MetaFilter

Nope, I'm still not understanding GamerGate.

What's to understand? They are entitled misogynist assholes who are also deeply stupid and lack any sense of self awareness.
posted to MetaFilter by His thoughts were red thoughts at 10:30 PM on November 24, 2014

That's kinda what real shelves do too, howfar.
posted to MetaFilter by ODiV at 11:45 AM on November 24, 2014

Are you absolutely certain it's your son? Like, you've spoken to him on the phone? I say this because, without knowing any details, this unfortunately sounds like a really common scam.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by theodolite at 10:54 AM on November 24, 2014

I think at this point it's become abundantly clear that however misha self-identifies, she does the work of any two other anti-feminists here put together.
posted to MetaTalk by Ivan Fyodorovich at 3:31 AM on November 23, 2014

Good lord. Just came to this thread and...good lord.

Matt, after the huge outpouring of support you got back in May after you announced the firings, you *still* couldn't believe enough in your membership to do a fundraising drive without linking your fate to a bunch of sites almost none of your members use regularly?

What the hell? Who suggested that to you? And why did you believe it?

All you needed to do - ALL you... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by mediareport at 6:35 AM on November 21, 2014

You're calculating by mass, right? (600 lbs. / 168,000,000 kg ≅ 1/617,000.) So you could clarify that it's 1 gram of material per 600,000 grams (600 kg) of water.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by mbrubeck at 1:24 PM on November 20, 2014 marked best answer

That was great, it was like... a half-cuil away from a porpentine game.
posted to MetaFilter by tychotesla at 1:50 AM on November 19, 2014

"It's worth noting that, within the article itself, the poop emoji isn't actually ever used... "

They actually address that in the footnotes of the article:
We are sympathetic to that argument, but used Gmail's original poop emoji throughout the majority of this story for historical consistency.

So I think they specifically used the gifs so that it would display the historically accurate poop. The real... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by jillithd at 11:28 AM on November 18, 2014

"I'm available immediately."
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Happy Dave at 4:59 AM on November 18, 2014

From KiA:

Jack Thompson is now agreeing with us.

Welcome to the Twilight Zone people.

Along with rapists and neo-Nazis, you've built quite a community for yourselves.

posted to MetaFilter by Pope Guilty at 1:36 PM on November 18, 2014

sounds like a "Mind map"
posted to Ask MetaFilter by thelonius at 3:41 PM on November 17, 2014

OK, just saw your update. If you decline to rehire her or fire her because of instability that amount to A) Being poor and B) Having a miscarriage "on friday" then I would think that represents a difficult to forgive lack of compassion.

I think it's pretty outrageous that you were calling her this weekend after she had a miscarriage on Friday. Yes, it may have been a mess she made (possibly while miscarrying), but she had a miscarriage on Friday, do the humane... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by If only I had a penguin... at 12:25 PM on November 17, 2014

I'm sorry -- she was emotionally unstable this weekend because she had a miscarriage? Am I reading that wrong?

OF COURSE SHE WAS UNSTABLE. Cut her some slack.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by AmandaA at 12:23 PM on November 17, 2014

hey let's compare a computer game with a board game because that makes sense
posted to MetaFilter by prize bull octorok at 9:09 AM on November 17, 2014

Agree that he does not have a meth problem – he has a problem with depression, and the meth is an expression of that.

Despite what's commonly said, rarely do people become instant drug addicts, rather it's the repeated use of drugs to avoid other problems in life that drives the addiction. If a person is depressed, and then tries meth, they'll find that whilst under the influence of meth, the depression is gone. When the meth leaves their system, they find that the... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by nickrussell at 6:36 AM on November 15, 2014

the crisis here isn't the meth, it's that your friend is suicidal and doesn't have a safe place to stay. ask yourself what you can do to help him, but also ask yourself whether what you can do is enough or whether you can help him find people who can do more.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by ennui.bz at 5:04 AM on November 15, 2014

The Wizard of Oz.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by fuse theorem at 5:48 AM on November 14, 2014

TvTropes: "Invented Individual"
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Chocolate Pickle at 6:50 AM on November 14, 2014 marked best answer

But I wasn't "working class" apparently because it was in software.

I'm guessing you weren't "working class" in part because you had significant opportunity for salary advancement, something not often available to those without a four year degree. When in the 90s was this, and what do you make now?
posted to MetaFilter by Steely-eyed Missile Man at 1:51 PM on November 12, 2014

Do you know what the expression "lagniappe" means though?
posted by Sara C. at 10:13 PM on November 7 [+] [!]

By far, the funniest thing in this thread.
posted to MetaFilter by sfkiddo at 10:03 AM on November 8, 2014

Artw: "Lots of drama in Wikiland."

Oh man. The GamerGaters are going to have a hard row to hoe with that one. For better or worse, there may not be another organization/institution that is better prepared for the onslaught of a horde of angry, opinionated people who want nothing more than to argue on the internet than Wikipedia.
posted to MetaFilter by mhum at 7:14 PM on November 10, 2014

While I can't definitively answer, I have to take exception to the idea that words are just chosen at random for how they look. There are definite themes that run through clothes (cheer, strawberries, excitement, kittens, adventure, friends, summer). You don't see lots of shirts that say "envelope furnace peripheral knave".

That said, this one is a stumper. My guess is that it's a kanji-for-kanji translation of "小勇", which apparently is "brute... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Bugbread at 9:14 PM on November 10, 2014 marked best answer

My condolences, misha. I lost my father a month ago, and I can say with reasonable confidence that it's been the worst time of my life.

You're quite right that you accepted correction on Brianna Wu. And people who are new to this might not be up to speed on how the online Gish gallop works - which is to find as many arguments as possible, regardless of quality or truth, and blast them at the target, in the hope that people are credulous enough to repeat them, and the... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by running order squabble fest at 7:13 AM on November 10, 2014

I don't mean to derail, but CAN PEOPLE JUST GET A FUCKING BLOG ALREADY AND STOP TRYING TO TREAT TWITTER LIKE IT IS ONE??? GODDAMNIT.
posted to MetaFilter by symbioid at 9:39 AM on November 7, 2014

Is this the story you meant to link to, Corinth?
posted to MetaFilter by Lexica at 2:13 PM on November 5, 2014

Yet these pieces of evidence confuse rather than clarify the issue. Exit Through the Gift Shop is a classic piece of misdirection. Over the course of the movie, the film's would-be documentarian, Thierry Guetta, is exposed as a poor filmmaker. Partway through, Banksy takes over the production, turning it into a documentary about the documentarian instead. To complete the meta romp, Guetta, working under the nomme de rue Mr. Brainwash, proceeds to rips off Banksy's style. All of this... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Brandon Blatcher at 10:44 AM on November 5, 2014

You want thinkgeek.com -browse away!
posted to Ask MetaFilter by heathrowga at 9:38 AM on November 5, 2014

Have 2 separate networks (using 2 routers), one for your pc's, and one for guests. Shut off the guest network at night. Filter the office network.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by blue_beetle at 3:40 AM on November 4, 2014

There was no cell phone video of the Rodney King incident.

Because the format of the video makes all the difference to Mag Plug's point.
posted to MetaFilter by EmpressCallipygos at 7:44 AM on November 3, 2014

Don't do this if you're black.
posted to MetaFilter by mondo dentro at 7:47 AM on October 31, 2014

Have you tried Gone Home? It's of the genre (derisively, sometimes) called "walking simulators" - lots of environment and exploration, no shooting or killing at all, very light puzzle solving.

Team Fortress 2 might be good for multiplayer if you're into that - violent, yes, but it's all very cartoony and to me doesn't have the same grisliness factor as a lot of the "murder simulator" type games.

Payday and Payday 2 are heist... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by backseatpilot at 12:03 PM on October 31, 2014

What else do you expect them to do?

Just get on with their lives.

Look, I assume you've watched the Colbert interview with Anita Sarkeesian, perhaps you noticed the point where he mentioned that it would be terrible if you can't trust games journalism, like you can't trust the E channel. Even if we assume corruption is rampant, the correct option is simply to stop reading or engaging with corrupt games journalists! When I... [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Cannon Fodder at 1:03 AM on October 31, 2014

With much kindness.... You don't sound ready (able?) to date anyone.

I don't want to pick apart your question, but like, I would never expect someone I barely knew to keep up with me while they were backpacking in a foreign country for a month. Lots of stuff like that in there.

Overall, your relationship style is unrealistic. So, you've got some self-work to do.

That said...... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by jbenben at 6:53 AM on October 30, 2014

And I'm pretty sure there are gators that took offence at Gone Home precisely because it took a FPS engine and subverted the tropes of FPSes [...] True to an extent - but don't count out good, old-fashioned homophobia!

My gamer-dar doesn't blip too much for either of these. I think it's mostly a combination of gamer snobbery and misogyny.

If Gone Home had some brain-burning puzzles in it, that probably would have redeemed it... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by fleacircus at 3:40 AM on October 29, 2014

Thanks, amery, that's exactly it. I don't know how much it will help either, but it felt important to get a clear statement on the record.

You're taking the barking of small woodland creatures way too seriously.

This is like creating a helpdesk ticket system for every time my 2 year old has a tantrum because she wants a mommy hug and only daddy hugs are available.
posted to MetaTalk by selfnoise at 8:25 AM on October 28, 2014

Or alternatively:

A month ago

Consumers: "This shit is broke. I am tired of stories of compromised credit card data and clerks stealing card numbers and skimmers and such."

Today

Consumers: "Hey, someone has a suggestion to end tons of fraud and identity theft and some ass not only won't support it, but turned it off when it was previously... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by cjorgensen at 7:14 AM on October 28, 2014

If you wonder why these people are becoming radicalized, there's your reason.

Oh, come on. What's radicalising is being granted explicit permission by bandwagoneering MRA shits and general purpose bandwagoneering shits like Milo Yiannopolous to wrap their messy collective anger in some kind of encompassing reactionary framework.
posted to MetaFilter by holgate at 3:15 AM on October 28, 2014

recognize that we are all are trying to find some way to help Sarkeesian and Wu

There is not one single person in this thread, including you, who has enough information about the non-public information about their particular situations to be actually helpful. You imagine this fantasy that your suggestions are ones that A) can't have occurred to them; B) must be relevant and based on accurate information.

All of us could do... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by rtha at 12:40 PM on October 27, 2014

"But of course the basic point is correct: journalists exploit people's willingness to talk to them. Would you rather not have journalism?"

The false dilemma pretending to be a cogent argument is not a rebuttal. It's just lazy. So is supercilious cynicism.

"Minus the SHOCK HORROR adjectives, this 'opportunism' (if you want to use such a loaded term) is the typical modus operandi of every journalist.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Ivan Fyodorovich at 10:53 AM on October 27, 2014

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I think you're unlikely to get more insight into your family history from DNA.

There are three different kinds of DNA you can look at for determining ancestry: mtDNA, from your mitochondria, Y-DNA, from men's Y chromosomes, and autosomal DNA, from your 22 non-sex chromosome pairs. Since you're wondering about your grandmother's ancestry, Y-DNA is out, since your father's Y chromosome comes from his father, not from your grandmother.... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by goingonit at 6:56 PM on October 26, 2014 marked best answer

If the suggestions above are too complicated to be practical for you, let me offer one other solution. When I was running a small non-profit I simply synced ALL my work files via drop-box. It worked flawlessly for me.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by HuronBob at 3:32 AM on October 27, 2014

Correct me if I'm wrong but it kind of sounds like you don't know what the hell you're doing? I say that because I have a Synology and sometimes I am in the same situation. You absolutely should be using "file services" instead of retrieving files via the web browser. On a Mac for example, your shared folders would appear as mounted drives on the Desktop.

That stuff can be enabled by logging into the Synology, not the gateway router. You can assign users to... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by phaedon at 11:24 PM on October 26, 2014

Sometimes I wonder whether democracy would have been less of a placebo button had they not extended the franchise to all adults; I mean, property-owning old men voting on real matters of policy, the stakeholders could deal with, but a system in which a tidal-wave of billions of votes could decide has to be mitigated into harmlessness, through various mechanisms.
posted to MetaFilter by acb at 5:42 AM on October 26, 2014

The real problem with "Actually, it's about ethics in games journalism." argument is that anyone who really gets the underlying issues doesn't have to look very hard to see that that's not the case. Game journalism has been a train wreck since Reagan was president, which is like the early Precambrian as games journalism goes. You'd have to be near comatose to not catch on that most game review magazines were essentially house organs, or at least that review scores were as strongly... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by Kid Charlemagne at 2:44 PM on October 24, 2014

I am (except for maybe another woman on the end who won't talk to anyone) the lone dissenter.

Switch cubicles with whomever sits next to her so you can form your own little quiet(er) space on the end.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by Jacqueline at 8:21 PM on October 23, 2014

If they're trick or treating they will be surrounded by allergens. If they're that sensitive that they can't handle you giving out a toy from your front door without having an allergic reaction then they shouldn't be out trick or treating.
posted to Ask MetaFilter by amro at 8:33 AM on October 23, 2014

I have spent more time looking through the OED entry for "number" than I ever imagined I would, and I've concluded that "number" has enough disparate and vague definitions to basically mean "thingy."

The definition of "number" as song or section of a musical work, which null14 mentions, dates back to the mid-nineteenth century.
1865 tr. L. Spohr Autobiogr. I. 72, " I now expected that..all... [more]
posted to Ask MetaFilter by bibliowench at 11:35 PM on October 23, 2014 marked best answer

I am, in fact, surprised she has any defenders at all.

You can always find someone to be in favor of literally anything.
posted to MetaFilter by Steely-eyed Missile Man at 1:09 PM on October 23, 2014

Master of Orion might legitimately be responsible for my current life. I loved Master of Orion so much, played so many hours, and when Master of Orion 2 came out my aging family PC couldn't run it. At the time I had no computer skills or interest, really, but a technology teacher told me to bring my family's computer into school. So I lugged the huge thing into his room during lunch, and the most wonderful thing happened. Without seeming too worried about anything at all he popped it right open... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by jermsplan at 1:05 PM on October 23, 2014

I haven't read the whole thread, so forgive me if this point has already been made, but I think that a lot of people believe that the "men have fewer ribs than women" thing without being fundamentalists or bible-bashers. That is, they assume that the biblical story was a myth that arose based on a real physiological quirk. They assume it was a kind of Just-So story, in other words.
posted to MetaFilter by yoink at 9:56 AM on October 21, 2014