Yet Another Cycling Forum
Off Topic => The Pub => Topic started by: sam on 29 April, 2015, 07:10:09 pm
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I've deleted my thread "Hello (again)" because I didn't want it to be public - my fault for taking it too far off topic I guess. I was going to add the following story, because it's all of a piece, but I guess it will have to stand alone if it stands at all. It's just for fun.
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(http://www.notanothercyclingforum.net/pics/serpentinebike-invert.jpg)
A man stood disconsolate at the edge of the Serpentine, gazing down into the fractured moonlight reflected at his feet. Let's call him George; but he could be any man who has come to the end of desolation row.
A swan silently approached to beg crumbs. "I've got nothing for you," said George, who appeared to have made a decision. "I wish I'd never been born," he announced. There was nobody to disagree, or to stop him from what he did next. He filled his backpack with rocks. Then he retrieved the faithful bike that had brought him here, gave the kickstand a final kick, and climbed aboard. It wouldn't be Thelma and Louis, but it would do.
George and bike quickly splashed into the abyss. The abyss swallowed them up. Or would have done, but it's not much of an abyss. "Oh for crying out loud," he said, still only knee deep. With some difficulty he cranked further, then abruptly disappeared into the belly of the city's snake.
The swan paddled over to the lazy vortex which was shedding dreamless ripples. Then something miraculous happened: the swan turned into an angel, revealing its true self. The celestial being dove under the black water and resurfaced with George, who to be honest had been having second thoughts at this point. They struggled in tandem to shore, but not before George shouted "My bike! What about my bike?!"
"Cyclists…" the angel sighed under his breath, then went back to retrieve the bike. As George examined it for damage, the angel gently probed the mortal he'd saved. "Why did you want to end your life?" he asked. "It's such a precious gift to throw away."
Minutes ticked by, the only sound a drip-drip-drip from the bike, which had suffered a puncture wound but was otherwise OK. "Because the world would be exactly the same if my mother had a headache that night," said George finally. "I know feeling sorry for yourself isn't an attractive quality, but I don't even have looks going for me."
The angel took this in, then nodded. "So you agree," said George, a little hurt to have the bait spurned.
"No," said the angel. "I was listening to the boss." He pointed to the heavens. "He's just told me you're not on the register of births."
"What does that mean?" asked George.
"It means you never were born. Must've been a clerical error. Fancy that. It looks like I got wet for nothing."
George was nonplussed. "I don't feel nonexistant," he said. "I mean, no more than usual. Are you sure?"
"He doesn't make mistakes," said the angel. "Still, I can see how it would be a rough transition for you. How about I accompany you home?"
"Sure, thanks," said George. "If I still have one." He hopped on his bike before remembering the puncture. "I didn't bring my repair kit," he told Clarence. (Did I mention the angel's name was Clarence?)
"Lock it up and we'll grab some Charlotte Bikes," said Clarence as they approached the rental stands.
"What happened to the Boris Bikes?" asked George. "Are you showing me the future?"
Clarence looked at him with a twinkle in his eye. "No, it's still the same date on the calendar. But in a timeline without you in it, Boris never became mayor. He was soundly beaten by Charlotte, who only spent a short time as a dissolute libertine before trying her hand at politics."
"The two aren't mutually exclusive," said George. "I don't understand. In what way could I have possibly caused that to happen?"
Clarence explained: "Every choice we make affects the next choice. When you started your cycling forum, Charlotte was one of the first to register. Like many others who were escaping the Cycling Plus forum, she was in search of a new playroom. Yours suited, and she continued to pursue that life. Without your forum, she and many others would've either quit C+ and fora altogether, or moved on to CycleChat, which may be fun and friendly but doesn't have quite the same je ne sais quoi."
(http://www.notanothercyclingforum.net/pics/koi.jpg)
not to be confused with je ne sais koi
"Couldn't they have started their own forum, like I did?" asked George. "It's a lot of work, but it's not rocket science."
Clarence shook his angelic head yes then no. "Coulda shoulda didn't, at the time. That's just not the way it panned out. Everybody on your forum was changed by their association with it, in ways small and large. Mostly small, granted, but as you can see, some of the ripples of that decision were profound. Think butterfly effect."
"Is she a good mayor? Is it a change for the better?" asked George, curious. They grabbed a pair of Charlotte Bikes and he nearly came a cropper.
"This is fixed gear!" he exclaimed. "I can't ride this."
"Sure you can. Just remember to keep pedalling," said the angel with devilish innocence.
They left Hyde Park and entered straight into Soho. This wasn't hard: London was all Soho now.
"Now I'm really confused," said George. "I thought she didn't run on a disolute libertine platform. What happened?"
"Call it an unintended consequence," said Clarence. "I won't be able to explain everything, and you wouldn't believe me even if I could. Suffice it to say the butterfly can flap its wings in strange ways."
They weaved their way through the city, at times passing other cyclists who had forgotten to bring their clothes. Clarence told him that now every day was optional naked bike ride day. George's brief sojourn in the drink had made him thirsty, so they stopped at a Hummers Pret A Venir (they were everywhere – "He bought out all the Pret A Mangers" explained Clarence) to fortify themselves with a Baileys Irish Cream and Kahlúa & Ameretto topped with whipped cream, which is moreish. Then they carried on, George still grumbling under his breath because he couldn't coast.
Presently they came upon Trafalgar Square. George half expected Nelson's Column to have been rebuilt as something more priapic than it was already, but the Admiral had been left in peace.
(http://www.notanothercyclingforum.net/pics/meerkatnelson.jpg)
almost
The Fourth Plinth, on the other hand, featured an orgy in progress. George thought he spotted Boris's Johnson in the middle of the action. A man on a penny farthing rang his bell at Clarence, who had stopped in the middle of the road to blush mightily.
George lived quite far south of the river, so they had a good long ride, at one point mingling with a group on their way to the coast (did I mention this was a Friday night?). "Why are you going there?" George asked their leader.
"We're running away to join the circus (http://www.anothercyclingforum.com/index.php?topic=53079.0)," he said. "Where are you going with those rental bikes?"
George had forgotten about that detail. It was too late to do anything about it now. When the two of them arrived home they settled themselves on the meadow and counted stars for awhile, George in a contemplative mood, Clarence a little homesick himself.
"I'm beginning to think this has all been a dream," said George sleepily.
"It was," said Clarence, taking his leave by taking to the sky. "Good night, George."
He slept deeply and had another dream. Even while a subconscious player, he sensed it was particularly dense with allegory. It was set in London again, but not; you know the way dreams can mess with geography. He was sitting on a bench that had a big advertisement on it saying Better Call Paul, kind of like in that tv show. Sharing the bench was a jaded looking guy in a raincoat, and a woman. She was sitting on part of his raincoat. The guy was discretely tugging at it to no avail. Finally he said "Can you move over a little, Miss? You're on my mac." Meanwhile a sturdy lumberjack, absolutely invincible looking, was cutting down a tree across the road. "Timber!" he sang out as it tumbled forward, startling George awake.
He was surprised to find that he really was in the meadow in front of his house. The postman was coming up the drive as on any other bright new day. "Anything for me?" he asked.
There was. It was a letter from his landlord, asking if he wanted to renew his lease.
(http://www.notanothercyclingforum.net/pics/zillavillas.gif)
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The Office section of YACF is for forum introductions, suggestions and announcements. Threads which do not fall into those categories will be moved to a more appropriate place.
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I suggest that's a bit of a harsh response to a few, well written, words.
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Agreed
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Hello Sam!
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If a mild admonishment for posting something in the wrong board is "harsh", what adjective would you use to describe the banning of half a forum's users?
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Oooh. Is this gossip I wot not of, never having had a presence in certain previous places?
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…and this is why I posted in OR. However, I'm happy to reply to Mr Larrington and anybody else who wishes to chat to my infamous self here in the Pub or on any board management deems suitable, if it's an acceptable topic of conversation. C-3PO's blessing of a thorough rehash of old times would surprise me, but perhaps it may come to pass. If so, I'll take heart in #5 in the Yacf registration agreement: "Like Voltaire, we'll defend to the death your right to make your point, however unpopular it may be…" (My old "Before you post, think about the kind of forum you want" is still nearby.) Meanwhile I'm going out for a ride, then perhaps a bit of sleep. Perchance to dream.
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"The office is for announcements, introductions and whatever the other thing was, oh yes, suggestions" is reasonably clear and you'd have to be a complete fuckwit or shit-stirrer of the first water to suggest it's a blessing on a rehash. I'd be surprised if anyone wants a rehash, because this place is generally a happy place, but it is tempting to wonder why someone so particular about his arbitrary rules on his own forum isn't interested in the clearly-stated rules here. Stop thinking of yourself as special, Sam. If you want to be here, get on with it like anyone else, and remember that YACF didn't delete your thread, you did.
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Eccentra, I'm not sure where to begin, or if I even should, as your post doesn't scan as an invitation to a relaxed conversation. But I'll begin at the end. I can't just "get on with it like anyone else" because I'm not anyone else; I'm loaded with more baggage than everyone here combined. I don't particularly want a rehash – that time in my life was painful enough the first time around – but I wouldn't pass up an opportunity to defuse landmines once and for all. [Perhaps I should unmix that metaphor....] I didn't suggest that the moderator had given his or her blessing.
C-3PO was merely doing the job; god knows I moved enough threads in my day. It would have been nice if I was given notice before it was moved from an invisible board to a visible one (ie, one where you don't have to be logged on to view it), but I didn't kick up a fuss about that. I didn't want it in the Pub, so rather than argue my case I exercised the right to delete it. My opening post was to acknowledge that it was me who deleted it rather than a mod bod, and to introduce my little story, which was now missing its context.
The comment about my rules being arbitrary I'll let pass for now, though that subject alone has potential for an interesting discussion to forum anoraks like myself.
Hello Steph.
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We all have 'baggage'.
It is presumptuous in the extreme to think any individual has any more than anyone else.
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I enjoyed your story.
Can we not stir up past events, please?
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If a mild admonishment for posting something in the wrong board is "harsh", what adjective would you use to describe the banning of half a forum's users?
Now that is harsh! ;)
"The office is for announcements, introductions and whatever the other thing was, oh yes, suggestions" is reasonably clear and you'd have to be a complete fuckwit or shit-stirrer of the first water to suggest it's a blessing on a rehash. I'd be surprised if anyone wants a rehash, because this place is generally a happy place, but it is tempting to wonder why someone so particular about his arbitrary rules on his own forum isn't interested in the clearly-stated rules here. Stop thinking of yourself as special, Sam. If you want to be here, get on with it like anyone else, and remember that YACF didn't delete your thread, you did.
This.
Sam, if you want to be here, then be here. Take part, engage, discuss, ride, and be.
All members of this forum are special. You just as much.
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Eccentra, I'm not sure where to begin, or if I even should, as your post doesn't scan as an invitation to a relaxed conversation. But I'll begin at the end. I can't just "get on with it like anyone else" because I'm not anyone else; I'm loaded with more baggage than everyone here combined. I don't particularly want a rehash – that time in my life was painful enough the first time around – but I wouldn't pass up an opportunity to diffuse landmines once and for all. [Perhaps I should unmix that metaphor....] I didn't suggest that the moderator had given his or her blessing.
You can just get on with it like everyone else. You do that by getting on with it. Many people here have no idea who you are or what your forum baggage is, and those of us who do like this place and don't want drama or endless rehashings. Just get on with it.
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Sam, I enjoyed your little story - though I'm sure I didn't get whatever hidden meanings you may or may not have intended to impart. But please don't bring up past battles and wounds, even in hints or passing comment. We did all that at the time and we've moved on. Water under the bridge, and all that. Nice to see you here!
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If the water is truly under the bridge, that would be great. The story was just for fun, as I posted above; it was written as a final, light-hearted chapter.
mrcharly, a movie studio has expressed interest, but I'm not keen on their choice of Bruce Willis to play George.
PS. It doesn't look like HTML tags are enabled in sigs; you'll need brackets to be an italic Marmite slave.
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I liked it too Sam! (made me feel in my pocket for Zuzu's petals. )
Say hi to the downs for me, if you still have those nearby.
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Many people here have no idea who you are or what your forum baggage is
Indeed, and though I now have a little bit of an idea it's just confirmed that I care less than I thought I might.
I suggest that's a bit of a harsh response to a few, well written, words.
If only.
<Searches for Ignore Thread button, as the most appropriate response to tedious drivel>
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"The office is for announcements, introductions and whatever the other thing was, oh yes, suggestions" is reasonably clear and you'd have to be a complete fuckwit or shit-stirrer of the first water to suggest it's a blessing on a rehash. I'd be surprised if anyone wants a rehash, because this place is generally a happy place, but it is tempting to wonder why someone so particular about his arbitrary rules on his own forum isn't interested in the clearly-stated rules here. Stop thinking of yourself as special, Sam. If you want to be here, get on with it like anyone else, and remember that YACF didn't delete your thread, you did.
EG for Mayor :)
Agreed, and reminds me just why I had put Sam on ignore...
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I can't just "get on with it like anyone else" because I'm not anyone else; I'm loaded with more baggage than everyone here combined.
So, "I'm different from everyone else & more important than all of you". Until I saw that I was quickly skimming & had absolutely no intention of getting involved, but that outburst of egotism got my goat.
Look at how many members there are here. Most know nothing of your 'baggage' (thus rendering it nonexistent, to them) & care not at all. Even some of us who were there missed most of it, & moved on, not being very interested or caring much. Claiming your 'baggage' is vastly greater than anyone else's, so much so as to outweigh that of 3895 others, is silly. Very silly indeed. It's childish attention-seeking.
The rest of us, have, between us, multiple divorces, bereavements, accidents, physical & mental illnesses, crises with offspring, and much, much more. Claiming that your personal issues are greater than all that combined, as personal baggage, shows a monstrous self-centredness & lack of both self & social awareness.
Get over yourself. Grow up.
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Oh dear. I was going to let that lie, but perhaps a few words are in order. I only meant that in the context of foruming. My baggage includes having pissed off just about everybody on the old acf: a singular feat, I hope I can state without appearing to bask in distasteful self regard.
Say hi to the downs for me, if you still have those nearby.
Close enough! (http://prettygoodbritain.com/wp/?p=1479)
(http://www.anothercyclingforum.com/pics/hills.gif)
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I thought you might mean that, but even in the context of yacf alone, it's extraordinarily arrogant & utterly false. To most of us here, you're just another member. Your old fora were long ago, & completely unknown to most yacf members.
You seem to have a problem accepting that you aren't the most important person on yacf, that your personality & personal history don't shape it. That's your problem, nobody else's.
This isn't your private playground, & never has been. You're just another member, like 3895 others, some of them (unlike you) important to this forum.
Get over it. Grow up. Try to move on from the 'bask[ing] in distasteful self regard' which you seem so fond of, & are displaying again. It's very unattractive.
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I've started cycling no handed on some of the quiet parts of my commute. I think I picked that up from riding behind you on a wet Dunwich Dynamo :P
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Nice to see how welcoming some folk are.
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The history of the cycling fora is all very Game of Thrones
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The history of the cycling fora is all very makes Game of Thrones look like The Archers in comparison
FTFY ;D
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I've started cycling no handed on some of the quiet parts of my commute.
It's a marvelous feeling, isn't it? Early this morning (or late last night, depending how you look at these things) I let hands slip from handlebars (http://www.bikereader.com/solo/hands.html) as often as I could get away with. It's a tad iffy; I met a badger, a deer, and a fox along the way, and I wouldn't have liked to give any of them grief, or to become roadkill myself.
I think I picked that up from riding behind you on a wet Dunwich Dynamo :P
Happy to provide a slipstreaming service. (http://road.cc/content/blog/123389-dunwich-dynamo-xxii) It's the ideal posture to aid those riding behind.
topical @1.42
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_QZyWs-MaQ
[am rumaging around in my GoT folder for a suitable illustration]
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I've been trying to stay out of this because, as a mere newbie of about 6 years, I never experienced ACF or C+ or any of that stuff. To me, this is just a corner of the internet that I was introduced to by some people on a bike ride[1] I heard about on uk.rec.cycling, and liked enough to hang around. I'm vaguely aware of some of the back-story, as a couple of people have been kind enough to clue me in over the years, but none of that affected me directly, so I reckon I can safely ignore it.
What I see from my position of mostly ignorance, is someone popping up at irregular intervals who's obviously liked and respected by a great many of the people here, elsewhere and no longer with us, whose judgement I tend to give weight to. I see wry humour, a love of photoshop and thinly veiled references to a pre-history a lot of people I consider friends would rather forget. I see a lot of flamboyant un-lurks but don't really see someone attempting to be an active part of this community.
I don't think *we* have any baggage, so I have no reason not to like you, but I'm still waiting to see a person to like. How about joining in discussing bikes, or rides, or CAKE, or gadgets, or wildlife, or UKIP, or 'Go Steve!' or something? If you're not here to do that, then - other than to provoke a reaction - I'm not sure why're you're here.
[1] FRNttC. You may have heard of it. We may even have met on one.
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It's the internet. If you don't like, ignore. I've been ignoring myself for years.
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[am rumaging around in my GoT folder for a suitable illustration]
Most see your historic actions as that of the Mad King. I don't think he was ever pictured in the show ;D
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I see a lot of flamboyant un-lurks but don't really see someone attempting to be an active part of this community.
But he did for a bit. He just decided to do another flamboyant un-lurk and deleted all the more normal posts first.
My memory, a google search (https://www.google.co.uk/?gfe_rd=cr&gws_rd=ssl#q=site:yacf.co.uk+anothersam) or a review of posting statistics graph (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?action=profile;area=statistics;u=6053) compared to the current number (7) confirms this. It's like a shadow flitting about the place. Which makes it slightly more weird and difficult to just ignore.
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Nice to see how welcoming some folk are.
Well, some of us have never had any clashes with Sam - until he just claimed to be special, unlike anyone else, & having more baggage than everyone else combined. Given what little I know of the history (I was around for some of it, but completely uninvolved), this is pretty obviously more of the same, & as you can tell, it pisses me off mightily. He destroyed his own fora - well, they were his, so that was up to him. But yacf isn't his, & regardless of its origins, owes almost nothing to him nowadays, with most members (even including many people regarded as old-timers & major contributors) never having been on his fora.
As far as I'm concerned, he's welcome here, under the same terms as everyone else. But from his recent posts, he seems to have difficulty accepting the 'same as everyone else' part of it.
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(http://www.siliconrepublic.com/fs/img/social-media-manager-meme-8.jpg)
:-X :demon:
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It's like alt.bigfoot but without the fur and mysterious footprints.
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It's the internet. If you don't like, ignore. I've been ignoring myself for years.
Prior to that, did you have a period of arguing with yourself? It's less embarrassing than being caught arguing with yourself while walking down the street (not that I'm talking from experience, oh, no).
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It's like alt.bigfoot but without the fur and mysterious footprints.
I'm a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma underneath a cagule of doubt. More to follow...
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It seems that newbies (other than spammers) are allowed more time (and tolerance) to find their feet in YACF than is given to anothersam, at least by some folk here. Their reactions show that anothersam does have more baggage here than most, otherwise they wouldn't react so strongly so quickly.
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Really? He's had years.
And until he started stirring it up, as far as I could see his baggage was being ignored, & would continue to be ignored, if he didn't insist on shouting about it.
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I was involved in telling the trolls at the C + forum to move along, Ithankyou. Not crucial or central, just rather vocal on occasions. We ended up with Sam, in the end. The rest is acrimonious history.
My attitude is simple. I like Sam. I have never had a problem with him. I don't agree with what happened to ACF, but it happened. I try very hard to see the individual behind the actions. I understand how some people feel. I take no sides here.
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I see a lot of flamboyant un-lurks but don't really see someone attempting to be an active part of this community.
But he did for a bit. He just decided to do another flamboyant un-lurk and deleted all the more normal posts first.
My memory, a google search (https://www.google.co.uk/?gfe_rd=cr&gws_rd=ssl#q=site:yacf.co.uk+anothersam) or a review of posting statistics graph (https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?action=profile;area=statistics;u=6053) compared to the current number (7) confirms this. It's like a shadow flitting about the place. Which makes it slightly more weird and difficult to just ignore.
And deleting posts wholesale is a distinctly anti-community act.
It seems that newbies (other than spammers) are allowed more time (and tolerance) to find their feet in YACF than is given to anothersam, at least by some folk here.
What makes you think anothersam should be treated as a newbie?
tom_e's search above shows that Google cache still remembers 50-odd posts from him over the past two years. Dipping into them suggests they are normal, active participation in the community - as Kim suggests - without any apparent intolerance in response.
The fact he's chosen to delete them and post rambling, stream-of-consciousness "flamboyant un-lurks" in a look-at-me fashion is at best odd. It's not surprising people who know who he is and know about the history react to this behaviour: it puts my back up, and I've got no knowledge of him, and absolutely no C+ or ACF history or baggage whatsoever.
Anyway, there are better things to be reading, and on this very board.
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It seems that newbies (other than spammers) are allowed more time (and tolerance) to find their feet in YACF than is given to anothersam, at least by some folk here. Their reactions show that anothersam does have more baggage here than most, otherwise they wouldn't react so strongly so quickly.
People are not reacting to Sam being here. They are reacting to him behaving as if being here is really difficult and problematic and issue-filled. If he just got on with posting normally, people would react normally.
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Fuck me, it's Banquo's ghost.
Anyway, welcome back. Despite dating back to pre-history (uk.rec.cycling, ucuk, c+, and acf), I missed all the drama. Went away from acf on a business trip and returned to find everyone gone. Eventually found this place and simply carried on as I had before (but with more smileys).
Welcome, Sam.
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I'm still gathering my thoughts, trying to decide which is the better course of action: diving more deeply into this can of worms I've opened, or posting "normally" (well, normal for me), e.g.:
am rumaging around in my GoT folder for a suitable illustration
(http://www.notanothercyclingforum.net/pics/unsullied.jpg)
Not great in the apropos department, but the best I could do on short notice. It's from a helmet thread (http://www.bikeforums.net/advocacy-safety/953081-hat-syndrome.html) I started elsewhere. Helmets of course being only slightly less contentious than the subject at hand.
Hiya Pancho.
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If you dive into a can of worms (it must be a big can) you end up covered in worms.
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Wot Steph said.
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Seems 'Putting the Why in YACF' is no longer directly accessible.
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The fact he's chosen to delete them and post rambling, stream-of-consciousness "flamboyant un-lurks" in a look-at-me fashion is at best odd. It's not surprising people who know who he is and know about the history react to this behaviour: it puts my back up, and I've got no knowledge of him, and absolutely no C+ or ACF history or baggage whatsoever.
You should modify that to "some people who know who he is and know about the history react to this behaviour" Several folk know all of it and don't get their noses bent out of joint by some florid posts. Why do others take it so personally as jump hard on somebody with both feet?
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I thought "some" was implicit, but feel free to read it in if you want, and if you feel it clarifies the fact I wasn't intending to generalise to everyone.
Seems 'Putting the Why in YACF' is no longer directly accessible.
Google cache (http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:8Rs3BH3G0i4J:www.anothercyclingforum.com/index.php%3Ftopic%3D53082.0+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk) remembers, for the moment.
most people still seem to be treating me like a leper
Oh, the humanity.
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^
^
This.
The controversy, right or wrong, was more than seven years ago, FFS.
If I'm struggling with anything, it is those who have never encountered an exchange with Sam in RL or otherwise or acf..
How can you be so angry?
Why?
Where does that come from?
I'm not sure I really care. FWIW.
Cycling makes me more chilled out than I probably ought to be....
Welcome, Sam.
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Yes, and that is an eon in Internet time. There was a great forum that had erudition in spades, crafted posts that jumped off the page and tugged at your cerebrum, making run of the mill forums look exactly that.
Then it all went away and here was born. Other internet stuff is ephemeral, but that forum was different. And people still remember it and miss it. Who knows, maybe one day we will miss incessant Guardian links, or ESL logic, or the edge of pumpe, but for now, they are still here. And we cannot miss them.
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I thought "some" was implicit, but feel free to read it in if you want, and if you feel it clarifies the fact I wasn't intending to generalise to everyone.
Seems 'Putting the Why in YACF' is no longer directly accessible.
Google cache (http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:8Rs3BH3G0i4J:www.anothercyclingforum.com/index.php%3Ftopic%3D53082.0+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk) remembers, for the moment.
most people still seem to be treating me like a leper
Oh, the humanity.
What I see there is someone whining because he's being treated like a normal human being, not the centre of attention. He does it quite eloquently, which is nice, but I find it surprising. What does he expect? Most people here don't know who he is. Why should they react to him as if he's important?
Was it shock and awe holding their tongues? Or fear and loathing?
See what I mean? Of course, it's really indifference, or just a simple failure to notice him.
The post above was written when I was feeling particularly sorry for myself, because most people still seem to be treating me like a leper.
Again - WTF? He's treated normally (which for most people, most of the time, means that most of the world doesn't even notice they're there) & takes it as a slight. We didn't treat him as important & special, so we've treated him like a leper. :facepalm:
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I've been trying to craft a witty and erudite post, but the thread keeps moving and the moment disappears.
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I've been trying to craft a witty and erudite post, but the thread keeps moving and the moment disappears.
C'mon.
You can do better than that.
No pressure :P
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I've been trying to craft a witty and erudite post, but the thread keeps moving and the moment disappears.
C'mon.
You can do better than that.
No pressure :P
I'm still working on it.
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If he just got on with posting normally, people would react normally.
He's treated normally (which for most people, most of the time, means that most of the world doesn't even notice they're there)
Looking back through (some of) the deleted posts that Google still holds shows exactly that: normal posts, leading to normal reactions (including indifference and being ignored). Fairly healthy, in other words.
But I suppose normal reactions don't support the notion that you might be a special flower.
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^
::-)
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Nice to see how welcoming some folk are.
Welcomes are often dependent on how one arrives .....
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I've been trying to craft a witty and erudite post, but the thread keeps moving and the moment disappears.
C'mon.
You can do better than that.
No pressure :P
I'm still working on it.
Is it a good use of your time?
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It's like alt.bigfoot but without the fur and mysterious footprints.
I'm a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma underneath a cagule of doubt. More to follow...
... and I'm the queen of Sheba.
Why can't you let sleeping dogs lie? You had your idea, it got fucked-up and people moved on. Maybe you should as well? I'm certain you have more in you than picking at scabs and showing them to us.
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Yes, and that is an eon in Internet time. There was a great forum that had erudition in spades, crafted posts that jumped off the page and tugged at your cerebrum, making run of the mill forums look exactly that.
Then it all went away and here was born. Other internet stuff is ephemeral, but that forum was different. And people still remember it and miss it. Who knows, maybe one day we will miss incessant Guardian links, or ESL logic, or the edge of pumpe, but for now, they are still here. And we cannot miss them.
Yes, well said. I miss it still, and the trivia that ended it was basically a lot of flouncing on all sides. Stuff was said. Nobody died. Sam is unique and anything but ordinary, and it's fascinating that his presence causes so much disquiet at this distance from those events. Yet Sam can't disrupt the running of this forum; his influence is limited to those who wish to read what he has to say - which, as always, is quirky and convoluted. More than ever, it's worth reminding ourselves that we read what we wish to and we don't have to read anything we don't wish to. YACF is impervious to the Threat of Sam. For those for whom other things here are more pressing, move along.
And what Steph said, too.
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I've been trying to craft a witty and erudite post, but the thread keeps moving and the moment disappears.
C'mon.
You can do better than that.
No pressure :P
I'm still working on it.
Is it a good use of your time?
No, the law of diminishing returns set in long ago. It seemed like a very good idea when it occurred to me on a sunny spring morning when I had a slumbering grandson over my shoulder, of all the ACFs I have started and what has happened to them along the way. Much of it unexpected, little of what was intended, and the best bit is that they have all left me and taken on lives of their own and become bigger and better than anything I could have hoped for. All pretty satisfying really. The best bit is that I'm on good terms with all of them, despite the many mistakes I've made.
I will submit the first sentence, but none of the rest of it is worth anything.
Many years ago, when I was a callow fellow, I met a girl who had better ideas than I did about what I was going to do with the rest of my life.
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I will submit the first sentence, but none of the rest of it is worth anything.
Many years ago, when I was a callow fellow, I met a girl who had better ideas than I did about what I was going to do with the rest of my life.
That's lovely. :thumbsup:
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Thank you. Fishing for compliments as ever, I just read it to Mrs. Wow and asked her what she thought.
"That depends on who you were talking about!" came the reply.
:facepalm:
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Thank you. Fishing for compliments as ever, I just read it to Mrs. Wow and asked her what she thought.
"That depends on who you were talking about!" came the reply.
:facepalm:
;D
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;D
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Thank you. Fishing for compliments as ever, I just read it to Mrs. Wow and asked her what she thought.
"That depends on who you were talking about!" came the reply.
:facepalm:
That's you put in your place ;)
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I've been trying to craft a witty and erudite post
and Mrs Wow provided you with one.
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Google cache does such ugly things to a page, I've retrieved the document critiqued upthread from the invisible depths of the back of the sofa, if only to satisfy my sense of æsthetics. People can judge for themselves if they're so inclined.
Why not take the opportunity to vote (http://www.anothercyclingforum.com/index.php?topic=52587.0) if you decide to visit? 'Tis the season.
Set in good real estate amongst the tumbleweeds and blog posts is a Library, or what's left of it after a less than elegant cull towards the end of that brief dark age. Along with Post of the Day, it remains as a memorial to the departed.
It's not easy for me to be at Yacf – anybody diving into dusty archives should be able to fathom why – but that hasn't stopped me from experiencing a wave of attraction every now and then. There's a quickie explanation here, (http://www.notanothercyclingforum.net/news.html#YACF) embedded in a typically jokey format, but there's far more to it than that. It's too complicated to go into on this thread, and besides, I think those who want to understand, will.
You can hold me to this pledge: no more "flamboyant" (awww, that's just my way of saying howdy) delurkings – though I never really did much 'lurking' over the years. It paints the image of a Peeping Tom spending long hours in sweaty appraisal of his quarry.
And no more stories about the past.
Some of your posts have brought good cheer – thank you.
Now may I please post my picture of a toaster with wheels popping up?
(http://www.notanothercyclingforum.net/pics/scrapbook/toasterwheels.jpg)
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Thank you. Fishing for compliments as ever, I just read it to Mrs. Wow and asked her what she thought.
"That depends on who you were talking about!" came the reply.
:facepalm:
Wise lady.
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Ah, I missed that. I blame my mouse for scrolling too fast.
In a word: wow.
In a few more: I never get tired of writing, or reading. Sometimes fact, sometimes fiction. Sometimes there's fact in fiction and sometimes not; the reader decides. At the end of a sunny spring day or the beginning of another one, with birds singing outside my window, it remains a wonderful life.