# The SDMB Hamsters, or Thea finds an appropriate use for the 1920's style Death Ray **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 25, 2003, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-hamsters-or-thea-finds-an-appropriate-use-for-the-1920s-style-death-ray/203655 "2003-09-25T00:18:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Asbestos_Mango)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-hamsters-or-thea-finds-an-appropriate-use-for-the-1920s-style-death-ray/203655/1 "2003-09-25T00:18:50Z")
OK, look, I understand that this board is run by hamsters. I understand that the hamsters must be fed, but dammit… I started the thread I was trying to post to. It took me ten minutes to type that post. OK, not a huge chunk of my life, but this was the final straw. This was not the fist time the hamsters ate a post of mine. It has happened many, many times. It wouldn’t bother me so much if the hamsters only nibbled the occasional short post. But those dratted hamsters have eaten posts that it took me up to an hour to compose, with quotes and links to citations and, and… I can’t stand it anymore. _ **shoulders her 1920’s style Death Ray blaster** _ Here, hamster, hamster, hamster… \*\*\*spots one of the offending rodents and squeezes trigger. regards resultant puddle of smoking ooze with satisfaction""" Gotcha, you little bastard… _ **goes off in search of next fuzzy little cybervictim** _ ---
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-hamsters-or-thea-finds-an-appropriate-use-for-the-1920s-style-death-ray/203655/2 "2003-09-25T00:38:37Z")
Gosh, I thought my “ **t** his **b** oard **i** s **s** low” thread was harsh! Maybe we should go through the archive and see how many people have started a TBIS thread. Don’t get me wrong, I agree that the slowness is a hassle. But isn’t it extreme to turn the death ray on the hamsters? BTW, it took me 10 minutes to get the reply through. I try to always copy my text to the clipboard so if I need to retype it I can just paste it in. ---
**Author:** ![ReuvenB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc348/32.png) [@ReuvenB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReuvenB)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-hamsters-or-thea-finds-an-appropriate-use-for-the-1920s-style-death-ray/203655/3 "2003-09-25T00:53:53Z")
We need some of those extinct one-ton guinea pigs. I bet that’d get those servers processing faster than we can post. On a side note, ctrl-c is your friend. ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-hamsters-or-thea-finds-an-appropriate-use-for-the-1920s-style-death-ray/203655/4 "2003-09-25T00:58:31Z")
**Thea** , please marry me. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-hamsters-or-thea-finds-an-appropriate-use-for-the-1920s-style-death-ray/203655/5 "2003-09-25T01:11:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by XWalrus2 \* > \*\*We need some of those extinct one-ton guinea pigs. I bet that’d get those servers processing faster than we can post. > On a side note, ctrl-c is your friend. \*\* Well, until we can get one of those cloned, we could always use [capybaras](http://www.rebsig.com/capybara/). ---
**Author:** ![baseball\_dude12000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e9c0ed/32.png) [@baseball\_dude12000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/baseball_dude12000)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-hamsters-or-thea-finds-an-appropriate-use-for-the-1920s-style-death-ray/203655/6 "2003-09-25T01:45:18Z")
i need one of those guinea pigs and it could be my best friend ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-hamsters-or-thea-finds-an-appropriate-use-for-the-1920s-style-death-ray/203655/7 "2003-09-25T03:16:22Z")
I believe the proper terminology for a hamster kill with a 1920s style death ray is, “gotcha ya.” ---
**Author:** ![Aankh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@Aankh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aankh)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-hamsters-or-thea-finds-an-appropriate-use-for-the-1920s-style-death-ray/203655/8 "2003-09-25T03:21:45Z")
Won’t death-raying them slow down the boards even more? The thought of that happening is very, very scary. Put. The. DeathRay. Down. Please! ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-hamsters-or-thea-finds-an-appropriate-use-for-the-1920s-style-death-ray/203655/9 "2003-09-25T03:23:23Z")
[unsolicited advice] How about composing your lengthy posts off the board and then just cut and paste into the reply box. If the post gets 'et by them gol’darned varmints, you’ve still got the original doc to refer to. [/unsolicited advice] ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-hamsters-or-thea-finds-an-appropriate-use-for-the-1920s-style-death-ray/203655/10 "2003-09-25T03:55:47Z")
Ruby nailed that one dead on. In fact, this post was composed in the reply window, copied, pasted into [EditPad Classic](http://www.softpile.com/Development/Editors_and_IDEs/Review_01375_index.html), and then hoisted into the aether… ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-hamsters-or-thea-finds-an-appropriate-use-for-the-1920s-style-death-ray/203655/11 "2003-09-25T04:02:37Z")
…And the experiment proves yet again that the mere existence of the backup somehow prevents the post from shuffling the mortal coil. In other words, redundancy is its own backup. Or maybe it’s better to say, “tautology is self-rewarding.” Or maybe I could say… No, I’ll save that for another post, just in case. ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-hamsters-or-thea-finds-an-appropriate-use-for-the-1920s-style-death-ray/203655/12 "2003-09-25T06:03:29Z")
AHHHHHHHHHHH Bangs head on desk _WACK-WACK-WACK-WACK_ ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-hamsters-or-thea-finds-an-appropriate-use-for-the-1920s-style-death-ray/203655/13 "2003-09-25T06:45:25Z")
**THEA** , PLEASE MARRY ME!! ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-hamsters-or-thea-finds-an-appropriate-use-for-the-1920s-style-death-ray/203655/14 "2003-09-25T13:35:12Z")
Stalking through the terrain, attacking with a 1920’s Style Death Ray, cometh Thea Logica! And she gives a gutteral bellow: “I’m going to forcibly reverse your gender!!!” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-hamsters-or-thea-finds-an-appropriate-use-for-the-1920s-style-death-ray/203655/15 "2003-09-25T14:18:09Z")
Ah, it’s **thea** with a 1920’s style death ray. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Asbestos_Mango)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-hamsters-or-thea-finds-an-appropriate-use-for-the-1920s-style-death-ray/203655/16 "2003-09-25T18:04:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Michael Ellis \* > \*\ ***THEA** , PLEASE MARRY ME!! \*\* OK, but only if you’ll support me financially until I finish school, and afterward let me have my own little massage clinic in a spare room of the house. Oh, yeah, and I want a separate room to house my ever-increasing stockpile, er, I mean collection of 1920’s style death rays. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2003, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-hamsters-or-thea-finds-an-appropriate-use-for-the-1920s-style-death-ray/203655/17 "2003-09-25T19:25:03Z")
I have to echo what has been said: Compose in notepad. Or at the very least, Ctrl+c your post into your clipboard buffer while you submit. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-hamsters-or-thea-finds-an-appropriate-use-for-the-1920s-style-death-ray/203655/18 "2003-09-26T00:38:48Z")
Personally, I don’t worry about the hamsters, but the coding weasels are a pain in the ass. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-hamsters-or-thea-finds-an-appropriate-use-for-the-1920s-style-death-ray/203655/19 "2003-09-26T01:16:56Z")
What I want to know is, why doesn’t the board upgrade to ferrets? Okay, so they’re carnivores, but you could feed them banned Dopers. I hear fricasseed troll is mighty tasty to them little critters. ---
**Author:** ![Wikkit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c0e974/32.png) [@Wikkit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wikkit)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2003, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-hamsters-or-thea-finds-an-appropriate-use-for-the-1920s-style-death-ray/203655/20 "2003-09-26T01:23:15Z")
I don’t think the board has ever lost one of my posts. I have, by doing dumb stuff, but the board is pretty good at catching posts. It’s pretty fast, too. Occasionally it can be a bit slow, but I always have more than one tab open at a time, so it’s not even noticeable. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-sdmb-hamsters-or-thea-finds-an-appropriate-use-for-the-1920s-style-death-ray/203655.md?page=2)