computer science

Metafetish

Metafetish is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Metafetish rather than just read about it. In short: Metafetish (formerly Slashdong) is a blog about teledildonics and similar use of technology for erotic purposes. Description It is run by engineer Kyle Machulis, under the pen name qDot.

Key takeaways

Metafetish belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Metafetish to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Metafetish from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Metafetish (formerly Slashdong) is a blog about teledildonics and similar use of technology for erotic purposes.

Description It is run by engineer Kyle Machulis, under the pen name qDot. It promotes DIY sex-toy designs and open-source software to drive them, including an Xbox modification to power a software-controlled dildo, and even a vibrator-control package for emacs called Deldo. The site has been featured in Wired's Sex Drive column. Machulis has also been a speaker at several conferences on issues related to sex and technology including Etech and Arse Elektronika, his presentations remarked in the O'Reilly Conference Blog and the Digital Journal. Since 2015 the site is no longer called slashdong, the new URL is metafetish.com "because Kyle got sick of explaining what slashdot was and that he didn't like cutting up penises".

References

External links metafetish.com, the blog's official website

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Metafetish

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Metafetish claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Metafetish before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Metafetish ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Metafetish

In research: Metafetish appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Metafetish in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Metafetish is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Erotica and pornography websites, Sexuality and computing, Teledildonics, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Metafetish outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Metafetish in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Metafetish means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Metafetish out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Metafetish in simple terms?

Metafetish (formerly Slashdong) is a blog about teledildonics and similar use of technology for erotic purposes. Description It is run by engineer Kyle Machulis, under the pen name qDot.

Why does Metafetish matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Metafetish?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Metafetish.