# Thin Lizzy, seriously, look it up! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 18, 2005, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-lizzy-seriously-look-it-up/317534 "2005-08-18T03:18:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Xploder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/a183cd/32.png) [@Xploder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xploder)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-lizzy-seriously-look-it-up/317534/41 "2005-08-18T17:20:02Z")
> [@An Arky](#): > > Huh. I’m a little dense this morning…were you noting the irony of saying “we ain’t country”? > > I’ve certainly heard my share of spasming assholes in punk rock…sometimes that’s a good thing. Sometimes. Yeah pretty much. It certainly amused the shit out of me and reminded me of the days I played in punk bands. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-lizzy-seriously-look-it-up/317534/42 "2005-08-18T17:43:33Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > Perhaps you’d have better success if you learned not to put [“jack shit”](http://www.google.com/search?hs=km6&hl=en&lr=&c2coff=1&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=%22many+a+thing%22+%22jack+shit%22&btnG=Search) into your search string? > The ability to use a search engine effectively is an acquired skill. If you don’t practice it, you don’t learn it. Stop bitching. And stop acting like a cunt. Posts like yours suck. In fact, they are the very definition of being an ass. I bet Google could show me just what kind of person you are if I search for words like bitch, cunt, suck, and ass. And I’ll bet that… Oh my. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-lizzy-seriously-look-it-up/317534/43 "2005-08-18T20:35:06Z")
Wasn’t there a Pit thread a while back pitting someone for constantly posting snarky Google comments in GQ thread after GQ thread? I guess the lesson is that any behavior becomes annoying when done in excess. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-lizzy-seriously-look-it-up/317534/44 "2005-08-18T20:40:36Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Wasn’t there a Pit thread a while back pitting someone for constantly posting snarky Google comments in GQ thread after GQ thread? Telling people they could “just Google it” was SOP for **handy** , but of course **handy** himself almost never provided any useful information. ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-lizzy-seriously-look-it-up/317534/45 "2005-08-18T21:11:50Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > …The ability to use a search engine effectively is an acquired skill. If you don’t practice it, you don’t learn it. Perhaps TL’s inability to effectively acquire search-engine skills is some sort of jinx. ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-lizzy-seriously-look-it-up/317534/46 "2005-08-18T21:25:55Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > Perhaps you’d have better success if you learned not to put [“jack shit”](http://www.google.com/search?hs=km6&hl=en&lr=&c2coff=1&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=%22many+a+thing%22+%22jack+shit%22&btnG=Search) into your search string? > The ability to use a search engine effectively is an acquired skill. If you don’t practice it, you don’t learn it. Perhaps some of us have better ways to spend our time during the day—work, for instance, and other “real life” activities—and don’t have the time or desire to spent it honing our search engine skills. **Colibri** , sorry if I sounded paranoid. I was incorrect in implying that there are many pit threads on this topic. However, I have encountered several threads (not specifically on the topic of not Googling when one should) in which a person is lambasted for asking a question or making a statement without Googling first. I apologize for my error. I simply wanted to point out that threads such as these and snotty comments about people not Googling could discourage people from posting in GQ, which is a disservice to the forum. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-lizzy-seriously-look-it-up/317534/47 "2005-08-18T21:35:13Z")
> [@yellowval](#): > > True, this does sound excessive. However, pit threads such as this are the reason I have never (at least not that I remember) started a thread in GQ. I read them, find out some interesting things, and leave. It’s not that I’m scared to post one. I just don’t want to go through the hassle of posting a question about something I’m truly interested in knowing about and discussing with the largest group of the smartest people I know, only to have to defend myself in the pit about why I would dare do such a stupid thing. (I’m not trying to yell at you here, **TellMeI’mNotCrazy** , you’ve already said you generally don’t support when people say “Google is your friend.”) I almost never see the “Google is your friend” sentiment in GQ; maybe I just don’t read the right threads. I also never remember seeing a Pitting for opening a single GQ thread. This Pitting was because of the excessive number of threads started in a very short period of time by the same person, most of which could be answered instantly by Googling. I would never Pit someone under the circumstances you describe, and I don’t think many people would. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-lizzy-seriously-look-it-up/317534/48 "2005-08-18T21:46:30Z")
> [@yellowval](#): > > Perhaps some of us have better ways to spend our time during the day—work, for instance, and other “real life” activities—and don’t have the time or desire to spent it honing our search engine skills. So accept your Googly suckage rather than making lame excuses for it. It’s not the tool that’s the problem, it’s the user. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-lizzy-seriously-look-it-up/317534/49 "2005-08-18T22:34:12Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > No, I tell a lie - it was the one wondering if you try to save your kid from a burning car or just shoot the little bastard. This is probably my single favorite thread on the SDMB in…a long time. Ever? I don’t know. Just that I’ve gone back and read it several times, and it still cracks me up. I love it that **Gaudere** closed it because it had been so horribly hijacked, and was apparently inundated with enough emails that she reopened it. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-lizzy-seriously-look-it-up/317534/50 "2005-08-18T23:01:05Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > This is probably my single favorite thread on the SDMB in…a long time. Ever? I don’t know. Just that I’ve gone back and read it several times, and it still cracks me up. I love it that **Gaudere** closed it because it had been so horribly hijacked, and was apparently inundated with enough emails that she reopened it. I just went searching for it, for those who missed it. Turns out I was wrong - it was a **Kel Varnsen - Latex Division** [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=289696.), not \*\*Roland Deschain after all. _shrug_ Six of one, half a dozen of the other. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-lizzy-seriously-look-it-up/317534/51 "2005-08-18T23:03:26Z")
Not saying one way or another; just sharing [http://justfuckinggoogleit.com](http://justfuckinggoogleit.com) ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-lizzy-seriously-look-it-up/317534/52 "2005-08-18T23:07:48Z")
> [@Turek](#): > > Personally, I’m counting the days till 30, but that’s just me. Admittedly, I have a chip on my shoulder about people who sign up and then post a million times. It’s like the virgin who just discovered sex feels good and now wants to do it _every waking second!_ Give it a rest. Give us her phone number 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-lizzy-seriously-look-it-up/317534/53 "2005-08-18T23:19:41Z")
> [@yellowval](#): > > **Colibri** , sorry if I sounded paranoid. I was incorrect in implying that there are many pit threads on this topic. However, I have encountered several threads (not specifically on the topic of not Googling when one should) in which a person is lambasted for asking a question or making a statement without Googling first. I apologize for my error. I simply wanted to point out that threads such as these and snotty comments about people not Googling could discourage people from posting in GQ, which is a disservice to the forum. I spend most of my time in GQ, and while I see an occasional remark of this kind, I really don’t see it all that frequently (now that _handy’s_ gone). Even if your search skilz suck, if you’ve made some effort to find an answer first elsewhere and state that you’ve had no luck, I really doubt that anyone is going to give you a hard time about it. (Of course, there are some people who will be snarky anyway.) > [@This Year's Model](#): > > I just went searching for it, for those who missed it. Turns out I was wrong - it was a Kel Varnsen - Latex Division thread, not \*\*Roland Deschain after all. _shrug_ Six of one, half a dozen of the other. Now _there’s_ a cage death-match I’d pay to see! ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-lizzy-seriously-look-it-up/317534/54 "2005-08-18T23:22:31Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Telling people they could “just Google it” was SOP for **handy** , but of course **handy** himself almost never provided any useful information. Nah, it’s not handy I was thinking of. The one I’m remembering was female. And handy got in trouble not for telling people to google things, but for consistently providing incorrect medical information in GQ. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-lizzy-seriously-look-it-up/317534/55 "2005-08-18T23:43:27Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > And handy got in trouble not for telling people to google things, but for consistently providing incorrect medical information in GQ. It’s true that posting misinformation on medical questions is what **handy** was banned for, but posting just to tell others to “Google it” was another one of his annoying habits. Along with the content-free nature of his posts, which provided misinformation on every other subject, it was something that came up frequently in the several pit threads about his posting behavior. ---
**Author:** ![ltfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@ltfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ltfire)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-lizzy-seriously-look-it-up/317534/56 "2005-08-19T00:49:04Z")
> [@vetbridge](#): > > My favorite was “My wife wants to go to a “swing club”. What can I expect?”. I believe that was the thread where he started to come apart. > > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=296671](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=296671) What was REALLY funny was the fact that after he was banned, he came back as **DOPPELGANGER** , and never even tried to hide the fact that it was him, the boob. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-lizzy-seriously-look-it-up/317534/57 "2005-08-19T01:04:34Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Nah, it’s not handy I was thinking of. The one I’m remembering was female. **Duck Duck Goose** was pretty well-known for her search skills, but she was never snarky about it. ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-lizzy-seriously-look-it-up/317534/58 "2005-08-19T01:07:40Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > So accept your Googly suckage rather than making lame excuses for it. It’s not the tool that’s the problem, it’s the user. Okay, now this is fun. Truth be told, I don’t give a fuck. What, did you win a trophy for Googling or something? Major in it in college? Personally, I don’t see one’s Google skills as something to be particularly ashamed or proud of. It’s just a search engine, fercryinoutloud! I might not get to read your snark … erm, I mean reply … until tomorrow. I’m going to this magical place called “outside.” ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-lizzy-seriously-look-it-up/317534/59 "2005-08-19T01:42:48Z")
> [@yellowval](#): > > Okay, now this is fun. > > Truth be told, I don’t give a fuck So why’d try to make yourself look hip with your google derision? You come off like the spastic bastard who claims he’d be a far better bassist than John Entwistle if only guitars weren’t so poorly designed. Enjoy your trip outside. The Moon’s full tonight, and low to the horizon, so you should have a terrific view. I’ll be going out to look at it a bit later myself. ---
**Author:** ![VegemiteMoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/df788c/32.png) [@VegemiteMoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VegemiteMoose)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2005, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-lizzy-seriously-look-it-up/317534/60 "2005-08-19T03:39:30Z")
**YellowVal** , not to be snarky or anything but are you familiar with the word “Boolean” and how it applies to search functions? Are you otherwise generally computer savvy? Do you think it is surprising to find that people on a **computer accessed message board** value computer skills? Especially **this** one, based on the Straight Dope column. You say you don’t have the time or inclination to develop skills in this area, but you obviously have the time and inclination to hang out on this message board. Solution is as follows: You could give an example of something you searched for with Google and found “jack shit”. People here could offer constructive criticism and search tips. Well, maybe not in this thread, start a new one in um … GQ? “I looked for \_\_\_\_\_\_ with Google and couldn’t find it. Any Google-Fu black belts care to help me out?” That way you’d get over your fear of posting in GQ and get help with search engine functioning! Win-win. Plus, personal attacks are a big no-no in GQ. It’s all good. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-lizzy-seriously-look-it-up/317534.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thin-lizzy-seriously-look-it-up/317534.md?page=4)