RobbieB haven't seen you around for awhile

[ejman]

Are you OK Gumby? If not remember the old saying "this too shall pass" Be well and take care.

 

[Gumby]

Are you OK Gumby? If not remember the old saying "this too shall pass" Be well and take care.

Thanks for asking. I'm actually quite well, and the story has nothing to do with me or my life. I just wanted to write something that I felt ChatGPT and Bard would be unable to write. Re-reading, I could improve it if I had spent more time.

 

[JoeWras]

Thanks for asking. I'm actually quite well, and the story has nothing to do with me or my life. I just wanted to write something that I felt ChatGPT and Bard would be unable to write.

Mission accomplished.

Limp bodies? Oh my. If our AIs start pumping out such stories, it means it is time to prepare for a fight with Skynet .

 

[jollystomper]

Thanks for asking. I'm actually quite well, and the story has nothing to do with me or my life. I just wanted to write something that I felt ChatGPT and Bard would be unable to write. Re-reading, I could improve it if I had spent more time.

Believe it or not, your version was a painful reminder of something similar that happened to a college classmate and good friend of ours almost 30 years years ago. Not painting, but new house they were renovating and wife pregnant with their 2nd child when tragedy struck in a similar fashion.

 

[Gumby]

Believe it or not, your version was a painful reminder of something similar that happened to a college classmate and good friend of ours almost 30 years years ago. Not painting, but new house they were renovating and wife pregnant with their 2nd child when tragedy struck in a similar fashion.

I'm sorry to have awakened painful memories.

 

[marko]

How did we get from "Where’s Robbie?" to Chatbot stories about paint!? This has to be the biggest thread drift in the history of the forum!

 

[JoeWras]

How did we get from "Where’s Robbie?" to Chatbot stories about paint!? This has to be the biggest thread drift in the history of the forum!

Where's Robbie -> Where's rayinpenn -> Love rayinpenn's stories -> Joe wonders about a story of paint -> chatbot story produced -> Gumby produces a unique one

Drift away...

 

[Sojourner]

How did we get from "Where’s Robbie?" to Chatbot stories about paint!? This has to be the biggest thread drift in the history of the forum!

Yeah, I was just thinking the same thing. Very strange—but interesting and intriguing—discussion. I guess thread drift was inevitable, since there's only so much we can say about the whereabouts of RobbieB (and others) in their absence.

 

[braumeister]

I couldn't resist. Here is what Bard thinks:

A story about thread drift on an online forum:

The thread started out innocently enough. It was a discussion about the best way to cook chicken. But as more and more people joined in, the conversation quickly devolved into a heated debate about the merits of different cooking methods.

At first, the discussion was civil. People shared their own personal preferences and offered helpful tips. But as the debate went on, things started to get personal. People began to attack each other's cooking skills and make fun of their favorite recipes.

Soon, the thread was filled with insults and name-calling. People were so caught up in their own arguments that they forgot what the original topic of the discussion even was.

Finally, one of the moderators stepped in and locked the thread. The discussion was over, but the damage had been done. The forum had been divided, and the sense of community had been lost.

The story of this thread is a cautionary tale about the dangers of thread drift. When people are allowed to go off on tangents, it can quickly lead to chaos and division. It's important for moderators to be vigilant and to step in when necessary to keep discussions on track.

Here are some tips for avoiding thread drift:

Keep the discussion focused on the topic at hand. If someone starts to go off on a tangent, politely remind them of the original topic.
Be respectful of other people's opinions. Even if you disagree with someone, there's no need to be rude or insulting.
Avoid personal attacks. If you disagree with someone, focus on their argument, not their character.
Be patient. Sometimes, it takes time to get to the heart of an issue. Don't get frustrated if the discussion doesn't go your way right away.
By following these tips, you can help to keep online discussions civil and productive.

 

[MarieIG]

Quote "Bard" ^^^

. . .


Be respectful of other people's opinions. Even if you disagree with someone, there's no need to be rude or insulting.
Avoid personal attacks. If you disagree with someone, focus on their argument, not their character.

. . .

Now where have I seen this before . . .

 

[calmloki]

This is the GumbyPT version:
****
Mark sneezed as he grabbed a pile of old plastic sheeting from the cobwebbed closet. Wiping a dirty forearm across his nose, he pulled the sheeting free and stuffed it into the big rolling trash can next to him. Just this one last closet to go and he could quit for the day. He would come back tomorrow to haul everything to the dump. Then the house would finally be cleared out and the realtor could stage it for sale.

As he turned back to the closet, he looked down at the pile of painting supplies it had been covering. An old plastic tray, roller and brushes that had never been cleaned and now were crusted with the remains of the pastel blue paint in the gallon can standing beside them. As he bent down to pick up the can, the memories came flooding back and he could see Melissa, smiling at him. She had been so happy that day, cradling her growing belly as they stood at the door of what they had just started calling the nursery.

“If we’re going to have a boy, we should paint the walls blue, don’t you think,” she said.

“They could be any color you like,” he replied. “They don’t have to be blue just because it’s a boy.”

“Well, I like blue, and I think he will too,” she opined.

“Blue it is then,” he concluded, as he pulled her close for a soft kiss. “Just like your eyes.”

He frowned as he remembered that frantic last week. There had been so much going on at work and everything, and then the doctor’s appointments, the classes and the specialists, and still he hadn’t painted the walls in the empty room. The crib and other furniture Melissa had ordered was out in the garage, and the bare room stood as a silent accusation. Melissa had mostly been good about it, but she was getting nervous as the day approached and he heard a new tremor in her voice as she asked again, “Do you think you could get to the walls in the nursery soon?

“Alright,” he sighed. “I’ll run to the hardware store right now and start tonight. I’ll move the furniture in tomorrow after the paint dries. Don’t worry, we’ve got plenty of time”

He soon returned with the paint and supplies. As he carefully taped the plastic sheeting down over the hardwood floor, he looked up to see her at the door of the room, smiling again.

“Thank you,” she said gently. “I’m a little tired, so I’m going to bed now” she continued.

“Okay, I’ll be in in a while,” he replied.

As he pulled the roller back and forth in the tray and started on the wall, he daydreamed about his new son. Kyle Edward, they had decided to call him. He had so many plans for the life ahead of him. They would go hiking together. They’d get matching fishing poles and go after stripers in the Sound. He would definitely teach Kyle to play baseball and they’d go to the games. He hummed to himself as he worked, quickly covering the first two walls. It looked good, he thought, and Melissa would be happy. Setting the roller in the tray, Mark went downstairs to get a soda from the refrigerator in the garage. He decided he would check in on Melissa before he refilled the tray and finished the remaining walls.

Mark’s eyes started to water as he remembered what came next, images flashing through his brain like a crazed strobe light. A limp body in a pool of blood on the bed. A frantic call. People and equipment flooding into the house, pushing him aside. The jarring ride in the back of the ambulance. The terrible finality of the tired eyed doctor, holding his hands out and saying “I’m so sorry, Mr. Roberts. There was nothing we could do for either of them.” And then the endless months when he felt a gaping emptiness in his soul and shut himself off from the rest of the world.

Wiping his sleeve across his face again and taking a deep breath, Mark stood up and looked around at the bare room with two blue walls. He picked up the can of paint and pried the lid off. It was still liquid and had separated, but stirring it soon restored the pastel blue color. Carefully replacing the old crusted roller, he poured the paint out into the tray and swiped the roller through it. Stepping up to the wall, he started to paint.

You give me hope for humanity in it's coming AI battle. Much better flow and knowledge of how paint as analogue for the real world behaves. Paint hardens and separates and is not something one keeps painting with after it hardens. Nor does a happy artist keep painting into the future with the same can of paint - it's quite finite. The AI composers don't have physical reality down yet, and fail in expressing emotion.
Thank you.

 

[Eagle43]

I miss reading about Nemo2 and his DW's travels. Please tell him that I said hi and if he is posting about his travel adventures elsewhere, please let me know. Thanks.

Me too. Nemo2 was quite the world traveler. I liked his posts, many were informative. Wish he would return.

 

[jollystomper]

I'm sorry to have awakened painful memories.

No worries. It was just eerie to be reminded of the situation in that way. Our friend received a lot of support to get through the situation. He married again about 5 years later to a wonderful woman. He had a good career in investment banking and is happy in retirement. We live about 6 hours apart but try to get together a couple of times a year.

 

[Koolau]

I took about 8 or 12 months off from here back in 2020. (not that anybody seemed to notice. heh!)

I just got busy with a lot of other personal things and found myself working too hard to explain myself to SGOTI here. I have a character flaw (since sixth grade) where I assume people know where I'm coming from. The short of it was that it was just taking up too much of my time.

Also, I found the same questions from newbies while most of my own questions had been answered long ago.

I love this forum though--the only forum I'm on--and I'm back visiting two or three times a day, but find that there is less that interests me and what I have to offer is negligible.

I'm always curious what happens to folks here when they cease to post, but I'm usually reticent to ask. I fear the worst (even worse than going away mad.) Some of our good friends have passed and maybe that's why I'm hesitant to ask.

I too missed RobbieB. I really like his posts even if I occasionally disagree on some little thing. I keep hoping he will give us a tour of his boat and maybe even a virtual tour of the waterway that connects to his harbor.

Come back RobbieB. We miss you.

 

[JoeWras]

I'm always curious what happens to folks here when they cease to post, but I'm usually reticent to ask. I fear the worst (even worse than going away mad.) Some of our good friends have passed and maybe that's why I'm hesitant to ask.

I too missed RobbieB. I really like his posts even if I occasionally disagree on some little thing. I keep hoping he will give us a tour of his boat and maybe even a virtual tour of the waterway that connects to his harbor.

Come back RobbieB. We miss you.

I don't mind the occasional manifesto/diatribe written as a closing post or thread. I understand how the mods may disagree. It can go down a rathole.

At least you know the person is still alive. No small feat for those of us on this board.

User "mdlerth" was very active with great input for a few years time. Then, bam, they left. However, they started a thread to explain why. This thread was eventually closed by the mods. Understandable.

 

[Koolau]

I don't mind the occasional manifesto/diatribe written as a closing post or thread. I understand how the mods may disagree. It can go down a rathole.

At least you know the person is still alive. No small feat for those of us on this board.

User "mdlerth" was very active with great input for a few years time. Then, bam, they left. However, they started a thread to explain why. This thread was eventually closed by the mods. Understandable.

Yeah, I read that. Instead of bailing completely, I just quit posting about Covid because virtually everything was verboten to discuss. Even though I have actual knowledge and experience in such things (peripherally) I was not able to share it, so I quit going to that area. It's safer and more comfortable that way. Lots of other things to talk about here - and we DO.

I need a good dose of BTD and RobbieB was my hero in that department.

 

[pdxgal]

I'm always curious what happens to folks here when they cease to post, but I'm usually reticent to ask. I fear the worst (even worse than going away mad.) Some of our good friends have passed and maybe that's why I'm hesitant to ask.

In this digital age it wouldn't be a bad idea to have estate planning include instructions for your executor or family to notify your online community that you've permanently logged off. Because people do care.

My mother was of the generation that regularly exchanged Christmas cards. When she didn't get a card from someone, she always wondered what had happened. It really bothered her. She made me promise that when she died I would notify everyone in her address book, and I did. My best friend recently died, and while his sister was able to get into his email account and send a final message to let his friends know, she didn't have any user IDs and pw info for forums such as this one that he may participated in.

Hopefully RobbieB is still blowing his dough, I also miss his enthusiasm.

 

[tmm99]

I did notice Haha also hadn't been around for sometime.

I just checked his profile. The last activity was just a few days ago, so I think he checks the forum once in a while, but is just not posting anymore.

 

[Major Tom]

I did notice Haha also hadn't been around for sometime.

I miss his sense of humor and the way he expressed himself so artfully. But heck, he's fully engaged in the real world now as, of course, is his right. We only knew the 2D online version of him, as opposed to the fully-fledged real one.

 

[marko]

In this digital age it wouldn't be a bad idea to have estate planning include instructions for your executor or family to notify your online community that you've permanently logged off. Because people do care.

IIRC, someone on this forum died a year or two ago and her daughter posted a message here to that effect along with an obituary. A nice touch IMO

 

[JoeWras]

IIRC, someone on this forum died a year or two ago and her daughter posted a message here to that effect along with an obituary. A nice touch IMO

That may have been imoldernu. What a great guy.

 

[marko]

I just checked his profile. The last activity was just a few days ago, so I think he checks the forum once in a while, but is just not posting anymore.

And getting as much attention in his absence as in his posting!

 

[street]

Be nice if he could stop back in. I really would like to see and hear about his time at sea.

 

[Dtail]

That may have been imoldernu. What a great guy.

Actually was a woman named Maureen who lived in Sarasota FLA. Don't remember her screen name but it had "MO" in it.

 

[Accidental Retiree]

Actually was a woman named Maureen who lived in Sarasota FLA. Don't remember her screen name but it had "MO" in it.

Moemg.