who are the "characters" on the palm forum ?

[trioderob]

people have accused me of being a "character" on the forum because of my avatars and goofy questions.

so who else besides me would you classify as a character and why ????

Edited April 17, 2014 by trioderob

[ErikSJI]

I have been called many things. I may have even won the Stump Head award one year.

[Moose]

BS Man about Palms - a very entertaining personality

[waykoolplantz]

Everyone but me....

[DoomsDave]

BLEAH!

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

I was a character once.

[_Keith]

My character was assassinated. Now I am just a forum ghost rattling my chains.

[MattyB]

If you pay enough attention, everyone is a character.

[Moose]

If you pay enough attention, everyone is a character.

Can't forget - http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/user/848-paul-the-palm-doctor/

[Xerarch]

I nominate DoomsDave, always wacky but always has good input, one of the most notable characters on the forum.

[Funkthulhu]

I Know Nossing!

[Moose]

BLEAH!

BLEAH!

[Mandrew968]

If you pay enough attention, everyone is a character.

Can't forget - http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/user/848-paul-the-palm-doctor/

Why not?

[JEFF IN MODESTO]

I vote DoomsDave and MattyB,

Though Axel from Santa Cruz is quite a Character.... in training.

[JEFF IN MODESTO]

Perhaps we should have a poll?

[Jeff Searle]

That's what I was thinking too, a poll, maybe list the top 25 peeps and have a vote. And remember, their character can be a positive OR negative way. I definitely have someone in mind.....

[Mandrew968]

I think the term 'character' should be properly defined beforehand. To me, the word conjures up someone who portrays them self slightly different than they would, in a live setting. As such, I would say I am a lot more confrontational and aggressive on-line. A person might meet me face to face and be delightfully surprised, where as on-line, my Character is often less amicable...

[Mandrew968]

I think the term 'character' should be properly defined beforehand. To me, the word conjures up someone who portrays them self slightly different than they would, in a live setting. As such, I would say I am a lot more confrontational and aggressive on-line. A person might meet me face to face and be delightfully surprised, where as on-line, my Character is often less amicable...

And if we are all stipulated as to what a 'character' is, then maybe the better question is who isn't, on our forum?

[Funkthulhu]

I think the term 'character' should be properly defined beforehand. To me, the word conjures up someone who portrays them self slightly different than they would, in a live setting. As such, I would say I am a lot more confrontational and aggressive on-line. A person might meet me face to face and be delightfully surprised, where as on-line, my Character is often less amicable...

Well, I'm out. I'm like this all the time.

[Kim]

A glance at an online dictionary comes up with this definition of character: a person marked by notable or conspicuous traits <quite a character>

By that definition, PalmTalk is bursting with characters.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

The problem is that people project 'character traits' onto online postings. You can't really assess people based on their online behavior, you're seeing maybe 1% of who the person is.

Every person I met in real life was wastly different from whom I thought they were based on online info.

[MattyB]

...which could mean that people act fake online (yes this is true), and/or you are a bad judge of character (I'll let you be the judge of that, but if you're a bad judge of character then you might not realize that you're a bad judge of character...and infinity)

[Moose]

That's what I was thinking too, a poll, maybe list the top 25 peeps and have a vote. And remember, their character can be a positive OR negative way. I definitely have someone in mind.....

Ooh, ooh .... (Censored) never mind

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

...which could mean that people act fake online (yes this is true), and/or you are a bad judge of character (I'll let you be the judge of that, but if you're a bad judge of character then you might not realize that you're a bad judge of character...and infinity)

You're an actor, so you know how complex people can be. Just because online behavior reveals only a tiny facet of themselves to you doesn't necessarily make them fake. You need to meet people in real life to be an accurate judge of character. But it's also true that people often enact another character online, still doesn't make them fake, it just means they need an outlet to express a part of themselves they might not have the opportunity to do in real life.

[trioderob]

Matty-

what kind of an actor are you ?

[MattyB]

...which could mean that people act fake online (yes this is true), and/or you are a bad judge of character (I'll let you be the judge of that, but if you're a bad judge of character then you might not realize that you're a bad judge of character...and infinity)

You're an actor, so you know how complex people can be. Just because online behavior reveals only a tiny facet of themselves to you doesn't necessarily make them fake. You need to meet people in real life to be an accurate judge of character. But it's also true that people often enact another character online, still doesn't make them fake, it just means they need an outlet to express a part of themselves they might not have the opportunity to do in real life.

You do realize that a discussion group on the internet is real life, right?

[MattyB]

Matty-

what kind of an actor are you ?

If you asked a bear he'd say I'm a crunchy actor.

[BS Man about Palms]

In reality I'm

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

...which could mean that people act fake online (yes this is true), and/or you are a bad judge of character (I'll let you be the judge of that, but if you're a bad judge of character then you might not realize that you're a bad judge of character...and infinity)

You're an actor, so you know how complex people can be. Just because online behavior reveals only a tiny facet of themselves to you doesn't necessarily make them fake. You need to meet people in real life to be an accurate judge of character. But it's also true that people often enact another character online, still doesn't make them fake, it just means they need an outlet to express a part of themselves they might not have the opportunity to do in real life.

You do realize that a discussion group on the internet is real life, right?

No, the internet is not real life, it's media, and it's becoming more and more like cable TV: more and more channels with less and less to watch.

I am talking about real life, person to person interactions in flesh and blood. When two humans communicate, only about 10% of that communication takes place in the forms of the spoken word. The other 90% is via body language, voice intonation, facial expressions, etc... The internet provides a platform generally where only words are exchanged, and perhaps a few emoticons here and there. Video is the next big thing, but even then you still loose a pretty big chunk of the communication bandwidth that normally takes place.

Even when we see people in front of us, we often don't actually see the person, but we see whatever projections our mind creates about them. With the internet, that process is a million times worse, we project entire characters and imagine what sort of human being is on the other end behind that keyboard. And that is nothing more than a figment of our imagination.

Bottom line is that people are far more than the words they speak, and you can't judge a person based on what they say. You have to get to know them, share mutual experiences together, well, basically you need a heck of a lot more info before you jump to conclusions as to who someone is. And even then, most of the time, whatever notions we build in our heads even about our loved ones we're around with day to day, these notions often get in the way so that even then we fail to see who is really there. That's because people aren't static, they change, they grow, they morph. Grasp at it if you will, but whatever conclusions you reach about someone ends up being outdated information rather quickly.

If you have any doubt, go and read your Facebook feed, there you will see the most brilliant minds and your beloved relatives and friends reduced to the typical appalling Facebook dribble. I know who my friends and relatives are and I honestly prefer to not judge them based on what they post on Facebook. Their real life versions are much, much more interesting.

It's a sad day indeed when people begin to equate the internet to real life.

[_Keith]

...which could mean that people act fake online (yes this is true), and/or you are a bad judge of character (I'll let you be the judge of that, but if you're a bad judge of character then you might not realize that you're a bad judge of character...and infinity)

You're an actor, so you know how complex people can be. Just because online behavior reveals only a tiny facet of themselves to you doesn't necessarily make them fake. You need to meet people in real life to be an accurate judge of character. But it's also true that people often enact another character online, still doesn't make them fake, it just means they need an outlet to express a part of themselves they might not have the opportunity to do in real life.

You do realize that a discussion group on the internet is real life, right?

No, the internet is not real life, it's media, and it's becoming more and more like cable TV: more and more channels with less and less to watch.

I am talking about real life, person to person interactions in flesh and blood. When two humans communicate, only about 10% of that communication takes place in the forms of the spoken word. The other 90% is via body language, voice intonation, facial expressions, etc... The internet provides a platform generally where only words are exchanged, and perhaps a few emoticons here and there. Video is the next big thing, but even then you still loose a pretty big chunk of the communication bandwidth that normally takes place.

Even when we see people in front of us, we often don't actually see the person, but we see whatever projections our mind creates about them. With the internet, that process is a million times worse, we project entire characters and imagine what sort of human being is on the other end behind that keyboard. And that is nothing more than a figment of our imagination.

Bottom line is that people are far more than the words they speak, and you can't judge a person based on what they say. You have to get to know them, share mutual experiences together, well, basically you need a heck of a lot more info before you jump to conclusions as to who someone is. And even then, most of the time, whatever notions we build in our heads even about our loved ones we're around with day to day, these notions often get in the way so that even then we fail to see who is really there. That's because people aren't static, they change, they grow, they morph. Grasp at it if you will, but whatever conclusions you reach about someone ends up being outdated information rather quickly.

If you have any doubt, go and read your Facebook feed, there you will see the most brilliant minds and your beloved relatives and friends reduced to the typical appalling Facebook dribble. I know who my friends and relatives are and I honestly prefer to not judge them based on what they post on Facebook. Their real life versions are much, much more interesting.

It's a sad day indeed when people begin to equate the internet to real life.

You are such an old timer, lol.

[trioderob]

everything you say and do is reflection of you.

its only part of the picture - but it is truly you.

now we do behave differently depending on our circumstances.

but the words you write- the songs you sing- the friends you pick- the job you do-are all reflections of you.

Edited April 23, 2014 by trioderob

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

everything you say and do is reflection of you.

its only part of the picture - but it is truly you.

now we do behave differently depending on our circumstances.

but the words you write- the songs you sing- the friends you pick- the job you do-are all reflections of you.

So if they're reflections of you, then who are you? Where is the "real" you?

[Ken Johnson]

Whatcha all talikin bout?

[yachtingone]

My head is ready to explode :bemused: Thanx Axel

[Kim]

Axel, that was a fairly insightful post. I would add not all people use the internet discussions and FaceBook the same way. For example, your relatives are much more interesting than they appear on FB; other people selectively post life snippets that make them appear much more interesting than they are in person. I see all of this as part of 'real life', but different types of interaction, as in face-to-face, as opposed to electronic interaction, and there are different dynamics from group to personal one-to-one interactions, both electronically and in person.

People do interpret personalities based on what we post and how we present ourselves. Years ago I used a cartoon character of a little Hawaiian girl as my online avatar, and it led people to believe that I was much younger than I was, and it seemed to give a false initial impression about my personality -- people were very surprised when they met me in person. How did this little Hawaiian girl morph into a middle-aged business woman? It wasn't long before I made the conscious decision to use my real first name, and not use a character anymore. It didn't feel right to hide behind a manufactured personality online and use that shield to 'act out', as we all know some people may do. The false personality made that easy; taking responsibility for my remarks felt better. (not that it prevents me from saying stupid things from time to time ) I do not cast aspersions on anyone with that comment, I'm just talking about general online behavior everywhere. Yes, going into 'online snark mode' may happen on occasion. Is there a cure for that?

[trioderob]

everything you say and do is reflection of you.

its only part of the picture - but it is truly you.

now we do behave differently depending on our circumstances.

but the words you write- the songs you sing- the friends you pick- the job you do-are all reflections of you.

So if they're reflections of you, then who are you? Where is the "real" you?

there is no "real you" as you are no more than a electrochemical biological system.

if the electrochemical system changes by way of drugs/stress/starvation/ thirst/ heat/hate/greed/anger

then you act differently.

now there is a normal you which is when your everyday events are going in a normal way - you then act normally.

look some folks come here because they want a very serious botanical scientific discussion.

they want to talk serious business about palms. they are not going to like any topic that is not in line with this.

other people come here with an interest in palms but its also kind of a club house mentality.

just like at work there are folks who decide they they are going to adopt a certain character type and stick with

it. thats why at work you have the nice guy, the grouchy grump, the back stabber, the brown noser, the A.H.,

the joker, the hermit, the workaholic.

is that the real them ????

Edited April 23, 2014 by trioderob

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

everything you say and do is reflection of you.

its only part of the picture - but it is truly you.

now we do behave differently depending on our circumstances.

but the words you write- the songs you sing- the friends you pick- the job you do-are all reflections of you.

So if they're reflections of you, then who are you? Where is the "real" you?

there is no "real you" as you are no more than a electrochemical biological system.

if the electrochemical system changes by way of drugs/stress/starvation/ thirst/ heat/hate/greed/anger

Taken to its logical conclusion, what you say suggests that machines therefore are just as conscious as we are. And if people are nothing more than the sum of their parts, i.e. electrochemical biological systems, then what's to keep some of us from dismantling those "electrochemical biological systems" we don't like? I know a few characters from the 20th century who thought like that and wrecked a lot of havoc.

I thought we had finally moved past the old 19th century mechanistic view of the universe, perhaps not everyone has.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Here is one perspective on who you are.

[DoomsDave]

Putting a gloss on oneself is an integral of what people have always done. The web provides more elaborate props and costumes, but what really is the difference between that, and, say meeting in a bar, or in church? I've spent my whole life getting - and giving - false first impressions.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Putting a gloss on oneself is an integral of what people have always done. The web provides more elaborate props and costumes, but what really is the difference between that, and, say meeting in a bar, or in church? I've spent my whole life getting - and giving - false first impressions.

Good point, but I think the difference is you have a lot more info available to you when you see someone in person. It's relatively easy to spot the faking. There's an enormous flow of data between two people that you just don't get online. If you're willing to be present and get out of your head when you're with someone, i.e. not get caught by projections, you can really watch that person and you see an amazing amount of stuff you might not otherwise see if you didn't pay attention, and you would never ever see if you interact online and not in person.

Getting more technical about it, even 1 second worth of the data available to you about another person in flesh and blod couldn't fit into a high speed cable internet transmission. There isn't enough bandwidth - yet. In another 20 years that might be a completely different story. Most people don't absorb that much info about another person when they're with someone else simply because most people are so caught up in their own little world that the bandwidth bottleneck is in their own brain. But whatever little does get in, it's still much more than what you can fit into the average cable DSL line.