A thread to discuss naming threads, board policy, new thread suggestions, and anything else that has to do with board administration and maintenance. Guaranteed to include lively debate and polls. Natter discouraged, but not deleted.
Current Stompy Feet: ita, Jon B, DXMachina, P.M. Marcontell, Liese S., amych
A couple of people mentioned asking a question and 300 posts getting in between it and the answer - I don't think that's really a good description of the flow of Natter.
Then, from Laura:
I think that's me, and it's not what I meant. What I was referring to was starting a conversation and not being able to follow it because there are 300 posts between the time I started it and the next time I come to the site.
Actually, it was me that put that, but I think I was sharing Laura's brain, or she was channelling me, or something.
Disclaimers are almost always a good idea. I say: Go Forth and Dislaim Ye Officiall-y Goodness
But what does DNFtEC mean? Is it like a trouble with Tribbles reference?
I think it's from GEnie days.
But what does DNFtEC mean?
Do Not Feed the Energy Creature
Man, we live in a world where we can trace the origin of the first smiley, it's pretty sorry that the Google search for GEnie DNFtEC is only two entries. And neither of them know anything about its origins.
Energy Creatures are not interested in contributing to a community or a conversation, they are only present to suck energy from. This is how they exist, by sucking the energy out of a room or a board. Thus, if you Do Not Feed the Energy Creature, it will die of malnutrition and go away. In theory.
eta: I think the original reference was to an episode of the original Outer Limits, in which a creature from the fourth dimension, pure energy, slipped into this dimension. It fed on any sort of energy, electrical, biological, etc., killing wherever it touched. Scientists discovered the only way to stop it was by suspending it in a vacuum, where it could not feed, and either died, or slipped back into its own dimension.
I just did a search for "feed 'energy creature'" on Google and got tons of useful hits.
[link] is a Star Trek comic in which the EC appears.
This guy gives the following explanation:
An Energy Creature is a person who posts messages that are stupidly provocative, who will say almost anything with the sole intention of arousing anger, sadness, or other forms of pain. It is inspired by the old Star Trek (original series) episode where an "energy creature" trapped a bunch of Klingons and Federation crewman on the Enterprise, took all their advanced weapons away, and prodded them into constantly fighting in hand-to-hand combat. The Energy Creature then fed off their anger and rage and pain. They only defeated it by laughing at it and ignoring it.
Aha. Similar creatures, then, but different series. Interesting.
We called trolls "bezoars" at the Bronze, after the creatures in bad eggs that latched onto a host's back in order to control the host.
Hmmm, guess I'm slacking as a Trekkie here. I always assumed the "energy creatures" nomenclature derived from the id-controlled energy monster in Forbidden Planet.
