# Why doesn't Cecil post more often **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 12, 2011, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-cecil-post-more-often/574409 "2011-03-12T13:56:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-cecil-post-more-often/574409/1 "2011-03-12T13:56:25Z")
What the heck else is he doing? [Take the current column about rhino horns](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2985/has-viagra-helped-endangered-species-by-reducing-demand-for-rhino-horn-etc). There’s a lot of good info there, some of it new to me (like rhino horn is not really that popular for an aphrodisiac). He could have popped in to [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=587575&highlight=rhinoceros+horn) (for example) and made a valuable contribution. But noooo, the worlds smartest human with all this knowledge at his fingertips just sits back and watches us wallow in our ignorance. My guess is that he’s gotten lazy. I’ve been following his syndicated columns from the days of clay tablets. Back when he had to actually make calls and visit the library… you know, _work_ for a living. But with the advent of the internet, answers are usually just a click away. And when they’re not he usually delegates these “difficult” tasks of actual research to (the more than likely indentured - and no doubt star-struck ) **Una Persson**. I picture him lounging on the Riviera, awash with all the proceeds from his books getting fat and lazy. Flush with success he probably just calls in his columns these days letting the ‘teeming masses’ and the ‘minions and underlings’ carry his banner. As Carl once put it, “How about a little something, you know, for the effort?” ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-cecil-post-more-often/574409/2 "2011-03-12T16:28:36Z")
You don’t want to know what Cecil does when he’s not working on SD related tasks. You just don’t. Once you know, you cannot unknow. It’s sort of like goatse, once you’ve seen it, you can’t unsee it. Bleach doesn’t help. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-cecil-post-more-often/574409/3 "2011-03-12T17:16:01Z")
I don’t know why he bothers reposting lame columns from the 1980s. Can’t he come up with anything more relevant to repost? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-cecil-post-more-often/574409/4 "2011-03-12T18:19:01Z")
Since it’s generally known that **Ed** is Cecil, would it have to do with the sock rule? (No, I’m NOT being sarcastic, it’s just a guess) ---
**Author:** ![Heyoka13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Heyoka13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heyoka13)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-cecil-post-more-often/574409/5 "2011-03-12T18:22:05Z")
I prefer to think Cecil is out flinging gas balls around the firmament with God, what is there about the SDMB that could compare with that? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-cecil-post-more-often/574409/6 "2011-03-12T18:22:32Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Since it’s generally known that **Ed** is Cecil, would it have to do with the sock rule? (No, I’m NOT being sarcastic, it’s just a guess) Would you impose mere mortal rules on God? ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-cecil-post-more-often/574409/7 "2011-03-12T18:39:57Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Since it’s generally known that **Ed** is Cecil, would it have to do with the sock rule? (No, I’m NOT being sarcastic, it’s just a guess) What’s the sock rule? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-cecil-post-more-often/574409/8 "2011-03-12T18:44:15Z")
> [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](#): > > What’s the sock rule? Here you go: [QUOTE=FAQ] **Sock or sock puppet** –- When a poster sets up an alternate username (in violation of SDMB rules), usually for nefarious reasons. The original use was when a person registered multiple times to debate with himself (or more likely, agree with himself in a debate.) It is now also used to refer to situations when a poster was banned but tries to sneak back in under a secret identity. Note that, under SDMB rules, a person may have only one user name; having multiple usernames is a bannable offense. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-cecil-post-more-often/574409/9 "2011-03-12T18:56:58Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Since it’s generally known that **Ed** is Cecil, would it have to do with the sock rule? (No, I’m NOT being sarcastic, it’s just a guess) Then the question would simply become, why doesn’t Ed post more? For the record, do the SDSAB people get paid for their columns, or is it all volunteer? ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-cecil-post-more-often/574409/10 "2011-03-12T19:37:20Z")
PlainJain writes: \> I picture him lounging on the Riviera, awash with all the proceeds from his \> books getting fat and lazy. I picture him either working some entirely different full-time job or mostly retired and not willing to put in a lot of work when researching the columns. In all likelihood, Cecil has made only a moderate amount of money from the columns in all the forms that they have appeared. You don’t get paid that much for a column appearing in a few free newspapers. You don’t get paid that much for several books that never sold more than modestly well. Cecil is now presumably in his sixties and looking back at a life that made have given him a sort of cult fame but never paid him very well. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-cecil-post-more-often/574409/11 "2011-03-12T20:03:45Z")
> [@various posters](#): > > I picture him… I picture him with a beer in one hand and wondering why, if he is so smart, he ain’t so rich. At least that’s a picture of me. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-cecil-post-more-often/574409/12 "2011-03-12T20:22:40Z")
I wrote: \> . . . a life that made have given him a sort of cult fame . . . I meant: \> . . . a life that may have given him a sort of cult fame . . . ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-cecil-post-more-often/574409/13 "2011-03-12T20:52:37Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > I don’t know why he bothers reposting lame columns from the 1980s. Can’t he come up with anything more relevant to repost? Cecil is not the one reposting the old columns. Classic columns are rerun more or less in order, without a lot of decision-making about relevance. For some, the information is really unchanged. For others, of course, it would be nice for some updating, but that takes time and effort. > [@Erdosain](#): > > For the record, do the SDSAB people get paid for their columns, or is it all volunteer? It’s purely volunteer. Neither SDSAB, nor Board Moderators or Administrators are paid. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-cecil-post-more-often/574409/14 "2011-03-12T21:08:24Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > Neither SDSAB, nor Board Moderators or Administrators are paid. Except for the coffee cup. (Do you really have to buy your own Mod Hat and jackboots?) ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-cecil-post-more-often/574409/15 "2011-03-12T21:25:22Z")
If you don’t already own jackboots, you’re not even considered for the position. The riding crop and corset are completely optional, though. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-cecil-post-more-often/574409/16 "2011-03-12T21:29:03Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > If you don’t already own jackboots, you’re not even considered for the position. > > The riding crop and corset are completely optional, though. Wait..the corset was _optional?_ ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-cecil-post-more-often/574409/17 "2011-03-12T21:38:38Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Wait..the corset was _optional?_ Heh, heh…Caught any snipes lately? ---
**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:** [March 12, 2011, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-cecil-post-more-often/574409/18 "2011-03-12T23:18:04Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Wait..the corset was _optional?_ Not for _you_.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2011, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-cecil-post-more-often/574409/19 "2011-03-12T23:57:28Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Since it’s generally known that **Ed** is Cecil, would it have to do with the sock rule? (No, I’m NOT being sarcastic, it’s just a guess) Both Cecil and Ed have separate identities on the board. Each user name has posted. So no violation of the sock rule, or else the one permissible violation - the owner can do what he wants. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2011, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-cecil-post-more-often/574409/20 "2011-03-13T00:00:33Z")
> [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](#): > > Cecil is not the one reposting the old columns. Classic columns are rerun more or less in order, without a lot of decision-making about relevance. For some, the information is really unchanged. For others, of course, it would be nice for some updating, but that takes time and effort. It’s purely volunteer. I’m sure it’s been mentioned before, but is there any reason why They haven’t simply asked if any of the board members are interested in helping update some of the “Classic” columns? I’ve often said I think it’s patently silly, in this era of Wikipedia and Google, to be running 20+ year old columns (which are supposed to be and indeed held up to be The Definitive Truth of the subject) which are now embarrassingly outdated. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-doesnt-cecil-post-more-often/574409.md?page=2)