The Magic Thread!

[AFriendlyFace]

Hi all,

 

Okay so I thought it would be fun to create a new game and looking at the forum topics I was struck by the disparity between the number of views a topic has and the number of posts it has. Obviously this is somewhat unavoidable given that guests will often read a topic and be unable to respond. However, I'm convinced that the majority of this comes from "lurkes", and people "chickening out" with responses. So in order to both create a fun, new little game, and to get people out of their shells, I'm starting this new game!

 

Object of the game: To bring this thread to 1,000 responses BEFORE it gets to 7,000 views.

 

This should be tough but not impossible. The most heavily responded to thread per views seems to be "This or That" which is currently about 50 posts away from 1,000, and just under 9,000 in views. So it's at about 1 post per 9 views. We're going for 1 per 7.

 

How the game is played: If you read the thread you MUST respond to it. Otherwise you're just being a bad sport . So if you don't intend to respond (or don't feel like responding just then), don't view the thread!

 

To play simply:

• read the post above you (or even just skim it)
  
• pose any kind of non-offensive comment, question, observation, etc. about it.
  
• Then ideally continue the conversation or at least make sure that you've given the person coming after you enough to comment on.
  
• If the person above you fails to provide enough information to comment on, then either look to the prior comments on the same page, or simply make some random comment, question, observation or whatever yourself.
  [/b]
  

***try to avoid going back to prior pages***

***try to avoid editing your posts***

 

 

Valid posts: ANYTHING that doesn't violate GA Posting Guidelines (scroll down FAQ to read). This thread has no "topic" per se, so feel free to ramble on about anything. Just avoid:

 

Discussing religion

Discussing politics

Using vulgarities

Gossiping about other members

Attacking other members

Generally being: rude, offensive, or vulgar (this includes sexual behaviour)

***Use common sense. This game still takes place in "The Lounge" so if your post is inappropriate elsewhere in "The Lounge", don't make it in this thread either***

 

 

Example of how the game might be played:

 

-My favourite colour is blue

 

-Blue's nice, but Green is better

 

-Snowpeas are green

 

-I don't like snowpeas, I prefer carrots

 

-I eat carrots every day on my way to work. I'm currently working for a carrot farmer. He hates it when I eat the crops. He used to plant snowpeas too. Then one day this big storm came and washed them all away. Now he plants carrots.

 

 

 

 

OKAY, so let's get started! What do you guys think about this game?

[Bondwriter]

This is a good idea. Thank you Kevin. Next person: Do you intend to contribute more to the games, and put all your good will in making Kevin's plea a success?

[Graeme]

I rarely contribute to the games here but I'll make an effort.

 

My only problem is how does one "resond", as Kevin has asked in the topic description? Maybe the next person will have some suggestions about what "resond" might mean....

[C James]

Hi all,

 

Okay so I thought it would be fun to create a new game and looking at the forum topics I was struck by the disparity between the number of views a topic has and the number of posts it has. Obviously this is somewhat unavoidable given that guests will often read a topic and be unable to respond. However, I'm convinced that the majority of this comes from "lurkes", and people "chickening out" with responses. So in order to both create a fun, new little game, and to get people out of their shells, I'm starting this new game!

 

Well, as one of the aforementioned "lurkes", this thread has lured me out to actually post.

 

And Graeme, I'm not sure how to "resond" either.

 

Isn't it interesting that a postaholic like Kevin would create a whole new posting game that involves mandatory posting?

[Bondwriter]

OK, I was curious to see what Graeme had written, since he seldom contributes to the games; and since the ratio was 2/ 10, I thought I'd help out with the statistics. I assume -from the lengthy set of rules depicted above- resond (underlined in red in my browser) was meant to be respond. Next: what synonym of respond could you propose to Kevin so he changes it in his initial posting?

[Graeme]

I'm sorry, but the rules said -- no editing.

 

So, we're stuck with "resond" forever.

 

I personally thing he meant "re-song", which is somehow related to rehashing a song of some sort. The details escape me, though....

[colinian]

One of the problems with this, and other games, is when someone else sneaks in and steals your reply position. Yeah, that's you, Graeme! So, I'm going to ignore your attempt to perpetuate "resond" and reject it regardless of your response.

 

And now, back to Bondwriter's post.

 

Uh, how about "reply" as a synonym for respond. Other synonyms include react, acknowledge, counter, answer back, fling back, hurl back, rebut, rejoin, quip, retaliate, retort, return, and riposte.

 

One thing I notice aobut Bondwriter's post is his signature. He did a great job of listing his eFiction stories by including a promo tag line for each one.

 

'Nuff said.

 

Colin

[Bondwriter]

I'm sorry, but the rules said -- no editing.

 

So, we're stuck with "resond" forever.

 

I personally thing he meant "re-song", which is somehow related to rehashing a song of some sort. The details escape me, though....

"try to avoid" and "no" are different. Personally I'd have him edit it with reply, which matches the "Add Reply" button. It would keep some sort of coherence that Kevin has been fighting for in laying out the way this game/challenge had to be played.

Can the next person sing more praises of Kevin and his clever ideas? (And please do not mention this is obviously a post-whore trap, so delurk and join the randomness!)

[Conner]

I don't find the instrctions all that complicated. In fact, I've already digested them.

 

Ok, no more dumb goat jokes.

 

What did surprise me was the length that Kevin went to to tell us what not to do. :wacko: Kevin, the good old days are long gone. No more politics, no more harassing fellow members, no more on-line stalking...all this site has going for it are goats and great stories and poetry.

 

Ok, carrots. As an adult, I love carrots, raw or cooked. As a child, I absolutely hated them. I have had the pointy finger directed at me on innumerable occasions, "Eat your carrots! You'll have to wear glasses if you don't. Have you ever seen a rabbit wearing glasses?" Needless to say, I believed that was a lot of bunk.

 

By the way, did I mention that I've worn glasses since I was 13?

[shadowgod]

I don't find the instrctions all that complicated. In fact, I've already digested them.

 

Ok, carrots. As an adult, I love carrots, raw or cooked. As a child, I absolutely hated them. I have had the pointy finger directed at me on innumerable occasions, "Eat your carrots! You'll have to wear glasses if you don't. Have you ever seen a rabbit wearing glasses?" Needless to say, I believed that was a lot of bunk.

 

By the way, did I mention that I've worn glasses since I was 13?

 

I've always eat'n carrots for exactly the same wive's tale that drove you, Conner, from them. Somehow hoping the orange tap roots would help my poor vision. Started wearing glasses at 2 many years later still wearing them and well, the perscription has gotten stronger not lighter, but it has stabelized as I have been told recently.

[Bondwriter]

It seems Colin and I cross-posted (see above). Thanks for the comments on the signature, if people notice it, maybe it's time to change it and advertise other stories of interest.

As for the carrots/ glasses issue, I'd take it that had Conner not thought it was a lot of bunk, maybe he wouldn't wear glasses. And the number of glasses-wearing goats here is uncanny.

 

I like carrots raw rather than cooked. It's the other way around for cauliflower.

[Caipirinha]

I'm seriously too tired and didn't have the patience to read a single post in this whole thread. But in the spirit of reaching Kevin's goal, I'm posting a reply.

 

Ta-da!

 

So I guess the appropriate thing would be post something for people to ponder:

 

If you saw a shooting star right now, what would you wish for?

Edited June 2, 2007 by Caipirinha

[Bondwriter]

I never had a wish granted as I saw a shooting star. Money? Love? I'm not really sure. If wishes were actually granted, maybe I'd go for a more universal one, like" hateful people will start being tolerant and better to their neighbor". Quite sure I'd benefit from this eventually.

[Ieshwar]

If you saw a shooting star right now, what would you wish for?

 

Right now? It's broad daylight! But I would wish for me to meet my soulmate. It's my ultimate ambition.

 

Is concepts like soulmates still alive in our present world- the scientific and technological world where facts rule?

 

Ieshwar

[Bondwriter]

Science hasn't killed magic and irrational thinking yet. Maybe it's all for the better too.

[AFriendlyFace]

I often wish on stars. It's always the same wish: general happiness, health, and prosperity for myself and those I care about. LOL, and I've been making this same wish since I was a small child. Must be working, we're doing okay

 

GRRR Now my typos will be recorded in this thread forever! LOL, I really should have thought harder about that before I created the "no editing" rule, but editing and viewing past pages raises the views count (without raising the post count) LOL, I hadn't noticed my "resonding" error, I was more upset about the fact that I probably should have entitled this game "The Magical thread".

 

I hope no one else notices my typos or the fact that in other threads 90% of my posts tend to be edited (and often re-edited).

[Razor]

Awww... I can't curse and talk about doing the nasty...

 

Soulmates, huh? I ain't buyin' it. I don't think there are people who are just magically made for each other. I think that is very misleading when people have to work for a relationship to be successful, and sometimes the person you love so much just doesn't love you as much. The real world is more complicated than that.

 

People just seem to have this need to make everything happy and hunky dory even if they're not being logical about it.

 

This game is gonna take a while to get used to... I don't know how to give someone something to respond to. Umm... ~drops a half naked man and backs away quickly~ Get after him, don't let him get away!

[AFriendlyFace]

***grabs him***

 

***looks closely***

 

OHHH, didn't think I'd see you in here!

 

Personally I sort of believe in soulmates. I think it's more like there's quite a few potential "good matches" for everyone. Sometimes your soulmate might not be the right person at the right time. In general though, Jamie is definitely correct: relationships take work!

 

The person below me kept wanting to make up a "Person below me" line, until he/she realized it was the wrong game.

[jfalkon]

Actualy I was aware of the game we are playing and now I am obligated to join it. Hmm what can I say about carrots, shooting stars, and soal mates?

 

Carrots were once thought to improve your night vision. Some military genius fed carrots to his pilots. Their vision did not improve noticibly but they did turn an interesting shade of orange.

 

If I saw a shooting star right now I would wish for a new claims adjuster for my car insurance. I was standing perfectly still. Another driver hit my car....This is my fault because????

 

I think it is possible to find a soul mate if you are in the right place at the right time. The trick is not to drive that person away. In a way its like staying in shape. Half the battel is loosing the blubber. The other half is keeping it off.

[rknapp]

No, but I'd be lying if I said that I didn't do it in other game threads, and then I'd deny the initial lie and call any accuser a crazy mofo

 

I do not invest any stock into the concept of soul mates. Why? Let's separate the two words of that term and examine each more closely.

 

The word "soul" is a term assigned to something that humanity cannot see, feel, or smell, and is something that we all generally believe to be what occupies the vessel that we commonly call the human body. Many of us believe that when the vessel expires, the soul goes to heaven or hell. Most probably believe that the soul is what makes everyone so unique and keeps us from all being the same person (hence the original conception of "soul mates", since not everyone is everyone's soul mate). Whatever your belief is in the soul, I think we can all agree that a soul is in no way, shape, or form a physical entity.

 

Moving on, the word "mate" brings to mind thoughts of couplings, couplers (for us engineers ), couples, partners, lovers, friends, roommates, classmates, etc. Each one of these requires one fundamental subject that gives us the ground we walk on, the walking itself, the universe, and all things... Physics (or physical entities to keep a nice harmony with my over-analysation).

 

Having thoroughly over-analyzed the two words that makes up "soul mates," I can safely say the term itself is an oxymoron of the same caliber as "Microsoft Works." Humanity generally considers the term "soul mates" to describe two people having found a certain high level of harmony between them, meanwhile one word is used to described something that is physical whereas the other describes some thing that is wholly not physical and is largely a belief that gives humanity a sense of a life after death (if you believe in that sort of thing). Therefore, there is no harmony between the words "soul" and "mate" and combining them to suggest any harmonization is preposterous.

[shadowgod]

Actualy I was aware of the game we are playing and now I am obligated to join it. Hmm what can I say about carrots, shooting stars, and soal mates?

 

Carrots were once thought to improve your night vision. Some military genius fed carrots to his pilots. Their vision did not improve noticibly but they did turn an interesting shade of orange.

 

If I saw a shooting star right now I would wish for a new claims adjuster for my car insurance. I was standing perfectly still. Another driver hit my car....This is my fault because????

 

I think it is possible to find a soul mate if you are in the right place at the right time. The trick is not to drive that person away. In a way its like staying in shape. Half the battel is loosing the blubber. The other half is keeping it off.

 

Because most simply Insurance companies are in the habit of collecting money and not dishing it out... sadly. Big Business what are we gonna do? We have to play by their rules or suffer them taking their ball and going home.

 

Soul mates, well I dunno how I feel about the whole soul mate thing. The romantic in me believes in them unequivocally. The realist however balks at such romantic assumptions... Great now they are fighting!

[Graeme]

One of the problems with this, and other games, is when someone else sneaks in and steals your reply position. Yeah, that's you, Graeme! So, I'm going to ignore your attempt to perpetuate "resond" and reject it regardless of your response.

Learn to type faster. I saw you were reading the thread at the same time as me, so I had to act fast...

 

GRRR Now my typos will be recorded in this thread forever!

 

Moving on, the word "mate" brings to mind thoughts of couplings, couplers (for us engineers ), couples, partners, lovers, friends, roommates, classmates, etc. Each one of these requires one fundamental subject that gives us the ground we walk on, the walking itself, the universe, and all things... Physics (or physical entities to keep a nice harmony with my over-analysation).

Australian's have a concept of "mates" and "mateship" that doesn't fit the list supplied. It's stronger than friends. I'm not sure how to describe it but a rough approximation would be platonic couples -- but you can be mates with more than one other person.

 

A lot of the development of Australian mateship came through adversary. The best known examples come from WWI and WWII.

 

Okay, I know I'm breaking the rules, but I had to skim through all the preceding posts, just to see what was going on.

 

Do I believe in soul mates? Not really. I believe that there are compatible people out there for everyone, but I believe there is more than one. You don't have to rely on meeting that one perfect match -- which, considering the number of people in the world and their distribution, would require most people to travel to Asia....

 

I'm a romantic, so the concept of soul mates is interesting, but I'd like people to be happy, so I want everyone to have more than one "perfect match".

 

As to how to continue this thread....

 

That's the next poster's problem

 

OUCH! That wasn't nice, whoever did that.

 

Ah, okay. I wonder what people think will be the date that this thread reaches the 1000 posts? At the current rate, it should be in less than a month (20 posts in half a day implies 25 days). I'm expecting the rate to slow down, so I'm going for 32 days from when it started (giving a date has a timezone problem. This thread started on Saturday 2nd June for me, but Friday 1st June for others).

[Ieshwar]

Whoa! I generated quite a number of thoughts on soul mates! *pats myself* But I saw an error. I should have said 'Are concepts...' Kevin, it seems you're not the only one whose mistake has been imprinted in the history of GA!

 

This thread has started really well. And it's not even a day old. But I don't think it will like that for the whole month. For example, today is Sat so I'm at home. Otherwise, I would have bee at school and would have posted just once a day. I think it would take about 1.5 months. So around 15 July?

 

What can I say to continue the thread? Hmmm, what about Harry Potter? This is going to be the Harry month. Cool. Finally, the seventh book is coming out. Anything to add about Harry Potter?

 

Ieshwar

 

P.S Rknapp, your analysis of 'soul mates' was really impressive.

[Bondwriter]

Foot fetishists would rather believe in sole mates.(Yeah, it's lame, but as I came lurking in, I had to get away leaving some profound statement and couldn't find any...)

[Graeme]

The next Harry Potter book isn't being released until July. I've enjoyed the series, but I'm not sure I'm going to enjoy the last book. The last few have been a lot darker than the original ones and I can see that trend continuing.

 

I've also had someone claim that Dumbledore is still alive, and believe they've got proof. They'll post that proof the day before the new book is released.

 

My view is that Harry will still be able to get advice from Dumbledore even if he really is dead. He'll do it the same way that Dumbledore was able to get advice from the previous (deceased) headmasters -- via a portrait.