"Recent Issues" Topic

There has been too much politics on the Ultramodern Warfare board again, and I will start removing access for those who cannot restrain themselves. You can discuss military issues without attacking specific parties or politicians. So if you're one of the offenders, be warned.

With regard to the erupting Taal volcano in the Philippines, none of our current staff members live in the area. I understand some of my family members got some ashfall, nothing serious. One of our former staff editors does live in the area, and we paid for a bus ticket to get her elsewhere until the situation stabilized.

With regard to Editor Dianna, you may have noticed she's not been around TMP lately. A traffic accident took down a utility pole (I've seen the picture), and her entire community has lost cable, internet and phone from a certain provider for several weeks. The company promises to restore service soon… but Dianna is also moving, and the company says it will take up to 30 days to get service to her new apartment. So it may be late February before she's back to work.

Apologies for the "chicken" topic not being taken down earlier, but I was having laptop problems (now resolved).

Someone asked if the author of that post had been hacked, but evidence suggests it was a sock puppet account all along. He also posted a political post today (wishing that all Americans would die).

The staff editors think the "chicken" topic was hilarious. For the record, I do not find chickens attractive, and I have never… ahem.

Bill, thanks for the explanation. I am sorry that there are some people who think they have the right to be vulgar and trash people however they wish on a public forum, the chicken topic was a cowardly low class tirade and the person who launched it should be ashamed of themselves and reflect on their actions. I value TMP and hope that it continues with promoting the miniatures industry.

…the chicken topic was a cowardly low class tirade and the person who launched it should be ashamed of themselves and reflect on their actions.

It was immature and just terribly stupid. You have to feel sorry for someone who posts like that. Something is missing in their life.

Can I post this on the Ultramodern board?
YouTube link

I'm not sure I have this right; the guy made an account, used it for several months to make perfectly normal posts, and it was all a ruse for that "joke"?

Have we ruled out bodysnatchers as a possibility?

I'm not sure I have this right; the guy made an account, used it for several months to make perfectly normal posts, and it was all a ruse for that "joke"?

When he started his account back in September, the email address he provided was sockdeepinit@ – seems to indicate it was his intention all along. Plus his political diatribe too.

For what it's worth, the IP addresses trace back to Kiev, Ukraine, and to Lambeth, UK. He claimed his name was 'Roman', claimed to be in Germany.

Sadly this is mostly the result of anonymity on the forum?

Don't know if it is related in any way but I saw this on the topics list. Looks like a busted link.

The Old West317">Dark Ages

Far out, you really draw the crabs dear Editor….chap must have had a grudge and a half to wait that long. What a sad individual.
I was going to ask if you egged him on, or if it was a fowl joke….(hey someone had to do the lousy and predictable puns)

The beauty of the anonymous internet….

Or mostly anonymous….

I soon as I saw that post … I knew it was one of those Trolls, etc., types Bill had banned long ago.

It was immature and just terribly stupid. You have to feel sorry for someone who posts like that. Something is missing in their life.

There were a number of those types until Bill threw them off TMP. They may be talking such trash, etc., on another site. That is full of those types. They still try to infiltrate here as with this recent attempt by this "individual" …

Just another pathetic juvenile attempt to gain attention. He/she is probably sitting in his/her parents basement in their pajamas giggling to themselves.

Little people like that arn't worth the effort to get upset over. I wonder how their parents feel about their "little darling"?

I missed it and am blissfully unaware. I feel equal parts left out and releived.

At risk of repeating myself:
Internet-Courage. Ya can't beat it.

Man, I missed the whole chicken episode. I don't get to have any fun.

I summed up my feelings when I hit the complaint button after reading it. I was stunned even seeing the header. Don't see how you and the staff thought there was anything funny about that post. I read a bit more into the chicken comment. At least he has been banished never to be seen again.

Bill and editors, it is a sad state of affairs that with all the work and contributions to this hobby to have someone to post crude, vulgar comments. I want to extend a big thanks to you all. Over the many years, when I was unable to game, this site kept my interest up. Again, thanks for all that you and the staff do.

When someone goes through such complicated intrigues to post something so inexplicably crude and irrational there are three obvious possibilities:

1.) The individual is mentally ill.
2.) The individual has a severe substance abuse problem.
3.) Potentially a combination of the two.

I'd like to think a statement of this might trigger a response on the sufferer's part to seek his/her physician or therapist for the aid the individual needs.
To the perpetrator, if you do read this, for your own good seek help.

No, Parzival, people troll because they can. Road rage, bullying, graffitting etc and other anti-social behaviour are manifestations of a less than pleasant side of human beings.

Read :
link

Sadly, many/most/all of us may well stoop to such things simply because we think we can't get caught and because it gives us a sense of power. It may be comforting to think the barbarians responsible are crazy or doped but the truth is, we are the barbarians.

I've never trolled but I have been guilty of road rage (asked myself some hard questions & I hope this won't ever happen again). This less than attractive side of humanity should give us all sober thought.

Like Choctaw, I also missed the whole thing.

Ochoin, I appreciate the possibility of moments of hostility. This isn't that. It's a prolonged, planned harassment with some technical skill involved, that leads not to an effective refutation or attack, but merely a completely absurd and utterly juvenile post which in the end is more laughable in its pathos than it is harmful to its target. It's the Internet equivalent of building a stealth bomber to dump a used box of kitty litter. It's not the instant response of road rage, which is an emotional outburst of adrenaline triggered under immediate conditions. No, this attack was planned, plotted, and even composed beforehand. That's not a sign of mental stability. At best it's a sign of underdeveloped or deficient socialization skills (in a geek community? Whodathunkit?), but I think this goes beyond that. True, even highly intelligent people can develop obsessions and rationalizations for completely irrational beliefs, justifying all sorts of antisocial and indeed illogical actions (happens all the time on the evening news, especially in politics), but this isn't that, either. There's no rationale here, no justification, and no possible purpose, objective or goal that has even the remotest chance of success, if one can even discern such a thing as possible.

Oh, I agree, the perpetrator is trolling. I suppose this very discussion is somehow triggering amusement in his deficient humor centers… but that doesn't mean they aren't deficient, or that he isn't ill. I submit that he very much is ill. The merest proof of that would be any sense of satisfaction he might feel over anything happening here— there's no logical, rational reason to be satisfied, because nothing of actual consequence has happened (beyond this discussion, which is inconsequential in the long run).

It's far too easy these days to decide that someone with real mental and emotional issues is "just a troll." I assert that "trolling" itself may be an indicator of poor emotional and mental health. Not always, of course (though it indeed could simply be a safe form of "road rage," to release frustrations or emotional stress in a way that is anonymous and unlikely to redound upon the troll). But in the case of such a calculated effort, I suspect it is a very strong indicator indeed. In short, this guy is "not all there." I doubt he has many strong relationships to help him, or if he does, they are frequently pained and saddened by his relapses, which I would suspect are played out in more areas than just a somewhat obscure Internet forum (no offense to TMP or our fellow members intended).

Sadly for whatever reason these anti-social, confused, etc., types find their way on many sites. There is a whole site of those that Bill banished that populate it. What is really amazing these are adults, not 12 years old kids.
Some may actually have responsible jobs, a college professor, teachers, etc.? They probably don't operate like that in the RL only when on the net. They don't get … agree to disagree and move on, etc. If they pulled this sort of thing face-to-face, they'd probably end up looking for their teeth !

There's no rationale here, no justification, and no possible purpose,

Again, I didn't see the specific incident but as I indicated, it's the posting itself & the subsequent outraged reaction that's the purpose.I assume you've heard of the quaint term "triggered"?
link

I assert that "trolling" itself may be an indicator of poor emotional and mental health

Far too glib a deduction. You have no specific proof and the consensus amongst the learned lies elsewhere. You spoke about obsessive behaviour: on a site for figure collectors & wargamers.
Man, I think "obsessive behaviour" is definitely in the quiver of normal human behaviours….at least I hope so….

If they pulled this sort of thing face-to-face, they'd probably end up looking for their teeth !

But that's the point, Ralph. Trolling isn't something you do in person. It's a car load of "Yoofs", hurling abuse at strangers as they roar past. Nasty inexplicable behaviour (except in my tender years, I've been in such cars. Surely you were in such cars, once, too?). Dear,little old ladies can commit road rage but only because it's anonymous.

In case it's necessary, can I point out I'm not defending any trolling attacks on TMP? Just like I feel sympathy for a home owner, scrubbing graffiti off his garden wall, I also feel sympathy for a website owner having to remove unsuitable posts. My point, if I have one, is that people are odd……at least everyone but me & you (& I'm that not sure about you).

Are you all referring to the post Re: chickens and our illustrious editor? The same one that used Bigby's screen name?
Why was he using Bigby's name and how was the hacker able to hijack it?
Must be the same infantile hack that showed up before doing "drive-by postings".

Perhaps the "chicken" topic was the favorite pasttime of the hacker and he was "projecting" it onto Bill.

But that's the point, Ralph. Trolling isn't something you do in person. It's a car load of "Yoofs", hurling abuse at strangers as they roar past. Nasty inexplicable behaviour (except in my tender years, I've been in such cars. Surely you were in such cars, once, too?).

Well yes there were times I did and do get PO'd at the actions of some drivers' poor rules of the road. But bottom line I probably wouldn't run them off the road to beat the out of them or vis versa.

Of course there are some former members of TMP that Bill banned I'd love to meet them face to face. As it's easy to be tough or brave from the safety of the other side of the net or phone.

"Yoofs" – Did you see the movie "My Cousin Vinnie" ? Very Funny and the term Yoofs was used frequently.

I thought that was "Yoot".

Now that I think of it … it was ! Been a long time since I saw that movie.

"Tree Yoots" I believe

+1 Parzival