Why aren't mods responding to insult report?

[Exapno Mapcase]

Everybody knows that code_grey is a problem poster. Always has been. He rated a pit thread Code_Grey, quit spamming GQ with Bullshit (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=544601&highlight=code_grey). In 2009. When the thread got revived as a zombie everybody thought it was brand new! Heck, he's started 140 threads in GQ since Jan. 13, or more than one a day. (That doesn't include all the threads he started in GQ that the mods had to move because they didn't belong there.) The same thread over and over. With people teaching him the same basics about consumers and economics over and over.

Like this one, why aren't there newcomers in printer marketplace with machines using easy-to-refill cartridges? (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=610176). I gave him the proper GQ answer and got reported for this:
Speaking of efficiencies, wouldn't a course in elementary economics be more efficient than having your misunderstandings shot down one by one in random fashion?
That's so far within bounds you can't see the border with a telescope. We're always telling people who don't understand science to do some reading before posting their uninformed theories.

So what does code_grey do? He starts several more threads on the same topic, including why aren't line printers used for cheap printing of ascii texts? (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=610253) He's asking these questions even though he doesn't know how printers work. And he gets these responses:
Please put brain in gear before placing hands on keyboard.

I swear you need to get a summer internship with me at the pharmaceutical manufacturing facility for the summer or someone like me. Most of your questions would explain themselves in just a few weeks in a working environment.

I know these were reported, a day ago. No mods have been in GQ for a day?

What's the deal here? Where's the line for insults? Why hasn't code_grey be given a warning like jinx or ralph that spamming GQ with bullshit questions has to stop? Does GQ not have enough mods to check in more than once a day?

Hey, at least these aren't questions that could be answered by entering "line printer" into Google.

[Gfactor]

Let me preface this by saying that you are one of my favorite GQ posters and that I usually find your thread reports right on the mark, and downright helpful.

1. In the United States, this is what's referred to as a holiday weekend. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day So, yeah, folks are busy celebrating, traveling, and imbibing.

2. The only thread report I saw about the ascii texts thread referred to a "scolding" that the reporter received. It didn't refer to the thread in which the scolding occurred, and I wasn't familiar with the incident, so I thought I ought to leave it to the moderator who did the scolding. I'd be unlikely to overrule the original scolder, in any case, unless I discussed it with them first.

3. I'll repeat what I've said elsewhere: Moderation seldom occurs in real time. If you are experiencing a true emergency, call the appropriate authorities or go to the emergency room at once.

4. I'll check out the thread in a while and respond accordingly. Sorry for the delay.

[Exapno Mapcase]

Don't you read these ATMB threads? I've seen people complain because no action was taken in nine minutes. :D

I'd wish you a Happy Memorial Day but there's already a pit thread about people doing that. :confused:

Go fire up your grill. Just save a place on it for somebody to be roasted. :mad:

Smilies, smilies, smilies. :cool:

[Lynn Bodoni]

Go fire up your grill. Just save a place on it for somebody to be roasted. Oh, we always save a place for someone to be roasted. Our problem is in choosing our guest. <more smilies>

[samclem]

I'm probably the target of Exapno's ire. I "scolded" him for a snarky response in the thread.

He's also one of MY favorites in General Questions. Solid factual posts, right on the money almost all the time. And his "report this posts" are usually correct. Doesn't mean I will always agree with him, but he's got a great batting average.

And, yeah, code_grey IS a problem poster. I'm not sure how this one gets resolved. It's an ongoing process. I'm sure it'll work out. Maybe not to everyone's satisfaction. Remember, our mills grind slow. ;)

There IS a bit of the holiday weekend involved here. I had bad computer problems the last week. Still do tonight. Don't even want to talk about it.

Colibri is away for a long weekend, IIRC, and we just got back the Wombat.

Take a deep breath, enjoy your holiday weekend, go outside, and remember, this is just a messageboard in cyberspace. You didn't lose you house/loved ones in a tornado this week.

[zagloba]

Why are code_grey's threads in GQ?

[samclem]

Why are code_grey's threads in GQ?

That's where they start. Some stay, some don't.

[Idle Thoughts]

My question is why isn't he being given a limit on how many GQ questions he can ask?

He just started another in the last 2 minutes. (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=610375)

Seriously. He's just making topics to spite others now, I think.

[Measure for Measure]

I find the 2 questions in the OP interesting. I thought Exapno Mapcase gave a decent response, though incomplete (*why* is there not a greater price-over-lifetime market?) Industrial anthropology is a legitimate topic, as is industrial organization. Furthermore, code-grey would probably have to take coursework in intermediate economics or business to have his questions addressed: introductory courses may not cut it.

That said, there are a total of 7 GQ threads by code_grey on the front page, which seems a little high. Does he regularly post more than 2 threads per day? I'm also reluctant to encourage the guy, as doing that can lead to train wrecks.

[Duckster]

Oh, we always save a place for someone to be roasted. Our problem is in choosing our guest. <more smilies>

With flava beans and a nice chianti?

Oh, wait. Holiday weekend. With ketchup, pickle relish and mustard?

[Laughing Lady]

Smilies, smilies, smilies. :cool:

Ha! I thought you said "similies', and I was lookin for 'em.

[Lynn Bodoni]

With flava beans and a nice chianti?

Oh, wait. Holiday weekend. With ketchup, pickle relish and mustard? Nah. Deviled eggs, potato salad, and barbecue sauce. :p

[BigT]

I find the 2 questions in the OP interesting. I thought Exapno Mapcase gave a decent response, though incomplete (*why* is there not a greater price-over-lifetime market?) Industrial anthropology is a legitimate topic, as is industrial organization. Furthermore, code-grey would probably have to take coursework in intermediate economics or business to have his questions addressed: introductory courses may not cut it.

That said, there are a total of 7 GQ threads by code_grey on the front page, which seems a little high. Does he regularly post more than 2 threads per day? I'm also reluctant to encourage the guy, as doing that can lead to train wrecks.

I don't know about regularly, but he definitely has had that many threads or more on the front page at the same time.

BTW, my first solution would be to ask him to put all questions on or about the same topic in the same thread. I'd try that before limiting him to X questions a day, as it wouldn't feel stifling, and might be enough to reduce the threads to a tolerable number.

[Measure for Measure]

BTW, my first solution would be to ask him to put all questions on or about the same topic in the same thread. I'd try that before limiting him to X questions a day, as it wouldn't feel stifling, and might be enough to reduce the threads to a tolerable number. Sometimes you don't want to hijack your own thread. As a guideline, I'd say that posting more than 1 thread per day raises a flag. But sometimes posing a spinoff thread is appropriate.

One thing I don't see by code-grey is hit and run behavior. He asks followup questions and responds to inquiries. I don't think they are bad questions: sometimes it's best to ask a simple question to shed light on a deeper one. AFAIK, the questions are of a proper length and have a useful title. Finally, the front page of GQ isn't as valuable as it used to be: extending the number of threads to 150 provided 24 hours + for all inquiries.


Objectively speaking, he's a problem poster in that he annoys people. I think "People" are over-reacting. But I am wary of enabling problem posters, since that tends to end with wrecked trains.

[Garfield226]

Sometimes you don't want to hijack your own thread. As a guideline, I'd say that posting more than 1 thread per day raises a flag. But sometimes posing a spinoff thread is appropriate.

One thing I don't see by code-grey is hit and run behavior. He asks followup questions and responds to inquiries. I don't think they are bad questions: sometimes it's best to ask a simple question to shed light on a deeper one. AFAIK, the questions are of a proper length and have a useful title. Finally, the front page of GQ isn't as valuable as it used to be: extending the number of threads to 150 provided 24 hours + for all inquiries.
I think the problem is mainly that the question he wants an answer to isn't the question he asks. Then when posters answer the question he asks, they get ignored and/or he gets snarky.

In the ASCII printers thread, he eventually gets around to the actual question in post 35, saying he's discussing ways to lower costs in low-quality on-demand printing. But he's never actually asked, "what are the cost components in on-demand printing?" (and there's a new question asking how much trimming, packing and the like costs)

He's done this a couple other times as well. It's as if someone asks about how casinos ensure slot machines are random, and then three pages later it turns out what they really want to know is the best strategy for beating the house using any game. You're not going to get useful answers that way.

[Garfield226]

For example, in this thread (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=604448) he asks "how many people use mind maps seriously", when it seems like what he really wants to know is DO people use mind maps seriously, or are mind maps taken seriously, or even perhaps, how do people use mind maps seriously.

When asked "how many", people (including me) skipped right over the "are they taken seriously" part (since it wasn't asked) and jumped in with A) the correct answer, "it's probably impossible to accurately know" and B) anecdotes about mind map usage.

code_grey comes back with, "ok maybe one form is useful, but they should rename the software to get rid of cultish associations". Wait, what? He completely abandons the "how many" question, and never either acknowledges that it's probably unknowable or tries to figure out other ways of tracking it down.

It really seems like he's trying to start an open-ended discussion about a large topic by asking one very specific question, and then getting upset with people who don't understand the end goal. That's not really what GQ is for, IMHO.

[Munch]

Why hasn't code_grey be given a warning like jinx or ralph that spamming GQ with bullshit questions has to stop?
They have? Those two are STILL problem posters. If the mods have warned them and their current output is "moderate", then I'm flabbergasted at those decisions' ineffectualness.

[Exapno Mapcase]

They have? Those two are STILL problem posters. If the mods have warned them and their current output is "moderate", then I'm flabbergasted at those decisions' ineffectualness.

Your memory must be really bad. "Google is your friend" was probably invented for jinx. Every question was one that could be answered by clicking on "I'm Feeling Lucky." He's much better now. Really.

With that precedent I'm asking the mods to rein in a poster who's started yet another thread (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=610456) on printing, without bothering to research one single thing on printing that would make his questions answerable.

The annoyance level is growing with each mindless thread. They look seemingly legitimate on the surface, enough to draw people in, but the questions are misleading since they're all variations on a conspiracy theory that businesses don't know their own business. "I'm just asking questions" doesn't work here any more than it does for Glenn Beck. GQ isn't the place for them.

[Garfield226]

With that precedent I'm asking the mods to rein in a poster who's started yet another thread (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=610456) on printing, without bothering to research one single thing on printing that would make his questions answerable.

The annoyance level is growing with each mindless thread. They look seemingly legitimate on the surface, enough to draw people in, but the questions are misleading since they're all variations on a conspiracy theory that businesses don't know their own business. "I'm just asking questions" doesn't work here any more than it does for Glenn Beck. GQ isn't the place for them.
At least in this case it's only taken eight posts (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=13857724&postcount=8) to go from the question as presented in the OP title, "what does cost of book folding and book binding depend on?" to what he's really asking, "why do you suppose a whole bunch of new companies have not yet entered the, as you claim, blatantly gouging industry and have not yet knocked the price down closer to the production costs?" (notwithstanding the fact that the previous poster didn't even come close to claiming that the industry was blatantly gouging)

[Measure for Measure]

Interesting thoughts, Garfield226: I find your POV plausible. They look seemingly legitimate on the surface, enough to draw people in, but the questions are misleading since they're all variations on a conspiracy theory that businesses don't know their own business. Er. Such a stance isn't too far off from the basis of any number of industry studies. Such a stance is commonplace in the economics classroom.

Businesspeople face an evolving environment: they know their business well, but there's reason to believe that they don't know it perfectly. Furthermore, many practices are at bottom attempts to rein in competition: for example ink jet manufacturers don't produce easily refillable cartridges partly because they would face competition in the *ink* market, while they can charge a higher markup in the cartridge market. His followup questions involving potential entry by firms are standard in economics.

I take issue with the contention that the threads are mindless, though I concede that their repetitiveness may get annoying after a while, at least for some. FTR, I find the economics of the print industry to be puzzling as well.

[Exapno Mapcase]

You notice that I at least didn't use WTF in my thread title.

I use it now.

In a code_grey thread a moderator, apparently not acting as a moderator, wrote:
Of course the price is "what the market will bear." It's that way in all markets.

I strongly recommend that you do at least some modicum of research before asking piles of highly-detailed questions and then arguing with the answers.
WTF? How is that different from my suggesting that code_grey take a course in economics to help him with his questions?

And if mods can issue insults identical to mine, then why haven't anybody gone back to the original thread and issued any comments or even warnings? There's been plenty of time.

WTF?

[RaftPeople]

I think the problem is mainly that the question he wants an answer to isn't the question he asks. Then when posters answer the question he asks, they get ignored and/or he gets snarky.

In the ASCII printers thread, he eventually gets around to the actual question in post 35, saying he's discussing ways to lower costs in low-quality on-demand printing. But he's never actually asked, "what are the cost components in on-demand printing?" (and there's a new question asking how much trimming, packing and the like costs)

He's done this a couple other times as well. It's as if someone asks about how casinos ensure slot machines are random, and then three pages later it turns out what they really want to know is the best strategy for beating the house using any game. You're not going to get useful answers that way.

This appears to be exactly accurate.

He starts with a detailed question based on assumptions that have been made and asks a question at that level and then gets annoyed when people with experience in the area explain why the assumptions are incorrect.

As you say, later it comes out that his real question was not what was posed in the OP.

[Gary "Wombat" Robson]

In a code_grey thread a moderator, apparently not acting as a moderator, wrote:

WTF? How is that different from my suggesting that code_grey take a course in economics to help him with his questions?

And if mods can issue insults identical to mine, then why haven't anybody gone back to the original thread and issued any comments or even warnings? There's been plenty of time.Sorry about the confusion, Exapno. In the first paragraph of my post, I was addressing him as a member. In the second paragraph (which I should have split into a second post), I was suggesting a behavioral change, which would have been more appropriate with my moderator hat on.

[Garfield226]

This appears to be exactly accurate.

He starts with a detailed question based on assumptions that have been made and asks a question at that level and then gets annoyed when people with experience in the area explain why the assumptions are incorrect.

As you say, later it comes out that his real question was not what was posed in the OP.

And again (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=613094).

OP question: how often does RFID scanner query for the presence of a particular chip?

Actual question (still far too vague to answer, but as much detail as I've been able to discern from his 5 posts (out of 7 total) in the thread): I have a scheme which depends on detecting the removal of any of a working set of several hundred RFID chips. Is this plausible and how much is it likely to cost?

So the question is how do you deal with (or do you deal with at all, I suppose) a poster that refuses to ask questions in a way that will allow an answer?

[MrDibble]

With flava beans and a nice chianti?
Flava beans are my Fav-ourite



So the question is how do you deal with (or do you deal with at all, I suppose) a poster that refuses to ask questions in a way that will allow an answer?
I don't see how that OP doesn't allow an answer. Granted, it was a drilldown process, and it ends up being that cg is looking for much more of a hardware shopping answer than a system design or RFID specification one, but it's still a GQ-worthy question in the end. All that his poor OP phrasing will lead to is a bunch of people who might know just skipping the thread. That's hardly a pillorying offense.

Although I agree with the general thrust of this thread - dude needs to throttle it back some.
ETA: Although, in his defense, he also participates in other people's inane (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=613020) threads too, so it's a wash.

ETA MkII: Not that I'm saying that other thread wasn't GQ-worthy at all, it just seems like such a pub conversation :)

[Irishman]

So the question is how do you deal with (or do you deal with at all, I suppose) a poster that refuses to ask questions in a way that will allow an answer?

Either answer the specific question he asks, ask him questions to draw out the info that allows you to answer, or realize his questions frustrate you and ignore them.