Happy fourth board anniversary

[Laird]

A few hours ago, our little board hit its fourth year of existence. What's that in internet years? Something like a decade or two, I'd imagine.

Some of us have described our community as a family, with both the positive and negative connotations associated with that word. At times, we argue and bicker, but ultimately, we're all connected and we share a goal: to explore the stranger aspects of reality, especially those with the most significance. I suspect that the relationships we have formed play no small part in our board's ongoing viability  - well, that and Sci's relentless quest to bring us new topical content!

I propose a little celebration of our still being alive these four years later - of our Stayin' Alive.

As one of the founders but not one of the Admins, I'd just like to reiterate my thanks to those who look after this forum and keep it going. Without it, there would be little in the way of alternatives and I well remember the frustration we experienced when Skeptiko was heading down the tubes into the conspiracy mire. Four years on and we still have a place to hang out.

Hey Doug, if you are watching, tell us what it's like where you are now! We miss you.

I've got to say, You were right about Skeptiko. Alex never seemed to realise that a big part of Skeptiko was all the other discussions that went on alongside discussion of his podcasts. Then when the podcasts veered off-topic my interest just tailed off.

I don't know how you moderate this forum, but it seems to be working well.

David

Happy 4 years!

I've got to say, You were right about Skeptiko. Alex never seemed to realise that a big part of Skeptiko was all the other discussions that went on alongside discussion of his podcasts. Then when the podcasts veered off-topic my interest just tailed off.

I don't know how you moderate this forum, but it seems to be working well.

David

I don't know what is going on over there. At the risk of sounding like a hypocrite and also going off topic, (because I had been a part of the problem) the quality has went down pretty sharply over time over there.

And so I feel I must apologise to those who I asked to get banned for a while (I know Silence is here!). Malf, well, I guess you are a good troll at times! I don't know what I was thinking though. I think immediately after, I felt that was wrong, and I took some time to think about what was going on and who really was being the unreasonable one. 

Over the past few months I've done a bit of introspection and realised that I was caught in some paranoid worldview, and I was mired down in conspiracies. I think what done it for me was the inability for others whom I conversed with or involved with, to change their mind once new data came in. And then also seeing others get progressively nuttier, or encountering people nuttier than I was at the time, given free reign without challenge to push their views. 

The COVID thing totally ruined my mind though, I'll admit. I'm still processing it. I still don't know what's going on with it, but I am way less inclined to follow the conspiracy crowd. Because it was a traumatic event for the entire world, being stuck at home with nothing else to do, all of this stuff really became overwhelming, and so I flocked to ideas of 'this is really it', the illuminati are real etc etc. It shone a light on my paranoid tendencies over time. Again, I think when new data came in, it began to sway me. And then seeing others just double down for no reason at all. I still think that it was not the right thing to do, to lock down people with fear and propaganda. Who knows, maybe in the future we will all be able to have some hindsight and be able to tell if it was right or not.

Anyway, self pitying confession over lol and back ontopic! 

Do you think you will spend more time here David? I think I will!

I don't know what is going on over there. At the risk of sounding like a hypocrite and also going off topic, (because I had been a part of the problem) the quality has went down pretty sharply over time over there.

And so I feel I must apologise to those who I asked to get banned for a while (I know Silence is here!). Malf, well, I guess you are a good troll at times! I don't know what I was thinking though. I think immediately after, I felt that was wrong, and I took some time to think about what was going on and who really was being the unreasonable one. 

Over the past few months I've done a bit of introspection and realised that I was caught in some paranoid worldview, and I was mired down in conspiracies. I think what done it for me was the inability for others whom I conversed with or involved with, to change their mind once new data came in. And then also seeing others get progressively nuttier, or encountering people nuttier than I was at the time, given free reign without challenge to push their views. 

The COVID thing totally ruined my mind though, I'll admit. I'm still processing it. I still don't know what's going on with it, but I am way less inclined to follow the conspiracy crowd. Because it was a traumatic event for the entire world, being stuck at home with nothing else to do, all of this stuff really became overwhelming, and so I flocked to ideas of 'this is really it', the illuminati are real etc etc. It shone a light on my paranoid tendencies over time. Again, I think when new data came in, it began to sway me. And then seeing others just double down for no reason at all. I still think that it was not the right thing to do, to lock down people with fear and propaganda. Who knows, maybe in the future we will all be able to have some hindsight and be able to tell if it was right or not.

Anyway, self pitying confession over lol and back ontopic! 

Do you think you will spend more time here David? I think I will!

It's so easy to get sucked into a bunch of ideas and forget to do reality checks from time to time.  Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson's Illuminatus trilogy is a cool read for breaking one free from conspiracy rabbit holes while allowing one to speculate freely.  It's a tough read at times, but inspired a healthy agnosticism in me that has done me the world of good.

Happy 4 year birthday PQ.

It's so easy to get sucked into a bunch of ideas and forget to do reality checks from time to time.  Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson's Illuminatus trilogy is a cool read for breaking one free from conspiracy rabbit holes while allowing one to speculate freely.  It's a tough read at times, but inspired a healthy agnosticism in me that has done me the world of good.

As a person who also did the conspiracy route and came back to the living, I couldn't agree more. There is no shame to admit getting caught up in ideas of conspiracy and let's call it what it is at times, utter lunacy. I'm a better person for my journey and I'm guessing that Diverdown is as well. 

Anyhoo. Happy Birthday PQ. Tap of the glass to those no longer reading here, and to those no longer on the Earth. Special thanks to my old sockpuppet pals from mind-energy and beyond wherever you are.

I don't know what is going on over there. At the risk of sounding like a hypocrite and also going off topic, (because I had been a part of the problem) the quality has went down pretty sharply over time over there.

And so I feel I must apologise to those who I asked to get banned for a while (I know Silence is here!). Malf, well, I guess you are a good troll at times! I don't know what I was thinking though. I think immediately after, I felt that was wrong, and I took some time to think about what was going on and who really was being the unreasonable one. 

Over the past few months I've done a bit of introspection and realised that I was caught in some paranoid worldview, and I was mired down in conspiracies. I think what done it for me was the inability for others whom I conversed with or involved with, to change their mind once new data came in. And then also seeing others get progressively nuttier, or encountering people nuttier than I was at the time, given free reign without challenge to push their views. 

The COVID thing totally ruined my mind though, I'll admit. I'm still processing it. I still don't know what's going on with it, but I am way less inclined to follow the conspiracy crowd. Because it was a traumatic event for the entire world, being stuck at home with nothing else to do, all of this stuff really became overwhelming, and so I flocked to ideas of 'this is really it', the illuminati are real etc etc. It shone a light on my paranoid tendencies over time. Again, I think when new data came in, it began to sway me. And then seeing others just double down for no reason at all. I still think that it was not the right thing to do, to lock down people with fear and propaganda. Who knows, maybe in the future we will all be able to have some hindsight and be able to tell if it was right or not.

Anyway, self pitying confession over lol and back ontopic! 

Do you think you will spend more time here David? I think I will!

DD, for whatever its worth I never felt any ill will toward you even in our most strained dialogues.  Always have had a sense that you're a proverbial "good guy" (I fancy myself to be one too!).  Its been a very challenging couple of years for us humans in the otherwise coddled developed world (i.e., don't want to discount ongoing struggles by many peoples on the planet outside the developed economies).  The Trump phenomenon really challenged a lot of my preconceptions and COVID remains a bit of a mystery.

Glad to see you shake off the mantles of conspiratorial orthodoxy though.  I just don't think its healthy for any of us.

DD, for whatever its worth I never felt any ill will toward you even in our most strained dialogues.  Always have had a sense that you're a proverbial "good guy" (I fancy myself to be one too!).  Its been a very challenging couple of years for us humans in the otherwise coddled developed world (i.e., don't want to discount ongoing struggles by many peoples on the planet outside the developed economies).  The Trump phenomenon really challenged a lot of my preconceptions and COVID remains a bit of a mystery.

Glad to see you shake off the mantles of conspiratorial orthodoxy though.  I just don't think its healthy for any of us.

Likewise Silence.

As you know, I often enjoy a bit of "argy-bargy" debate, but you did keep that space open for me, and as turns out, as did I!