• NEW! LOWEST RATES EVER -- SUPPORT THE SHOW AND ENJOY THE VERY BEST PREMIUM PARACAST EXPERIENCE! Welcome to The Paracast+, eight years young! For a low subscription fee, you can download the ad-free version of The Paracast and the exclusive, member-only, After The Paracast bonus podcast, featuring color commentary, exclusive interviews, the continuation of interviews that began on the main episode of The Paracast. We also offer lifetime memberships! Flash! Take advantage of our lowest rates ever! Act now! It's easier than ever to susbcribe! You can sign up right here!

    Subscribe to The Paracast Newsletter!

Unmasked

Forums New posts

Free episodes:

ProphetofOccam

ProphetofOccam

Paranormal Adept
In a recent thread, a small discussion concerning anonymity and the internet lead several of the participants to conclude that anonymity is a wrench in the works when it comes to community building, empathetic discussion, and general good times in internet-based, public forums. In keeping with that idea, I thought I'd provide the link to my personal Facebook page, where other users can put a face to the words, a name to the face, and possibly learn something about this particular presence in the forums.

I'd also like to invite any forum members who would also like to drop some of their anonymity, in whatever way they feel comfortable, to do so. There's also nothing wrong with not wishing to do that. I just figured this type of a thread could also lead to discussions about other areas of interest, music, etc.

Anyway, this is me. Look forward to hearing about everyone else.
 
Well I don't pretend to know the extent of chris feelings on online identities and I certainly didn't take chris's statement personally, I'm sure he recognizes the prevalence of online identies for whatever reason (whimsy, paranoia, lurking,trolling) in all kinds of online communities. My FEELING is that it's directed toward those whose only intent is to provoke rather than discuss. And what constitutes provocation I suppose is in the eyes of the beholder, it's a self-defined judgement call, sort of like who and who isn't a skeptic, a believer or in between, that's been done to death in this forum (still good reading though)


For the record though, as long as you started a coming out thread, I'm not on facebook (but i'm being informed by the forum that three people have unfriended me) but I've posted my name and email several times in this forum and I'll save you the looking it up, it's wade ridsdale and you'll just have to take my word for it unless you want to ante up the ten bucks for a signed notarized statement which i'll be happy to post ;) Is my birth name really wade?, only my hairdresser knows for sure.

Having said that, anyone of us could sign up under any name be it faniciful or not, There is nothing stopping anyone of us from using nikola tesla and who's to argue that is not a true name, one can quite easily change their name so given that, i see no harm from using made up monikers

And my reason for the aka is whimsy but then I think most people have gathered that from the makeup of my posts.
 
I didn't think Chris's statements were a call to arms, or anything, but it's statistically and sociologically beneficial for parties in a discussion to have a name and a face to go with the opinions that appear in a forum. I think it's fun and interesting to know a little more about everyone and to have them know a little more about me.

I agree that the forum handles are somewhat necessary. It's a very basic, one-off form of expression. I thought it would be fun to make a name and a logo for a tongue-in-cheek church of Occam, with the big "O" and a nine point star to represent steps of critical thinking I once heard Carl Sagan lay out. I was procrastinating real work, so I did it.

A common name I use in forums, when not using my real name (which i do for some hobbyist websites), is Nangasohu. However, I felt that Chris's many references to the Hopi and their religion might draw some kind of parallel to the name that I wasn't looking to create. I like looking at people's sceennames; I'd be disappointed if everyone just used their real names (even if they did accompany it with an Alex Grey painting for an avatar [winky face]).
 
"...I agree that the forum handles are somewhat necessary. It's a very basic, one-off form of expression. I thought it would be fun to make a name and a logo for a tongue-in-cheek church of Occam, with the big "O" and a nine point star to represent steps of critical thinking I once heard Carl Sagan lay out. I was procrastinating real work, so I did it...."

i can really honor and appreciate your sense of humor in doing so and i think chris would appreciate your awareness towards the sensitivities of others
 
That's really strange. My facebook page is entirely public. Unless you've got some kind of block on your internet that inhibits facebook viewing, I don't know why that would be the case.

They may have changed things, so that you must have a facebook to view other people's information, but I don't think so. Signed off, I am able to view my information just fine.
 
Apparently they changed that. Having met extremely few people without a Facebook, I guess I never noticed.

Well, as an aside, here is my long abandoned MySapce. That can be viewed publicly without an issue.

George

My name's George Paul Davis III. However, my girlfriend and I have decided we dislike both of our last names and developed one that we will both use as our "married name." That means, in a month or two, my name will change to Winterstone, from Davis, and I'll be dropping the Paul.

Sorry about that, guys. I had no idea that the setting "Public" just meant "Public" within the Facebook network. My bad,
 
Yeah, I went from 2002-2005. I ran out of money with a year to go. I've been putting money aside and attending classes in other media fields in the meantime. I plan to finish out my original BA (two stupid semesters) next year. I really liked my time at Kent. It's a good school with a good environment. I was an English major.
 
You're a little younger than me. I went from 80-84. I had a blast there. I'm sure it was much cheaper then. My first semester was $600 for a full slate. I checked the rates last year and it was like $4500. Ouch!
 
In all fairness, I should have gone from 98-02, but at 18, I had no idea what I wanted to do with myself and didn't even know how someone in my position at the time even went about going to college, financially.

Yeah, it was figured that it would cost me right under $10,000 dollars to complete my initial degree. That's why I'm wrapping up a handful of related AAB's at this time. I just want the BA for resume purposes (it's often required).
 
Back
Top