I’m going to go with Whoosh! for 500, Alex.
I was trying to look something up at one point. I googled (or Yahoo-ed) the term and it linked to a column in The Straight Dope Archives. I read through the archives and started really liking the stuff I found (note that this was in junior high).
The boards became handy when I had a question that could have been looked up, but I didn’t know where to start (again, I was in junior high, or maybe a freshman in HS) - we bought an MG-B and I wanted to know what MG stood for. The boards gave me a great answer, and I didn’t really pay much attention to them for a long time, other than lurking here or there. When I came to college, I read them every night at work, so I decided to sign up. Best year ever, so I paid again.
Brendon Small
Whoosh!
I think the “498” makes it a double whoosh, rare indeed.
You said you were almost seventeen, and I implied that you were not yet 16. True it wasn’t really funny, and I’m sorry if I insulted you. There was no math necessary in order to see that what I was saying was factually incorrect, well unless you count 16>15.
It’s not really a woosh if it doesn’t make any sense to begin with…I admit, I get confused by things that don’t make sense.
Then why try to apply logic to nonsense?
My attempt at humor failed. You thought I was being serious. Perhaps we can leave it at that.
I thought it was funny.
But then, I also thought 498 was funny. 
You get a gold star next to your name. We might even share similar senses of twisted humor.
[Borat] High five![/Borat]
I found it because I’d read a couple of the Straight Dope books back in the 80s. I wondered if there was a website on it. At about the same time, I’d done a webferret search on something that turned up a dope thread on Umbrellas. Something about the “SUVs of the Sidewalk” very funny stuff.
By the time they wanted us to pay, it was too late for me, I was already addicted (that’s how the pushers get you, hand out free stuff first! :D).
I try to apply logic to everything.
Really though, no harm no foul, and I apologize for being snarky.
Like so many others, I started lurking long ago after a friend sent me a link to Scylla’s Blimp Thread. And Master Wang Ka definitely played a part, too.
I had been reading the CBC message boards for a while and followed a link from there.
I had a life, and I felt I needed a change.
Regards,
Shodan
Actually, I was working late one night, and followed a link from another message board - the Pizza Parlor, IIRC.
An article on Cecil and The Straight Dope in the Reader’s Digest. I was impressed and kept the magazine, bought the first book, and came here when I got Internet access.
I had found the Straight Dope site and read the columns and archives, and having worked through all of those decided to check out this “Threadspotting” thing. It was Scylla’s Evil Nazi Groundhogs thread, and I was instantly hooked. I was on my break at work and I printed out all the pages so that I could finish reading it on the bus on the way home.
I figured that any site that had stuff like that was worth visiting every day.
I was new on the Internet and didn’t know anybody, and they were throwing these bitchin’ rush parties, and, well, here I am, five years later!
Summer of 06 a co-worker of mine was laughing his ass off one day and I went in to see what was so funny and he was reading a thread here. So I started to read the forums and then in September last year when you guys were talking about Heroes and pointing out all of these things that I had missed I signed up just to participate in those threads.
From episode one and through the entire season I would watch the episode then come here and read what everyone had to say and then re-watch the episode the next day.
I plan on doing the same thing this season. So keep your peepers open people because I need you to help me fully understand the show.
I fell in love with Jayjay, and, despite his protests* that I was reading his monitor, decided to check out the boards. I lurked for awhile, enjoying what I read, and then met some of the folks at the first Gettydope. That’s when I felt comfortable about posting more.
*It was during our “honeymoon” phase where everything was sweet and endearing. Go figure. 