MetaFilter

I've loved reading all the chatfilter questions, even posted one of my own and it was so much fun reading the answers to my question. And everyone's questions have been interesting, not super chatty like "what's the best pizza you've ever eaten" but things I was actually curious about.

I hope this will be an annual thing...it's been fun and it nudged me to donate.
posted to MetaTalk by daikon at 12:32 PM on September 14, 2023

[ That said, I'm on record as no longer being a paying customer, so discount that opinion as you feel appropriate!

To be clear, the moderation team don't care about who's contributed funds to the site. It's not a factor in our decisions and besides for management, most of the team has no access to these details. ]
posted to MetaTalk by Brandon Blatcher at 11:06 AM on September 9, 2023

I liked the WH Auden categories of response that Well I Never mentioned very much and I think it would be innovative and interesting to use those:

1. This is good, and I like it.
2. This is not good and I don't like it.
3. I don't like this, but I recognize that it is good. I might come to like it in time.
4. I recognize that this is not good, but I like it anyway.
posted to MetaTalk by DirtyOldTown at 6:59 AM on September 9, 2023

I'd love this feature. If it succeeded it'd be a good way to bring new users in to Metafilter.

Strongly feel it's important to keep any poll like this simple. Even three choices might be one too many.
posted to MetaTalk by Nelson at 6:57 AM on September 9, 2023

Mea culpa - I should not have doubted the Mefi Wiki. I have merged my article into Unintentional theme day.

(filthy light thief, I miss you!)
posted to MetaTalk by zamboni at 9:22 AM on September 14, 2023

I made a short list of Theme Weeks on the Mefi Wiki-I remembered Potatoes, Poop and Worf, but feel free to add the ones I missed.
posted to MetaTalk by zamboni at 8:55 PM on September 13, 2023

Real nice meme you got here, be a shame if some other Apoidea horned in on it if you know what I mean.
posted to MetaTalk by Brandon Blatcher at 6:46 PM on September 13, 2023

I can say this much about it: I happened to see two bee-related posts on the front page on Monday, which I assumed was a coincidence, and for the hell of it I made a "free thread" post using a bee-related pun in the title. I'm guessing that contributed to everyone else getting in on the impromptu fun.

So yeah, I think the reason is "for the sheer hell of it".

It's happened here... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Greg_Ace at 10:44 AM on September 13, 2023

[ – Any update on this?
Yes! I have reconfigured this for stripe so that a thank you email goes out for every payment or declined transaction moving forward. I'm also working to have something similar in Paypal as well. ]
posted to MetaTalk by loup at 2:22 PM on September 12, 2023

This whole cycle reminds me so much of what I've seen in.... Pretty much any company I've ever worked:

- Some innovative people who like building things, build a cool thing
- Then the thing stabilises, and needs managing
- Folks are hired to manage it! Over time, this selects for people who are good at optimising their day to day work, good at making incremental positive change and at reducing small-scale risk. (Of course, there's an increasing... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by quacks like a duck at 10:49 AM on September 13, 2023

USENET, the OG social network, rises again like a text-only phoenix
posted to MetaFilter by Artw at 4:23 PM on September 12, 2023

No bees, but a frog hopped out of my garage this morning.
posted to MetaFilter by kathrynm at 9:41 AM on September 12, 2023

I heard about this for the the first time a month ago in episode 71 of the "This Is Love" podcast called Telling the Bees: "For a long time, beekeepers have told bees their news. They’ve told their bees about weddings, and when people they know have died. It’s said that if they don’t, the bees will leave their hives, or stop making honey, or die.

Sometimes, like after Queen Elizabeth II died, beekeepers draped hives in black ribbon. Sometimes they’d shift... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by amf at 9:06 AM on September 12, 2023

The Toyota sketch on the other hand cut out too early but with luck I should still be able to work out what those other ingredients are
posted to FanFare by ckape at 10:27 AM on January 31, 2023

Telling the bees can be very therapeutic, but be careful you don’t engage in it too much, or you will tell the bees more and more until you have full-blown Bee Tell Mania….
posted to MetaFilter by GenjiandProust at 4:38 AM on September 12, 2023

I bet the bees are like “hmm that large flightless bee is telling us that another large flightless bee queen is dead? What am I supposed to do with this information bzzzzzzz”

And then an older bee says “bzzzzzzzzlol the large bees think if they don’t tell us, we’ll uhhh, kill them or something? That’s what I heard bzzzzzz”

“Yeah those large bees are weird, they can’t even fly!”

Bzzzzz bzzzz bzz bzzz 🐝
posted to MetaFilter by Doleful Creature at 8:40 PM on September 11, 2023

Also in my headcanon “bzz bzzzz” is the bee-equivalent of this : ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
posted to MetaFilter by Doleful Creature at 8:43 PM on September 11, 2023

Also, this custom is the origin of the Bee Bee See, which was originally staffed with bees. Strange, but true!*

* For values of “true” including “false.”
posted to MetaFilter by GenjiandProust at 6:15 PM on September 11, 2023

In the BBC drama Lark Rise to Candleford, there is a scene in which Queenie, portrayed by Linda Bassett, has to go out and tell the bees of a [presumed] death.
posted to MetaFilter by apartment dweller at 6:38 PM on September 11, 2023

Just picturing the bees afterwards like "ridiculous! as if we gave a shit if their queen died! fucking humans amirite"
posted to MetaFilter by potrzebie at 7:42 PM on September 11, 2023

There’s a folklore zine Tell the Bees
posted to MetaFilter by GenjiandProust at 6:13 PM on September 11, 2023

CONTRIBUTIONS FROM
THE MUSEUM OF JURASSIC TECHNOLOGY
COLLECTIONS AND EXHIBITIONS
_________________________
Tell the Bees...
Belief, Knowledge and Hypersymbolic Cognition
posted to MetaFilter by lalochezia at 6:11 PM on September 11, 2023

I JUST came across this a few days ago:

Ten things that the bees also like to know (a post from one of my all-time favorite things on the internet: Listing to Port, created by MeFite gnimmel - FPP The hats of your mortal enemies, turned inside-out and used as flowerpots ; Projects post )

I love watching bees and listening to bees, but I don't think enough about telling them things. I should definitely tell things to the bees.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by kristi at 6:06 PM on September 11, 2023

I had a couple of hives. Named the queens after my grandmothers and great grandmothers. They were wonderful ladies - it got to where I could open the hives without any protective gear, they knew me so well; and once I accidentally took a bee in with a mouth of tea - I hadn’t seen her there! and she buzzed in my mouth but never stung me.

I was only stung once. I had to sell my hives - forced to move to a place I could not take them to. The gentleman came out to inspect... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Silvery Fish at 5:42 PM on September 11, 2023

Ah, so that explains the title of the last Outlander book: Go Tell the Bees that I am Gone - apparently an Appalachian tradition also.
posted to MetaFilter by fFish at 5:40 PM on September 11, 2023

C D B! D B S A BZ B, O S NDD!
posted to MetaFilter by Greg_Ace at 12:26 PM on September 11, 2023

The bees have spread to Fanfare.
posted to MetaFilter by DirtyOldTown at 12:01 PM on September 11, 2023

One of my favorite memes (can't find the source right now) goes something like this:

"I am leaving this wild for the pollinators" (gesturing expressively to the weeds in the garden)
"These too are for the pollinators" (gesturing vaguely to the unwashed dishes in the sink)
(trips over pile of dirty laundry) - "....pollinators"
posted to MetaFilter by inflatablekiwi at 11:41 AM on September 11, 2023

I Sheltered In An Apartment With A Total Stranger On 9/11. Two Weeks Ago, I Finally Found Her.
posted to MetaFilter by Etrigan at 2:22 PM on September 11, 2023

Young people do not get 9/11.

Last night the TV was showing a "60 Minutes Special broadcast" all about 9/11. Our youngest, now 15, was in the room. She asked how many people died that day, and then my wife was telling her about the people she knew who were in New York on 9/11.

I found the 2001 footage of the firemen, and contemporary video of survivors, hard to watch. But I left the room when they showed people... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by wenestvedt at 1:14 PM on September 11, 2023

So... I was there that day (and on MeFi too) and I'm still in New York.

As a result, this piece was particularly painful to read. I prefer to focus on the good things that happened that day:
- How the world comes together in support of those affected by crisis (back then it was us. This weekend, it's Ukraine and Morrocco)
- How we all pulled together (there were early worries about looting that never materialized)
- How we grieved... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by TNLNYC at 12:04 PM on September 11, 2023

To be honest, I’m really tired of being told how to feel about September 11.
posted to MetaFilter by Melismata at 10:38 AM on September 11, 2023

I always hate responding to stuff like this because I know I'm missing a ton of amazing people but I'd like to second Frowner and say that I think wenestvedt seems like a very nice person.

I also want to shout out my trans/non-binary/figuring it all out MeFites for their patience and resilience and other wonderful qualities and, finally, there are lots of lovely people I don't see or don't see much anymore but I'd like to give a quiet thought to them too.... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by an octopus IRL at 7:08 AM on September 9, 2023

I am not real big on singling out people publicly, not because I don't have people to acknowledge, but because I do not want to risk leaving someone out. So, having said that, thank you to the entire staff, mods, programmers, volunteers, etc. and thank you to all who contribute their knowledge, expertise, comments, observations, enthusiasm, passionate opinions and do so with good intentions and dignity.

However, I do want to single out one person, jessamyn, for her... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by JohnnyGunn at 1:32 AM on September 8, 2023

I would love for more people to flag comments and posts they want a mod to look at, so that flagging data could be more useful and be reused for other things! Over and over, when encouraging MeFites to do so, I've read MeFites saying that they have never flagged anything or that they don't think to do so, and as I recall, mods have confirmed that this is a pattern -- lots of MeFites silently get annoyed at posts or comments but don't flag. Or they use the contact form, which doesn't send as... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by brainwane at 2:33 PM on September 10, 2023

Whenever my husband accidentally hurts himself I reflexively say "NO HURTING DARRYL!"

I don't really think about it, it's just an automatic emotional reaction to him getting hurt and me not wanting him to get hurt again.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Jacqueline at 7:48 PM on September 8, 2023

I exclaimed when I saw this question. Someone I care about deeply does this, and it's become an ISSUE. When I trip or bang into something and he says, "Be careful!" I feel scolded and like he is calling attention to my foibles. It drives me bananas. I even talked to my therapist about it!

I had suspected (and my therapist suggested) it came from a place of anxiety or fear, and terretu's comment resonates too, as my friend's childhood experiences were similar.... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by bluedaisy at 9:45 AM on September 8, 2023

We're up to 26 posts tagged with metafilterfundraiser2023 and there's nine days left on the extended fundraising "month"! There's nine days left to have some fun by posting a chatty question and sending in a donation or to start or increase a monthly subscription!
posted to MetaTalk by Brandon Blatcher at 5:28 AM on September 6, 2023

For those concerned with mission/vision/direction, I recommend listening to the episode of On the Media that airs this week, "How Big Tech Went to Sh*t." It focuses on how terrible most of the web is, highlighting the things MeFi does offer as distinct advantage in the value proposition department.

To jessamyn's list above, under the list for "transparency" I would add "finances." I don't think we need more lists, though - the SC outlined a... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Miko at 1:17 PM on September 4, 2023

Thanks for the reply, and indication that someone's reading what we're writing here.

Also, thank you for the apology. Personally, I don't think the site update threads need to be more frequent, but if they're going to exist/have open comments, I'd really like to see more frequent communication along the lines of what you just posted. I have zero issue with Loup (or anyone else) taking time away from work, but I would have really appreciated a post along the lines of... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Alterscape at 10:26 AM on September 4, 2023

I'm no good at eulogizing and I'm still pretty upset so I'm just going to say that Jesse was a good dude and a good friend, somebody I enjoyed talking to and somebody who cared about me, and I've never seen anybody with a bad word about him. He made everywhere he went better, and the world is worse for his absence.

.
posted to MetaTalk by Pope Guilty at 10:54 AM on September 4, 2023

> Literally one line of CSS.

Absurdly enough, I "fixed" the flagging UI for myself ages ago with a stylesheet override pretty much just like this.

I will admit to spending extra dev time on hiding the exclamation point. Leaving it in made it seem so harsh, and I prefer the comment reporting process to feel as gentle as possible.

a.flag::before {
  content: ' Report this... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by otsebyatina at 4:43 PM on September 2, 2023

I realized what Ian was doing just before he knocked on Poppy's door, and it fucking broke me. Openly crying, to the point that I have no idea what was said in the rest of that scene, and no thank you I am never going to watch it again. At least, not that part.

I hope every other showrunner watches this and says "Nah, we can't do any better, so we're not even going to try."
posted to FanFare by Etrigan at 11:12 AM on May 26, 2020

folks you know how much i hate to make bombastic lowercase pronouncements, but this time i gotta:

the article is correct. and must be engaged with in a way that respects its correctness.
posted to MetaFilter by bombastic lowercase pronouncements at 2:51 PM on August 31, 2023

loup and jessamyn, may you both be well.

I'm an "occasionally does a one-time donation" user. I haven't donated this year. It's unclear to me that the site is moving toward sustainability, and my paying more attention to MeTa and other parts of the site truly leave me scratching my head about what would actually need to happen to thrive. Money is needed, it's true, but I'm not super-comfortable donating at the moment. Certain dysfunctions persist from month to... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by cupcakeninja at 5:26 AM on September 2, 2023

Love the bounty idea; I'll donate $50 if the [!] button gets fixed in this calendar year.
posted to MetaTalk by Threeve at 10:11 PM on August 31, 2023

Jessamyn Time. Midnight, wherever Jessamyn is, or wants to be.
posted to MetaTalk by theora55 at 2:23 PM on August 28, 2023

Well, we had a steering committee, and that took a lot of energy to create/organize, and then they had to figure out what their job was (and there are a lot of jobs!) and then that got shut down by lawyers. So it’s not as if they’ve done nothing, it’s more like the Big Plan For Change fizzled out. I’m happy to stick around to see what the next plan is. This site is extremely educational for me.
Bored? Go read some recent BIPOC minutes, they’re quite impressively detailed.
posted to MetaTalk by Vatnesine at 7:56 PM on August 28, 2023

Chatfilter ends at midnight EST on 15 September.

EST does NOT mean "Eastern Time". Use "Eastern" or "ET" instead, all year round, and avoid this common error. Google "EST vs EDT".

"Midnight" is still ambiguous because it could be the very beginning of Sept 15th, or the very end. Use 11:59pm or 12:01am instead (or, if you reeaally want it to be right at midnight, 11:59:59pm... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by intermod at 8:53 PM on August 26, 2023

I came out as trans about a year and a half ago and started on HRT one year and three months ago. I live in Georgia which is... not the most horrific of the governments in the southeast but not by much.

I tell you, my timing is fucking stellar y'all. *bone deep sigh*
posted to MetaFilter by Maaik at 1:23 PM on August 24, 2023