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Hi. I've been lurking on this forum for a couple of days and figured I'd speak up. I'm hoping to become involved in some of the very interesting discussions going on here at Hatrack, but I've got a couple of questions.
First off, how open are you all to new posters? I haven't seen much talk of the subject on the forum which leads me to believe either nobody new joins (which is unlikely, being the internet) or that you don't eat new posters for lunch (which is good, but again often unlikely on the internet).
I guess I ought to talk a little about myself. Granted since I haven't said anything before I would be surprised if anyone found this information interesting. I do like to think that everyone has a unique perspective, and from reading a few dozen threads I can tell that this forum is full of uniqueness and diversity (of thought, at any case).
I'm a college student (I hope to finish my degree next year) in Illinois. I spent my life in Western Canada until going to college. I haven't decided yet (after almost three years) if I consider myself to be "stuck" in the mid-west or on some sort of grand adventure.
Of course I am a big fan of OSC books and while I think OSC is a very intelligent guy I cringe at most of his World Watch essays (I'd like to stress that even though I almost never agree with them, it's easy to tell the guy is smart. I just think his conclusions are a little wacky).
I suppose this is probably far more information that any of you really want to know about a new poster. So I'm off to go panic about starting on the wrong foot.
Posts: 14 | Registered: Feb 2005
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Every few years there's a big debate about how (in)tolerant Hatrack writ large is toward new folks. The debate is never resolved. However, whenever someone new starts one of these introduction threads they are always welcomed warmly, so you'll at least be starting off on the right foot.
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Hi, Gambusi. You can relax; Hatrackers/Jatraqueros are generally very nice to and love to hear a little about new members. So I think you did just fine.
By the way, I'd be glad to trade places with you if you ever decide you're "stuck" in Illinois. Posts: 378 | Registered: Aug 2004
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Some people open up immediatly after joining the forum, and others are tougher nuts to crack. Either way is fine, as long as you're generally honest and sincere.
I have similar feelings about Card: great respect for his fiction, less so for his political essays. Although I can see the thought and research he puts into the essays, I often don't agree with the conclusions.
Welcome to the forum and I hope you enjoy yourself. Posts: 6316 | Registered: Jun 2003
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Not rude at all. Just be polite and if there are any references that are flying over your head just ask.
My brother is getting his Ph.D in intellectual history down Chicago way. This thread is reminding me of how long its been since I wrote to him...
Posts: 3243 | Registered: Apr 2002
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Rivka...that was a logical AND condition, you've got nothing to fear.
Well...I don't really know WHAT all you might have to fear, but about this post count thing, you haven't been here longer than I have, so you're safe.
Well...maybe not SAFE in all things. I don't really know what kind of crazy stunts you might pull. But you're safe from my wrath regarding people who registered before me and have higher post counts.
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From most of the people I talk to, Chicago shouldn't be in Illinois. Not to stick a blanket over most of the people in Central Illinois, but there is a major resentment towards Chicago where I'm at.
Posts: 14 | Registered: Feb 2005
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I was just playing around with The Kamusi Project Internet Living Swahili Dictionary and found a word that had a neat ring to it.
Posts: 14 | Registered: Feb 2005
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"Not to stick a blanket over most of the people in Central Illinois, but there is a major resentment towards Chicago where I'm at."
Having lived both in Central Illinois and in Chicago, I can say with some certainty that it is by Chicago's whimsy alone that the rest of Central Illinois continues to exist independently of, say, Iowa.
Every single day in Champaign, I would wake up and thank Chicago for making it possible for me to live somewhere that wasn't exactly like Des Moines.
The rest of Illinois is not like Chicago. This is not a compliment.
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A "Jataquerto" is a typo. By the time it matters whether you know what "Jatraquero" means, you'll be one, so don't go asking for definitions this early in the game. *grin*
I am so sorry you had to live in Calgary. Edmonton is much, much better. If you have to live in Alberta, that is. Which is a pretty good province, overall. Much better than, say, flat Saskatchewan or cold Manitoba. And British Columbia is just so, oh, granola and flaky and tree-huggerish.
Welcome! Oh, yeah, I like your grammer, spelling, and punctuation, too. Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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I think there's some unwritten rule that requires someone to misspell the word "grammar" whenever they use it in conjunction with the word "spelling" in a sentence. It's like some form of cosmic irony.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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I feel a slight urge to defend Calgary... But then I remember that the MP of my constinuency still looks for communists under his bed at night.
Posts: 14 | Registered: Feb 2005
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Hey, Tom. Mind if I quote your thoughts on Central Illinois and Chicago in my LiveJournal?
I like to annoy a very good friend who lives in Central Illinois and can't stand Chicago by telling him the state wouldn't survive without Chicago. Support from others is always nice in trying to prove my point.
Posts: 378 | Registered: Aug 2004
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For some reason I read that as "watch out for lightning and falling metroids." Actually, I think I know what the reason is.
Posts: 10886 | Registered: Feb 2000
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Yes, quidscribis, King Ralph was, at least, the mayor of Calgary for a while. He didn't do a terrible job, actually (when I say that, I mean he didn't attempt to destroy the health care and education systems).
Posts: 14 | Registered: Feb 2005
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As opposed to what he did in Alberta as a whole. I sure am glad I left before it got really bad.
Is he still premier?
Please note: I am NOT a hockey fan. Nevertheless, I still loved the bumper stickers: "My two favorite hockey teams are the Edmonton Oilers and whoever's playing the Calgary Flames." My redneck brother moving to Calgary just cemented that for me, somehow.
I hope you enjoy your escape!
Posts: 8355 | Registered: Apr 2003
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Welcome Gambusi--I suspect that you'll fit in well here. By all means, jump in with both feet if that's your style--as long as you're generally polite people here will be accepting of you more or less regardless of the positions that you take.
In answer to your question, "Jatraquero" is our in-group term for members of this site. It was coined by a formerly prolific poster named David Bowles some time ago, and quickly caught on, both because many people think that it sounds cool, and also (I suspect) because having language that is opaque to outsiders causes people to feel more bound together--helps to demarcate the boundaries of "us", as opposed to "them", so to speak. I prefer the term Hatracker myself, partly because it's more accessible, and partly because I never have to think about how to spell it. Also, my nomination way back when of "Hatrackite" went over like a lead balloon, so maybe I'm just jealous of David.
Another term you're likely to come across that is unique to this site is "Dobie", sometimes spelled "Dobbie". The term, taken from the name of the forum member who made the first Dobie, is used to describe a thread whose title is very similar to another thread's with a minimum of letters replaced so as to change the title into something "funny". For example, one of the most popular Dobies of all time is a parody of a thread called "Good GOD, OSC", which had the title of "Good COD, OSC". To be considered a good Dobie, the first post in the new thread has to contain some sort of illustrative link.
People are generally of the opinion that everyone else's Dobies are fairly stupid, but that their own are brilliantly funny. They're wrong, of course--all Dobies are stupid. Well, except mine of course.
Posts: 16059 | Registered: Aug 2000
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quote: and also (I suspect) because having language that is opaque to outsiders causes people to feel more bound together--helps to demarcate the boundaries of "us", as opposed to "them", so to speak.
quote: Would it be considered rude for a new poster to just jump in some threads and spout off his opinion?
Heck, no. I heard a saying last year, I think it was from the late Sen. Moynihan--"We are all entitled to our own opinion, but not our own facts."
That sums up my feelings about discussions and arguments--back up opinion with fact when ever possible. This forum (and the internet in general, at least the good parts) seem to follow it too. It's hard to argue sometimes when when your latest rant is blown out of the water by a kid running a 2-second Google search, but that's life. Posts: 6316 | Registered: Jun 2003
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