# A serious question for Sam Stone on Factual Errors **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 11, 2021, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-serious-question-for-sam-stone-on-factual-errors/955881 "2021-12-11T12:32:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 108
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-serious-question-for-sam-stone-on-factual-errors/955881/2141 "2024-02-23T02:31:09Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > multi-user realtime chat, which back in the day was called ‘teleconferencing’. I must be misunderstanding you, but “multi-user realtime chat” sounds like text only. Is this what you mean or something else? I’m genuinely curious. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-serious-question-for-sam-stone-on-factual-errors/955881/2142 "2024-02-23T02:50:52Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > > [@Babale](#): > > > > Oh yeah? Explain this: > > Around the two minute mark he says the “digital equipment needed in the telephone exchanges for a dial up network won’t be available for three or four years” Oh, I know - that was a Sam Stone style cite. The headline looked promising but the actual content disproved the claim. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-serious-question-for-sam-stone-on-factual-errors/955881/2143 "2024-02-23T02:54:06Z")
I, for one, am willing to grant that Sam is in fact a ~~Canadian~~ time traveler. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-serious-question-for-sam-stone-on-factual-errors/955881/2144 "2024-02-23T03:01:46Z")
Yup, text only. Up to 64 people at a time. It had multiple configurable channels, private whispering between people, and a bunch of other stuff. We usually had 8-24 people online chatting at any given time. I paid a fortune for the modems and the phone lines. We charged by the hour. Those old BBS systems were awesome. They were evolving into a distributed ISP network when the Internet killed them. We had fidonet and other protocols for sending Email from one system to,another, later, connectors to the internet… Online games, teleconferencing, file upload/download sections etc. ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-serious-question-for-sam-stone-on-factual-errors/955881/2145 "2024-02-23T03:30:46Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Instead of calling you a liar and demanding an apology, or calling you an idiot for not knowing what you are talking about, I am going to be charitable and assume you are talking about something other than multi-user realtime chat, which back in the day was called ‘teleconferencing’. Meanwhile, back in reality, people can’t **overhear** , and you certainly can’t **see someone perk up** when it’s a text conversation, no matter what you call it. I’m going to be charitable and still call you a liar for trying a dodge this pathetic. To remind you of what you tried to claim you were misremembering as a teleconference: > [@Warren Zevon Dead at 56](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-zevon-dead-at-56/200270/51): > > > [@Warren Zevon Dead at 56](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warren-zevon-dead-at-56/200270/51): > > > > I met my wife because of Warren Zevon. I was chatting with a bunch of friends one day, and mentioned Zevon. My future wife was in earshot, and she perked up and said, “You like Warren Zevon??” And it was like we were immediately old friends. We were engaged in three weeks, married in six months, and it’s now 13 years and counting. Or was “in earshot” what the cool kids called “being in the same text only chat room” in 1989? ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-serious-question-for-sam-stone-on-factual-errors/955881/2146 "2024-02-23T03:37:52Z")
The next pretzel twist might be fatal… ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-serious-question-for-sam-stone-on-factual-errors/955881/2147 "2024-02-23T03:46:48Z")
Only because I _just_ read this, > [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > I can report from also reading the right > [Jon Stewart - Return to the Daily Show - The Pit Edition - #47 by Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jon-stewart-return-to-the-daily-show-the-pit-edition/997614/47) > [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > I don’t browse right-wing sites. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-serious-question-for-sam-stone-on-factual-errors/955881/2148 "2024-02-23T03:53:50Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Those old BBS systems were awesome I’m sure they were. We sure as fuck did not call them “teleconferencing “ though. Be better. This is just getting sad. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-serious-question-for-sam-stone-on-factual-errors/955881/2149 "2024-02-23T04:10:15Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > I’m sure they were. We sure as fuck did not call them “teleconferencing “ though. Yes, we did. Probably not everywhere, but we sure as hell did. I did the page layup for the ads myself. And paid the bills. This IS getting sad. You’ve reduced yourselves to trying to ‘get’ me by telling me i’m lying about how I met my own wife and that my own business did not exist. We’re on the fast train to crazytown. How about you just stop? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-serious-question-for-sam-stone-on-factual-errors/955881/2150 "2024-02-23T04:14:15Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > This IS getting sad. You’ve reduced yourselves to trying to ‘get’ me by telling me i’m lying about how I met my own wife and that my own business did not exist. I for one am telling you that you’ve lost the benefit of the doubt: after investigating many of your claims and having them not pan out, I don’t believe anything you say. You can start taking greater care with your claims that are verifiable, and if you do, maybe I’ll eventually grant grace for the unverifiable claims. But at this point, you don’t have much more trustworthiness than Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-serious-question-for-sam-stone-on-factual-errors/955881/2151 "2024-02-23T04:18:39Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Yes, we did. Probably not everywhere, but we sure as hell did. I did the page layup for the ads myself. And paid the bills. I was living in the same province at the same time, conversant with the same systems and NOBODY called this “teleconferencing”. You are misremembering, or possibly just making shit up to defend a bunch of bullshit that is threatening to collapse under its own weight. Your best bet at this point is to claim your account has been hacked. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-serious-question-for-sam-stone-on-factual-errors/955881/2152 "2024-02-23T04:30:27Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > We sure as fuck did not call them “teleconferencing “ though. Oh, not in Utica, no; it’s an Albany expression. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-serious-question-for-sam-stone-on-factual-errors/955881/2153 "2024-02-23T04:50:42Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Your best bet at this point is to claim your account has been hacked. Or it’s the fault of another one of his kids… ---
**Author:** ![Dissonance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dissonance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dissonance)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-serious-question-for-sam-stone-on-factual-errors/955881/2154 "2024-02-23T05:39:56Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > > [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > > > I’m sure they were. We sure as fuck did not call them “teleconferencing “ though. > > Yes, we did. Probably not everywhere, but we sure as hell did. I did the page layup for the ads myself. And paid the bills. For the sake of argument, I’ll grant that you and your small cool kid crowd called chat rooms “teleconferencing” because your liked pretending you were living in The Jetsons. You still haven’t explained how your wife **was in earshot** or how you **saw her perk up** via text numbnuts. Or did she post a text emoji of a woman perking up for you on alt.binaries.canada.warren.zeffron.bbs.its.like.were.old.friends? ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-serious-question-for-sam-stone-on-factual-errors/955881/2155 "2024-02-23T06:13:57Z")
By the way @Sam, you’re still a lying sack of shit. God, that felt good. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-serious-question-for-sam-stone-on-factual-errors/955881/2156 "2024-02-23T08:47:56Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > Or it’s the fault of another one of his kids… I’m starting to suspect Sam doesn’t have a wife or kids. Now that’s only a suspicion. A certainty is that bit that he related as happening at a baseball game did not happen. There’s no way that’s true. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-serious-question-for-sam-stone-on-factual-errors/955881/2157 "2024-02-23T12:59:56Z")
I’ll give him credit for having a wife and/or kids. What I actually suspect is that if they do exist, they don’t behave like the oddly convenient props they do in the fantasies he spouts here ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-serious-question-for-sam-stone-on-factual-errors/955881/2158 "2024-02-23T14:11:36Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > What I actually suspect is that if they do exist, they don’t behave like the oddly convenient props they do in the fantasies he spouts here Agreed, and that’s a good way to frame it—props for his storytelling. “I told those jokers to back off, and they knew I meant business. Naturally my soon-to-be wife fell in love. Ain’t no thang, just how I roll.” Note for Sam: ^ That’s a parody of your post, not a direct quote. No need to parse the words for a rebuttal. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-serious-question-for-sam-stone-on-factual-errors/955881/2159 "2024-02-23T14:47:29Z")
Just add a “Sir” and “tears in their eyes” and the stories are basically Trumpian folk tales ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2024, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-serious-question-for-sam-stone-on-factual-errors/955881/2160 "2024-02-23T15:38:21Z")
I heard everyone at the baseball game clapped. Or typed clapping emojis in their teleconference chat window. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-serious-question-for-sam-stone-on-factual-errors/955881.md?page=107) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-serious-question-for-sam-stone-on-factual-errors/955881.md?page=109)