Why is this called Meaningless Drivel?

[Anonymous]

Why is this called Meaningless Drivel?
Some of the topics being discussed here have more meaning than inner classes
What say?

[Michael Ernest]

"Why" it's called Meaningless Drivel is probably best for each person to decide on their own.
For me, it's named this way so you can consider what you post as seriously or as lightly as you like. Others may do the same. Hence, the discussion is likely to be meaningless.
Plus Map posts here an awful lot, and we want everyone to have fair warning.
[This message has been edited by Michael Ernest (edited November 02, 2001).]

[Mapraputa Is]

Thank you, Michael. You confuse cause and effect. "Meaningless Drivel" wasn't named so because Map posts here. The opposite: Map is posting here like mad because she loves how her posts are framed.
My personal explanation: we here are mostly Java programmers. This is the only thing we can discuss with some level of comprehension. All other discussions should be done in "Meaningless Drivel"
"The freshman experiments should be done in the freshman labaratory!"
Richard P.Feynman

[Jany Sabins]

What's a Map post?

[Michael Ernest]

A Map post is a heuristically-generated string of certain English words and smilies. The predominant loop in the routine poses contrary but self-deprecating perspectives on the most recent post in whatever thread it selects. Its sentence-generation routine favors prepositional phrases, subjunctive clauses, and employs a loosely enforced Old Church Slavonic box-grammar construction. The program seems to prefer smilies with a lot of red or sunglasses in them. Also, there are certain "Easter eggs" you can embed in a post that cause the program to praise XML, output links to obscure books and quotes, or even encourage one poster to provoke another.
It's run as a daemon service on the web site. I'm pretty sure it's maintained by Jim Yingst, who updates it every 200 posts. Its rumored the original codebase was developed by Soviets in a fusion language derived from the best features of FORTRAN and Algol.
[This message has been edited by Michael Ernest (edited November 02, 2001).]

[Cindy Glass]

Sort of a Map-bot?

[Jim Yingst]

Known as Mapraputa 1.7.XX. Michael should probably search on that phrase in Moderators Only, in the unlikely event he doesn't already know what I'm talking about.

[Mapraputa Is]

Hm... So... You, guys, are basically saying that "Map" is too good to be real?

[Mapraputa Is]

There is another puzzle, however. The same time, Jim significantly reduced his postings to MD, we observed in our full amusement a new-born phenomenon registered as "Michael Ernest". They even seem to post from the same time zone. Something to think about. Of course, "Michael Ernest" identity has certain humanitarian sugar over his posts, but this is fairly easy to imitate. Also "Michael Ernest" is positioned more as "bad guy" than "Jim Yingst", but MD has seen this "Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde" trick before
I hope I answered "Why is this called Meaningless Drivel?" question.
[This message has been edited by Mapraputa Is (edited November 03, 2001).]

[Michael Ernest]

Come to think of it, I don't believe I've ever seen myself photographed with Jim....hm...and I'm not bad, I'm impish. We need to upgrade you sumpn fierce, Map.

[Mapraputa Is]

We??? I hoped to set you against each other ...
Kidding. No. The opposite.
Impish... isn't it the same as "positioned as a bad guy"?

[Jim Yingst]

Mohammed - check out this thread for discussion of your original point. For reference, my own opinion is now pretty much in line with that expressed by Micheal in that thread. (Which should come as no surprise to Map. ) In the true spirit of Meaningless Drivel, I will now move on to various other points that have come up, thereby completely hijacking this thread from its original point. Sorry Mohammed - you knew the risks when you signed up.
> I'm pretty sure it's maintained by Jim Yingst, who updates it
> every 200 posts.
Does that mean I get to "reboot" Mapraputa when she does something wrong? That sounds like fun actually...
> Hm... So... You, guys, are basically saying that "Map" is too
> good to be real?
I challenge you to find the word "good" in any of the text that was posted prior to this comment. Note the wording - we both know that you can make it appear after the fact if you really want to. Which of course only furthers my point about the lack of "good".
> The same time, Jim significantly reduced his postings to MD,
> we observed in our full amusement a new-born phenomenon
> registered as "Michael Ernest".
OK, click on Michael's JavaRanch profile. Date Registered: October 25, 2000. Plus I have the distinct feeling I've seen his name on a book somewhere, published around 1999 or thereabouts. So he's hardly a "new-born" - you've gotta figure he's two years old at least. Positively ancient, in internet time.
> They even seem to post from the same time zone.
And who else is in that time zone, Mapraputa? Of course, Michael and I live considerably closer to each other. Wanna go grab a beer sometime, Mike?

Actually I think it's amusing how much Michael and I seem to have in common. How else has given Mapraputa a new nickname, after all? Except of course that unlike "Mags", mine was successful - to the extent that you can't even post about the Collections framework without Mapraputa thinking you're talking about her. Interestingly, my other main contribution to JavaRanch (and www.jchq.net) naming conventions was that I was the first one to refer to the infamous Tome as "RHE" - mostly because I was tired of seeing it referred to as "Simon Roberts' book" as if he were the only one involved. Who knew...
> MD has seen this "Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde" trick before
Ahem. And who would do something like that, Mapraputa?
> I hope I answered "Why is this called Meaningless Drivel?"
> question.
Yes, with a most convicing demonstration. The new heuristic algorithms are functioning perfectly.
[This message has been edited by Jim Yingst (edited November 03, 2001).]

[Mapraputa Is]

Jim No.
You mean it was You who invented RHE?

[Jim Yingst]

Well, as far as I know. I mean, it's a pretty obvious abbreviation, so it's entirely possible others came up with it independently, either before or after me - but at the time I first used it publicly, I hadn't seen anyone else use it. Kind of like "Map". (Or "Maha", for the old-timers in the crowd.)

[Mapraputa Is]

Originally posted by Jim Yingst:
Does that mean I get to reboot Mapraputa when she does something bad?

Has Map ever done anything bad?
And who else is in that time zone, Mapraputa?
Well... *I* do not run "Michael Ernest", if this is what you mean
Actually I think it's amusing how much Michael and I seem to have in common.
Yeah... That scares me also...
Who else has given Mapraputa a new nickname, after all? Except of course that unlike "Mags", mine was successful - to the extent that you can't even post about the Collections framework without Mapraputa thinking you're talking about her.
Um... I think it is called "imprinting". You were the first who gave me a nickname, and now I can hardly think about anything else but Map. To tell the truth, any attempts to call me by my "real" name encounter my deep sabotage and opposition now. All your fault
Real challenge, however, is to give Michael a nickname. "Michael" is too official to truly depict all gamma of feelings we suffer from. So. Here is a list of requirements. A nickname has to be:
1) unique, so we can tell whom we are talking about ("Mike" is in too broad use)
2) affectionate, to reflect our carefully hidden feelings
3) slightly offensive, to make us feel better about ourselves ("Mike" meets this requirement but fails to meet Req. N 1.

[This message has been edited by Mapraputa Is (edited November 03, 2001).]

[Jim Yingst]

>> Does that mean I get to "reboot" Mapraputa
>> when she does something bad?
> Has Map ever done anything bad?
Don't care - you need a good rebooting anyway.
> Real challenge, however, is to give
> Michael a nickname
Well, there's always "Mick" or "Mickey". You're right, Mike (and to a lesser extent, Michael) is just too common. Together with Dave/David, I think they're the more common male names in the US for our generation. Just look at the situation with bartenders. Multiple Mikes, Daves, Matts, Peters, Pauls (and don't forget Pauline)... what are we to do? "Jim" isn't that uncommon in the US either, but I have managed to abuse my sheriff powers to squelch any challengers in this area. Let's see... what to do about Michael... as a fellow guy, I am of course required to favor requirement #3 over #2. And you (Map) have demonstrated elsewhere (err... did you delete the thread?) that "ME" just confuses everyone. Hey Mike - what's your middle name, anyway? Give us something to work with here.
[This message has been edited by Jim Yingst (edited November 03, 2001).]

[Mapraputa Is]

ME thread is here.
Middle name... "F", I suppose... But "MFE" would confuse everybody as effective as "ME"...
By the way, how we are going to deal with this impostor?

[This message has been edited by Mapraputa Is (edited November 03, 2001).]

[Mapraputa Is]

Originally posted by Jim Yingst:
Together with Dave/David, I think they're the more common male names in the US for our generation.

Nope. "James", "John" and "Robert" are more popular than "Michael"

[Jim Yingst]

> ME thread is here.
Ah. I was thinking "ME" was in the title; hence, I couldn't find the thread. Thanks.
> By the way, how we are going to deal with this impostor?
Well if he ever posts in JavaRanch, he'll be unable to regiser without changing his name, so problem solved. Of course, I had similar problems when I first took a contract at HP, so I sympathize...
> Nope. "James", "John" and "Robert" are more popular than "Michael"
Speaking as James Robert Yingst Jr., I find that particularly amusing. In addition to James Robert Yingst Sr., there are also three John Yingsts in our family tree. (Well, two now, but anyways...) So heck, my family is probably reponsible for a decent part of those statistics right there.
But note that I did say "our generation". Michael is only a few years older than you and I, after all. The census statistics you cite are for everyone whose name was on a 1990 US Census form - I'm talking about a more narrow age range. I, personally, have known far more Mikes and Daves within a few years of my own age, than I have Jims or Johns. I've never seen stats which break name distributions down to age intervals of five years or less - I leave it to you to find them if they exist - but I'm willing to bet that Mike and Dave are both more popular than Jim or John in the 30-35 range in the US. Possibly also Paul and/or Peter ahead of Jim, but not necessarily John. Just guesses based on personal observations of US naming patterns in our age range.
On the topic of naming patterns - I have a friend named Lara (as opposed to Laura). Until the advent of Tomb Raider, she had to put up the fact that people always assumed her name should be spelled with a 'u', since the "Lara" variant was relatively uncommon in the US. She recounts how another friend once told her that they knew another person named "Lara", and she (Lara prime) was immediately able to guess the age of the second Lara to within 2 years. Why? Because most Laras in the US were born within a few years of the release of "Doctor Zhivago". Whoo'da thunkit...
All right Mohammed (if you're still there) - do you still wonder why this forum is called "Meaningless Drivel"?

[This message has been edited by Jim Yingst (edited November 03, 2001).]

[Anonymous]

Thank you, Jim
What I was thinking was, since there are quite some serious topics being discussed in some of the threads,(this one excluding), giving it such a name seems to be unfair, not only to the topics but also to the people who pen their thoughts here.

[Michael Ernest]

Geez, I go to watch cartoons for an hour and this thread explodes. By the way, Pepe le Peu: still funny.
Mohammed: I find that if you take any MD poster seriously, it encourages them. Some of them can write 4 long paragraphs with nothing more than a one-liner to go on, which I why I left this other site a long time ago. That's a lot of scrolling, and my mouse budget is only yea big.
Jim: Beer good! I work in the South Bay now and then, usually around Milpitas/Cupertino. If I buy your beer, will you let me warm-boot the Map, huh can I please can I can I?
On nicknames: the F is shrouded in mystery, but with "MF" you can guess a popular nickname for me among my so-called friends. Beware paybacks! I've got "Ying" and "Yeast" on the short list, not to mention "Maggot" and "Mag-lite."
I gladly duck the Safire attribute Jim has been accorded. It'll be the first time in a while that I'm not the anal one when it comes to usage.
[This message has been edited by Michael Ernest (edited November 03, 2001).]

[Mapraputa Is]

One of numerous reasons why I love MD is that here I can learn about prominent figures in American culture I've never heard before. Like William Safire.
His Rules for Writers are so Can we adopt them as an official guide for all meaningless posters?
Michael, your link is broken.
Sorry, I needed to revenge for "Easter eggs"

[This message has been edited by Mapraputa Is (edited November 03, 2001).]

[Angela Poynton]

This forum is called Meaningless Drivel because once upon a time there was a world before Sept 11 and in that world this forum existed and the people came here and talked about Jokes, Puzzles and McDonalds and the phenomenon that is Map!
All that was meaningless in that this forum exists in a Java site and that context everything else is Meaningless.

[Jane Griscti]

By the way, Pepe le Peu: still funny.

So we can now call you Maurice

[Mapraputa Is]

Originally posted by Jim Yingst:
Of course, I had similar problems when I first took a contract at HP, so I sympathize...

So exactly how many Jims Yingsts were working at HP? Does HP especially favor "Jims Yingsts"? I recall some problems with 17 (or so) Thomas Pauls, but I thought there is only one Jim Yingst...

[David O'Meara]

As a start to nicknames, I think we should start by "map-ifying" the name to see if it returns anything useful.

And who else is in that time zone, Mapraputa?

On the subject of timezones, what is your approximate TZ Map? (assuming you don't live in the ether) Last time I checked I'm GMT +08:00 and you usually seem to be active, but then that doesn't mean you aren't active other times as well (am I allowed to mention up-time? )
Dave.
(maybe I should start signing by my assumed name, Otherdave)