# Why are you here? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 5, 2020, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-here/848951 "2020-03-05T05:51:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-here/848951/21 "2020-03-05T14:52:19Z")
> [@AHunter3](#): > > They kicked us out of AOL and we had to go somewhere. > > Oh, before that? Well, AOL had this space called The Exchange, sort of little online communities where people posted. They killed it off. But by then I was addicted to posting in little online communities. AOL _also_ advertised things that an AOL member might find of interest, when you first logged on, and the (AOL version of) The Straight Dope was one such promoted space, so I came in, I shot my mouth off on a subject or too, and was quickly hooked. Same here. I started there in 1995, IIRC. This board has been part of my lif e for a long time now. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-here/848951/22 "2020-03-05T15:04:37Z")
Deal with the devil. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-here/848951/23 "2020-03-05T15:15:58Z")
\*\ \* Why do you want to know? What did they tell you?? OK, it’s because in August, I’ll be here 20 years, and I will get my longevity prize. Won’t I? ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Clanger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9fc348/32.png) [@Small\_Clanger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Clanger)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-here/848951/24 "2020-03-05T15:17:42Z")
Now That **Stranger on a Train** seems to have gone, one reason down. IIRC I was initially sucked in by the “Are scalar weapons for real?” thread and haven’t managed to pull free since, maybe once, for 20 minutes. It helps that this place is frequented by actual rocket scientists (one fewer now), pilots (various), authors, scientists (you name it…), doctors, musicians, programmers, sci-fi bufs, movie bufs (sci-fi or not), historians, cab-drivers, porn actors\* – I think I’ll stop there, but I think I’ve made my point. And for the most part all these people manage to use correct grammar, spelling and sensible punctuation, astonishing. AND NOBODY POSTS IN ALL CAPS!\*\* - at least there was this one (old) thread, anyone else remember that? \*\* nobody who lasts that is. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-here/848951/25 "2020-03-05T15:21:58Z")
I’ve been bouncing back and forth with SDMB for years. I farted around on Facebook for awhile, and had that experience spoiled by some toxic people. I wandered back here, and stayed. I like it here. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Frodo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frodo/32/302_2.png) [@Frodo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frodo)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-here/848951/26 "2020-03-05T16:29:53Z")
I was here BEFORE there was a Faceter or a Twitbook. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbazine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbazine/32/362_2.png) [@Bumbazine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbazine)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-here/848951/27 "2020-03-05T16:31:32Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > \*\ \* > > Why do you want to know? What did they tell you?? > > OK, it’s because in August, I’ll be here 20 years, and I will get my longevity prize. Won’t I? That depends. How do you feel about goats? I’m here because they haven’t figured out what an ass I am yet. Or they just don’t care. ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-here/848951/28 "2020-03-05T17:04:22Z")
Because, like the other forum I’m active on, we’re all adults here. Also, few of us are jerks. Also, the SDMB doesn’t keep track of all my personal information and sell it. Also, if a troll/bot posts misinformation someone _will_ correct them. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-here/848951/29 "2020-03-05T17:20:36Z")
All of the above reasons. Plus, I’m now retired (used to post at work!) and really have nothing better to do. People here spell good and believe in grammar. I like that in a board. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-here/848951/30 "2020-03-05T17:21:06Z")
Condition of my probation. If only I hadn’t stolen that aardvark… ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-here/848951/31 "2020-03-05T17:44:14Z")
I answer questions all day at work, it’s what I do. I enjoy answering stuff in GQ when I’m bored at work and getting into tiffs with people online that I don’t know when they don’t like my answer. Plus I learn about things here that I wouldn’t normally even think about. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-here/848951/32 "2020-03-05T17:49:07Z")
Some of it has to do with the explosions of dying stars long, long ago, and the rest is because of Valentine’s Day 1956. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-here/848951/33 "2020-03-05T17:52:53Z")
Also, the Feud. I love the Feud games and I’m upset when I miss one. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-here/848951/34 "2020-03-05T20:12:24Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > Some of it has to do with the explosions of dying stars long, long ago, and the rest is because of Valentine’s Day 1956. Dally, is that YOU? ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-here/848951/35 "2020-03-05T22:05:24Z")
Batting practice. (Hey, the cages book up early…) ---
**Author:** ![Mavis\_Topholese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7feea3/32.png) [@Mavis\_Topholese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mavis_Topholese)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-here/848951/36 "2020-03-05T22:09:28Z")
I’ve been reading and extremely occasionally posting on the SDMB for a long time and the basic reason is: if there’s something happening in the world that you have a question about, somebody on the SDMB has probably already asked it, and five people with experience and knowledge have probably answered it. Also: if there’s a burning issue that you feel strongly about one way or another, ten or fifteen people here are probably already fighting about it, so you can sort of get it all out of your system vicariously. Thanks, everybody!! ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-here/848951/37 "2020-03-05T22:34:50Z")
I learned of the existence of the wise and humble Master, Cecil Adams in the early 90’s when a friend told me about this article on [Why Poop is Brown](https://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/575/why-is-um-fecal-matter-brown/), and started “regularly” reading the online column in the early deuce-000s. I joined after a long time prairie-dogging because this place seemed like it had a lot of smart, good smelling people squeezing out insightful comments on SD columns, but also everything else. The interaction has been stimulating and has helped my writing and thinking about things. There is also the pie, and that whole squid thing. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-here/848951/38 "2020-03-05T23:07:45Z")
Fell backwards into it. Actually, I somehow googled something that led me to a great debate here. The debate was basically ‘Did man invent math, or discover it’? I was intrigued. Ended up spending months going through old posts. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2020, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-here/848951/39 "2020-03-05T23:47:29Z")
This place is fairly interesting. More interesting than watching my computer compile, at least. However it’s not more interesting than anything I do that’s _not_ work, so if you see me online it’s almost certainly during my work hours. If you see me disappear for weeks at a stretch - I’m on vacation, baby! ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2020, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-here/848951/40 "2020-03-06T00:19:11Z")
Because there is no way the mods would ever ban me. So I post here because I can even though I haven’t had anything meaningful to contribute since…well, ever. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-here/848951.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-you-here/848951.md?page=3)