So, would you be happy if the SDMB had no GQ? IMO 80 percent (or more) of the questions asked on the Boards can be googled. People prefer to get a human answer rather than rifle through the reams of irrelevant shite the search engines usually turn up. What’s more, most dopers are happy to give them the answer. It is a miserable few who get pissed off at these questions and say something like “Try google”.
Asking questions in GQ rather than asking Google is helpful in that the responses here will place the question and answer in the proper context; the asker doesn’t have to worry so much about what agenda the website may have. Answers here provide objective perspective that googled site may not.
Polls in MPSIMS.
I’m going to take exception with these three. Well, actually the “1920’s style death rays” needs to go away, but the “Cite?” and “Hi, Opal!” are part of the board’s character. Without our little splashes of color, this board would be indistinguishable from any other.
Robin
I don’t mind hunting for answers to fairly simple questions in GQ, ones where you’d think the questioner could have hunted for, and found, the answer themselves. The serial questioners get a bit wearing, though. The ones that won’t use a search engine themselves, but expect others to come up with the answer for them anyway. And then there are the “school project” types.
Often, though, Lobsang, the “human answer” is merely the translation from information collected from the “shite” off search engines. Unless you’re dealing with known experts in their field – you may never know the difference.
The tendency for the ideologes of the left and right on this board to regard each other as evil gets old quickly.
That’s everywhere, I’m afraid.
True, but I’d hope that we’d be of a better nature than most.
I get ticked off at some atheists not showing the same respect that they want from religious people. Mainly, it’s just as rude for atheists to call peoples religious beliefs fairy tails as it is for religious people to go around calling atheists hell-bound sinners, for example.
We’re even then.
You stop calling us hell bound sinners, and we’ll stop calling you believers in a fairy tale.
Speak for yourself!
Well it seems I upset some people with my remark about using GQ for easily obtainable answers.
Shouldn’t the SDMB (esp GQ) be the last place you should go to because every other resource has failed?
Those are good ones wolf_meister.
And thanks KidCharlemagne
Oh don’t worry about that. I am just in a funny mood today. I agree that using the SDMB to ask questions like “Who was the 5th US president” is overkill and unnecesary. But I am of the opinion that if a question can spawn an interesting discussion it is worth asking here.
I started the States thread (you’ll note - it was in MPSIMS not GQ) because I had deliberately been trying to guess the states without googling (to see how many I already knew). I posted because I wanted to share the results of this mundane pointless excercise I had just undertaken.
My pet peeve is veteran posters who have assumed “ownership” of the forum and attack new members who start discussions which have been “settled”. If you do not want to participate in a discussion then just walk away. Don’t take it personally that your conclusion is not a universal given. Participate in the discussion as it stands or leave it alone.
A thread generally will die if it is without merit. It does not have to be murdered by arrogant, self-appointed executioners.
Posters who take everything seriously. They seem to think that because a statement doesn’t have a smilie next to it, it can’t be a joke or a light hearted reply.
If your opinion is so bloody humble where did you get the courage to share it with the rest of us. Don’t employ false modesty or humbleness when around me as it is the single most irritating thing this side fo the pennines.
You’ll never hear me calling any athiests hell bound sinners.
I never have, never will.
I’m guilty of violating a couple of pet peves. First, I didn’t look to see that this thread is now two pages, so I replied to a post on the first page.:smack:
Please forgive me 
This is the post I was replying to. Once again, yes, I violated two pet peeves. I grovel for forgiveness.
Indeed, MsRobyn.
[Shameless self-promotion]
Sure, “Hi, Opal!” for item #3 of a list is old and many want it to go away… but it is something unique to the SDMB. So when CuriousCanuck and I were looking for a little “shout out to the SDMB peeps” to put in “TRASH!”, our fantastic, future Tony Award[sup]®[/sup]-winning musical, we chose “3. Hi, Opal!”. It’s instantly recognizable as an SDMB thing, and we were able to use it in the context of the scene in question. 
[/Shameless self-promotion]