MeFi Projects

I wrote some code to get comprehensive place listings from Google Maps, and then I also wrote this article about it, and how Robert Ballard's search for the Titanic helped me find restaurants in Chattanooga.
posted by samuelfullerth on Aug 10, 2020 - 0 comments

Just in time for the song's 40th anniversary, I edited together the voices of Siri, Alexa & Google Assistant to make their first ever rap collaboration, a cover of the hip-hop classic, Rapper’s Delight. Yes, this is the kind of thing TV editors do when they're unemployed.
posted by lemonshush on Sep 10, 2019 - 2 comments

Tracking the moon landing live (+50 years) at apolloinrealtime.org (previously)? Here's a handy calendar that you can use to avoid scheduling conflicts with the most important events. [more inside]
posted by tss on Jul 14, 2019 - 1 comment

GuideStar, a charity data site, started flagging hate groups, then removed the flags after harassment and threats. I wrote a Chrome extension that adds the flags back. Buzzfeed covers the hubub with some discussion of the SPLC's objectivity.
posted by tmcw on Jun 28, 2017 - 1 comment

Got Google Apps? Got AWS? Want to not have to worry about long-lasting AWS credentials stored on disk? Google Apps SAML Single Sign On (SSO) capability has been available for federated identity into AWS via the console for some time now, but bringing that to the command-line has been ... problematic. Google doesn't provide a nice SAML endpoint, they hide it behind all sorts of browsery-specific gubbins. This tool lets you make use of Google's SAML Identity Provider to authenticate yourself to AWS, so you now have the same experience on the command line. [more inside]
posted by nonspecialist on Jun 21, 2017 - 1 comment

I've spent the past 18 months or so slogging away at apprecs.com, an app search engine that can detect review manipulation. You can see the worst offenders here. I posted this back when this was iOS-only, and I'd like to share some major new features I've added. [more inside]
posted by hodgebodge on Oct 20, 2016 - 2 comments

I've written a little web service that lets you search Google Image Search from Slack. I've found it to be a good companion to giphy. Here's the code and instructions to set it up. [more inside]
posted by ignignokt on Sep 30, 2015 - 0 comments

This bot creates knock knock jokes by hitting up autocomplete on Google. This is perhaps the dumbest bot of all time. And yet! I am compelled to share amazing jokes like these.
posted by ignignokt on Jul 21, 2015 - 4 comments

@autocompleterap is a Twitter bot that combines rap lyrics (from ohhla - scraping courtesy of @beaugunderson) and Google search autocomplete suggestions. [more inside]
posted by ignignokt on Jan 14, 2015 - 2 comments

I want to map cool, interesting, and (mostly) scenic places in a region I live and drive around a lot in, and have come to appreciate and love. It happens to host the largest music festival in the USA at the moment. It's kind of a quiet, nice place to explore and relax in (though not as much in the scorching-hot summer). [more inside]
posted by fantodstic on May 26, 2014 - 2 comments

Even in the midst of some technological turbulence (see also: “blogging is dead,” “Google Reader is gone“) there remains a vibrant and enjoyable literary blogosphere. You can still subscribe to a huge number of blogs and join the conversation. I’ve created a tool to help make it easy to do this, so you can get back to reading and posting. Using Silliman’s Blogroll as a starting point, I’ve created an OPML file. This file is a big list of all the RSS feeds of all the blogs on Silliman’s list. The file is designed to be imported into your blog reader of choice. Since Google Reader isn’t around anymore, I recommend Feedly (my current favorite) or Digg Reader (also very good).
posted by dylan_k on Jan 21, 2014 - 1 comment

Great for desktops, tablets and smartphones. Can be used without an account or sign up for free to customize the default set of websites on the home page. Websites can be added either by URL or from a directory.
posted by petrkral on Mar 7, 2013 - 9 comments

Google+ isn't a ghost town anymore: populate your circles with Science! I co-curate Science on Google+: A Public Database, which among other things is a database of more than 600 different scientists, science teachers, and science writers active on Google+. We also host hangouts and provide a forum for asking science questions and finding collaborators among scientists on Google+. We also work closely with (and contribute to) two other science pages - STEM Women on Google+ and Science Sunday.
posted by ChuraChura on Sep 30, 2012 - 0 comments

Tabminder is a Google Chrome extension I built to intercept distracted browsing and give me occasional reminders to get back to work. When I open a distracting tab on my blacklist, Tabminder starts counting down from a preset time limit. When time's up, it prompts me to close the distracting tab or restart the timer. It's just annoying enough to keep me focused but not so strict that I can't visit MetaFilter once in a while. It works well in combination with StayFocusd to keep me from wasting my daily distraction quota. [more inside]
posted by ecmendenhall on Sep 15, 2012 - 2 comments

Given a search term and a starting year, this little web app uses the Google Image Search API to generate an image based timeline. Scrolling to the right adds more years dynamically. [more inside]
posted by gwint on Mar 22, 2012 - 2 comments

Generates random band names and albums w/covers. Integration with Facebook and Google Image Search. (Possibly NSFW) [more inside]
posted by BoatMeme on Feb 1, 2011 - 0 comments

A map of all Chicago recycling drop off locations for residents who live outside of the city's blue cart service zone. The city's website only shows a list of addresses which I found pretty useless. I also set up a mobile version of the site so you can recycle on the go!
posted by kakarott999 on Oct 22, 2010 - 3 comments

I spend a good deal of time in South America and need to keep in touch with work and family, based in the US. Here's some travel communications advice based on what I've learned, most recently from a 4 month stay in Ecuador.
posted by nicomachus on Oct 6, 2010 - 1 comment

I wrote an Internet toy/widget/app to pick out random population centres in the United States. Fun and educational! [more inside]
posted by spamguy on Jun 29, 2010 - 3 comments

A tumble log of stuff I find I like on Google Street View. There are some other things thrown in , but that's basically it. [more inside]
posted by mattbucher on May 7, 2009 - 0 comments