I read the column online for years before I figured out that there was a message board. Then I lurked for a good long while on the forums before actually joining.
I saw the short-lived TV show, which according to wikipedia, was in 1996.
TV show —> books —> website —> message board
ETA: Dang, I lurked for four years before joining!
Witness protection.
Jeez, me, too. I first saw one of Cecil’s books in the summer of 1988. That started it all.
Of course Wiki has an article on that and other landlocked navies: Navies of landlocked countries - Wikipedia
Hear, hear - well said!
Found one of the Straight Dope books in Juneau, probably spring of 1989 just before I went to the University of Iowa. It always kind of stuck with me (especially Slug’s drawings) so I was especially pleased to see the column in the Washington, DC City Paper when I went to Georgetown for my second (ultimately successful) attempt at an undergraduate education. Remained a loyal reader for years and joined the Board around the time they started announcing it in the column. Then, as now, I surfed it from work (although back then I didn’t have Internet at home).
A 1984 Plymouth Horizon.
Back in 1989 I drove down to the bookstore, saw the first two books, and was hooked. A few years later I went online to see if any more books were available and found the SDMB.
I started reading the column in the Baltimore City Paper in the late 70s and bought a couple of the books when they came out. When I moved to Ohio in 2000, I did a web search to see if there was a local paper that carried the column, and found the web site. I began reading the site pretty regularly, and eventually followed a thread-spotting link to the board. I lurked for a few years before joining.
Don’t tell Bricker, but I had a colleague from law school who was in love with him. I was working at the NRA at the time, and he would tell me about this super awesome lawyer who would post on this message board, and just kill it.
So I started lurking in in 2002. I finally joined up when there was something I felt absolutely compelled to answer. I can’t remember what it was though.
I read an article on Cecil Adams and The Straight Dope in Reader’s Digest, ran out and bought the first book. Long before the Internet.
As soon as I got Internet access, I came here.
Books> AOL Board> here. Stayed on through sheer bull-headedness.
I used to read straight dope stuff on the news groups. Then AOL picked up some of it; and that’s where I started reading it regularly. I don’t know the years, but I was one of the first group that moved over here (#157, baby!)
I answered this a long time ago, but I can’t find the post. Anyway, I think it was from “The Word Detective.” An ad for the Straight Dope was on the site, and it had the teaser of “How do bumblebees fly?”
I stumbled on a couple of the books in the library because I’d always filled my head with useless facts–the Peoples Almanac books, William Poundstone, etc. Once in a while I saw the column in the Providence Phoenix, but I didn’t pick that up regularly.
I was probably looking for an answer to some question via Google when I came across the Straight Dope archives. I started poking around the message board.
I signed up in order to post something in the long and silly “1920s Style Death Ray” thread.
My roommate and I used to watch “The Straight Dope” TV show with Mike Lucas. Wow, that was in 1996! I must have lurked longer than I thought before joining the board.
I joined because my wife was already posting here, and the Dope would constantly be a topic of conversation.
I was dying to know what you call the writing on the front of Ambulances that reads correctly in the rear view mirror.
Colophon found a link that told me it was called retrography. I’ve been hooked ever since.
I first heard of the Straight Dope because a friend of mine in high school had one of the books. I found the site one day when random-surfing, and stumbled across the link on someone-or-other’s home page, and thought “Gee, that’s the same column as from that book”. The thread that convinced me to stick around was Galileo, a Hammer, & a Feather– Any board that could support a discussion as nerdy as that one turned out to be is a place I can call home.
A Google search led me to a GQ thread about a year ago. I joined soon after. I’m a N00b.
I thought they were serious about the “dope” thing…
At least it’s straight dope and not some fake crap that’ll get you injured, or worse.