[subego]

Possible. I'd hope for more whimsy, like with buttsauce.

[andi*pandi]

Not according to IP addresses, not that IP is foolproof.

[Shaddim]

I bought the "WW" cuffs. I think she'll go nuts over them. They're actually 15Kt Victorian betrothal bracelets, one was traditionally given during the proposal and the other at the wedding.

[reader50]

Minor Q, have you ever directed her to something on our forums? It would be a pity if she's become an occasional reader.

[raleur]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

'NN, say hello to Besson's latest sock-puppet.

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

Not according to IP addresses, not that IP is foolproof.

It seems that you guys have become so accustomed to trading barbs with each other that you don't trust anyone new.

Is it possible that you've reached the point where you don't want anyone else to intrude in your private club's affairs?


But back to the topic at hand: The bracelets are awesome- any Wonder Woman fan worth her salt would wear those daily, with the secret knowledge in her heart that where others saw mere decoration, there was true power.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by reader50 

Minor Q, have you ever directed her to something on our forums? It would be a pity if she's become an occasional reader.

Not to worry, I haven't.

[andi*pandi]

Originally Posted by raleur 

It seems that you guys have become so accustomed to trading barbs with each other that you don't trust anyone new.
Is it possible that you've reached the point where you don't want anyone else to intrude in your private club's affairs?

Hey, I trust you... but hardly anyone trusts besson.

[quote ]But back to the topic at hand: The bracelets are awesome- any Wonder Woman fan worth her salt would wear those daily, with the secret knowledge in her heart that where others saw mere decoration, there was true power.[/quote]

Yes indeed. Shaddim, I also liked the Victorian backstory.

Instead of big presents this year, we are going to a theme park before the holiday, then seeing my folks. Of course small presents will happen, but the Lego store will sense a disturbance in the sales force.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

Not according to IP addresses, not that IP is foolproof.

Besson is tech-savy enough to not get caught like an amateur.

-t

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by raleur 

It seems that you guys have become so accustomed to trading barbs with each other that you don't trust anyone new.
Is it possible that you've reached the point where you don't want anyone else to intrude in your private club's affairs?

Pretty much ALL the proof we needed that it is indeed Besson.

Any other person would have asked first "Besson who ?" and why. Going straight into defensive mode is typical sock-puppetery.

-t

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

Pretty much ALL the proof we needed that it is indeed Besson.
Any other person would have asked first "Besson who ?" and why. Going straight into defensive mode is typical sock-puppetery.
-t

What is with your obsession with sock puppets? Did you have a traumatic experience with one as a kid? Did one molest you, set fire to your house, or add to the federal deficit?

[turtle777]

What a coincidence ? You just happened to stumble into this thread ?

Dude, you screwed up. One more sock puppet burned.

-t

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

What a coincidence ? You just happened to stumble into this thread ?
Dude, you screwed up. One more sock puppet burned.
-t

Turtle the master detective!

I don't control that account, but I'll give you a list of accounts I've created over the years if you'll bake me a pie.

[Spheric Harlot]

Who gives a ****?

Hi raleur, nice to see someone new jump into the fray. Don't mind the lovebirds.

[OldManMac]

In the environment I grew up in, it was considered in poor taste, and tacky, to brag about one's possessions, especially to people one didn't really know. It was thought that doing so would show that those who did so didn't really have those possessions, but were merely boasting due to tremendous insecurities.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by OldManMac 

In the environment I grew up in, it was considered in poor taste, and tacky, to brag about one's possessions, especially to people one didn't really know. It was thought that doing so would show that those who did so didn't really have those possessions, but were merely boasting due to tremendous insecurities.

Would that even apply anymore? Considering how many people can't afford a new iPhone, is it right to wax on about the new one you've purchased? Is it okay to share some things you enjoy but not others? Jay Leno's Garage, platform for him to boast about his new rides? I think the reality of the situation is much more complex, and it's also different online and with different groups.

[subego]

It's context, isn't it?

I talk about my phone here, but this is an Apple enthusiast forum. Otherwise, unless asked, I don't.

OTOH, I've been with people where everybody posts-up by slapping their phone down on the table like its a thing. Doesn't make sense to me, but I'm not judgmental about it.

With Leno, I think the issue is he missed his calling (it's obviously not ****ing comedy). He should have been doing Top Gear before there was Top Gear. If he was, no one would blink an eye at his car collection.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by subego 

It's context, isn't it?
I talk about my phone here, but this is an Apple enthusiast forum. Otherwise, unless asked, I don't.

In the lounge, however, we tend to talk about anything. In fact it's kind of OT to talk about iPhones here, since they have their own sub-forum. I've always thought of this place as being for anything and everything else other than specific Apple products.

Also, FWIW, Apple isn't what you'd call a budget brand, most consider their products to be luxuries.

[raleur]

Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot 

Who gives a ****?
Hi raleur, nice to see someone new jump into the fray. Don't mind the lovebirds.

Thanks for the welcome!

[raleur]

Originally Posted by subego 

With Leno, I think the issue is he missed his calling (it's obviously not ****ing comedy). He should have been doing Top Gear before there was Top Gear. If he was, no one would blink an eye at his car collection.

Yes, but then Top Gear would have been canceled due to sheer lack of humor.

[subego]

@Shaddim,

I don't disagree, but things go in phases. It seems to me there's been a marked drop in posts about possessions since the economy tanked, unless it's a car, or it's a DIY project.

[finboy]

I can relate to Jay Leno showing off his collection - he earned it. You can say the same about most of the other celebrities as well. But in Leno's case he was poor and unknown and lived on butter beans, etc. before he made it big. If he wants to own a bunch of nice cars, then good for him.

The REAL conspicuous consumption that drives me nuts are those folks driving around with a $1,000 car and $1,200 rims, or worse. That's THEIR prerogative, too, but it illustrates Veblen's original idea of conspicuous consumption so well. In the case of most of the almost-indigent out there, conspicuous consumption occurs because they have no vision of the future or reason to invest in it. That's why they don't take care of things, as a group, and why they continue to engage in costly or risky behaviours and let their poor choices fall to society to clean up, as a group.

It's the same phenomenon, but with different implications and results.

[screener]

Originally Posted by OldManMac 

In the environment I grew up in, it was considered in poor taste, and tacky, to brag about one's possessions, especially to people one didn't really know. It was thought that doing so would show that those who did so didn't really have those possessions, but were merely boasting due to tremendous insecurities.

Those that are well off and still feel the need to bring it up all the time need some one to tell them to shut up already.
It gets boring real quick.

Then there's the insecurity issue.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by finboy 

I can relate to Jay Leno showing off his collection - he earned it. You can say the same about most of the other celebrities as well. But in Leno's case he was poor and unknown and lived on butter beans, etc. before he made it big. If he wants to own a bunch of nice cars, then good for him.
The REAL conspicuous consumption that drives me nuts are those folks driving around with a $1,000 car and $1,200 rims, or worse. That's THEIR prerogative, too, but it illustrates Veblen's original idea of conspicuous consumption so well. In the case of most of the almost-indigent out there, conspicuous consumption occurs because they have no vision of the future or reason to invest in it. That's why they don't take care of things, as a group, and why they continue to engage in costly or risky behaviours and let their poor choices fall to society to clean up, as a group.
It's the same phenomenon, but with different implications and results.

I agree, Leno has earned it, and I feel it's very gracious of him to share information about it.

Originally Posted by subego 

@Shaddim,
I don't disagree, but things go in phases. It seems to me there's been a marked drop in posts about possessions since the economy tanked, unless it's a car, or it's a DIY project.

I'm on 2 public forums; one that's more to the Left (this one), and another that leans more to the Right. This one is more bitter and cranky, by far. Is that coincidence? I'm not sure. Last week I mentioned there that I was offered the opportunity to be one of the 15 US buyers of the new Pagani. They were congratulatory and we talked about the car. I didn't say anything here, because I felt it would mostly spark anger and be more trouble than it's worth. Maybe I was wrong and too hasty in my judgement, so here is what I'm talking about:

[subego]

[reader50]

I haven't posted much from lack of exotic car knowledge. But the pics and discussion are interesting. If no one bought supercars, there would be very few of them.

hmm ... we lean to the Left? Based on occasional visits to the PWL, I figured we have a rowdy mix.

[andi*pandi]

That car has two fronts.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by reader50 

I haven't posted much from lack of exotic car knowledge. But the pics and discussion are interesting. If no one bought supercars, there would be very few of them.
hmm ... we lean to the Left? Based on occasional visits to the PWL, I figured we have a rowdy mix.

Yeah, MacNN does lean Left, in sheer numbers and shouting volume, compared to the "Internet average". Mostly that's due to Apple's greater appeal to those types. There are notable exceptions, but in all I think that's accurate.

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

That car has two fronts.

That's what she said. No, seriously, that's what my wife said. I think it's gorgeous, but I've been a Pagani fan for over a decade now. One of the best parts is their average appreciation, usually ~10% /year. That's a fair investment, as long as a person doesn't smash them.

The Buck Rogers inspired interior. It's nuts.

[el chupacabra]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

I've been a Pagani fan for over a decade now. One of the best parts is their average appreciation, usually ~10% /year. That's a fair investment, as long as a person doesn't smash them.
The Buck Rogers inspired interior. It's nuts.

If you bought one would you drive it? or set it in a garage to appreciate in pristine condition? I ask because it looks like a lot of work went into it for it to just sit as a collectors item; and that is what many will do with it...

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by el chupacabra 

If you bought one would you drive it? or set it in a garage to appreciate in pristine condition? I ask because it looks like a lot of work went into it for it to just sit as a collectors item; and that is what many will do with it...

My favorite car saying is from Jay Leno, "cars are meant to be driven". I'll keep it maintained, clean, and in the best condition possible, but I'm going to drive it. I talked with the director of US sales for Pagani and he asked a similar question, "what will you do with it?" My reply was, "blast through the mountains making a hell of a noise". He liked that. If you don't use such a thing in the way it's intended, it loses its true purpose and is diminished. While automobiles and sculpture may share some aesthetic characteristics, cars are not works of art.

[subego]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

Yeah, MacNN does lean Left, in sheer numbers and shouting volume, compared to the "Internet average". Mostly that's due to Apple's greater appeal to those types. There are notable exceptions, but in all I think that's accurate.

That's normal Internet average. Have you been to reddit?

Notice how reddit is also really pro-gay and anti-religion, just like our favorite Mac forum.

[Waragainstsleep]

Is this place anti-religion? I wouldn't have said so. Maybe moreso now than it was a year ago but even so.

[subego]

I most certainly could be wrong, but you may not have noticed it because of how normalized it is.

It's true there are only a small number of people here who are super obnoxious about their atheism, but they consistently get a pass on insulting and disrespectful behavior which not be allowed in any other context.


Whatever you think of Kevin, it's definitely notable that after what, 60,000 posts, he decided to go thermonuclear over this very subject.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Sixteenth Chapel

[Spheric Harlot]

Reality has a liberal bias. What Americans consider "left" is middle-of-the-road. It just isn't rabidly reactionary, so it seems really liberal by comparison.

Also, gay rights aren't "left". Haven't been for a while. Nor are women's rights and children's rights. The fact that there's still extremists out there who think women shouldn't have jobs doesn't mean that women's rights are "left" -- they've been mainstream middle for decades now.

[subego]

It's not as simple as X group should have rights.

Frex, it's illegal to discriminate based on race in your hiring practices. What metric do you use for this? Who chooses the metric? Who judges you against the metric? If a metric isn't met, how do you address that? Who gets to decide how to address that? How many different reasons can there be a particular organization can not meet the metric? Shouldn't each have their own solution?

You can't take all these variables and then say we hit this one spot on a single axis scale.

[Spheric Harlot]

I didn't claim that, and honestly, I have no interest in discussing the details.
It's a complicated issue.

But it's one that is not the domain of some left fringe.

[subego]

Well, I didn't claim that.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by subego 

That's normal Internet average. Have you been to reddit?
Notice how reddit is also really pro-gay and anti-religion, just like our favorite Mac forum.

Okay, if we're going to move the goalposts, how about "the other forum is noticeably further to the Right than this one"?

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

I'm on 2 public forums; one that's more to the Left (this one), and another that leans more to the Right. This one is more bitter and cranky, by far. Is that coincidence? I'm not sure.

Why is it that you were butthurt when Rob and I asserted that the south sucks since you didn't like this generalization, but you are free to make your own, openly based on nothing more than your gut feeling?

[andi*pandi]

I posit that people who always get their way are less bitter and cranky, but much more smug and paternalistic. Until the day that they stop getting their way of course, then the positions reverse.

[screener]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

cars are not works of art.

That comment shows you know nothing about art or cars.
I also don't buy that you can afford 1.6 million for it.

But hey, the rest of you, keep on humoring him.

[besson3c]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

I posit that people who always get their way are less bitter and cranky, but much more smug and paternalistic. Until the day that they stop getting their way of course, then the positions reverse.

I agree, and in the case of federal politics this explains the crankiness of the left, given the mission of the House to contest Obama for the sake of it.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by besson3c 

Why is it that you were butthurt when Rob and I asserted that the south sucks since you didn't like this generalization, but you are free to make your own, openly based on nothing more than your gut feeling?

I didn't say this place sucked, or that those on the Left suck. You're filling in what you want. Also, you guys are being bitter and cranky right now, which kind of reinforces my position.

You and Rob decided to be jackasses and throw half the country under the bus, for no other reason than not being able to understand population densities, and for that many people gave you the finger.

Originally Posted by screener 

That comment shows you know nothing about art or cars.
I also don't buy that you can afford 1.6 million for it.
But hey, the rest of you, keep on humoring him.

It isn't 1.6M. And, it seems I know much more about art than you. Art has no real purpose other than being art, it is pure aesthetic with no other function of its own.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

I posit that people who always get their way are less bitter and cranky, but much more smug and paternalistic. Until the day that they stop getting their way of course, then the positions reverse.

IMO, some people just like being cranky, they wear it like a coat and wouldn't know how to live without it.

[raleur]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

IMO, some people just like being cranky, they wear it like a coat and wouldn't know how to live without it.

Yep, I think in most cases this is true.

On another note, I don't understand the violence of some of the posts above- nobody's forcing us to read Shaddim's posts, so what's the problem? If you take issue with what you perceive as narcissism, boasting, or whatever else you read into it, that's fine, but why be nasty about it?

Oh, and you're both using very narrow definitions of art when there's no reason to do so. A car can be a work of art, as can a bridge or a coffeepot: there is no clear distinction between design and art.

[andi*pandi]

The fallacy above is the assumption that works of art must not be used; however a car or coffeepot can both be art and also useable. I have no problem with moving art.

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

The fallacy above is the assumption that works of art must not be used; however a car or coffeepot can both be art and also useable. I have no problem with moving art.

I'm just going by what I was taught in art appreciation courses in college.

[raleur]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

The fallacy above is the assumption that works of art must not be used; however a car or coffeepot can both be art and also useable. I have no problem with moving art.

That's my point: art can be used. Shaddim appears to have been poorly served by those classes- he may have several works of art in his garage.

[Spheric Harlot]

Originally Posted by Shaddim 

Originally Posted by andi*pandi 

The fallacy above is the assumption that works of art must not be used; however a car or coffeepot can both be art and also useable. I have no problem with moving art.

I'm just going by what I was taught in art appreciation courses in college.

Art does not preclude utility.

It explicitly does not REQUIRE utility either, though.

Maybe you only remembered the second part?

[subego]

I'd actually like to hear the definition which leads one to the conclusion cars aren't art.