Opposable Thumbs
By
If you’ve been paying attention to the site in the last few days, you’ll notice that some wacky little thumb buttons have appeared beneath each person’s post. Thumbs can be useful things: they’ve allowed humans to operate tools, like Playstation; they’re good for sticking in dykes and in pies; there’s a rule named after them; they show up in gladiator movies; they’re essential for hitchhiking; they hurt like hell when you whack them with a hammer; and, it’s really hard to blow up a balloon (much less tie off the end) without them.
But what do these buttons mean in the context of this site? Hell if we know. Do they indicate one’s agreement with a post or simply an appreciation for its quality? Are they informative at all…or merely useful for diffusing boredom and frustration — the blog equivalent of bubble wrap?
Green thumb, red thumb…Red thumb green. Green thumb, up thumb! Up thumb green! Red thumb, bad thumb…Thad thumb thad. Good thumb, Up thumb! Bad poem, bad.
We welcome your thoughts on this very important matter.
16 Comments
December 11th, 2009 at 8:07 pm
Torture, Michael? Really?
The comment rating system I installed yesterday, like any good GPL-licensed code, can be hacked into ridiculous flexibility that will allow readers to do much, much more than like or dislike a comment. More to come later…
December 11th, 2009 at 8:17 pm
(Psst… Michael… I think they’re spelled ‘dikes’. Unless you MEANT to say… oh. nevermind…)
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December 11th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
Also, very conspiratorial, Michael. I’ve skimmed through a few threads, and it looks like Gordon and Tom Sullivan are exempt from the new gladiatorial rating system, but no one else.
Oh, aren’t we the poor cousin?
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December 11th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
They’re not exempt anymore. Moohahahahaha…
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December 12th, 2009 at 8:19 am
Dykes? Yikes! Dykes on Bikes!
Dikes! Dikes! Bikes on Dikes!
Mike Likes Dykes and Dykes Like Mike!
Mike Likes Dykes on Bikes on Dikes!
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December 12th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
Wh s “dmn Hlgn” nywy? sm gd plyr? sn’t th whl cncpt f hlgn dmnstrtr cntrdctry?
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December 12th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
Alan,
From what I understand, no one has actually ever met “Admin Hooligan.” He is a disembodied voice from the ether, much like Charlie from Charlie’s Angels.
MM
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December 12th, 2009 at 6:04 pm
I don’t know how I feel about this. Check out this video from the Onion:
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/new_live_poll_allows_pundits_to
Michael – tell me you’re not drunk with power, now that you’re winning the first test of the new “Scrutiny Hooligans Popularity Death Match” rating system.
It looks like we will soon be voting on how to execute this ‘Admin’ character. Loser.
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December 12th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
As a regular reader but infrequent commenter, I like the thumbs. It allows me to give input without clogging up the intertubes with my text drivel.
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December 12th, 2009 at 10:24 pm
Bob,
Textual drivel is the lifeblood of the internet.
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December 14th, 2009 at 12:36 am
Can’t click the thumbs on my blackberry. Why?
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December 14th, 2009 at 2:36 am
“Can’t click the thumbs on my blackberry. Why?”
Poetic. Surreal. Could you restate that in the form of a haiku?
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December 14th, 2009 at 7:13 am
No use of my thumbs
Mobile, without opinion
Unopposable.
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December 14th, 2009 at 11:09 am
Not bad. How about this one:
Magical device
Fails me when I seek to be
Gladiatory.
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December 14th, 2009 at 11:32 am
I like it!
As an historical aside, my research assistant Paloma (who just turned up after nearly a year MIA wearing a ten dollar dress and smelling of booze & cigarettes) informs me that when the Roman hoi polloi gave their thumbs up, it meant certain death. Who knew? I don’t remember seeing this in Caligula.
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December 14th, 2009 at 10:54 pm
It’s just a group censorship thing so the “elite” can put the riff-raff in their place. Not suprising.
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