Every once in a great while, I want to find a chat room. What are some good ones? I’ve tried Napster’s chats, and they really suck.
The Straight Dope chat. Otherwise, I never really have a good time in a chat room unless I’m opening one up to meet with friends.
If you are an AOLer I can give you this advice - stay the hell out of their lame-ass chat forum. It’s nothing but snot-nosed kids being, well, snotty.
I went back into some trivia game in AOL for the first time in a long time. This is the conversation I had:
Jack: Hello everybody.
SnotPuke: WAZZUP, MOFO?
Jack: Wazzup? Huh?
SnotPuke: SCREW U PUNK. U WANNA PEECE UV THIS?
Jack: I just came in for Trivia.
SnotPuke: I DID U MOM LAS NITE.
Jack: Ok, buh-bye.
What a little slice of heaven that was.
Go to #straightdope on IRC dalnet.
There’s a Straight Dope chat?
Chat rooms – even good chat rooms – are a real waste of time. The problem is the same even when you have intelligent people involved, as this actual transcript proves:
SOCRATES: The true nature of reality is –
<KANT enters room>
PLATO: Hi, Immannuel.
NIETZCHE: Hey, Manny, what’s up?
HEIDIGGER: Hi, Immanuel
LOCKE: Hello, Manny.
KANT: Hello, everyone. What’s going on?
SOCRATES: I was explaining the true nature of reality.
NIETZCHE: Manny, did you get my e-mail?
HOBBES: Of course he didn’t. He Kant.
MARX: LOL
KANT: I didn’t. Send it again. Do you have my new address?
PLATO: So what was your point, Socrates.
SOCRATES: That all men are mortal.
NIETZCHE: Is it still manny@idealism.net?
SOCRATES: And since they are mortal, they cannot know the infinite.
KANT: No, it’s critique@purereason.org. Got my own domain name now. 
SARTRE: Oops, it’s late. Have to go. Bye.
HOBBES: Bye, Jean-Paul.
HEIDIGGER: 'night, Jean-Paul.
LOCKE: CU, J-P.
MARX: Send me that message.
<SARTRE has left room>
KANT: Socrates, I think you’re wrong about that.
SOCRATES: What do you mean?
<MILL enters room>
HEIDIGGER: Hey, John.
HOBBES: John Stuart! My man!
KANT: J-S! Get my e-mail?
MILL: Hi, all. Yes, Manny. I’ll reply tomorrow.
SOCRATES: Ah, fuck it.
<SOCRATES has left room>
The Straight Dope chat is on mIRC on any Undernet server, #straightdope. It’s not an official chat site, but just an informal one used by the posters here.
For clarity, its the #straightdope on and Undernet server.
For clarity, its the #straightdope on any Undernet server.
Got it.
What’s an undernet server?
It’s an IRC server. Internet Relay Chat, in case you didn’t know. If you have a PC, point yourself over to http://www.mirc.com and download it. Then when you start it, you can select a server from a pop-up screen. Pick “Random Undernet Server” and you should get in. If you need more deatiled directions, email me.
Ooops. Did I say “dalnet”?
Sorry for the mis-information.
Great. Thanks all. I’ll give the straight dope chat room a try.