Re: [CH] Substantiate everything

Bob Batson (bob@sky.net)
Fri, 17 Sep 1999 19:00:01 -0500 (CDT) 

On Thu, 16 Sep 1999, Roy Stiel <roystiel@yahoo.com> wrote:

> Yes there are a handful of "sweethearts"
> on this list, more like a band of vultures,
> who look for any opportunity to jump down the
> throat of anyone who makes a statement
> that they believe they can contradict. 

[remaining whine/diatribe deleted]

Folks, part #2 of the following definition (from the Hacker's
Dictionary) is applicable in this case..

   troll v.,n.
   
   1. [From the Usenet group alt.folklore.urban] To utter a posting on
   Usenet designed to attract predictable responses or flames; or, the
   post itself. Derives from the phrase "trolling for newbies" which in
   turn comes from mainstream "trolling", a style of fishing in which one
   trails bait through a likely spot hoping for a bite. The
   well-constructed troll is a post that induces lots of newbies and
   flamers to make themselves look even more clueless than they already
   do, while subtly conveying to the more savvy and experienced that it
   is in fact a deliberate troll. If you don't fall for the joke, you get
   to be in on it. 2. An individual who chronically trolls in sense 1;
   regularly posts specious arguments, flames or personal attacks to a
   newsgroup, discussion list, or in email for no other purpose than to
   annoy someone or disrupt a discussion. Trolls are recognizable by the
   fact that the have no real interest in learning about the topic at
   hand - they simply want to utter flame bait. Like the ugly creatures
   they are named after, they exhibit no redeeming characteristics, and
   as such, they are recognized as a lower form of life on the net, as
   in, "Oh, ignore him, he's just a troll." 3. [Berkeley] Computer lab
   monitor. A popular campus job for CS student. Duties include helping
   newbies and ensuring that lab policies are followed. Probably
   so-called because it involves lurking in dark cavelike corners.
   
   Some people claim that the troll (sense 1) is properly a narrower
   category than flame bait, that a troll is categorized by containing
   some assertion that is wrong but not overtly controversial. See also
   Troll-O-Meter.
   




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Bob Batson                              L 39 12 14 N  94 33 16 W
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