6SickStrings@gmail.com
6/30/2010 2:11:00 PM
On Jun 29, 10:23 pm, "who?" <yourimageunre...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> On Jun 28, 9:16 am, Ray <6sickstri...@gmail.com> wrote:
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> > On Jun 25, 2:56 pm, "who?" <yourimageunre...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
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> > > On Jun 25, 12:52 pm, Fattuchus <fattuc...@yahoo.com> wrote:
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> > > > On Jun 25, 1:46 pm, Ray <6sickstri...@gmail.com> wrote:
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> > > > > On Jun 25, 1:28 pm, Fattuchus <fattuc...@yahoo.com> wrote:
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> > > > > > On Jun 25, 9:02 am, Ray <6sickstri...@gmail.com> wrote:
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> > > > > > > Anyone who really wanted to discuss the issues would have no problem
> > > > > > > whatsoever in finding forums where their bile would at least be on
> > > > > > > topic. But what fun would that be?
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> > > > > > I understand your point. But I did want to add that IMO, one of the
> > > > > > reasons that rmb is not very active is that even if people do make on
> > > > > > topic posts, there are a few people here who insist on acting as "The
> > > > > > Thought Police." Even if posts are on topic, there are too many
> > > > > > people here attacking a particular poster rather than addressing or
> > > > > > ignoring the post.
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> > > > > > In a nutshell, freedom of discussion is discouraged here.
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> > > > > I am afraid you are on to something there, it seems there's few people
> > > > > who try to start actual discussions and more than a few who do
> > > > > everything they can to end them, usually in an ad-hominem sort of way.
> > > > > But it's also a major drag to wade through the rat spew that gets
> > > > > posted here every day by a few people who (posting like 150 times a
> > > > > day, got life?) have nothing better to do.
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> > > > I agree. That is one of the reasons I don't post here much anymore.
> > > > Perhaps things will change in the future.
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> > > This place has sucked from the very beginning. I'll continue to
> > > be a small part of the discussions...but that's all. Too many
> > > people take things too seriously, as if the world revolves
> > > around them. Screw it. They can find some other sucker
> > > to waste time with.- Hide quoted text -
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> > > - Show quoted text -
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> > Do tell, FROM THE VERY BEGINNING you say?
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> Well, I got here in 1998, and it was a mess then.
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> > Because I can remember a time long long ago, when you had to dial up
> > to MIT and use scripting to get on "The Internet" when usenet was
> > actully MOSTLY civil. I think it all started to go to hell with a war
> > between the alt.tasteless group and the very serious and ernest folks
> > at rec.pets.cats... the beginning of the mess we have now. It seemed
> > funny at the time.
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> It must have been prior to 1998. Yeah, I think I've seen some
> of those postings you refer to, and I agree. It was much
> different.- Hide quoted text -
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> - Show quoted text -
I would hate to think how much time I wasted on PPP and TCP/IP and all
for access to Telnet and Usenet because they were just starting to
cook up the idea of HTML and 'web pages'. You could access NASA
mission profieles, abstracts of journal articles and stuff like that.
Pretty much boring as hell, but polite.
I remember when Temple University (my esteemed alma mater) put up a
page and I jumped right on checking that out. But first I had to find
a 'browser' and get THAT to work... then wait 45 minutes for a page to
load ... what a waste of time and money. Now I push a button on my
phone and there it is...
It all started when I was an engineer for a communications and
computer equipment company that put in a bid for something called
MILnet. I got to go to Virginia to a company called Mitre (IIRC) where
they permitted me to read and take notes fromt the technical specs,
but no photocopies or anything like that. Then they took my notes and
redacted all the good parts.
But it was too late, I had seen the future and wanted to get in on it.
Unfortunately we lost the bit for that contract or I might have
acutally helped roll the whole mess out in europe. I miss that sort of
work, it was frustrating but never dull.
The point is, when it was populated almost exclusively by educated
people the internet was a more civil place and didn't do nearly as
much to erode my faith in mankind as what we have now.