Coming Oct. 1st: Signature line limits

[sugar land dave]

I am going to be a Contrarian in my opinion on this technology issue. In my view it just continues the dumbing down of mankind. (Warning: Politically Incorrect)

CellPHONES will never make a good computer; they were not meant to be one and only became one when there was a need to maintain market share. They can check email and do fairly well at audio and sometimes video, but they will never do justice to the full capabilities of the internet. For that you should at least have an Ipad or tablet computer.

At home, I have a wonderful computer on my desktop, built by the same guy who has built my home computers since 1981, ME. It does great with anything the WWW can do, video, audio, research, email. I can even make phone calls with it, but it makes a terible phone. Should I expect phone companies to degrade their service to others because I use something that was not originally designed for phone service?

It has become politically popular to include EVERYONE. I have a very nice IQ and can understand every facet of that, but I think it is the wrong path for mankind. Life is not a given; it is a struggle. I did not make it that way; A fellow named Adam did according to a GOOD BOOK. He ignored the owner's manual. So today we take nicely designed applications and dumb them down because a group of the populace wants to use something for a purpose it was not designed for. Everyone else can just accept the dumbing down and the race to the bottom or "lowest common denominator" can continue.

If we're going to talk about the 2nd amendment here, I am going to utilize the 1st. And I won't always be "PC."

I'll give you one real world example of how I feel.

The Grand Designer who wrote the GOOD BOOK has allowed me to create a new agricultural product which makes bigger, stronger plants. Crop plants resist insects and disease without drugs or toxins. They also produce 50 to 200% more crops. Citrus leaf miners cease to be a problem. Citrus greening, a so far incurable disease, may well also be alleviated. I have produced this, tested it with neighbors, farmers, and labs. It works so much better than anything else that it is effectively in a market by itself. The value of this is almost priceless in today's world. Yet I hesitate to bring it to the market of "PC" consumerism. People have approached me to mix my product with their inferior ones so that they can survive and make more money. I have refused. I will take it to the grave before I subvert what my BOSS has given to me. That is my ability to affect things based on tossing out "best" for lesser. Oh, I almost forgot! My product hardens plants against hotter, colder, dryer, and wetter climate changes. I think that will have some importance soon.

[SewTexas]

Dave,

Not everyone can access the boards via a computer during the work day....many companies block access to websites. No, a smart phone doesn't make a good computer, I don't think anyone said they did, but if making your sig line smaller can help the military guys and military contractors (most of whom can't access the web) why not do so? Smart phone access during lunch breaks is often the only way these folks can get on to many of their favorite sites. many of the sig lines will take up an entire screen of a smart phone.

[jmra]

I think the sig line is overdone anyway. It took 25 days to get your CHL. Do we really need to know 7 different dates?

[Skiprr]

Dave, I don't want to speak for Charles...but I'll offer my opinion.

Charles didn't arrive at the rule lightly, and he's not trying to be simply inclusionary or politically correct. I gave a presentation early this year on "Building Your Business" at the Texas Firearm Instructors Conference. Part of my focus was on using the Web to market a small businesses, and one thing I wanted to explain was that Websites today needed to be tuned for both personal-computer access and access by mobile devices. If you didn't do the latter, it was a perilous decision.

The best data I could find last February was that sometime in mid-2011 we had a crossed a line: based upon polling information, more people had begun to regularly connect to the Internet using mobile devices than did so using PCs or laptops combined.

Then just three days ago, the global consulting firm Accenture released a study completed this summer about mobile device usage of the Internet: http://www.accenture.com/us-en/Pages/in ... ernet.aspx.

The U.S. was not included in this 13-country survey, but it's the most up-to-date information we have about mobile device trending. Some highlights:

• 69% of all Internet users accessed it through a mobile device
• 61% did so through a smartphone, 37% through a netbook, and 22% through a tablet
• 58% for personal matters compared to 20% for work-related matters
• 62% of all users polled said they used their mobile devices to access online communities...like the Texas CHL Forum; 61% for instant messaging; 27% for tweeting or blogging
• Mobile service usage is greatest among the younger population:
  • 82% for those 14-19 years old
  • 81% for those 20-29
  • 74% for those 30-39
  • 66% for those 40-49
  • 45% of those 50 and older

The recent change to automatically remove embedded images from quoted material and this new rule to shorten signature lines are small steps to help make the Forum more useable to the way the majority of members access it...if not the way they do today, then tomorrow. I fall into that 50+ group and admit that I infrequently use my phone for Internet access other than email or to check the news/weather. But it's all those folks in the 20-39 age ranges that are the future CHL holders and 2A supporters. And they do use mobile devices to access the Forum.

There is no practical reason for anyone to have a list spanning a dozen lines in his or her signature. That takes up unnecessary real estate even on a large PC monitor. We discussed two lines to five lines, and settled on a maximum of four, including blanks. We felt that was enough to convey any pertinent message.

[Teamless]

Skiprr,

You make very valid points, but I am a much simpler person than you, and I shortened my signature for 1 reason,

Charles asked me (and its his forum). I respect Charles, I respect the members on this forum and I want this forum to stick around for a long time. I have learned ALOT on this forum and intend to learn (and maybe even teach a bit) on this forum.

And realistically, that is all it should take to do it, rather than to put an argument up, obviously reading the post making the rule change and intentionally disregarding it, with the 6 lines (including blanks) done in the prior post.

[sugar land dave]

Skiprr,

You make points that I could have used as examples of trading technology for a different quality of life, the push for correctness, "ratings," sales, year-end bonuses, more voters of your preferred party, etc., etc., etc. I've seen it for decades. Obviously I do not always agree.

As a person over 50 by some count of years, I readily admit that the rush for riches and power have never been my motivation in life though I have helped many obtain these things they deemed most important to them for their good reasons. I built the first PC compatible computers in Seattle which were soon duplicated by others. When others said it could not be done, I made a compatible which contained two then standard drives, the 5 1/4 and the 3 1/2. I did this and let my friend market them as his so that he could better care for his wife and four children. There were other interesting folks around my neck of the woods then. Some you know, Jobs, Gates; some you probably do not, Tim Patterson, Rod Brock.

There is a very real problem on the immediate horizon, well illustrated by the University of Michigan, re: Population J-curve:

http://www.globalchange.umich.edu/globa ... n_pop.html

I think mankind is going to need my discovery to boost the food supply. It has been field-tested, lab-tested, and tested against reverse engineering. I've developed quick and easy production methods. It is not theory.

Charles and Mods, I comply, but I discuss. Forgive the intrusion. I think differently from everyone, consider things in multiple dimensions. That is often not the prudent choice in this time and place.

Oh, respectfully one last thing: Charles and the moderators do not ask. The connotation of "ask" suggests a balance of power and authority that members do not possess in the forum relationship. That is not bad, merely a necessary reality that should be recognized.

[sunny beach]

Dave,

Not everyone can access the boards via a computer during the work day....many companies block access to websites. No, a smart phone doesn't make a good computer, I don't think anyone said they did, but if making your sig line smaller can help the military guys and military contractors (most of whom can't access the web) why not do so? Smart phone access during lunch breaks is often the only way these folks can get on to many of their favorite sites. many of the sig lines will take up an entire screen of a smart phone.

I turned off signatures and avatars. I also turned off flash animation. That helped me a lot.

In case it can help someone else, the link is ucp.php?i=prefs&mode=view

[cyphur]

I am going to be a Contrarian in my opinion on this technology issue. In my view it just continues the dumbing down of mankind. (Warning: Politically Incorrect)

CellPHONES will never make a good computer; they were not meant to be one and only became one when there was a need to maintain market share. They can check email and do fairly well at audio and sometimes video, but they will never do justice to the full capabilities of the internet. For that you should at least have an Ipad or tablet computer.

At home, I have a wonderful computer on my desktop, built by the same guy who has built my home computers since 1981, ME. It does great with anything the WWW can do, video, audio, research, email. I can even make phone calls with it, but it makes a terible phone. Should I expect phone companies to degrade their service to others because I use something that was not originally designed for phone service?

It has become politically popular to include EVERYONE. I have a very nice IQ and can understand every facet of that, but I think it is the wrong path for mankind. Life is not a given; it is a struggle. I did not make it that way; A fellow named Adam did according to a GOOD BOOK. He ignored the owner's manual. So today we take nicely designed applications and dumb them down because a group of the populace wants to use something for a purpose it was not designed for. Everyone else can just accept the dumbing down and the race to the bottom or "lowest common denominator" can continue.

If we're going to talk about the 2nd amendment here, I am going to utilize the 1st. And I won't always be "PC."

I'll give you one real world example of how I feel.

The Grand Designer who wrote the GOOD BOOK has allowed me to create a new agricultural product which makes bigger, stronger plants. Crop plants resist insects and disease without drugs or toxins. They also produce 50 to 200% more crops. Citrus leaf miners cease to be a problem. Citrus greening, a so far incurable disease, may well also be alleviated. I have produced this, tested it with neighbors, farmers, and labs. It works so much better than anything else that it is effectively in a market by itself. The value of this is almost priceless in today's world. Yet I hesitate to bring it to the market of "PC" consumerism. People have approached me to mix my product with their inferior ones so that they can survive and make more money. I have refused. I will take it to the grave before I subvert what my BOSS has given to me. That is my ability to affect things based on tossing out "best" for lesser. Oh, I almost forgot! My product hardens plants against hotter, colder, dryer, and wetter climate changes. I think that will have some importance soon.

So, you made a next gen miracle grow. Congratulations.

How does that have ANYTHING to do with signature line limits?

[tbrown]

So, you made a next gen miracle grow. Congratulations.

How does that have ANYTHING to do with signature line limits?

Maybe it makes signatures grow?

[smoothoperator]

The mod that was added to convert photos to links in reply posts is working well and it makes quite a difference for people reading the Forum with an iPhone, Android or other mobile device. To further help people using these devices, we are going to set a 4 line limit on all signatures, effective October 1st. Some signatures take up 2 inches or more on my large screen, so they pose a real problem for mobile devices.

Please make sure your signature meets this requirement by October 1st.

Thanks,
Chas.

Did this ever go into effect? It's November 12th and I still see a lot of long signatures.

[Charles L. Cotton]

Yes, but Moderators aren't going to spend hours searching for signature lines that violate this rule. We will gradually edit them ourselves by deleting everything over 4 lines.

Chas.

The mod that was added to convert photos to links in reply posts is working well and it makes quite a difference for people reading the Forum with an iPhone, Android or other mobile device. To further help people using these devices, we are going to set a 4 line limit on all signatures, effective October 1st. Some signatures take up 2 inches or more on my large screen, so they pose a real problem for mobile devices.

Please make sure your signature meets this requirement by October 1st.

Thanks,
Chas.

Did this ever go into effect? It's November 12th and I still see a lot of long signatures.