Author Topic: What becomes of old 'friends'..  (Read 479065 times)

Offline Echnaton

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Re: What becomes of old 'friends'..
« Reply #150 on: August 25, 2012, 11:40:17 PM »
I use ad-blocker plus, but disable it on some sites I read regularly.  I feel that if the adds are not overly annoying, I need to support the site. 
The sun shone, having no alternative, on the nothing new. —Samuel Beckett

Offline Valis

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Re: What becomes of old 'friends'..
« Reply #151 on: August 26, 2012, 02:46:55 PM »
I use ad-blocker plus, but disable it on some sites I read regularly.  I feel that if the adds are not overly annoying, I need to support the site.
Do you actually click on the ads? There are two ad revenue models: Per-view, and per-click. I've been told that the latter is more prevalent, but I haven't verified that myself. If the ads you see are per-click and you don't click on them, you've basically just wasted your bandwidth and screen estate.

I do understand the need to support a site, hence I make an annual donation to the forum I use a lot (it uses Google text ads, which are quite unobtrusive, but they take up vertical space, so I block them). Randomly clicking on the ads on that site would rather feel like wasting someone else's money (the advertizer's), as I would never buy anything advertized there, starting with the simple reason that I don't live in the same country as the forum is hosted on. And on the other hand, being active on a forum means that you are generating value for the site owner by your activity; a forum would die pretty quickly if it doesn't have an active community running it, pretty much like the few dozen "core" members here.

For ads on other sites, I pretty much feel as bad when blocking their ads as I feel when I change the TV channel during a commercial break.

Offline Echnaton

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Re: What becomes of old 'friends'..
« Reply #152 on: August 26, 2012, 05:24:19 PM »
I use ad-blocker plus, but disable it on some sites I read regularly.  I feel that if the adds are not overly annoying, I need to support the site.
Do you actually click on the ads? There are two ad revenue models: Per-view, and per-click. I've been told that the latter is more prevalent, but I haven't verified that myself. If the ads you see are per-click and you don't click on them, you've basically just wasted your bandwidth and screen estate.

I have it turned off for lifehacker and gizmodo.  I don't know if those sites get pay per view or pay per click through. The ads are not bothersome and they have asked readers to turn it off, even as they have touted to program as a great tool.  If I wind up at any other Gawker sites, Adblock is on. 
The sun shone, having no alternative, on the nothing new. —Samuel Beckett

Offline Andromeda

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Re: What becomes of old 'friends'..
« Reply #153 on: August 31, 2012, 01:59:18 PM »
I think FattyDash is on Yahoo!Answers:

http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AtUuRCKdEpQScKSgNi1BrO1pCAx.;_ylv=3?qid=20120831104829AAfoEEW

1. Says Mike Collins said he didn't recall seeing stars.
2. Mentions a sextant.


EDIT: Damn!  He deleted it.  I wish I'd got a screenshot.  I wonder if he knew I'd found him out?  ;D

This is the profile: http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/activity?show=zurg4ZEBaa
« Last Edit: August 31, 2012, 02:18:16 PM by Andromeda »
"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'" - Isaac Asimov.

Offline ChrLz

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Re: What becomes of old 'friends'..
« Reply #154 on: August 31, 2012, 09:25:26 PM »
Not that I'm suggesting this 'new' person is in any way related to old friends.. (yet).... but here can be found a person by the handle of 'GraemeBird' (once again of allegedly Australian origin, it shames me to say..) who is popping up at various sites and soiling tributes to Neil A with ignorant comments.  It's worth scrolling up and reading the story - as previously recommended by Jay W - if you haven't already.

On that site, I've posted a few retorts.. I know I'm probably just encouraging a troll, but...

Anyway, 'GraemeBird' - why don't we see that name on forums?  I'm ChrLz everywhere I go, so I'm easy to spot..  C'mon over and let's see how you talk the talk..

that's if you haven't already been here, o'course... :D

Offline gwiz

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Re: What becomes of old 'friends'..
« Reply #155 on: September 07, 2012, 04:56:19 AM »
Not that I'm suggesting this 'new' person is in any way related to old friends.. (yet).... but here can be found a person by the handle of 'GraemeBird' (once again of allegedly Australian origin, it shames me to say..) who is popping up at various sites and soiling tributes to Neil A with ignorant comments.  It's worth scrolling up and reading the story - as previously recommended by Jay W - if you haven't already.
On that forum, GraemeBird has just commented on a post by fattydash praising Patrick1000.
Multiple exclamation marks are a sure sign of a diseased mind - Terry Pratchett
...the ascent module ... took off like a rocket - Moon Man

Offline carpediem

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Re: What becomes of old 'friends'..
« Reply #156 on: September 07, 2012, 02:56:30 PM »
Quote from: Richard Turner
Who wrote this obituary? I would like to quote a line from it in a BBC Radio4 programme, recording in early October (and featuring Buzz Aldrin), and it deserves personal credit.
Quote from: fattydash
How about interviewing Patrick of the Apollo Docs of San Francisco for your show as well Richard Turner? Patrick is a physican, now widely recognized among his pro Apollo fraud peers as without question, the heretofore most important historian of the U.S. Manned Space Effort/Program. He has written the best history of Apollo to date. I could easily arrange a meeting for you. Not an opportunity that should be passed up. Best to you, fattydash, aka Spencer, ADSF.
Quote from: Richard Turner
No thanks.

Well it made me laugh anyway.

Offline pzkpfw

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Re: What becomes of old 'friends'..
« Reply #157 on: September 07, 2012, 09:04:38 PM »
"heretofore"

Another of those "trying to sound smart" things.

Offline Andromeda

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Re: What becomes of old 'friends'..
« Reply #158 on: September 08, 2012, 05:32:00 AM »
It really winds me up when people mix up the words "physician" and "physicist".
"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' but 'That's funny...'" - Isaac Asimov.

Offline JayUtah

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Re: What becomes of old 'friends'..
« Reply #159 on: September 08, 2012, 01:43:31 PM »
...and the words "historian" and "crackpot."

[Blatant hijack in 3... 2... 1...]
I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the reason for putting the s[entence punctuation inside the quote marks (cautionary, demarcational, or other).  Someone posed a stumper to me the other day.  We were talking about the semicolon, and the first clause ended with a quoted exclamation.  Hence I thought

Quote
"...turtle!"; the result...

Do semicolons go inside the quotation marks?  What if you have grammatical punctuation (the semicolon) and emphatic punctuation (the exclamation point) at the same time?

Gillianren, I'm sorta hoping you have the answer.
"Facts are stubborn things." --John Adams

Offline gillianren

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Re: What becomes of old 'friends'..
« Reply #160 on: September 08, 2012, 02:57:36 PM »
To answer your first question, no.  To answer your second, recast the sentence.  Ending with the exclamation point is perfectly legitimate. 

Honestly, I'm up against that problem all the time--I want to continue a sentence after a quoted exclamation point, but every way I can think to do it looks weird.  Since it is correct to essentially use a quoted exclamation point or question mark as a comma in dialogue--"Really?" the group demanded--I suppose you don't really need a comma if you're just using another phrase.  It still looks wrong to me.  Since a semicolon is essentially sentence-glue, I would think you can generally just end the sentence there and start a new one with your next clause.  However, grammatical punctuation (including question marks if what you're quoting isn't a question or exclamation points if what you're quoting isn't emphatic) still goes outside the quotation marks, even in American English.

I'm also, given how rotten my day ended up being yesterday, a little more pleased than is really merited that Jay is consulting me as an expert in something.
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Offline twik

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Re: What becomes of old 'friends'..
« Reply #161 on: September 09, 2012, 01:34:19 AM »
Quote from: Richard Turner
Who wrote this obituary? I would like to quote a line from it in a BBC Radio4 programme, recording in early October (and featuring Buzz Aldrin), and it deserves personal credit.
Quote from: fattydash
How about interviewing Patrick of the Apollo Docs of San Francisco for your show as well Richard Turner? Patrick is a physican, now widely recognized among his pro Apollo fraud peers as without question, the heretofore most important historian of the U.S. Manned Space Effort/Program. He has written the best history of Apollo to date. I could easily arrange a meeting for you. Not an opportunity that should be passed up. Best to you, fattydash, aka Spencer, ADSF.
Quote from: Richard Turner
No thanks.

Well it made me laugh anyway.

Made me whoop hysterically.

Does Patrick really believe that posting on websites (until he gets banned) equates to "writing a history"? Does he not know that using "heretofore" implies that he was previously the best, but for some reason is no longer? Does he not realize that we can only watch with pity as one sock praises another?

Enquiring minds want to know.

Offline ChrLz

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Re: What becomes of old 'friends'..
« Reply #162 on: September 09, 2012, 05:36:59 AM »
Hmm.  There has been a rather nasty turn of events at "The Economist":
http://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2012/08/obituary
Scroll down to the comments and see who (ISN'T) there...
(Note that I'm hoping that within a short time the problem will be removed..)

I've notified both the Economist and the person being impersonated.


Seriously, Patrick/Fatty/.. - GET HELP.  This will end in tears, and it won't be anyone's but yours.

Offline Echnaton

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Re: What becomes of old 'friends'..
« Reply #163 on: September 09, 2012, 09:01:01 AM »
Talk about straw man posting.
The sun shone, having no alternative, on the nothing new. —Samuel Beckett

Offline carpediem

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Re: What becomes of old 'friends'..
« Reply #164 on: September 09, 2012, 11:53:26 AM »
He must be really desperate for attention these days. Or he is finally coming completely unravelled.