MetaFilter

Mask use (to wear/not to wear) has become such a big deal to some people. I do think anyone who has a strong opinion on Why It's Fine to Not Wear a Mask is a bit of an asshole if that is what they feel compelled to lead with. We continue to get surprises with this pandemic, and wearing a mask indoors, in public spaces, is something I will continue to do at least until my second jab. I will likely wear a mask in public during flu season now. I don't really give a shit whether that means a… [more]
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 1:20 PM on May 25, 2021

U2 is such a perfect example of how my self cleaves into selves over time.. There's a self turning 15 on a shale beach hearing Joshua Tree, then there's a self watching the South Park episode where the punchline to the poo joke is: Bono.

I will say, the band got me a few times over multiple selves.
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 8:51 AM on May 21, 2021

Just when I thought I didn't have any more time for U2 I heard "Stuck In a Moment" and reader.. I will admit, my eyes moistened. We've all been stuck in a moment, no?
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 10:01 AM on May 21, 2021

Incidentally, if you've not heard a choir treatment of "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" then this is quite nice (Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir).
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 1:16 PM on May 21, 2021

something to share with the nieces! many thanks, Jeff_Larson
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 8:46 AM on May 21, 2021

That would be really weird.
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 1:58 PM on May 20, 2021

^ just a footnote to say everything after srboisvert's comment is further addenda. You just had to go nuclear with the aunt joke.. may god have mercy on our souls
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 7:27 AM on May 20, 2021

The Genius of Carl Barks and 'The Second-Richest Duck'
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 11:30 AM on May 19, 2021

when you are working with an image of a little demon sharting on a sage's tome, the memes write themselves
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 11:17 AM on May 19, 2021

and to think my sense of the word 'epic' has been remotely accurate to this point in time

enjoyed this thoroughly, thank you MartinWisse
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 10:20 AM on May 19, 2021

I really don't understand why this guy constantly gets a pass.

Well you aren't giving him a pass, are you? I'm sure there are many people out there in the world who aren't giving John Mulaney a pass. And I imagine some (or all?) of them think he's not particularly funny, and/or entitled, and that thing he said about not voting for Biden should damn him to hell.

The thing is, some people give John Mulaney a pass. They think… [more]
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 11:46 AM on May 12, 2021

Dear MetaFilter, if Mitch Hedberg is unacceptable please don't tell me all about it. I'd still like to chuckle at his jokes and not hate myself for it. Thank you.
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 9:42 PM on May 12, 2021

someone upthread mentioned the 95% of standup they can do without, and I agree.. but the remaining percent or two of memorably good stuff is so, so, good. Indispensable. I find some of it on Netflix, and from recent memory: Hannah Gadsby, Maria Bamford, Mike Birbiglia, John Mulaney, Sam Jay (the bit about luggage with her girlfriend is worth the annual subscription).. What else is good? Because there are times, casually surfing for comedy, you can hit a ton of sub-mediocre stuff plus some… [more]
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 9:30 AM on May 13, 2021

yeah, MeFi puts out a Spanish Inquisition vibe at times and it's totally a cool and fun thing to experience
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 10:50 AM on May 13, 2021

^ I appreciate the suggestions. I'll be following up on all of them!
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 1:29 PM on May 13, 2021

Jessamyn, thanks to you I'm bingeing Hari Kondabolu.

I honestly don't mind these massive blind spots, I guess it means I'll come late to a well-established party? Kondabolu is magnificent, smart comedy, I really appreciate his delivery.. his command of his material.. the way he veers away from what comes across as a tight set, and just work with the vibe. Sharing him like mad with friends and family.
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 10:26 AM on May 16, 2021

^ I discovered Low and Oldham at about precisely the same time (pretty late, maybe mid 2000s, and it's Low's Christmas that gets about us much play as the Pogues "Fairytale of New York" as is tradition). Cool read!

I will never forget the frantic urgency I experienced, to track down the soundtrack to "Pump Up the Volume" and find out more about what turned out to be the Pixies "Wave of Mutilation" (UK Surf). Given the year, those of you of… [more]
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 10:14 AM on May 16, 2021

Something clicked when I watched Midnight Gospel, the right place and time.. I have never watched Adventure Time and I have never tuned into Duncan Trussell, so it really "was what it was."

The bit with his mother, for someone who recently lost his mother, was pretty impactful.
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 9:46 AM on May 11, 2021

"In hindsight, we should have known that the topic of translation on MetaFilter would elicit many strong opinions."

I also have strong opinions. This topic, in my opinion (!) is so dense and layered and fascinating that I cannot think of a single, reductive statement that always and forever holds true. If it's a great work, and it lives on for many generations into the far distant future, then whatever we think now may be irrelevant to those who esteem the work… [more]
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 7:44 AM on May 11, 2021

I didn't wake up today to have feelings about music that are vaguely reminiscent of a time when bands and songs were everything, yet here I am. That familiar old joy and excitement, this really hits the target. Thank you! They had me after the first video, so funny and so lovely.
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 7:16 AM on May 11, 2021

rhizome, you linked to Steve Yegge's blog rant "Have you ever legalized marijuana"

I'm just not drawing connections.. that 2009 piece is undercut by all the cannabis legalization we've been seeing these past couple of years. If anything, the alternative to legalization--War on Drugs and leveraging controlled substances to justify all manner of shitty things--shows us what does not work, and is complicated to the point of engendering any number of contradictions. What am I missing?
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 4:14 PM on May 8, 2021

From Kitaen's former spouse's (MLB pitcher Chuck Finley) Wikipedia entry: He filed for divorce three days after Kitaen was charged with committing domestic violence against him, having beaten him with a stiletto heel. They have two daughters, Wynter and Raine. Tawny Finley, in a declaration to the Orange County Superior Court, claimed Finley used steroids among other drugs. She also claimed he bragged about being able to circumvent MLB's testing policy.[3] When told of his wife's… [more]
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 3:45 PM on May 8, 2021

My morning just started and I've already shared this with several friends.. intersectionality indeed, some of Petersen's responses have stirred up so many thoughts as a small group of us reach the final stages of a Train Station restoration.. between pulling old lino to reveal the original hardwood floors and the 1000s of other tasks, we paused to take a breath every so often to think: Why? What does this all mean? I am so happy to find this interview, and (yet again!) to encounter Anne Helen… [more]
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 7:26 AM on May 6, 2021

just when I thought I could not possibly derive an ounce more of pleasure from this post/thread.. rum-soaked space hobo draws the connecting line between Christian Rock Adult Contemporary Muzak and KISS. The line is writ large and neon, yet I've never seen it till now. You do the lord's work, thank you.
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 9:39 AM on May 6, 2021

the greatest thing about Brady Tkachuk is that he's not Matthew Tkachuk
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 2:05 PM on May 5, 2021

There is the ghosting that occurs after a romantic-intimate relationship, and there's the ghosting I have experienced with two male friends. In one case, a buddy got married and had a kid so I think it's a case of growing apart, but I don't have many friends that go back to high school and that one still smarts a little. I am definitely not some kind of party animal dude who still texts to meet at the club to snort lines, I don't get the abrupt silence and I've stopped reaching out. The other… [more]
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 9:56 AM on May 5, 2021

I just came across a couple of mentions of Paranoia and my day is fucking complete, thanks world (and you specific MeFites).

I was introduced to Paranoia in the late 80s, we'd been the most earnest little group of DnD players for a while, then our GM started trying us out on Twilight: 2000 and a couple of others. Paranoia made my young brain snap, we'd gone from these campaigns where, you know, you identify with your dude and work with your fellow players.. to Paranoia,… [more]
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 1:06 PM on May 4, 2021

and watch a core group of assholes congeal and move through fandoms as their IP comes into vogue, picking up other assholes as they go.

So a 21st century version of Mongols then. Or Early Empire English. etc. Tongue in cheek obviously, but surely there are parallels to be mapped.. some of us just want to grow crops and develop spaces and these fucking shits stream in, hack and slash, and leave a wasteland behind.
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 7:15 AM on May 5, 2021

add me to the list.. I wondered if my first AZ shot was coming too close on the heels of recovering from the illness? but if this information holds up, it correlates to my experience also: no effect the day I got the shot, then acute effects that kicked in, in bed that night starting around midnight, and slept the entire Saturday
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 3:09 PM on May 4, 2021

The arbitrariness and irrationality of hating mutants and loving Captain America is the point.

I'm thinking of all the committed racists--who may also be law enforcement officers--who also follow any number of teams/sports that could only happen with the percentage of elite Black players. That is what I'm thinking, with your observation. Like a lot of fantasy, it's the fractured mirror of our lives that make the stories endure.
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 10:46 AM on May 4, 2021

Pretty much any good idea in comics has been poorly executed

the Death of Superman at the hands of Doomsday always struck me as shabby, and I was never a Superman comics reader for any number of reasons. I checked out the momentous death issue just because it felt like a big deal to someone who'd been into comic books as a kid.. On the same level of characters getting married (Peter Parker and Mary Jane, Archie Andrews).. it's like your adult brain… [more]
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 2:24 PM on May 4, 2021

pretty sure that title will be the peak-21st century string of words for my day, thanks for that
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 10:41 AM on May 4, 2021

hands up if you watched FBDO as a youngster and noted the narcissistic elements, the depiction of '80s amorality, etc. you were a much more perceptive person than I.

some of us lesser lifeforms are creatures of our time, and though we gradually evolve to appreciate the folly of our youthful delights, if you'd spare us from the mental contortions of time travel to self-own our young selves because honestly it feels like child abuse on my previous self. I'm with klanawa:… [more]
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 9:33 AM on May 3, 2021

I apologize for the very stupid and very offensive comment re: child abuse, that was poor. I am sorry.

The point stands, there are times people share an item, clearly they take some pleasure in (whatever) or feel it is worth sharing, and the at times detailed contributions as to why that thing is lacking, or problematic, or whatever, just seem unnecessary. Or how about begin a separate thread with that as the focus?
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 1:11 PM on May 3, 2021

^ well there's your universal human experience right there.
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 3:48 PM on May 3, 2021

This is such an excellent piece for a Monday. When I lived in proximity to the campus (and later, the legislative grounds) it was the outrageously prominent scent when the lilacs were in full bloom.. Wow. Here in the boreal forests of northern Alberta, we are a little ways off from the full blast of spring, but when it comes.. Boom! the oxygen content on the trails positively shoots up, the air feels thicker with.. pure life energy, it's intoxicating. I think this is an aspect of having a short… [more]
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 3:44 PM on May 3, 2021

TedW, dozens and dozens of people may not appreciate your humour but this one people does
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 10:16 AM on May 2, 2021

and just when I thought the goose-cam represented peak internet experience

so great, thank you for sharing this!
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 2:25 PM on May 3, 2021

Anytime I see it phrased as a "once in a generation" pandemic, I start to wonder if this is a Hold My Beer moment for the world. Are we sure this is not going down as a "first among several in a generation" pandemics? I can't seem to shift my brain out of apocalypse gear at the moment.
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 9:21 AM on May 3, 2021

I'm glad I read this and I don't understand the reductive and dismissive responses. I mean, it's possible to read the article and be dismissive and/or reductive in your response to it, but is it necessary?
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 12:36 PM on May 1, 2021

I don't follow you, re: the relatively recent development of fiction (dating back a little over 500 years ago?).

If we constrain 'fiction' to mean something quite specific, perhaps I can see where you are going with that. If we are talking about 'stories,' then not so much. I don't wish to conflate time periods and suggest that the exact same thing was happening when humans gathered at a fire and told stories, vs. reading Tolstoy (or producing "The… [more]
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 9:18 AM on May 2, 2021

I feel like my proximity to the linked article, let alone clicking to retrieve the article, is causing some kind of stupidity radiation poisoning.

I realize with billions of people on the planet, many of whom have sufficient leisure and a global communications network at their fingertips, is ample reason for this type of nonsense. And we have not even scratched the surface of the intentional and weaponized forms of ignorance, but how does one not despair?
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 12:05 PM on May 1, 2021

the pending snake explosion really pushes that Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly ditty, writ epically large

hang in there, Australia
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 11:53 AM on May 1, 2021

^ I appreciate the heck out of your comment, brook horse
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 3:54 PM on April 30, 2021

A sizeable percentage of all internet activity at any given moment is captured in people loudly declaiming, criticizing, judging, snarking, or generally just disagreeing. Luckily some of you are brilliant, creative, lovely beings and I appreciate you. Thanks.
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 1:51 PM on April 30, 2021

These men have had decades of privilege and knowing they can get away with anything (until they couldn't) to make them "dumb." Think about where the dumb comes from: for many of these men, they just don't face consequences. Might you be a little careless if your zipline-from-the-ceiling, make off with the prized diamond routine, had worked 188 consecutive times?

The trouble is, each drop of toxic, rotten greed and meanness is polluting the pond of US humanity… [more]
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 7:42 AM on April 30, 2021

I assumed this was a chuckle, a faux-cumentary piece of comedy.

It appears I'm mistaken? I mean, the movie "FUBAR" comes to mind but we were just joking around, NZ! (love, Canada)
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 2:37 PM on April 29, 2021

On CBC News a couple of nights ago, there was an interview with a young woman and her young son as she described the hardship of separation (husband returned to care for Indian parents during COVID-19 crisis, and got stuck there). What struck me was the pragmatic tone: I can only imagine what it's like to go without your spouse, with uncertainty as to when you might seem them again, while raising a toddler. But she describes discussing things with the husband.. there's really not much to be done… [more]
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 2:23 PM on April 29, 2021

can we all just take a moment and admire that she not only decimated the other PBJ challenger, but had the audacity to stuff that sandwich into her maw also?

I bow to her
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 1:30 PM on April 29, 2021

The big dog came as a puppy and she imprinted on the old dog, but their relationship is mostly one of mutual ambiguity. They are aware of one another (mostly the big dog of the old dog, as she is poised to take advantage of any food situation and she's just barely civil about it after a lot of training.. e.g. "now it's okay to lick out old dog's bowl.. now I can approach old dog's bed and hoover up the crumbs while old dog sleeps"). Old dog is mostly blind and deaf, and is much smaller.… [more]
posted to MetaFilter by elkevelvet at 7:01 AM on April 29, 2021