It's not really Salon, it's Machinist. Different layout, different design, different editor, doesn't count.
Clearly this is the first step in an unmask-ogged campaign. Once you start talking to reporters via your pseud it's only a matter of time. The cocky "Not a chance" will be Ogged's "Bring 'em on."
Also, re 1: the world used to be full of old people, but now it is more and more full of young people.
a humorously wonky blog and discussion site popular with D.C. types,
Mouseover text? Or too cripplingly dull?
Wow, this story is weird. You people actually did this? Just to get Armsmasher a win in a "hot or not" contest? So very, very sad.
"wonky" is exactly wrong if meant in the American sense of the word.
I find it hilarious that stras is apparently just finding out about this from the article.
So very, very sad.
You seem to be commenting here, mate.
Just to get Armsmasher a win in a "hot or not" contest?
No, catherine too.
But it's written by Salon's Farhad Manjoo, and it's the second article from the top of Salon's list of articles, right below the one about Karl Rove. They just shoehorned it into the "Machinist" category even though it's not a blog entry.
I can't believe catherine's picture is right at the top of Salon's front page. This is fantastic
I was about to say "Salon should write more things like this and fewer bleeding-heart platitudes and predictable complaints", but viewed objectively I think it sadly fits into their other pattern of boring commentary on insignificant media events.
This makes me weirdly unhappy. If I were more introspective perhaps I would know why.
When are they going to figure out that Labs did his damndest to keep Althouse from winning best moderate blog, or whatever it was? This place is a hotbed of electoral corruption.
8: I'm only here for the indignant lefty contempt.
7: But works really well from a UK perspective.
LB, Farhad Manjoo is clearly reading the comments here. This blog's salad days are over. It's just a matter of time before Ogged's multimillion-pound book deal becomes a pyrrhic victory as his true identity is revealed and his parents are scandalized, like other bloggers.
I'm worried that Ogged will start contracting out our powers. He could be the Ralph Reed of snark.
12: This makes me weirdly unhappy. If I were more introspective perhaps I would know why.
Personally, I find the way that everyone seems to think the bots were all that hard to write really, really disheartening. Granted, they weren't my bots (except the super-ghetto bash version), so no offense intended to w-lfs-n, but still. Especially coming from people who apparently write crap on the internet professionally.
"Mom, I didn't really spend all that time cruising the porno sites internet for an appropriate bride. I was just chatting idly with my underachieving friends".
strasmangelo, your scorn should be directed at the people who actually wrote the bot programs (soubzriquet and Lunar Rockette).
17: My greatest fear is that someone will reveal my true identity, and then realize that I'm actually fairly boring.
We're high level intellectuals, LR, sort of like Henry Kissinger. We don't do the menial stuff.
Also, the article should make it clear that the winners last year were equally bot-aided. Capps and Andrews are being dragged through the mud as if they had used unprecedented campaign tactics.
Kriston's response validated his win, as far as I'm concerned.
I have to say, the article is pretty good: that's pretty much how things happened and he doesn't draw a bunch of unwarranted conclusions.
The version we used was one w-lfs-n wrote, not soubz; soubz wrote last year's model, which we ended up not using. I just made it into a Windows executable, which is ridiculously simple to do. Trained monkeys, etc.
Actually, now that I reflect upon it, I've decided that this bot-running thing of Unfogged's was in fact a brilliant campaign to subvert and undermine the hegemonic beauty standards represented by the tyrannical Hot or Not contest. Kudos, bot-people.
This blog is popular with "Washington types"? That brings to mind an actual political blog.
I'd say it's more popular with Chicago types, that is, moderately stressed lawyers. Or Santa Clara types.
The woman called "Becks" seems vaguely sinister to me. Does anyone know anything about her?
We need to figure out what Farhaad Manjoo's pseudonym is.
8: I'm only here for the indignant lefty contempt.
Right now I'm here because it's morally and legally wrong to beat up stupid undergrads and one's own offspring.
28: That was the conclusion I eventually reached as well.
I don't think Manjoo actually reads the site.
We need to figure out what Farhaad Manjoo's pseudonym is.
"Ogged" obviously.
HOPE U LIKED MY SALON PIECE
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK BORING LIBERALS
BTW "FARHAD" HAS ONLY 2 A'S
Actually, the full response when he asked me my name was "Not a chance. But I can tell you that I have a cousin named Farhad."
We need to figure out what Farhaad Manjoo's pseudonym is.
What makes you think he posts here?
32: I take it classes have begun.
I have a Scotch in my hand right now.
21/28: actually, soubz didn't write any of them.
We need to figure out what Farhaad Manjoo's pseudonym is.
No, we need to figure out what his real name is. "Farhaad"?
Sheeet, ogged.
I'll be back when the national attention dies down.
39 "posts" s/b "comments"
I hate it when people mix those up.
JUST LIKE RON PAUL
THE COMPETITIVE LIBERTARIAN CANDIDATE IS IGNORED IN THIS MSM ACCOUNT OF THE ELECTION
John of Armada? Ahaman O'Fjord?
27 - There was also the Mac script, which was a straight shell script by me.
We are, like, a metaphor for Washington. And it's totally cool that we pwned the New York Times, due to our fearless leader, Changez.
I'm impressed -- I don't know if it's positively -- that Farhaad Manjoo wrote that story without using the verb "freep". Hey, Ogged, congratulations on singlehandedly inventing the idea of ballot stuffing unscientific online polls!
You know what? "Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker" sounds a lot like an early Gorey character name. Maybe that's just because of Mr Earbrass, of The Unstrung Harp. Hm. This bears investigation.
First the enterprising investigative reporter uncovers the story, next come the subpoenas and Congressional hearings. Ogged will testify from behind a screen, through one of those voice distortion thingies.
But anyway, this is slightly worrisome. Salon mentions "a pseudonymous woman named Becks", and then links to a picture of Catherine and Kriston which happens to also have Becks in it. We can be pretty sure that someone who knows Becks but doesn't know about her online persona will see that picture and then start poking around to see what she wrote on Unfogged.
I have to say, the article is pretty good: that's pretty much how things happened and he doesn't draw a bunch of unwarranted conclusions.
The part where he thinks it's noteworthy is pretty much where it falls down.
I have to say, the article is pretty good
I guess. It does hit on what would've been my own rationale for having run bots, had I done so, ahem. Quoth catherine:
"I mean, this contest is completely ridiculous, and in previous years many of the winners had won by bots"
But that's kind of buried in the article. It was a pretty stupid contest, and that's the point, for me.
Also the phrase "Ogged and his fans" doesn't quite ring true.
Yeah, the article comes off as pretentious as hell, It's written about something totally trivial yet it's completely not funny, which would be the only excuse. I mean, could you write an article about something real? It's not like the financial system is imploding or we're bogged down in any disastrous wars or anything.
You know what? "Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker" sounds a lot like an early Gorey character name.
Are you setting a trap for some naive commenter, Ben?
"," s/b ".". Also, 55 totally pwned me. It's like, pithy.
popular with D.C. types
On so many levels, I resent that. The only reason I like you folks is because you're not "D.C. types." If you were, Emerson and I would shun you and form our own wonky blog: Emerkauf. (And John would be pleased, as our site would win Google.)
61: I, too, have suffered 55 pwnage. Damn you, fishbasket!
links to a picture of Catherine and Kriston which happens to also have Becks in it
Oh, shit, I hadn't clicked through. Any replacements we can suggest to Manjoo?
You remembered the basket! I have been enjoying the many forms of my pseud.
65: they look quite stylish here.
64: You so are not. Please, tell me about Los Angeles. See! You know about the West Coast, ipso facto not a D.C. insider.
60: if I am, it's one into which I've already fallen. I had to google the name to find out why it sounded so familiar, since I was pretty sure it wasn't a Gorey name, even if it had the fizz and hue of one, and learned, all over again, that the name comes from Finnegans Wake. As I say, I'm fairly sure that the name doesn't also occur in the Gorey corpus; am I wrong?
Sir, am I wrong?
68: that's where the Nixon Library is, right?
65: This one. Might want to move it to an unrelated photo stream.
I just assumed you knew it was from Finnegans Wake. One of those myriad HCEs. They go through the text alongside the ALPs.
Well, I did, even before I posted that comment. But it didn't seem necessary to mention that.
ALP
Adenosine Liephosphate. All Lomorrow's Parties. American Lumpy Persons.
Right. I am already totally shocked that Becks is able to maintain pseudonymity while living with that eponymous crew, but the links to pictures like that don't help.
that eponymous crew
Everyone knows not to mess with the Crew.
Say, since this whole thread is going to end up being redacted anyhow, does anybody want to see my penis?
I just emailed Manjoo with some alternate photo suggestions. Here's hoping.
71 was me. You might want to redact Ned's excellent point, as well.
Perhaps redactions are in order, of comments here.
I just emailed Manjoo with some alternate photo suggestions. Here's hoping
See 4 above.
I'm tired people, spell it out for me, what needs to be redacted?
80: I'm not sophisticated about these things (as this comment will no doubt attest), but can't someone do something on the other end? That is, can't someone move those pictures and put something more appropriate in their place?
Capps looks plowed. Like Bitch, Catherine looks wholesome.
Sorry Catherine. Sorry, Bitch.
Manjoo is going to use a different pic.
86: 54. Why point out what might not occur to people new to the site? (And probably related comments).
So anyway, it turns out that the hot Iranian Bay Area guy that the lifeguard was hoping to get an email from was Farhad Manjoo.
Holy Christ-fucker, Sifu, I know the exact search you made. Sadly, you neglected to go to the second page, wherein lay the better picture.
Catherine's not looking very feminine in that one.
Damn. So now we have to say nice things about Iranian #2.
But wait! Maybe B**** was counting on this to be her 15 minutes!
97: yeah well Bitch is just going to have to wait. This is Becks, Kriston and Catherine's time.
That is, can't someone move those pictures and put something more appropriate in their place?
Absolutely. Damn you ogged, you should have thought this through. Thousands of Salon readers could have been clicking through to this, but no, you had to queer the deal by telling Manjoo.
Relax, he linked to a different picture, all is well.
Oh, sorry, responded before reading your whole comment. (That's how fast I am on the trigger!)
That's what she said!
Heyoh!
Hm that was suspiciously fast turnaround: ogged IS Manjoo!
ogged IS Manjoo!
Well, he certainly isn't Mandom.
I'm not generally a promoter of redaction, but in the interest of promoting pseudonymity I should note that I didn't previously know who Becks was, and now I do, and I came to this thread after the photo-swap on Salon (so the only photo I saw linked directly from the article was just Capps/Catherine/Sausagely).
And so there's no panic, by "know who Becks was" all I meant is that I've now seen her photo. I wasn't able to run a full background check or anything.
Ok, I'll temporarily unpublish this post and put it back up next week or something.
