the search results and ascribing some sort of malice to Amazon when none exists.

To make sure to explain here: the author initially searched for his item on Amazon using a browser that wasn't logged into Amazon, and the search returns had his item for $670. It appears that this return was... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by delfuego at 10:59 AM on April 15, 2008

... he really does sound like an archangel coming down out of the sky.

He does.

And he lives in some monolithic council estate, surrounded by asshats that take the piss day in and day out. They'd pick on him whether he sang or not. Oh, he says that they're on him because of his music, but you know better. So does he. But who really wants to admit right out that they're a target of scorn simply because they exist? Not... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by grabbingsand at 12:34 PM on April 14, 2008

In my experience, mostly as a student, 99% of the time the person in your shoes is mistaken about how correct he or she is. But no matter what, the best way to approach this is with some humility. Go to your professor's office hours or schedule an appointment and say that you don't understand why what you did was wrong and ask him to explain it to you. Phrase it in terms of wanting his help to understand this particular point in the material, not antagonistically in terms of getting full credit.... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by Schismatic at 7:01 AM on April 9, 2008

I was thinking about this thread today as I got a sandwich, and proceeded to talk to my sister to ask her opinion on what I see as a trend. It probably isn't though; it has always been like this. Why do we insist that our understanding of people must be on a single scale, and that any flaw automatically removes any admiration?

Thomas Jefferson owned slaves. He also wrote the Declaration of Independence. Mother Teresa converted the dying. She also was one of the... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Lord Chancellor at 1:19 PM on April 6, 2008

How long would it take for a monkey with a wooden leg to kick all the seeds out of a dill pickle?
posted to MetaTalk by breezeway at 9:52 AM on April 3, 2008

Nevermind Askme, I'm just going to MeFiMail you my underwear questions.
posted to MetaTalk by ODiV at 1:42 PM on April 2, 2008

THis kind of article only glorifies Mad, a rag that IS
Insipidly written, crudely drawn, and marketed to idiotS.
COuldn't the Times just ignore this moronic droOL!
posted to MetaFilter by Bromius at 12:54 PM on March 30, 2008

The lead aria of Act Two in "Turandot" is "Nessun Dorma."
I'm using Opera, if that is helpful.
posted to MetaFilter by Dizzy at 4:22 PM on March 29, 2008

The angle of this story that everyone seems to be neglecting is the humble and yet very crucial fact that Mr. Diaz is a social worker?

Now, what does this mean? It simply means that he has experience dealing with less than savory people, folks who could and do commit acts of violence.

Leading such people onto the path of righteousness or simply asking them to change their socially unacceptable modes of behavior is probably second nature to this... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by gregb1007 at 12:04 PM on March 28, 2008

Reminds me of a Zen parable:

A Zen Master lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of a mountain. One evening, while he was away, a thief sneaked into the hut only to find there was nothing in it to steal. The Zen Master returned and found him. "You have come a long way to visit me," he told the prowler, "and you should not return empty handed. Please take my clothes as a gift." The thief was bewildered, but he took the clothes and... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by krinklyfig at 12:23 PM on March 28, 2008

God threw Jesus under the bus today.
posted to MetaFilter by Lord Chancellor at 7:21 PM on March 21, 2008

Wait, starbucks coffee tastes burnt?

I've never heard this before. Must look into it.
posted to MetaFilter by justgary at 9:36 AM on March 21, 2008

Wait for the holiday season, then take your phone out to the mall and pretend to have long conversations about how rampant consumerism has left you all hollow and empty inside.
posted to Ask Metafilter by box at 9:57 AM on March 14, 2008 marked best answer

Yeah, dobbs, but I was hoping for more. Henceforth:

The Love Song of N.S.F.W. Uncle Dirty

Let us bend then, you and I
and point our skidmarks at the sky
like peanut butter prized upon a knife
Let us go, through certain half-perverted links
The kind that make us blink
In restless nights in computer’s restless glare
At the non-fictional world out there
Links... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by roombythelake at 3:29 AM on March 9, 2008

Mmm ... well, now I see. Maybe these guys aren't ready for charity work yet. The fact that they put it on the table when called on their game tells me that they're more green than diabolical. But they still talk like they're pumping up the hype machine for a business rather than an ostensible force for good in the non-profit world. There's a reason that Buffett gave so much to Gates and not to some inexperienced former hedge fund managers in their 20s with little more than a website and raw... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by krinklyfig at 12:14 AM on January 1, 2008

I wrote Lucy a nice non-anonymous comment on her blog.Ah the irony of the hot-under-the-collar web world.

Hi -- I'm not anonymous, I'm one of the moderators of MetaFilter and I got to spend some of my New Years Eve watching this unfold and making sure it didn't get too crazy. My name is Jessamyn West and I live in Vermont.

Probabably the best place to get an idea of what happened is from the GiveWell blog where Holden explains... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by jessamyn at 9:57 AM on January 1, 2008

I've been following this thread since its inception, and I'm struck by three things:

(1) The harsh criticism of geremiah/Holden0 for his clearly wrong original astroturfing behavior.

(2) The intense invective directed at holden00 for doing something very few astroturfers ever do around these parts: going out of his way to apologize for and explain his behavior, and attempting to engage with the criticism that this engendered.... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by googly at 10:14 AM on January 1, 2008

This thread manages to be both the best and the worst of the web.
posted to MetaTalk by every_one_needs_a_hug_sometimes at 11:47 AM on January 1, 2008

Holy crap. It's back. I'm losing my mind.

Google has more then one search server, and they get updated at different times. Old things will be stable, but new things will jump around from query to query.
posted to MetaTalk by delmoi at 2:54 PM on January 1, 2008

No, we're upset about the things he misrepresents.
posted to MetaTalk by BitterOldPunk at 5:24 PM on January 1, 2008

Lucy Bernholz has now posted a response on her blog about when she accepted board nomination. I'm glad to see that.

I've been listening to the audio of the board meetings this afternoon, and it's pretty interesting stuff. The inexperience shows. I'd chalk the whole debacle up to that. The co-founders don't know what they're doing; they don't have even a rudimentary understanding of the field they're playing in. They sound like student council. Lucy is one of the most... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Miko at 2:42 PM on January 2, 2008

The fact is that many people who work in the upper echelons of the non-profit world love the idea of fighting poverty and collecting the accolades that come with, but a part of them finds actual poor people to be scary and somewhat loathesome.

I don't find anything particularly reprehensible about that. People have vastly varying tolerances when it comes to coping with real suffering, and I don't think you need to be comfortable watching a starving... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by tkolar at 10:44 AM on January 3, 2008

Salons are not about the art of conversation. I go to them all the time. They are mainly there to interact with people you could not otherwise stand while you are sober. Last one I went to, I got into this conversation with this horrid little pre-Doctoral about the merits of Lucian Freud. He didn't really know anything and then completely rejected my idea of taking Gerhard Richter on a road show to America's top art programs to critique artist study of hyper-realism - but his rejection was based... [more]
posted to Ask Metafilter by parmanparman at 11:22 AM on December 31, 2007

I think there's a huge danger in pointing to (as someone put it upthread) a stupid Beavis-ism and clanging the sexism danger bell; it dilutes the currency of serious claims of sexism, and ultimately just wears people out

I understand your point, but I don't think pointing out sexism constitutes "clanging the sexism danger bell." It's true that the callout is overheated (and tainted by chuckdarwin's concomitant complaint about his own post),... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by languagehat at 11:11 AM on December 30, 2007

If I understand you correctly, and I think I do, you'd like more posts about cheese.

Don't be so coy, found missing, you gorgeous bastard you! Of course that is exactly what he was implying - anyone with an elementary grade school reading level could find that "hidden message" (if hiding in plain sight could be considered hidden, hahaha ROFL)!! :)

That's why I've created this fabulous and lengthy unordered list.... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Meatbomb at 12:13 PM on December 21, 2007