It seems the tensions of the forum have finally spilled over into the chat room. I seem to have just missed the "festivities", when I cam in last night, but someone, in a private communication filled me in on a lot of the gory details.

It's understandable, since times are tense, that there are a lot of frayed nerves around. Skirmishes are bound to break out.

Hopefully, everyone's had a chance to sleep on it, and there are no hard feelings. The chat room was created as a sanctuary from this sort of thing, and has served it's purpose well, in my opinion. Lot's of good fellowship there, and lots of people who may have not got on so well, in the past,have been able to establish dialogue and perhaps even become friends. It's been good, and I'm confident, that after a day's cooling off period, it will return to that.

To anyone who comes in with intent of stirring up hard feelings (and I'm intentionally not naming names): Show some humanity. Whether you agree with positions of the people who frequent the chat room or not, surely toy can understand the feelings people are having, as the rollover approaches. Even if you feel it's a faulty belief system that has led to our state of mind, the feelings of anxiety, tension, anger and hopelessness are still very real.

The chat room was never intended as a debate site. Yes, there is occasionally an outbreak of serious discussion, but mostly, it's about unwinding - not getting more keyed up. Coming in, with the intent of adding to the nightmare a lot of us are going thru, is nothing short of an act of cruelty. Regardless of your position, if you intentionally stir up trouble, you're just being brutal. Please keep that in mind.

The chat room is open to EVERYBODY. You as an individual are welcome......however, your trouble-making ways, are not.

Speaking of disharmony, the names of a few people who I may have not gotten on so well with, in the past on the forum, have come up in regards to the question of, "why they have never come to the chat room". I want to reiterate that all are welcome. I don't know if past hard feelings are influencing anyone's decision not to come to the chat room, but I am not taking the position of, "It's my chat room, and only the people I like can come here". I have given the chat room as a gift to the forum, and do not take a proprietary position on it. Other than insisting that all really are welcome, I make no rules. Besides, who knows, after chatting a bit, we just might get along.

For those who do not have the url: bok0non@my-Deja.com), November 23, 1999

Answers

Sorry for the poor proof-reading...lemme try that link again: http://homest ead.deja.com/user.bok0non/index.html

-- Bokonon (bok0non@my-Deja. com), November 23, 1999.

Password: newt

-- Bokonon (bok0non@my-Deja. com), November 23, 1999.

Thanks, Bok!

-- Tricia the Canuck (tricia_canuck@hotmail.com), November 23, 1999.

No, I'm not, nor have any relation to, Newt Gingrich...it's a reference to the same novel my hadle comes from(G).

-- Bokonon (bok0non@my-Deja. com), November 23, 1999.

I confess, I was brawling.

not a good feeling. Apologies were extended, at least for the language used.

Sorry to all who may have been offended.

-- mushroom (mushroom_bs_too_long@yahoo.com), November 23, 1999.

I know this won't make the final cut, but here is a little info:

If Y2K was going to be even a tenth as bad as the Doomers say it will be then you wouldn't have time to be fighting amongts yourselves. You'd be too busy handling all the JoAnne effects and other Y2K related problems.

This is a sign that the life span of the Y2K meme is almost finished. Your ranks are turning on themselves because there is no real leadership and no real hope to salvage any credibility. In short... the jig is up.

-- (can@ya.guess ??), November 23, 1999.

Actually, the trouble started when a well-known polly troll arrived.

-- never (mind@this.time), November 23, 1999.

Takes two to tango

-- (not@just.one "polly troll"), November 23, 1999.

Can you guess (Yes I can{wink}),

The fact remains that going about trying to make people who already feel bad, feel worse, is a heartless act. Please refrain.

Mushroom,

It's understood that a lot of people just got sucked into the action. It's not my intent to chastise those people. Hey, we all lose our temper, sometimes.

If anyone is being chastised, it's those who came with the intent to cause problems, and only they truly know who they are. I hope they'll look inside themselves, and re-evaluate their motivations. If there intent is really to "save us, from ourselves", then they're being totally counter-productive to their aims.

-- Bokonon (bok0non@my-Deja.com), November 23, 1999.

sorry...got some lousy proofreading going on, today. That should have read "non-productive in their methods".

-- Bokonon (bok0non@my-Deja.com), November 23, 1999.

"Leadership", guess boy? I thought we were concerned individuals, not some sinister subversive organisation? Sound like someone's got some paranoid delusion issues to work through. You need to get out and find some contrails to relax under. ;p

-- Colin MacDonald (roborogerborg@yahoo.com), November 23, 1999.

As one of the brawlers, I will say that I am sorry about my profane language, and I am sorry that I lost my temper with the un-named Polly/Troll. Normally I am a reasonably tolerant fellow, but we all have our limits. I was poked once too often, and sank to the level of the poker, my bad.

-- Uncle Deedah (unkeed@yahoo.com), November 23, 1999.

Can somebody tell me what happened on the chat yesterday? I am sure those who missed the fun would like to know.

-- Brooklyn (MSIS@cyberdude.com), November 23, 1999.

Bokonon,

The novel your name is from is one of my favorites, which would be Kurt Vonnegut's "Cat's Cradle". Perhaps the TB2000 forum regulars are members of the same "Granfaloon" ? Just hoping Y2K != IceNine

-- Lurker (eye@spy.net), November 23, 1999.

And to think I missed a good brawl. Well goooooooooleeeeeee.

-- (Polly@troll.com), November 23, 1999.

Lurker,

What constitutes a "Granfallon" and what constitutes a "Karass", is usually only obvious, in retrospect ;)

For those unfamiliar with the book, "Cat's Cradle", A Granfalloon is an aggregation of people who have only a superficial similarity, such as someone from Indiana, saying to other people from Indiana, "Us Hoosiers have all gotta stick together". A Karass is a group of people who are truly working with unity of purpose, whether they're aware of it, or not. That's an oversimplification, but if you want more detail, read the book. It's good and a pretty quick read.

-- Bokonon (bok0non@my-Deja.com), November 23, 1999.

Bok,

I think I am glad I haven't had time to go back to the chat room...

Many injured???

(snicker)

loungin' on the floor...

The Dog

-- The Dog (dogdesert@hotmail.com), November 23, 1999.

Ahhh, I see Andy Ray's post has already been deleted. I'll respond anyway, because what I was going to say, is a reminder/disclaimer I feel obligated to post from time to time, anyway.

The Chat Room is not "this place", meaning it's not TB2000. I am not a sysop here and I have no official connection to either TB2000, Phil Greenspun, or M.I.T.. I am simply another participant here (at TB2000). Actions on this forum, do not necessarily reflect on the Chat Room, and vice-versa.

The only "official" connection, between TB2000 and the Chat Room, is that the sysops here have been kind enough to grant me thread space, for Chat Room announcements. If someone is upset with something that I have done, in the chat room, don't take it up Chuck, Diane, et al. By the same token, if someone is upset with something the sysops have done, on the forum, don't take it up with me.

Not trying to bite anyone's head off; just want to make sure that's clear.

-- Bokonon (bok0non@my-Deja.com), November 23, 1999.

Dog,

A few wounded feelings, but no fatalities, so far...still crawlin' thru the wreckage, though....

-- Bokonon (bok0non@my-Deja.com), November 23, 1999.