Being a guy in my 60's, I've seen my share of crap, along with the perks. I must say
that if there is one thing that has really gotten on my nerves lately, it would be the
way that this newsgroup has gone completely downhill in the past year or 2.
I think the wreck has reached a point where every potential question has been asked
and answered. It is probably more useful to do a Google Groups search than start a
new thread here. The personalities here are just getting stronger, and stronger. The
personal attacks are at an all time high. The assholes are everywhere. The quality of
the discussion here is totally in the shit bowl nowadays.
Charlie Self
"Adam and Eve had many advantages but the principal one was that they escaped
teething." Mark Twain
In article <[email protected]>, Leon
<[email protected]> wrote:
> Yep,, and if the decent ones turn away all will be lost. Lets all work on
> ignoring the nonsense.
>
>
Check the headers, Leon. This one's coming from the asshole at
dizum.com, not Charlie.
Charlie went for eye surgery today, IIRC.
djb
--
Okay, so this is my new sig line, eh?
In article <[email protected]>, RWM
<[email protected]> wrote:
> I was thinking the same thing earlier today. It gets really frustrating
> when a few aggressive and ignorant people start driving some of the great
> contributors away. I remember when it happened a few years ago and I left
> for a long while. I don't understand what they try to accomplish, but it
> must do something to meet their psychological needs.
>
> I really look forward to your posts and hope that you stay around. I have
> really learned a lot from you, and the other "mature" members.
That wasn't Charlie.
Check the headers.
--
Okay, so this is my new sig line, eh?
"Charlie Self" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:4075E042.26186.12D508C3@localhost...
> Being a guy in my 60's, I've seen my share of crap, along with the perks.
I must say
> that if there is one thing that has really gotten on my nerves lately, it
would be the
> way that this newsgroup has gone completely downhill in the past year or
2.
>
> I think the wreck has reached a point where every potential question has
been asked
> and answered. It is probably more useful to do a Google Groups search than
start a
> new thread here. The personalities here are just getting stronger, and
stronger. The
> personal attacks are at an all time high. The assholes are everywhere. The
quality of
> the discussion here is totally in the shit bowl nowadays.
>
>
> Charlie Self
> "Adam and Eve had many advantages but the principal one was that they
escaped
> teething." Mark Twain
>
I was thinking the same thing earlier today. It gets really frustrating
when a few aggressive and ignorant people start driving some of the great
contributors away. I remember when it happened a few years ago and I left
for a long while. I don't understand what they try to accomplish, but it
must do something to meet their psychological needs.
I really look forward to your posts and hope that you stay around. I have
really learned a lot from you, and the other "mature" members.
Bob
Paul Kierstead <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<pmkierst-73E47F.00041209042004@nntp.bloor.is.net.cable.rogers.com>...
> [snippety]
>
> And, in reality, usenet has chock full of assholes for at least 10 years
> now.
More than that actually. :-) I laugh every time I hear the old
"things aren't the same as they used to be in the good old days" line
(I know that didn't come from you, Charlie).
Back in the "old days" it was aol, porn, "get rich quick", college
kids discovering "the net" (anyone else remember the saying, "it must
be the first day of the semester"?) and an occasional high school
project. Usenet groups would start up, have extremely high
participation for a while, then things would slack off until the next
round of newbies arrived. They would act like jerks, get flamed and
maybe stay around if they had something to offer. And the oldtimers
would complain about the current crop of newbies and long for the good
old days of BBS's.
Now it's spam, re-mailers, "get Viagra quick", high school kids
discovering the net, porn, viruses. Usenet groups just barely hang on
as the former newbies become oldtimers, and pass the torch to the next
group of regulars. Then the next crop of newbies arrive, get flamed
and maybe stay around if they have something to offer. And the
oldtimers complain about the current crop of newbies and long for the
good old days of Usenet.
I propose a new motto: Usenet, where things are more like they
used to be than ever before.
Chuck Vance
Just say (tmPL) And don't forget Kibo and Ted Frank. They've
always been around. And the Cabal. It's never been around.
Chuck Vance writes:
> Then the next crop of newbies arrive, get flamed
>and maybe stay around if they have something to offer. And the
>oldtimers complain about the current crop of newbies and long for the
>good old days of Usenet.
>
> I propose a new motto: Usenet, where things are more like they
>used to be than ever before.
Works for most of real life, too.
But you might want to take a look at what goes on in places like
rec.photodigital. Then again, maybe not. I'm not particularly upset by language
or porn or whatever that stuff they upload is, but what pops up there and in a
couple other spots is among the nastiest I've ever seen anywhere.
And it is plentiful. During school vacations, there are 15 to 30 additions
daily--additions that require new filters, that is. The old filters get most of
it, but most of these unhealthy children come up with new stupidities daily.
Sort of like spammers who can't seem to figure out that if you filter out
vicodin, that doesn't mean you'll buy their stuff if the new spam is spelled v.
i. c. o. d. i. n. or any of a hundred variants.
The level of stupidity on-line is astonishing. But, then, take a look around
when you're not on-line. It isn't that different, though face-to-face does tend
to make things politer.
Charlie Self
"A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the
people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine." Thomas Jefferson
charliediy wrote:
>But you might want to take a look at what goes on in places like
>rec.photodigital.
try rec.photo.digital
Sheest. It wasn't early or late, either.
Charlie Self
"A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the
people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine." Thomas Jefferson
Charlie Self wrote:
> Sort of like spammers who can't seem to figure out that if you filter out
> vicodin, that doesn't mean you'll buy their stuff if the new spam is
> spelled v. i. c. o. d. i. n. or any of a hundred variants.
I guess they tell themselves that you only ignored the first spam because
you were so tempted that you couldn't control your terrible urge to buy, so
you were trying to hide it from yourself so you wouldn't. Or something.
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
Silvin posits:
>Charlie Self wrote:
>
>> Sort of like spammers who can't seem to figure out that if you filter out
>> vicodin, that doesn't mean you'll buy their stuff if the new spam is
>> spelled v. i. c. o. d. i. n. or any of a hundred variants.
>
>I guess they tell themselves that you only ignored the first spam because
>you were so tempted that you couldn't control your terrible urge to buy, so
>you were trying to hide it from yourself so you wouldn't. Or something.
Probably hit it with that last one. Or something. That something being the fact
that they are idiots.
Someone once told me that people pay spammers to do spamming. I find that
incredible. Early on, I worked for an ad agency and later a newspaper selling
advertising. One of the truisms is (or was) that a good coupon ad will draw a
5% response, maybe a bit more. I have to wonder what percentage of 5 million
spam messages draws anything at all, except justifiable abuse that does nothing
but validate the abuser's email address.
Charlie Self
"If the misery of the poor be caused not by the laws of nature, but by our
institutions, great is our sin." Charles Darwin
On 14 Apr 2004 00:28:03 GMT, [email protected] (Charlie Self)
wrote:
>One of the truisms is (or was) that a good coupon ad will draw a
>5% response, maybe a bit more. I have to wonder what percentage of 5 million
>spam messages draws anything at all, except justifiable abuse that does nothing
>but validate the abuser's email address.
OK, it's not woodworking, but if I give a really good reply, maybe
people will think that's enough and get on with something about wood
and saws and stuff.....
Same reason. People send money to other people for two reasons: Fear
and greed: Fear of dying poor, and wanting to die rich.
Spammers send spam to annoy you. That's also why you are sent
viruses. They have a twisted sense of power, like an adult child with
a pea-shooter; they can get to you, and you can't get to them.
You think of 5% of 5 million. Spammers reach many times more. They do
it because it's worth it to them ...the same reason coupon ads work.
[I throw mine away without another thought, and deal with spam the
same way.]
Oh, yes. They also get a big kick out of getting people to clog up the
internet with back and forth messages about their efforts, making them
even more worthwhile to them ...solid evidence that they are really
annoying people. The best single way to avoid them is to not respond
in any way, shape, or form. Hmmmmm... those last words remind me of
wood.
Dan.
"Charlie Self" wrote in message
> The level of stupidity on-line is astonishing. But, then, take a look
around
> when you're not on-line. It isn't that different, though face-to-face does
tend
> to make things politer.
Just driving to the grocery store is often enough, and getting on any
freeway a guarantee, of validating your observation.
--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 4/08/04
Swingman responds:
>> The level of stupidity on-line is astonishing. But, then, take a look
>around
>> when you're not on-line. It isn't that different, though face-to-face does
>tend
>> to make things politer.
>
>Just driving to the grocery store is often enough, and getting on any
>freeway a guarantee, of validating your observation.
Yeah, but not even that's needed. I drove across the river for eye surgery
yesterday, taking my wife with me (kind of blurry coming back). As I pulled
away at a light that had just turned green, an ambulance in the oncoming lane
started to shoot in front of me, as if he had his lights on. He didn't. And
he'd just sat through the same light, other side, that I had sat through.
He really didn't like my horn, but he did stop. My wife was a bit annoyed,
because she knew I wasn't about to stop and that makes her nervous. I don't
usually dare anyone anywhere when I'm behind the wheel, but this guy caught me
in the wrong mood. So, in effect, two fools almost colliding. He was wrong, but
I should have been far less bullheaded. Given the circumstances, though, I
would have been perfectly happy to let a local hospital pay for my retirement
party. My wife would not.
So, next time, I blow the horn but be ready to stop.
Charlie Self
"A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the
people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine." Thomas Jefferson
"Dave Balderstone" <dave@N_O_T_T_H_I_S.balderstone.ca> wrote in message
news:080420042148400745%dave@N_O_T_T_H_I_S.balderstone.ca...
> In article <[email protected]>, Leon
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > Yep,, and if the decent ones turn away all will be lost. Lets all work
on
> > ignoring the nonsense.
> >
> >
>
> Check the headers, Leon. This one's coming from the asshole at
> dizum.com, not Charlie.
Geeeez Its getting bad when the bad ones are making sense.
Even if it wasn't Charlie, I still feel the same way.
Bob
"Dave Balderstone" <dave@N_O_T_T_H_I_S.balderstone.ca> wrote in message
news:080420042149374172%dave@N_O_T_T_H_I_S.balderstone.ca...
> In article <[email protected]>, RWM
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > I was thinking the same thing earlier today. It gets really frustrating
> > when a few aggressive and ignorant people start driving some of the
great
> > contributors away. I remember when it happened a few years ago and I
left
> > for a long while. I don't understand what they try to accomplish, but
it
> > must do something to meet their psychological needs.
> >
> > I really look forward to your posts and hope that you stay around. I
have
> > really learned a lot from you, and the other "mature" members.
>
> That wasn't Charlie.
>
> Check the headers.
>
> --
> Okay, so this is my new sig line, eh?
In article <4075E042.26186.12D508C3@localhost>,
NOT "Charlie Self" <[email protected]> wrote:
> I think the wreck has reached a point where every potential question has been
> asked
> and answered. It is probably more useful to do a Google Groups search than
> start a
<blah blah same old it was better before crap>
Dear Mr. Anonymous,
I somehow think you actually believe that things were better before. I
have a clue for you to make it better: Go away. I don't care who you
are. I don't care if you contribute under other names. In fact, the only
think I care about is that you would go away, because anonymous posting
it the actual bottom of the heap, most cowardly thing you could do.
And, in reality, usenet has chock full of assholes for at least 10 years
now.
"Charlie Self" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:4075E042.26186.12D508C3@localhost...
> Being a guy in my 60's, I've seen my share of crap, along with the perks.
I must say
> that if there is one thing that has really gotten on my nerves lately, it
would be the
> way that this newsgroup has gone completely downhill in the past year or
2.
>
> I think the wreck has reached a point where every potential question has
been asked
> and answered. It is probably more useful to do a Google Groups search than
start a
> new thread here. The personalities here are just getting stronger, and
stronger. The
> personal attacks are at an all time high. The assholes are everywhere. The
quality of
> the discussion here is totally in the shit bowl nowadays.
Yep,, and if the decent ones turn away all will be lost. Lets all work on
ignoring the nonsense.