I can't believe you screwed up house style in the house style post.

Did not, you're senile, no takebacks, INFINITY!

Also, you're using Yiddish incorrectly.

I'm not sure, however, that I've used "takebacks" correctly.

If it's within twenty comments or so, just a number isn't so bad.

I agree with 5

2:

Shouldn't you blockquote that?

I'd say less than twenty--say 10--but surely the idea is recognized and acceptable.

If it's within twenty comments or so, just a number isn't so bad.

Once again, LB is trying to kill the blog. Twenty comments requires scrolling. Maybe within five comments is ok, but why leave it up to these crazy people's discretion?

test
test 2

6 to 5

I've faithfully adhered to house style ever since I intuited what it was -- not easy, given all the authority-hating, clarity-confounding free spirits around here -- but it seems that an exception to the numerical citation rule should be made for adjacent, or close-to-adjacent, comments. Please advise.

How do you do block quotes?

Is the post itself internal or external? That is, which is preferred:

(1)
a dreck

I'm wondering about the Yiddish too.

or

(2)

a dreck

I'm wondering about the Yiddish too.

I don't even know how to blockquote. But I've never read anything other than Unfogged, so it doesn't come up much.

What if you use quotation marks because you're too lazy to italicize? What if you are a beloved and longstanding community member?

Pwned. I submit to LB's authority.

LB has a gigantic index finger which, with her scroll wheel, makes twenty comments the work of a moment. She may not know how difficult it can be for those of us who are normally configured.

Dernit! I'm gonna have to learn how to do the html thing for italics now.

I don't even know how to blockquote. But I've never read anything other than Unfogged, so it doesn't come up much.

pwned by

How do you do block quotes?

Is the post itself internal or external?

I've often treated it as an innie, but on review, such behavior qualifies as dreck. The post is an outie.

I contend that italicizing the comment being responded to as well as including its number is preferable.

For, like, context if the reader desires it.

BWTFDIK

<blockquote>blockquoted text</blockquote>

Don't be a dreck, italicize.

That doesn't rhyme.

18: So I do.

To blockquote "stuff": <blockquote>stuff</blockquote>

It may be worthwhile to lay down some rules for pwnage, too.

You should hate people, but especially Ogged.

Such fascists, you are.

18: So I do.

I had to scroll. You're banned.

Man, serious prescriptive/descriptive split. During my mostly-lurking period, I took number-references as hegemonic. After all, there's all that silly "39 to 38" re-directing.

Dernit! I'm gonna have to learn how to do the html thing for italics now.

minus

What if you use quotation marks because you're too lazy to italicize? What if you are a beloved and longstanding community member?

equals

Also, you're using Yiddish incorrectly.

Next you're going to outlaw comment-substitutions and "A -> B"-style redirects. And what about analogies?

Such total bullshit.

Next you're going to outlaw comment-substitutions and "A -> B"-style redirects. And what about analogies?

Such total bullshit.

divided by

Did not, you're senile, no takebacks, INFINITY!

equals

What if you use quotation marks because you're too lazy to italicize? What if you are a beloved and longstanding community member?

I favor comment numbers combined with italicization, thusly:

3: Also, you're using Yiddish incorrectly.

This is better than italicization alone because it allows the reader to easily find the quoted text and find out who wrote it and the context in which it was written.

Shorter this comment: 22 gets it exactly right.

31: so you're saying if I can use quotes rather than italics, but only if I am a beloved and longstanding member of the community, who uses Yiddish correctly?

Oy.

Also, you're using Yiddish incorrectly.

to the power

Also, you're using Yiddish incorrectly.

divided by

Also, you're using Yiddish incorrectly.

squared, is

Also, you're using Yiddish incorrectly.

"What if you use quotation marks because you're too lazy to italicize? "

What if you don't know how to italicize?

Maybe, poor pitiful peep, you should not comment and try to do your job instead............

18: So I do.

From scrolling! From scrolling!

You should hate people, but especially Ogged.

You should hate people, but especially Ogged.

You should hate people, but especially Ogged.

Compare, contrast, discuss.

Italics? Block quotes? Yiddish?

It's all Persian to me.

I

agree

with

ogged.

I've always thought that comment threads should become more complex, not less.

Obfuscation is the soul of wit. Unfogged is genius because it is not unfoggy.

Otherwise, what's the point? Eventually, you spend your time feeding trolls.

In fact, I don't think anyone should comment without first copying all previous comments into the box for easy referral. Like an e-mail forward.

Two ways to italicize: <i>italicized text</i> or <em>italicized text</em>

9: why does ogged not understand our folkways?

What if you don't know how to italicize?

Like <i>this</i>.

What if you quote something that was italicized or blockquoted in the original?

E-mail forwarding is a great analogy. Someone should start a blog where the posts are just the emails that they have forwarded to them by the older and more-earnest members of their extended family. This would be a work of enduring genius.

I'm not adding a lot of value here.

As always, Heebie is right.

I was all wrong about carp.

36 to 36.

LAWLZ

48: I think they did. It's called snopes.com.

What if you quote something that was italicized or blockquoted in the original?

You keep the blockquote and unitalicize whatever was italicized in what you're quoting. So

Emerson is such a troll.

Becomes

Emerson is such a troll

Why does Heebie Geebie have such a big foot?
From counting! From counting!
(Heebie is actually a pony.)

Great idea. Can we start top-posting too?

In fact, I don't think anyone should comment without first copying all previous comments into the box for easy referral. Like an e-mail forward.

What would be even more terrific is if we started using the post numbering system to refer to other threads, so I could say, e.g. 4744.61! and everyone would laugh, and laugh.

In fact, I don't think anyone should comment without first copying all previous comments into the box for easy referral. Like an e-mail forward

As always, Heebie is right.

I was all wrong about carp.

Oh no! Did you dine on some disagreeable carp last night?



Neat, how'd I do that?

Can we! Can we! I love it. Sold.

Great idea. Can we start top-posting too?

In fact, I don't think anyone should comment without first copying all previous comments into the box for easy referral. Like an e-mail forward.

Can we start top-posting too?

Reverse, and just turn it into usenet.

60: Please don't do that.

61: We're going to need bigger .sigs.

Now who's drinking haterade? Mm-hmm.

60: Please don't do that.

I know we're all OLD SKEWL here, but I think it would mesh pretty well with current folkways if we could type [[40]] Wiki-style, which then made the interface pop up the linked comment on mouseover.

>> Can we start top-posting too?

>Reverse, and just turn it into usenet.

ur doin it wrong

How do you get the carrots to show up again?

Reverse, and just turn it into usenet.

Green Card Lottery 1994 May Be The Last One!
THE DEADLINE HAS BEEN ANNOUNCED.
The Green Card Lottery is a completely legal program giving away a certain annual allotment of Green Cards to persons born in certain countries. The lottery program was scheduled to continue on a permanent basis. However, recently, Senator Alan J Simpson introduced a bill into the U. S. Congress which could end any future lotteries. THE 1994 LOTTERY IS SCHEDULED TO TAKE PLACE SOON, BUT IT MAY BE THE VERY LAST ONE.

Intestinal fortitude, that's how.

Uh, I forget the exact escape sequences to escape the escape sequences, but:

< - an ampersand followed directly by lt, and ended with a colon, without spaces.
> - the same, with gt instead of lt.

Well, that and regular watering.

Oy. I blame Standpipe.

WHAT IS THE HOUSE STYLE RE CAPITALIZATIONS

ALSO, TO 53 I HATE HOW WHEN SOMETHING IS ENTIRELY IN ITALICS YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO PUT IT IN REGULAR TEXT TO IMPLY THAT IT IS IN EVEN MORE ITALICS. IT MAKES A LOT MORE SENSE THAT WHEN YOU QUOTE SOMETHING THAT CONTAINED ITALICS, YOU CONVERT THE ORIGINAL ITALICS TO BOLDS.

72:6818.4.2

How much do I love that this deteriorated into the least readable thread ever. How much indeed.

Spew gibberish, everyone, spew like Spewy from Get A Life. And make obscure references.

70: "colon" s/b "semi-colon"

That'll learn ogged to tell us what to do.

Wocka-wocka! Nrrt nrrt nrrt! Halamala

Someone should start a blog where the posts are just the emails that they have forwarded to them by the older and more-earnest members of their extended family. This would be a work of enduring genius.

Armsmasher + the Governess = genius.

[[75]] And make obscure references.

lol that ones on fire

75:

Dialog from a Tonight Show... Johnny Carson...His guest was Lee Marvin.

Johnny said..."Lee, I'll bet a lot of people are unaware that you were a Marine in the initial landing at Iwo Jima...and that during the course of that action you earned the Navy Cross and were severely wounded."

And you know how Lee was..."Yeah, yeah...I got shot square in the ass and they gave me the Cross for securing a hot spot about halfway up Suribachi. Bad thing about getting shot up on a mountain is guys gettin' shot hauling you down. But Johnny at Iwo I served under the bravest man I ever knew...We both got the Cross the same day but what he did for his Cross made mine look cheap in comparison. The dumb bastard actually stood up on Red Beach and directed his troops to move forward and get the hell off the beach. That Sgt. and I have been life long friends...When they brought me off Suribachi we passed the Sgt. and he lit a smoke and passed it to me lying on my belly on the litter..."Where'd they get you Lee?"...."Well Bob...if you make it home before me, tell Mom to sell the outhouse."..... "Johnny, I'm not lying...Sgt. Keeshan was the bravest man I ever Knew - Bob Keeshan....

You and the world know him as Captain Kangaroo."

The true spirit of Unfogged, revealed: the one time ogged is actually right, and we all jump on him anyway.

73: WHAT IS THE HOUSE STYLE RE CAPITALIZATIONS

The rule is that only Opinionated Grandma is allowed to comment in all caps. On accounta she can't hear so well.

Shorter thread:

Ogged: I'm going to make another ineffectual attempt to lay down rules.
Everyone else: Nitpick, nitpick, cry, nitpick.

79 should be moved to Standpipe's blog, right? Right?

48: »»»»»

As always, Heebie is right.

I was all wrong about carp.

Oh no! Did you dine on some disagreeable carp last night?

I'm just making my amends to people I've criticized in the past. 200 million Harry Potter fans have surrounded my house.

(Note that the italicized two lines of the original post are now unmarked. Where's w-lfs-n.)

Also, you're using Yiddish incorrectly.

to the power

Also, you're using Yiddish incorrectly.

divided by

Also, you're using Yiddish incorrectly.

squared, is

Also, you're using Yiddish incorrectly.

You forgot to subtract the language you first thought of.

79.2:3550.1.1

make obscure references.

True indeed, Cogswell Cogs, and Sprockets at Spacely's.

Well, this is illustrative!

89: Blogger can have that effect on unsuspecting browsers.

91: Well, this is illustrative!

SEE WHAT I MEAN

MUCH NICER

92:4966.238

»»»»»

I'm proud to say that my mom is well-represented on that blog.

I was certain SB's 46:

What if you don't know how to italicize?
Like this.

was intentional.

And no, I have no idea how to make the html tags show up instead of being active.

Also, you're using Yiddish incorrectly.

to the power

Also, you're using Yiddish incorrectly.

divided by

Also, you're using Yiddish incorrectly.

squared, is

Also, you're using Yiddish incorrectly.

You forgot to subtract the language you first thought of.

Hmm, did I? Or did I fool you with my lightning-quick sleight-of-hand, and you just failed to see me subtract the language I first thought of? I thought so.

Also, I bet this thread is cementing Ogged's conspicuous absence from the meet-up this Sunday.

I refuse to italics-quote if I have a reasonable expectation that my referent is within 3-5 comments. It screws with the flow of quick back-and-forths.

I have no idea how to make the html tags show up instead of being active

Type

&lt;em&gt;

and you get

<em>

94: Hate it for you. I'm IE all the way over here.

It's just a naive domestic house style, but I think you'll admire its presumption

98:4475.24 -> [1-97,99,7184.[this]]

103 : Now you're hurting my brain.

21: I've often treated it as an innie, but on review, such behavior qualifies as dreck. The post is an outie.

Yes, but only after it's gone off-topic. While the thread remains on-topic, tread the original post like a comment.

Also, I'm obeying the rules as set forth in the post, but only because I'm too lazy to think of an original-looking way not to. Don't think I'm going to make a habit of this.

74, 89, 94, 103: We no longer need to type original comments. Clearly Unfogged has finally become large enough to nearly become a realization of the Borgesian library of possible comments, complaints, and semi-witty non-sequitors. A "Library of Babble", if you will.

Oh shit, I'm gonna go whip myself just for typing that last bit.

Dear Tweety:

Dreck, babe, dreck.

108 to 107.

Also, I propose the [Post #].0 notation in order to refer to the original post or portions thereof, in order to avoid potential confusion with a reference to the entirety of the post & comments thread contents that may be implied by the bare reference to a given [Post #].

109:5516.19

This blog has used numerical comment references as well as italics for as long as I've been around, anyway. It's not that fucking difficult to hit "find" and then enter the fucking comment number to find the original.

But fine. You want longer comments complete with embedded text of previous comments? You'll get it.

"Library A a and Babble", become become bit Borgesian Clearly comments, comments. complaints, enough finally for go gonna has I'm if just large last library longer myself nearly need no non-sequitors. of of of Oh original possible realization semi-witty shit, that the to to type typing Unfogged We whip will. you

109:5016.23

110 -> [106,111.1]

I have no idea what 111 is referring to.

83: and because she's nice enough to be so succinct all the time.

TEXT IN ALL CAPS IS PERFECTLY READABLE IF THERE'S NOT MUCH OF IT.

When it gets into long sentences and paragraphs, though, then it gets to be either somewhat hard to read text in all caps or very hard, especially if there are no damn paragraph breaks. but OG is very brief, in my admittedly limited experience, so she's readable.

It's not that fucking difficult to hit "find" and then enter the fucking comment number to find the original.

But my fucking browser opens the fucking comment window in a weird fucking frame that doesn't allow for any fucking "find" feature.

Also, OPINIONATED GRANDMA has not authorized me to tell everyone that all-caps is her sig, and if anyone else does it, she will kick their fucking ass.

118 to 117.

117: here's a nickle kid, get a better browser.

But my fucking browser opens the fucking comment window in a weird fucking frame that doesn't allow for any fucking "find" feature.

ctrl-f perhaps?

117: No ctrl-F? Bummer.

OWNED

Pwned. Twice.

120: Impersonating OG will get you BANNED.

Pwned while attempting to admit pwnage.

123 ->123.

127, 125 -> 126.

I have no idea what 111 is referring to.

Crap, you're right. This house style thing is confusing. Here:

House Style Italicize the portion of the comment to which you're responding: I hate people, but especially men. Me too! Blockquote things pulled from external sources:

You should hate people, but especially men.

I agree! When you use only a number to refer to the comment to which you're responding, many people won't scroll up, and your comment won't make sense, so it'll be skipped, like so much dreck. Don't be a dreck, italicize.

This blog has used numerical comment references as well as italics for as long as I've been around, anyway. It's not that fucking difficult to hit "find" and then enter the fucking comment number to find the original. But fine. You want longer comments complete with embedded text of previous comments? You'll get it.

Of course, apparently html formatting within paragraphs destroys the paragraphing of the (block)quoted text, but I agree: communicating using these rules is much clearer than it was before.

But my fucking browser opens the fucking comment window in a weird fucking frame that doesn't allow for any fucking "find" feature.

Is it my fucking fault that you use a stupid fucking browser? Fucking Firefox is fucking free. Fucker.

Pile-on numerical pwnage.

128.last - 1:5025.65

I was hoping this would become the thread in which we each make our favorite obscure reference devoid of any context. Oh well.

Sheesh, now I'm annoying myself. CLEVER PLAN, OGGED!

132: PETER LAKE LIVES!!!

132: and then the lighting of the lamps.

What about the glowing monkey?

Well, you know, Mean Gene, CRYPTICMANIA IS ABOUT TO RUN WILD!

What about the glowing monkey?

Actually, this is more of a golden monkey thread.

I can't believe no one has mentioned my plugin to follow comment numbers to their original comment! Is no one using it besides me and Ben?

"follow" s/b "follow by clicking on".

What about the glowing monkey?

Just practicing.

139, I've just installed it and am trying it out.

I guess a thread on house style is as good a place as any to ask a question that's been plaguing me for months: Is OPINIONATED GRANDMA a person, or a persona that we're all allowed to use?

Don't use grandmas. They are old, and deserving of our respect.

IT'S NOT REALLY A PERSONA

JUST A WAY OF SAYING SILLY THINGS

IT STARTED OUT AS A PARODY OF A CERTAIN TYPE OF BLOG COMMENTER WHO USES CATCHPHRASES ALL THE TIME AND THINKS HE/SHE IS VERY CLEVER AND UNIQUE

But we're all allowed to use Fontana Labs.

146: "allowed" s/b "required."

Is OPINIONATED GRANDMA a person, or a persona that we're all allowed to use?

I've been meaning to ask the same thing about "ogged."

Let's stop talking about Unfogged.

Can the italicization rule be ignored when the quote is not yet unavailable?
158: I'm not so sure about /that/.

Personally, I've always found unfogged's comment-pointer-arithmetic charming. dereference(80): I believe it was called the "nectar of the Gods" by Chris Elliot.

I think that the numerical content referencing sets up a pleasing tension between the humanities nerds and the math queers.

Consensus is: ogged was wrong.

otoh, that's just house style.

145 sounds sad and disillusioned.

Okay, once again I show my woeful lack of Unfogged history, but somehow I got the impression that OG was concocted specifically to mock a certain kind of DailyKos poster. Is that right, or am I basically on crack?

Let's stop talking about Unfogged.

Isn't this rule 1 of the house style?

Wait, that CTRL key does something besides reboot? Tell me more!

I see Esk, Catarl, and Pig-Up....

I got the impression that OG was concocted specifically to mock a certain kind of DailyKos poster.

Unless I'm much mistaken, OG posts on other blogs (and predates Unfogged).

6, 10, 11, 19, 23, 29, 36, 44, 51
(Testing my random number generator)

150
cool!

160:150
cool!

Is 160 misquoting 150, or commenting on 150? So hard to tell!

161:160:150
cool!

Is 160 misquoting 150, or commenting on 150? So hard to tell!

Nevermind, I figured it out.

Wicked cool, pdf23ds.

Yields the truth value of "Yields a falsehood when appended to its own italicization yields a falsehood when appended to its own italicization." when appended to its own blockquote

165 to 164,

145: IT'S NOT REALLY A PERSONA JUST A WAY OF SAYING SILLY THINGS IT STARTED OUT AS A PARODY OF A CERTAIN TYPE OF BLOG COMMENTER WHO USES CATCHPHRASES ALL THE TIME AND THINKS HE/SHE IS VERY CLEVER AND UNIQUE

I am going to have to work very hard to forget that I read this. Don't destroy my illusions!

Unfogged is the number one google hit for "misuse of enormity" (no quotes in original), which I happened to be searching on because Chuck Scarborough on NBC news just used enormity to describe a steam pipe explosion.

Yeah, this house rules stuff is wizard cocksucker.

166

AND OF COURSE THE BASTARDS WANT TO DISTRACT US FROM THEIR WARMONGERING

GET THE FACTS

CHIMPEACH THE CHIMPEROR

139: I can't believe no one has mentioned my plugin to follow comment numbers to their original comment!

That's sexy as hell pdf23ds. It's also a solution to the problem with B's solution ("use Find") upthread: Even if you use find to jump right to the reference, you still have to keep in working memory where you left off and then go back there when you're done. With this, one can just right-click and select "back."

If Ogged would enable the <blink> tag, we could indicate quoted text that way. Then the comments would be all pretty.

And colors! Lots of colors!

And what about <IMG>? These threads could use some animated GIFs? Speaking of which, since the content on this site is always changing, it should really have an "Under Construction" image on the main page. I've seen a really cute one where the guy with the shovel is animated so it looks like he's digging.

And perhaps one day I'll be able to share one of my tickers with you all! Or my fairy avatar!

I really do hate people.

Is there a way we can get this page listed as "Miscellaneous" in Yahoo? I already submitted it to Webcrawler and Lycos.

175 ¬to 165

Oh please dont make this place avatar accessible.

176 to 176.

185 to 176.

178: 176 to 176.

PWNED!

I didn't even realize the right-click-back thing would work. Sweet. Nice, pdf23ds, and JGO, you are nice, too.

I MISS THE DAYS OF REC.HOBBIES.UNFOGGED

IT WAS SO MUCH EASIER TO OSTRACIZE NEWBIES THEN. JUST POST THE FAQ AND KEEP 'EM AT ARMS LENGTH.

<ASCII Facepalm Man>

rec.pets.cats.unfogged.die.die.die

WHY ISN'T ANYBODY TALKING ABOUT THE POVERTY OF ANALYTIC PHILOSOPHY?

YOU'RE ALL READING HARRY POTTER BOOKS! AREN'T YOU? AREN'T YOU?

Grandma pwned by the redirect chain!

rec.hobbies.cry.cry.masturbate.cry

No, wait, Sifu pwned by not being able to follow the goddamn redirect chain he helped create.

THE WARLORD LIVES!

I'm making my amends.

Carp are awful. Harry Potter is wonderful. Analytic philosophy is really quite excellent. So is neoclassical economics. So is pomo. So is academic bureaucracy. The South shall rise again. (It turns out that my medication level has been too low all this time. )

185:You did make me feel guilty about commenting instead of reading socialists.

(Duck and cover. I think that's Marx, but could be Proudhon or even Bakhunin)

191: Reminds me to check to see if there is any morning coffee left.

I hope no one expects me to take usage and style seriously.

"Library A a and Babble", become become bit Borgesian Clearly comments, comments. complaints, enough finally for go gonna has I'm if just large last library longer myself nearly need no non-sequitors. of of of Oh original possible realization semi-witty shit, that the to to type typing Unfogged We whip will. you

I already did the markov chain thing, pal. (Previously mentioned, although that wasn't its first appearance. I can't find its original appearance anymore, though.)

EMERSON TOTALLY ROCKS!

EVERYBODY SHOULD BUY HIS BOOK!

AND HARRY POTTER (IF YOU LIKE THAT SORT OF THING)!

Sucker. Neoclassical economics sucks.

Opinionated Grandma speaks in the voice of the robot from Ok Computer in the warmest nook of my mind.

George W. Bush isn't really that bad.

I liked Emerson better back when his job was hating on me.

And colors! Lots of colors

Have I ever mentioned how elegantly designed this website is?

I have something I'd like to share with you all. Something that changed my life, and can change yours too.

STOP POUTING, EMERSON

Emerson, relationships, any thoughts?

Freedom is only possible within the bonds of love.

It's also a solution to the problem with B's solution ("use Find") upthread: Even if you use find to jump right to the reference, you still have to keep in working memory where you left off and then go back there when you're done. With this, one can just right-click and select "back."

Um, all you have to do is keep the find window open (if you're using FF like a sane human being, the toolbar stays RIGHT THERE) and hit "find [comment#]" next" instead of "find previous."

Seriously, people. Even a stupid humanities bitch can figure this out.

Props to the bitch for figuring something out.

When you use only a number to refer to the comment to which you're responding, many people won't scroll up

Particularly those people who don't know how to use the "find" or "goto" functions on their browsers.

In an unrelated matter: for fuck's sake, OG, it was extra weird for you to come out of character. Let's not have any more of that.

204: dammit. pwned.

Hey, cerebrocrat's back! How'd that "big plan" in midtown that you said would get "really steamy" go?

How do you type the html characters for how to italicize or bold something without having them accomplish their goal of formatting the text? What do you type to show what you're doing?

Comment 23 is an example of what I'm talking about. (If I were to copy it and italicize it, I think that the formatting would change once I tried to post it.)

How do you type the html characters for how to italicize or bold something without having them accomplish their goal of formatting the text? What do you type to show what you're doing?

You use HTML escape codes instead of the tags themselves.

205: Wanna teach me how to drive, grandpa?

See 100, BG.

If you haven't already done as LR said.

The South shall rise again.

So shall Billy Joel, the accountant.

209:

&amp; displays an ampersand sign.

So, if you type:

&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;

Then people see:

&lt;i&gt;

Which of course means that you can teach them how to teach other people how to write:

<i>

I love every one of you.

Of course, according to the latest edition of Strunk & White's The Elements of Blogospheric Style, the correct way to quote the poster or another commenter in the thread is to use both italics and quotation marks:

"I hate people, but especially men."

The widespread willingness in the interwebs to drop the quotation marks means that a lot of folks are headed to hell after they die. Don't fuck with Strunk & White if you want a happy afterlife.

206: Goto considered harmful.

Also, in general, 25 or 6 to 4.

While I am eager to observe community norms and be accepted as part of the group, I also feel obligated to point out that Dr. B is totally right.

25 or 6 to 4. Archaic reference.

And..... Yes, now stuck in my head. Thanks John.

Does anyone else think that Dijkstra's "Go To Statement Considered Harmful" is the most overrated essay in the history of computer science, or possibly the written word?

Walt Someguy considered harmful.

49: I've always thought that comment threads should become more complex, not less.

I thought of your proposed system the moment I started reading this thread. I loved your system then and I still love it now.

OT: has cerebrocrat been eaten by bears (not the good kind) or have I just missed him? I've got to keep up with my queer peeps.

Of course, 49 s/b 42. FUCK!

I keep misreading the title as House Of Style.

I've got to keep up with my queer peeps.

I can never keep this straight. Is it the chicks or the bunnies that are queer?

And which color?

207: Aaaaaaaand pwned anyway. I need a strict "no commenting before the 2nd caffeine" rule in my personal house style.

228: Both chicks and bunnies can be queer, apo. It's done by color. I'm not allowed to tell you which are which, though; you have to eat one to see if it likes it and discover for yourself.

Both chicks and bunnies can be queer, apo.

Whew, that's a relief. I thought my peepdar had gone all haywire.

All the peeps I've seen have been crammed together in a tiny box, yet I've never seen any baby peeps running around...I assume they're all gay.

Love the new hovertext. I assume we have slol to thank for that.

Perhaps they're just virtuous, heebie.

I always just assumed they used birth control.

233: ??? I see nothing new.

234: It's not unheard of, you know.

Perhaps they're just virtuous, heebie.

Being gay doesn't conflict with being virtuous, Apo.

238: Obviously.

Internet Explorer-using loozers always see the same hovertext, from dear old John Emerson. People who use Firefox (and, I assume, other browsers) see an ever-changing panoply of hovertexts. I don't really know why w-lfs-n set a static hovertext for IE; you'll have to take it up with him. Welcome to the Unfogged bureaucracy.

Jesus, people. Use your Internet Explorer to download a real browser already.

241: As if that were an option for me.

At work, I mean.

Are you locked out of installing software on your machine at work?

244: But of course!

Bastards!

"Software" S/B "pornography"".

246: Yeah, the man is really keeping me down.

Shouldn't you be italicizing software? Scofflaw!

"Software" S/B "pornography"

But just soft-core.

Yeah, the man is really keeping me down

But, but...you ARE the man (note deft application of house rules re italics)

I have the same problem as NCProsecutor. It was always an annoyance, but it really burns now that I know I'm being actively discriminated against.

245: Portable Firefox can be run from a USB memory stick, without requiring installation.

Might work for you.

Also, these house rules are complete bullshit. I may just stop referencing previous comments altogether: no comment numbers, no italics, no blockquotes. I'll leave it as an exercise for the reader to figure out what the hell I'm talking about.

254 -> 110.

247,248: "down" s/b "flaccid."

Also, these house rules are complete bullshit. I may just stop referencing previous comments altogether: no comment numbers, no italics, no blockquotes. I'll leave it as an exercise for the reader to figure out what the hell I'm talking about.

Dude, that's crazy talk.

253: Holy shit. That is totally fucking awesome. Lemme give that a try.

Also, in general, 25 or 6 to 4.

Indeed.

By the way, I had to use Yahoo to find that. It is apparently not the case that Hoohole hooholes itself.

253: Works. Um, wow.

Aren't you glad you can read the mouseover text?

261: Okay, now that was kind of a letdown.

Hey, there's a spell check function! I guess that's cool.

I don't really know why w-lfs-n set a static hovertext for IE; you'll have to take it up with him. Welcome to the Unfogged bureaucracy.

I didn't mean to set it just for IE. It's just that the thing I did? Only turns out to work on IE.

If you remove it, will IE users get to enjoy the cavalcade of merriment and wit that Firefox users now do?

Can you undo the thing you did? It "works" in IE, but that seems more like a bug than a feature.

If you remove it, will IE users get to enjoy the cavalcade of merriment and wit that Firefox users now do?

Only if brain damage caused by extended IE use hasn't set in.

We'll find out soon.

New hovertext! My world is complete.

What used to happen in IE is that one would see the new hovertext for a second and then the old Emerson one (re lump sum giving to Grice fund) would replace it. So to read any new one longer than a couple of words one had to keep refreshing the main page.

eaten by bears (not the good kind)
hahahaha

Aw, y'all missed me!

I was eaten by neuroscientists (away at a conference).

And since everyone's talking browsers, I'd just like to report back that my switch from Firefox to Safari has in the end been mostly positive (although I do like Firefox). The switch from Mail.app to Thunderbird, on the other hand, was aborted after a day.

If you miss the F'Fox, you may enjoy "Bon Echo", which is a Firefox build specific to Mac computer processors. Not as sleek as Camino, but accepting of Firefox extensions.

I had same experience with T-Bird.

Wow, I can't believe I missed this post. I've been pushing the use of quotes instead of number references here for ages.