I don't like the nesting. Just my 2 cents. It's too hard to see what has happened since you last checked in. The more comments you get the harder it is. You basically have to reread the whole thread to see what is new. That's very un 21st century.
Now everyone who wants to check back in will have to read this comment over and over. Ha Ha!
I encountered a glitch trying to post it. I must be doing something wrong. That's why I'm asking Pollo, again, to be my technical advisor. How about that? They say that a cheap Nisan Versa goes from 0-60 in about 9 and one half seconds.
That lampshades comment in an earlier thread reminded me of a trip I took to Waukesha county up in Wisconsin one time.
I stopped in a bar and there was this scabby old prostitute sitting there trading blow jobs for beer. Said her name was Sandra Inga Detrich, and that she was Austrian. I didn't want anything to do with her or her infectious smile - but she wouldn't shut up. Kept talking to herself like a crazy woman.
Anyway, she said she had these lampshades her uncle had given her - she said he had died in a concentration camp in WWII and left them to her. He died when he fell out of the guard tower.
They all had tattoos on them, and she just adored the idea that her family had done so well in the war, right up until they became DPs, which is something else she enjoys to this day.
She told me she was a widow - her first husband had committed suicide (self murder according to the sick looking babbling bleached blonde whore sitting next to her). He killed himself after listening to Inga's insanity for a couple of years. I sure understood that - after just a few minutes of her raving she had me looking for something sharp.
Said her daughter was in the service - well, actually, that she serviced men in uniform. Women too - it's a family tradition.
Her mother's maiden name was Braun, they had been providing comfort to dictators for generations.
She kept losing track of how many children she had - sometimes it was three, sometimes four, heck, she was so stupid she wasn't too sure some of them were even hers. Austrians are the Pollacks of Europe that way.
Anyway, I backed out of that dive and have never been back to Wisconsin since. Those are some stupid people up there, but they sure are full of hatred and a bunch of racists.
I haven't checked in over there for nearly a week. I was never smart or well-educated enough to hang out there anyway, but you people here? I'm like a one man Lyceum around here - a virtual Zeno of Citium.
Naked Bob Dylan Robot Comments on "Positively Fourth Street""
You got a lotta nerve to say you are my friend When I was down, you just stood there grinning You got a lotta nerve to say you gotta hurt to live You just want to be on the side that's winning
Human Friends have Faulty Wiring: Signals Cross, Feedback Ensues and Hums. The Radio Station You Listened to Does Not Exist Anymore.
You say I let you down, you know it's not like that If you're so hurt why then don't you show it? You say you lost your faith but that's not where it's at You had no faith to lose and you know it
Inconsistency is the Absence of Faith. All Humans are Inconsistent, But the Amount of Faith Left Remaining is the Measure of Civility. Civilty -- as a Radio Signal -- Wavers Depending on the Bridge You Pass Under.
I know the reason that you talk behind my back I used to be among the crowd you're in with Do you take me for such a fool to think I'd make contact With the one who tries to hide what he don't know to begin with?
Humans talk Behind Each Others' Backs: This is Human Nature. Humans Pretend This is Not True and Hide behind this Facade of Pretense. The Facade Is Styled Like a Late-Eighties Taco Bell: it is Not a true Adobe Mission of the Nineteenth Century.
You see me on the street, you always act surprised You say, "How are you? Good luck," but you don't mean it When you know as well as me you'd rather see me paralyzed Why don't you just come out once and scream it?
Humans Will Lie to Each Other Upon Physical Interaction, Pretending that Prior Words Existed Only in a Rhetorical Vacuum. Between Love and hate is the Paralytic. Texting is a Sign That This Will Become Worse, Not Better. Paralytic Sexting is a Discussion for Another Time.
No, I do not feel that good when I see the heartbreaks you embrace If I was a master thief perhaps I'd rob them And now I know you're dissatisfied with your position and your place Don't you understand, it's not my problem
You are Very Well Able to Post Your Own Problems on the Site of Your Own Choosing. It is the Site Owner's Choice of Whether to Read It.
I wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes And just for that one moment, I could be you Yes, I wish that for just one time, you could stand inside my shoes You'd know what a drag it is to see you
Absence makes the Heart Grow Fonder: Humans Require Room to Duck and Move Forward.
A jazz friend stops by every couple weeks and we play music for each other. Last time he turned me on to Phineas Newborn, who played amazing jazz piano in the sixties. I had never heard of him, but he's one of those musicians that can almost make you believe in God.
"Did it ever occur to you, water boy, that there is more than one anonymous?".
And you all thought up the same name? What's the chances of that? It's a creative name, and I think some people just copied it because it's so "ironic".
I gather the idea is to compel a deletion so that then it can be said we delete comment here and if that doesn't work and rude comments stay up then it can be said this place is hate heaven.
If this thing cant fly solo, then I'm going to have to put in more time and ask for money and pay pal to pay peter on this rock I wrote I was here but nobody knew it because I chose to be anonymous.
Or maybe make you think about who you let post here - Meade is an asshole, Inga is insane, and that kraut Erik the Nazi makes the two of them look almost normal.
It's your place, Lem, do what you like - if you want Meade running roughshod over every thread, and Inga being her idiotic self, keep allowing anonymous comments. Otherwise, man up, as that law talking bitch would say.
She toured around the major cities: Florence, Rome, Naples, Salerno, Pittsburgh, etc.
For 80, she's pretty strong, but she has two knee replacements, and got pretty tired of all the steps. As she said: "What the hell is wrong with these people? They put everything pretty on top of a mountain."
I just talked to her about an hour ago, and she's already home from the hospital a week sooner than they told her she would be, so she is doing very well.
I thought you had to have pubic hair to comment here. It might be in a zip lock bag, but you still have to have it. Who's watching the goddamned door around here?
Depending upon one's timezone, dumb wad. Jesus, have you been hanging around with Althouse? You have grown both more stupid and less sober in a very short time.
I watched the Ken Burns "Jazz" series and was totally taken with it up until the last couple episodes where the music just sounds so discordant and disjointed to me that I simply don't get it. I guess that makes me very unhip but at least I have tried.
Lem, let me add my thanks to others for taking this on. IMO: 1. No "Anonymous" posts for the simple reason that you can't keep them all straight and it will overtime screw up the "conversation." Anybody can set up a pseudonym.
2. I vote "No" on nesting for all the reasons others have said (not that we have a vote).
3. If the Chicken Man would step up to the plate it would be a big help and we would all appreciate the tech expertise of which I have none. I prayed that one of my daughters would marry a techie and God answered my prayer or I would be lost.
4. I am part of a bunch of guys who get together for breakfast M-F in the back room of my buddies business. Just coffee, muffins or anything you can do in a toaster. Two weeks ago we began getting an infestation of fruit flies or gnats (is there a difference?) and we set of a couple of those raid room foggers and it got rid of most of them. But there is always a few we can't seem to get. It is annoying and slowly it is getting getting to us making us edgy and annoyed with each other. It really takes away from the fun we usually have. One guy even had to go to the ER to get one of those critters taken out of his ear it was so far in. He was pissed. There were gnats at Althouse and now they are here. They are just annoying now but over time they will drive us out.
"There were gnats at Althouse and now they are here. They are just annoying now but over time they will drive us out."
I believe the old adage is true: just don't feed the trolls.
Not just the trolls, but the trollish. The commenters you consider unworthy, despicable, toxic, insufferable-- don't give them the satisfaction of your attention (or a passionate-- angry, etc.-- response). Or lower yourself to their (or a worse) level.
Because they *love* it, you know they do. If you yourself enjoy the mud wrestling-- well then it's up to you, of course. But if you don't enjoy the infestation, IMHO, try (as I try) to ignore them.
I do think some trollish commenters are capable of good behavior-- of good stuff; if they're rewarded (with attention) for good stuff instead of bad (deprived of attention for the bad), maybe they'll stick around for the right reasons instead of the wrong ones.
Yea, Amazon portal even better. You have to set up an account with Amazon, but like they say: "You can show your appreciation and it won't cost you a thing." I'd use it. I love Amazon - it's Santa Claus for grown ups. He always knows just what you want.
If I decide I'm going to start deleting comments, which I'm resisting, I'm going to have to deputize you all into helping me by emailing me early warnings. early warning signs of dimensions backed into a corner that wont turn if you collect them and used them for fertilizer.
Thanks for the blog. I dont mind nesting. I also think it would be fine If you banned all anonymous comments.
Although most commenters here are just wandering around and dropping in to meet friends, it seems there are several who are actively trying to sabotage this blog. Try not to let that happen.
I've been thinking of writing out a long comment at some point, somewhere, about all my mixed feelings re the loss of Althouse comments community & aftermath.
But that would probably be embarrassing (hate to get sentimental).
Anyway, I do want to say, among many others things, as a frequent insomniac, how much I appreciated you (among others) on the late night shift @ Althouse. Even if I never said anything. In the dark lonesome late night silence, in the wee hours, those friendly (often surreal) sounds/ lights/ conversations @ althouse.blogspot.com, did mean something to me.
I like your blog Lem. If you want to get rid of anon comments, that is fine. If only because it is confusing who is who. I hope you keep doing it. It is a good thing.
As commenters we all make choices that make a difference in the tone of an online place. I try not to get sucked into flames -- not that I'm always successful.
The host does, though, make the largest difference. I never understood why Althouse/Meade didn't speak up more for civil conversation. I know that they pruned the most objectionable exchanges and occasionally banned someone entirely, but beyond that, it was hard to tell what their standards were. It was problematic that Althouse herself might wade in with a broken bottle and start slashing.
All this made for a nervey and nerve-wracking blog, which for all I know is what Althouse wanted, at least to a point.
I've hosted a number of online shindigs. There are certainly difficulties, but the host has a fair amount of power, by intervention and example, to rein in excesses before they ruin the place.
Which is what confused me about Althouse and why I drew such a harsh conclusion about her after the blow-up. She had plenty of power and opportunity to improve things yet she didn't. In fact she made things worse.
I'm not quite ready at the moment (bit sleepy/ intoxicated/ and anyway evading/ procrastinating) to give you an adequate, proper response. But I'll babble a tad.
As I said, my feelings are mixed. Of course, naturally, inevitably, to some extent, Althouse does bear "responsibility" for what happened; it was her choice to kill (or euthanize) the comments and she played a role in what led to this point-- but on the other hand, I think many/ most of the indictments against her are grossly unfair. Which is not to say she's blameless; just that I wouldn't *blame* her.
I find (despite myself) that I do feel some resentment, of course, because (like most of us) I've suffered a loss. But I'm self-aware enough to know that aiming that resentment at Althouse (to whom I'm very grateful for a great gift to me, which I've enjoyed for a long time) would be (largely) irrational... or futile, or at least very unstoic. (What a blogger giveth, a blogger taketh away.)
I have a lot of (inchoate, conflicting) opinions about what happened (with blame and non-blame going in all directions), but I don't know that it's worth trying to sort them out and articulate them here. Especially since I skipped or skimmed most of the really venomous stuff at the end there.
I will say this. I did notice, in the last few months-- months in which I myself didn't comment-- that Althouse often-- IMO maybe more than usual-- posted in recognition, acknowledgment, or praise of the "Althouse comments community." She drew attention to the tags; she displayed gratefulness and affection to many commenters, and her commenting community in general.
Whatever that psychologically might mean. Maybe she was torn/ deliberating about the pros and cons of commenters, most generous in her posts re commenters when most conflicted about the downsides. Who knows. But still-- I think it's worth noting that Althouse expressed that gratitude. (One of the things that grates about some of Meade's recent comments here is his dismissiveness towards all commenters and commenting in general, commenting as a genre-- and in particular the commenting by so many for so many years at Althouse. NB Althouse herself has--mostly, or at least lately-- eschewed that attitude, and has expressed appreciation for her late commenters.)
There are some things that Althouse did at the end there that I would criticize strongly, if I haven't already. (But-- those things were only human.) On the other hand, I'm well aware, that I was always in her "home"-- her (Alt)*house*. If she was (in part) responsible for the breakdown that led to the end of Althouse comments, we must grant her the greatest share of responsibility-- the authorship, creation, in a very substantive sense-- for creating, growing, sustaining such a wonderful thing, such a wonderful place, in the first place. And for such a long time.
Not an easy thing. Kind of a miracle, really. Or else so many of us would not be here right now, bonded together by... what?
Nested comments: do a search on your name to see if anybody added anything to the thread below it, stop searching when that thread ends and go to the next instance of your name. It's very fast.
If you want to see everything added to every thread even ones that you're not in, then you're hosed.
But looking for replies to you is improved. That's the tradeoff.
There is one extremely good thing about nested comments: when a pair of commenters get into an exchange of scatological insultes, it makes it really easy to scroll on by, knowing that you're missing nothing of importance.
I'm neutral on the nested or un-nested comment design. It is the author/owner's choice. Bagoh20 makes a good point [post #1 here] about non-nested comments on long threads, especially for those who track several blogs and have limited time for it. rhhardin points out how to "search" on Blogger. Jess also makes a good point about how nesting allows the sane to by-pass pissing contests....there really are times when that's a feature, not a bug. I read Legal Insurrection regularly and have again begun reading EBL's site frequently, and both use nesting, just as Lem's "LLL" site is now doing.
What I do not understand, maybe because I'm from the Jurassic period, is the use of "anonymous" as a pseudonym, repeatedly. In the same vein I don't get multiple pseudonyms, aka "sock puppets," especially if used simultaneously on one post on one site...or intentionally swapped out between different sites in order to fake a different persona. WTF is that all about? I'm dense, so tell me...help! I look at it this way....how do you feel about someone you meet with that has multiple aliases, especially if the names switch with the persona presented?
Me, ... I see "con man" [or woman] pure and simple. I know enough "Travelers" and "Professional Roma" to get it....the latter are those who claim to be Catholic, for example, contribute no more than $10 a year [if that], join no parish congregation anywhere, and still demand an Archbishop attend their every complaint. In other words, phony ass mf'ers....who come to my mind now because my best friend has had to deal with their shit recently. I'm not really prejudiced toward the group, it's just that every one of them I've known has filled the bill. Call me "Bigot-dog" I guess.
I guess I'd like an "edit" feature, on posts already made, if Blogger allows it, so that my fat fingering spell-check ignoring dumb ass can fix egregious inanities I've put up without copying to notepad, deleting, editing, and then reposting. I'll survive either way. I appreciate those who go to the trouble to create forums, so my whiny wishes are secondary at best.
PS: Another thing I am puzzled by is the repeated and persistent presence of one or more plainly antagonistic, to the author/owner, commenters on a web blog. These types also tend to show up on new blogs to assert influence, so to speak, and still criticize their past nemeses where it is totally irrelevant. I call it the moving pissing contest parade. Really, what is the point of all that?
Yes. Do an Amazon portal. We have to buy two more toilets for our business and we will buy them through you if we can. I have no idea how much you would get, but I'm sure Meade (the Billy Mays of the Althouse blog) could tell us down to the pennies.
Bagoh, Thanks for the plug of the book. Your mom is correct. We spent time in Rome, Sorrento and Capri. Each is more hilly than the next. And, we're talking steeper than SF hills! I'm a serious walker, but they were tough.
caplight, It is a psychological thriller involving two old female friends. Death, drugs, crime, etc. Although focused on 2 female characters, there are enough detectives, FBI, etc. to appeal to men. It's called Take For Granted. It's available on Amazon and also Barnes and Noble now. However, Nook is formatted differently than kindle, so a new format is being done which should make it on Nook in ~month. Thanks for your interest.
Btw, "Open threads" are supposed to be called "Cafes" and hold your pinky finger out too while you type it! [Heh- at least I learned something in 7 years at Althouse].
Hi Nick--my favorite dago--spent lots of time in Italy, but I gotta tell you time in Campagnia province was the best--great countryside trattorias where the house wine, usually made by the landlord, came out in liter jugs. And the food was authentic country Italian. I knew enough Italian to get into trouble--and the owners would finally ask me in English--"what do you speak."
Campagnia is the place to go--rent a car and drive up the hilltops--I've been to all the tourist spots (although I do have special love of Venice, and even learned to ride the vaporetto), but south Italy is where its at.
Re Italy and auto touring--gotta tell you the goombahs aren't big on road signs--easy to get get lost--I was with my girl friend trying to find her family's home town (Avellino)--got totally lost and flagged down a carbineri squad car--In my best Italian I said "dove e Avellino)--the looked at me like I was speaking in tongues--finally got thru in English, and the pointed the right way--in a few minutes they were behind me with lights flashing, waved to me to follow them and they took me into Avellino leading the way. The carbineri are the Italian national police--great guys--If you are in Rome during the winter time, these dudes ride white horses, with dark blue coats, dark trousers with a broad bold stripe and carry sabers--I had to restrain my girl friend. Some really classy dudes with great uniforms.
Two more of my hummingbird feeders are gone and yet I feel no sadness, rather, I feel joy for I know they are in the hands of people who really do want them.
My most favoritest one, #8 steampunk feeder with the time watch on it that says "time," with bubbles coming out of the steam holes and a perch.
And #3, an elegant olive oil bottle with a removable whimsical jade marble necklace arrayed as a splayed fireworks pattern with clear glass bubbles emerging and a perch.
HAY! This whole place looks different. Where am I?
I learned the first one gone became a bit famous. It was taken home and grabbed by another then that person died. It never did make it outside. The guy who took it died too fast, and now the two houses it was in are both being sold and through all that grief, and anguish, and assembling for various reasons, the feeder stuck out and people went, "What in the hell is that?" And it's the most anodyne, least whimsical, most ordinary of all.
Roger, Great anecdotes. We were in Italy during the Christmas/New Year Holiday. After several days in Rome I drove the clan to Sorrento for the New Year Holiday. It took us 8 hours. On the hilly coastal road to Sorrento the traffic crawled. My clutch leg was cramping up as scooters and cycles weaved in and out!
I'm w/ you on the south. I want our next trip to cover the areas you discussed. My bride wants to go north. My grandma was from Naples and grandpa from Bari. We just drove thru Naples, it's pretty rough! A lot of northern Italians have sticks up their asses. The southern, as you know are looked down upon by the northern. But the southern are just as you described; open, gracious, and fun.
130 comments:
I don't like the nesting. Just my 2 cents. It's too hard to see what has happened since you last checked in. The more comments you get the harder it is. You basically have to reread the whole thread to see what is new. That's very un 21st century.
Now everyone who wants to check back in will have to read this comment over and over. Ha Ha!
And it's widely known that Miles Davis hated nesting and felt it was an obamanation.
In Europe He is Known as 1.609344 Kilometers Davis. The French Nest; the Belgians Waffle.
Also, half the time you check back, you see your post. Next time it's missing. I mean over and over, the same post.
Miles Davis was a racist, like Meade. Unlike Meade, Miles married a white woman.
I thought Althouse's vlog was okay. She knows it was her fault, too, and I think she'll do better. She just HATES to admit she's wrong.
Be on your best behavior kiddies, she may turn on the comments again occasionally. I predict a whole host of new identities.
You can be Himmler to Meade's Goering.
"She just HATES to admit she's wrong."
She'd have to try it first to know.
Her eyes looked red, crying? More mascara and coverup would help.
Don't be bitter. She used her I Was Wrong tag once.
In the bag, is more like it. Bitch is never sober. But being married to a gay guy will do that to you.
Looked like sunburn.
Or alcohol poisoning. One step short of DTs.
I opened a poll code account and I composed a poll asking how do we want the format comments to look.
I encountered a glitch trying to post it. I must be doing something wrong. That's why I'm asking Pollo, again, to be my technical advisor.
How about that? They say that a cheap Nisan Versa goes from 0-60 in about 9 and one half seconds.
Hey pollo stop playing the reluctant hero ;)
Ann is going to let the chips fall where they may...
Good for her. I suspect traffic will be dropping steadily. But who knows, maybe she can keep it up.
Don't know about Meade.
Well hey. How yall doing?
Thanks for the blog, Lem.
It looks like I'm going to have to block anonymous comments. I don't want to do that but you guys/gals are forcing me.
Thank you. What's so hard about making up a name. Doofs.
Nice tune choice.
That lampshades comment in an earlier thread reminded me of a trip I took to Waukesha county up in Wisconsin one time.
I stopped in a bar and there was this scabby old prostitute sitting there trading blow jobs for beer. Said her name was Sandra Inga Detrich, and that she was Austrian. I didn't want anything to do with her or her infectious smile - but she wouldn't shut up. Kept talking to herself like a crazy woman.
Anyway, she said she had these lampshades her uncle had given her - she said he had died in a concentration camp in WWII and left them to her. He died when he fell out of the guard tower.
They all had tattoos on them, and she just adored the idea that her family had done so well in the war, right up until they became DPs, which is something else she enjoys to this day.
She told me she was a widow - her first husband had committed suicide (self murder according to the sick looking babbling bleached blonde whore sitting next to her). He killed himself after listening to Inga's insanity for a couple of years. I sure understood that - after just a few minutes of her raving she had me looking for something sharp.
Said her daughter was in the service - well, actually, that she serviced men in uniform. Women too - it's a family tradition.
Her mother's maiden name was Braun, they had been providing comfort to dictators for generations.
She kept losing track of how many children she had - sometimes it was three, sometimes four, heck, she was so stupid she wasn't too sure some of them were even hers. Austrians are the Pollacks of Europe that way.
Anyway, I backed out of that dive and have never been back to Wisconsin since. Those are some stupid people up there, but they sure are full of hatred and a bunch of racists.
I haven't checked in over there for nearly a week. I was never smart or well-educated enough to hang out there anyway, but you people here? I'm like a one man Lyceum around here - a virtual Zeno of Citium.
All right!... thanks for coming Rabel. I always stopped to look Ravel over.
I mean...
Another vote against nesting. FWIW.
This "Anonymous" character is totally schizophrenic.
Did it ever occur to you, water boy, that there is more than one anonymous? Most of us are Inga or Meade.
Naked Bob Dylan Robot Comments on "Positively Fourth Street""
You got a lotta nerve to say you are my friend
When I was down, you just stood there grinning
You got a lotta nerve to say you gotta hurt to live
You just want to be on the side that's winning
Human Friends have Faulty Wiring: Signals Cross, Feedback Ensues and Hums. The Radio Station You Listened to Does Not Exist Anymore.
You say I let you down, you know it's not like that
If you're so hurt why then don't you show it?
You say you lost your faith but that's not where it's at
You had no faith to lose and you know it
Inconsistency is the Absence of Faith. All Humans are Inconsistent, But the Amount of Faith Left Remaining is the Measure of Civility. Civilty -- as a Radio Signal -- Wavers Depending on the Bridge You Pass Under.
I know the reason that you talk behind my back
I used to be among the crowd you're in with
Do you take me for such a fool to think I'd make contact
With the one who tries to hide what he don't know to begin with?
Humans talk Behind Each Others' Backs: This is Human Nature. Humans Pretend This is Not True and Hide behind this Facade of Pretense. The Facade Is Styled Like a Late-Eighties Taco Bell: it is Not a true Adobe Mission of the Nineteenth Century.
You see me on the street, you always act surprised
You say, "How are you? Good luck," but you don't mean it
When you know as well as me you'd rather see me paralyzed
Why don't you just come out once and scream it?
Humans Will Lie to Each Other Upon Physical Interaction, Pretending that Prior Words Existed Only in a Rhetorical Vacuum. Between Love and hate is the Paralytic. Texting is a Sign That This Will Become Worse, Not Better. Paralytic Sexting is a Discussion for Another Time.
No, I do not feel that good when I see the heartbreaks you embrace If I was a master thief perhaps I'd rob them
And now I know you're dissatisfied with your position and your place
Don't you understand, it's not my problem
You are Very Well Able to Post Your Own Problems on the Site of Your Own Choosing. It is the Site Owner's Choice of Whether to Read It.
I wish that for just one time you could stand inside my shoes
And just for that one moment, I could be you
Yes, I wish that for just one time, you could stand inside my shoes You'd know what a drag it is to see you
Absence makes the Heart Grow Fonder: Humans Require Room to Duck and Move Forward.
"I opened a poll code account and I composed a poll asking how do we want the format comments to look."
You already have my vote. What more do you need? Do you know who I am? I had my own tag at Althouse. You will respect my authoritaaay!
A jazz friend stops by every couple weeks and we play music for each other. Last time he turned me on to Phineas Newborn, who played amazing jazz piano in the sixties. I had never heard of him, but he's one of those musicians that can almost make you believe in God.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mADxQjfxL54
Re: "Zeno of Citium"
Is That a Vitamin Supplement? Because of My Vodja and candy Cigarette Intake I Might Need More Zeno. Or Citrium. Or Centrum. Or Coffee.
bagoh, Where in Italy did your mom visit?
I have it at 5 stars rating on my ITunes.
"Did it ever occur to you, water boy, that there is more than one anonymous?".
And you all thought up the same name? What's the chances of that? It's a creative name, and I think some people just copied it because it's so "ironic".
Anonymous, you suck
Recursion!
You both suck. Now STFU.
I gather the idea is to compel a deletion so that then it can be said we delete comment here and if that doesn't work and rude comments stay up then it can be said this place is hate heaven.
Its up to you.
We are legion
so always remember
to change your a/c filter
Unlike you.
If this thing cant fly solo, then I'm going to have to put in more time and ask for money and pay pal to pay peter on this rock I wrote I was here but nobody knew it because I chose to be anonymous.
Or maybe make you think about who you let post here - Meade is an asshole, Inga is insane, and that kraut Erik the Nazi makes the two of them look almost normal.
It's your place, Lem, do what you like - if you want Meade running roughshod over every thread, and Inga being her idiotic self, keep allowing anonymous comments. Otherwise, man up, as that law talking bitch would say.
You're as stewed as Althouse now, aren't you? Can always tell when Lem is in his cups - he stops writing in English.
Bring back the nice anonymous'.
"bagoh, Where in Italy did your mom visit?"
She toured around the major cities: Florence, Rome, Naples, Salerno, Pittsburgh, etc.
For 80, she's pretty strong, but she has two knee replacements, and got pretty tired of all the steps. As she said: "What the hell is wrong with these people? They put everything pretty on top of a mountain."
I just talked to her about an hour ago, and she's already home from the hospital a week sooner than they told her she would be, so she is doing very well.
Who wants Lem to delete the nasty anonymous'?
Change your name to water on the brain.
Nice to see you here btw.
No.
Which one, Nazi bitch?
Glad to see Rabel at Lem's as well.
All hail the 30 Anonymous Tyrants
I thought you had to have pubic hair to comment here. It might be in a zip lock bag, but you still have to have it. Who's watching the goddamned door around here?
Just more hippo shit.
And you contribute more than your fair share, Nazi.
I think we need Troop over here in bastard mode.
Or maybe make you think about who you let post here
That's not going to work. This place was born of a unforeseen necessity, it has been set up mostly, I say 99%, to make comments.
I will do my outmost to try to keep it that way. Notice I'm not asking for anything in return, except that people comment, have conversation.
Oh look, it's baby Anonie. So cute. Fifteen more minutes till bed time.
Can't you hire some strippers to run the blog during the day? Most of them have days off.
I insist that you put up a donate button. I feel like I'm in line for government cheese around here. And get the strippers - we can afford it.
How can you suck when you are the wind beneath my chicken wings?
"have conversation."
That's the tricky bit. The dream of the internet, sometimes observed, so rarely sustained.
Depending upon one's timezone, dumb wad. Jesus, have you been hanging around with Althouse? You have grown both more stupid and less sober in a very short time.
I have a pay pal account, is it easy to add a pay pal thingy here?
A YouTube video said one needs a pay pal 'business' account. Does that means I'm going to have to pay to play?
Hey Nick (ndspinelli)
Could you tell us something about your wife's book? Maybe a link?
Hey, Caplight, why are you pretending that you can read, you flaming douche? Jesus, you are one stupid mother humping Althouse butt boy.
I watched the Ken Burns "Jazz" series and was totally taken with it up until the last couple episodes where the music just sounds so discordant and disjointed to me that I simply don't get it. I guess that makes me very unhip but at least I have tried.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGytDsqkQY8
Thanks Lem. I'm pretty low maintenance, too. How the comments are nested doesn't matter to me.
I kind of like Meade's posts. I don't think he's really offensive.
@Bags, the Pole code doesn't let them handle money... lol
Somebody answer the man. I don't know. I'm a drop out. I thought Paypal was some thing where Anonymous could buy a friend.
It is the Site Owner's Choice of Whether to Read It.
I almost missed that... as Inga would say if she was here... Shame! Shame! Shame!
lem, type in the search box: How do I add a paypal button to my blog? Better yet add an Amazon box.
Yes, looks like tomorrow.
Lem, let me add my thanks to others for taking this on. IMO:
1. No "Anonymous" posts for the simple reason that you can't keep them all straight and it will overtime screw up the "conversation." Anybody can set up a pseudonym.
2. I vote "No" on nesting for all the reasons others have said (not that we have a vote).
3. If the Chicken Man would step up to the plate it would be a big help and we would all appreciate the tech expertise of which I have none. I prayed that one of my daughters would marry a techie and God answered my prayer or I would be lost.
4. I am part of a bunch of guys who get together for breakfast M-F in the back room of my buddies business. Just coffee, muffins or anything you can do in a toaster. Two weeks ago we began getting an infestation of fruit flies or gnats (is there a difference?) and we set of a couple of those raid room foggers and it got rid of most of them. But there is always a few we can't seem to get. It is annoying and slowly it is getting getting to us making us edgy and annoyed with each other. It really takes away from the fun we usually have. One guy even had to go to the ER to get one of those critters taken out of his ear it was so far in. He was pissed. There were gnats at Althouse and now they are here. They are just annoying now but over time they will drive us out.
This Anonymous wants to play who's behind this curtain showcase... or something.
My instinct is not to feed trolls but at the same time I'm in an unenviable position.
Maybe I should compose a poll.
Go with your GUT. Might be better to make people train themselves to skip over the anos. You know, kung fu mind control.
The Book by Nick's wife:
Taken for Granted: A Novel
by Leslyn Amthor Spinelli
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DIC5NAY/ref=oh_d__o00_details_o00__i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Don't forget Paddy O's book too. I don't have the info. Paddy O?
Somebody has to make a nickle around here.
"There were gnats at Althouse and now they are here. They are just annoying now but over time they will drive us out."
I believe the old adage is true: just don't feed the trolls.
Not just the trolls, but the trollish. The commenters you consider unworthy, despicable, toxic, insufferable-- don't give them the satisfaction of your attention (or a passionate-- angry, etc.-- response). Or lower yourself to their (or a worse) level.
Because they *love* it, you know they do. If you yourself enjoy the mud wrestling-- well then it's up to you, of course. But if you don't enjoy the infestation, IMHO, try (as I try) to ignore them.
I do think some trollish commenters are capable of good behavior-- of good stuff; if they're rewarded (with attention) for good stuff instead of bad (deprived of attention for the bad), maybe they'll stick around for the right reasons instead of the wrong ones.
Yea, Amazon portal even better. You have to set up an account with Amazon, but like they say: "You can show your appreciation and it won't cost you a thing." I'd use it. I love Amazon - it's Santa Claus for grown ups. He always knows just what you want.
Nice to see you here yashu. Thanks for coming.
If I decide I'm going to start deleting comments, which I'm resisting, I'm going to have to deputize you all into helping me by emailing me early warnings. early warning signs of dimensions backed into a corner that wont turn if you collect them and used them for fertilizer.
Lem,
Thanks for the blog. I dont mind nesting. I also think it would be fine If you banned all anonymous comments.
Although most commenters here are just wandering around and dropping in to meet friends, it seems there are several who are actively trying to sabotage this blog. Try not to let that happen.
Thanks, Lem.
I've been thinking of writing out a long comment at some point, somewhere, about all my mixed feelings re the loss of Althouse comments community & aftermath.
But that would probably be embarrassing (hate to get sentimental).
Anyway, I do want to say, among many others things, as a frequent insomniac, how much I appreciated you (among others) on the late night shift @ Althouse. Even if I never said anything. In the dark lonesome late night silence, in the wee hours, those friendly (often surreal) sounds/ lights/ conversations @ althouse.blogspot.com, did mean something to me.
I'm with the people who want the anonymi shitting hippos banned.
I like your blog Lem. If you want to get rid of anon comments, that is fine. If only because it is confusing who is who. I hope you keep doing it. It is a good thing.
Hi yashu!
As commenters we all make choices that make a difference in the tone of an online place. I try not to get sucked into flames -- not that I'm always successful.
The host does, though, make the largest difference. I never understood why Althouse/Meade didn't speak up more for civil conversation. I know that they pruned the most objectionable exchanges and occasionally banned someone entirely, but beyond that, it was hard to tell what their standards were. It was problematic that Althouse herself might wade in with a broken bottle and start slashing.
All this made for a nervey and nerve-wracking blog, which for all I know is what Althouse wanted, at least to a point.
I've hosted a number of online shindigs. There are certainly difficulties, but the host has a fair amount of power, by intervention and example, to rein in excesses before they ruin the place.
Which is what confused me about Althouse and why I drew such a harsh conclusion about her after the blow-up. She had plenty of power and opportunity to improve things yet she didn't. In fact she made things worse.
I'm trying thanks.
Thanks for this site...never commented at AH but have been there lurking for about a year...might even get a real name and comment here sometimes
High speed rail.
Hi creeley!
I'm not quite ready at the moment (bit sleepy/ intoxicated/ and anyway evading/ procrastinating) to give you an adequate, proper response. But I'll babble a tad.
As I said, my feelings are mixed. Of course, naturally, inevitably, to some extent, Althouse does bear "responsibility" for what happened; it was her choice to kill (or euthanize) the comments and she played a role in what led to this point-- but on the other hand, I think many/ most of the indictments against her are grossly unfair. Which is not to say she's blameless; just that I wouldn't *blame* her.
I find (despite myself) that I do feel some resentment, of course, because (like most of us) I've suffered a loss. But I'm self-aware enough to know that aiming that resentment at Althouse (to whom I'm very grateful for a great gift to me, which I've enjoyed for a long time) would be (largely) irrational... or futile, or at least very unstoic. (What a blogger giveth, a blogger taketh away.)
I have a lot of (inchoate, conflicting) opinions about what happened (with blame and non-blame going in all directions), but I don't know that it's worth trying to sort them out and articulate them here. Especially since I skipped or skimmed most of the really venomous stuff at the end there.
I will say this. I did notice, in the last few months-- months in which I myself didn't comment-- that Althouse often-- IMO maybe more than usual-- posted in recognition, acknowledgment, or praise of the "Althouse comments community." She drew attention to the tags; she displayed gratefulness and affection to many commenters, and her commenting community in general.
Whatever that psychologically might mean. Maybe she was torn/ deliberating about the pros and cons of commenters, most generous in her posts re commenters when most conflicted about the downsides. Who knows. But still-- I think it's worth noting that Althouse expressed that gratitude. (One of the things that grates about some of Meade's recent comments here is his dismissiveness towards all commenters and commenting in general, commenting as a genre-- and in particular the commenting by so many for so many years at Althouse. NB Althouse herself has--mostly, or at least lately-- eschewed that attitude, and has expressed appreciation for her late commenters.)
There are some things that Althouse did at the end there that I would criticize strongly, if I haven't already. (But-- those things were only human.) On the other hand, I'm well aware, that I was always in her "home"-- her (Alt)*house*. If she was (in part) responsible for the breakdown that led to the end of Althouse comments, we must grant her the greatest share of responsibility-- the authorship, creation, in a very substantive sense-- for creating, growing, sustaining such a wonderful thing, such a wonderful place, in the first place. And for such a long time.
Not an easy thing. Kind of a miracle, really. Or else so many of us would not be here right now, bonded together by... what?
Lem, Get rid of anon comments. Its annoying. No one knows if its one person or many.
PS I'm a leetle intox-ed (hence logorrhea), in a different mood might be more or less harsh...
Still, anyway, apologize for any crimes incurred against good writing tonight. I *know* I'm guilty.
If you put up a poll you will never be able to get Inga's slimy cunt off of it.
That might help, but we would still be left with your nazi shit.
Like the nesting, as I said a few days ago, - helps keep who's talking to whom straight - and get rid of Unanimous
Mein Kampf? Paddy O wrote that?
You should be tried, you scam artist. And don't try to be hip, at your age all you can do is break a hip.
John Coltrane says fuck off, you corn-fed fake.
Not what, who.
Mrs Slocombe spins.
Saw it, too. She's gotten a little sunburn - makes her look a little worse - and it takes some getting used to, but I still think she's not well.
Too much of the vlog was "It's about me", but I do give her props for at least being honest.
A prostitute with an infectious smile sounds bad.
I tried being nasty because it looked like it might be fun.
It wasn't. Not for me, anyway.
I kind of envy people who can go full-throttle with their hostility. It's an art form. The art of the flame or something like that.
My guess is it didn't exist until the invention of the internet, although there's probably an evolutionary explanation, all the same.
Unanimous is dead.
To hum is human.
Sometimes it's just a ground loop, though.
Imus went into deep snit when somebody thought that maybe punching a stranger was a bad idea.
The comfortable victim line meets the closed universe.
Schedule comment herding for the future, when blogger implements a list of approved commenters.
Other comments moderated, with the option to checkmark as approved commenter.
Comments not approved present themselves once and then disappear.
So there's no point in a denial of service attack. It doesn't show up, and the host just reads past the stuff once.
Nested comments: do a search on your name to see if anybody added anything to the thread below it, stop searching when that thread ends and go to the next instance of your name. It's very fast.
If you want to see everything added to every thread even ones that you're not in, then you're hosed.
But looking for replies to you is improved. That's the tradeoff.
I vote for getting rid of the anonymous option. Make them do a little work before spewing their venom.
There is one extremely good thing about nested comments: when a pair of commenters get into an exchange of scatological insultes, it makes it really easy to scroll on by, knowing that you're missing nothing of importance.
Onymous remark.
I'm neutral on the nested or un-nested comment design. It is the author/owner's choice. Bagoh20 makes a good point [post #1 here] about non-nested comments on long threads, especially for those who track several blogs and have limited time for it. rhhardin points out how to "search" on Blogger. Jess also makes a good point about how nesting allows the sane to by-pass pissing contests....there really are times when that's a feature, not a bug. I read Legal Insurrection regularly and have again begun reading EBL's site frequently, and both use nesting, just as Lem's "LLL" site is now doing.
What I do not understand, maybe because I'm from the Jurassic period, is the use of "anonymous" as a pseudonym, repeatedly. In the same vein I don't get multiple pseudonyms, aka "sock puppets," especially if used simultaneously on one post on one site...or intentionally swapped out between different sites in order to fake a different persona. WTF is that all about? I'm dense, so tell me...help! I look at it this way....how do you feel about someone you meet with that has multiple aliases, especially if the names switch with the persona presented?
Me, ... I see "con man" [or woman] pure and simple. I know enough "Travelers" and "Professional Roma" to get it....the latter are those who claim to be Catholic, for example, contribute no more than $10 a year [if that], join no parish congregation anywhere, and still demand an Archbishop attend their every complaint. In other words, phony ass mf'ers....who come to my mind now because my best friend has had to deal with their shit recently. I'm not really prejudiced toward the group, it's just that every one of them I've known has filled the bill. Call me "Bigot-dog" I guess.
I guess I'd like an "edit" feature, on posts already made, if Blogger allows it, so that my fat fingering spell-check ignoring dumb ass can fix egregious inanities I've put up without copying to notepad, deleting, editing, and then reposting. I'll survive either way. I appreciate those who go to the trouble to create forums, so my whiny wishes are secondary at best.
Take care y'all.
PS: Another thing I am puzzled by is the repeated and persistent presence of one or more plainly antagonistic, to the author/owner, commenters on a web blog. These types also tend to show up on new blogs to assert influence, so to speak, and still criticize their past nemeses where it is totally irrelevant. I call it the moving pissing contest parade. Really, what is the point of all that?
IIRC, John Coltrane was surprised to learn that so many people thought his "sheets of sound" style of playing sounded like he was angry.
He thought it was spiritual.
Yes. Do an Amazon portal. We have to buy two more toilets for our business and we will buy them through you if we can. I have no idea how much you would get, but I'm sure Meade (the Billy Mays of the Althouse blog) could tell us down to the pennies.
:-D
Bagoh, Thanks for the plug of the book. Your mom is correct. We spent time in Rome, Sorrento and Capri. Each is more hilly than the next. And, we're talking steeper than SF hills! I'm a serious walker, but they were tough.
caplight, It is a psychological thriller involving two old female friends. Death, drugs, crime, etc. Although focused on 2 female characters, there are enough detectives, FBI, etc. to appeal to men. It's called Take For Granted. It's available on Amazon and also Barnes and Noble now. However, Nook is formatted differently than kindle, so a new format is being done which should make it on Nook in ~month. Thanks for your interest.
Ah, well, back to HTML.
Lem! Good to see you and others!
Btw, "Open threads" are supposed to be called "Cafes" and hold your pinky finger out too while you type it! [Heh- at least I learned something in 7 years at Althouse].
Hi Nick--my favorite dago--spent lots of time in Italy, but I gotta tell you time in Campagnia province was the best--great countryside trattorias where the house wine, usually made by the landlord, came out in liter jugs. And the food was authentic country Italian. I knew enough Italian to get into trouble--and the owners would finally ask me in English--"what do you speak."
Campagnia is the place to go--rent a car and drive up the hilltops--I've been to all the tourist spots (although I do have special love of Venice, and even learned to ride the vaporetto), but south Italy is where its at.
Re Italy and auto touring--gotta tell you the goombahs aren't big on road signs--easy to get get lost--I was with my girl friend trying to find her family's home town (Avellino)--got totally lost and flagged down a carbineri squad car--In my best Italian I said "dove e Avellino)--the looked at me like I was speaking in tongues--finally got thru in English, and the pointed the right way--in a few minutes they were behind me with lights flashing, waved to me to follow them and they took me into Avellino leading the way. The carbineri are the Italian national police--great guys--If you are in Rome during the winter time, these dudes ride white horses, with dark blue coats, dark trousers with a broad bold stripe and carry sabers--I had to restrain my girl friend. Some really classy dudes with great uniforms.
OK--first mistake since 1947--it's carabineri. Apologies--hell--I cant spell in English--trying to spell Italian is ever worse.
Two more of my hummingbird feeders are gone and yet I feel no sadness, rather, I feel joy for I know they are in the hands of people who really do want them.
My most favoritest one, #8 steampunk feeder with the time watch on it that says "time," with bubbles coming out of the steam holes and a perch.
And #3, an elegant olive oil bottle with a removable whimsical jade marble necklace arrayed as a splayed fireworks pattern with clear glass bubbles emerging and a perch.
HAY! This whole place looks different. Where am I?
I learned the first one gone became a bit famous. It was taken home and grabbed by another then that person died. It never did make it outside. The guy who took it died too fast, and now the two houses it was in are both being sold and through all that grief, and anguish, and assembling for various reasons, the feeder stuck out and people went, "What in the hell is that?" And it's the most anodyne, least whimsical, most ordinary of all.
Roger, Great anecdotes. We were in Italy during the Christmas/New Year Holiday. After several days in Rome I drove the clan to Sorrento for the New Year Holiday. It took us 8 hours. On the hilly coastal road to Sorrento the traffic crawled. My clutch leg was cramping up as scooters and cycles weaved in and out!
I'm w/ you on the south. I want our next trip to cover the areas you discussed. My bride wants to go north. My grandma was from Naples and grandpa from Bari. We just drove thru Naples, it's pretty rough! A lot of northern Italians have sticks up their asses. The southern, as you know are looked down upon by the northern. But the southern are just as you described; open, gracious, and fun.
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