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IN LIKE FLYNN

I am currently running a MeSwap-inspired swap at work, so it's really a matter of making more copies! This is one of the highlights of my musical year.
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 11:27 AM on November 25, 2011

Condolences, Matt.

.
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 10:25 AM on November 10, 2011

(a) in, and (b) also not a huge fan of Elfster, which seemed to add more kerfuffle than it removed.
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 11:37 AM on October 25, 2011

As a heads-up: I'm going to MeMail people who report issues here. If I don't reply in-thread, I'm probably doing it directly to avoid clogging this up with (multiple, inevitable) bug reports.
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 5:04 PM on October 6, 2011

As far as I know, Write Club is two people who are given opposing subjects beforehand, and show up somewhere with seven minutes of prepared material on the subject, then deliver their material to a live audience; kind of like a prepared debate without the moderator or rebuttals.

This is an Internet-driven thing where two people are given an identical challenge and 30 minutes to write a short story based on that identical premise, while a (theoretically unlimited) number… [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 5:20 PM on October 6, 2011

(Replying to a few people via MeMail; thanks for any observations about problems or lack of clarity to date. I'll be working over the weekend, and updating the site on Monday).
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 7:19 AM on October 7, 2011

A quick reminder to recent-activity-checkers that we are still go for this evening -- I've taken a lot of comments on board and made some upgrades to the site for clarity reasons over the weekend (anything requiring "real" programming will have to wait for, well, the programmer). Fingers crossed that this will all work.
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 9:19 AM on October 11, 2011

There's a comment function for post-match judging, and the site forum, but I figured live chat would default here. If anybody else is actually watching.
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 3:55 PM on October 11, 2011

And we're off!
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 4:01 PM on October 11, 2011

Not exactly the most innovative of all possible premises, sadly, but I didn't want to rig anything.
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 4:02 PM on October 11, 2011

Noted! I've never used them, so I never noticed the absence. Is it somehow overriding the native browser spellcheck? Weird.
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 4:23 PM on October 11, 2011

(and don't forget, robocop and whelk, that nobody can see who wrote what until judging concludes. We'll only see who wrote which story after 33 votes or 3 days, whichever comes first).
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 4:28 PM on October 11, 2011

I'll have to bounce that off chrillsicka and see what's what. He's the heavy lifter when it comes to the smart-type stuff.

If any MeFites were spectating, and stop by this thread, I'd love to know if it went seamlessly for them. Everything seemed to work fine from home.

On preview, I can see that the "bouts are anonymous until judging concludes" feature might be a fool's errand.
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 4:33 PM on October 11, 2011

Hm. Judging seems to have locked after 3 votes, not 33. There's a bug somewhere in the system...
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 5:54 PM on October 11, 2011

Testing setting that didn't get reset, I think. Resolved now!
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 6:46 PM on October 11, 2011

I'm not gonna make a new MetaTalk thread or a Projects thread or anything, but I am going to try to put together a low-key ad hoc 16-person league on the site, managed via its forum and challonge.com, over the next week or so for a four-round elimination ladder in November. If you're into giving this a try, and can commit to a half-hour bout every week, MeMail me!
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 11:33 AM on October 14, 2011

YES
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 9:06 AM on September 23, 2011

Er that was YES to the original question asked, not YES to IRFH's immediately preceding comment.

YES I AM UP FOR A CALL OF CTHULHU ADVENTURE
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 9:12 AM on September 23, 2011

To piggyback: anybody like turntable.fm?

We're very sorry, but while we would love to let you in and rock out with us, we need to currently restrict turntable access to only the United States due to licensing constraints.

We are working very hard to try and get you in as soon as possible.


No way anyone from inside the U.S. would know this, but my issue with turntable.fm is that it… [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 10:29 AM on September 14, 2011

I hate it in a real debate, but I still find it hilarious it when people take it to ridiculous extremes, which they can only do if somebody starts it in earnest, so I guess I'm on the fence for this one.
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 11:39 AM on August 24, 2011

If you're a Christian, just ask yourself WWJFFY.
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 11:43 AM on August 24, 2011

I'm back in, but one of my Health Month rules needs to be "do Health Month," because my big flaw is that I'll just not do it for 4-5 days and then there's this huge freakin' backlog and spinning that damn wheel takes forever but I can't not do it because I might get fruit.
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 12:35 PM on July 27, 2011

Llama: you need to re-up every month you have more than three rules. Apparently free sponsorships abound grace à mathowie, and I have a bunch from signing up for a year, so I wouldn't worry about it too much if you want to ask for sponshorship.
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 12:36 PM on July 27, 2011

Hell's Bells, my MetaFilter "Circle" just went from the meticulously cultivated 120+ in there (mainly from the abovelinked thread) to 2. It deleted the entire circle save for Carson and Kitteh. Any way to restore these things?
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 10:28 AM on July 12, 2011

Tangent, and perhaps it's been mentioned before, but... why did the deleted thread blog die?

I asked about it a while ago, and was surprised to discover that it's an unofficial thing, maintained by puke & cry.

His account seems to be active, but with no comments since 2009, so I guess he's on extended walkabout.

That thread seems to have resulted in some good Greasemonkey that does the same job inline, though.
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 8:21 AM on June 30, 2011

I would pose the question "Why does anyone care about The Smiths?", but I don't want to die in a hail of bricks thrown by angry Mefis.

Wrong audience: you only have to worry about the subset of MeFites that would stand over next to the wall, muttering darkly and looking at their shoes and wondering if maybe that means you secretly like them.
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 8:43 AM on June 22, 2011

Actually, you've only made it worse.

I believe you meant to say “You’ve made a huge mistake.”
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 12:58 PM on June 16, 2011

What happened to freetheblogfather.com?
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 9:10 AM on June 9, 2011

I’m in (and married to thread-originator Kitteh, so I have an extra element of reinforcement at home: somebody to encourage me to do Health Month, while Health Month encourages me to do... stuff).

Even in the first month, I've already developed an unhealthy habit of "gaming" Health Month: figuring out how many life points I have left instead of just trying to stay at 10, so I can eke it out to the end of the month knowing I'll "respawn" with 10.
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 6:08 AM on June 2, 2011

The fact that you can re-up for another month, but you have to re-join the team you're already on manually, seems a bit silly. I assumed my team membership would carry over month to month. I guess I'll write the site owner and ask if that could be implemented.
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 7:48 AM on June 2, 2011

the condescending "you know nothing" replies to the poor guy in threads like this are why Metafilter will always remain enshrined in my heart as the Temple of the Douche

What I really don't get about statements like these is that for them to be said in the first place, the speaker must:

1. Have read enough MetaFilter to have formed a (they would like to think informed) opinion of MetaFilter in general;… [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 12:44 PM on May 9, 2011

My sole use of "neckbeard" slots directly into the Comic-Book-Guy stereotype, and was used kind of affectionately. My neckbeard is a guy who cares a lot about things like when the Eleventh Doctor gave River the Sonic Screwdriver, has amassed encyclopaedic knowledge of things like DC Comics trivia and the backstory to Babylon Five, has put that knowledge where some of the social-normalizing stuff we absorb normally goes (like "shave your damn neck"), and is genuinely baffled… [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 5:18 AM on May 4, 2011

I'm interested, but "zombie love story" is so damn close to the novel I wrote in '07, and that I'm currently editing in a frenzy thanks to the Hocking and other self-publishing threads, that I'd be better off recusing myself and not looking at it, or anything associated with it.

Very into the idea in a general sense for the next go-round, though.
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 9:15 AM on March 31, 2011

The Other Guys was surprisingly well made and enjoyable

Apropos of this thread, I'd actually written an FPP at one point about its end credits, which are balls-out brilliant, but thought it was too thin and never bothered posting it.
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 1:08 PM on March 14, 2011

I just need to figure out my liner notes -- how to print them, specifically -- and I'll be good to go. My mix is called "A Variety of Things that Seem to be On Fire," it starts with MC 900 Foot Jesus "The City Sleeps" and rolls out in a pretty predictable fashion from there.
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 1:13 PM on February 23, 2011

Wow. Cocoagirl's contribution to this swap is gorgeous.
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 4:18 PM on March 8, 2011

It is what I got in the post yesterday. She did up some beautiful liner notes and even stickered the CD proper. I feel a bit ashamed of my production values now.
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 11:29 AM on March 9, 2011

Aw, man. Like Jorus said, I didn't always agree with him, but appreciated his voice and point of view.

.
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 7:34 AM on February 4, 2011

Whoop whoop! I did an excellent job the first year and a piss-poor job the second. THIS YEAR IS THE COMEBACK.
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 2:44 AM on January 15, 2011

Am I the only person who waits for the swapset name and then makes something themed entirely around that? Is everyone now building ultimate mixes while I wait to scramble like an idiot?
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 2:08 PM on January 25, 2011

That original thread was the first time I've ever argued with Astro Zombie and I spent the whole thing sweating ice from my palms and choosing my words very carefully and muttering "I am arguing with Astro Zombie what the fuck".

It was scary.
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 10:35 AM on January 13, 2011

I talked to baxter on the phone yesterday, and we're starting to noodle around with some ideas. He's being a super champ about me not exactly having any musical talent per se, but I love spoken-word material, and fooling around with loops and bleeps and noises, and he's great with a guitar and the singin' thing, so between the two of us this should be very interesting.

I've never thought of myself as anybody with any musical talent other than a middling singing voice,… [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 8:16 AM on January 7, 2011

Done! And thanks!
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 2:01 PM on December 14, 2010

Is this offer open to people who have only rudimentary singing powers and absolutely no musical talent on any instrument whatsoever? I'd love to participate but I hate the idea that being partnered with me would totally fuck over somebody who wants to make legitimate music.

OTOH, I'm a dab hand with Cool Edit Pro (I'm also old as dirt!) and quite creative. If there were a "bonus pool" for people who have already been teamed with a "real" musician and… [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 11:24 AM on December 13, 2010

Hey, does this font make my aff look big? Be honest.
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 1:43 PM on December 7, 2010

November 5, 2010, is the day that we Officially Ran Out of Real Stuff to Complain About on MetaTalk.
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 9:25 AM on November 5, 2010

PONY REQUEST: COULD WE PLEASE HAVE THE CAPS LOCK DAY THREAD AUTOMATICALLY PRINT ONTO REAMS OF GOLD-LINED PAPYRUS WITH INK MADE FROM CONDOR EGGS AND BALD EAGLE HEADS?

I GUESS YOU'RE NOT USING CHROME AS YOUR BROWSER THEN
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 11:57 AM on October 22, 2010

The Iranian consulate in Canada would probably be a good idea for letter-writers (especially Canadian ones) as well:

(I get nothing for "Head of the Mission" on their site; as of 2002, it was Mohammad Ali Mousavi but I don't have anything more recent than 2002 at hand).

245 Metcalfe St.
Ottawa, Ontario
K2P 2K2
Canada
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 1:44 PM on September 21, 2010

Dude, I didn't think it was all that bad, to be honest, and the conversation seemed recoverable. I like your posts a lot, but I'm not all that into "great post!" comments if I don't have much to add -- I've done it before, but always felt weird about contributing essentially noise. It's almost the opposite of threadshitting. Threadfeeding, maybe?

The problem with early snark:real conversation ratios is that it's a lot easier to toss off a "whatever"… [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 10:11 AM on September 2, 2010

Bonjour, mes amis!

I thought I'd take this opportunity to share some (mostly) homegrown music that I'm listening to and loving here in Quebec these days, from the post-rock noodling of the Banjo Consortium through the delicate sounds of Émilie Simon, on up to the Zappa cover band Dangerous Kitchen, the raucous Franglais of Radio Radio, and the beautiful, but deeply unsettling, Pierre Lapointe.

All French (except for Zomby Woof, a Zappa cover,… [more]
posted to MetaTalk by Shepherd at 8:31 AM on September 2, 2010