I would just like to take a moment to comment about the practice of "trolling" in this newsgroup. I feel that it is not only humiliating when being reeled in by one of the old farts on the group, but also detrimental in that newbies will be discouraged from making potentially useful posts for fear of being bolloxed.
No fishing!
On an interesting note, a man in Christchurch, N.Z, was run over and killed the other day by his house. Is there a precedent for this?
In article <1993Sep27.132439.20...@waikato.ac.nz> mfavi...@waikato.ac.nz writes: >I would just like to take a moment to comment about the practice of "trolling" >in this newsgroup. I feel that it is not only humiliating when being reeled in >by one of the old farts on the group, but also detrimental in that newbies will >be discouraged from making potentially useful posts for fear of being bolloxed. >No fishing!
Hmpf. Kids today can't even spell "hat".
Anyway, I agree that it's unproductive and rude to jump on naive new posters and gloat about it, especially when there are so many deserving veterans around.
Trolling can be fun, if it's reasonably subtle. Honest trolls usually even have a more or less concealed message saying "This is a Troll" to the imaginative reader. But asking a question straight out and abusing anyone kind enough to post a straight answer just makes the group look cliquish and inbred.
Fishing allowed, but artificial flies with barbless hooks only. Throw back anyone who's never posted an ISBN.
Phil "Unless you're abusing them for not posting ISBN's" Gustafson
Phil Gustafson writes: >Hmpf. Kids today can't even spell "hat".
>Anyway, I agree that it's unproductive and rude to jump on naive new posters >and gloat about it, especially when there are so many deserving veterans >around.
Quite true. I can't recall exactly when trolling became popular on AFU (I think it was about 1 - 1.5 years ago) but at that point it was largely a response to the huge number of totally clueless folks who'd never read the FAQ or lurked on the group, but just jumped in and started babbling, thus making the signal-to-noise ratio even worse than usual...if that's possible. These days it's really getting out of hand, and I'm just as guilty as anyone else of indulging on occasion.
>Trolling can be fun, if it's reasonably subtle. Honest trolls usually >even have a more or less concealed message saying "This is a Troll" to >the imaginative reader. But asking a question straight out and abusing >anyone kind enough to post a straight answer just makes the group look >cliquish and inbred.
Horrors! But sadly true. Recently I had to take several weeks off from reading AFU, and getting back in has been difficult at best. With 200+ articles/day on many occasions it's really easy to miss someone's post and end up tossing in the same data repeatedly, then getting flamed/trolled for it. One shouldn't have to read every article for a month before posting a reply to some thread, and some sites with only UUCP access can end up really behind the times without really knowing it.
>Fishing allowed, but artificial flies with barbless hooks only. Throw >back anyone who's never posted an ISBN.
Unless their name is Serdar Argic...
>Phil "Unless you're abusing them for not posting ISBN's" Gustafson
What's an ISBN? Ooops, what a giveaway...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- Dick "it's something like lutefisk, right?" Joltes |jol...@husc.harvard.edu Manager, Microcomputing and Hardware, Computer Services|jol...@husc.BITNET Harvard University Science Center | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- "It was generally considered by everyone else in the kingdom that the only thing that might slow Greebo the cat down was a direct meteorite strike." --Terry Pratchett, _Wyrd Sisters_
dick joltes writes: >Quite true. I can't recall exactly when trolling became popular on AFU (I >think it was about 1 - 1.5 years ago) but at that point it was largely a >response to the huge number of totally clueless folks who'd never read the
the earliest (and still one of the best) successful afu troll i can remember offhand was the guy who solemnly explained that "posh" stands for "prow outward, stern homeward". (it had something to do with boats being unable to turn around in port.) this was quite a while ago, i think. can anyone name an earlier one?
p...@rahul.net (Phil Gustafson) writes: >Trolling can be fun, if it's reasonably subtle. Honest trolls usually >even have a more or less concealed message saying "This is a Troll" to >the imaginative reader. But asking a question straight out and abusing >anyone kind enough to post a straight answer just makes the group look >cliquish and inbred.
In case anyone's interested, my post of last week, subject-lined "Blatant Trolling Attempt" only garnered one bite, by E-mail. And that was half-hearted.
Just can't get the hang of it, as the newbie executioner said.
In article <1993Sep27.132439.20...@waikato.ac.nz> mfavi...@waikato.ac.nz writes: >No fishing!
>On an interesting note, a man in Christchurch, N.Z, was run over and killed >the other day by his house. Is there a precedent for this?
Too bad he wasn't a merkin. He could have sued himself and won a lot of money. But anyway, being dead, where does he plan to spend the life insurance payoff? (Assuming that he did have insurance.) He's probably whooping it up right now with some of the other dead people who frequent this newsgroup.
K "perhaps Heaven-Eleven?" G
...or, more realistically :
K "planning to take it with me in asbestos travelers checks" G
In article <1993Sep27.132439.20...@waikato.ac.nz>, mfavi...@waikato.ac.nz wrote:
> On an interesting note, a man in Christchurch, N.Z, was run over and killed > the other day by his house. Is there a precedent for this?
Yes. In West Virginia several years ago, a man was crushed to death by his house. It seems that on a particularly cold morning, he and his brother were pushing their house down the road, trying to jumpstart the furnace...Gene
does anyone know why stacey augumon, former unlv player is called plastic man. I was watching a dunk video and every time he has a dunk somebody yells plastic man.......?
In article <2884c9$...@max.physics.sunysb.edu>, rsc...@ic.sunysb.edu (Robert Scott) writes: >dick joltes writes:
>the earliest (and still one of the best) successful afu troll i can >remember offhand was the guy who solemnly explained that "posh" stands >for "prow outward, stern homeward". (it had something to do with boats >being unable to turn around in port.) this was quite a while ago, i >think. can anyone name an earlier one?
>-james dolan
The story my parents told me when I was moving out of short pants (and I'm thirty-mumble now - old for a newbie?) was that POSH stood for "Port Out, Starboard Home" and referred to the side of the ship that first class passengers were accomodated on sailing between Britain and India - the idea being that in the absence of adequate ventilation in tropical waters you were on the side away from the sun (ie, you were on the north side).
I suspect it's true, but you won't catch me admitting it. (Is this where I say "motto"?) Anyway, it would have made a better troll than "prow outward...".
BTW, I've been reading AFU for a bit now, and think I've got the ground rules sorted, but I haven't seen the FAQ yet. If the person who posts it sees this, could they please email me a copy? (How many copies would I get if I said "Can *anyone* send me a copy?")
Now... I don't know how widely this following story has travelled, but here goes: A yuppy type is standing in the departure lounge of a busy airport, looking important and talking loudly and aggressively into a cellphone... ... When it rings. OK - it's not the stuff of classic UL, but I've already seen it reproduced in a couple of sources down this way, each time with slightly different details of location, etc, so it's clearly moving like one.
Here's the thing about it; it is quite literally a FOAF story for me. It was witnessed by the flatmate (and friend) of a very good workmate (and friend) of mine and I was able to check my sources. The eye-witness is a stewardess, the location Wellington airport domestic terminal. Hey, eveything's gotta start somewhere. The embellishments should be kicking in soon...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- "My mind/it ain't so open/that anything/could crawl right in" - Magazine, 1978 "There's a bit of free space in mine; care to go fishing" - Steve Caskey, 1993 "Call that a .sig, why in my day..." - The Old Fart's Internet Guide, 1998 --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----
In article <289s9j$...@organpipe.uug.arizona.edu> sie_0...@bigdog.engr.arizona.edu (Bruce Rechichar) writes:
>does anyone know why stacey augumon, former unlv player >is called plastic man. I was watching a dunk video and every time >he has a dunk somebody yells plastic man.......?
>Brewski...
This group isn't about sports. It's about urban legends.
This thread isn't about dunk videos or plastic men. It's about not being mean and nasty to naive posters.
: : BTW, I've been reading AFU for a bit now, and think I've got the ground rules : sorted, but I haven't seen the FAQ yet. If the person who posts it sees this, : could they please email me a copy? (How many copies would I get if I said "Can : *anyone* send me a copy?")
Probably very few. At least - not from the more astute readers of the group, since that would not be a request.
Bill "No one here provides unsolicited information" Nelson
In article <sassociation-280993131...@gmiller.worldbank.org> sassociat...@worldbank.org (Gene C. Miller) writes: +In article <1993Sep27.132439.20...@waikato.ac.nz+, mfavi...@waikato.ac.nz +wrote: + ++ On an interesting note, a man in Christchurch, N.Z, was run over and killed ++ the other day by his house. Is there a precedent for this? + +Yes. In West Virginia several years ago, a man was crushed to death by his +house. It seems that on a particularly cold morning, he and his brother +were pushing their house down the road, trying to jumpstart the +furnace...Gene
This might be the same guy who had the fire in his bathroom the other day. Fortunately, he got it put out before it reached the house.
In article <289s9j$...@organpipe.uug.arizona.edu> sie_0...@bigdog.engr.arizona.edu (Bruce Rechichar) writes:
>does anyone know why stacey augumon, former unlv player >is called plastic man. I was watching a dunk video and every time >he has a dunk somebody yells plastic man.......?
Maybe he is often cited for "charging"?
AND IN THE NBA, THEY _DON'T_ TAKE AMERICAN EXPRESS!
Apologies for shouting.
K "no shirt - no shoes - no service - cash only - no refunds - all sales final" G
In article <28999m$...@golem.wcc.govt.nz> caske...@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz writes:
>Now... I don't know how widely this following story has travelled, but here >goes: > A yuppy type is standing in the departure lounge of a busy airport, > looking important and talking loudly and aggressively into a cellphone... > ... When it rings.
Somewhat like what I saw one morning on my way into work. These 2 super-bad "Shaft" wannabes were driving in the car ahead of me when we came to a stop light. They showed their contempt for the law (at least I guess that's what they were trying to do) by peeling out (no, I didn't see any spiders or snakes come out of bananas) when the light turned green. Their "cellphone" "antenna" promptly fell off the back of the car, and was promptly smashed under my wheels. Gee, somehow I had always imagined that there would be come kind of wire or something to connect the antenna to the phone.
>>the earliest (and still one of the best) successful afu troll i can >>remember offhand was the guy who solemnly explained that "posh" stands >>for "prow outward, stern homeward". (it had something to do with boats >>being unable to turn around in port.) this was quite a while ago, i >>think. can anyone name an earlier one?
>>-james dolan
>The story my parents told me when I was moving out of short pants (and I'm >thirty-mumble now - old for a newbie?) was that POSH stood for "Port Out, >Starboard Home" and referred to the side of the ship that first class >passengers were accomodated on sailing between Britain and India - the idea >being that in the absence of adequate ventilation in tropical waters you were >on the side away from the sun (ie, you were on the north side).
Those attributions are a mite confusing - whose catch _is_ this? Its definitely a keeper. And with the most blatant of subject lines, no less.
Bob "I was about to ask `who's' catch, but, naaahhh" O'Bob --
=> => >Quite true. I can't recall exactly when trolling became popular on AFU (I => >think it was about 1 - 1.5 years ago) but at that point it was largely a => >response to the huge number of totally clueless folks who'd never read the => >
Robert Scott writes:
=> => the earliest (and still one of the best) successful afu troll i can => remember offhand was the guy who solemnly explained that "posh" stands => for "prow outward, stern homeward". (it had something to do with boats => being unable to turn around in port.) this was quite a while ago, i => think. can anyone name an earlier one?
Whether trolling became popular last week or in the late pre-seventies isn't as important as the content. IMHO, legal bait must refer to an item in the FAQ, with some exceptions for topical items and classic ULs. Any bait to which I may happen to respond is illegal. There should be a limit on the number of groups which may be fished simultaneously, and on the total quantity of bait in a single post. Whenever possible, the catch should be released without permanent psychological scars. This is also for your own protection. Remember the student who stalked that poor guy in D.C. last year after he roasted him so hadly. And by the way, I think I read someplace that it's really "Password Or Secret Handshake". Perhaps somebody can find the reference for me.
Oh, and it's not fair to steal somebody else's bait.
-- Lee Boyle;boy...@agcs.com;standard disclaimers apply;;
: : Somewhat like what I saw one morning on my way into work. These 2 : super-bad "Shaft" wannabes were driving in the car ahead of me when we came : to a stop light. They showed their contempt for the law (at least I guess : that's what they were trying to do) by peeling out (no, I didn't see any : spiders or snakes come out of bananas) when the light turned green. Their : "cellphone" "antenna" promptly fell off the back of the car, and was promptly : smashed under my wheels. Gee, somehow I had always imagined that there : would be come kind of wire or something to connect the antenna to the phone.
Actually, there isn't. All the incident tells you is that the antenna was poorly installed. If it was real, it relies on capacitive coupling to get the signal through the glass. It is not safe to drill a hole in a window - makes a weak spot where the glass will untimately crack or shatter.
In article <28ctm0$ne5@hw_lee.agcs.com> boy...@agcs.com (Lee "Game Warden" Boyle) writes:
> .....Whenever possible, the > catch should be released without permanent psychological scars. This > is also for your own protection. Remember the student who stalked that > poor guy in D.C. last year after he roasted him so hadly.
Got a cite for this? The story sounds kinda fishy to me.
Greg "anyone think this group is floundering a bit?" Franklin -- Greg Franklin "Shopping on stones, wokking on coals, frank...@gas.uug.arizona.edu to improve your business acumen."
>>>the earliest (and still one of the best) successful afu troll i can >>>remember offhand was the guy who solemnly explained that "posh" stands >>>for "prow outward, stern homeward". (it had something to do with boats >>>being unable to turn around in port.) this was quite a while ago, i >>>think. can anyone name an earlier one?
>>>-james dolan
Confused attribution above!!! I didn't write this, james did...
>>The story my parents told me when I was moving out of short pants (and I'm >>thirty-mumble now - old for a newbie?) was that POSH stood for "Port Out, >>Starboard Home" and referred to the side of the ship that first class >>passengers were accomodated on sailing between Britain and India - the idea >>being that in the absence of adequate ventilation in tropical waters you were >>on the side away from the sun (ie, you were on the north side).
>Those attributions are a mite confusing - whose catch _is_ this? >Its definitely a keeper. >And with the most blatant of subject lines, no less.
Blatant? On AFU? Nah, probably a reverse-troll.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- Dick "watching the watchers" Joltes |jol...@husc.harvard.edu Manager, Microcomputing and Hardware, Computer Services|jol...@husc.BITNET Harvard University Science Center | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- "It was generally considered by everyone else in the kingdom that the only thing that might slow Greebo the cat down was a direct meteorite strike." --Terry Pratchett, _Wyrd Sisters_
+ +Actually, there isn't. All the incident tells you is that the antenna +was poorly installed. If it was real, it relies on capacitive coupling +to get the signal through the glass. It is not safe to drill a hole in +a window - makes a weak spot where the glass will untimately crack or +shatter. + +Bill
Very good point, except for the fact that it was glued/adhesive taped right in the middle of the (metal) trunk lid, far enough (about 18-24") from the back windshield that capacitive coupling would be, um, streching it a little. Had it been on the glass, yeah, I could buy that explanation. That plus the fact that I had heard of sham antennae you could buy to win friends and influence people.
I know what of you speak, though. Being a peruser of radio (mostly short wave) catalogs, I've seen a number of these outfits for sale. I've never wanted one, as putting up SW antennas to get that last dB of signal is enough work to not want to squander it for lack of drilling a hole in something.
In article <1993Sep27.132439.20...@waikato.ac.nz> mfavi...@waikato.ac.nz writes:
>I would just like to take a moment to comment about the practice of "trolling" >in this newsgroup. I feel that it is not only humiliating when being reeled in >by one of the old farts on the group, but also detrimental in that newbies will
^^^^^ I know it is against Usenet guidelines to pick on spelling, but furrfu! Those Kiwis can't even spell "hats" correctly.
>be discouraged from making potentially useful posts for fear of being bolloxed.
You're starting to get the point. Most of the "potentially useful" postings from newbies have tended to be about can tabs, the etymology of "posh" and "that'd be in the butt, Bob" video tapes. (That guy never did produce the tape, did he?)
AFU is the Usenet application of the Software Engineering U/I Philosophy of "If it was hard to develop, it should be hard to use." (Besides, it's fun.)
Drew "gotta pay your dues if you're gonna sing the blues" Lawson -- Drew Lawson | I had to sell my internal organs law...@acuson.com | Just to pay the rent. | -- Weird Al (When I was Your Age)
bobobob writes: >In article <28999m$...@golem.wcc.govt.nz> caske...@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz writes: ... >>The story my parents told me when I was moving out of short pants (and I'm >>thirty-mumble now - old for a newbie?) was that POSH stood for "Port Out, >>Starboard Home" and referred to the side of the ship that first class ... >Those attributions are a mite confusing - whose catch _is_ this? >Its definitely a keeper. >And with the most blatant of subject lines, no less.
see, i told you this was a good one- from beyond the grave, it hooked another one. i swear i was not trying to catch this one, it just leapt up and slapped me in the face. all credit to the original poster, whoever they were.
: In article <1993Sep29.232825.21...@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com> bi...@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson) writes: : : Very good point, except for the fact that it was glued/adhesive taped : right in the middle of the (metal) trunk lid, far enough (about 18-24") from : the back windshield that capacitive coupling would be, um, streching it a : little. Had it been on the glass, yeah, I could buy that explanation. That : plus the fact that I had heard of sham antennae you could buy to win friends : and influence people.
OK - that wasn't stated in the post. There are trunk mount antennas, but they are not capacitively coupled.
Yeah, I expect there are some yuppies that think they are impressing others, when they have a cellular phone - as well as others who think they are doing the same by having a fake antenna.
Actually, they probably are doing so - impressing others on just how idiotic and status conscious they are.
