Here's another crowd-sourcing post, but this time non-technical, and related to Comments Home itself. I'm not going to put forward any ideas myself, but just offer questions as topics for conversation, because I'm very interested to see what people think, and to see what sorts of conclusions and possible solutions they come up with through the interplay of each other's comments.
One of the great things about this community of commenters to which we belong has always been its inclusiveness, in terms of diversity of thought. There are few sites where you can find hard leftists like Robert Cooke, pragmatic leftists like phx, centrists like MadisonMan, libertarians like Revenant, neocons like me, and hard righties like Methadras, all free-form debating in more-or-less good faith, usually at a very high quality level (where it's not just name-calling and argument-by-assertion). (If I've miscategorized any of you, I apologize and feel free to call me an idiot in the comments). I've learned quite a bit from reading opinions that I don't share, supported rationally by eloquent proponents.
First question: Am I right here -- do we want a diversity of thought, rather than an echo chamber?
Second question: Do we have enough lefties? Because I haven't seen much from them in comments.
Third question: How do we get more leftist and progressive commenters, if we don't have enough?
And a request: If you consider yourself to the left of the average Comments Home commenter*, please reveal yourself as such in the comments to this post, and we'll take a quick survey. We'll sedate you, tag you with a transmitter, and release you back into the wild. Maybe there are dozens of you out there lurking. Maybe you can tell us what we can do to lure you into the conversation.
*(I didn't say "if you consider yourself left of center" here, because I don't think anyone does. Communists and right-wing extremists consider themselves centrists; it seems like an extension of the natural tendency to think of oneself as the center of the universe, not necessarily in an egotistical way, but in the sense that you think your own philosophy must be in the center because it's so perfectly reasonable on every issue.)
446 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 400 of 446 Newer› Newest»Trooper, I don't know that there is a best, but my favorite was Jill St. John.
I miss Cedarford. He was definitely from the dark side.
You make anti-semitic sound like a DSM-IV diagnosis.
Cedarford was not someone who would allow himself to be reigned in, in order to "fit in". I may not have agreed wih him on everything but he held fast to his principles.
Bond plots have always been unbelievable. One man saves world from evil genius X.
I mean how did Dr. No get all that equipment on "Crab Key" without any noticing? Where were the CIA/FBI in "Goldfinger"? Someone can fly a Jet bomber all the way to the Caribbean and ditch it in exactly the right place at night? Really?
Probably the only half-way realistic one is "From Russia with Love" but even that suffers from James Bond is the most important Secret Service agent ever, ever.
And this whole post puzzles me. I thought this was just a place for ex-Althouse people to hang out - not a start-up operation to produce the blog that took over the world.
Phil 3:14 said...
You make anti-semitic sound like a DSM-IV diagnosis.
He didn't just hate one group. To view things in this way is too narrow. I am not sure he hated any one, he disliked the baleful effects that he perceived various groups to have on his conception of a perfect society.
and well-informed.
Actually he was a liar.
If you know anything about helos--no way a helo pilot was stupid and overloaded the helo and crashed it because he "overloaded" that helo with 30 Special Ops guys.
But C4 offered that analysis only hours after the crash and knew all of the "facts" before the debrief was even given.
Not too many of you could ever know that though.
C4 the resident military expert.
So no--that knowledge that you think was worth what no other blog would tolerate- was not worth it--unless you like lies.
AReasonableMan is close to what I'm thinking.
A good blog community has a sense of consistency and congeniality but also has enough new voices coming in so there's a freshness. And new people adding thoughts and comments widens the perspective, and is somewhat of an indicator there's still something interesting being said.
I don't want super-mega-blog, and I don't even think that's possible anymore, but I do want interesting.
Although Halle Berry and Lana Wood are right up there.
Perfection being the enemy of the good
There is a false dichotomy.
It might be true that an erroneous idea of perfect can be an enemy of the good, or that perfection can be the enemy of a false idea of the good, but the good is by definition oriented toward perfection and perfection is by definition a good, both being aspects of truth.
AReasonableMan said...
William said...
I miss Cedarford. He was definitely from the dark side. A blog site needs a villain.
He did have a dark side but he also gave one of the best accounts of how the current military see themselves relative to civilian society. It was a very balanced and well thought out view.
***********
No he actually lied about that.
I thought this was just a place for ex-Althouse people to hang out - not a start-up operation to produce the blog that took over the world.
What you don't understand is that Lem, sweet Lem that everyone loves, is really an evil-super-genius bent on world domination. Pastafarian is his chief henchman.
Cedarford was a vile anti-Semite. To pretty it up in any other way is nonsense.
He should enjoy TOP where he is appreciated.
rcocean said...
And this whole post puzzles me. I thought this was just a place for ex-Althouse people to hang out - not a start-up operation to produce the blog that took over the world.
To give one small positive example. Discussions like these resulted in the adoption of the Althouse style comment posting style instead of the original style. This is an improvement, as were the efforts to clean up the graphic style of the blog.
It is not a bad thing to take the pulse of the audience every now and then.
Well ARM that is the difference between a budding democracy and a dictatorship. So to speak.
Lem is like Thomas Jefferson or something.
I know he impregnated a black chick. Just sayn'
With respect to "personal ambition" and being "successful" in the world vis-a-vis morality and virtue, the answer is a proper and true understanding of what real success is.
But the problem is that today too many people in our society do not understand the sophisticated nature of paradox, especially the idea that to be exalted, one must humble himself, that to receive, one must give.
Some of the poorest people in the world are billionaires and millionaires with prestigous careers. They are not successes, they are failures.
Trooper York said...
Cedarford was a vile anti-Semite. To pretty it up in any other way is nonsense.
He should enjoy TOP where he is appreciated.
*********
Sorry Trooper that I got you sucked into this.
So many people tried to hold things together.
Like Scotty on Star Trek.
I understand some people's visceral reaction to Cedarford but he was something of an equal opportunity hater, and at some level I don't think he was really a hater. He had a strong longing for an idealized vision of society which he viewed as having been derailed by a variety of groups. It would have been interesting to hear what that vision was, but I guess it was Norman Rockwellesque.
"Cedarford was a vile anti-Semite."
No, he was a phony 'vile anti-Semite'. As a joo-hater, he was never kosher. It was an act, either to grab attention or sabotage Althouse. Notice, that Greenwald used him to smear Althouse.
I can't tell the Bond girls apart, or them from any glamour queen.
It's the same glamour look.
rcocean said...
"Cedarford was a vile anti-Semite."
No, he was a phony 'vile anti-Semite'. As a joo-hater, he was never kosher. It was an act, either to grab attention or sabotage Althouse. Notice, that Greenwald used him to smear Althouse.
*******
Actually Ace or his commenters found out that he was a "Patrick Kennedy".
Gawd I hate that I know all this shit.
Good Day, sirs! (ha)
I can't wait to get back to trolling Ace as Snooki and /or Kim Kardashian but he's bored with his own threads and doesn't do as much there below the fold anymore.
And we don't need to worry about "balance". The only balance you need to worry about is the balance between interesting and boring.
One thing I haven't missed is the 50 post slagging matches between some boring left-wing troll and some troll enabling conservative.
-Obama rules!!
-No, he doesn't!!
-Yes he does!!
-No he doesn't!!
More lefties might be good, but be careful what you wish for.
One of the weaknesses of Althouse was the shortage of liberals who would argue in good faith. Sure, there was Cook presenting the latest views from the Comintern, but mostly you got disruptors and screamers. The same might happen here.
I guess it's worth a try. I'd suggest luring them in with a few posts on topics of interest to persons fully indoctrinated in the modern liberal worldview.
Examples of such topics would be the joy of gay anal sex, talking vaginas, America's continuing oppression of the brown man, the freedom to choose to kill your baby, Sarah Palin, and the growing danger of the surveillance state.
Scratch that last one. There's a conflict.
The absence of any talking vagina posts here kinda tells me that we're not really trying.
to receive, one must give
That's why the cheesemakers were blessed.
Wait fuck it--I could have that name wrong.
I think you kind of have to take people at their word without reading something into them that is not really there.
Cedarford could not get through a post without attacking "progressive jews" and the like. Why pretty it up? I don't get that at all.
Rcocean wants the echo chamber to be interesting folks, up your game!
I think Inga was the best Bond girl. Back in "From Russia With Love"? Fucking hot. Melt your shoes hot.
Why pretty it up? I don't get that at all.
*******
Damn it Trooper
Man I hate sucking up to you.
I admire you so much.
Anyways--shit you are the only person that could get me back in to this discussion.
They do that to make excuses for themselves.
I called Althouse rudderless--she will never get that is about the lowest thing I can say about someone.
It means you hold no value higher than yourself
Did you ever catch that thing Althouse said about herself--
it went something like--
" I take the opposite position of those all around me because I want to be the opposite of a chameleon I want to stand out."
So she has no other reason for being other than--
garnering attention.
That is it--that is all there is.
You are under appreciated here-and it pisses me the hell off.
I gotta jet.
Why the heck are you people inside on a beautiful Saturday in summer? Turn off your electronics, go outside, and have some fun, whydontcha.
Thanks Maddy but that is not necessary. I just think you should just call a spade a spade.
I know Crack feels the same way.
So to speak.
It's raining Haz.
I just came in from mowing the lawn. I was going to grab a drink and a nice cigar and head back out. Is that okay with you, Mr. Haz?
I know Crack feels the same way.
no, he really doesn't. In fact, if you try to approach him honestly you'll wind up being called stupid, at the mildest of his insults.
Crack is tedious.
I am outside, on a pontoon boat, thanks. The grandkids keep jumping into the middle of the lake and I'm trying to keep my iPad dry.
Although Halle Berry
She's a great-looking woman, but I thought her inclusion into the Bond Girl pantheon was a bit trite, and to pay "homage" to the Andress thing was strange.
Olga Kurylenko is up there. As is Honor Blackman.
I was at work. Waiting for an oil change to be done.
It's done. I'm leaving. See ya.
Well Crack is always amused when I call him a spade. Just sayn'
But Jill St. John was a very beautiful woman. Probably still is, I haven't seen a picture of her lately.
Well, she looks good for her age, anyway.
We don't talk boobies nearly enough.
Crack likes you. Everybody likes you. Except a coupla peeps that don't, obviously.
But I don't think that hurts the mystique any.
Interesting thread today. In an attemtp to keep my remark under 200 words before any fold, crease or crevice, I will just say a few things :-] I agree with Trooper York that adding a liberal contributor or two to the masthead would be a good idea...the two mentioned or some others, who have appeared here, spoken at length, and remained at least civil. I agree with Rabel about being careful and the good faith aspect of commenting. I agree with Freeman Hunt that this place is different, and designed to be different by those who put it together, some separately then came together. I'd add to Freeman's words that it is a "forum", something I value and others appear to as well. I agree with EMD in principle, that we should be able to cite, and link to if appropriate, other sites, including Althouse, as Althouse, when it is a basis for conversation not sniping per se. Using TOP is okay too, much like some of us did as refugees from LGF, for similar reasons. I, too, am amazed by the lack of acrimony between "sworn enemies" :-] from threads long past. All hail Lem and the Gang of 10. Oh, and I use two hands just like AllenS...I took typing in high school because of all the girls.
Thanks CEO but that is not true.
I think that I have a lot in common with both Crack and Ritmo.
We all have our hobbyhorse to ride and can go over the top in our own very different perspectives. But we are easily amused and can laugh at ourselves. It is the humorless scolds that make it tedious for everyone.
Dang! 218 words...no cigar. :(
Troop, which part isn't true?
That Crack is tedious, that everyone likes you except a couple of people...? What.
And I have yet to see Crack ever laugh at himself. Not in a comment, not at his blog, which I try to read, nowhere.
I have, however, been insulted by him for no reason several times. That colors my perspective.
Er...
Ari, for just barely going over, how about a Diesel Shorty?
:)
I don't think we can force quotas of lefties. It is best to be kind and welcoming. I know that's what I'm trying to do. I'm a grumpy insane person, so it's really difficult for me. But I'm trying.
"Why the heck are you people inside on a beautiful Saturday in summer?"
Temp - 92
Humidity - 59%
Heat Index - 104
Well Crack does have a sense of humor about himself. That is why he enjoys all the ball busting I do on him at my joint and at his.
At least I hope he enjoys it.
He just gets so focused on his message that sometimes he goes on full freak out mode. That's all.
I think you can get more lefties if you give out free stuff.
How about Lemphones?
It doesn't have to be all that much.
Maybe an empty can of Goya Black Beans on a string.
You can hate me for my high ideals if you wish but I feel very deeply as a believer in justice, fairness, diversity and equality of outcome that Rosie O'Donnell should have been cast as Bond's female sex/love interest character in at least one James Bond movie. It's only right.
I think you can get more lefties if you give out free stuff.
And that...
"Why the heck are you people inside on a beautiful Saturday in summer?"
MH, its not 1998 anymore. Lol. Ever hear of wireless? Tablets? Beautiful day here. I'm outside AND surfing the net and waiting for the food to be served.
ndspinelli said...
edutcher can be toxic, but I think he is redeemable.
??????
Unless attacked, I always try to keep it civil.
Even when attacked, I've tried to keep it civil. You really want to get in my face, yeah, I'll give it right back, but that's not the way I'd like to operate.
In that regard I have made it a point to diffuse arguments between he and I before they get into a pissing match. edutcher is conflicted. He loves TOP but he knows the love was not returned there, he was mocked by Anne and Larry. Even folks who have no use for edutcher felt bad.
As I noted at EBL, Ann has posted she has anosmia, which can have some ugly symptoms, so we may have some explanation for the past few months, but nd shuold know I was one of the first to find this place and I've made my feelings about TOP and the way we were shown the door patently clear.
He can ask around if necessary.
C Stanley said...
I agree with Mr. Reasonable. I think the current setup will stagnate if some thought isn't put into it. And I don't see why the planning can't figure out how to maintain what is already working.
No, the place is doing fine. Lefties for the sake of Lefties is just another way of needing diversity hires.
Those who want to come here and participate should be made welcome, but it's funny that some of the best discussions at TOP were when the Lefties were hiding because of the Choom Gang's latest FUBAR.
YMMV.
PS No votes for Rosamund Pike (or, for that matter, Daniela Bianchi)?
She made Halle look sick.
But I do agree about Miss Pussy.
PPS Lana Wood wasn't in the pic long enough to really give you an impression.
I don't know ed. Lana Wood left an impression on me. Two of them as a matter of fact.
Both she and her sister were aptly named.
Where's mah free BC?! Oh never mind, don't need it anymore.
I don't live by MIT. I live by Inman.
Edutcher, I will reserve my empathy for people really sick. Not being able to fucking smell falls pretty far down on the list. Now, I would hate it if I couldn't smell. I worked a case where a person had a head injury that caused anosmia. It has dangers like not being able to smell natural gas or other warning signs. It didn't turn her into an asshole, however.
What's w/ this "using two hands?" We're talking typing not jerking off, aren't we?
"Well Crack does have a sense of humor about himself. That is why he enjoys all the ball busting I do on him at my joint and at his.
At least I hope he enjoys it.
He just gets so focused on his message that sometimes he goes on full freak out mode. That's all."
Okay Troop. As you say. You know him better than I do.
Troop, it's why I've never asked for an invite.
I think we agree on the important stuff, but movies always puts us in the same situation as the Duke and Kirk Douglas in "War Wagon".
My regards as always to Mrs Troop.
Crack is a lot happier these days ever since he started dating Leah Remini.
Ed, Ann was always an ass. Smell, no smell--she's an ass. Has been. Will be.
You just never bothered to notice it before (it appeared, anyway).
Even now...you're hunting for excuses.
It's what makes you special.
And I'm not trying to bust on you with that. More of us could be like you. You've got the 'turn the other cheek' down fairly well, for the most part.
edutcher you know you are always welcome. And we don't talk much about movies actually. That would be blake's blog.
I do mostly TV with a specialty in the Munster's and the Rifleman lately. Just sayn'
Also lots of food posts.
And naked cartoon characters.
I think we agree on the important stuff, but movies always puts us in the same situation as the Duke and Kirk Douglas in "War Wagon".
Great movie.
Hey what's the name of the movie with Kirk Douglas as an oldish cowboy who winds up going on the run for something, I forget what. It's set in more modern times.
I saw it once, a long time ago. Good movie. Sad ending.
Kirk Douglas is an enjoyable actor.
more sexy posts too.
Crack is a lot happier these days ever since he started dating Leah Remini.
I thought he joined the other team in protest.
wait a minute...is Lem black?
CEO-MMP said...
Even now...you're hunting for excuses.
No excuses, just explanations.
Trooper York said...
edutcher you know you are always welcome. And we don't talk much about movies actually. That would be blake's blog.
I do mostly TV with a specialty in the Munster's and the Rifleman lately. Just sayn'
You must be glued to AMC on Saturday mornings.
I forget where I saw it but somebody said the country needs less John McCain and more Lucas McCain.
PS Always loved the old NY area TV commercials.
No excuses, just explanations.
Okay, explanations then.
See--this is what you do. You just can't take a compliment.
Oy.
LOL.
Ok, I'll admit it. I've had a crush on FH for years. Had to go talk to my doctor about it once after 5 hours of ....er..... continuous crushitis
- Krumhorn.
I have no CBS now because they are fighting with Time Warner cable.
So I am going to be missing "The Talk."
What am I going to do when I don't know what Roseanne's lesbian daughter thinks about stuff.
It's a tragedy man.
2nd the nomination of Honor Blackman (Pussy Galore) as the best Bond girl.
Not the actress that Diana Rigg was, but she had talent in other areas.
I think you can stream it at the web site.
That way you won't have to cry or nothin'.
"Lonely are the Brave" (1962)
Riding from Socorro to Grants in just one day would take one hell of a horse (and rider), and then he gets seriously lost, wandering up and down in Bear Canyon.
Thank you, Hagar. It was on TCM a while ago and I meant to watch it again but forgot it.
CEO, I saw; I just wanted to clarify.
No harm, no foul.
I think your blog is doing very well. It is unusual to have over 200 comments on a post at most blogs. Even at TOP. You guys often have around 40. I don't know what your traffic is like, but links from other blogs definitely help with that. Is you want diversity, you will have to try to get diverse blogs to link. TOP benefited from knowing the Instapundit as a fellow law professor. He links a lot to it.
If you had a mind to, you could email him and say, "Hey, did you know the former commenters from Althouse have made themselves a new blog home?"mor some such. I am pretty sure this is a first in the history of blogdom - a refugee camp for commenters. Or diaspora,. Whatever.
From my experience, which at TOP was just watching, not commenting I enjoyed the comments because the people seemed real and let fly with their thoughts and emotions. I think you all are on to something really good here if a few can just keep the insults to a minimum and the discourse meaningful. I watched you all comment for a couple of years before I ever commented on Lem's spot. I have seen people bash each other and turn around in a later post and tell the same person they made a good point. Let that continue and I don't think you have much to worry about.
Even the Prof isn't pulling 100+ boring, moderated comments.
Excelsior!
Hello?
The absence of any talking vagina posts here kinda tells me that we're not really trying.
Rabel is not pulling punches.
This Jay Retread and yes I am the guy who pushed the "Althouse Hillbilly" thing.
First let me say I am impressed that you have hung together and have created your own community. Congratulations.
Second, when I comment here I will do so in good faith. If you ever believe I am doing otherwise please call me on it. I have been lurking since the beginning.
I would like to say a little bit about my posts to TOP.
I posted there in good faith. In fact I really did not post much quantity wise.
I realize many of you thought I was calling you hillbillies.
I was not.
Hi, Jay, welcome :)
For the record, Jay, I'm a knuckledragger and not a hillbilly.
Jay, I always took you to mean we were allowing ourselves to be used when we reacted to certain posts that were put up.
a refugee camp for commenters. Or diaspora,. Whatever.
We are the Taiwan to her Red China
I am pretty sure this is a first in the history of blogdom - a refugee camp for commenters. Or diaspora,. Whatever.
I am the guy who pushed the "Althouse Hillbilly" thing.
That settles it, we're the Clampetts.
Instead, I believed Ann was trying to cultivate a conservative fan base (Althouse Hillbillies) by throwing out what she considered "red meat" that she personally did not believe in. (Ann obviously has no moral or principled center. She does not believe in anything except her own vanity.)
I was not surprised when she decided she was bored with what she thought she created.
Ann proved my "Althouse Hillbilly" hypothesis correct.
But Ann's vanity lead her astray as usual. She did not create you. Most of you have more interesting things to say than her bubblehead musings.
So, I was not saying that I though you were Althouse Hillbillies but instead that I believed that was how Ann view her commentators.
It is no surprise then that she treated the commenters to her blog in such a shabby manner.
That is at the core of who she is.
Jay I think you would make an excellent candidate to do some liberal posts here on Lem's place. Along with Phx or AReasonableMan or Robert Cook.
Of course what would be really interesting is if you posted about something other than politics as seen through your eyes. It could be TV or sports or even food.
I hope that Lem gives one of you guys a shot. It would be fun.
I vote for HD House
Sorry for the typos and the run on comments. My above posts are meant to be read as one post.
Thank you for the welcomes.
I think this "blog" is off to a great start! Very different posts with something for everyone, lots of good natured ribbing, and a lot of people with a lot of smarts.
I posted it here because I might be 300.
Welcome Jay. I remember you.
You Good Park!
I think hd is retired these days and enjoying his time out in the Hamptons.
He didn't post at TOP in quite a while unless it was under another name.
I just think that Craig is much more athletic and more believable as an action hero.
He's the Steve McQueen of Bonds. Also the shortest.
sydney, I like the use of diaspora.
Very apt.
Set my people free?
edutcher said...
sydney, I like the use of diaspora.
I recall people using that term back in 2009 when Twitter was new. A bunch of us Althouse commenters followed each other.
deborah said...
Set my people free?
Let my people go!
Best delivered by a guy holding a long staff made up to look about 40 years older than he was in front of a scowling guy with a shaved head who answers something like, "Et cet er a, et cet er a, et cet er A"
Well, not to strike too pessimistic a note, but I've seen some awfully good groups of commenter's come and go over the last dozen years or so. Beginning at Roger L. Simon's old place, before PJM came about, then the LGF self-immolation, also Maggies Farm of three or four years ago. In all those groups though, good as they were, there were many of the same issues as brought up here today as regards to inclusiveness (too much or too little), name-calling, etc. Much of it policed by the commenter's themselves.
I hope that doesn't occur here, a slow fading away. As you folks have that sincerity, or is it matureness, or possibly some combination of the two that makes for good, interesting, and thought provoking reading. That means I'm with Freeman, I'm here to read you guys. Which is why I checked that last box in that fateful poll, and then got called a liar for being honest.
Where's Strenikov?
I'm watching Dr. Zhivago, and that reminded me.
What?
Another Yule Brenner joke?
Youse guys!
I'm glad you qualified that 'best line,' Ed :)
You have to watch yourself around here.
So many dirty minds.
Oh.
Back from Rockerbox Motorcycle Show and street fair. Awesome gathering. Plenty of weird.
Same thing here.
Edutcher and Jay Retread kissed right on the lips.
It was very weird.
A comment from TOP:
Well, thanks for opening comments.
I posted on this, 'Professor Colin McGinn Resigns After Allegations of Sexual Harassment'...
I just see a lot of male academics who are jerks. But this larger feminist agenda criminalizes virtually all interaction between men and women in the workplace, to the point that men can't speak without their words being perceived as sexist. It's a no win situation.
I'll add your link to the post.
Again, I'm liking your comment moderation and I hope it's working for you.
Clearly, we are NOT WELCOME in the faculty lounge.
You should only go there to plant stink bombs in the garbage cans.
Could someone please send me an email and tell me what TOP is?
(Synova... the meme-misser... professional level.)
The other place.
TOP means "The Other Place" where you were thrown out of not too long ago and are now allowed back in if you toe the line. So to speak.
TOP
Also used so as to not blow the 'dog whistle' and have some guy who mows lawns in Madison show up to clutter up the place.
One thing I do miss is the regular reporting on the UW follies and the Madison freak show.
Those made me feel superior and frequently gave me the opportunity to play the racist-white-liberal-guilt card. I've got a deck full of those. Actually a Vegas 8-deck shoe full, and I'm itching to deal.
Any pasty complected Madisonianites around and willing to keep us up to date?
Synova, TOP = That Other Place.
(The place from whence we came, so to speak.)
Jay-
I always sensed some of the posts were deliberate 'red-meat' posts.
The sad thing is that she had a forum and momentum and traffic that if one truly dedicated themselves to open, free discussion ... that could be their legacy. Most blogs of that size are intensely moderated. To allow true free speech in all of its glorious and vulgar quotients would be a true novelty in the online forum world. To truly support it and be a vanguard in the tight-assed PC world of academia would have been heroic to a degree.
She chastised me for not reading, when in fact, I simply refused to play her game on one of the SSM posts. Even as an outright supporter of SSM, her response to me dripped with condescension.
Oh, and welcome.
I did not come up with diaspora. I picked it up at Chip Ahoy's Ann Looking Glass
"lead her astray "
HA HA HA HA ha ha ha ha ha you didn't substitute ashtray.
"Man, this introspection..."
)))voop(((
door slides open abruptly revealing the face speaking was shown through a window in the door and not a monitor on the wall. Steps forward.
"...sure is introspective sometimes."
I'm bored.
Way too much that needs to be done.
Way too little interest in doing any of it.
I always thought Goldfinger was the best villain. "The purpose is to kill you Mr. Bond." That's the only Bond line that's made it into Bartlett's......Honor Blackman had the Diana Rigg role in the original The Avengers. Her name, Pussy Galore, was far more memorable than her role.....Lana Wood wasn't especially memorable in her role. What brought her to my attention was the pictorial she did in Playboy at the time of her movie's release. That was the time when I was most appreciative of Playboy pictorials. And the fact that one got to see Natalie Woods' sister topless was an extra added attraction.......Perhaps Craig is a better Bond, but Connery, like Basil Rathbone as Holmes, created the template for the Bond character.
chip;
I missed your flight of ideas.
But I'll catch the next one
I always thought Goldfinger was the best villain. "The purpose is to kill you Mr. Bond." That's the only Bond line that's made it into Bartlett's......Honor Blackman had the Diana Rigg role in the original The Avengers. Her name, Pussy Galore, was far more memorable than her role.....Lana Wood wasn't especially memorable in her role. What brought her to my attention was the pictorial she did in Playboy at the time of her movie's release. That was the time when I was most appreciative of Playboy pictorials. And the fact that one got to see Natalie Woods' sister topless was an extra added attraction.......Perhaps Craig is a better Bond, but Connery, like Basil Rathbone as Holmes, created the template for the Bond character.
I'm trying to fix the kids' pool.
Goldfinger was a great villain, but I liked Blofeld(sp?)a lot. Such a smug, snobby bastard
And Honor Blackman had it as far as full blown sexuality, but I also liked Jane Seymour as Domino.
"Why the heck are you people inside on a beautiful Saturday in summer? "
Currently here in the SoCal, it is a fantastic day, but I'm still remodeling with a gutted house, so with a hammer in one hand, I check in every hour or so, but a great day is a great day to work. All the windows and doors open with a nice breeze to blow the dust out. I love summer.
Thank you Icepick. You give good frisson.
Here are some fight cards from TOP that I don't miss here; in other words, these were the conflicts that killed threads:
Jay versus Garage Mahal
Jay versus any other lefty commenter
Edutcher versus Shiloh
Inga versus anyone
When commenters regress to "idiot!" and similar affectations, then the thread is dead. That's what killed so many threads at Althouse over the last year or so.
I think this is another great thread. I think the invitation for a diversity of voices is something to appreciate. And although I've still got a detractor or two out here amongst my admirers, (or at least those whom I somehow manage to still vex more than intrigue), I'll say that this blog does a much better job rubbing me the right way (no pun intended - or if you want to, we can talk about that in a diff' thread) because there is more of an effort at being polite and not assuming a divergent perspective to be an attack or a provocation. That's a good thing. Courtesy is the best policy when it comes to showing good faith. End of story on that.
If people here want to (occasionally) link TOP, I think that shows a magnanimity that this blog can be proud to claim. It doesn't have to be in homage, just showing that an interesting or at least evocative post still managed to squeak by. No biggie. We/you guys don't intend on cage matches but we can still find interest in those who do.
Again, not much to add. I still have my feisty side but admire the sense of community that's acknowledged and continues to be fostered here. However controversial a topic someone wants to broach, I think that sensibility - always lurking underneath the surface elsewhere but turned on to maximum warp here - keeps it from becoming an outright cockfight, all in all.
Keep it up, is all I have to say. I'll be happy to add a voice from left field, but appreciate where the right is coming from more and more in this atmosphere. Can't always promise that I'll keep it short, but I'll do what I can to make my perspective as relatable as y'all are doing.
Cheers -
And just after the kids go to bed, the pool test comes out perfect. Oh well. Ready for tomorrow!
When I was a kid, we played and swam everyday in a creek that was essentially a sewer. We would hike miles into the sewer tubes under the city, and be knee deep in it for hour after hour all summer long chasing and catching the mutant life forms that lived there. As a result, today I'm impossible to kill. Despite taking strong immunosuppressants every day, I rarely get sick even though I still play and work like a filthy kid. I've never had an allergic reaction to anything in my life, and I smell wonderful. Licking my skin will cure a cold in 12 hours, but I'm not available over the counter just anyone. I'm by prescription only.
Ritmo, I couldn't stand you at TOP, and it was probably mutual, but I have been pleasantly surprised to meet the real you since then, I hope I can impress you the same.
Ritmo ... what Bagoh20 just said. Simple as that.
Frankly I am pleasantly surprised at the atmosphere here. What was it elsewhere that made it so different. Hell, I know I was different.
"A coterie of independent detractors surrounds each extreme."
Synova said...
"Could someone please send me an email and tell me what TOP is?'
Synova, it's a junor high school level allusion to a blog called Althouse - you know, the place we all came from before the big so-called "Meltdown" that led to the "Commenter Holocaust" that led to the "Great Diaspora". At least it did in some people's fevered grandiose imaginations. Silly.
The idea that this blog needs more liberals so it doesn't become an echo chamber is ridiculous. As I've been saying all along - if you care about this blog and want to keep it going, make sure the blog operator, Lem, is well compensated for his time and trouble. $1/week/commenter should be the minimum. Using his Amazon portal costs you nothing and is a nice, albeit token, way of letting Lem know you care.
Let's not be losers. Let's pay Lem what he's worth. A lot.
Meadeyman, Meadeyman, Meadeyman, Meadeyman, Meadeyman..
Say it with me....mirror optional.
"if you care about this blog and want to keep it going, make sure the blog operator, Lem, is well compensated for his time and trouble."
So Althouse wasn't getting enough money from us? Is that the new story Mr. Carney? You see donating and using the Amazon portal over there as you encouraged us to do then didn't really work out so well for may of us here. Of all people to make the pitch, you are probably one of the two worst I can think of. If Lem decides to make this about him, then maybe Althouse would be a good guide. For now, he's doing just awesome following his own advice.
Next Obama will be giving advice on effective embassy security.
Lem said...
What in my comments gets caught in the spam filter?
"I don’t know what the criteria is for a comment to be sent to spam. For what is worth, I used to get sent to spam at top sometimes."
Blogger's algorithm for catching spam seems to have something to do with hyperlinks that go to commercial sites. That can include links to YouTube videos that start off with an advertisement among other things.
"Synova, it's a junor high school level allusion to a blog called Althouse"
Holy shit! That wasn't even just alluding. That was just flat out saying the word. Meade, be careful or you'll dog whistle that crazy guy to come over here and stir up trouble. He's threatened to do it for what you just said. It's "TOP". OK? Shhhhhhh.
Careful bagoh20,
Annie by gaslight has already posted to the class that you actually mean your comment re: her portal entitling you to comment rights b'gad!
When we actually know it was a riposte to Meade's accusation of RL fraud against another commenter.
Crap, and I had a nice decloaking* comment all ready in this friendly little circle of trust we're forming.
*I'm not Mary, O fevered Meade.
L.S. Burroughs comments on blog contributions
I haven't had the time to read all the comments, but Ritmo -- oh my goodness -- tonight you sound like a person one could have a conversation / discussion with.
I like Comment Home because it seems (usually) like there are adults in the room. Occasionally behaving like middle schoolers, but generally cool adults with lots of good things to offer in back and forth.
Thank you all.
Let's not over analyze. Let's enjoy the conversations.
bagoh20 said...
"So Althouse wasn't getting enough money from us?"
Depends on who you mean by "us", bags. She certainly wasn't getting enough money from the people who made it their never-ending purpose to stink up the place, make off-topic comments, make personal attacks, and waste her time. All I'm saying is don't do that to Lem - show him some appreciation with money - and he's likely to be more motivated to keep hosting this social media party that never ends.
"Annie by gaslight has already posted to the class that you actually mean your comment re: her portal entitling you to comment rights b'gad!"
That's ridiculous. We had no contract. She never guaranteed me she would act fairly or respect my contribution. She asked - I gave - She said thanks, and told me to hit the road. All perfectly legal and righteous.
In fact, it's a model for us all to follow in our business and personal relations.
bagoh20 said...
"In fact, it's a model for us all to follow in our business and personal relations."
Or you can follow the model in which you vote for or give a donation to someone and then you get to forever feel entitled to have them provide you with free stuff.
She certainly wasn't getting enough money from the people who made it their never-ending purpose to stink up the place, make off-topic comments, make personal attacks, and waste her time.
Here's something to consider, Meade. An artist puts time into something and puts it on display. Critics, admirers, and detractors then spend their own time doing what they do. I always got the feeling from Althouse that she spent minimal time after posting things dealing comments. She always made a point of doing what she had to do elsewhere, and saying so. There's really no way to recoup what you think she deserves from people who already put time = money into their comment endeavors.
I know that blog monetization is a tough nut to crack.
And if they don't provide you with the amount of free stuff you feel entitled to, you then go off and grouse about it with like-minded folks who also feel entitled to free stuff they don't feel they got enough of.
"When they say it's about this or that and him and haw and that it's not about the money..IT'S ABOUT THE MONEY!"
Annie needs to stop feeding off the public trough, blogging on taxpayers money, and get a job in the private sector. And, you Larry, the Bruce Co. needs some help, ICE just picked up half their work force. Your first self absorbed comment leading off stands in stark contrast to the thoughtful, sincere comments made by so many. The war's over Larry..you folks lost.
"Free" means without paying. The paying continued unabated.
That which was provided was stopped. Lem now provides. The money seems to have been misappropriated. How can we fix that?
@Meade: In other words, Althouse says the product is her writing and her writing alone. The commenters say that part of the collective product called "Althouse" includes their contributions.
Define the product which people read called "Althouse" to exclude commenters and you will find differences of opinions. Sucks, donut?
"I always got the feeling from Althouse that she spent minimal time after posting things dealing comments."
You "always got the feeling"? Not something you in fact knew? Just a feeling?
What is your feeling about the time Lem puts in dealing comments? Minimal? Do you even care? Speaking of feelings.
"The commenters say that part of the collective product called "Althouse" includes their contributions. "
Hear that, Lem? You owe them.
@Meade: I post occasional blog posts here for which I receive no renumeration. In fact, I'd rather see Lem or the people posting more frequently get such rewards.
I'm probably further to the left than even you.
Now chirbits are a different story.
Lem doesn't seem to have much of a problem with comments. The George Washington of bloggers has the power of his good will and magnanimity to slay the dragons of evil commenters normally enslaved by their ugly demons. He does what others only talk about.
Oh all this arguing while Al Qaeda is getting ready start WW3. Nobody posting on the imminent terror threat?
Inga, that's off topic. It's stuff like that that might just make Lem shut us down. As deputy of traffic control here, I'm afraid I have to tell you we're gonna have to charge you a fee for that. It's very important at this stage that we nip it in the bud.
Bite me.
Slow down. We'll get to that, sweetheart. Can't we just cuddle first?
Start at the neck....
Re: Free stuff.
A blog isn't the right business model for getting paid. A blog is only profitable financially if it used to promote some other work the blogger does.
For example, a talented tax attorney could create a blog that makes tax issues interesting to the average reader and impresses the reader with his knowledge of the law. The blog gives him a free platform to promote himself and grow his business.
Writers use blogs to build their readership and promote their books.
Glenn Reynolds has gained a lot of fame with Instapundit, but I doubt he's made enough money off of it to compensate the time he puts into it. He probably has, however, seen better sales in the books he writes. And he's probably had more offers to write columns for money, too, because of the blog.
Anyone who is blogging with the idea that they will be rewarded financially for the blog itself is going to be disappointed.
Inga,
I was about to say being over at Stepford had civilised you some.
Grifter's gotta grift. They can never understand somebody doing something for the joy of it. It's all about the money for them. They are the first to call other people frauds or attack other peoples endeavors but demand recompense from everyone as their just due.
It is pretty funny.
Now I see it is the age old dance of...?
Is there something to the fact that lately where Meade goest Inga linga?
This thread needs a little spice, no?
A little love, no?
How about a hug?
Math. It looks like it's starting to need some math.
A big hug of math.
Or a noogie?
Re: "A big hug of math."
Geometry Hugs, Math Nibbles.
Eine kleine Kitzel?
"Or you can follow the model in which you vote for or give a donation to someone and then you get to forever feel entitled to have them provide you with free stuff."
We need to first figure out who was providing and who was receiving.
It needs tough math.
Is a noogie the next thing up from googol?
{pivots}
It takes just one bad apple...
Pollo: Beware those who can't separate themselves from either their product or their art.*
Bags/JAL - the appreciation is mutual and goes without saying at this point (I think we've even touched on it elsewhere). A setting that strives for (or is just naturally better at) fostering goodwill will attract people who want that. Sure, I can get in a good tussle, but the folks here aren't interested in making performances like those the over-riding purpose. Others, not so much - as much as they pretend otherwise.
*A great cautionary tale in that vein is the Shel Silverstein poem about a boy who became a TV by watching it excessively.
And I think the science interest is also a good part of that. It helps advertise a mutual interest in rationality on the part of a number of the guests, which is a stabilizing influence.
So I think Freeman has a good point about that one.
You know what cures that one bad apple problem in the workplace? Profit sharing,... and top management talking to people and developing a relationship with those who do the heavy lifting. With those two things you can put bad apples on the other side of the fence begging to be a good apple.
it just occurred to me. what if althouse never had comments? There was a season early on she had them off fora while. what if she left it that way?
How many lives would be different? some a little, some quite a bit.
All work makes Jack a dull boy. No humor? Or is it only fun to continue Meade bashing ad infinfinitum? It's a bit boring, but hey knock yourselves out.
Nice avatar Paddy. Now that's a guy I want to ask for advice.
Or ad infinitum, lol.
I thought the Meade bashing was pretty funny. It was meant to be. Why don't you get it?
Laugh, and the world laughs with you, cry and you cry alone. Who said that Lydia?
I feel like the money thing is a joke. But I haven't yet figured it out.
Because it wasn't funny honey, but that's just me I suppose.
Freeman, Meade is posting with a particularly snide, superior tone and yes I think he's amusing himself, but it's not funny to anyone else. It's just boring and mildly irritating.
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