Godless Dave

There are way too many bright, wise, knowledgable and/or funny people on this board to pick out one or even ten. I just wanted to give a shout out to the 4 or 5 people who mentioned my name. I do occasionally slip something serious in with the pot talk, flirtation, and silly jokes. It's nice to be noticed!

I especially like interacting with people from all over the world and different backgrounds and walks of life. I'm a white kid raised by agnostics in a Jewish suburb, now living in one of the more homogeneous parts of the US, and II is the biggest opportunity I've ever had to talk to so many different people. I have learned a lot from all of your life experiences.

Hmph. Second billing. What does Stephen have that I don't (besides money, looks, brains, and personality)?

lisarea

Eh, I should've put you last. Too many people voted for you already. I am trying to build you some character, young man.

Besides, you're THIRD billing. Cricket is in the number one spot.

Viti

Where did Ron Garrett get to anyway...you don't suppose he found one of those lives or something?

miscreant

Though I'm most often lurking here, not posting...

I would have to say Alonzo Fyfe is one of my favorites around here. His posts are always well thought out and he often expresses what I think much more elgantly than I ever could.

Miscreant

Stephen Maturin

I certainly hope not, else we'll be deprived of any further classics such as . . .

Ron Garrett verbally disembowels theocratic godspam

and . . .

Ron Garrett's take on St. Therese of Lisieux.

Hugo Holbling

You just summed up the point of this thread.

lisarea

It seems obvious that many of the posts here say more about what forums and threads the poster was just reading, what their current mood is, etc.

Things like that can seem exclusionary sometimes, but I think it's important to remember that, and not just assume that because someone isn't mentioned means they're not appreciated.

There are too many people here whose opinions and skills I respect to mention them all. Besides, I suck at names, and often am too lazy to scroll back up to see who just wrote that brilliant post.

I've thought of so many people that I forgot to mention since then that I know I'd never be able to post a comprehensive list. The posters here, as a whole, are so generous with their insights and their knowledge, there's no way I could finish the list.

You've got people like brighid, who apparently had the 'mean bone' surgically removed from her body, with the patience and sheer tenacity to navigate even the most convoluted personal problems of complete strangers, and respond to them so thoroughly and with such respect and kindness and humanity, it's amazing.

And then you've got people like Toto, whom I've often suspected of being some kind of bot, like an automated information server. There've been a couple of times that I've searched high and low for some elusive and vaguely recalled piece of information, only to give up and refer to it, uncited and unsubstantiated, and BANG! there's Toto, citing chapter and verse. I could get pretty lazy that way.

There are some people I use as sort of 'watchdogs' in certain areas, because they always have the latest on current events in different areas. Sometimes, I'll seek someone out specifically because I agree with them on certain issues and want to see their positions on other issues. Sometimes, I'll seek people out because I respect their methods, but disagree with their conclusions. Some people I appreciate for their writing style or their sense of humor.

The fact that I'd name one person today reflects the fact that I was probably just reading their posts somewhere; and the fact that someone isn't mentioned probably just means I haven't seen one of their posts today, I haven't run across them enough times to start actively associating them with their posts, or something like that. There are all kinds of giant brainiacs in the upper fora that all kind of melt into a big faceless glob for me, but I've used their posts as a jumping off into impromptu research projects more times than I care to remember. Mad props to every one of them, but I don't remember their names.

Maybe I'm projecting, but I think that's probably the case with a lot of the posts in this thread.

lunachick

Ditto.

Bumble Bee Tuna

Basically I like everyone here. My initial thoughts on coming here: "Jebus, EVERYONE here is so goddamn SMART! And funny!".
So basically my "favorite posters" are anyone whose name I recognize (not including folk like Radorth, though maybe he'd make it for the humor factor).
But I guess if I had to pick, livius drusus is seriously one of the coolest people ever, as is Koyanisqaatsi. And Novowels is my best friend here because he's from a different board I go to as well. OxMat deserves noting just for his godly thread but he's also hella funny in any other posts too...Even if I think his stance re: drugs is ridiculous. Even though I hear he's prowar and I disagree with that and he's seemingly despised over in PD, I really dig Loren Pechtel, he's like my idol for some reason. Just liked his debating style. Oh and I like Christ-on-a-stick, too. Also there are a lot of posters who might have ordinary names or personalities but are still kickass posters- but then I don't notice their kickassedness so much, and that's a damn shame. Like I'm sure this Ron Garrett fellow kicks ass, but his name is bland and I'll bet he posts where I don't, so I don't notice it. Anyway, most everyone here kicks ass, but I feel like the above deserve special recognition anyway. And I'm sure I forgot some. But hey there's always the edit button.

Oh and for the side-topic on whether this is a good thread to have or not- at a board I mod, it was not and we closed it, because the people here are children who can't handle it. Most people here seem quite mature so I don't think it would be a problem, though I might be wrong.

-B

Ab_Normal

Hmm, so I shouldn't post, "Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, guess I'll go eat worms?" Oops, too late, I did it anyway.