Posted by chemist on May 15, 2005, at 2:34:32
In reply to Is there some secret club I'm not aware of?, posted by Shy_Girl on May 14, 2005, at 20:12:57
> Hello, was just wondering if there is a secret group of people here who know much more than the rest of us.
>
*** i think alexandra_k and phillipa have it spot-on...there are very diverse folks who tend to, in my opionion from just over a year of participation, stick to a few areas that they are best suited, if the ``know more'' correlates to specialization (i am too grumpy to be of any use on social, and better with chemicals, for instance)...*****> Does this group of people actually get to converse with Dr. Bob?
*** if you define ``converse'' as one PBer sending apologetic emails to dr. bob after numerous infractions - and replies are always received - then sure, i certainly have had plenty of conversations :) *****
How, for example does one became a "Deputy"? Does one need to be a PBC "virgin" to be one? Also, is this group of people going on a trip to meet each other? Are you guys involved in the maintanence of this site?
**** other than deputies, noting the occasional web page outage, or redirecting, i opine ``nope.'' i see no evidence that root privileges are granted to anybody who posts here, although that is just a guess...****
How did this site start out anyways? How did people find this place way back in 1998? I understand there was some research involved? How did it go? I think I read the paper a while back. How long will Dr. Bob keep this place running?
*** ask dr. bob, if the appropriate answers are not in the archives, my suggestion...****
It seems like an awful lot of work and the number of registered handles has grown quite a bit. I don't think this can be maintained for too long. What do others think?
**** i think that a server or two properly maintained and backed-up, with a part-time sys admin on board can more than handle the technical aspects, as many are automated. dr. bob does comb through the posts, that is evident. the handling of registrations, password changes, archiving, and so forth is almost assuredly handled by crontabs, shell scripts, and fancier infrastructure on the software front...again, a guess, but the means are in place and have been for a long time (dec. 31, 1969, at least :))..****
I'm just curious about the history of this place, sorry if I seem intrusive.
>
> I wish I knew people well here, but unfortunately, I've only been here a few weeks. I'm a real person...I swear I'm a real person. I tell the truth too, please believe that I'm a real person. Also, I'm really not that "crazy" in real life...being online really disinhibits me. I swear that all the facts of my life are true and I truly write what I feel. :o)
>
> Peace**** and peace to you....all the best, chemist ****
poster:chemist
thread:497830
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20050417/msgs/497928.html