# Any Old School AOL'ers Still Around? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 1, 2025, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-old-school-aolers-still-around/1025306 "2025-12-01T22:09:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![slkaopi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slkaopi/32/20327_2.png) [@slkaopi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slkaopi)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2025, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-old-school-aolers-still-around/1025306/1 "2025-12-01T22:09:50Z")
Something made me think about the old message boards today and I couldn’t help but wonder if any of my old friends were still around? I signed back up using my OG screen name. The only ones I can remember off the top of my head now are hpstrdufuz/George, OpalCat, RealWicked, Tuba Lady? (something like that) and a few other random ones. Anyway, I hope y’all are well 26 years later! ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2025, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-old-school-aolers-still-around/1025306/2 "2025-12-01T22:21:45Z")
Hi there. Opal and Tubadiva have both died, and I don’t know the others. There are certainly some with 1999/2000 join dates for the VBulletin version, so undoubtedly some were on AOL before thet. Someone will be along with that information soon, I imagine. ---
**Author:** ![slkaopi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slkaopi/32/20327_2.png) [@slkaopi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slkaopi)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2025, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-old-school-aolers-still-around/1025306/3 "2025-12-01T22:24:39Z")
OMG I worried about that. I was one of the younger ones back then (only 20 when I first joined in 97/98) and I remembered a lot of them were older than I was. I hate that. Does anyone know about hpstrdufuz/George? I know he and Tuba were tight. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2025, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-old-school-aolers-still-around/1025306/4 "2025-12-01T22:26:35Z")
I posted under the name of “slythe”. ---
**Author:** ![slkaopi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slkaopi/32/20327_2.png) [@slkaopi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slkaopi)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2025, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-old-school-aolers-still-around/1025306/5 "2025-12-01T22:27:50Z")
Hey there! Man I BARELY remembered those names I pulled out of wherever lol. I am sorry I don’t specifically remember you but I am sure we interacted! I was a “medium” poster. Not at Opal’s level but not a lurker either. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2025, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-old-school-aolers-still-around/1025306/6 "2025-12-01T22:28:09Z")
I was on AOL. I made a weak joke, that wasn’t even a joke, directed at one of the “big names”, and the SD “cool kids” got all up in my face. I said “Fuck this I don’t need this shit” and left. Took more than a decade to come back and try again. The offenederatti are still here, but I just find it easier to ignore them now. ---
**Author:** ![slkaopi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slkaopi/32/20327_2.png) [@slkaopi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slkaopi)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2025, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-old-school-aolers-still-around/1025306/7 "2025-12-01T22:28:58Z")
I was too young and stupid to be a cool kid but I am sorry that happened! ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2025, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-old-school-aolers-still-around/1025306/8 "2025-12-01T22:30:00Z")
It doesn’t look like George has posted since 2001. ---
**Author:** ![slkaopi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slkaopi/32/20327_2.png) [@slkaopi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slkaopi)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2025, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-old-school-aolers-still-around/1025306/9 "2025-12-01T22:30:30Z")
I am just going to hope he is off living his best life! ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2025, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-old-school-aolers-still-around/1025306/10 "2025-12-01T22:34:18Z")
I know that I was somewhat active on the AOL board. I’m not 100% sure of what my screen name was back then; it might well have been some variation on my current SDMB name. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2025, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-old-school-aolers-still-around/1025306/11 "2025-12-01T22:45:26Z")
:: raises hand :: Yeah, still around. Do you remember **RevJimTull** , and **MattBernst**? **WilsonSA**? **PerkyDan**? Oh, and the Mormon guy who kept changing his username, **Snarkberry** / **Hypersnake / Hypersnark**? And **TIRPETZ** , the one who kept asking what we thought of the tow truck industry… Weird how it’s the ones you really don’t miss whose names echo down the years. That makes it likely that you won’t remember me. My oh-so-ironically-sophisticated sig line from that era: “Use signature (set in Preferences)” ---
**Author:** ![slkaopi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slkaopi/32/20327_2.png) [@slkaopi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slkaopi)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2025, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-old-school-aolers-still-around/1025306/12 "2025-12-01T22:52:59Z")
Man, I forgot about those tag lines. I don’t recall what mine were but I remember they were deeply important to me! I had totally forgotten about PerkyDan and the tow truck guy. I had an alter named Reverend Rod but he got in trouble pretty quick so he was not around long lol ---
**Author:** ![slkaopi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slkaopi/32/20327_2.png) [@slkaopi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slkaopi)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2025, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-old-school-aolers-still-around/1025306/13 "2025-12-01T22:54:03Z")
Don’t worry because I barely remembered those names…..it’s not a reflection of who was important and who wasn’t. More a reflection of my perimenopause brain fog lol ---
**Author:** ![slkaopi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slkaopi/32/20327_2.png) [@slkaopi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slkaopi)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2025, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-old-school-aolers-still-around/1025306/14 "2025-12-01T23:00:21Z")
The more I think about it, the more I think I remember your tag line. I don’t know why but it is tickling something in my brain. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2025, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-old-school-aolers-still-around/1025306/15 "2025-12-01T23:07:44Z")
This thread is a bit of a who’s who from the very early days who’re still around now-ish. You might usefully read through the info there. > [@Longest Tenure?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-tenure/1012548): > > If this should go somewhere else, mods please move it. I’ve been lurking here since 1999 (when we were on AOL) and joined up sometime in the 2000s. Some of the current posters and mods were there then, or at least have been around as long as I remember. Others have Charter Member or years in their profile. Who’s been here the longest? Is there a prize? There should be! I’m post-AOL from 2003 & have no recollection of you. But here’s a hearty Welcome Back!! You’re the second blast from the past to resurface this week. I wonder if there’s a trend forming? > [@Wow...my first post in more than 16 years](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wow-my-first-post-in-more-than-16-years/1025265): > > Been away a while. So it goes…Not sure why i drifted away. I was an infrequent poster and a bit of a lurker. Sad to see so many familiar names in the In Memoriam thread…lots of good folks. Life’s been well, for what it’s worth. Career has gone way better than expected. Still with my wife. Tastes have changed–used to be an NBA junkie, now i rarely watch it. Still big into music, but have expanded my horizons considerably. Don’t read as much as i used to. Hope it get back in the swing of things… ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-old-school-aolers-still-around/1025306/16 "2025-12-02T03:41:20Z")
Ranger Jeff has posted in recent years. GusnSpot was Catbiker, I believe. Been a while since we’ve seen him. Tomndebb is a mod/admin. You can also read the “In Memoriam” pinned thread which has some names of the departed. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-old-school-aolers-still-around/1025306/17 "2025-12-02T03:43:36Z")
An unhappy thread to check is our Memoriam thread: > [@In Memoriam](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-memoriam/489917): > > Over the years the Straight Dope community has included a huge variety of memorable and remarkable people. Posters come and go for their own reasons, but some have left us much sooner than we would have liked. This is a short list of friends who have died over the years. We miss them, but we’re glad to have known them in the first place, and thank them for helping us fight ignorance and pass many happy hours. A quick review mentions the following posters as AOL era that are known to have passed: FixedBack, Toymaker, voguevixen, aenea, and rjk. Again, just a quick search where 99’er or AOL poster was mentioned. Not the happiest reading again, but worth a review. Oh, and a welcome back from myself, one of the more recent-ish joins! Read much and post when you have something good to share. ETA - @Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker just mentioned the same thread while I was typing this and doing the quick review of the posters that matched the search. Curse my longwindedness! ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-old-school-aolers-still-around/1025306/18 "2025-12-02T03:57:51Z")
I used to post as Arqueille, I think. Might have used a different name. It was certainly Arqueille on the Usenet group. Might have been Krokodil on the AOL group. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-old-school-aolers-still-around/1025306/19 "2025-12-02T04:10:39Z")
I don’t talk about my AOL days. It brings back bad memories of the friends I lost in the ketchup wars. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-old-school-aolers-still-around/1025306/20 "2025-12-02T12:32:17Z")
I’m another one from AOL. My screen name way back then (and the aol email address that I still use as my ‘main’ email) was Nec3f. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-old-school-aolers-still-around/1025306.md?page=2)