Early Retirement Extreme Forums

IlliniDave wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 04, 2017 6:01 am

What I don't have a lot of patience for is following large numbers of links, especially when they show up largely because two participants are in disagreement and trying to back their viewpoint versus their opponents.

I do this. I understand its annoying. I'm trying to cut back. Generally I try to summarize the point of the link. I provide the link for context about why I have a particular opinion.

ThisDinosaur wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 04, 2017 9:17 am

IlliniDave wrote: ↑

Sun Jun 04, 2017 6:01 am

What I don't have a lot of patience for is following large numbers of links, especially when they show up largely because two participants are in disagreement and trying to back their viewpoint versus their opponents.

I do this. I understand its annoying. I'm trying to cut back. Generally I try to summarize the point of the link. I provide the link for context about why I have a particular opinion.

That people do it does not bother me in the least, I just don't follow them sometimes, especially when there are numerous links in a single thread.

Sometimes people will post a link or a book title as an argument without further explanation. I may feel obligated to read the whole thing before responding, just so I can do justice to their argument. But I agree that can get tiresome. Personally, I'd prefer if people include the link/book title and explain how its relevant to the conversation, so that's what I do. I typically argue here in order to learn stuff, not just to hear myself type. So I appreciate references to reading material I wouldn't have found on my own.

Being relatively new to the forum world, I keep thinking that Riggerjack, Dragline and JennyPenny look like their avatars.

No, mine is a picture of Ludwig von Mises. He was an old economist. Legendarily cantankerous. He once bitterly called Milton Friedman a Communist for even discussing topics of which he disapproved. So a pic of him smiling with a big thumbs up, just makes me grin.

Besides, I don't think I look that old yet...

Funny how von Mises resembles George C. Scott: http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv ... 236044.jpg

Mine is an ancestor great-something "First American" grandparent from 1865 -- I only inherited the forehead and eyebrows.

Haha ... my avatar would resemble me if she was wearing a boonie instead of a scarf, had bloody knuckles, and was covered in bandages. But the essence is the same. I'm definitely a honeybodger.

Jennypenny, thank you for not busting my illusions as Riggerjack and Dragline just did!

What's a honeybodger?

A type of hat.

honeybodger don't give a fuck

@halfmoon--I'm a bad ass bodger (it's one of my few skills) so I borrowed from the honey badger's name and reputation.

My dotage seems to consist of frantically googling things to figure out what people are talking about. I found a number of definitions for bodger, but I'm going with:

1. Anyone who creates objects (machines, vehicles, buildings , etc.) from a mishmash of found or improvised materials.

This sounds so interesting. Examples? I think you may be related to my DH.

@halfmoon -- I had no idea there were so many definitions of bodge. I mean it in the Junkyard Wars kind of way. I'm not really into tinkering as a hobby like sclass but I can get creative when I need something and the cost of buying it seems outrageous to me. I'm more a master at resolving problems by refashioning or repurposing stuff I have around the house. Sometimes my bodges are bad ideas, which explains all the bandages.

Apologies to the OP ... we're way OT. Take it as a sign that post count may be inversely correlated with IQ and not a good measure of whether that person's posts are worth reading.

Mine is an ancestor great-something "First American" grandparent from 1865 -- I only inherited the forehead and eyebrows.

Was that a civil war soldier's picture, then?

Your post count is only a measure of how Textroverted you are. Nothing else.
Incidentally, being textroverted while sporting an avatar might make you appear to be part of the ERE elite because your presence is made so visible...

I guess a good litmus test would be to see how many consider me and BRUTE part of the ERE elite (we joined at about the same time). If that number is high enough there might be evidence that visibility trumps actual contribtuion to incorporation of ERE in other people's lives, in regards to joining the perceived ERE elite.[1]


[1] We both tend towards a very large number of one-liners, until someone back us up into a corner and asks us something directly in which case it appears that we write posts that are about 1.5-2.5 standard Jacobs, depending on the topic. Nutrition seems to spark BRUTE, talking about me seems to... well you know.[2]
[2] Me, me, me, mememememe[3]
[3] Incidentally that footnote was all about me, too!

I think the joined date plays a part in this as well, at least for me. If someone has been around for longer than say 3 years and still posts regularly I would put weight on their posts as opposed to someone who had been around for only a year or or so even if they have several thousand posts. It shows some dedication to the group in a day and age where long term dedication to something is pretty rare.

The previously used forum software had a plugin I used for actual Elite ratings

viewtopic.php?t=117

FBeyer wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 06, 2017 8:21 am

I guess a good litmus test would be to see how many consider me and BRUTE part of the ERE elite (we joined at about the same time). If that number is high enough there might be evidence that visibility trumps actual contribtuion to incorporation of ERE in other people's lives, in regards to joining the perceived ERE elite.

I think "ERE elite" is kind of an oxymoron in an egalitarian culture such as this one, where independence of thought and relatable experiences or observations seem to be the most valued qualities.

I do find the contributions of you and Brute to be valuable and thought provoking, regardless of any labels.

Riggerjack wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 06, 2017 8:05 am

Mine is an ancestor great-something "First American" grandparent from 1865 -- I only inherited the forehead and eyebrows.

Was that a civil war soldier's picture, then?

No, but he got off the boat from Germany around that time. He made his way straight to Wisconsin with hordes of other unwashed German migrants. He was an artistic sort (a painter) with a flamboyant streak as far as we know, although I think he mostly painted houses.

Uhm, count +1 vote for implementing that Elite ranking system on here.

Or self-identifying our ERE Wheaton levels?