[chris_h]

I mean, seriously, it's hard to find a thread where I don't read something mind-numbingly retarded.

Does anyone who's been around a few years remember this board being much more intelligent?

It seems like there's been an influx of 14 year olds and republicans.

[storer]

Originally posted by chris_h:
14 year olds

'
i'm one...
I can't comment on the changes, but I will say that a lot of people seem to post just to build their post count.

[Captain Obvious]

I may be mistaken but aren't you one of the guys who made BBQ?

[d.fine]

I've noticed MANY threads around the same topics. I haven't been around that long, but lately I noticed that people just post their question instead of searching first and addding to an existing thread. I've only been here since May, but personally up untill now I've only started about 4 threads ... I see a wave of lazy people ...

[chris_h]

Originally posted by Captain Obvious:
I may be mistaken but aren't you one of the guys who made BBQ?

I was involved with it in a very loose way, but no i wasn't one of the founding fathers.

I guess I mainly get frustrated that many people seem to be little more than talking-points parroters (in the political lounge mainly).

I have the utmost respect for my right-thinking friends in the political lounge, fighting the good fight.

I dunno, I guess maybe its just nostalgia... This forum is pretty much the only part of my life from 4 years ago that's still similar. I just hate to see it become an epic crapfest.

p.s. nothing against 14 year olds, I used to be one. I was a pretty stupid 14 year old too. groups.google.com has preserved some of my usenet posts from that era, and I would be very embarrassed if anyone i know personally ever read them.

[mitchell_pgh]

Chris_H,

I agree with you. I think it's an influx of new users (with the John X Smith type mentality of mass posting) compounded by me growing up a bit. As long as you stay away from the forums... it's rather safe.

I think the quality is still here, you simply have to look a little deeper and use the ignore feature.

[ManOfSteal]

Originally posted by mitchell_pgh:
I think the quality is still here, you simply have to look a little deeper...

...or outside the Lounge(s).

[amsalpemkcus]

where is tooki?

[drive-thru]

Originally posted by chris_h:
Is it just me, or has this place gotten alot dumber over the past couple years?

It has become dumber, but I wouldn't blame it entirely on yourself. Maybe just 60%

[amsalpemkcus]

Originally posted by drive-thru:
It has become dumber, but I wouldn't blame it entirely on yourself. Maybe just 60%

nice one! he musta thought he could feel smarter by posting this dumb thread

[chris v]

Just look at the list of who's gone missing in that span of time. The memory hole has swallowed alot of the names, but dig through the archives, and you'll find a zillion intelligent posts from people who really don't darken the door any more.

My attempt to get people talking about why we come back to the lounge just decscended into a bicker-fest about typos (even though I pointed out that the one typo had been intentional, as in ironic mis-use) without a single person addressing the topic whatsoever. I requested it locked after six hours.

As to the BBQ, sure, it had some asnine content, (asnine can be fun-- this is just the inartweb after all) but it also had some really intelligent conversation, real comraderie, and with the exception of one or two members, rarely if ever descended into the bicker-fests that nearly every thread here becomes within six posts. It may be gone, but I made some real, actual life friends there, several of whom I'll be flying to meet this weekend.

[chalk_outline]

I miss Max, T_F, and Boots, and a bit of WTF.. Now we have hate mongers. Slashdot looks cool.

[Millennium]

It's true that we haven't really had an ongoing intellectual (or even all that serious) discussion in a while. It makes me long for the days of PowerBookDude and cheerios and all the others. Even the early religious discussions were relatively well-thought-out on both sides, back before we had to relegate them to the PoliWar lounge.

It's a shame, now that I think about it; even back then, many of the best discussions were about politics or religion. Moving these things to the PoliWar lounge, has certainly reduced the number of flamewars here, but I can't help but wonder if we threw the baby out with the bathwater.

[wulf]

Originally posted by chris_h:
I mean, seriously, it's hard to find a thread where I don't read something mind-numbingly retarded.

Does anyone who's been around a few years remember this board being much more intelligent?

It seems like there's been an influx of 14 year olds and republicans.

Yes, on the whole I agree. I'm not sure the influx of members from a certain other forum have helped stop that trend much, either.

Originally posted by Captain Obvious:
I may be mistaken but aren't you one of the guys who made BBQ?

The irony is that a number of 'NNs more insightful posters went there to hang. The 'BBQ wasn't all inane name-calling and discussion of fapping

[Spliffdaddy]

Yeah, the Lounge has taken a big nosedive since all the interesting folks got moved to the political/war forum.

Don't worry.

Demonhood has assured us that the political/war lounge is temporary.

I bookmarked the thread because I just know he'll try to weasel out of it.

[voodoo]

Originally posted by Spliffdaddy:
Yeah, the Lounge has taken a big nosedive since all the interesting folks got moved to the political/war forum.

Don't worry.

Demonhood has assured us that the political/war lounge is temporary.

I bookmarked the thread because I just know he'll try to weasel out of it.

I'm with you there buddy

I know he'll try to weasel himself out of merging the lounges. It was better before. Chris_h says so too!!

[xi_hyperon]

I was going to reply with my own thoughts on this, but this thread demotivated me.

[chris v]

Originally posted by xi_hyperon:
I was going to reply with my own thoughts on this, but this thread demotivated me.

psot of the day.

[theolein]

Originally posted by chris_h:
I... I was a pretty stupid 14 year old too. ...

I don't think much has changed. And I don't just mean that as flamebait. IIRC, all of your posts were some sort of bitter sarcastic replies, couched in humour, to other posters. I don't actually remember you actually contributing all that much to the lounge, with the possible exception of your dallyings on whether you should "commit suicide or not", since your life "was empty and meaningless", posted some time after someone took a shot at you at the place you worked.

Some time later, you dissappeared, and given your mood at the time, there was speculation that you'd offed yourself. Then you returned a while back, with singularly dark attacks each time you posted, with almost no exceptions. You might have assumed it was showing your immense intelligence by doing so. I somehow think it's actually the opposite.

I also miss the wit and intelligence of maxelson and others, and I even miss some people I had huge arguments in the pol lounge with, such as moki, but I sure as hell don't miss you.

[dcolton]

Originally posted by theolein:
I don't think much has changed. And I don't just mean that as flamebait. IIRC, all of your posts were some sort of bitter sarcastic replies, couched in humour, to other posters. I don't actually remember you actually contributing all that much to the lounge, with the possible exception of your dallyings on whether you should "commit suicide or not", since your life "was empty and meaningless", posted some time after someone took a shot at you at the place you worked.

Some time later, you dissappeared, and given your mood at the time, there was speculation that you'd offed yourself. Then you returned a while back, with singularly dark attacks each time you posted, with almost no exceptions. You might have assumed it was showing your immense intelligence by doing so. I somehow think it's actually the opposite.

I also miss the wit and intelligence of maxelson and others, and I even miss some people I had huge arguments in the pol lounge with, such as moki, but I sure as hell don't miss you.

WOW! ROFLMAO, that is pretty harsh, but funny!

[Spliffdaddy]

I've been on the recieving end of a theo ass-chewing a couple of times. He's one of the best there is.

[dcolton]

Originally posted by Spliffdaddy:
I've been on the recieving end of a theo ass-chewing a couple of times. He's one of the best there is.

I believe I have too. That is why I secretly like him...he doesn't hold back. And now that MacNN has made a successful effort to be fair...I enjoy his tongue lashings even more.

[voodoo]

Originally posted by Spliffdaddy:
I've been on the recieving end of a theo ass-chewing a couple of times. He's one of the best there is.

Yeah I've been there. He's a regular bastard. That's why I like him

[killer_735]

I hope you can appreciate the irony of there being a grammatical error in your post title.

[5th_grade]a lot: two words[/5th_grade]

[Zimphire]

Originally posted by chris_h:
p.s. nothing against 14 year olds, I used to be one. I was a pretty stupid 14 year old too. groups.google.com has preserved some of my usenet posts from that era, and I would be very embarrassed if anyone i know personally ever read them.

The reason I am glad I didn't start messing with computers till I was 21.

[wdlove]

When I was 14, there was no such thing as a computer in the home. I spent a lot of time riding my bicycle.

[voodoo]

Originally posted by wdlove:
When I was 14, there was no such thing as a computer in the home. I spent a lot of time riding my bicycle.

There were computers when I was 14, but no internet. I also spent a lot of time riding my bicycle.

[lil'babykitten]

Originally posted by Spliffdaddy:
I've been on the recieving end of a theo ass-chewing a couple of times. He's one of the best there is.

I haven't been there, just observed and lolled.

Theo is extremely amusing on iChat as well.


On topic: Yeah the lounge has got dumber but whatchoo gon do?

[theolein]

Originally posted by voodoo:
... He's a regular bastard. ...

I think that's one of the best compliments I've ever had here.

[chris v]

Originally posted by killer_735:
I hope you can appreciate the irony of there being a grammatical error in your post title.

[5th_grade]a lot: two words[/5th_grade]

Proving my point. Thanks!

[TheBadgerHunter]

When I was 14 I wasn't allowed to use the only computer in the house.

I rode my bike a lot.

[theolein]

Originally posted by Spliffdaddy:
I've been on the recieving end of a theo ass-chewing a couple of times. He's one of the best there is.

I know that I can be pretty harsh at times. The thing is, although you and I will never agree on politics and probably a large number of other topics as well, you really are hugely funny at times and I am amazed at the creativity you show when you make your custom built pc's. That's a real art form you have there, and it pisses me off no end when people here diss it although they themselves have never shown anything in the way of creativity.

I hope I haven't just lost your respect by paying you a compliment.

[TheBadgerHunter]

I can definitely see the lounge being a fair bit lower on the intelligence scale of late. Weeks go by before there are any mildly intelligent discussions and even they are broken up by stupidity.

Its not something normal either. Go take a look at the lounge at the straightdope.com forum.

[Landos Mustache]

"Is it just me, or has this place gotten alot dumber over the past couple years?"

You are not helping. The word is "a lot".

[Zimphire]

Originally posted by lil'babykitten:
Yeah the lounge has got dumber but whatchoo gon do?

Gotten? The fact that it had to be made was a dumb.

The silly Bush haters couldn't stop flooding the forum with redundancy much like the PL is now.

[Zimphire]

Originally posted by TheBadgerHunter:
I can definitely see the lounge being a fair bit lower on the intelligence scale of late. Weeks go by before there are any mildly intelligent discussions and even they are broken up by stupidity.

Its not something normal either. Go take a look at the lounge at the straightdope.com forum.

Yes, threads like this one bring the intelligence level down a bit in there.

[E's Lil Theorem]

While I've only been registered for just over a year here (under soul), I've been lurking for a lot longer. IIRC, the quality of the lounge goes up and down. Maybe this thread will turn things around

Originally posted by Spliffdaddy:
... He's one of the best there is.

Yeah, you can add Captain Obvious and Spheric Harlot to that list as well. Even if you disagree with what they say, they're often times quite funny while delivering their message.

[chris v]

X <-- marks the spot where the descent into full-on bickering about minor grammatical mistakes, and the cycle of recrimination they engender, sets in.

It's a LOUNGE. on an internet MESSAGE BOARD. we are not proofing the latest edition of the Webster's Unabridged here, people.

[Sealobo]

Originally posted by chris_h:
I mean, seriously...

the point is not to be serious.

[iREZ]

Originally posted by: Landos Mustache
"Is it just me, or has this place gotten alot dumber over the past couple years?"

You are not helping. The words are "a lot".

Fixed at no charge.

[d4nth3m4n]

feel the love in this thread.

[lil'babykitten]

Originally posted by Zimphire:
Gotten? The fact that it had to be made was a dumb.

The silly Bush haters couldn't stop flooding the forum with redundancy much like the PL is now.

A dumb what? a dumb fullstop (period)?

I wasn't a member here before the separate Pol lounge existed, so I wouldn't know what it was like back then.

[AB^2=BCxAC]

For every insecure dimwit, there's an egomaniacal ****. And that, my friends, is a ratio that hasn't changed in the 5 years I've been at this board. For every put-down or xenophobic belief that's pontificated, there are fewer and fewer mac related posts, and that's a ratio that continues to grow steadily awry.

[IceEnclosure]

I was just thinking how uncool IceEnclosure is on these boads. I hardly get many replies to my threads, that's a little sucky.

I used to be much cooler. I'm thinking it's the company I'm keeping. : \

[voodoo]

Originally posted by IceEnclosure:
I was just thinking how uncool IceEnclosure is on these boads. I hardly get many replies to my threads, that's a little sucky.

I used to be much cooler. I'm thinking it's the company I'm keeping. : \

I am so amazingly cool you could keep a side of meat in me for a month. I am so hip I have difficulty seeing over my pelvis."

[lil'babykitten]

Originally posted by voodoo:
I am so amazingly cool you could keep a side of meat in me for a month.

Yeah but that's only because you live in Iceland.

[macaddict0001]

One of the reasons this place has become stupid is because of the huge number of people on these boards. We gain about 30-500 per day and they can't all be smart.

[ThinkInsane]

This is a far different place than when I joined. And I can't say it's for the better.

[RAILhead]

True. It is got dummer. A lot of dummer.

[voodoo]

Originally posted by lil'babykitten:
Yeah but that's only because you live in Iceland.

that was a Zaphod quote I made. I just thought it was funny.