Previously mentioned: OOtS, Questionable Content, CAD, xkcd, Sheldon. Also: Real Life, used to be fairly video-game oriented, not quite as good as it used to be but the archives are worth a cultural reference laugh, Lackadaisy, an anthro long-format/manga style comic about the Prohibition era in America, and, of course, Sluggy Freelance, I think the oldest webcomic still being actively produced. Storylines tend to be fantasy/sci-fi slanted.
I thought he got started off great, and I was expecting to spend the next 45 minutes at least reading his article. And then it ended. I was rather disappointed more in this than his overall message. He could have developed it further and addressed the obvious points (made by a few of you all) and made the article much better.
The only people who will read this post and know who I am are the #mofirc regulars, which I suppose is rather fitting given my username. Also NB I read this whole thread but didn't read many of the comments on tracicle's blog. I lurked MoFi and MeFi regularly over a year ago, but like with most internet communities, I drifted off to other interests, mainly offline. Recently I've been drifting back online, finding myself with lots of time and very little skills to apply to anything productive but maybe lurking in a chatroom and reading some comments on some FPPs, sending the links on to friends and coworkers who I know are not nearly as well-connected as I am, and perhaps composing comments in my head and never replying.
When I was an active lurker (contradiction in terms?) I always preferred when MoFi would pop up on Bloglines than MeFi, for reasons previously expressed better by others: a closer-knit community of people that I could either agree wholeheartedly with or debate entertainingly with, much less information overload, less caustic snark, easier-on-the-eyes site design, etc. Now coming back to my lurking ways I found that the place I wanted to lurk in first was #mofirc, then browsing FPPs on MoFi, then FPPs on MeFi.
The Carolingian makes a good point that bears repeating: should MoFi really be set up in competition with Digg and MeFi and BB and others? From what I understand of MoFi's history, it was really meant as more of an alternative anway. I agree with Dreadnought's point about a sweet spot (I think that's a great way to put it), I think that's a great goal. MoFi shouldn't worry about itself overmuch - it's the nature of an economy to have cycles, and I imagine (although I do not have any sort of degree to lend legitimacy) that it is the same with internet communities, at least ones with members and admins as dedicated as MoFi's.
I find the first half of this article extremely thought-provoking and interesting. And then he entirely lost me in the second half.
Maybe it's my Christian upbringing and my current status as a strictly monogamous person, but-- subsidizing condoms? Srsly? I don't really see that as too terribly much of an incentive. As he says himself, they're not that expensive - bringing down the $1 hurdle to safe sex to a $0 hurdle to safe sex doesn't sound to me like it's going to bring in that many more people having that much more safe sex. It seems to me like the people that aren't going to buy condoms aren't going to take the free ones, either; it's not because of the price that they don't use them.
Secondly, I dunno, but the idea of someone's sexual history being available through the methods he seems to describe doesn't sound, well, sexy. :P Again, though, the people who are already dangerously sexually promiscuous aren't going to care about other people's sexual history; and those that do care and are just now having more sex are more than likely cautious enough by nature to ask anyway.
(Addendum; yup, I'm a virgin, and probably have no idea what I'm talking about. Feel free to tell me why I'm wrong, these things just stuck in my head as odd when I was reading the article.)
I got those a couple times... according to the thread, it was on the front page of Digg, and it's putting somewhat of a strain on the servers. A refresh fixed it the one time I had a problem.
I prefer makeup, but not a lot of it, and nothing garish. (Please do NOT wear orange eyeshadow. Yes, you, freaky anime fangirl in my summer school class. Throw it away.)
Dialect and regional variations are a big point. I stopped reading that article because the alternative spelling was getting to me - it'd be worthwhile if it actually made sense, but you might as well deregulate all English spelling entirely if you're going to cater to everyone.
I thought it was Venezuela, a quick Google search tells me they're actually the third. I think I was confusing it with first-response-to-Katrina news that I heard. 60 Minutes did a news story on the oil sands in Alberta recently (I think it was Sunday, sorry I can't find a link), but they insinuated that the US wasn't using the oil sands to its fullest potential, or even that the US wasn't even buying the oil coming from the oil sands. It may have been an older new story, I suppose.
I put in the name of the company I work for and this photo came up, from an ex-coworker's photostream of our old office...
posted by notnamed 13 years ago
In "SHOUTING IS FUN!"
THERE IS NOTHING MORE SATISFYING THAN TYPING IN ALL CAPS ON THE INTERNET, NOTHING I SAY!
posted by notnamed 14 years ago
In "What brought me to France"
How many of them does it take to carry a coconut, if they, y'know, sort of grip the husk?
posted by notnamed 15 years ago
In "monkey want comix"
Previously mentioned: OOtS, Questionable Content, CAD, xkcd, Sheldon. Also: Real Life, used to be fairly video-game oriented, not quite as good as it used to be but the archives are worth a cultural reference laugh, Lackadaisy, an anthro long-format/manga style comic about the Prohibition era in America, and, of course, Sluggy Freelance, I think the oldest webcomic still being actively produced. Storylines tend to be fantasy/sci-fi slanted.
posted by notnamed 15 years ago
In "Hobotopia reveals the real origin of the Laugh-Out-Loud Cats."
This is FANTASTIC. Thanks :D
posted by notnamed 15 years ago
In "It's A Flee Country!"
I thought he got started off great, and I was expecting to spend the next 45 minutes at least reading his article. And then it ended. I was rather disappointed more in this than his overall message. He could have developed it further and addressed the obvious points (made by a few of you all) and made the article much better.
posted by notnamed 15 years ago
In ""I imaged a powerful reversal of the urinal drain would be like an elephant and used this as the theme,""
It looks like it's a lot lighter and more maneuverable in action than in still pictures. Clever.
posted by notnamed 15 years ago
In "Tree funnies."
I lol'd at the MMORPG tree. Too true, unfortunately.
posted by notnamed 15 years ago
In "Ascii Art Dictionary"
Spifftacular! Too bad you can't actually use ASCII art on the web any more. Damn you, relative positioning! And you too, sans-serif!
posted by notnamed 15 years ago
In "Mofi has seemed to be fading for a while,"
The only people who will read this post and know who I am are the #mofirc regulars, which I suppose is rather fitting given my username. Also NB I read this whole thread but didn't read many of the comments on tracicle's blog. I lurked MoFi and MeFi regularly over a year ago, but like with most internet communities, I drifted off to other interests, mainly offline. Recently I've been drifting back online, finding myself with lots of time and very little skills to apply to anything productive but maybe lurking in a chatroom and reading some comments on some FPPs, sending the links on to friends and coworkers who I know are not nearly as well-connected as I am, and perhaps composing comments in my head and never replying. When I was an active lurker (contradiction in terms?) I always preferred when MoFi would pop up on Bloglines than MeFi, for reasons previously expressed better by others: a closer-knit community of people that I could either agree wholeheartedly with or debate entertainingly with, much less information overload, less caustic snark, easier-on-the-eyes site design, etc. Now coming back to my lurking ways I found that the place I wanted to lurk in first was #mofirc, then browsing FPPs on MoFi, then FPPs on MeFi. The Carolingian makes a good point that bears repeating: should MoFi really be set up in competition with Digg and MeFi and BB and others? From what I understand of MoFi's history, it was really meant as more of an alternative anway. I agree with Dreadnought's point about a sweet spot (I think that's a great way to put it), I think that's a great goal. MoFi shouldn't worry about itself overmuch - it's the nature of an economy to have cycles, and I imagine (although I do not have any sort of degree to lend legitimacy) that it is the same with internet communities, at least ones with members and admins as dedicated as MoFi's.
posted by notnamed 15 years ago
In "PWN TEH N00BZ-"
I kind of want to join for the lulz but I'm a little afraid of it after watching the trailer.
posted by notnamed 16 years ago
In "More Sex Is Safer Sex"
I find the first half of this article extremely thought-provoking and interesting. And then he entirely lost me in the second half. Maybe it's my Christian upbringing and my current status as a strictly monogamous person, but-- subsidizing condoms? Srsly? I don't really see that as too terribly much of an incentive. As he says himself, they're not that expensive - bringing down the $1 hurdle to safe sex to a $0 hurdle to safe sex doesn't sound to me like it's going to bring in that many more people having that much more safe sex. It seems to me like the people that aren't going to buy condoms aren't going to take the free ones, either; it's not because of the price that they don't use them. Secondly, I dunno, but the idea of someone's sexual history being available through the methods he seems to describe doesn't sound, well, sexy. :P Again, though, the people who are already dangerously sexually promiscuous aren't going to care about other people's sexual history; and those that do care and are just now having more sex are more than likely cautious enough by nature to ask anyway. (Addendum; yup, I'm a virgin, and probably have no idea what I'm talking about. Feel free to tell me why I'm wrong, these things just stuck in my head as odd when I was reading the article.)
posted by notnamed 16 years ago
In "Web2.0ized logos:"
Single link like the other four non-curious-george posts above this on the main page, Berek? Thanks for the snark! Much appreciated.
posted by notnamed 17 years ago
I got those a couple times... according to the thread, it was on the front page of Digg, and it's putting somewhat of a strain on the servers. A refresh fixed it the one time I had a problem.
posted by notnamed 17 years ago
Thanks petebest. :) I'm personally a fan of the Goodwill and 3M designs.
posted by notnamed 17 years ago
In ""
I prefer makeup, but not a lot of it, and nothing garish. (Please do NOT wear orange eyeshadow. Yes, you, freaky anime fangirl in my summer school class. Throw it away.)
posted by notnamed 17 years ago
In "Simplified spelling..."
Dialect and regional variations are a big point. I stopped reading that article because the alternative spelling was getting to me - it'd be worthwhile if it actually made sense, but you might as well deregulate all English spelling entirely if you're going to cater to everyone.
posted by notnamed 17 years ago
In "What's on your desktop?"
nunia: Thanks. :) The cloth effect is the "canvas" filter. The GIMP is an amazing little/humongously complicated program once you get to know it. :)
posted by notnamed 17 years ago
1600x1200, 77.2KB. w00t, a post your desktop thread! :D I created the wallpaper in The GIMP. Hooray for the "flame" fractal generator! :D
posted by notnamed 17 years ago
In "Shhh!!"
I thought it was Venezuela, a quick Google search tells me they're actually the third. I think I was confusing it with first-response-to-Katrina news that I heard. 60 Minutes did a news story on the oil sands in Alberta recently (I think it was Sunday, sorry I can't find a link), but they insinuated that the US wasn't using the oil sands to its fullest potential, or even that the US wasn't even buying the oil coming from the oil sands. It may have been an older new story, I suppose.
posted by notnamed 17 years ago
(limited to the most recent 20 comments)