Email a dumpster fire. Literally.

November 24, 2020 1:05 PM

1. Send an email to [e-mail] with whatever you want to torch. Use plain text or an image attachment. PG-13 rules apply. // 2. Watch on the live feed as your message is created, conveyed, and then dropped into the rolling flames. // 3. Experience catharsis.
posted by nebulawindphone (47 comments total)

Unmute for lofi hip hop beats to commit arson and relax to
posted by nebulawindphone at 1:13 PM on November 24, 2020 [6 favorites]

This looks cool, but I think I'm going to need something a bit more... substantial to experience any real catharsis right now. Dumpster fires just seem so quaint, anymore. 2020 has been like a turducken of doom. It's a dumpster fire inside a train wreck inside a sharknado.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 1:15 PM on November 24, 2020 [9 favorites]

Just watched a Kanye 2020 campaign poster go into the dumpster. Although right at the end it needed an extra push from one of the humans to go in.
posted by Kabanos at 1:20 PM on November 24, 2020 [1 favorite]

Which one of you smartasses sent a picture of Professor Calculus?
posted by ardgedee at 1:25 PM on November 24, 2020 [1 favorite]

Someone just sent through dylan loves aaron and I can't tell if that's a weirdly badass love note, a fuck-you from a jilted third party, or a vicious fuck-you from one of the aforementioned guys
posted by nebulawindphone at 1:32 PM on November 24, 2020 [2 favorites]

It almost just glitched when a large email got stuck on top... but the next one cleared it out again *phew*. Goes well with the Last Week Tonight season finale.
posted by flamewise at 1:36 PM on November 24, 2020

Just watched a Kanye 2020 campaign poster go into the dumpster. Although right at the end it needed an extra push from one of the humans to go in.
posted by Kabanos

So Kanye interrupted the process?
posted by Splunge at 1:40 PM on November 24, 2020 [3 favorites]

Quite well done despite the snags. I recommend sound on for the soothing music and the woosh.
Does anyone have a recommended fix for top of the conveyor?
posted by Mngo at 1:48 PM on November 24, 2020

Actually, I think waiting for the next one to push through is better than the helping hand. Like the hoody though.
posted by Mngo at 1:50 PM on November 24, 2020

I sent the image of Trump's I WON THE ELECTION! rage tweet. I'm still waiting for it to drop.
posted by snortasprocket at 1:55 PM on November 24, 2020

It looks like the flap from the top of the conveyor has gotten stickier as it heats up. I wonder what it's made out of. I'm a little concerned about the flames that are going up underneath it.
EDIT: Oh, it's just wet. It's raining.
posted by WaylandSmith at 1:57 PM on November 24, 2020

I love this but I am also worried about the well-being of the hoodie man. I hope he ends the day without getting singed!
posted by evidenceofabsence at 1:59 PM on November 24, 2020

This looks cool, but I think I'm going to need something a bit more... substantial to experience any real catharsis right now. Dumpster fires just seem so quaint, anymore. 2020 has been like a turducken of doom. It's a dumpster fire inside a train wreck inside a sharknado.

It would be nice if there was a designated place where you could just scream, really really loudly, and not be at risk of freaking anyone out.
posted by Going To Maine at 1:59 PM on November 24, 2020 [4 favorites]

It's like RAAAAIINNNNN on your conveyor belt!
posted by snortasprocket at 2:00 PM on November 24, 2020 [1 favorite]

I thought this would be silly but I sent a big-to-me one through and the emotional release was immediate and unexpected. My 2020 started in 2019 so there is a lot of catharsis to be experienced. I am weeping with exhaustion and it hasn't even burned yet. I love that the guy has to keep nudging them to their fiery ends. I want to send him a thank you but I'm afraid he'll burn it.
posted by headnsouth at 2:00 PM on November 24, 2020 [5 favorites]

The "this is fine" dog comic has gone in twice (still funny), but I'm still waiting for my email reply to the one that said something like:

Covid Restrictions
Mask Mandates
Democrats
Socialism

To which I replied:

Covid Deniers
Chin Masks
Fascists
posted by Mngo at 2:00 PM on November 24, 2020 [1 favorite]

I tuned in long enough to catch a stuck piece of paper on the conveyor belt, after which the fire was turned off and a guy in a hoodie ran over to unstuck it (although does the fire turn off when the paper burns? Not sure I've seen a correct cycle yet)
posted by AzraelBrown at 2:10 PM on November 24, 2020

I like this more than I might have thought. And I really like that due to rain it's not quite working properly and some guy is dedicated enough to this to unstick each email, one by one, so they can burn. Way to go, hoodie guy!
posted by biogeo at 2:16 PM on November 24, 2020 [4 favorites]

I dunno, I guess I'm the party pooper, but it just made me think of unnecessary global warming.
posted by jeremias at 2:19 PM on November 24, 2020 [1 favorite]

^ I'm with biogeo.. this is my Holiday Yule Log for 2020, 10/10 gonna have this on the 25th all freakin day
posted by elkevelvet at 2:19 PM on November 24, 2020 [3 favorites]

The hoodie person seems to have to get up everytime now just to get the messages in.
posted by Carillon at 2:20 PM on November 24, 2020 [1 favorite]

Can't decide between The Treaty of Westphalia & Atlas Shrugged.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 2:22 PM on November 24, 2020 [3 favorites]

Do they show the email address of the person, anyone have an idea?
posted by corb at 2:22 PM on November 24, 2020

They show no identifying info, just the message. They also mention on the page they're paying to offset the CO2 so that's good.
posted by msbutah at 2:23 PM on November 24, 2020 [2 favorites]

corb, they say they don't show the email;
jeremias, they claim a 3x carbon offset, fwiw;
biogeo, how do you know it's raining?
posted by Mngo at 2:24 PM on November 24, 2020 [3 favorites]

Oh, I can see the rain. But how do we know about this project, OP?
posted by Mngo at 2:25 PM on November 24, 2020

It's always raining.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 2:25 PM on November 24, 2020 [15 favorites]

This is very soothing to watch and listen to. I keep x-ing out, but then decide I do in fact want this going on in the background as I do other stuff.

Blessings to that hooded attendant, braving both fire and rain.
posted by mixedmetaphors at 2:32 PM on November 24, 2020 [4 favorites]

I sent a photo of Trump mocking the handicapped reporter.
posted by ShakeyJake at 2:43 PM on November 24, 2020

Now they have OSHA approved Fire Tongs (clack - clack).
posted by msbutah at 2:44 PM on November 24, 2020 [3 favorites]

But how do we know about this project, OP?

Fittingly, a random friend sent me the link to cheer me up about getting maybe-kinda-divorced, because fuck 2020.

But yeah no I know nothing else about these folks beyond what's on their page.
posted by nebulawindphone at 2:47 PM on November 24, 2020 [2 favorites]

I think it's an ad / funky thing setup by the email provider, Hey.com. The URL root is hey.science and shows you this about page:
posted by msbutah at 2:51 PM on November 24, 2020 [1 favorite]

It's a (cute) marketing stunt for hey.com, an email service that launched earlier this year. It was in closed beta for a while but I think it's open to the public now. Full disclosure: I have a Hey email account and I like it a lot
posted by theodolite at 2:53 PM on November 24, 2020 [2 favorites]

OSHA approved Fire Tongs (clack - clack)
                (required by law) ^^^^^^^^
posted by Greg_Ace at 3:24 PM on November 24, 2020 [3 favorites]

If the tongs don't clack, hold the fire back.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:44 PM on November 24, 2020 [12 favorites]

It is standard procedure to check the tonginess of any tongs before use.
posted by notoriety public at 3:48 PM on November 24, 2020 [7 favorites]

seems like a lot of fire for one page at a time, but it sure can be satisfying when the paper has come to rest and snaped into focus in the content camera to see those flames spring alight.
posted by 20 year lurk at 4:07 PM on November 24, 2020

Ok, I must be cynical, bc my first thought was "what ultra-mega-international-corp is this harvesting email addresses for?"
posted by nevercalm at 4:23 PM on November 24, 2020 [3 favorites]

I sent all my addictions there and got a nice email detailing the next steps of incineration and notification of their death by fire. I also got a sticker!
posted by waving at 4:26 PM on November 24, 2020 [2 favorites]

It is standard procedure to check the tonginess of any tongs before use.

This is true. When I'm working a kitchen shift I might pick up two dozen different tongs a shift, and I just realized that I clack every pair, every time.

There's a couple of them in there that don't like at all because the tips are bent funny or the springs are bad, and at this point I can toss them blind over my shoulder across the whole kitchen right into the dishpit without breaking stride while I'm working 6 entree pans on the flat top.

I never miss the dishpit but sometimes I forget that I just drained it for a reset and instead of a pleasantly silent plop into the water they make a hell of a racket.
posted by loquacious at 4:27 AM on November 25, 2020 [3 favorites]

Can't decide between The Treaty of Westphalia Battlefield Earth & Atlas Shrugged.

ftfy.
posted by y2karl at 4:31 AM on November 25, 2020 [2 favorites]

Where is the live feed?
posted by Nancy Lebovitz at 4:48 AM on November 25, 2020

I think it's the cathartic experience one at the end of the post, but only during certain times in the USA.
posted by MattWPBS at 5:21 AM on November 25, 2020

The video is back on, but for the last half hour I've been watching a tech try to fix the ramp so the emails don't get stuck. It's very 2020 when even the dumpster fire isn't working correctly.
posted by Hermeowne Grangepurr at 7:45 AM on November 25, 2020 [4 favorites]

Yeah there are obvious problems with the mechanical setup but hey, they actually built this and put it together so who am I to criticize, right?

(But, that said, I've seen a few printouts land upside down because the of the way paper slides out of the printer and sometimes curls unexpectedly. The whole printer/conveyor thingy could be improved but it's 2020 so yeah it's good enough)
posted by JoeZydeco at 8:45 AM on November 25, 2020

who knew so many things could go wrong with a dumpster fire? still, more relaxing than the rest of 2020.
posted by 20 year lurk at 8:58 AM on November 25, 2020 [3 favorites]

I just sent the NRA logo and received a confirmation email.
posted by kimberussell at 9:41 AM on November 25, 2020 [1 favorite]