BS: Reviving old threads

Subject: Reviving old threads
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 28 Aug 01 - 07:19 AM

There seems to be an unprecedented amount of reviving old threads these days, and nothing wrong with that.

However, let me warn all and sundry that I intend to place an old Celtic curse on the first person who revives the "Killing the Thread" thread.

Posting anonymously won't save you ...

Murray

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 28 Aug 01 - 07:25 AM

What's a Celtic Curse?

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 28 Aug 01 - 07:29 AM

You'll find out if you revive the thread, John ...

Murray

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 28 Aug 01 - 07:31 AM

Sounds scary Murray, I think I will just keep wondering! :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: Wolfgang
Date: 28 Aug 01 - 07:33 AM

Murray,

does the curse also include reviving the What is with 'Killing the thread'? thread and the Killing the thread II thread which is still very short?

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 28 Aug 01 - 07:36 AM

A modified version will be implemented in both cases, Wolfgang.

Murray

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: Wolfgang
Date: 28 Aug 01 - 07:48 AM

Ok, I know now, when I should feel silly I'll revive the Don't post to this thread thread and the Don't post to this thread either thread and the People who didn't post to DON'T POST thread or I post who (so far) had the last word on the 'Killing the thread' thread (mousethief) or, as a special treat for Spaw, revive the What's a curly pow? thread (what is it, by the way?).

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: catspaw49
Date: 28 Aug 01 - 07:53 AM

Oh please no Wolf...........Geez, just the very mention of that thread and..............yep, there it goes, I'm doing it already......AAARRRGGGHHHH.............

Murray ol' buddy.......Howabout zingin' one of those Celtic Curses over toward Germany huh? I promise I won't say a word about Fumble-Fingered Tony..........Really, I won't......Now ZAP Wolfie!!!

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 28 Aug 01 - 08:06 AM

You do realise you've almost certainly ensured that someone will revive that thread?

Actually I quite liked that thread killer one - no need to open it, and I liked to think of the people who were posting to it in its later stages, sitting there waiting for it to load, keeping out of other people's hair while their computer crashed in front of them. I think that is a thread that carries its own inbuilt curse.

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: Wolfgang
Date: 28 Aug 01 - 09:58 AM

I work as a mirror for curses: they return to the sender.

Hello! I found Mudcat while searching Google for someone who could explain what "leeze me on thy curly pow" meant.

This was posted a few hours after Spaw tried in vain to curse me even for mentioning that thread that is so valuable for Mudcat.

Wolfgang

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From:
Date: 28 Aug 01 - 10:50 AM

A Celtic Curse - As defined in Cape Breton - Where you cannot move your feet with the music and/or drink your local favourite mind-numbing beverage.

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: Burke
Date: 28 Aug 01 - 12:56 PM

I was half thinking of reviving that thread just to get LH back for all the silly Shatner ones. I was afraid of all the potential curses.

Back to the original question. I've been hanging around here for a year now & there's always been a fair amount of thread reviving. I haven't noticed more lately than usual. Have you noticed that they are of a particular nature?

Not long ago there was a thread called "Origins of: Found on Mudcat" with links to past interesting discussions. People following those might be refreshing those they find most interesting.

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 28 Aug 01 - 05:54 PM

Oh, this curse is much worse than that, George. Your Celtic curse sounds like my average Saturday night back in Edinburgh, before I stopped drinking.

I don't think Wolfgang has earned a KERPOW ! yet, Spaw. However, unless you promise to buy one of Tony's CDs and then start a thread about the "World's greatest guitarist" I may consider despatching a minor malevolency in the direction of Ohio. Nothing too menacing, just something to ensure multiple and unpleasant nocturnal visits to the bathroom.

I don't have any problem at all with thread revival, most of them make interesting reading, but yes, I am sure that over the past two or three weeks there have been many more old threads revived than usual.

Murray

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: Amos
Date: 28 Aug 01 - 09:46 PM

Geez, Murray -- doncha know you can lose your powers if you trivialize them like that? Or use them for blackmail, petty advantage, or pecuniary gain? I dunno, man.... you may find yourself seeing Wolf's face in the mirror next time you look!!

A

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 29 Aug 01 - 08:08 AM

A well-known and very effective way to bounce curse back is for the cursee to put some needles or pins (sharp and rust-proof are best) in a saucepan, urinate on them, and boil it up. The cursor then has his (her) own curse on him(her)self, along with a good pricking from the pins or needles. For extra security, you can put it all in a bottle and bury it under your hearth. Don't be tempted to send the bottle to the cursor, or (s)he can make voodoo dolls with with it.

Steve

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: catspaw49
Date: 29 Aug 01 - 08:12 AM

Well Steve, I took your advice sorta', but I was in a hurry to get the curse bouncing back, so I just threw my wife's sewing machine into a big pot on the stove and pissed all over it. Hope it works 'cause Karen will be madder than hell when she comes home.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 29 Aug 01 - 08:22 AM

You guys are crazy!

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 29 Aug 01 - 11:40 AM

Oh, I forgot to say--it doesn't usually work against one's spouse. (Sorry, 'Spaw)

Steve

P.S. Did you unplug it first? No, I'm sure you'd have noticed if you hadn't.

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: Murray MacLeod
Date: 29 Aug 01 - 06:00 PM

Actually I haven't sent Spaw's curse yet, Amos post made me think twice.

I don't think witchcraft used trivially causes any noticeable diminution of wiccan powers, after all most witches' stock in trade is wart removal, and it don't get much more trivial than that.

The prospect of seeing Wolfgang's face in the mirror made me pause and take stock. My brief sojourns to Germany have convinced me that all Germans are either incredibly good-looking or incredibly ugly (unlike the Scots, who are all just moderately ugly).

So it would really depend on which category Wolfgang falls into. Probably the incredibly good-looking one. In which case it might be a welcome change from seeing this bleary-eyed Scots physog first thing avery morning .......

But what really gives me the heebie-jeebies is the thought that I might wake up one morning and see Spaw's face in the glass .......so maybe I won't send the curse after all even if he doesn't buy Tony's CD.

Murray

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 29 Aug 01 - 07:48 PM

In general, reviving old threads is a MUCH better idea than starting a new one whenever an idea pops into your head.

As of right now, there are TEN (10) THREADS about the movie "Songcatcher," at least nine of them started by people who never bothered to check whether a thread already existed.

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: catspaw49
Date: 30 Aug 01 - 12:15 AM

Yeah Jim, I did miscount, but I'd have sworn there were eleven.

I too wish that everyone would at least do a brief search before starting a new thread. The Songcatcher thing is getting really ridiculous and I can't help but laugh at it and have a good time with it too. I mean really...ten threads. The last couple have put me over the top.............And it's not just new members. We all sometimes start a thread because the slant on a subject may be different then what has been discussed before.....no problem. But this is way beyond any justifiable reason.

If we'd all take a minute and check for past threads with the "DIGITRAD AND FORUM SEARCH" and also the thread filter, we might find that another previous thread either addresses the question or in fact answers it.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: Mark Cohen
Date: 30 Aug 01 - 02:51 PM

This, too, shall pass...I think it's just the Mudcat Fad of the Month. But let's see if I have this right...if I put "catspaw49" into the Search box, then there won't be any need for 'Spaw to post anything? Is that it? Have I killed this thread yet?

Aloha,
Mark

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: catspaw49
Date: 30 Aug 01 - 03:18 PM

"Why not just click on my name up there Mark?"...the evil Spaw said, knowing that since he has made about 13,000 posts here, Mark's browser will probably crash harder than a junkie three days into rehab.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: GUEST,for now
Date: 30 Aug 01 - 03:34 PM

A scant few days ago several people were enquiring about possible grants to help out Mudcat as a 'serious' folk site. I hope that at least some can see how difficult that would be considering this spate of revived 'Songcatcher' threads and much of their content. I'm not a disgruntled malcontent, just a bit surprised at how quickly the silly stuff has returned and why certain people are keeping it going considering the circumstances. Flame away.

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: wysiwyg
Date: 30 Aug 01 - 04:28 PM

No flame, a response, though Mudcat as a community has wrestled with this for ages. But your post was thoughtful and I will respond I kind, even if flames may yet occur.

If by silly stuff you mean Catspaw's posts, I think an object of them was to point out how we need to be more careful about creating a multiplicity of threads. In the long run, his posts and the tension-releasing responses will help make Mudcat more suitable for research inquiries. Maybe you aren't aware that behind the scenss, discussions are always being held about how to make things better... today, Spaw's and others' posts are the best we have for showing the problem-- while we, as a community, continue to think through the solutions.

But Mudcat is always going to have an atmosphere of people being themselves... or Max would have named it "The Mudcat Very Serious Library (Ssssh!).

I am imagining a scene. It's Appalachia, a front porch. One song collector turns to another and says, "If only I could get Uncle Billie to quit spitting tobacco juice when I try to take his picture! It isn't seemly!" Nope-- they'd be enjoying Uncle Billie for the character he is.

Or the collectors have adjourned to their home base and are regaling their pals with stories from the field. Never uttering a colorful word themselves. Nope-- they'd be laughing their asses off.

My point is, this is not a collection of master's theses here-- those are extremely valuable, but they are at university sites and what we do here is, sometimes, discuss and study them , or share what we have learned from them or our own experience and scholarship. The theses appear there in complete grammatical correctness, stiff as boards.

This here... it's got some of that, but also some of the tavern talk, some of the people BEING collected...

It's a place where people get to BE the folk process, as well as HEAR about it.

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: wysiwyg
Date: 30 Aug 01 - 04:29 PM

sorry, ypto-- respond I kind = respond in kind

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: catspaw49
Date: 30 Aug 01 - 04:39 PM

And ya' know Susan, a couple of people acyually found those threads for the first ime and one was annamil. since she owns a videostore, I had her check on the movie and her answer came pretty quick.

Then....I once again pulled up all of the "Songcatcher" threads and posted her reply since there is no way of knowing which thread someone may be tracing,.....soooo they came up again this afternoon.....nothing silly about it this time.

Good post BTW.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: wysiwyg
Date: 30 Aug 01 - 04:43 PM

Thanks Spaw. Since we're out here on the street corner discussing it, a question-- how come you didn't just make a link from them all to the thread you liked best, to move them all in one direction?

Just curious.

I think yer swell, anyhow.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: catspaw49
Date: 30 Aug 01 - 05:00 PM

I dunno'.......It was about as easy to repost and I've found that a lot of people never click on the links.

I think we need a Songcatcher Permathread! (:<))

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: wysiwyg
Date: 30 Aug 01 - 05:02 PM

What I wish is that a thread could be locked once the link to a new thread has been posted.

Now, a FOLK OR BLUES MOVIES permathread.... go good with the Online Concerts thread I have been working on.

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From:
Date: 30 Aug 01 - 06:25 PM

John in Hull, I'm trying hard, but I fail to see your particular point.

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: catspaw49
Date: 30 Aug 01 - 06:33 PM

Hell George, that guy's crazy.....I don't think he has one.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 30 Aug 01 - 06:47 PM

I was laughing at/with Spaw, pissing on his wifes sewing machine, it was meant in fun.sorry if you took offence at my comment, I should have put one of those smiley things but I forgot.john

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: catspaw49
Date: 30 Aug 01 - 07:07 PM

Uh, John? George was also making a joke....a little tongue in cheek humor in a way.....Kinda' like saying, "Yes, we know we're all crazy so what's your point?" Just a joke......more subtle than my usual broadaxe style.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 30 Aug 01 - 07:19 PM

Oh right, I feel daft now.I suppose I am still getting used to you guys. :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From: wysiwyg
Date: 30 Aug 01 - 07:28 PM

Can't be done. They defy all encompassment.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Reviving old threads
From:
Date: 31 Aug 01 - 01:37 AM

'S all right, John. Anyway, I should 'fess up. I have been looking over old OLD OLD messages. I've gone through the first 100 messages.