MetaFilter

Joined: November 21, 2004

What's the deal with your nickname? How did you get it? If your nickname is self-explanatory, then tell everyone when you first started using the internet, and what was the first thing that made you say "wow, this isn't just a place for freaks after all?" Was it a website? Was it an email from a long-lost friend? Go on, spill it.

My favorite threads on MetaFilter are those that try to do some folk cultural history, reconstructing the way an idea, phrase, custom or trope came to be. Here's a collection of those, added to as I come across them.

What is that song they always use? for identifying musical tropes in movies and TV. Just amazing.
Victorian Homes for Monsters - why are "haunted mansions" always Victorian?
Discussion of the phrase "mad money" in Oh Those Crazy Kids!
What's the story with rubber chickens? Why are they funny?
Franco-Russian Psychedlia - Is there a name for this late 60s through early 70s aesthetic that was very common in (sort for for) children books and films?
Etymology of the phrase "Dutch Oven"
Where does 'underwater basketweaving' come from?
A knife and a penny - origin of?
Musical Cliches
What is the origin of the tinfoil hat stereotype?
And my absolute favorite ever: Just what is the deal with Jughead's weird crown cap?
Joke Auction Poster: What's the Story?