# How did all the Australian dopers find out about CA? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 17, 2002, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-all-the-australian-dopers-find-out-about-ca/137158 "2002-11-17T11:49:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-all-the-australian-dopers-find-out-about-ca/137158/1 "2002-11-17T11:49:55Z")
There seems to be quite a few Aussie readers of the SDMB. How did you all find out about it? What about our friends in Europe and other distant lands? We dont get the Chicago Reader here, of course, so did you read Cecil Adams books or stumble across the web site? I hope this doesnt sound like a marketing survey, I am genuinely interested. btw I mail ordered some SD books and picked up the rest travelling in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-all-the-australian-dopers-find-out-about-ca/137158/2 "2002-11-17T12:23:07Z")
Find out about California? 😉 I stumbled across [www.thestraightdope.com](http://www.thestraightdope.com) while reading up on something or another. Over the period of a few months, I read ALL the columns available there (strangely, I hardly ever read the new ones now). I didn’t follow the link from the homepage to the SDMB though. I followed a link posted at another board to get here. I think. Never seen the books, personally. ---
**Author:** ![Ell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47774/32.png) [@Ell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ell)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-all-the-australian-dopers-find-out-about-ca/137158/3 "2002-11-17T12:32:39Z")
[bored.com](http://bored.com) I was bored at work one day and typed this in. Straight Dope was one of the websites near the top (I tried them all). I read all the articles and then I joined the MB. The rest, as they say, is history. Funny story time, gather 'round kids. I recommended this site to a friend. I said “Just remember [straightdope.com](http://straightdope.com)”. She got back to work after our lunch and typed into her _work_ computer… [gaydude.com](http://gaydude.com). Got quite a shock too! ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-all-the-australian-dopers-find-out-about-ca/137158/4 "2002-11-17T12:37:18Z")
I found out about it in an appropriately stoopid way. My father had often said that he wondered how flies land upside-down on the ceiling. Do they fly up close with their wings nearly touching, then flip over, and run along on their feet, or do they come in lower, and hit the ceiling at the top of a controlled stall? So I googled “how flies land ceiling” or somesuch, and Google rewarded me with a Cecil column. This was my discovery of the SD homepage, and I returned to it from time to time, but it took me a couple of years to check out the message board. When I found it, I liked what I saw, and didn’t lurk. ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-all-the-australian-dopers-find-out-about-ca/137158/5 "2002-11-17T12:37:23Z")
[www.straightdope.com](http://www.straightdope.com) is one of the built in bookmarks for the Opera browser. Yet another reason why I love it. ---
**Author:** ![gex\_gex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/94ad74/32.png) [@gex\_gex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gex_gex)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-all-the-australian-dopers-find-out-about-ca/137158/6 "2002-11-17T13:00:08Z")
Triple J (radio station) had a weekly segment where they had a guy come on and talk about interesting websites. Mentioned the Straight Dope and Cecil, so I checked it out. ---
**Author:** ![Silentgoldfish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Silentgoldfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silentgoldfish)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-all-the-australian-dopers-find-out-about-ca/137158/7 "2002-11-17T13:01:08Z")
Followed a link off [www.inktank.com](http://www.inktank.com). Read all the columns and spent a few months sporadically lurking before I signed up to the boards. ---
**Author:** ![woolly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ebca7d/32.png) [@woolly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woolly)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-all-the-australian-dopers-find-out-about-ca/137158/8 "2002-11-17T13:30:14Z")
A google search on a unusual term (long since forgotten) that appeared in a Cecil column ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-all-the-australian-dopers-find-out-about-ca/137158/9 "2002-11-17T14:44:54Z")
I think I come in under the “other distant lands” category. 🙂 I’ve loved the _Straight Dope_ books since the 1980s. Actually stumbled across the homepage while looking up stuff to do with Dave Barry on Yahoo. Soon as I realised that – yes, Virginia, there _still_ is an Unca Cecil – I bookmarked it, and kept coming back regularly to read. About 6 months later I got up th’ gumption to nosey into the messageboard. Joined up soon after. ---
**Author:** ![everton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecb155/32.png) [@everton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/everton)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-all-the-australian-dopers-find-out-about-ca/137158/10 "2002-11-17T19:24:27Z")
I’m less distant than **Ice Wolf** (or the Aussies). Can’t remember which order these happened, but… [ul][li]Mentioned to me by a coworker who has an American wife[/li]Saw it in a magazine article called “Best of the Web”, or similar[/ul] ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-all-the-australian-dopers-find-out-about-ca/137158/11 "2002-11-17T20:23:55Z")
I too came via Google, after having a question about the rate of expansion of the universe. Of course, most of the sites google suggested were of a scientific bent (and thus unintelligable for me) but there was ONE that I clicked on, and here I am, still. 😃 I’d never heard of Cecil before, nor have I ever met anyone since who doesn’t raise a quizzical and dubious eyebrow when I mention the name Straight Dope. ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-all-the-australian-dopers-find-out-about-ca/137158/12 "2002-11-17T20:30:17Z")
Should have mentioned that I am a British Doper, like **everton**. ---
**Author:** ![reprise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@reprise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/reprise)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-all-the-australian-dopers-find-out-about-ca/137158/13 "2002-11-17T21:45:37Z")
Someone posted a link to SDMB in a reply on the [About.com](http://About.com) Urban Legends and Folklore messageboard - the rest is history. ---
**Author:** ![antechinus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@antechinus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antechinus)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-all-the-australian-dopers-find-out-about-ca/137158/14 "2002-11-17T22:53:43Z")
Thanks all for your replies. I like Ice Wolf’s story - reading the books since the 80’s. I think I found the SD via a link from the Aust Skeptics web site about 2 years ago, bought the books (perfect for the toilet library) and joined SDMB about a year afterward. ---
**Author:** ![Primaflora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Primaflora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Primaflora)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-all-the-australian-dopers-find-out-about-ca/137158/15 "2002-11-17T22:59:06Z")
I came via snopes. ---
**Author:** ![reprise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@reprise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/reprise)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2002, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-all-the-australian-dopers-find-out-about-ca/137158/16 "2002-11-17T23:06:31Z")
Any chance of you joining us for [Santadope](http://pub31.ezboard.com/fgdopefrm3.showMessage?topicID=483.topic) on 30 November **antechinus**? ---
**Author:** ![BigNik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/73ab20/32.png) [@BigNik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigNik)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-all-the-australian-dopers-find-out-about-ca/137158/17 "2002-11-18T01:49:24Z")
Another Googler - an acquaintance and I were arguing over whether a duck’s quack echoed. Why do you have to disprove _every single bloody item_ in those forwardlore “fact” lists for some people? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-all-the-australian-dopers-find-out-about-ca/137158/18 "2002-11-18T02:15:25Z")
Ich bin ein Googler. Wetter if you run or if you walk, I think. I lurked for a while and then joined when someone asked for tips on giving up smoking. ---
**Author:** ![Tsubaki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@Tsubaki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tsubaki)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-all-the-australian-dopers-find-out-about-ca/137158/19 "2002-11-18T04:31:39Z")
I found out through [Fark.com](http://Fark.com) ---
**Author:** ![Junior\_Spaceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Junior\_Spaceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Junior_Spaceman)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2002, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-all-the-australian-dopers-find-out-about-ca/137158/20 "2002-11-18T06:28:04Z")
(Aussie checking in) I think I’ve said it a few times - I came here via Snopes on the day that Wally’s passing was announced over there. This is the ironic part - I found Snopes because I was trying to find out something about the Moon landing Hoax believers, and thought it would be an ‘Urban Legend’. I never actually found much of interest about that subject on Snopes, but found lots here (including links to Bad Astronomer, and BA himself, and when you’ve found that, the sky’s the limit, if you’ll excuse the terrible pun :eek: ) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-did-all-the-australian-dopers-find-out-about-ca/137158.md?page=2)