Thread 5 - TalkExiles: "The Planet Goes On Being Round"

[Kucinghitam]

Continuation of previous lifeboat threads (thread 4).

Gather here all ye refugees from the JTT Flat Earth Society, welcome to the reassuringly oblate spheroid of MN! Ye all already know the answers to the questions "How the heck do I format my post?" "Why can't I edit my typos?" "What do those acronyms mean?" and most importantly, "Where is everybody that I used to know?"

So really we're all here just to chat randomly.

20(8x0.5)(8x0.5)

Since 8 is lucky, that should work, can't see why not.

Of course

So 2039A, 2039A1, 2039A2, 2039A3, 2039AA

Or

2039A, 2039B, 2039C, 2039D, ........2039J, 2050!

I like it!

I too took a brief look at the other place to see how, if at all, it had changed.

It hasn't. I've been online since 1995, so that's nearly 30 years. And I can honestly say that I experienced more toxicity and sheer nastiness on first GUT, NtT then JtT than anywhere else. Perhaps it's in the nature of the beast, I really don't know. But I feel that the smaller the number of posters gets the nastier it's going to get. And I really cannot see how they can attract new posters.

Like many others, I just prefer it here, it's just so much nicer. Why would you go somewhere where people are so nasty and completely unreasonable?

There are lovely people there, but over the years they've gone elsewhere so the nasty bullies and the dimwits have become a steadily larger portion of the whole. There are threads which are always fine, but if you stray beyond them there's the constant danger of finding something sinister.

Maybe the new management, who are neither nasty nor dim, will be able to change that, but the start isn't promising (I'll have another look later this evening, but so far so bad).

I didn't get the 09/08/2023A.

I twigged the lift buttons quite quickly.

Wow, just had a look at the new allowable WIMMIN thread in the other place and it’s as off-putting as all its predecessors. And some of them are excellent posters/people usually, I can’t comprehend what’s happened to them on this topic.

Feels like they’re patrolling the thread like guard dogs. There is no such thing as free speech on WIMMIN.

Stay here and talk about foraging fungi. It's much calmer.

I had a look earlier and thought the first few posts looked a lot like pissing everywhere to mark territory. It looked very much like the aim of the most vocal was to prevent anyone feeling comfortable about returning.

Last year I saw what I thought were St George's Mushrooms very near home, a bit too late to use them, so I'm going to be looking out this year- I know one other spot they grow but it's a drive away. The only other thing I got last year was a giant puffball - that was a real treat. I often have parasol mushrooms but not last year for some reason.

Has anyone used Wood Ears? I have them on dead wood in the garden but have never used them - the texture is a bit offputting, but evidently they're good in stews or similar.

I’m so surprised at the attitude of some really excellent posters that I’ve liked/admired for 20-odd years.

Anyway, whenever I think about mushroom-foraging, I remember Nicholas Evans poisoning himself and three others, and IIRC he was an “expert” on mushrooms.

I'm sorry Mavis, I know what you mean, but there seem to be two choices, continue to police which threads you post on or avoid the place altogether. I do miss the books, archaeology, boggle etc threads, but possibly not enough to go to a place heavily infested with people who have shown themselves to be total sh/ tw/ its. The 1930s Germany vibe gets ever stronger.

Has anyone used Wood Ears?

Google tells me they're very similar to Cloud Ear fungus.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_ear

Very commonly found in Chinese cuisine, in stews/soups/stir-frys. As a child, I used to dislike the texture, but now I find them very enjoyable.

I am very careful only to eat fungi that are unequivocally what they are and not remotely like anything else - the thing Evans ate doesn't come into that category - he also seems to have been very careless about identification (and not any kind of expert).

You do need to be careful with ID of plants as well as fungi - not many things are really toxic (more plants are than fungi) , but some of the ones that are have a nasty habit of destroying your liver before you exhibiting any symptoms. Good reference books, double checking, start with the very familiar.

Yes, drying and powering or shredding seems to be the way to with the Wood Ears. They often grow on elderberry bushes, appropriately enough.

DeanVolecapeAKAelderberry · Today 15:24

Yes, drying and powering or shredding seems to be the way to with the Wood Ears.

Ah, the rehabilitated name for them - I was wondering. My Polish neighbour forages and know s the Latin name and asked me what they were called in Britain, so I told her the old name, much embarrassed!

There was a Midsomer Murders the other night featured mushroom picking. Destroying Angel was used to, well, destroy someone! Very nasty. Put me off mushrooms forever!

Indeed, SinnerBoy, I'm delighted to have an alternative. I think the old name was one of the things that put me off exploring ways to use it - as you say, embarrassing.

Actually DestroyingAngel would make a great username for the new-not-really-new old place!

Or just Amanita (actually quite a pretty name).

I didn't know much about Nicholas Evans, but reading about his poisoning himself I though 'he went to one of those awful private schools with cadet corps that teach Englishmen that they know everything' so I looked him up and sure enough. It's sad that he died, but it is such a type.

Third post.

This morning I found that a newly purchased bag of fiendishly expensive kittykibble I carelessly left on the kitchen floor was badly ripped and, I suspect partly consumed.

A mystery.

Still, there's plenty left which is just as well as I am about to feed the cats. Poor Oscar had a reduced appetite for breakfast this morning for some reason and was rather thirsty. Still, he looked nicely rounded and I'm sure he'll feel better by now.

Odd, these little domestic puzzles.