Date: 1/8/2000
From: Brand_S

I'm actually starting to agree with SpaceTime. With all the incessant, irritating prattling lately, I'm about ready to go lurker myself. I practically have already, in case you weren't paying attention to the number of my posts in the last few days. There's nothing left for me on this Board.

Ever since the Joke, people are acting like Armageddon is taking place. I've never seen people get so defensive over something that really has no effect on their lives at present. I was able to read it, debate it in my head, and go on my merry way. I figure, if it were true, we'd hear from Blinker, TemporalFlux, QBall79, and JorgeCis. If it wasn't, well, look around you. You can see what happened then.

Besides, why would it be true? Why would SpaceTime masquerade as RK Weiss, when RK's account was up long before earthprime.com even existed? Why would TemporalFlux lie to us all when he gets enough baseless, unsubstantiated guff from idiots who are either in denial or unable to find any other way to discuss his information? Why would QBall79 help put up an elaborate farce when he devotes his time to projects that yield REAL results, like the Save Sliders Network and the Cleavant Derricks CD campaign? Finally, what have Blinker and JorgeCis ever done that would give any indication whatsoever that they would deceive this board?

And to make things worse, AFTER SpaceTime says it was all a lie, and TemporalFlux and the others had nothing to do with it, people are STILL whining and accusing them, vilifying SpaceTime, and debating the truth of it all!

Of course, instead of waiting long enough for a calmer head to prevail, people send in mass hysteria posts. I won't say everyone's been doing it, but the people who have are being very irritating. Why don't people stop tothink before they post? The message you're reading right now is a day old, and has been proofread several times. You want my stance on whether or not SpaceTime should've played the Joke? You ain't gettin' it; not on this board, at least. This whole conflict is below me as far as I'm concerned.

I disagree that this board has turned into a playground. It's more of a live soap opera/cesspool than anything. This is especially true when people flame each other, which happens all the time. Nearly every time I've seen anyone flame anyone (and both parties intend to be here longer than three days), it has to turn into some verbal large scale flame war with a plethora of new topics with names like "POLL: Who else here hates ______?" I mean, SpaceTime has slammed me, but did you see me go bellyaching with about a million new topics addressed to him or polls about who likes and hates him? No! It's a waste of my time, a waste of the Board's space, and an annoyance to the people who aren't involved. Besides, I don't really know him, and vice versa. I'm not a friend of his by any means, but I still respect him as a webmaster and a flamer. I still visit earthprime.com; quite often, actually. One of my favorite posts on this board reamains this one: http://www.scifi.com/bboard/browse.cgi/1/5/545/12607/2. Furthermore, I'm in SIY: EP, and I ain't pullin' out now (unless it was discontinued)!

If I want to make online friends and discuss Sliders in an intelligent fashion, I'll definitely still be online, but in places that are more intelligence-friendly. If you want to find me, I like to chat at about 7:00 PM Pacific in #chandler on weekends and some weekdays. I can be found on the Studios USA Board, which I already advertised in a previous post, and (very rarely) on the Farscape Board. You can catch my fanfiction on the JOC Fanatics Board when I finish it (I'd rather have it panned there than here). I also have ICQ. If you want to e-mail me, well, the link to my name at the top of this post is blue for a reason.

Demoting myself to "lurker" is something I've wanted to do since--in fact--a couple weeks after I first joined. What's there to do here? Wait for the latest sermon from SonGokou2000 or PlasmaSun? Listen to more of DonProc's and rdwebster's irritating insistence that old people are always right and young "punks" are all immature losers? Get told by Wade1013 that I only watch Season 5 out of blind faith? Defend Robert Floyd and Tembi Locke by saying the same thing about a zillion times? Laugh at sliderfanone because he tried repeatedly to flame me for days on end when all I said to him was "Try living up to your name, prick?" Get judged for my opinions because others are unable to accept them (if I want that, star.star is still at the USA Board)?
Spend hours trying to set an example with intelligent material (i.e. my spinoff, very long Sliders rants, ideas for Sliders merchandise) only to have it overlooked in favor of watching the latest fight as if this Board were merely Pay-Per-View? Watch all the board's most valuable assets (listed below) deal with cretins obsessed with "dethroning" them? Watch this Board get spammed AGAIN? Read even more of the irritating, extremely trivial infighting? Remind people to think more often? Like in the music industry, on this Board, as of now there's really no new stuff; just more imitations/mockeries/failed revivals of the old stuff. If I leave entirely, I won't really miss anything. I figure the backlash from the Joke is enough to last another two weeks, and I know I have nothing new to say.

I do want to say this about the Joke. Lately, despite what's been going on, there are people who have responded with commendable rationality. All my friends from the USA Board (and the lurkers) were smart enough to avoid the whole thing, as I have until now. Then there's Darkslider, who is always right on the mark every time. I really look forward to what he has to say about Exec in the wake of Exec's recent return. ElectricPeterTork is a very cool person, and to my knowledge he only flames people who need an attitude adjustment. I also find it terribly annoying that TemporalFlux, QBall79, Blinker, and JorgeCis are forced to defend their good names just because some people didn't correctly absorb TemporalFlux's post and SpaceTime's "Absolution" post. I've always enjoyed EPT's, Dark's, and Blinker's posts, because those three are always worth some great laughs. I have a lot of friends on this Board, but EPT, Dark, TF, 79, Blink, Mr. Cisneros, and the USA Board folk are the people I like and respect the most here (I don't believe I can stress this enough).

On the opposite side of the spectrum are a few OTHER people. I won't name names, but there are two in particular. Suffice it to say I attended the RK Weiss chat, so just call me untrustworthy. Then there's a certain blatantly hypocritical someone who is sure to reply to this post masquerading as Daniel_2 with the message "NEVER announce you are leaving!==... ==>END." He'll probably go on to become the single Lexx fan on the face of the earth.

I can't really say I'll miss posting here. I've made two posts in as many days (both very brief replies), and I don't miss it now. Sure, I've made plenty of friends here, but I should be able to talk to them off this Board anyway.

"You know who I respect the most? The people who read this crap and NEVER post... It is better to keep your mouth shut and have people wonder if you're an idiot than to open your mouth and erase all doubt."
-SpaceTime, http://www.scifi.com/bboard/browse.cgi/1/5/545/16278/1

I can't really argue with that. This board has devolved horribly into a low-IQ-powered war zone. I'd rather watch the stupidity from a safe distance. I don't want to step in it or accidentally breathe it in.

This isn't some big final "swan song"; I'm not going to pretend I'll be gone forever. Maybe I'll return as soon as a month or two down the road, if I've decided that all I really needed was a break. In the meantime, if I don't know someone's e-mail address, I might put up a private post asking for it (stuslide does a particularly good job concealing his). I'll answer the occasional poll, "LOL" if I see something that amuses me, publicly wish posters a happy birthday (very rarely), and respond to non-inflammatory posts directed at me. Sure, I still won't be one of the "people who read this crap and NEVER post," but I'll be that much closer. I have better stuff to do with my life than serve in a flame war. I have plenty of hobbies--both on- and offline--that are a sure alternative to this.

Here's my e-mail address, in case you want it without e-mailing me now. Save it somewhere, 'cause I'm only gonna say it once.

s_the_great@hotmail.com

I could close with something melodramatic, but I think you've read enough.

S

Well

Date: 1/8/2000
From: HunterD_Raven

I'd say bye, but i'll be at the Universal board as well,
So i'll provide the Melodrama for you. (Since you probably have blisters on your fingers right now)
So for the Drama/melodrama i turn to various quotes from Sandman.
"You people always hold onto old identities, old faces and masks, long after they've served their purpose.
But you've got to learn to throw things away eventually."

"You are mortal: it is the mortal way. You attend the funeral, you bid the dead farewell.
You grieve. Then you continue with your life.
And at times the fact of her absence will hit you like a blow to the chest, and you will weep. But this will happen less and less as time goes on.
She is dead. You are alive.
So live."

"Everything changes, but nothing is truly lost.'"

This board hasn't been anything that...

Date: 1/8/2000
From: buffyboy

could be mistaken for "fun" for a while. I remember, back around late '98/early '99( although once news broke that the 'OCs wouldn't be back...well, you know), I suppose, when this board was still a fun place to be. Even though most of the eternal debates that still rage here were being debated back then, it still seemed like they were fresh, and sometimes people offerered new and exciting thoughts that actually made some kind of sense and were fun to read.
But its not like that now. Just like S, there's nothing here for me. I guess its for the occasional piece of news from Temporal Flux or QBall79, or Informant's Buffy and Angel reviews. But I don't find a whole lotta reasons to say anything anymore. I did say something about "the Joke", but I think that was a mistake.

There really aren't a whole lotta people here that I enjoy interacting with, and the ones I do can all be found in other places. There really is no reason for me to be here.

And with what I'm sure will be another flood of morons and their crap aka "opinions" with the final four gearing up to air, I don't think I want to be here, in a posting capacity at least. I'll keep reading Informant's Buffy reviews, though. Its funny that on a posting board for the show SLIDERS, the only thing I actually enjoy seeing are comments about Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

BB=:~(

Have to apologize

Date: 1/8/2000
From: rdwebster

Although I know that I have come across too strongly on more than one occasion, I never meant to insist that all younger people are punks. Sometimes the attitudes on this board and the pressures of everyday life leave me at a loss for the better way to express myself. Again - I am sorry for insulting and/or upsetting any/everyone.

Although I doubt that he will be back in person to say anything, I am fairly certain that Don feels the same way that I do. About a month ago someone claiming to be 'don proc's son' made a post lamenting his (the son's) situation and his dad's treatment (Don asked him to leave and 'do for himself'). When I called Don (with whom I have struck up a rather cordial interaction) to let him know so he could post a response, he informed me that his son had been found in an alley the week before, less than a mile from Don's home, suffering from an overdose. Don only came here because I asked for his support and somehow I think that some of the humor in posting here has run out for him. I tried to mention this to rintok in an e-mail back in December but rintok's return e-mail address was invalid.

As you can probably tell, I've lost my taste for arguing philosophies with the board too. The original concept was doing what could be done to save the show. NOT GONNA' HAPPEN! Taking grief from a bunch of people that are more concerned about polls, Farscape (puppets and all) Angel/Buffy and almost anything other than Sliders is simply not that much fun any more.

I'll lurk (sure) but the comments just don't seem to be important enough to post in this strange world of Sliders.

By the way - why on earth would a group of people as generally intelligent as this one believe anything about a movie, that means so much to them, until they see the credits on the screen? Even if you weren't dealing with hoaxes, you are still dealing with production companies. How much of a friend have they been lately?

Thanks!

He's right about this

Date: 1/8/2000
From: Slider_Sarah

The board has changed immeasureably (sp?). It isn't fun anymore. After season 4 finished in the US, things wound down. People have gone. Some lost connections, some drifted. The bottom line is that no one is friendly here any more. You don't laugh and joke with each other. Everyone just flames each other and it's really not the same. Plus the male/female ratio is very different. There's so much fewer of us females now :-( I think that has had an effect on things.

Now when you're all bored, you all flame each other (or that's what it seems like). It wasn't always like that, not in my memory anyway. The Beret war sticks out because we were all bored and had a great laugh. It wouldn't work now because the head of the ABL has gone of with the 2IC of the BFA (and that's for real). But it was so much fun back then. And there were usually funny posts all the time. Now it's just SL4ever's ficcies usually.

<sigh> Things change, people move on :-(

Sarah.

Could someone provide the addresses

Date: 1/8/2000
From: Stax_

to # chandler and the USA board.The people in the Sliders chat room don't talk about Sliders .Well not when I'm there.stax

Stax:Here's the addy for the USA Board..

Date: 1/8/2000
From: buffyboy

Its:

http://208.243.117.67/tv/mb/cgi-bin/forumdisplay.cgi?action=topics&forum=Sliders&number=9

You'll have to register to post, though.

BB=:~)

I'm sorry you're going.

Date: 1/8/2000
From: Doctor_Quinn

True, I haven't been posting as long as the rest of you guys,
but I'm still going to miss you. This Joke has turned the board
around, but maybe it was on it's way out for a long time.
I commented on it, and said I thought it was clever, but that
doesn't mean I thought it right.
Brand_S, I think it's a shame you'll be leaving, or lurking.
As long as I've been reading this board, I've considered you
to be a good and funny, and smart poster. I'll be on the
look out for any of your posts, and that goes for anyone else leaving/
lurking.
When Brand_S responded to my first post, he had me going for
a sec. That, bad as it sounds, was the kind of welcome I
expected. Now that I'm here, interacting with everyone,
plenty of my opinions have changed and I've seen that the
posters here, aren't just posters, but people. With unique
personalities and their own lives, who spend some of their
time contributing to this board, like me.
Sometimes, it's easy to forget why we are here. Instead of
discussing SLIDERS, we get angry with each other and devote time
and space to insults. We don't need this, not when the show's
ending, not when we will most likely be bomboarded with critisism
because of the Final Four Episodes. No, we can live without that.
I see what you mean, when you say there's nothing left for you
here. Maybe not. I can't leave until I'm positive that there isn't.
I'm determined to make up for lost time, the time I spent reading,
instead of jumping in and starting to post. That was a long time,
too long.
Once again, I'm sorry to hear people will no longer be regulars.
Each and everyone will be missed, at least by me.

The good doctor

Original URL http://www.scifi.com/bboard/browse.cgi/1/5/545/16304
Nominated by Blinker