Only to drink.

That was a private moment. Next time you peek under the cubicle door we will splash you in the eye.

I 'knew 'Captain Preppy' pre internet via his magazine work. We had a phone converation and have some mutual acquaintances.

Last edited by The_Shooman (2010-05-19 07:41:23)

I don't want to have anything to do with anyone who has even been near the internet.

I've been on the net since the early 90's and was on Internet Relay Chat and started/owned #politics on oz server and a part op in#quiz and #coders. Was also on Usenet on many groups notably alt.religion.scientology.

The scientology group got pretty genuinely heavy at times with scientology officials invading peoples privacy, threatening people through their workplace/ employers  and the USA courts system. Thats all on public record. Most sensible ppl learnt to protect  themselves and i did meet up with a few posters at anti-scientology demos and have a drink after.

On #politics its was a mix of left wing nuts, right wing nuts Ayn Rand worshippers, normal sensible lefties and righties and a few politics professionals. A few minor pollies and even Antony Green used to pop in in the very early days. Then blogs killed all that.

Hell I even had an interstate Objectivist activist stay at my house. Talk about tolerant.

We had the odd meetup and all went well as we had a few drinks and discovered that some political enemies were better company and politer  than some political felllow travellors. Moderating the channel was always easier if you knew ppl. Everyone seemed better behaved. Or maybe you can just see the smirk and smile behind the keyboard instead of just typing without nuance and body language.

We had a few #quiz booze ups around oz and they were always good fun and many ppl had good sex afterwards and a few even got married. Other regulars went on Sale of the Century and other TV quizes.

The worst of all was a group on usenet I was on for a while- rec.aus.hi-fi

Yup - populated by amp makers, speaker designers, audio shops, retired school teachers with leather elbow pads on cardigans, and assorted mild aspbergers type through to full blown audio autistics. There was some good advice but it deteriorated into foul abuse, stalking cyber and real life, threats and violence, reporting businesses to tax office and so on and so forth - amazing. And all over things such as what a speaker sounded like, if cables make a diferrence and vinyl versus digital capacity for low frequencies. I'd rather go to a Bandidos BBQ with Hells Angels colours on than a rec.aus.hi-fi tea party. I don't think there ever was one.

Later more modern years I've had blogs group and solo - literary and politics. Meetups / booze ups used to be frequent mixing lefty righties greens, players pollsters, commentors etc etc . Always fun. Often a surprise to meet ppl behind nom de guerres.

Meetups can go well if they are organised well. Its an science/art how to do them. They can engender a spirit of tolerance and cooperation online.

One of the problems online is that it is a democratic medium and attracts socially inadequate ppl who have never worked in groups in real life to achieve something. Have never chaired a meeting. Who have never known how to compromise to achieve a deal or outcome. Who have never had to convince someone of anything -people who think most of their opinions are right and that the rightness of their position is self evident.

I suspect many online participants still live at home with their parents or in a shed in the backyard hunched over a keyboard late at night leaking the contents of not fully formed brains directly into the internets.

No unless Michael Alden is a member here.

Its quite possible, I've reinvigorated volatile whore markets across the globe.

There's a few whores of misfortunate on this website, the same as any other, I'm sure I've paid for their service, by the hour or day, depending on the geographical position.

I was going to meet with some forum members but then I met with 5 Nordic girls instead. I gotta get my priorities straight.

I know someone whose on AAAC and the Style Forum and London Lounge. Can't reveal too much, because he comes on here snooping gathering intelligence on the enemy.