Real Names vs. User Names

"Edward Dolan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I must confess I have a terrific bias in favor of members of newsgroups who
use their real names. I think what happens when you use a user name is that
you tend to hide behind it and behave more or less like a scoundrel.
However, if you are going to use a user name, then it had best make some
kind of sense. I will not stand for gobbledygook.

Take NYC XYZ for instance. Such a user name I will shorten to NYC in order
to keep it from becoming an alphabet soup. NYC is not a bad user name
since he is from NYC and he often tells us a few things about the Big
Apple every now and then. I can live with this kind of a user name.

Other user names I will either shorten or even reconstruct them if they
are too ridiculous. Take x1134x as an example. Sorry, but this user name
makes no sense to me at all and I will reconstruct it if and when it ever
becomes necessary to refer to him in a message of mine. I might call him
Double X or Numbers or some other such name, but I will never refer to him
as x1134x. It is too hard to type that. Besides, numbers are not names.
Like I said, I will not stand for gobbledygook.

What a brilliant idea - changing the name a user chooses. That will be a
great help to everybody. I think I'll change my user name. Edward Dolan will
suit me fine.

Quoted message said:

Edward Dolan said:

Civility normally goes right out the window with anonymity.

Right, we're in the midst of another great global mass extinction, an
entirely new geological era, and you expect us to be civil. Sure uh-huh.

http://cosmic.lifeform.org

"Edward Dolan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I must confess I have a terrific bias in favor of members of newsgroups

who

Quoted message said:

use their real names.

Well, you do that.

P.S. have you ever heard of 'spoofing'. Once you really get impressed by
some poster, the trolls immediately start posting spoofs that twist the
logic using the same credibility to argue their own numb nuts points. Pretty
soon, everybody is posting about what a nut job he is.

The good thing on usenet is that you can judge based on the arguments
presented, not on the 'argument by authority'. But you are a good syncophant
so you just want someone to tell you what to do, right? Maybe it is time you
dusted off those 'critical thinking skills'...

"Thomas Lee Elifritz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Edward Dolan said:

Civility normally goes right out the window with anonymity.

Right, we're in the midst of another great global mass extinction, an
entirely new geological era, and you expect us to be civil. Sure uh-huh.

The important point is that the 'authorities' like Bush have the 'upper
hand' ( statements accepted by default ) and so, if you classify all debate
as 'heckling' and thus 'uncivil', you can muzzle the public. I.e Fascism (
the backing of a dictatorship by fiat ) rather than Democracy ( the
necessity of public awareness and comment ).

So begins the fourth reich.

"Thomas Lee Elifritz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Edward Dolan said:

Civility normally goes right out the window with anonymity.

Right, we're in the midst of another great global mass extinction, an
entirely new geological era, and you expect us to be civil. Sure uh-huh.

I doubt he meant you specifically. He knows better.

NobodyYouKnow said:

"Thomas Lee Elifritz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Edward Dolan said:

Civility normally goes right out the window with anonymity.

Right, we're in the midst of another great global mass extinction, an
entirely new geological era, and you expect us to be civil. Sure
uh-huh.

The important point is that the 'authorities' like Bush have the
'upper hand' ( statements accepted by default ) and so, if you
classify all debate as 'heckling' and thus 'uncivil', you can muzzle
the public. I.e Fascism ( the backing of a dictatorship by fiat )
rather than Democracy ( the necessity of public awareness and comment
).

So begins the fourth reich.

Spoken like a /true/ anonymous paranoid. Good one! :-D

Sorni said:

NobodyYouKnow said:

"Thomas Lee Elifritz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Edward Dolan wrote:

>Civility normally goes right out the window with anonymity.

Right, we're in the midst of another great global mass extinction, an
entirely new geological era, and you expect us to be civil. Sure
uh-huh.

The important point is that the 'authorities' like Bush have the
'upper hand' ( statements accepted by default ) and so, if you
classify all debate as 'heckling' and thus 'uncivil', you can muzzle
the public. I.e Fascism ( the backing of a dictatorship by fiat )
rather than Democracy ( the necessity of public awareness and comment
).

So begins the fourth reich.

Spoken like a /true/ anonymous paranoid. Good one! :-D

Well at least he didn't use "Bush" and "[censored]" in the same sentence.

And whats up with all the cross posters? I have noticed much more of
these than before. Must be the time of year. Or maybe the phases of the
moon.

Ken
--
New cycling jersey: $49
new cycling shorts: $39
Not being a slave to the petrol pump: priceless.

In article <[email hidden]>, dontspam-kencmjr-
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

And whats up with all the cross posters? I have noticed much more of
these than before. Must be the time of year. Or maybe the phases of the
moon.

It's time for another overflow of Mike Vandespam trolling and
responses.

To be followed by lots of people complaining that the responses to
his bigoted screeds consume far more bandwidth than his rants
themselves.

sic semper rec.bicycles.*

--
[email hidden] is Joshua Putnam
<http://www.phred.org/~josh/>
Updated Infrared Photography Gallery:
<http://www.phred.org/~josh/photo/ir.html>

Edward Dolan said:

I must confess I have a terrific bias in favor of members of newsgroups who
use their real names.

How do you know that it is their real name? How do we know that your
name is really Edward Dolan, and not Ted Peabody? You just chose a
human sounding handle.

Quoted message said:

Take NYC XYZ for instance. Such a user name I will shorten to NYC in order
to keep it from becoming an alphabet soup. NYC is not a bad user name since
he is from NYC and he often tells us a few things about the Big Apple every
now and then. I can live with this kind of a user name.

Other user names I will either shorten or even reconstruct them if they are
too ridiculous. Take x1134x as an example. Sorry, but this user name makes
no sense to me at all

Wait untill 11:34 am or pm and turn your digital clock upside down.
Didn't realize it was cussing at you twice a day did ya?

Quoted message said:

and I will reconstruct it if and when it ever becomes
necessary to refer to him in a message of mine. I might call him Double X or
Numbers or some other such name, but I will never refer to him as x1134x. It
is too hard to type that.

x1134x is easier to type than Edward Dolan, 5 keystrokes vs 12
keystrokes. plus two of yours also involve the shift key. Use the left
ring finger to hit the x, and use the number pad. (yeah I know not
everyone is a 10key speed genius, but x1134x takes a microsecond for me
to type, my real name takes even longer.)

Another reason is this: Online you sign up for accounts on more than
just 1 site. Many sites require a logon. People with common names,
like John Williams, will not be able to use their real name because it
has already been taken. So you have a few options: Remember what
special thing you did to your name for each site i.e "johnwilliams123"
on yahoo, and "johnwilliams321" on my bank logon, and
"johnwilliamskicksass" on whatever, or come up with one so unique it
will not be taken on any site, then your logon can be the same wherever
you go. Thus x1134x is my username for EVERYTHING. It works well that
way.

Quoted message said:

Besides, numbers are not names. Like I said, I
will not stand for gobbledygook.

It may be that there are good reasons for some using a user name instead of
their real name, but if the newsgroup is reputable I do not see the
necessity of it.

Here's the necessity: You are not anonymous online unless you take
extreme measures. (I won't get into the techical parts of IP
addresses, remailers etc, cuz you'd probably get lost). CYA is an
important thing especially when your opinions differ with the laws of
society.

Quoted message said:

The very worst scoundrels I have ever encountered on any
group were always using a user name whereas all those who use their real
names turn out not to be such bad fellows no matter how much I might
disagree with them.

The very worst scoundrel I have encountered uses his "real" name: Mike
Vandemann.

Quoted message said:

Civility normally goes right out the window with
anonymity.

Not w/ me {:-)

x1134x

Thomas Lee Elifritz said:

Ken C. M. said:

And whats up with all the cross posters? I have noticed much more of
these than before. Must be the time of year. Or maybe the phases of
the moon.

Or there could be some reasonable and rational explanation, like someone
physically typing in multiple newsgroups into the newsgroup post header.

But that would be science, and not religious dogma or superstition, and
thus unacceptable to most true American patriots.

But then why would someone post such off topic subjects in irrelevant
news groups? Probably just to give them something to do in their empty
lives.

I'm out of here.

Ken
--
New cycling jersey: $49
new cycling shorts: $39
Not being a slave to the petrol pump: priceless.

Ken C. M. said:

And whats up with all the cross posters? I have noticed much more of
these than before. Must be the time of year. Or maybe the phases of the
moon.

Or there could be some reasonable and rational explanation, like someone
physically typing in multiple newsgroups into the newsgroup post header.

But that would be science, and not religious dogma or superstition, and
thus unacceptable to most true American patriots.

Edward Dolan said:

I must confess I have a terrific bias in favor of members of
newsgroups who use their real names. I think what happens when you
use a user name is that you tend to hide behind it and behave more or
less like a scoundrel. However, if you are going to use a user name,
then it had best make some kind of sense. I will not stand for
gobbledygook.
Take NYC XYZ for instance. Such a user name I will shorten to NYC in
order to keep it from becoming an alphabet soup. NYC is not a bad
user name since he is from NYC and he often tells us a few things
about the Big Apple every now and then. I can live with this kind of
a user name.
Other user names I will either shorten or even reconstruct them if
they are too ridiculous. Take x1134x as an example. Sorry, but this
user name makes no sense to me at all and I will reconstruct it if
and when it ever becomes necessary to refer to him in a message of
mine. I might call him Double X or Numbers or some other such name,
but I will never refer to him as x1134x. It is too hard to type that.
Besides, numbers are not names. Like I said, I will not stand for
gobbledygook.
It may be that there are good reasons for some using a user name
instead of their real name, but if the newsgroup is reputable I do
not see the necessity of it. The very worst scoundrels I have ever
encountered on any group were always using a user name whereas all
those who use their real names turn out not to be such bad fellows no
matter how much I might disagree with them. Civility normally goes
right out the window with anonymity.

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota

Yeah... I'm going to have to rate this one a 4.
--
Squidler

Edward Dolan said:

It may be that there are good reasons for some using a user name
instead of their real name, but if the newsgroup is reputable I do
not see the necessity of it.

Actually, there is a good reason for it in some cases (although in my
case you can find my real name by looking at my signature in spite of
my use of a fake user name). If your last name is unusual and you
have a series of technical publications that someone might want to
search for, then you may not want to use your real name on news groups
you use for "fun".

It isn't to keep your identity secret but to make it easier for busy
professionals who are looking for technical information and don't want
to waste time carefully crafting searches to avoid posts or web pages
that are not work related.

--
My real name backwards: nemuaZ lliB

In article <[email hidden]>,

Thomas Lee Elifritz said:

Ken C. M. said:

And whats up with all the cross posters? I have noticed much more of
these than before. Must be the time of year. Or maybe the phases of the
moon.

Or there could be some reasonable and rational explanation, like someone
physically typing in multiple newsgroups into the newsgroup post header.

But that would be science, and not religious dogma or superstition, and
thus unacceptable to most true American patriots.

Laziness.
Pure and simple.

Get into the habit of trimming both headers and article body as topics
drift. And threads can diminish.

--

"Sorni" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

NobodyYouKnow said:

"Thomas Lee Elifritz" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Edward Dolan wrote:

> Civility normally goes right out the window with anonymity.

Right, we're in the midst of another great global mass extinction, an
entirely new geological era, and you expect us to be civil. Sure
uh-huh.

The important point is that the 'authorities' like Bush have the
'upper hand' ( statements accepted by default ) and so, if you
classify all debate as 'heckling' and thus 'uncivil', you can muzzle
the public. I.e Fascism ( the backing of a dictatorship by fiat )
rather than Democracy ( the necessity of public awareness and comment
).

So begins the fourth reich.

Spoken like a /true/ anonymous paranoid. Good one! :-D

Gee. Are you trying to claim that I was heckling you? You must be one of
those totalitarians. Unable to take open public debate so you try to bad
mouth it.

I was just pointing out that Democracy ( i.e. freedom) requires open
comment, totally opposed by the fascists in power. Thus it is obviousl that
despite the endless propaganda and spin, the U.S. is NOT the land of feedom
or defender of Democracy. Nor was it ever so. It is now, and always has been
an Oligarchy of the priviledged, with a 'straw poll' to select the next
dictator. I understand Bush has selected his brother to inherit.. with
Diebolds help, of course. .

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2003/07/268819.shtml

Just try to vote for someone else...

http://wheresthepaper.org/

Read Vernor Vinge's True Names.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Edward Dolan said:

I must confess I have a terrific bias in favor of members of newsgroups who
use their real names.

Oh, sure. But this is intended as a usenet feature, not bug.

Quoted message said:

I think what happens when you use a user name is that
you tend to hide behind it and behave more or less like a scoundrel.
However, if you are going to use a user name, then it had best make some
kind of sense. I will not stand for gobbledygook.

The various auditory inspector generals have various anonymity
preserving tools. Usenet allows this in a number of tool fashions
largely ignored by newbies. Some go take assigned user names.

Rot-13 is another example of a tool which came from the netiquette of
potentially offensive jokes.

Usenet has all kinds of tools to deal with these problems/issues.

Quoted message said:

Take NYC XYZ ...
I can live with this kind of a user name.

....

Quoted message said:

It may be that there are good reasons for some using a user name instead of
their real name, but if the newsgroup is reputable I do not see the
necessity of it. The very worst scoundrels I have ever encountered on any
group were always using a user name whereas all those who use their real
names turn out not to be such bad fellows no matter how much I might
disagree with them.

That's fine. And until you write code which goes into NNTP, you can
continue believing it. (or similar influence).

Quoted message said:

Civility normally goes right out the window with anonymity.

Not necessarily.

I'm glad that Jimmy Wales and Wikipedia aren't listening.

Despite the occurrance of anonymizers, I can assure anyone reading this
note they are a minimally effective mechanism. At the highest end I
know the guys at Fort Meade can read this, I signed a document allowing
them to keep a file on me on my first visit. A not too determined
effort will ferret out a person (people posting are small peanuts,
they are far more busy with real problem people).

--

Um OK,
So a propsective employer decides to Google the newsgroups for "Edward
Dolan" and this pops up..

http://groups.google.com/group/alt.rec.bicycles.recumbent/browse_thread/thread/c341a63ea16601d0/ed08986123f6aa58?lnk=st&q=%22Edward+Dolan%22&rnum=1&hl=en#ed08986123f6aa58

Now what's your explanation when you go to a job interview?

I would encourage people to google your bosses also. It's amazing what
[censored] your boss is involved in....

Try "name" plus the town they live in

Edward Dolan said:

I must confess I have a terrific bias in favor of members of newsgroups who
use their real names. I think what happens when you use a user name is that

Quoted message said:

disagree with them. Civility normally goes right out the window with
anonymity.

Regards,

Ed Dolan the Great - Minnesota
aka
Saint Edward the Great - Order of the Perpetual Sorrows - Minnesota

"Edward Dolan" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I must confess I have a terrific bias in favor of members of newsgroups who
use their real names. I think what happens when you use a user name is that
you tend to hide behind it and behave more or less like a scoundrel.
However, if you are going to use a user name, then it had best make some
kind of sense. I will not stand for gobbledygook.

Mike Vandeman uses his real name, and all he posts is gobbledygook, and he
makes no effort to conceal the fact that he is a scoundrel. I like your
theory, but I found an exception to the rule.

<snip rest>

"x1134x" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Edward Dolan said:

I must confess I have a terrific bias in favor of members of newsgroups
who
use their real names.

How do you know that it is their real name? How do we know that your
name is really Edward Dolan, and not Ted Peabody? You just chose a
human sounding handle.

Quoted message said:

Take NYC XYZ for instance. Such a user name I will shorten to NYC in
order
to keep it from becoming an alphabet soup. NYC is not a bad user name
since
he is from NYC and he often tells us a few things about the Big Apple
every
now and then. I can live with this kind of a user name.

Other user names I will either shorten or even reconstruct them if they
are
too ridiculous. Take x1134x as an example. Sorry, but this user name
makes
no sense to me at all

Wait untill 11:34 am or pm and turn your digital clock upside down.
Didn't realize it was cussing at you twice a day did ya?

Quoted message said:

Civility normally goes right out the window with
anonymity.

Not w/ me {:-)

x1134x

Aw HELL,
you been cussin' at us?

;>😉

Drew ( or maybe it's really frank or Joe or Sandy or Fred or Carlos or
Guilermo or wendy or Andrea or Butt head or Bevis or.....)