There’s one in his 80s or 90s.
Me? I’m just here for the hors d’oeuvres.
OK, I shouldn’t call them hors. I’m sure they’re all nice, respectable girls.
Quite the contrary. On reflection, it was witty and wise, which means you are a bold yet humble soul. You wrote that you don’t like to waste something someone else gives you - but you said it better than that…
It’s almost like me saying:
My mom gave me life (my dad helped) and I don’t want to waste her life even though it’s mine.
It’s fitting that yours was the first post. How can I describe it: life is too serious to be taken seriously. When it’s all said and done - talking about the SDMB or life in general - you can talk about something positive or negative or you can say something profound.
Or you can put a neutron spin on it.
*You * could have wrote this. And I would have replied: it’s the stuff life is made of.
I like your posts.
I have to say first and foremost: Dead Pool.
IRL, I get odd looks from people when I hear that so-and-so died and I mutter,
" Ohhh, 45 points. Didn’t have him. Nuts*."
Here, you sick twisted deranged dopers get it. Life is a shipwreck, might as well sing in the lifeboats.**
- But I bet that bastard **Rahm ** the Dead Pool Winner for 97 consecutive years has him. Curse you! …I’m not bitter. No. not at all.
** Voltaire. I’m not that witty.
I joined because there’s a huge number of people here, with an enormous variety of experiences and areas of expertise.
Honestly, I like hanging out with adults. I like that everybody has more life experience than I do and so can help when I need it or want it. And I like that, despite my lack of experience, I can occasionally contribute to discussions without anyone saying “like you know! come back when you’ve hit puberty, junior!”
And even though sometimes I know the “we’re the elite most intelligent people on the face of the planet” thing can get tiresome, it’s better to strive to be the smartest and take pride in your intelligence than to just be total dumbasses and okay with that.
I like the intelligence. I like the wide-range of hobbies and interests around here…no matter what the topic, someone who has made it his or her life’s work to study that topic (or work in that field, or cultivate that hobby) will be around to discuss.
I also like that it’s a fairly active board. You’re pretty much going to get a response within an hour or so, sometimes sooner, depending on the topic.
I like that it’s well-moderated. Jerks are not suffered lightly.
So so true. Here it’s OK to challenge people, and it’s OK to be challenged. It’s OK to be corrected. It’s OK to tell people the correction. It’s OK to call ‘cite?’.
And I think the moderate tone and the intolerance of idiots is as much self-imposed by the membership, directly connected to the positive attitudes listed, as it is a result of the mods.
I like the odds.
Odds are someone knows the answer to that obscure question in your head.
Odds are someone has a whole new take you hadn’t even considered.
Odds are you will learn something, whether you’re looking to or not.
Odds are you will develop some fine debating tactics, and identify bad ones for what they are.
Odds are you’ll be better informed.
Odds are you’ll be impressed, anyone remember 9/11, or the recent scammed thread?
Odds are you’ll be taken by surprise from time to time.
But none of these odds compare, by a long shot with the real ‘odds’.
Just admit it, you know it’s true, the most fun people to interact with are, well, a little odd.
It’s like being at the worlds best cocktail party. Where you are frequently called a scholar and a gentleman by people who are neither. It’s a lot of things, but it’s never, ever dull!
Overall, I think it’s got a great signal to noise ratio, much better than most communities I’ve encountered on the internet.
I appreciate how it’s organized, it’s easy to find what I enjoy and easy to skip over things not of interest. Overall, I’m frankly amazed by how many members buy into the unwritten community standards, and the mods do a fine job of keeping the fringe in line.
Also, hilarious. There are threads that make me laugh just thinking about them (is that a leg?).
I’ve gotten great recommendations for books, movies, and TV that I otherwise probably wouldn’t have come across.
Most importantly, I’ve met lots of amazing people – online and off, due to the SDMB.
I am a professional (freelance) writer and the Straight Dope gives me writing practice. I read that Tom Wolfe writes 2,000 words every day as a matter of keeping his chops in shape. I think this is a good idea. I’ve written many thousands of words here since joining, and it’s great for keeping in shape.
Also, this forum gives me the opportunity to interact with people from all conceivable walks of live and every imaginable vocation, and learn about the inner workings of all kinds of things I’d never normally be exposed to. It’s way better than television, in my opinion, and that includes those informative shows on the History channel. Frequently I’ll find myself answering random questions that people have about stuff after having read about it on this forum. I always get asked, “how on earth do you know that?” This, my friends, is how.
A great captain of industry said the secret is hiring people smarter than you. I can’t afford that, but for a few bucks a year, I can digitally hang out with a crowd of people smarter than me. How can you beat that anywhere else?
The SDMB is still a fun and interesting read, the thoughts of some really cool people. That’s the main thing I like about the place.
Pie, they promised me pie when I joined.
Infrequent = Weekly.
:rolleyes:
Infrequent = Cecil Adam’s Straight Dope compendium.
Ain’t nothin’ on earth keeping this Cleveland fan out.
:smack: 
Regards,
Shodan the Latest Cleveland Fan
The money saving coupons.
I like the civility. With few exceptions, this board is full of people who go out of their way to be welcoming to newbies and supportive of anyone who needs a pat on the back or a hug. While I’ve only met a tiny fraction of the membership, I can’t think of a single one who I wouldn’t classify as a darn nice person. Criminy, a Doper who I’d only met once IRL showed up at the funeral home when my dad died - how sweet is that??
I like the humor. I like the links to weird sites that I’d never have found otherwise. I like the many and varied points of view. Even when I disagree, I gain some insight. I like that this place has caused me to grow - to look beyond my limited experiences and consider a greater world.
I like that threads don’t dissolve into flirt-fests or virtual muggings. I like that most people here write well and avoid chatroom abbreviations. I like that we’re free of avatars and animated gifs and sigs that take up half the page.
I like that this is a high-class joint!
I like the fact that you can come here and be yourself. I like that you can post things that are running through your head that you would get blasted for somewhere else. My days at work are pretty lonely and there is a lot going on in my life right now, so I am glad to be able to come here and share my thoughts or use the “confessional.” I love the tolerance and sense of community. Thank you for your kindnesses, Doper friends!
P.S. I also love the variety of smileys!