# So I just noticed the Beginers Guide to the SDMB. (Nitpick) **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [October 19, 2005, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-noticed-the-beginers-guide-to-the-sdmb-nitpick/326885 "2005-10-19T11:57:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-noticed-the-beginers-guide-to-the-sdmb-nitpick/326885/1 "2005-10-19T11:57:28Z")
Overall it’s pretty cool. The only thing that annoyed me was was the **Hi Opal** part. **C. K.** negleted to mention this has become quite trite to say the least and even **Opalcat** herself has mentioned it’s become tiresome. (I think, don’t quote me on that.) Now, I’n not saying we should ban the use of the term. It’s just that I think most newbies might like to know this tid-bit of information before starting out here on this board. Or at least I know I would. ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-noticed-the-beginers-guide-to-the-sdmb-nitpick/326885/2 "2005-10-19T12:33:47Z")
So, to summarise, that’s; [ol] [li]Trite[/li][li]Tiresome[/li][li]eh…[/li][/ol] ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-noticed-the-beginers-guide-to-the-sdmb-nitpick/326885/3 "2005-10-19T13:12:00Z")
> [@Futile Gesture](#): > > So, to summarise, that’s; > [ol] > [li]Trite[/li][li]Tiresome[/li][li]eh…[/li][/ol] [Heh](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=162955). ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-noticed-the-beginers-guide-to-the-sdmb-nitpick/326885/4 "2005-10-19T13:27:28Z")
Speaking of Opal, where is she lately? ---
**Author:** ![Exgineer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Exgineer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exgineer)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-noticed-the-beginers-guide-to-the-sdmb-nitpick/326885/5 "2005-10-19T13:43:52Z")
Could we please put a moratorium on the “Hi, Opal” thing? It’s way past being even moderately amusing, and the tools still using it mostly use it wrong. **OpalCat** decided that lists had to have at least three entries (which is dumb), so people with only two items started adding “Hi, Opal” to make the (dumb) minimum requirement. Then complete fools started inserting “Hi, Opal” into the third slot of _any_ list regardless of size, totally ignoring the original (dumb) complaint. Just stop it, you morons. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-noticed-the-beginers-guide-to-the-sdmb-nitpick/326885/6 "2005-10-19T13:59:38Z")
You’re right, this is really nitpicky. 🙂 TubaDiva ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-noticed-the-beginers-guide-to-the-sdmb-nitpick/326885/7 "2005-10-19T14:36:57Z")
Could we please put a moratorium on the “criticizing things that don’t affect you in the least” thing? It’s way past being even moderately amusing, and the tools still using it mostly use it wrong. **Some people** decided that Clichés are annoying (which is dumb), so people with only two items started adding “SnakeBear” to make the (dumb) minimum requirement. Then complete fools started inserting themselves into fanfiction, totally ignoring the original (dumb) complaint, and ignoring the fact that many didn’t find the concept so dumb, after all. Just stop it, you morons. Oh, and stop claiming everything iss “dumb”, or “stupid”. But really, I can understand anger against using a \ blinking text tag\,(Not that it exists) but that would actually involve movement. Otherwise, all the text is quite static, and you can skip past it if you like, with ourt it being the least bit distracting. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-noticed-the-beginers-guide-to-the-sdmb-nitpick/326885/8 "2005-10-19T15:35:35Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > You’re right, this is really nitpicky. 🙂 > > TubaDiva Since when has that ever stopped us? 😉 :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-noticed-the-beginers-guide-to-the-sdmb-nitpick/326885/9 "2005-10-19T16:01:55Z")
I haven’t even seen anyone use “Hi, Opal” in quite a while. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-noticed-the-beginers-guide-to-the-sdmb-nitpick/326885/10 "2005-10-19T16:02:15Z")
Some people don’t even need three items. ‘Sup, Opal, darlin’? ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-noticed-the-beginers-guide-to-the-sdmb-nitpick/326885/11 "2005-10-19T17:18:32Z")
Hardly anyone ever remembers the very infrequently used: 1. Something. 2. Something else. 2.71828…) Hi Una! ---
**Author:** ![Feydeau](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df788c/32.png) [@Feydeau](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Feydeau)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-noticed-the-beginers-guide-to-the-sdmb-nitpick/326885/12 "2005-10-19T17:51:55Z")
> [@Una Persson](#): > > Hardly anyone ever remembers the very infrequently used: > > 1. Something. > 2. Something else. > 2.71828…) Hi Una! Somewhere in there – buried deep, no doubt – is a joke about pi. But why are you associated with _e_? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-noticed-the-beginers-guide-to-the-sdmb-nitpick/326885/13 "2005-10-19T21:14:06Z")
> [@](#): > > Hardly anyone ever remembers the very infrequently used: > > 1. Something. > 2. Something else. > 2.71828…) Hi Una! I’ve actually used that one, once. (I don’t recall the year, and I can’t seem to search for it, but it wasn’t 1960. And the post took less than 20 minutes to compose.) Of course, even more infrequently used is 0.0072974…) Hi, Chronos! ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-noticed-the-beginers-guide-to-the-sdmb-nitpick/326885/14 "2005-10-19T21:16:18Z")
> [@Exgineer](#): > > It’s way past being even moderately amusing, and the tools still using it mostly use it wrong. **OpalCat** decided that lists had to have at least three entries (which is dumb), so people with only two items started adding “Hi, Opal” to make the (dumb) minimum requirement. Then complete fools started inserting “Hi, Opal” into the third slot of _any_ list regardless of size, totally ignoring the original (dumb) complaint. . I think that’s pretty much what the [Beginner’s Guide to SDMB terminology](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=6241129#post6241129) said. The purpose of that guide is so that newcomers, whether reading current threads or old threads, will have clues to comprehension. I have taken the above points under advisement… although the original wording did say, “cliché.” However, I’ve emphasized that with a parenthetical remark. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2005, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-noticed-the-beginers-guide-to-the-sdmb-nitpick/326885/15 "2005-10-19T21:48:06Z")
> [@Feydeau](#): > > Somewhere in there – buried deep, no doubt – is a joke about pi. > > But why are you associated with _e_? Because e is cooler by far than pi. There, I said it. ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-noticed-the-beginers-guide-to-the-sdmb-nitpick/326885/16 "2005-10-20T05:39:00Z")
> [@Una Persson](#): > > Because e is cooler by far than pi. There, I said it. They’re even cooler together: pie!!!111!!ELEVEN ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-noticed-the-beginers-guide-to-the-sdmb-nitpick/326885/17 "2005-10-20T09:52:49Z")
Actually, I believe the coolest number possible (and the tastiest!) is π[sup]t[/sup] (think about it for a while…) ---
**Author:** ![Exgineer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Exgineer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exgineer)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2005, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-just-noticed-the-beginers-guide-to-the-sdmb-nitpick/326885/18 "2005-10-20T13:28:10Z")
> [@C K Dexter Haven](#): > > I think that’s pretty much what the [Beginner’s Guide to SDMB terminology](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=6241129#post6241129) said. > > The purpose of that guide is so that newcomers, whether reading current threads or old threads, will have clues to comprehension. I have taken the above points under advisement… although the original wording did say, “cliché.” However, I’ve emphasized that with a parenthetical remark. If I’d bothered to read the Beginner’s Guide I might not have posted anything in here. It’s still really annoying. > [@Una Persson](#): > > Because e is cooler by far than pi. There, I said it. Splitter.