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

Term of the day : "ordure"

This fairly strong word when used of or to somebody implies total lack of any decency. Frequently used of politicians when they use dirty tricks. Feminine gender : " X est vraiment une ordure".

A friend used 'ordure" in an email the other day and I'd never come across it before. The english dictionary definition of "excrement" gave the idea....

This will make a perfect transition for the French "merde", i.e. s-h-i-t, which will be the next entry, when I've cleaned up the house as friends are coming. Aargh...

I once got modded for saying merde (as a substitute for ess aitch aiyyee etee) in Mustardland. The modding message I received was in French - some Mod taking the epee aiyee ess ess - a much appreciated sign of intelligence and good humour on the part of the Mod Squad). That was way back in the 'in-house' modding days, before the Beeb contracted the function out. You can actually date the decline of Mustardland back to that managerial decision IMHO. Remember the good old days when you could converse with the Mods on the boards and Village Pump was still only Village Pump (not any more charming, but at least a fixed personality)?

I actually remember your first Modding Martine.

Douglas

Ah, the good old days when the mods were human!

I think you're right: the decline started when the modding system changed. Before that we had a regular team of mods who knew the atmosphere, knew what was ok and what wasn't, and knew US.

Now I get the feeling we have an ever changing dispirate bunch of people who don't understand the boards entirely because they're also modding god knows how many other boards unconnected with the BBC.

2Ordure" how very useful, the ordure of the election is still in the air.

Seems to be a lot more freedom of speech over here, I don't suppose that will translate to ML 2, suspect it's as this aalce regards itself as a tad academic and thus accords itself more freedom!

Dum, vivimus,vivamus

Le Fantôme

Quite right, Douglas & Bex. I, too, can remember days of Yore, sorry, yore when our mods popped in and out to have a chat. They, it was, who taught me what a sock puppet was (at the beginnings of the VP row). It was more in the family, if you see what I mean. Didn't some of the mods turn up at the first Pebble Mill do?

Yes, Ed Morrish was a mod at the time and he came to Pebble Mill, as did Dickon the techie (who I /think/ might still be around)

Douglas I am *so* envious: a modding mail, in French, from the BBC. Please say you kept it - makes your licence fee worthwhile.

petal jam

I agree with you Bex, respect for the whole board system started to decline when moderation wsa outsourced , although I think compared with some other boards, where inflamatory or sour statements are the rule rather than the exception, ML comes off lightly.

fwiw I also think there was a more obvious board "presence" from the host(s) which contributed much in keeping a a general tone of politeness and welcome - almost as good as the benevolent keyboard of QB.

petal jam

Sadly I didn't keep it petal jam, but fair's fair, nor do I have a TV license. Got rid of the telly four years ago. Radio and broadband more than make up or any 'loss' (and frankly, it's only Frost and the Agatha Christies we miss).

Douglas

Very fine Walküre yesterday on bbc2.

pj

So I heard.

I've actually toyed with the idea of getting a digi-box and using it to get a stereo audio signal, but not having a TV or TV card in my PC. This would allow me to 'listen' to the opera on, for example BBC4. I however suspect that were I ever to do so, I'd become liable for a TV license, and I wouldn't want to give the TV licensing authority the satisfaction cos' they has been like hellhounds on my trail for the last four years and I like to retain the high moral ground vis-a-vis them.

Terfel, wasn't it? Yes, he'd make a demme good Wotan.

Douglas

Yes Terfel, but other terrific voices as well - Siegmund and Sielinde were really beautifully sung. Lisa Gasteen(?) Brunnhilde not so much my goblet of vibrato. What I really enjoyed was the sense of small & private writ large and heroic. Terfel /seemed/ to be singing completely within himself - no overproduction which kills most opera for me - just a big, big voice doing powerful introspection.

pj

M. sorry we hijacked your thread for opera.

Never mind, as it's the crème de la crème of punters.

There is a certain truth in this - there was an obvious decline in the standard of modding. I think the main difference, though, was the fact that moderation was going on became much more explicit with the arrival of the "Albert" button. This split Mustardlanders into two distinct camps (and the split has persisted to this day): those who say they would never press the button (and by implication others should not) and those that do (and justify pressing it).

In the golden age of yore, moderation was going on but it was more invisible than it is now.

Well, crème de la crème of singers.

pj

I have no problem with a moderation system which gently steers the mb off the rocks when necessary.

What does get to me is the (notional) poster who demands a moderation-free zone - just for their views of course, other posters can be shot down in flames. Readers of open access boards do not all have the same grasp of the subtleties of /ordure/ as our own in-house adviser. Ha! back on topic.

petal jam

Sorry British humour: double meaning alert. (Though if you could see the state of my gaff...)

pj