> I've been trying to follow the metric conversation on recent messages for a while, and it's made me curious. What are some of the longest threads on the message forum? What ARE peoples favorite topics so far?

I'd have to write a script to find the longest thread, and I'm sure I will at some point, although I don't have time right now. However, the results would be somewhat questionable, because I've deleted a couple of the longest threads.

As far as the metric thread goes, does the current one count for how many posts are in it, structurally, or does one also get to combine other metric posts together? This is a topic that has come up here before a couple times and generated lots of discussion.

As far as favorite threads go, I can't say that the threads with the most posts necessarily constitute "favorite" topics so much as the ones people get the most passionate about. Probably "food" is the topic that has most consistently, from the very beginning, generated the most enthusiasm.

As for what thread has lasted over the most time, that would be the very first thread. My original "Hi!" message, posted on August 19, 1998, had its most recent reply on June 23, 2001.