The Evolution of the Dougman
In case you were wondering why that statue is on the sidebar...
This is the story of the Dougman from the comment threads on EjectEjectEject.
What am i good at?
Tapping forehead,. think...think..think...
Posted by: Dougman | May 1, 2007 12:56 PM
First comment on “It’s a Moving Company”:ED
...Thinking..Oooo! I GOT Somethin'!
I can take the blame for everything that goes wrong or falls short of being Perfect. Like a whipping boy or a burnt offering! yeah that's the ticket!
When anyone wants to rant about America, they can blame ME instead!
America Sucks can be "Dougman Sucks!"
a focal point for everyone's hate! ...Hmmn,..i like it.
Posted by: Dougman | May 3, 2007 5:39 AM
"..it's just too damn bad that the investors dropped out on Kim & Connie du Toit's business start-up."
Ahem!
Excuse me but, that's MY fault. My department.
Don't make me go to the union with this.
Posted by: Dougman | May 3, 2007 6:21 AM
Sorry, it'll take me a while to get into the "blame Dougman" mentality.
Fine. It's all your fault. :P
Posted by: WayneB | May 3, 2007 6:36 AM
"Fine. It's all your fault. :P
Posted by: WayneB"
Aaahhh, that's better.
(scared ya with that union threat, huh?)
I confess there is no union, but if there were ,.. you guessed it!
It would be MY Fault. ;^]
Posted by: Dougman | May 3, 2007 8:18 AM
All of this is so exciting, all the more so since it is -- as I suspected it would -- assembling itself before my eyes.
It's like walking with some friends over to a field, pointing out that a nice valley would make a pretty decent place for a villiage, returning over the crest of the hill for a sandwich and then, ten minutes later, returning to find the fields cleared and foundations being poured without the first mention of a blueprint or a plan. THAT is why I am convinced this will work, and I will try to outline the essence of it in YOU ARE NOT ALONE, which I hope to write over the weekend.
Otto said something a few posts up that encapsulates my only concern. He said, This is what worries me with the idea of a virtual space...
He's right. If this becomes a retreat, a fantasy to get away from the real world, well, we might as well all be playing World of Warcraft and call it a day.
No, the ESSENTIAL characteristic of the success of this venture is the idea that we can exchange information -- both for survival and protection AND for personal growth, education and just plain fun -- and then take that knowledge out into the world and make the world a better place.
I will try to hammer this point in the essay, but we need to be crystal clear on one thing: This is about building a SHIELD, not a BUNKER. I have no interest whatsoever in helping build a place where bitter people go to hide. What I would like to do is to see if we can create a virtual city where we can pool our knowledge and skills, refresh our courage, re-affirm our morality and then take those virtues back out into the world and re-light the fire of liberty, courage and reason.
Going to the moon is nothing compared to the size of this challenge. And there's not ONE of you who doesn't grin at that prospect. You magnificent bastards...all of you! (except for Great Hairy Silverback -- nothing magnificent about him. He's just a bastard.)
Even in this embryonic first hour, this is a thrilling and impressive collection of people. Except Doug, of course. If it weren't for him we'd be done by now, the jackal-jawed slacker.
DAMN YOU DOUG!
Posted by: Bill Whittle | May 3, 2007 9:49 AM
Calm the DDS, Bill ;)
(Dougman Derangement Syndrome)
Posted by: RiverCocytus | May 3, 2007 10:14 AM
Thank you Sir,
may i please have another!
(I was working on a longer retort but,...naw, too much like work)
Back in Slack
I hit the sack
i been too long
i'm glad to be back
Yada, yada,..
You get the Drift :)
Posted by: Dougman | May 3, 2007 11:12 AM
P.S.
RA-CHEL! RA-CHEL!! RA-CHEL!!
Posted by: Dougman | May 3, 2007 11:21 AM
I love to:-> read books in order to discover, generate and explore ideas; research stuff that works extremely well and that's built to last; Internet and direct marketing; I'm really good at coming up with unusual and creative means of solving problems.
I was just on a conference call and I was able to blame dougman for a problem with one of my projects. Thanks dougman!
Posted by: Joachim Klehe | May 3, 2007 1:55 PM
LabRat! Hoo-HOO! So glad to see your voice again!
Man, it's like the Ocean's Eleven gang reforming after too many years in separate and scattered pursuits. Well, the walls are surely manned (or "personed") NOW. Good news.
As for the weight I gained in the interim -- thanks a lot, Dougman! (that role you've chosen really comes in handy)
In the meantime, it's back to picking fleas and scratching myself, and contemplating a higher societal ethos for my fellow e-citizens.
GHS
Posted by: GreatHairySilverback | May 3, 2007 6:56 PM
I's just swing in my hammock in the Garden,lookin' up at all the pretty clouds when i heard a distant rumble from aways off.
"The Battle in the Clouds" from Wrechard
A storm is a-brewin' boys and girls.
But in the mean time,
RA-CHEL! RA-CHEL!! RA-CHEL!!
I know you wanna RIP into something.
Let it be me 8;^}
Posted by: Dougman | May 4, 2007 6:33 AM
"just swing in my hammock" ?
That'd be 'swinging'
I'm just gonna slap myself for that one.
Posted by: Dougman | May 4, 2007 6:37 AM
And "Wrechard" !?
Somebody SMACK ME!
It's Wretchard.
(preview THEN post)
i'll learn.
Posted by: Dougman | May 4, 2007 6:41 AM
That's one small burrito for a man
One giant enchilada for mankind
Sorry, Bill didn't say exactly what kind of fun
I mean, Dougman, Geeze Louise...
Posted by: Otto Gass | May 4, 2007 6:55 AM
"Geeze Louise"
She's in the Garden TOO?
Off the hammock I go, looking around in wide-eyed fright *o*
(Shhh, don't anybody let her know i'm here.)
Posted by: Dougman | May 4, 2007 7:04 AM
TJB, I think you have come to the same conclusion I have. I think we can draw 90% of the West's pathologies down to one term: NARCISSISM.
That's the disease.
And I, personally, unaided by any of you insignificant losers, through my own superior mental powers, unrivaled moral vision and superhuman, once-in-a-generation force of personality and will, mean to kick narcissism in the ass.
Me! I will! Look at me!!
Posted by: Bill Whittle | May 4, 2007 1:57 PM
Narcissism, my fault.
Bending over, grabbing ankles and waiting for a swift kick.
Be ready to run though.
Kinda gassy lately.
Posted by: Dougman | May 4, 2007 2:54 PM
Here's something I whipped up in a spare half-hour I had:
http://www.river-cocytus.com/images/stores/civ/ad_astera.png
If it ain't good, I blame dougman.
Its just a roughie, (done using Inkscape - a free program.) and if you like it at all or want to use it you can. It can be made more 'refined' or some such as well.
You can also tell what I voted for.
Posted by: RiverCocytus | May 4, 2007 4:02 PM
Ok, trying again...
http://www.river-cocytus.com/images/stories/civ/ad_astera.png
(hotlinking is disabled so reload once...)
Darn you, dougman.
Posted by: RiverCocytus | May 4, 2007 4:04 PM
River, could ya give me a hand straighting up.
Back problems ya know. ar-gh!
Thanx, that's better. (fhunnhp)
Oh! sorry 'bout that.
Phew.
Posted by: Dougman | May 4, 2007 4:27 PM
The Monster
You have created a quite powerful Rune/Mandala. Red is the correct color for the central rune and gives it strength. Blue is the color of the North Winds. The thin black lines serve a dual purpose, as they make it a sun-wheel and seem to delineate the nine seperate yet interconnected realms of the world tree Ygdrasil. Two questions. Is there a line missing on the right hand fork? How do YOU describe the various parts of this model, in it's multiple dimensions? This old rune-scratcher would like to know.
Muninn
Posted by: Muninn | May 4, 2007 3:39 PM
Munin, the actual inspiration for the design is a block with E! on each face. The thin lines separate the face into the two characters and the two parts of the exclamation point from each other. The colors help to emphasize that the exclamation point, despite having two pieces, is a single entity.
When I figured out that E!E!E! would have 6 faces, one for each word of the Latin motto, I knew it made a perfect fit.
BTW, I've lived in Kansas since I was two years old, so I have a special fondness for a motto that starts with "Ad astra" or a variation thereof.
Posted by: The Monster | May 4, 2007 3:57 PM
The Monster
You know, I figured that out about 60 seconds AFTER I posted. Once again, Its all DOUGMANS fault.
Hope things are good in Kansas.
Muninn
Posted by: Muninn | May 4, 2007 5:47 PM
One question that I find invaluable in debate.
"Does a person have a right to the fruits of their own labor?"
If the answer is Yes, then you have chance at logical debate.
If the answer is No, then don't waste your time.
Back to my early love affair with Ayn Rand (before logic became dogma)
Posted by: daddyquatro | May 4, 2007 7:20 PM
By the way, if the answer is No.
I blame Dougman.
Posted by: daddyquatro | May 4, 2007 8:42 PM
Fearing narcissism, I hesitate to ponder the pool long enough to satisfactorily answer that question to myself. Wanting to turn around and not drown, I instead approach obliquely.
Trail a finger just into the surface, then walk away. Dang, that doesn't sound nearly good enough. Look at what everyone else has to offer.
Well... I know I have common sense, thank you God. Cruelly uncommon, that.
I do have an annoying habit of asking good questions. Most of the time, people don't like it, though...
I can get lost in the intellectual basket-weaving which sometimes attempts to defy the over-riding, overwhelming influence of essential human nature.
I can teach independent thinking, which requires copious doses of patience. Copious.
I am bilingual. That's an American tale. For another day.
What do I enjoy doing... writing. I'm not any good at it, but I enjoy it.
Touching my own eyeball to see if I'm alive, I will sometimes wander into what I am sure is madness. For too often I look about me, and ask, nearly out loud, Am I The Only One Who Sees It?
Blink.
I might be able to escape my room and not feel alone sooner than I thought.
I think, Dougman, you are delirious with joy.
Posted by: alexa kim | May 5, 2007 1:48 PM
Otto,
Let it transpire.
Like raising Children, This only comes around once.
Enjoy each moment.
And relish silence, to listen with 'Your Ear'.
Alexa Kim,
"I get delirious,
Whenever you're near." :)
"See Ya'll Bright and Early.
Monday morning!
i gotta' get back to the kids now.
Thank 'G-D'.
Posted by: Dougman | May 5, 2007 6:14 PM
OK Dougman, you are much too wise for me to persist with the scapegoat meme.
Narcissism, eh? I guess I'd shut up if I wasn't having so much fun. Alexa Kim - just wow. What a touch.
As long as I'm playing with a dead thread - new one is up past 40 comments - I'll note Lionell's point in doing without the inmates in the asylum. I'd like that more than anything, but they get so much airtime it would be nice to reduce their presence somehow, the nutties. Now, my Latin is fit only for swine, but maybe another tag like
Ed Asnerae Swollenanus Terra Exeunt Blastofarti
or something.
Should I be ashamed of my disdain for other humans? Forgive me.
OK, shutting up.
Posted by: Otto Gass | May 5, 2007 8:45 PM
labrat!!--if i wasnt getting so old and fuzzy-brained i'd kick your ass at trivial pursuit!--i used to beat 5 or 6 people at a time by myself!--ahhh!--those were the days my friend!-- i guess i can blame dougman for it!--your a useless stoopit doug!--- now show us something positive!--i'm losing my patience!
Posted by: snakesavage | May 5, 2007 11:27 PM
I ment to post this comment in the previous entry. Damnit Dougman ,Look what you made me do :)
Posted by: Pithed Off | May 5, 2007 3:49 PM
I ment to post the robert burns comment in the previous entry. Damnit Dougman ,Look what you made me do :)
Posted by: Pithed Off | May 5, 2007 3:51 PM
Damn myself! I don't have time to look up the script but something like "What good is it to gain the world & lose your life/soul" something like that.
Or
"Whoever will lose his life for my sake will find everlasting life".
The devil is in the details folks, we all KNOW this, ( and somebody make sure to whup my a$$ for that too)
If you call yourself a Believer, Then step up and Believe, meaning get over your self/Ego.
Get in line and be willing to swallow your pride-(smack)-hey, where'd THAT come from!- Jumpin' Jupiter it's Geez Louise! snuck up behind me while i was babbling on to you fine folks. Ooo she is MAD at me.
Posted by: Dougman | May 7, 2007 5:08 AM
There is a job that needs doing. Unfortunately in any group, there are those few who can and do and those many who can't and won't. This group is no different.
Either lead, follow or get out of the way!
Posted by: Lionell K. Griffith | May 7, 2007 6:27 AM
Am i a stumbling block to you Lionell ?
Posted by: Dougman | May 7, 2007 7:17 AM
Dougman,
The quote you were looking for is "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." Its from Jim Elliot who was martyred on the mission field. I had time to look it up. : )
Posted by: LeslieK | May 7, 2007 7:40 AM
Bless your Heart Leslie.
I must admit that i've never heard that one before but Truth reinforces itself in many ways.
That's what is so great about the Net.
Posted by: Dougman | May 7, 2007 7:55 AM
Reason and good manners are the hallmarks of civilization. As long as we retain those all will be well. I've learned an important lesson about what copywright protection means. I will modify the comment instructions later today when I have given it a little more thought, and if that still presents problems, I will modify it again. Obviously, I cannot do this forever; there are essential protections I must retain, and if you can't live with those then that is that -- nothing personal, and no hard feelings. Lionell is absolutely correct: in some matters -- like this one -- precision of language is everything.
I hope, however, that this example shows enough goodwill and common sense to maybe convince people that I would appreciate the benefit of the doubt before evil intent is assumed.
And really, when all is said and done, I think we all know who is responsible this. Let's just show a little class this time and not mention Dougman by name.
Posted by: Bill Whittle | May 7, 2007 9:23 AM
When faced with life's decisions,
ponder the question WWDMD?
Then, do the opposite.
Floating Baby Head.
I just love saying that.
RA-CHEL! RA-CHEL! RA-CHEL!
Posted by: daddyquatro | May 7, 2007 10:25 AM
daddyquatro-
Exactly, only a fool would offer himself up as a whipping boy.
Or someone that was sent to fulfill crazy prophesy 8:^}
Posted by: Dougman | May 7, 2007 10:43 AM
Bill, you're the very picture of grace under pressure.
Dougman, you're no fool.
Posted by: Otto Gass | May 7, 2007 11:55 AM
"Ejecta" is grammatically correct but passive. Lot's of things explode in this universe, but few such eruptions have intent, direction or volition. Ejecta is just fotsam and jetsam. A solar flare is ejecta. I want my own starship with a mission, staffed with the best men and women this planet can offer, and armed to the gunnels with reason, logic, and a better vision for the future. Pardon my sophistry. Give me a single thread and I'm prone to weave a tapestry across the loom of the sky. To the stars on a flaming throne of right thought, right action, and right intent! Oops. I've gone over the line now. I didn't mean suggest that the current favorite is inadequate. I just have a tendancy to spout. At least, in my own defense, I can claim that my comments are always meant in good faith. For the rest, blame Dougman.
Posted by: Mark Paules | May 7, 2007 6:29 PM
Having worked for lawyers in my previous life, which is why I am a meerkat in this life, I avoid legalese as much as I can. When Lionel posted his quibble, I started to fidget.
With nearly the same prostration Bill volunteers for James Lileks, I voluntarily agree that Bill is a decent fellow, a writer of such calibre that I feel cheeky posting a comment of any length here, and I was never worried that he'd come after me if I quoted my own damn self. Maybe the entirely required Dougman would, but not Bill.
We've all moved on already, right? Good.
Posted by: alexa kim | May 8, 2007 2:01 PM
Doh!
Almost forgot while in role playing mode.
To everyone who cursed me,
Bless You!
Posted by: Dougman | May 9, 2007 5:26 AM
I'm sitting here wondering what a writer like James could do with the story of my closest Friends, boy i gotta say, #1 Bestseller.
imho.
Oh yeah, Mn. has some SERIOUS tax issues too, Second highest in the Nation and looking to be #1 if the blood sucking pols have their way. (But that's my fault of course) Beautiful State though! That's not my fault of course because good things do not come from me, only bad, worse and down right unholy, Mmuu-hu-ha-ah-a-a...
Posted by: Dougman | May 8, 2007 4:51 AM
If Bill post "Seeing the Unseen" ignore anything here and enjoy with me. (Blame Dougman if you miss it by even a minute reading my spew.)
Posted by: Unquiet Mind | May 10, 2007 9:48 PM
After all that, I did not make it clear what Number I was looking for.
Assuming everything used to produce the solvency dates released last month...
If we were to change the Social Security Retirement Date as of, say 01/01/2008, what date would make the system solvent?
If we accept that it is not a set retirement date, but a retirement date changing over time from 01/01/2008 forward with even the current slope, what is the vertical adjustment, in years/days at 01/01/2008 required?
Dougman, Now do you see what your burrito addiction cost us? I look stupid and it is all your fault!
Bill, I get the impression Dougman has been around e!3 for a long time. But my question is, how do you deal with it? I can't see to type with a gasmask on.
Posted by: Unquiet Mind | May 10, 2007 10:21 PM
Mmmmn , . .Breakfast Burrito , ..@)*>*)
Posted by: Dougman | May 11, 2007 4:25 AM
Bill,
In truth (and you will always have the truth from me), I don't like the logo.
At first glance, I thought it was some kind of sinister smiley-face, ala That-Halloween-Movie-That-Had-Nothing-To-Do-With-Michael-Myers.
Just my $.02
- MuscleDaddy
Posted by: MuscleDaddy | May 13, 2007 9:33 PM
I like it. I'm thinking, "Would that look good as a tattoo"? But then Bill would own me, and be able to say,"Go hither", and i would have to. That would just piss off the wife, boss, etc.
No to the 'too.
If it wasn't for me, you people woudn't know what sinister was. So you can thank me for that too.
Posted by: Dougman | May 14, 2007 4:28 AM
Are you proud to be an American?
If your answer is "Yes,but"
Then it's off to the Ejectia re-education camp for you.
(Don't worry I'm sure Bill will be a very benevolent commandant. Dougman is the "Head-Dude- in-Charge-of-Propaganda-Stuff", but Bill doesn't listen to him.)
Posted by: daddyquatro | May 14, 2007 5:25 PM
“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.â€
Posted by: daddyquatro | May 14, 2007 8:17 PM
Man!
Preview didn't show me those weird characters.
Dougman!
Don't you make me pull this car over!
Posted by: daddyquatro | May 14, 2007 8:26 PM
A crazy idea maybe this is, but i'll throw it out there anyway.
The 'cell' system works so well for the islamists because there is no one data base for all the operatives.
The smart people can take it from here.
Posted by: Dougman | May 15, 2007 5:20 AM
In fact, what I saw was a community I wanted to join if they would have me. The essays provided the spark and a generous pile of starting wood and then the discussion were well reasoned, far ranging and civil. If anything, when I was trying to follow a thread of discussion, there was sometimes so much positive feedback for Mr. Whittle mixed in it was tough to keep track of an interesting discussion.
The only exception to this rule would be posting by and references to one nickname, Dougman. Dougman's was playing a role I had not seen before. Almost like a court jester, comments by and references to Dougman intermixed into very serious discussions made the whole more enjoyable.
If the archives I so enjoyed are the result of diligent defense from the trolls, then some means of limiting the time required for that defense must be made. With no limit on the number of aliases a troll could assume, some means of restricting registration is required.
(270 Words. Dam you Dougman!)
Posted by: Unquiet Mind | May 15, 2007 9:42 AM
..This commercial break brought to you by Viagra..
http://www.antisubjugator.blogspot.com/
If anyone is up for a boxing match.
Back to the action at hand.
P.S.Bless your heart Unquiet Mind
Posted by: Dougman | May 15, 2007 2:40 PM
The heat is on.
"Our security situation is dire, and not only in Egypt, but rather all across the middle-east. Bloggers have been intimidated by the authorities in Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan, Syria, Iran, Bahrain, just to name a few. It seems like the period of hope and reform that the bloggers of those countries have pushed for and represented in the past 2 years is now coming to an end, with the authorities more and more focused and intent on shutting us up, using everything from intimidation to imprisonment. And we have no defenders, no one to protect us, or champion our causes or lobby for our rights and safety. There used to be the Committee to Protect Bloggers, but that went defunct due to lack of funding, media-pressure-..."
http://www.sandmonkey.org/
Posted by: Dougman | May 15, 2007 3:17 PM
If you look back to when Bill first talked about the online community that he is suggesting, you will see that I said it's too bad that the investors backed out from the du Toits, because their system could have been adapted quite readily to this project.
Damn you again, Dougman!
Posted by: WayneB | May 16, 2007 6:15 AM
You warm my heart, Bless yours, Wayne.
Posted by: Dougman | May 16, 2007 7:04 AM
Lance -
The reason I am still here is because Bill went out of his way to send me a personal email. (Thank you for taking the time, Bill.)
I have no personal problem with anybody here. What worried me early on was the tone of so many comments-- pessimistic and dare I say, paranoid. We're not forming an armed militia here. (Wait, are we??) As you said, the ship hasn't even been built yet-- but the first two reactions were, "who can and cannot be onboard, and might we be targeted for even talking about it?!?"
That is what worried me-- I apologize if my opinions ruffled anybodies feathers.
Posted by: Benjamin DeKraker | May 16, 2007 11:23 AM
Benjamin
It's all my fault anyway so why are you apologizing? (did i spell that right?)
Which reminds me, all typo's are because of me.
Posted by: Dougman | May 16, 2007 11:36 AM
Not sure where you're going with that one Dougman, where did anybody say everything was your fault?
Posted by: Benjamin DeKraker | May 16, 2007 11:45 AM
He's joking, Benjamin. The function of Dougman is to be responsible for every ill in the universe up to and including bones in your boneless fish fillet.
Look, what we've got here is a bunch of extremely intelligent and opinionated people with nothing very much to do aside from picking at this one issue that can very easily be overthought. We've already more or less agreed on the minimum that needs to be done, we're just picking at specifics and sometimes throwing out radically different ideas, some of which are unpalatable to many. Some tensions are unfortunate- but practically inevitable.
Which is why my general attitude has been to try and lighten the mood and/or inject some perspective.
I have clown puppets, people. Don't make me bring out the clown puppets.
Oh, and Daddyquatro- don't eat beef liver. It's huge and it's been marinating in internal cow waste for years. Eat calf liver, it's got less mileage on it. There's a couple of other tricks to make the thing delicious instead of nasty, but my reference for that isn't sitting close to hand at the moment.
Posted by: LabRat | May 16, 2007 11:52 AM
Everything is always Dougman's fault. It's in the bylaws.
Posted by: daddyquatro | May 16, 2007 11:52 AM
I once found a chicken head in my McNuggets. Dougman?
Posted by: Benjamin DeKraker | May 16, 2007 11:58 AM
Dougman, thanks for covering my previous typos, grammatical errors, useless repetition, lack of originality, off topic irrelevancies, and anything else.
And please look forward to absorbing content of little substance. My needs are simple. ~grin~
Until Mr. Griffith made mention of Google, it had never occured to me to look at my nic there. I was unaware that there may be other associations than my silly one, or that there was even a real person with that name. I'd just as soon use something else so all this chatter about the ID of commenters is still roiling about between my ears.
Processing continues offline.
Posted by: Otto Gass | May 16, 2007 12:15 PM
LabRat,
It was calf liver but I couldn't find fresh. I bought frozen. When it thawed out, the cryovac had ruptured and smelled NASTY. Even after slicing onions and washing my hands in lemon juice I couldn't get the smell off. Oh well. Maybe I'll try again in another 14 years.
Disgusting mental image courtesy of Dougman.
Posted by: daddyquatro | May 16, 2007 12:27 PM
er, acenovelty,
Great read but a quote and a link would suffice. Dougman, how did this happen?
Posted by: Otto Gass | May 16, 2007 2:11 PM
... Just so sick of all the fear in this thread.
Posted by: Eric Forhan | May 16, 2007 3:06 PM
You touch on somthing deep there Eric.
In the beginning, There was Fear.
The origin of Evil.
My fault.
Sorry 'bout that people!
Can you forgive me?
Posted by: Dougman | May 16, 2007 3:21 PM
Dougman,
I sent my boss an email with something that will hurt his feelings. It's your fault. Thanks a lot.
Posted by: SkyeChild | May 16, 2007 4:13 PM
My last comment was being composed and posted as Mr. Whittle was posting his update.
Dougman, your timing sucks again.
Posted by: Unquiet Mind | May 16, 2007 6:57 PM
And Dougman - if that's your real name - this is all your doing, and we know that, ok. You don't fool anyone, a'ight.
Now, where were we... oh yeah, the city-state that promises Ejectia.
When I offered my humble talents, and I do mean humble, I was, am, deeply interested in joining with like-minded others in turning back the withering tide of dangerous denial of reality. In doing what we know to be what is right, from our corpuscles up.
I don't think any of us here are paranoid, least of all Bill. We are all rightly terrified of the loss of love for the truth, the facts, the solid and provable.
The enlarging group of Americans who are utterly oblivious to their inability to figure out what is wrong, and to care, is a force that has to be pushed back.
I like Bill's approach and that is why I'm here. Until he kicks me out anyway.
Posted by: alexa kim | May 16, 2007 7:08 PM
"If I did not believe there were things bigger than myself I would not be doing any of this."--Bill
My work is done.
The Dougman is now retired.
It's been agonizing and wonderful!
"You say Good-Bye, And Eye say Hello..." 8;^}
(Honey! i'm h-O-ome!)
Posted by: Doug | May 17, 2007 7:05 AM
Damn you, Dougman!! Now you've made Dougman retire!!!
DOUGAMNNNNNN!!!!!!
Posted by: Richard Riley | May 17, 2007 8:33 AM
Damn you, Dougman!! Now you've made Dougman retire!!!
DOUGMANNNNNN!!!!!!
Posted by: Richard Riley | May 17, 2007 8:33 AM
And now you've made me double post!!!
Rachel, while I think physical security is a real issue, it's small compared to employment.
Posted by: Richard Riley | May 17, 2007 8:39 AM
Oh, I forgot:
Dougman CANNOT die. He just cannot. Dougman is the most essential piece of the entire puzzle.
Doug, if you can't find a way to keep Dougman alive, then someone else will have to don the Dougman Cape and Tights and become Dougman.
NEVER have I seen a more useful or morale-building concept. The first statue erected in Ejectia! needs to be of Dougman in a mask and cape.
Posted by: Bill Whittle | May 17, 2007 2:20 PM
I see Richard sneezed, and got a little on me, Bless you. Or ga-zoon-tite? Damn, i'm dumb.
Bill,
What'cho takn'in 'bout Willis?
Rez-erect dougman?
You'd have to talk to the old lady 'bout that.
Maybe if she & Rachel could talk that girlie stuff, it might work.
Posted by: Dougman | May 17, 2007 3:44 PM
So... what to do with a dusty old silverback gorilla? What to do?
Well, I'll start by helping to mount that statue of Dougman that Bill suggested. Then I guess I'll have to build my own watchtower on the wall. And then? Hmmm. Time to start proposing new "laws," I guess... like...
"In Ejectica (I favor two Cs), there shall be no STOP signs. Only YIELD signs. No function is served by a STOP sign that is not served by a YIELD sign, save one -- that being the obligation to stop even when there's no REASON to stop. So ixnay on the opsignstay."
There. I feel like a participating citizen already.
And dang, it's good to hear from LabRat again.
Keep up the good work, all.
GHS
Posted by: Great Hairy Silverback | May 17, 2007 5:52 PM
Unquiet, I nominate you to head up the Dang! Department, Apply Liberally As Needed or As Directed, You Decide.
LabRat, I can see you fronting the Sound Logic Band. What kind of music do you prefer? Please, don't say circus.
Dougman, I nominate you to command the Omega Club, the Get Over Yourself and Stop Crying Amendments Generator and Movie Critic.
Me? I don't know nuthin' 'bout no fritos, kitten heels, almond frise lip gloss, diversity dingies, multi-culturalismosity or accounting. But I speak Spanish, pocho, spanglich, English and legalese.
GHS, may I call you Great?
Organization... organization. There are soooo many ways to divvy up the spoils and whatnot. I think LabRat has a good starter set there...
I think having an excellent search engine would help considerably in basically by-passing a lot of organization up-front. Tags are good. I have no idea if that is worse than organizing first. My brain works random access all the time because I naturally cross-reference in ways that don't occur to others.
Bill, you are so right, without Dougman, and a suitable monument to him, we are merely babble-ON.
Posted by: alexa kim | May 17, 2007 8:45 PM
I was busy tonight and I come back and WOW the whole world has changed.
All this stuff about 3-D game like virtual city state rendering of e!3 is great but...
Dougman's retiring? Can't be.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
OK, Stars are up? Check.
Water is Wet? Check.
Earth is still rotating? Ah, that takes too long.
I have an idea. We need the cooperative to all work together on this. Everybody with me? Now, all at once?
PANIC.
Posted by: Unquiet Mind | May 17, 2007 10:34 PM
Damm again. With Dougman retired, this one is actually my fault.
Posted by: Unquiet Mind | May 17, 2007 11:16 PM
"Dear Douglas,
Here is your horoscope
for Thursday, May 17:
Words are more important than deeds right now, especially when you're discussing the future. Go ahead and build castles in the air. After all, that type of real estate is easy on the wallet -- and easy to redecorate".
Well, if it's written in the stars, the Wife is just going to have to deal with it like she has been for the last few years.
So Be it.
erect! erect! erect!
Posted by: Dougman | May 18, 2007 7:16 AM
That was from dailyhoroscope@astrology.com.
Must give credit where it's due.
Posted by: Dougman | May 18, 2007 7:22 AM
Dougman Sez:
erect! erect! erect!
I am going to need some mental clorox, now.
- MuscleDaddy
Posted by: MuscleDaddy | May 18, 2007 8:25 AM
How frakin' awesome is that!
Posted by: daddyquatro | May 18, 2007 8:33 AM
erect! erect! erect!
Posted by: Dougman | May 18, 2007 7:16 AM
Oh, look. Dougman is ready for his statue. :)
So, whatcha look like, there, Dougman?
Posted by: WayneB | May 18, 2007 8:45 AM
Six foot/ 150 lbs. Butt ugly :o
Posted by: Dougman | May 18, 2007 11:11 AM
Halleluja, the Dougman lives! I can stop panicking now, whew. Unquiet, we're saved!
daddyquatro, I didn't misunderstand you at all, no worries. I agree with you!
Muscledaddy, "mental clorox" - LOL! I'll be using that. The John Myers song always makes me pensive. That you know it is no surprise.
...it has to reach and captivate THEM. And we have to start with that in mind. - MuscleDaddy - Posted by: MuscleDaddy | May 17, 2007 9:58 PM
Absolutely, utterly, exactly RIGHT!
Posted by: alexa kim | May 18, 2007 12:42 PM
alexa,
Haven't you heard? Dougman is back on the case. Therefore, it wasn't you fault.
A statue and a street. Maybe even the town square.
On second thought, maybe not. A town square named after Dougman might tempt the gods of chaos.
Posted by: daddyquatro | May 18, 2007 2:04 PM
Chase, daddyquatro, I have put down many Shiner Boks in my time. I have two skiing buddies from Texas (originally) who won't go back to Utah because they could not find Shiner. I'll have to try the Blond.
alexa, "And now back by popular demand...".
WayneB, I could have done without the image of Dougman's Statue you put in my mind. But, because this site is all about sharing... I work right on the D.C. Mall, and right there, prominently displayed is the tallest building in the city...The Washington Monument.
Dougman, I have only been doing this for a short time and my wife is already wondering what I am sitting at my computer so absorbed an grinning about. She is used to me getting on my laptop at all hours, I have always done that with work. But now I seem to be enjoying it more and she is giving me that look.
Posted by: Unquiet Mind | May 18, 2007 2:24 PM
A town square...
The Gods of chaos are right here with me, three little munchkins and the wife that always has to know What'cha thinkin' about?.
Aghr-r!
Not to mention my own thoughts that i try to comprehend.
I mean, a High School drop-out like me cavorting around with the likes of you all.
Truth is stranger than fiction.
Posted by: Dougman | May 18, 2007 5:27 PM
Dougman, if it helps, the chaos at home still resolves to life. It's the chaos of the mad mullahs that is truly a threat. The chaos of this site, with people cross posting on three old threads, is entertaining me still. Like having several radios on at the same time all playing different pieces. I can't always hang with it but even at a distance I like the bubbling stew.
I'm glad you reconsidered your early retirement.
Posted by: Otto Gass | May 18, 2007 5:49 PM
the mad mullahs
Thanks for the re-focus Otto.
Them's the ones that need to be taken out before i can truly/fully enjoy life.
The heads of the snakes.
Can't rest 'til they Submit or Die. The A$$holes
Allrighty then, i got children that need my attention now.
See ya!
Posted by: Dougman | May 18, 2007 6:08 PM
Dang, Dougman.
I understand, with three little ones how you have cultivated the skill of taking blame. I, on the other hand, always blame the kids. It worked better when they couldn't talk. Right there with you on the High School drop-out thing. If it were really true that life is like HS I would have given up long ago.
Otto,
Must.. give... up... old... thread... Must... move... on... to... new... thread.
But I've had such fun here!
Posted by: daddyquatro | May 18, 2007 6:26 PM
daddyquatro, I expect that this will pass all too soon - that is, the acceleration with more ideas and more people will make for a vast spread in my ability to keep track. This one is what, four, five days old? Hell, over at LGF they'll chew up 10 a day with hundreds of comments before I blink. Tough going, to catch Einstein's train.
Well, I hope to see you in orbit once in a while anyway.
Posted by: Otto Gass | May 18, 2007 6:38 PM
Know what you mean - I keep coming back here too.
- MuscleDaddy
Posted by: MuscleDaddy | May 18, 2007 6:41 PM
Otto, daddyquatro, LOL. Then a chuckle. Now I have to go check the other threads...
One last comment here: Often I have thought it was an absolutely necessity to have some form of tree structure for comments just to categorize and compartmentalize. But this flat thread has been one of the best I have ever seen. Content over structure. This group of people Bill has drawn to the light just blows my mind. Amazing.
Posted by: Unquiet Mind | May 18, 2007 6:47 PM
Dang, Otto.
(I have just said dang twice in one night.)
You've already got me feeling nostalgic. I just had an image of you and I, Unquiet, Chase and Dougman meeting up at some virtual taproom six months from now. For good or ill, these past few weeks have been a blast. And I need a new F5 button.
Posted by: daddyquatro | May 18, 2007 6:58 PM
Just popping my head into Bill's Chase Lounge, (The Logo is perfect for this) on my way to marriage counseling with DR. Change-scriptureto-whatever makes-me-$.
Patience Doug, Patience.
Posted by: Dougman | May 19, 2007 6:18 PM
For daddyquatro and unquiet mind, both... Gracious thanks for your most kind remarks. That was my first "somewhat sustantive" post anywhere, anytime, on this incredible forum. I am in your debt for the gentleness. Were I still imbibing alcohol, I'd be most happy to join you anywhere, and tip a quaff or two, if it didn't involve some 24-30 hours of travel time to get there. A non-fermented cider for me, perhaps? MMMmmmmmmm....
Posted by: Paul A. | May 19, 2007 11:24 PM
OOOOooops... typo alert... I meant to say "substantive" in the first line of previous post. Aplologies for not catching that.
Posted by: Paul A. | May 19, 2007 11:28 PM
Pau A., Thank you Sir for the delicious breakfast spread to go with my coffee. I am not awake enough to make any intelligent comment. (Dougman, Is that you? Where you put my glasses and my brain? I know it's Sunday, but I need my glasses.)
BTW: Something I picked up pretty quickly here at e!3:
Regarding OOOOooops... typo alert.. : Don't sweat the spelling errors. Heck, just let it rip and if anything comes out wrong?, It is fine to correct it but..., Blame Dougman! It is easier, it adds a little humor to some heavy topics, and we all know it is his fault anyway. ;-)
Posted by: Unquiet Mind | May 20, 2007 5:45 AM
Paul A,
Sustantive isn't a word, but it ought to be; meaning something which sustains.
In which case that was no typo.
The Chase Lounge is located right off Ejectia town square. However, due to an unfortunate circumstance, the front window has a stunning view of the butt of the Dougman statue. I'll have to check with the management on his non-alcoholic offerings. I know he has free 7-up on Sunday.
Posted by: daddyquatro | May 20, 2007 8:13 AM
ALL,
I now realize it was the Dougman's insidious influence, through his control of the KarlRoveMindWave Machine, that caused me to drop that "b" in "substantive. HE gets the blame (credit?) for the coining of that new word "sustantive," meaning, as D4 so appropriately realized, "providing sustenance, nurturing, feeding..."
You ARE the "sneaky one," Dougman!!! D$MN YOU!!!
A few random thoughts/comments, since it is early here and I must get a bite of breakfast before I begin my work day...
1.) Thanks to all for the kind and generous words... I already feel "at home and at ease" in Chase's, though I will always endeavor to give my best here, for whatever that's worth.
2.) I am reminded of the "Eight P's" I occasionally use in my manufacturing planning sessions... "Proper Prior Planning Prevents Probable Piss-Poor Performance..."
With that, I bid all a "Good Day!!!" and head off to my work.
Posted by: Paul A. | May 20, 2007 3:46 PM
...stunning view of the butt of the Dougman statue.
Aha-ha..
Actually, that's a GOOD thing as my hinny is one of my best features!
Or so i've been told.
Tis starting to sag a bit though.
Posted by: Dougman | May 20, 2007 9:45 AM
LabRat,
To paraphrase a quote from the movie The Last Boy Scout: "I'm getting being beaten-up by the inventor of scrabble".
daddyquattro,
LOL! Your "stunning view of the butt of the Dougman statue" comment had me laughing so hard it hurts!
Paul A, et al
You are all making my brain hurt.
I started reading Bill's essays somewhere late in 2003, but never left comments, or wanted to get involved in conversations with you people. Why? In the real world, I pride myself on my wit and fair share of brains. (I'm an Engineer, for crying out loud! Couldn't do this stuff without a brain, right?) Here, in this place - I feel like babbling idiot. That's the best way I know how to say it. Mr. Whittle has attracted some of the most smart people I have ever met. I consider it an honor that you have not driven me and my half-brain out of town by now.
I say this not to suck-up to anyone. I'm calling it like I see it.
That is all.
Posted by: Chase | May 20, 2007 1:06 PM
Chase,
I feel the same way, although I have long known that I don't have a gift for eloquence. I also pay more attention to how I write things here (and on a few other sites where I have the same feeling) because of it, so I think overall it's a net positive for my speaking ability.
Posted by: WayneB | May 20, 2007 1:34 PM
Chase,
I speak babble most fluently.
The key here is not to be self-conscious. I think I said that in my first post about what I can do well and what can I teach.
Will I reveal myself to me an un-reconstructed idiot? Invariably, in this company, at some point I will. And I expect to be taken to task when I cannot defend my own reasoning. But that's how I learn.
How insufferably boring to be right all the time!
Those who have never suffered foot-in-mouth disease have been keeping their cards too close to vest. I know what Lincoln said, but sometime "...to remove all doubt." is the best way to learn.
And who knows; maybe some idiot thing that I say might rub two synapses together in one of the great minds here and we get some insight that might never have been sparked otherwise.
If I can be so bold.
"Tis better to comment and appear a fool, than to remain silent and remove all doubt."
Posted by: daddyquatro | May 20, 2007 1:39 PM
Chase, I lurked for years here, at LGF, Michele Malkin, Powerline and HotAir and have never commented until Bill re-opened comments on e!3. I feel the same way you do about the quality of the commenters here. I had 2.5 years of Chemical Engineering but switched to Computer Science in 1982 when the bottom dropped out of the oil market and Chem E's with 5-10 years of experience flooded out of Texas desperate for jobs with mortgages to pay at twice the reassessed value of their houses in Houston. Up until a few weeks ago, I had not written anything other than design and technical documentation and code for 20 years. This place is stretching my writing skills way beyond my limits but the community welcomes you, encourages you and - in just my brief experience - will bring out the best one has to offer.
You know, you have - with the stoke of a pun - set yourself up in a central position in ejectia, as proprietor of The Chase Lounge you are the one and only provider of virtual libations, relaxation and comedy in the whole damm galaxy. Without the constrains of physical space, stocking or staffing resources, your establishment can take all comers, fill to capacity and then just expand at will. You can just sit back as everybody comes to you, sits down and empties their thoughts at the bar. A few witty comments here and there, a occasional question to keep them going or get them unstuck and you are in buddy.
BTW: Nobody who gets through Engineering as a degree or a profession is lacking in working synapses. I'm not falling for this rope-a-dope. ;-)
BTW2: Nice view you have out the front window.
I'll go with one of those Shiner Blonds you stocked up on for daddyquatro - if you don't mind Sir.
Psst: I hear something big is supposed to happen tomorrow over at e!3. You picking up any rumors here?
Posted by: Unquiet Mind | May 20, 2007 2:48 PM
Since our prior thread seems to have run its course. (Goodbye, thread. I'm going to miss you!) May I invite everyone over to The Chase Lounge? Drinks for the house!
Unquiet just put in the new pool table and it needs to be broken in.
Plus, I need some help from you engineering types on how to reconstruct my idiot.
Pull the shades, will you, Chase.
The sight of that hinny is having a disquieting effect on me.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Posted by: daddyquatro | May 20, 2007 4:25 PM
daddyquatro,
You know, I was trying to figure out how this Lounge thing got started and you have jogged my memory. If Bill doesn't like the idea, it's Unquiet Mind's fault. And Dougman, of course.
Oh, and sorry about the view out the front window.
Poor Planning makes for an un-Pleasant view of a Posterior
Posted by: Chase | May 20, 2007 7:05 PM
BTW, Chase, I am deadly serious about this: we need to start diversifying and assigning management tasks. If you want to head the chat room / bar set-up, comsider the project yours. THE CHASE LOUNGE, like The Statue of Dougman's Ass, is too good an idea to walk away from.
Kick around what you want it too look like, and by all means don't hesitate to ask for tech help if you need it. It can be the first thing we install. Whatever you need to do to make it happen, have at it (assuming you want the job and responsibility), and e-mail me if you need any help from the front office.
www.Ejectia.com is registered and ready to go.
(I love the idea of a Galaxy visible out the windows.)
Posted by: Bill Whittle | May 20, 2007 11:18 PM
6:15 AM in the Land of 10,000 Taxes.
I had to take an overnight shift at the last minute and i am dog tired!
I had the strangest sensations emanating from my tush all night and now i know why.
You people have been play'in with it all night.
's a'right tho, the most action i've had in a month.
Was it as good for you as it was for me?
Posted by: Dougman | May 21, 2007 4:32 AM
Dougman, from the depths of %*^*& you strike again! LOL!!!! Now I have to go get a new shirt. This one has my coffee all over it.
I'm going to be late. Damn you Dougman!
Posted by: Unquiet Mind | May 21, 2007 4:44 AM
Sorry about that oh Mindful one, but i didn't like that shirt anyway. It clashed with your eyes.
There now, that one looks MUCH better.
Off to work you go now, and have a nice day!
I'm going to catch a fe w . . z z zz...
Posted by: Dougman | May 21, 2007 7:09 AM
This is the story of the Dougman from the comment threads on EjectEjectEject.
What am i good at?
Tapping forehead,. think...think..think...
Posted by: Dougman | May 1, 2007 12:56 PM
First comment on “It’s a Moving Company”:ED
...Thinking..Oooo! I GOT Somethin'!
I can take the blame for everything that goes wrong or falls short of being Perfect. Like a whipping boy or a burnt offering! yeah that's the ticket!
When anyone wants to rant about America, they can blame ME instead!
America Sucks can be "Dougman Sucks!"
a focal point for everyone's hate! ...Hmmn,..i like it.
Posted by: Dougman | May 3, 2007 5:39 AM
"..it's just too damn bad that the investors dropped out on Kim & Connie du Toit's business start-up."
Ahem!
Excuse me but, that's MY fault. My department.
Don't make me go to the union with this.
Posted by: Dougman | May 3, 2007 6:21 AM
Sorry, it'll take me a while to get into the "blame Dougman" mentality.
Fine. It's all your fault. :P
Posted by: WayneB | May 3, 2007 6:36 AM
"Fine. It's all your fault. :P
Posted by: WayneB"
Aaahhh, that's better.
(scared ya with that union threat, huh?)
I confess there is no union, but if there were ,.. you guessed it!
It would be MY Fault. ;^]
Posted by: Dougman | May 3, 2007 8:18 AM
All of this is so exciting, all the more so since it is -- as I suspected it would -- assembling itself before my eyes.
It's like walking with some friends over to a field, pointing out that a nice valley would make a pretty decent place for a villiage, returning over the crest of the hill for a sandwich and then, ten minutes later, returning to find the fields cleared and foundations being poured without the first mention of a blueprint or a plan. THAT is why I am convinced this will work, and I will try to outline the essence of it in YOU ARE NOT ALONE, which I hope to write over the weekend.
Otto said something a few posts up that encapsulates my only concern. He said, This is what worries me with the idea of a virtual space...
He's right. If this becomes a retreat, a fantasy to get away from the real world, well, we might as well all be playing World of Warcraft and call it a day.
No, the ESSENTIAL characteristic of the success of this venture is the idea that we can exchange information -- both for survival and protection AND for personal growth, education and just plain fun -- and then take that knowledge out into the world and make the world a better place.
I will try to hammer this point in the essay, but we need to be crystal clear on one thing: This is about building a SHIELD, not a BUNKER. I have no interest whatsoever in helping build a place where bitter people go to hide. What I would like to do is to see if we can create a virtual city where we can pool our knowledge and skills, refresh our courage, re-affirm our morality and then take those virtues back out into the world and re-light the fire of liberty, courage and reason.
Going to the moon is nothing compared to the size of this challenge. And there's not ONE of you who doesn't grin at that prospect. You magnificent bastards...all of you! (except for Great Hairy Silverback -- nothing magnificent about him. He's just a bastard.)
Even in this embryonic first hour, this is a thrilling and impressive collection of people. Except Doug, of course. If it weren't for him we'd be done by now, the jackal-jawed slacker.
DAMN YOU DOUG!
Posted by: Bill Whittle | May 3, 2007 9:49 AM
Calm the DDS, Bill ;)
(Dougman Derangement Syndrome)
Posted by: RiverCocytus | May 3, 2007 10:14 AM
Thank you Sir,
may i please have another!
(I was working on a longer retort but,...naw, too much like work)
Back in Slack
I hit the sack
i been too long
i'm glad to be back
Yada, yada,..
You get the Drift :)
Posted by: Dougman | May 3, 2007 11:12 AM
P.S.
RA-CHEL! RA-CHEL!! RA-CHEL!!
Posted by: Dougman | May 3, 2007 11:21 AM
I love to:-> read books in order to discover, generate and explore ideas; research stuff that works extremely well and that's built to last; Internet and direct marketing; I'm really good at coming up with unusual and creative means of solving problems.
I was just on a conference call and I was able to blame dougman for a problem with one of my projects. Thanks dougman!
Posted by: Joachim Klehe | May 3, 2007 1:55 PM
LabRat! Hoo-HOO! So glad to see your voice again!
Man, it's like the Ocean's Eleven gang reforming after too many years in separate and scattered pursuits. Well, the walls are surely manned (or "personed") NOW. Good news.
As for the weight I gained in the interim -- thanks a lot, Dougman! (that role you've chosen really comes in handy)
In the meantime, it's back to picking fleas and scratching myself, and contemplating a higher societal ethos for my fellow e-citizens.
GHS
Posted by: GreatHairySilverback | May 3, 2007 6:56 PM
I's just swing in my hammock in the Garden,lookin' up at all the pretty clouds when i heard a distant rumble from aways off.
"The Battle in the Clouds" from Wrechard
A storm is a-brewin' boys and girls.
But in the mean time,
RA-CHEL! RA-CHEL!! RA-CHEL!!
I know you wanna RIP into something.
Let it be me 8;^}
Posted by: Dougman | May 4, 2007 6:33 AM
"just swing in my hammock" ?
That'd be 'swinging'
I'm just gonna slap myself for that one.
Posted by: Dougman | May 4, 2007 6:37 AM
And "Wrechard" !?
Somebody SMACK ME!
It's Wretchard.
(preview THEN post)
i'll learn.
Posted by: Dougman | May 4, 2007 6:41 AM
That's one small burrito for a man
One giant enchilada for mankind
Sorry, Bill didn't say exactly what kind of fun
I mean, Dougman, Geeze Louise...
Posted by: Otto Gass | May 4, 2007 6:55 AM
"Geeze Louise"
She's in the Garden TOO?
Off the hammock I go, looking around in wide-eyed fright *o*
(Shhh, don't anybody let her know i'm here.)
Posted by: Dougman | May 4, 2007 7:04 AM
TJB, I think you have come to the same conclusion I have. I think we can draw 90% of the West's pathologies down to one term: NARCISSISM.
That's the disease.
And I, personally, unaided by any of you insignificant losers, through my own superior mental powers, unrivaled moral vision and superhuman, once-in-a-generation force of personality and will, mean to kick narcissism in the ass.
Me! I will! Look at me!!
Posted by: Bill Whittle | May 4, 2007 1:57 PM
Narcissism, my fault.
Bending over, grabbing ankles and waiting for a swift kick.
Be ready to run though.
Kinda gassy lately.
Posted by: Dougman | May 4, 2007 2:54 PM
Here's something I whipped up in a spare half-hour I had:
http://www.river-cocytus.com/images/stores/civ/ad_astera.png
If it ain't good, I blame dougman.
Its just a roughie, (done using Inkscape - a free program.) and if you like it at all or want to use it you can. It can be made more 'refined' or some such as well.
You can also tell what I voted for.
Posted by: RiverCocytus | May 4, 2007 4:02 PM
Ok, trying again...
http://www.river-cocytus.com/images/stories/civ/ad_astera.png
(hotlinking is disabled so reload once...)
Darn you, dougman.
Posted by: RiverCocytus | May 4, 2007 4:04 PM
River, could ya give me a hand straighting up.
Back problems ya know. ar-gh!
Thanx, that's better. (fhunnhp)
Oh! sorry 'bout that.
Phew.
Posted by: Dougman | May 4, 2007 4:27 PM
The Monster
You have created a quite powerful Rune/Mandala. Red is the correct color for the central rune and gives it strength. Blue is the color of the North Winds. The thin black lines serve a dual purpose, as they make it a sun-wheel and seem to delineate the nine seperate yet interconnected realms of the world tree Ygdrasil. Two questions. Is there a line missing on the right hand fork? How do YOU describe the various parts of this model, in it's multiple dimensions? This old rune-scratcher would like to know.
Muninn
Posted by: Muninn | May 4, 2007 3:39 PM
Munin, the actual inspiration for the design is a block with E! on each face. The thin lines separate the face into the two characters and the two parts of the exclamation point from each other. The colors help to emphasize that the exclamation point, despite having two pieces, is a single entity.
When I figured out that E!E!E! would have 6 faces, one for each word of the Latin motto, I knew it made a perfect fit.
BTW, I've lived in Kansas since I was two years old, so I have a special fondness for a motto that starts with "Ad astra" or a variation thereof.
Posted by: The Monster | May 4, 2007 3:57 PM
The Monster
You know, I figured that out about 60 seconds AFTER I posted. Once again, Its all DOUGMANS fault.
Hope things are good in Kansas.
Muninn
Posted by: Muninn | May 4, 2007 5:47 PM
One question that I find invaluable in debate.
"Does a person have a right to the fruits of their own labor?"
If the answer is Yes, then you have chance at logical debate.
If the answer is No, then don't waste your time.
Back to my early love affair with Ayn Rand (before logic became dogma)
Posted by: daddyquatro | May 4, 2007 7:20 PM
By the way, if the answer is No.
I blame Dougman.
Posted by: daddyquatro | May 4, 2007 8:42 PM
Fearing narcissism, I hesitate to ponder the pool long enough to satisfactorily answer that question to myself. Wanting to turn around and not drown, I instead approach obliquely.
Trail a finger just into the surface, then walk away. Dang, that doesn't sound nearly good enough. Look at what everyone else has to offer.
Well... I know I have common sense, thank you God. Cruelly uncommon, that.
I do have an annoying habit of asking good questions. Most of the time, people don't like it, though...
I can get lost in the intellectual basket-weaving which sometimes attempts to defy the over-riding, overwhelming influence of essential human nature.
I can teach independent thinking, which requires copious doses of patience. Copious.
I am bilingual. That's an American tale. For another day.
What do I enjoy doing... writing. I'm not any good at it, but I enjoy it.
Touching my own eyeball to see if I'm alive, I will sometimes wander into what I am sure is madness. For too often I look about me, and ask, nearly out loud, Am I The Only One Who Sees It?
Blink.
I might be able to escape my room and not feel alone sooner than I thought.
I think, Dougman, you are delirious with joy.
Posted by: alexa kim | May 5, 2007 1:48 PM
Otto,
Let it transpire.
Like raising Children, This only comes around once.
Enjoy each moment.
And relish silence, to listen with 'Your Ear'.
Alexa Kim,
"I get delirious,
Whenever you're near." :)
"See Ya'll Bright and Early.
Monday morning!
i gotta' get back to the kids now.
Thank 'G-D'.
Posted by: Dougman | May 5, 2007 6:14 PM
OK Dougman, you are much too wise for me to persist with the scapegoat meme.
Narcissism, eh? I guess I'd shut up if I wasn't having so much fun. Alexa Kim - just wow. What a touch.
As long as I'm playing with a dead thread - new one is up past 40 comments - I'll note Lionell's point in doing without the inmates in the asylum. I'd like that more than anything, but they get so much airtime it would be nice to reduce their presence somehow, the nutties. Now, my Latin is fit only for swine, but maybe another tag like
Ed Asnerae Swollenanus Terra Exeunt Blastofarti
or something.
Should I be ashamed of my disdain for other humans? Forgive me.
OK, shutting up.
Posted by: Otto Gass | May 5, 2007 8:45 PM
labrat!!--if i wasnt getting so old and fuzzy-brained i'd kick your ass at trivial pursuit!--i used to beat 5 or 6 people at a time by myself!--ahhh!--those were the days my friend!-- i guess i can blame dougman for it!--your a useless stoopit doug!--- now show us something positive!--i'm losing my patience!
Posted by: snakesavage | May 5, 2007 11:27 PM
I ment to post this comment in the previous entry. Damnit Dougman ,Look what you made me do :)
Posted by: Pithed Off | May 5, 2007 3:49 PM
I ment to post the robert burns comment in the previous entry. Damnit Dougman ,Look what you made me do :)
Posted by: Pithed Off | May 5, 2007 3:51 PM
Damn myself! I don't have time to look up the script but something like "What good is it to gain the world & lose your life/soul" something like that.
Or
"Whoever will lose his life for my sake will find everlasting life".
The devil is in the details folks, we all KNOW this, ( and somebody make sure to whup my a$$ for that too)
If you call yourself a Believer, Then step up and Believe, meaning get over your self/Ego.
Get in line and be willing to swallow your pride-(smack)-hey, where'd THAT come from!- Jumpin' Jupiter it's Geez Louise! snuck up behind me while i was babbling on to you fine folks. Ooo she is MAD at me.
Posted by: Dougman | May 7, 2007 5:08 AM
There is a job that needs doing. Unfortunately in any group, there are those few who can and do and those many who can't and won't. This group is no different.
Either lead, follow or get out of the way!
Posted by: Lionell K. Griffith | May 7, 2007 6:27 AM
Am i a stumbling block to you Lionell ?
Posted by: Dougman | May 7, 2007 7:17 AM
Dougman,
The quote you were looking for is "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." Its from Jim Elliot who was martyred on the mission field. I had time to look it up. : )
Posted by: LeslieK | May 7, 2007 7:40 AM
Bless your Heart Leslie.
I must admit that i've never heard that one before but Truth reinforces itself in many ways.
That's what is so great about the Net.
Posted by: Dougman | May 7, 2007 7:55 AM
Reason and good manners are the hallmarks of civilization. As long as we retain those all will be well. I've learned an important lesson about what copywright protection means. I will modify the comment instructions later today when I have given it a little more thought, and if that still presents problems, I will modify it again. Obviously, I cannot do this forever; there are essential protections I must retain, and if you can't live with those then that is that -- nothing personal, and no hard feelings. Lionell is absolutely correct: in some matters -- like this one -- precision of language is everything.
I hope, however, that this example shows enough goodwill and common sense to maybe convince people that I would appreciate the benefit of the doubt before evil intent is assumed.
And really, when all is said and done, I think we all know who is responsible this. Let's just show a little class this time and not mention Dougman by name.
Posted by: Bill Whittle | May 7, 2007 9:23 AM
When faced with life's decisions,
ponder the question WWDMD?
Then, do the opposite.
Floating Baby Head.
I just love saying that.
RA-CHEL! RA-CHEL! RA-CHEL!
Posted by: daddyquatro | May 7, 2007 10:25 AM
daddyquatro-
Exactly, only a fool would offer himself up as a whipping boy.
Or someone that was sent to fulfill crazy prophesy 8:^}
Posted by: Dougman | May 7, 2007 10:43 AM
Bill, you're the very picture of grace under pressure.
Dougman, you're no fool.
Posted by: Otto Gass | May 7, 2007 11:55 AM
"Ejecta" is grammatically correct but passive. Lot's of things explode in this universe, but few such eruptions have intent, direction or volition. Ejecta is just fotsam and jetsam. A solar flare is ejecta. I want my own starship with a mission, staffed with the best men and women this planet can offer, and armed to the gunnels with reason, logic, and a better vision for the future. Pardon my sophistry. Give me a single thread and I'm prone to weave a tapestry across the loom of the sky. To the stars on a flaming throne of right thought, right action, and right intent! Oops. I've gone over the line now. I didn't mean suggest that the current favorite is inadequate. I just have a tendancy to spout. At least, in my own defense, I can claim that my comments are always meant in good faith. For the rest, blame Dougman.
Posted by: Mark Paules | May 7, 2007 6:29 PM
Having worked for lawyers in my previous life, which is why I am a meerkat in this life, I avoid legalese as much as I can. When Lionel posted his quibble, I started to fidget.
With nearly the same prostration Bill volunteers for James Lileks, I voluntarily agree that Bill is a decent fellow, a writer of such calibre that I feel cheeky posting a comment of any length here, and I was never worried that he'd come after me if I quoted my own damn self. Maybe the entirely required Dougman would, but not Bill.
We've all moved on already, right? Good.
Posted by: alexa kim | May 8, 2007 2:01 PM
Doh!
Almost forgot while in role playing mode.
To everyone who cursed me,
Bless You!
Posted by: Dougman | May 9, 2007 5:26 AM
I'm sitting here wondering what a writer like James could do with the story of my closest Friends, boy i gotta say, #1 Bestseller.
imho.
Oh yeah, Mn. has some SERIOUS tax issues too, Second highest in the Nation and looking to be #1 if the blood sucking pols have their way. (But that's my fault of course) Beautiful State though! That's not my fault of course because good things do not come from me, only bad, worse and down right unholy, Mmuu-hu-ha-ah-a-a...
Posted by: Dougman | May 8, 2007 4:51 AM
If Bill post "Seeing the Unseen" ignore anything here and enjoy with me. (Blame Dougman if you miss it by even a minute reading my spew.)
Posted by: Unquiet Mind | May 10, 2007 9:48 PM
After all that, I did not make it clear what Number I was looking for.
Assuming everything used to produce the solvency dates released last month...
If we were to change the Social Security Retirement Date as of, say 01/01/2008, what date would make the system solvent?
If we accept that it is not a set retirement date, but a retirement date changing over time from 01/01/2008 forward with even the current slope, what is the vertical adjustment, in years/days at 01/01/2008 required?
Dougman, Now do you see what your burrito addiction cost us? I look stupid and it is all your fault!
Bill, I get the impression Dougman has been around e!3 for a long time. But my question is, how do you deal with it? I can't see to type with a gasmask on.
Posted by: Unquiet Mind | May 10, 2007 10:21 PM
Mmmmn , . .Breakfast Burrito , ..@)*>*)
Posted by: Dougman | May 11, 2007 4:25 AM
Bill,
In truth (and you will always have the truth from me), I don't like the logo.
At first glance, I thought it was some kind of sinister smiley-face, ala That-Halloween-Movie-That-Had-Nothing-To-Do-With-Michael-Myers.
Just my $.02
- MuscleDaddy
Posted by: MuscleDaddy | May 13, 2007 9:33 PM
I like it. I'm thinking, "Would that look good as a tattoo"? But then Bill would own me, and be able to say,"Go hither", and i would have to. That would just piss off the wife, boss, etc.
No to the 'too.
If it wasn't for me, you people woudn't know what sinister was. So you can thank me for that too.
Posted by: Dougman | May 14, 2007 4:28 AM
Are you proud to be an American?
If your answer is "Yes,but"
Then it's off to the Ejectia re-education camp for you.
(Don't worry I'm sure Bill will be a very benevolent commandant. Dougman is the "Head-Dude- in-Charge-of-Propaganda-Stuff", but Bill doesn't listen to him.)
Posted by: daddyquatro | May 14, 2007 5:25 PM
“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.â€
Posted by: daddyquatro | May 14, 2007 8:17 PM
Man!
Preview didn't show me those weird characters.
Dougman!
Don't you make me pull this car over!
Posted by: daddyquatro | May 14, 2007 8:26 PM
A crazy idea maybe this is, but i'll throw it out there anyway.
The 'cell' system works so well for the islamists because there is no one data base for all the operatives.
The smart people can take it from here.
Posted by: Dougman | May 15, 2007 5:20 AM
In fact, what I saw was a community I wanted to join if they would have me. The essays provided the spark and a generous pile of starting wood and then the discussion were well reasoned, far ranging and civil. If anything, when I was trying to follow a thread of discussion, there was sometimes so much positive feedback for Mr. Whittle mixed in it was tough to keep track of an interesting discussion.
The only exception to this rule would be posting by and references to one nickname, Dougman. Dougman's was playing a role I had not seen before. Almost like a court jester, comments by and references to Dougman intermixed into very serious discussions made the whole more enjoyable.
If the archives I so enjoyed are the result of diligent defense from the trolls, then some means of limiting the time required for that defense must be made. With no limit on the number of aliases a troll could assume, some means of restricting registration is required.
(270 Words. Dam you Dougman!)
Posted by: Unquiet Mind | May 15, 2007 9:42 AM
..This commercial break brought to you by Viagra..
http://www.antisubjugator.blogspot.com/
If anyone is up for a boxing match.
Back to the action at hand.
P.S.Bless your heart Unquiet Mind
Posted by: Dougman | May 15, 2007 2:40 PM
The heat is on.
"Our security situation is dire, and not only in Egypt, but rather all across the middle-east. Bloggers have been intimidated by the authorities in Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan, Syria, Iran, Bahrain, just to name a few. It seems like the period of hope and reform that the bloggers of those countries have pushed for and represented in the past 2 years is now coming to an end, with the authorities more and more focused and intent on shutting us up, using everything from intimidation to imprisonment. And we have no defenders, no one to protect us, or champion our causes or lobby for our rights and safety. There used to be the Committee to Protect Bloggers, but that went defunct due to lack of funding, media-pressure-..."
http://www.sandmonkey.org/
Posted by: Dougman | May 15, 2007 3:17 PM
If you look back to when Bill first talked about the online community that he is suggesting, you will see that I said it's too bad that the investors backed out from the du Toits, because their system could have been adapted quite readily to this project.
Damn you again, Dougman!
Posted by: WayneB | May 16, 2007 6:15 AM
You warm my heart, Bless yours, Wayne.
Posted by: Dougman | May 16, 2007 7:04 AM
Lance -
The reason I am still here is because Bill went out of his way to send me a personal email. (Thank you for taking the time, Bill.)
I have no personal problem with anybody here. What worried me early on was the tone of so many comments-- pessimistic and dare I say, paranoid. We're not forming an armed militia here. (Wait, are we??) As you said, the ship hasn't even been built yet-- but the first two reactions were, "who can and cannot be onboard, and might we be targeted for even talking about it?!?"
That is what worried me-- I apologize if my opinions ruffled anybodies feathers.
Posted by: Benjamin DeKraker | May 16, 2007 11:23 AM
Benjamin
It's all my fault anyway so why are you apologizing? (did i spell that right?)
Which reminds me, all typo's are because of me.
Posted by: Dougman | May 16, 2007 11:36 AM
Not sure where you're going with that one Dougman, where did anybody say everything was your fault?
Posted by: Benjamin DeKraker | May 16, 2007 11:45 AM
He's joking, Benjamin. The function of Dougman is to be responsible for every ill in the universe up to and including bones in your boneless fish fillet.
Look, what we've got here is a bunch of extremely intelligent and opinionated people with nothing very much to do aside from picking at this one issue that can very easily be overthought. We've already more or less agreed on the minimum that needs to be done, we're just picking at specifics and sometimes throwing out radically different ideas, some of which are unpalatable to many. Some tensions are unfortunate- but practically inevitable.
Which is why my general attitude has been to try and lighten the mood and/or inject some perspective.
I have clown puppets, people. Don't make me bring out the clown puppets.
Oh, and Daddyquatro- don't eat beef liver. It's huge and it's been marinating in internal cow waste for years. Eat calf liver, it's got less mileage on it. There's a couple of other tricks to make the thing delicious instead of nasty, but my reference for that isn't sitting close to hand at the moment.
Posted by: LabRat | May 16, 2007 11:52 AM
Everything is always Dougman's fault. It's in the bylaws.
Posted by: daddyquatro | May 16, 2007 11:52 AM
I once found a chicken head in my McNuggets. Dougman?
Posted by: Benjamin DeKraker | May 16, 2007 11:58 AM
Dougman, thanks for covering my previous typos, grammatical errors, useless repetition, lack of originality, off topic irrelevancies, and anything else.
And please look forward to absorbing content of little substance. My needs are simple. ~grin~
Until Mr. Griffith made mention of Google, it had never occured to me to look at my nic there. I was unaware that there may be other associations than my silly one, or that there was even a real person with that name. I'd just as soon use something else so all this chatter about the ID of commenters is still roiling about between my ears.
Processing continues offline.
Posted by: Otto Gass | May 16, 2007 12:15 PM
LabRat,
It was calf liver but I couldn't find fresh. I bought frozen. When it thawed out, the cryovac had ruptured and smelled NASTY. Even after slicing onions and washing my hands in lemon juice I couldn't get the smell off. Oh well. Maybe I'll try again in another 14 years.
Disgusting mental image courtesy of Dougman.
Posted by: daddyquatro | May 16, 2007 12:27 PM
er, acenovelty,
Great read but a quote and a link would suffice. Dougman, how did this happen?
Posted by: Otto Gass | May 16, 2007 2:11 PM
... Just so sick of all the fear in this thread.
Posted by: Eric Forhan | May 16, 2007 3:06 PM
You touch on somthing deep there Eric.
In the beginning, There was Fear.
The origin of Evil.
My fault.
Sorry 'bout that people!
Can you forgive me?
Posted by: Dougman | May 16, 2007 3:21 PM
Dougman,
I sent my boss an email with something that will hurt his feelings. It's your fault. Thanks a lot.
Posted by: SkyeChild | May 16, 2007 4:13 PM
My last comment was being composed and posted as Mr. Whittle was posting his update.
Dougman, your timing sucks again.
Posted by: Unquiet Mind | May 16, 2007 6:57 PM
And Dougman - if that's your real name - this is all your doing, and we know that, ok. You don't fool anyone, a'ight.
Now, where were we... oh yeah, the city-state that promises Ejectia.
When I offered my humble talents, and I do mean humble, I was, am, deeply interested in joining with like-minded others in turning back the withering tide of dangerous denial of reality. In doing what we know to be what is right, from our corpuscles up.
I don't think any of us here are paranoid, least of all Bill. We are all rightly terrified of the loss of love for the truth, the facts, the solid and provable.
The enlarging group of Americans who are utterly oblivious to their inability to figure out what is wrong, and to care, is a force that has to be pushed back.
I like Bill's approach and that is why I'm here. Until he kicks me out anyway.
Posted by: alexa kim | May 16, 2007 7:08 PM
"If I did not believe there were things bigger than myself I would not be doing any of this."--Bill
My work is done.
The Dougman is now retired.
It's been agonizing and wonderful!
"You say Good-Bye, And Eye say Hello..." 8;^}
(Honey! i'm h-O-ome!)
Posted by: Doug | May 17, 2007 7:05 AM
Damn you, Dougman!! Now you've made Dougman retire!!!
DOUGAMNNNNNN!!!!!!
Posted by: Richard Riley | May 17, 2007 8:33 AM
Damn you, Dougman!! Now you've made Dougman retire!!!
DOUGMANNNNNN!!!!!!
Posted by: Richard Riley | May 17, 2007 8:33 AM
And now you've made me double post!!!
Rachel, while I think physical security is a real issue, it's small compared to employment.
Posted by: Richard Riley | May 17, 2007 8:39 AM
Oh, I forgot:
Dougman CANNOT die. He just cannot. Dougman is the most essential piece of the entire puzzle.
Doug, if you can't find a way to keep Dougman alive, then someone else will have to don the Dougman Cape and Tights and become Dougman.
NEVER have I seen a more useful or morale-building concept. The first statue erected in Ejectia! needs to be of Dougman in a mask and cape.
Posted by: Bill Whittle | May 17, 2007 2:20 PM
I see Richard sneezed, and got a little on me, Bless you. Or ga-zoon-tite? Damn, i'm dumb.
Bill,
What'cho takn'in 'bout Willis?
Rez-erect dougman?
You'd have to talk to the old lady 'bout that.
Maybe if she & Rachel could talk that girlie stuff, it might work.
Posted by: Dougman | May 17, 2007 3:44 PM
So... what to do with a dusty old silverback gorilla? What to do?
Well, I'll start by helping to mount that statue of Dougman that Bill suggested. Then I guess I'll have to build my own watchtower on the wall. And then? Hmmm. Time to start proposing new "laws," I guess... like...
"In Ejectica (I favor two Cs), there shall be no STOP signs. Only YIELD signs. No function is served by a STOP sign that is not served by a YIELD sign, save one -- that being the obligation to stop even when there's no REASON to stop. So ixnay on the opsignstay."
There. I feel like a participating citizen already.
And dang, it's good to hear from LabRat again.
Keep up the good work, all.
GHS
Posted by: Great Hairy Silverback | May 17, 2007 5:52 PM
Unquiet, I nominate you to head up the Dang! Department, Apply Liberally As Needed or As Directed, You Decide.
LabRat, I can see you fronting the Sound Logic Band. What kind of music do you prefer? Please, don't say circus.
Dougman, I nominate you to command the Omega Club, the Get Over Yourself and Stop Crying Amendments Generator and Movie Critic.
Me? I don't know nuthin' 'bout no fritos, kitten heels, almond frise lip gloss, diversity dingies, multi-culturalismosity or accounting. But I speak Spanish, pocho, spanglich, English and legalese.
GHS, may I call you Great?
Organization... organization. There are soooo many ways to divvy up the spoils and whatnot. I think LabRat has a good starter set there...
I think having an excellent search engine would help considerably in basically by-passing a lot of organization up-front. Tags are good. I have no idea if that is worse than organizing first. My brain works random access all the time because I naturally cross-reference in ways that don't occur to others.
Bill, you are so right, without Dougman, and a suitable monument to him, we are merely babble-ON.
Posted by: alexa kim | May 17, 2007 8:45 PM
I was busy tonight and I come back and WOW the whole world has changed.
All this stuff about 3-D game like virtual city state rendering of e!3 is great but...
Dougman's retiring? Can't be.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
OK, Stars are up? Check.
Water is Wet? Check.
Earth is still rotating? Ah, that takes too long.
I have an idea. We need the cooperative to all work together on this. Everybody with me? Now, all at once?
PANIC.
Posted by: Unquiet Mind | May 17, 2007 10:34 PM
Damm again. With Dougman retired, this one is actually my fault.
Posted by: Unquiet Mind | May 17, 2007 11:16 PM
"Dear Douglas,
Here is your horoscope
for Thursday, May 17:
Words are more important than deeds right now, especially when you're discussing the future. Go ahead and build castles in the air. After all, that type of real estate is easy on the wallet -- and easy to redecorate".
Well, if it's written in the stars, the Wife is just going to have to deal with it like she has been for the last few years.
So Be it.
erect! erect! erect!
Posted by: Dougman | May 18, 2007 7:16 AM
That was from dailyhoroscope@astrology.com.
Must give credit where it's due.
Posted by: Dougman | May 18, 2007 7:22 AM
Dougman Sez:
erect! erect! erect!
I am going to need some mental clorox, now.
- MuscleDaddy
Posted by: MuscleDaddy | May 18, 2007 8:25 AM
How frakin' awesome is that!
Posted by: daddyquatro | May 18, 2007 8:33 AM
erect! erect! erect!
Posted by: Dougman | May 18, 2007 7:16 AM
Oh, look. Dougman is ready for his statue. :)
So, whatcha look like, there, Dougman?
Posted by: WayneB | May 18, 2007 8:45 AM
Six foot/ 150 lbs. Butt ugly :o
Posted by: Dougman | May 18, 2007 11:11 AM
Halleluja, the Dougman lives! I can stop panicking now, whew. Unquiet, we're saved!
daddyquatro, I didn't misunderstand you at all, no worries. I agree with you!
Muscledaddy, "mental clorox" - LOL! I'll be using that. The John Myers song always makes me pensive. That you know it is no surprise.
...it has to reach and captivate THEM. And we have to start with that in mind. - MuscleDaddy - Posted by: MuscleDaddy | May 17, 2007 9:58 PM
Absolutely, utterly, exactly RIGHT!
Posted by: alexa kim | May 18, 2007 12:42 PM
alexa,
Haven't you heard? Dougman is back on the case. Therefore, it wasn't you fault.
A statue and a street. Maybe even the town square.
On second thought, maybe not. A town square named after Dougman might tempt the gods of chaos.
Posted by: daddyquatro | May 18, 2007 2:04 PM
Chase, daddyquatro, I have put down many Shiner Boks in my time. I have two skiing buddies from Texas (originally) who won't go back to Utah because they could not find Shiner. I'll have to try the Blond.
alexa, "And now back by popular demand...".
WayneB, I could have done without the image of Dougman's Statue you put in my mind. But, because this site is all about sharing... I work right on the D.C. Mall, and right there, prominently displayed is the tallest building in the city...The Washington Monument.
Dougman, I have only been doing this for a short time and my wife is already wondering what I am sitting at my computer so absorbed an grinning about. She is used to me getting on my laptop at all hours, I have always done that with work. But now I seem to be enjoying it more and she is giving me that look.
Posted by: Unquiet Mind | May 18, 2007 2:24 PM
A town square...
The Gods of chaos are right here with me, three little munchkins and the wife that always has to know What'cha thinkin' about?.
Aghr-r!
Not to mention my own thoughts that i try to comprehend.
I mean, a High School drop-out like me cavorting around with the likes of you all.
Truth is stranger than fiction.
Posted by: Dougman | May 18, 2007 5:27 PM
Dougman, if it helps, the chaos at home still resolves to life. It's the chaos of the mad mullahs that is truly a threat. The chaos of this site, with people cross posting on three old threads, is entertaining me still. Like having several radios on at the same time all playing different pieces. I can't always hang with it but even at a distance I like the bubbling stew.
I'm glad you reconsidered your early retirement.
Posted by: Otto Gass | May 18, 2007 5:49 PM
the mad mullahs
Thanks for the re-focus Otto.
Them's the ones that need to be taken out before i can truly/fully enjoy life.
The heads of the snakes.
Can't rest 'til they Submit or Die. The A$$holes
Allrighty then, i got children that need my attention now.
See ya!
Posted by: Dougman | May 18, 2007 6:08 PM
Dang, Dougman.
I understand, with three little ones how you have cultivated the skill of taking blame. I, on the other hand, always blame the kids. It worked better when they couldn't talk. Right there with you on the High School drop-out thing. If it were really true that life is like HS I would have given up long ago.
Otto,
Must.. give... up... old... thread... Must... move... on... to... new... thread.
But I've had such fun here!
Posted by: daddyquatro | May 18, 2007 6:26 PM
daddyquatro, I expect that this will pass all too soon - that is, the acceleration with more ideas and more people will make for a vast spread in my ability to keep track. This one is what, four, five days old? Hell, over at LGF they'll chew up 10 a day with hundreds of comments before I blink. Tough going, to catch Einstein's train.
Well, I hope to see you in orbit once in a while anyway.
Posted by: Otto Gass | May 18, 2007 6:38 PM
Know what you mean - I keep coming back here too.
- MuscleDaddy
Posted by: MuscleDaddy | May 18, 2007 6:41 PM
Otto, daddyquatro, LOL. Then a chuckle. Now I have to go check the other threads...
One last comment here: Often I have thought it was an absolutely necessity to have some form of tree structure for comments just to categorize and compartmentalize. But this flat thread has been one of the best I have ever seen. Content over structure. This group of people Bill has drawn to the light just blows my mind. Amazing.
Posted by: Unquiet Mind | May 18, 2007 6:47 PM
Dang, Otto.
(I have just said dang twice in one night.)
You've already got me feeling nostalgic. I just had an image of you and I, Unquiet, Chase and Dougman meeting up at some virtual taproom six months from now. For good or ill, these past few weeks have been a blast. And I need a new F5 button.
Posted by: daddyquatro | May 18, 2007 6:58 PM
Just popping my head into Bill's Chase Lounge, (The Logo is perfect for this) on my way to marriage counseling with DR. Change-scriptureto-whatever makes-me-$.
Patience Doug, Patience.
Posted by: Dougman | May 19, 2007 6:18 PM
For daddyquatro and unquiet mind, both... Gracious thanks for your most kind remarks. That was my first "somewhat sustantive" post anywhere, anytime, on this incredible forum. I am in your debt for the gentleness. Were I still imbibing alcohol, I'd be most happy to join you anywhere, and tip a quaff or two, if it didn't involve some 24-30 hours of travel time to get there. A non-fermented cider for me, perhaps? MMMmmmmmmm....
Posted by: Paul A. | May 19, 2007 11:24 PM
OOOOooops... typo alert... I meant to say "substantive" in the first line of previous post. Aplologies for not catching that.
Posted by: Paul A. | May 19, 2007 11:28 PM
Pau A., Thank you Sir for the delicious breakfast spread to go with my coffee. I am not awake enough to make any intelligent comment. (Dougman, Is that you? Where you put my glasses and my brain? I know it's Sunday, but I need my glasses.)
BTW: Something I picked up pretty quickly here at e!3:
Regarding OOOOooops... typo alert.. : Don't sweat the spelling errors. Heck, just let it rip and if anything comes out wrong?, It is fine to correct it but..., Blame Dougman! It is easier, it adds a little humor to some heavy topics, and we all know it is his fault anyway. ;-)
Posted by: Unquiet Mind | May 20, 2007 5:45 AM
Paul A,
Sustantive isn't a word, but it ought to be; meaning something which sustains.
In which case that was no typo.
The Chase Lounge is located right off Ejectia town square. However, due to an unfortunate circumstance, the front window has a stunning view of the butt of the Dougman statue. I'll have to check with the management on his non-alcoholic offerings. I know he has free 7-up on Sunday.
Posted by: daddyquatro | May 20, 2007 8:13 AM
ALL,
I now realize it was the Dougman's insidious influence, through his control of the KarlRoveMindWave Machine, that caused me to drop that "b" in "substantive. HE gets the blame (credit?) for the coining of that new word "sustantive," meaning, as D4 so appropriately realized, "providing sustenance, nurturing, feeding..."
You ARE the "sneaky one," Dougman!!! D$MN YOU!!!
A few random thoughts/comments, since it is early here and I must get a bite of breakfast before I begin my work day...
1.) Thanks to all for the kind and generous words... I already feel "at home and at ease" in Chase's, though I will always endeavor to give my best here, for whatever that's worth.
2.) I am reminded of the "Eight P's" I occasionally use in my manufacturing planning sessions... "Proper Prior Planning Prevents Probable Piss-Poor Performance..."
With that, I bid all a "Good Day!!!" and head off to my work.
Posted by: Paul A. | May 20, 2007 3:46 PM
...stunning view of the butt of the Dougman statue.
Aha-ha..
Actually, that's a GOOD thing as my hinny is one of my best features!
Or so i've been told.
Tis starting to sag a bit though.
Posted by: Dougman | May 20, 2007 9:45 AM
LabRat,
To paraphrase a quote from the movie The Last Boy Scout: "I'm getting being beaten-up by the inventor of scrabble".
daddyquattro,
LOL! Your "stunning view of the butt of the Dougman statue" comment had me laughing so hard it hurts!
Paul A, et al
You are all making my brain hurt.
I started reading Bill's essays somewhere late in 2003, but never left comments, or wanted to get involved in conversations with you people. Why? In the real world, I pride myself on my wit and fair share of brains. (I'm an Engineer, for crying out loud! Couldn't do this stuff without a brain, right?) Here, in this place - I feel like babbling idiot. That's the best way I know how to say it. Mr. Whittle has attracted some of the most smart people I have ever met. I consider it an honor that you have not driven me and my half-brain out of town by now.
I say this not to suck-up to anyone. I'm calling it like I see it.
That is all.
Posted by: Chase | May 20, 2007 1:06 PM
Chase,
I feel the same way, although I have long known that I don't have a gift for eloquence. I also pay more attention to how I write things here (and on a few other sites where I have the same feeling) because of it, so I think overall it's a net positive for my speaking ability.
Posted by: WayneB | May 20, 2007 1:34 PM
Chase,
I speak babble most fluently.
The key here is not to be self-conscious. I think I said that in my first post about what I can do well and what can I teach.
Will I reveal myself to me an un-reconstructed idiot? Invariably, in this company, at some point I will. And I expect to be taken to task when I cannot defend my own reasoning. But that's how I learn.
How insufferably boring to be right all the time!
Those who have never suffered foot-in-mouth disease have been keeping their cards too close to vest. I know what Lincoln said, but sometime "...to remove all doubt." is the best way to learn.
And who knows; maybe some idiot thing that I say might rub two synapses together in one of the great minds here and we get some insight that might never have been sparked otherwise.
If I can be so bold.
"Tis better to comment and appear a fool, than to remain silent and remove all doubt."
Posted by: daddyquatro | May 20, 2007 1:39 PM
Chase, I lurked for years here, at LGF, Michele Malkin, Powerline and HotAir and have never commented until Bill re-opened comments on e!3. I feel the same way you do about the quality of the commenters here. I had 2.5 years of Chemical Engineering but switched to Computer Science in 1982 when the bottom dropped out of the oil market and Chem E's with 5-10 years of experience flooded out of Texas desperate for jobs with mortgages to pay at twice the reassessed value of their houses in Houston. Up until a few weeks ago, I had not written anything other than design and technical documentation and code for 20 years. This place is stretching my writing skills way beyond my limits but the community welcomes you, encourages you and - in just my brief experience - will bring out the best one has to offer.
You know, you have - with the stoke of a pun - set yourself up in a central position in ejectia, as proprietor of The Chase Lounge you are the one and only provider of virtual libations, relaxation and comedy in the whole damm galaxy. Without the constrains of physical space, stocking or staffing resources, your establishment can take all comers, fill to capacity and then just expand at will. You can just sit back as everybody comes to you, sits down and empties their thoughts at the bar. A few witty comments here and there, a occasional question to keep them going or get them unstuck and you are in buddy.
BTW: Nobody who gets through Engineering as a degree or a profession is lacking in working synapses. I'm not falling for this rope-a-dope. ;-)
BTW2: Nice view you have out the front window.
I'll go with one of those Shiner Blonds you stocked up on for daddyquatro - if you don't mind Sir.
Psst: I hear something big is supposed to happen tomorrow over at e!3. You picking up any rumors here?
Posted by: Unquiet Mind | May 20, 2007 2:48 PM
Since our prior thread seems to have run its course. (Goodbye, thread. I'm going to miss you!) May I invite everyone over to The Chase Lounge? Drinks for the house!
Unquiet just put in the new pool table and it needs to be broken in.
Plus, I need some help from you engineering types on how to reconstruct my idiot.
Pull the shades, will you, Chase.
The sight of that hinny is having a disquieting effect on me.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Posted by: daddyquatro | May 20, 2007 4:25 PM
daddyquatro,
You know, I was trying to figure out how this Lounge thing got started and you have jogged my memory. If Bill doesn't like the idea, it's Unquiet Mind's fault. And Dougman, of course.
Oh, and sorry about the view out the front window.
Poor Planning makes for an un-Pleasant view of a Posterior
Posted by: Chase | May 20, 2007 7:05 PM
BTW, Chase, I am deadly serious about this: we need to start diversifying and assigning management tasks. If you want to head the chat room / bar set-up, comsider the project yours. THE CHASE LOUNGE, like The Statue of Dougman's Ass, is too good an idea to walk away from.
Kick around what you want it too look like, and by all means don't hesitate to ask for tech help if you need it. It can be the first thing we install. Whatever you need to do to make it happen, have at it (assuming you want the job and responsibility), and e-mail me if you need any help from the front office.
www.Ejectia.com is registered and ready to go.
(I love the idea of a Galaxy visible out the windows.)
Posted by: Bill Whittle | May 20, 2007 11:18 PM
6:15 AM in the Land of 10,000 Taxes.
I had to take an overnight shift at the last minute and i am dog tired!
I had the strangest sensations emanating from my tush all night and now i know why.
You people have been play'in with it all night.
's a'right tho, the most action i've had in a month.
Was it as good for you as it was for me?
Posted by: Dougman | May 21, 2007 4:32 AM
Dougman, from the depths of %*^*& you strike again! LOL!!!! Now I have to go get a new shirt. This one has my coffee all over it.
I'm going to be late. Damn you Dougman!
Posted by: Unquiet Mind | May 21, 2007 4:44 AM
Sorry about that oh Mindful one, but i didn't like that shirt anyway. It clashed with your eyes.
There now, that one looks MUCH better.
Off to work you go now, and have a nice day!
I'm going to catch a fe w . . z z zz...
Posted by: Dougman | May 21, 2007 7:09 AM
Comments
Oh very good!
I love the lounge.
Sorry I've been gone...family problems.
Dude, I've got a spare set of keys whenever you want 'em.
Hi, andrea.
Thanks for the love!
Thankew! Thankew! Thankew!
I knew we were supposed to blame any and all mistakes on Dougman but I couldn't for the life of me remember why. This is a nice refresher.
Now if Dougman will quit making me forget things....
Amidst five virtues to which we adhere,
Are sixteen compass points that led us near.
Up in the sky, above the earth to wave,
Wherever minds be free, and hearts be brave.
We come together, ourselves to improve.
To get here, no one even has to move.
That "Shining City" we strive to create.
And make it more than just a mental state.
And to this code our pledge we will be true:
"Do unto others as you'd have done you"
We should not fear repression or assault.
(If things go wrong, it must be Dougman's fault.)
I'm not going to cry,..really
.I'm not,...I.....oh..
wv: umlfugi
That's it,..
I'm going to cry...