h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Tim: I am responding to something you said on Dai's thread. I can't recall what it is exactly so it could be a fig of my imag. Nevertheless I am attributing it to you.

Would you like to have more ctmb refugees in our little corner of h2g2?

How do Sally and Ian feel? Dai hasn't even shown up, so no point in asking him. (By the way, my friend in Pontnewydd-Pentocd tells me that Penscynor Woods isn't a town at all: it's a wildlife park for endangered species and dinosaurs!)

As for moi? I feel that it would be stimulating to have some more refugees. Having said that, I would be very very unhappy to have certain denizens of the ctmb follow me here. After all, I AM a refugee from those very same denizens!

How do others feel about a reasonable degree of exclusivity?

The reason I ask, is that it will effect the wording of our invitation. Obviously a narrow invitation will have to be couched in incomprehensible terms and posted individually to people on threads which they started ages ago. A broad invitation can simply be slapped willy nilly onto the front page of the ctmb; temporarily, of course, because the Mod will remove it right quick for being off topic.

I think we should name our Mod. Any suggestions? Ani.

Hi Ani,

If we want to get the discussions going properly over here, we need more people. And not necessarily those we feel comfortable with

The situation on the board is a recurrent theme - at least, the endless repetitions/circular arguments/refusals to consider other viewpoints/insensitivity to others and so on.[The rogue moderating is a new one though] In fact, until very recently it has been the pleasantest I've seen it. And even now, believe me, it's been much worse.

We first joined just over 2 years ago, following a cry for assistance from a friend on a Christian email list. She had found the CMB and been horrified by one or two posters who were very vociferous about the non-Christianity of others, including some who were very young in their faith. She asked the email group to contribute some less extreme views, and try to avoid the board being swamped. The two people eventually left, because none of us would do as they said, but we're still here (Like a bad penny, just try getting rid of us now )

Sally

If we want to get the discussions going properly over here, we need more people. And not necessarily those we feel comfortable with

Agreed: We need more people.

Not necessarily those we feel comfortable with: I'll ask the Mooney guy, then?

Ok. I thought about it. Couldnt figure out why you had called yourself a refugee if you were going in the direction of being ok with having uncomfortable people over here.

But it's the MOD from whom you escaped.

Oh I totally agree. The latest Mod is absolutely unbelievable.

As for my being alright with certain people. Most people sure. I can agree to disagree. I can overlook. I can chuckle. Some people, most assuredly not. They're too whacko or hateful for me. Can't handle that. Having enough trouble with that on the home front.

As it stands on the ctmb, I am in the process of learning to NOT SEE things. But every once in a while I glance at something so astonishingly aggressive, stupid, and destructive, I have to gasp. The other day, I cried.

It could be different here though. Now that I am bringing my brain to bear. It could be different if we had a few (not a tome of) rules which make sense. And some way of conflict resolution if people got into trouble with each other.

Anyway, I am carrying on. It is after all YOUR place here, since you were the first one over. I am as usual a bit of a squatter. What is your picture of the brave new world at h2g2? Ani.

I know this may sound masochistic, but I'm growing quite fond of Stephen!

Yep I know, I'll go and pour myself a scotch.

Ian

To be truthful, Ian, I am too. Well, not fond exactly. Addicted. Help! I am swallowing my tongue!

Ani, I've poured that scotch now, a nice peaty McClelland Islay 10 year old. Not exactly smooth or sophisticated, but it seems to suit the evening.

I'm off at the crack of sparrow tomorrow. I'm working near Heathrow, so I'll be braving the M25, a cleverly engineered circular car park with entrances at most of the major motorways.

Won't be too bad a day, first client who are metal dealers. They have a few strange working practices. Anyway they've signed the contact so we can have meat on the table next week.

When you're not hammering what do you do?

Ian

Ian. I havent been hammering. Hoping too only. I teach pottery and art.

I dont know what peaty means.

What a delightful turn of phrase: the crack of sparrow. In West Virginia they say the whoops of dawn because the sun rises so quickly.

Exactly what is it that you do Ian?

by the way I found all my faith links in my recycle bin and restored them. now I am back in business. have a g'day Ani.

Sally. Having slept on it I have come up with the following thoughts on getting more refugees:

I offer the distinction between people with whom I am not most comfortable and people who completely shut down discussion. Being uncomfortable with an idea is a good thing; it stimulates me and makes me work.

So far only you and I have discussed this. Perhaps we should invite a few of our really good friends from the ctmb and then get their ideas on how to proceed, what they want to do, and so on. I would like to invite AMR. Dale seems cogent. I actually forget a lot of them because I have only come back recently.

Let me know

Hi Ani,

Agreed - there is a distinction between lack of comfort and impossibility of discussion. I just wanted to try and avoid the suggestion of creating a cosy club with only the people we liked in it. I think the 'refugee' part was more to do with the rather strange moderating decisions. I've never had any difficulty ignoring a large number of posters

Then again, h2g2 is another part of the BBC's setup, and according to the house rules, foreign language postings may still be removed. I've had a look through the site, and they do seem to be more tolerant of them when appropriate and explained/translated- maybe because h2g2 doesn't have such a narrow remit as the CMB. Also, it's an open system - anyone who chooses can come and join in the discussions.

We have a number of options: we could stick with the board, attempting to defuse some of the unpleasantness and dodge the mods;
there are other Christian discussion boards out there - maybe we could migrate to one (although most of them seem to be more closely tied to a particular belief range than the BBC one); we could stay on h2g2, which is likely to limit the opportunities for 'new blood', because h2g2 is so wideranging; we could set up our own discussion board - might take off/might fizzle out in a few months ...


Sally

Hi Ani,

Now that adds another complication. If we want to be able to set rules, we will probably need to branch off to our own board.

We could set rules here, but not enforce them!


Oh well, I've been meaning to learn how to set up a board for a while - maybe it's time to start finding out.


Sally

Well,

I suppose, since we have our own domain and server available we could offer something to run it on.

Actually I set up a similar thing which petered out a while ago. There are organisational things to be sorted out, such as moderation etc. I have a document kicking around, maybe need to relax a few of the rules, tighten a few up......

If we are doing this, I would suggest also space for essays and longer pieces of work, not just pop-shots. However, these would need vetting in advance.

TTFEH

Hi Guys, I would not bother setting up a Christian topic here, if you do a search for Christianity, and look down some of the articles and replies you'll find the same ol same old, boring and sometimes completely fabricated tosh you see on the other side.

I've just had a post bounced on the CTB so pretty brassed off, especially as it was said in love.

Try to browse timnsal, wasn't allowed. Veeeeeeeee!

Ian

Hi Ani, what a lovely way to earn a living.

The water in Islay runs through peat bogs which gives it a ruddy appearnce and a sort of smokey bitterness, as sort of cross between the smell of lap san cho chong or whatever it's called, and a wine with tannin.

Off out, it's Wednesday.


Ian

Tim and Sal. Ok! Awesome! Hi-5! We're making some progress and that calls for a gwines which I shall obtain forthwith.

Let's summarize:

1) Difficult, uncomfortable opinions: OK

2) Shutdown-artists: NOT OK

3) Continuing on the ctmb for various reasons: OK

4) My reasons for continuing on the ctmb are to develop a thick skin, to practice fielding anti-Christian sentiment and developing strategies to achieve useful outcomes, to glean whatever specks of wisdom, imagination, and vision is left after the ... well ... rest.

4) Continuing on the h2g2 for various reasons: OK

5) My reasons for continuing on the h2g2 are to get my research-n-writing speed up, to learn how to play MC, to dabble in Hitchhiker's Guide nostalgia.

6) Migrating to other boards: OK (I have lurked on Beliefnet. Beliefnet is excellent. Ship of Fools I havent figured out yet)

7) Rules: still a matter of discussion.

8) Starting our own board: OK (a bit of a lot of work though and not that immediately useful)

MY NEXT SUGGESTION.

Can we each list our goals? (Stuff we want to do that would make us happy?)

When the goals are in, then we can knock together a critical path?

What say?

Hi Ian,

timnsal.com has only got some pics of the church flower festival at the moment - dead boring
delwyns email should work though.

Sally

I'm astonished to learn that Ian's post was bounced off the ctmb.

What on earth got into you man? What on earth did you say that was worthy of bouncing?

I can understand being brassed off, though. It's hurtful enough being bounced. But when you look at the cr-p that is NOT bounced: that is sharper than a serpent's tooth. Oh that's harsh. Wretched Mod.

Up for naming him yet?

Good on Sally and Tim for giving that smidt guy a telling off!

I didn't see Delwyn's email there. Only a church with flowers and paintings. And then some logs. I gather the logs are for the woodburning stove? Ani.

Between beers!

Someone had replied to Smidt suggesting he take a long walk my post was:

Or A good laxative, I'm sure he's full of something!

Quite in orderf in comparison to th religous hatred he's propagating!

Ian