# Straight Dope Secret Bar Code?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-secret-bar-code/284245>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [January 11, 2005, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-secret-bar-code/284245 "2005-01-11T18:42:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 8\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\
**Post date:** [January 11, 2005, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-secret-bar-code/284245/1 "2005-01-11T18:42:28Z")

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What’s up with the blue horizontal lines that divide one post from the next? OMM (on my monitor) they vary in thinkness and sometimes length.

Are these indicative of anything? Number of posts? Number of wisecracks? Amount of stupids things you have remaining to say before a mod excommunicates you from the board?

-rainy

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**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\
**Post date:** [January 11, 2005, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-secret-bar-code/284245/2 "2005-01-11T18:52:51Z")

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I’d tell you that it indicates the poster’s net worth and whether the Straight Dope® appears in his or her will, but that would simply lead to more unfounded speculation as to the power that Uncle Cece wields.

Instead, I’ll move this thread over to **A** bout **T** his **M** essage **B** oard where you might get a quicker \*accurate \* answer.

[/Moderator Mode]

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**Author:** ![aahala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@aahala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aahala)\
**Post date:** [January 11, 2005, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-secret-bar-code/284245/3 "2005-01-11T19:05:40Z")

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I believe it’s a sextometer.

It relates to the number of times in the last week the poster thought about, had, was turned down for or turned down sex in the last week. Which catogery is being measured in a particular post is Cecil’s secret.

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**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\
**Post date:** [January 11, 2005, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-secret-bar-code/284245/4 "2005-01-11T19:08:43Z")

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> [@rainy](#):
>
> they vary in thinkness

That’s funny, I’ve noticed that the posters themselves vary in “thinkness.” Maybe there’s a connection?

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**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\
**Post date:** [January 11, 2005, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-secret-bar-code/284245/5 "2005-01-11T19:18:58Z")

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Seriously, it’s a bug in some browsers.

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**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\
**Post date:** [January 11, 2005, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-secret-bar-code/284245/6 "2005-01-11T19:37:05Z")

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This has been discussed in several threads, some of which I linked to [post=4989393]here[/post].

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**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:** [January 12, 2005, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-secret-bar-code/284245/7 "2005-01-12T01:24:59Z")

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Mostly, it indicates that you’re using Internet Explorer. The bars are supposed to all be the same width, and the various Mozilla products display them as such.

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**Author:** ![rainy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@rainy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rainy)\
**Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/straight-dope-secret-bar-code/284245/8 "2005-01-12T15:47:26Z")

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Ah-ha.

Thanks. Seems this is a SDMB rite of passage of sorts.

-rainy