tl;dr: he doesn't mention his time machine January 2, 2015 8:59 AM Subscribe
User 191 aka pb describes the equipment he uses for The Set-Up. Mention is made of a solid steel mousepad and ColdFusion ("yes, it still exists") but not his time machine or ruggedized wilderness capabilities.
I too was startled as I've always pictured pb as Hendley the "Scrounger" character from The Great Escape, only instead of appearing out of nowhere with milk and cameras he magically appears with code.
posted by barchan at 9:14 AM on January 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by barchan at 9:14 AM on January 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
What the hell kind of reminder is "MAKE SHIP ITERATE"? Doesn't that poor ship have enough problems just floating?
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:40 AM on January 2, 2015 [8 favorites]
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:40 AM on January 2, 2015 [8 favorites]
I always pictured pb more like this
A+ on that beard though. That is a good beard.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 9:49 AM on January 2, 2015 [10 favorites]
A+ on that beard though. That is a good beard.
posted by feckless fecal fear mongering at 9:49 AM on January 2, 2015 [10 favorites]
Yes he has a majestic beard and is comely and fair, but man I had been picturing CATS for nearly a decade.
Maybe we can get him a cape and an ocular implant at least.
posted by winna at 9:52 AM on January 2, 2015
Maybe we can get him a cape and an ocular implant at least.
posted by winna at 9:52 AM on January 2, 2015
Doesn't that poor ship have enough problems just floating?
A ship that floats just once isn't very useful.
posted by Dr Dracator at 9:52 AM on January 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
A ship that floats just once isn't very useful.
posted by Dr Dracator at 9:52 AM on January 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
The mousepad came from this project. Sadly, no longer made.
Doesn't that poor ship have enough problems just floating?
It's aspirational.
posted by pb (staff) at 9:53 AM on January 2, 2015 [4 favorites]
Doesn't that poor ship have enough problems just floating?
It's aspirational.
posted by pb (staff) at 9:53 AM on January 2, 2015 [4 favorites]
I don't know if i have previously seen a picture of pb or not, but that is pretty close to my mental image of him. Maybe hes coded Metafilter to instill in us the correct image of our tech overlord.
posted by Twain Device at 9:55 AM on January 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Twain Device at 9:55 AM on January 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
I was already a big fan of The Setup and was honored to be asked to participate. The first thing I said was that my setup is really boring, but Daniel just said that everyone says that. I'm still surprised he posted it.
OH, and the picture is by MeFi's own mathowie. In his backyard.
posted by pb (staff) at 10:14 AM on January 2, 2015 [7 favorites]
OH, and the picture is by MeFi's own mathowie. In his backyard.
posted by pb (staff) at 10:14 AM on January 2, 2015 [7 favorites]
When I read the description of the mousepad, I was thinking, "that's gotta be a Greenspad." Shame he's not making them anymore, and I missed out. Cool setup though!
posted by Alterscape at 10:19 AM on January 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Alterscape at 10:19 AM on January 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
I thought PB was female. Sorry, dude.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:26 AM on January 2, 2015 [6 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:26 AM on January 2, 2015 [6 favorites]
(The semicolon in the title seems to stop all following text incl. the url for the Twitter button to this post.)
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 10:32 AM on January 2, 2015
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 10:32 AM on January 2, 2015
A solid steel mousepad? That is seriously badass. Just like pb, really.
posted by Quietgal at 10:35 AM on January 2, 2015
posted by Quietgal at 10:35 AM on January 2, 2015
My mental image was Harry Tuttle .
posted by radwolf76 at 9:31 AM on January 2 [+] [!]
I thought pb was maybe like that other Tuttle.
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 10:39 AM on January 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by radwolf76 at 9:31 AM on January 2 [+] [!]
I thought pb was maybe like that other Tuttle.
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 10:39 AM on January 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
...incl. the url for the Twitter button to this post.
The Twitter share button should be fixed.
posted by pb (staff) at 10:42 AM on January 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
The Twitter share button should be fixed.
posted by pb (staff) at 10:42 AM on January 2, 2015 [3 favorites]
This discussion makes me realise I had always pictured pb as a non-corporeal super-AI. Sorry chief.
posted by StephenF at 10:52 AM on January 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by StephenF at 10:52 AM on January 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
How is Matt's backyard? Roomy? Nice grass?
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 11:04 AM on January 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 11:04 AM on January 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
> but not his time machine
I think he uses a TimePro 5000 but I may be mistaken, I haven't kept up with the field for a while and am still using the used model I picked up cheap quite a few years ago.
posted by languagehat at 11:11 AM on January 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
I think he uses a TimePro 5000 but I may be mistaken, I haven't kept up with the field for a while and am still using the used model I picked up cheap quite a few years ago.
posted by languagehat at 11:11 AM on January 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
I thought PB was female. Sorry, dude.
Oh, like PB?
posted by knuckle tattoos at 11:24 AM on January 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
Oh, like PB?
posted by knuckle tattoos at 11:24 AM on January 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
If not a time machine, then some sort of Portal.
I'd pony up cash money for a steel mousepad.
posted by arcticseal at 12:24 PM on January 2, 2015
I'd pony up cash money for a steel mousepad.
posted by arcticseal at 12:24 PM on January 2, 2015
This discussion makes me realise I had always pictured pb as a non-corporeal super-AI.
I imagined Hiram J. Hackenbacker. (Sorry, I blame childhood television imprinting for my stereotypes about technological geniuses.)
posted by Doktor Zed at 1:55 PM on January 2, 2015
I imagined Hiram J. Hackenbacker. (Sorry, I blame childhood television imprinting for my stereotypes about technological geniuses.)
posted by Doktor Zed at 1:55 PM on January 2, 2015
Doesn't that poor ship have enough problems just floating?
omg stop yelling at the poor ship
posted by Phire at 3:13 PM on January 2, 2015 [11 favorites]
omg stop yelling at the poor ship
posted by Phire at 3:13 PM on January 2, 2015 [11 favorites]
I have it on good authority this is not actually a photo of pb, but rather an unused photo for a fashion spread about lumbersexuality. Only a model has a smile that amazing.
posted by Nelson at 5:45 PM on January 2, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by Nelson at 5:45 PM on January 2, 2015 [4 favorites]
Matt's backyard has badass woodpeckers in it. And omg, you guys use Slack now, I am such a dopey fan of Slack, where has it been all my life. Very nice photo of you pb.
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 6:38 PM on January 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 6:38 PM on January 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
When I read the description of the mousepad, I was thinking, "that's gotta be a Greenspad."
Yep, me too. As far as I know, greens isn't making them any more, which is too bad. Even the sales site I built for him has gone away.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 7:18 PM on January 2, 2015
Yep, me too. As far as I know, greens isn't making them any more, which is too bad. Even the sales site I built for him has gone away.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 7:18 PM on January 2, 2015
Yeah the photo is spectacular. But - Brandon's joke was a metaphor. And a very rude one at that.
You're all getting that, right?
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 7:55 PM on January 2, 2015
You're all getting that, right?
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 7:55 PM on January 2, 2015
I take Brandon literally.
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 8:01 PM on January 2, 2015 [5 favorites]
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 8:01 PM on January 2, 2015 [5 favorites]
I've been using a 12x12" piece of polished black granite tile as a mousepad for a while, now. Very smooth.
posted by Devils Rancher at 8:51 PM on January 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Devils Rancher at 8:51 PM on January 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
Yeah, it's a real pity about greenspads- I wish I'd jumped on one at the time.
posted by Pope Guilty at 9:01 PM on January 2, 2015
posted by Pope Guilty at 9:01 PM on January 2, 2015
We see what you did there, Jessamyn.
posted by Songdog at 9:02 PM on January 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Songdog at 9:02 PM on January 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
pb: Inconsolata is a damn good font. Inconsolata-dz is even better because it replaces curly quotes with straight ones. It's a tiny thing, but when you spend 8-10 hours a day looking at it, tiny things matter.
posted by double block and bleed at 10:03 PM on January 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by double block and bleed at 10:03 PM on January 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Said it for years, pb is from the FUTURE and I should shut up about that.
posted by clavdivs at 7:51 AM on January 3, 2015
posted by clavdivs at 7:51 AM on January 3, 2015
Matt seems like a cool guy, was hoping his backyard was filled with wooden rollarcoasters and a giant effiggy of the Google logo, burning weekly.
Bad ass woodpeckers are much better though.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:57 AM on January 3, 2015
Bad ass woodpeckers are much better though.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:57 AM on January 3, 2015
If you really want wireless electricity, just cast Lightning Bolt. Or travel back in time and protect Tesla's work while having wild misadventures with him.
Idea for a new TV show: "Wilde Adventures with Tesla" in which Oscar Wilde and Nikola Tesla travel through time edutaining us about art and science. Now that's a 'ship that would iterate.
posted by Johann Georg Faust at 8:19 AM on January 3, 2015 [6 favorites]
Idea for a new TV show: "Wilde Adventures with Tesla" in which Oscar Wilde and Nikola Tesla travel through time edutaining us about art and science. Now that's a 'ship that would iterate.
posted by Johann Georg Faust at 8:19 AM on January 3, 2015 [6 favorites]
Huh, ColdFusion and SQL Server code…checked into git with Grunt and Sass. It's like reading an issue of a comic book where superheroes team up with some Silver Age guys or something.
posted by ignignokt at 9:32 AM on January 3, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by ignignokt at 9:32 AM on January 3, 2015 [4 favorites]
What would be your dream setup?
I feel like I'm living the dream already. If we could get wireless electricity going it would clean up my office quite a bit.
Heck yes. I think about this every time I set up anything media related where I work. I generally feel as if technology is cruising along pretty well until I have to grapple with the abomination that is our media center in the room with all of its cords and everything. It's a real downer in world where we now have tablets lighter than tricorders, 3d technology, and computers that run operating systems in our watches.
posted by SpacemanStix at 5:02 PM on January 4, 2015
I feel like I'm living the dream already. If we could get wireless electricity going it would clean up my office quite a bit.
Heck yes. I think about this every time I set up anything media related where I work. I generally feel as if technology is cruising along pretty well until I have to grapple with the abomination that is our media center in the room with all of its cords and everything. It's a real downer in world where we now have tablets lighter than tricorders, 3d technology, and computers that run operating systems in our watches.
posted by SpacemanStix at 5:02 PM on January 4, 2015
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posted by winna at 9:03 AM on January 2, 2015 [2 favorites]