You have questions, I have answers. Lets have some fun...

Cicero

1. Are you going to head to Gozo Island while in Malta? I would recommend it...it's what Malta should look like instead of that horrible concrete jungle they have...

2. Have you tried any of the local food? What do you think of it?

Kiera

What do you love most about yourself?

Skid

Why do you feel the need to sign off all your posts, when your name is in big letters beside your post?

DeVore

Earthhorse wrote: »

You've always had great ambitions for boards in terms of how it could play a role in Irish in a broader sense:

1) How close is boards to fulfilling those ambitions?

2) How compromised would boards have to become before you would consider giving up on those ambitions?

I shot for the stars with Boards, its currently at the moon but I'm pleased. I'm proud of what we have all created. Its not perfect but its good.


I will (and have) backed the moderators to the hilt. If they got ****ed over, I'd leave. They are the key to "we the people" maintaining control and being in the drivers seat. Right now we have a really really cool situation where HQ genuinely respects them and includes them, the mods do stirling work for us, and the rest of us get to enjoy something reasonably free of Big Control and "public commons".

DeV.

ballsymchugh

DeVore wrote: »

Sorry, I wasnt clear. This trip is for an implant (a screw and socket into my jaw bone) so it requires a stay.

Combine that with the foot long piece of titanium in my leg, and screw in my hip and I'm verrrrry slooooow replacing myself with Ruubot.


DeV.

he was still telling lies! best of luck with the treatment though.

alwaysadub

Why have you skipped my question?

DeVore

frozenfrozen wrote: »

What caused you to be flagged by the fbi?

My involvement with the Electronic Frontier Ireland when boards was a "mad idea" in the back of my head.

DeV.

Earthhorse

alwaysadub wrote: »

Why have you skipped my question?

What if he skips this one too? :eek:

DeVore

The Great Chinholio wrote: »

1) Do you see The Left Hook growing and attending more events in relation to it? (aswell as more dirty hacks for streams :pac:)

2) Why the Mr. Benn av? Do you also own a costume shop with a single creepy customer who never buys anything?

I'd like to do more with TLH but its a hobby, and I dont get a lot of time for hobbies, but expect more soon.

I took the Mr Benn avatar ages ago when one user (who I was taking to task for being rude) said I always turned up "as if by magic", insinuating (wrongly) I was doing some sort of invasion of privacy with his personal details. I thought it was funny as I was a big fan of the show as a kid.

I find lots of things funny which often, aren't.

DeV.

alwaysadub

Earthhorse wrote: »

What if he skips this one too? :eek:

I know!!!! My paranoia will go through the roof!

stupidusername

Your photos link in your signature isn't working DeV.

DeVore

Ghandee wrote: »

You probably have to stay a wee bit impartial, but i've a few questions about some members of boards.

1, secretly you must have had a favourite poster over the years (someone who made you laugh/agreed with their posts and views) aka, a fcuking legend!

2, same question as above, only a poster who constantly got on your nerves.

3, finally, which poster (in your view) was mistakenly given Mod status, that constantly abused their status/spoke out of line/ballsed things up in general?

Thanks

1. Not a favourite poster but I do like some posters more than others of course. Seamus has a scaaary ability to write exactly whats in my head for example. Its freaky.

2. I try to see the best in people, we've had some people who were banned come back and be great mods in later years. Everyone is capable of being more then they are imho... so no, I dont think that way but I do hate trolls and rude people.

3. That would be an ecumenical matter Ted.


DeV.

DeVore

alwaysadub wrote: »

If you could change something about boards, what would it be?


Do you still have that awesome Postman Pat Transformer that you won at the SSF comedy gig? Still think it was a fix you won it :pac:

God sorry mate, I missed this one!

What would I change?? The User Interface, its shockingly bad. But we are working on that.... one change at a time


Yes I do and I kept it for this years raffle and then ended up over here getting with dental issues during it. I will do an auction for it online I think.
It was absolutely legit heheh, no cheating involved. Honest injun!

DeV.

DeVore

minidazzler wrote: »

Will S&S ever get the go ahead as a non subscriber forum?

Where would you like to see boards in 5 years time with regard to its effect on Ireland?

No. I very much doubt it.

I would like to see every TD having a verified account and running online meetings with their constituents in a safe, 3rd-space.
I'd like to see honest true free expression without us having to "own your words". You said it. You be responsible for it.
I'd like to see every company having a rep here so they could be publically questioned about their activities... it would force them to give better service, better competition and treat people like humans rather than numbers.

Thats enough to be getting on with in 15 years let alone 5!

DeV.

DeVore

joshrogan wrote: »

what league are you currently in in SC2

I'm sorry to say I quit it in a huff a bit as I dont think the game is what I want to play and I dont think it was balanced at the time. I still love it (Dav is a HUUUGE fan and keeps me informed) but right now Swtor, Forza, Skyrim, Batman, Orcs Must Die, Defense Grid and Nightsky are all vying for my meagre leisure hours.

DeV.

looksee

Would you agree that Boards has changed over the last few years, and if so, do you thing its for the better? (I would say yes and yes, the difference being a more tolerant and mature attitude amongst boardsies). Is there any danger of Boards losing touch with the young/rebellious/anarchic element?

What u going to do next with boards would it work in another country ?
Or has it already ?
Do you have further internet ambitions ?
Oh and thanks i enjoy boards

DeVore

MadYaker wrote: »

What do you do for a living? (apart from boards)

Were you actually investigated CIA and FBI and why?

I started as a programmer, advanced to management and then left to become a freelance consultant. I pretty much have been doing that every since.


As for the CIA thing... get a coffee, here's the story:

In the early 90's I was involved in Amnesty International and was (and still am) a big proponent of the protection of people's freedom of speech. I don't mean the Feedback muppets, I mean people who are "disappeared" for saying "hey, maybe the government shouldnt be doing that!".

I was also on the fringes of the hacker movement which was a lot more idiolistic back then and a lot less "criminal". Now we have "crackers" rather then hackers. It was a golden age of the internet and BBS's etc.

In the states, Operation Sundevil kicked off and in a phenomenal coincidence, ended up kicking in the doors of one of my favourite roleplaying games designers, Steve Jackson. Put freedom of speech, internet congregation and gaming together and I think you can probably see that it was a concoction too succulent for me to ignore.

I discovered the Electronic Frontier Foundation and along with Antoin O'Lachtnaib and a few others, we set up Electronic Frontier Ireland as a branch off of EFF. We wrote some white papers for the government (which, 15 years later, they have suddenly decided are good ideas, like puting web access into libraries) and took on a few cases (like the DCU case where an idiot wrote a mail to Clinton threatening him and his wife. Cue the arrival of the US authorities. Cue DCU over reacting and shutting down all first and second year email accounts.)

Anyway, Computimes did an interview with me , remember this is way back before Boards.ie was even a twinkle in our eyes...

So, at the end of that interview they appended my name and my parents address (I was still living at home) and I thought nothing more about it and about 6 months passed uneventfully.

I arrived home one day to find my mother a bit worried and she said "there's a letter for you from the American Embassy". I opened it and found (to my utter shock) that I had been invited to a black tie evening of cocktails and nibbles to hear the american G8 (I think it was G7 back then possibly) delegation host an evening in the US Embassy. Now, there was no conceiveable reason why a nobody like me would be invited to such a thing.

I brought this into the EFI group of hactivists, rights campaigners and civil rights nuts (:)) who's response was "what are you going to do, you arent going to go are you?" ... "too right I'm going!" :) and so I donned my fathers black tie suit and armed with a copy of the "invitations" list with which a friend of mine who was, shall we say, talentedwith computers provided me. The guest list was a who's who of in irish business. The head of Telecome Eireann, the head of the ESB and I distinctly remember the head of the Irish Small Farmers Association being there too, because I couldn't work out what his connection to the event was! Mind you, I had less right to be there, but I had a ticket and so Cinders headed off to the ball.

I stood around at the "do" bored out of my fncking tits drinking top class champagne until after about 30 minutes I was approached by a guy in a suit. As best I recall the discussion it went something like this:
"You must be Tom Murphy".
"How do you know?"
"*smile* ... Look around you, you're half the age of the next youngest person"
"oh, yeah... its a pretty high powered gathering isnt it (I produced the list and thumbed it)"
"Where did you get that?"
"Off my printer"
<insert mindless friendly small talk and then slipped in right out of the blue as convivial as you like>
"So, who else is in EFI?"
"Er, I dunno. And if I did I wouldnt tell you". (er yeah, damn I'm smooth eh? :rolleyes:)

This puts him off kilter a little and I take the opportunity to guide the conversation.
"So, how come I got an invite?"
"We queried our database for people coded under certain terms and your name was among them" <I found out the terms were "Internet, computers, communications"... the implication was that they never thought to sub filter undesireables from the set of results because at that stage undesireables we're connected with such things>
"How did my name end up in your database to begin with?"
"There was an article on you in the Times a few months ago with your name and address on it." <ok, right here I remember getting very freaked because thats not he sort of thing you just 'remember'. Thats the sort of thing you know because you have read up a background on someone>
"Yeah, and?"
"Well, we coded you in our database under certain terms relating to that"
"You read the Times every day and code people according to their interests?" <I was gobsmacked>
"All media"
"What? Radio, TV, Press etc?" <my eyes were on stalks>
"Oh yes, <shrug> its standard practise in every country we operate in." <this line I remember distinctly. I was shocked>
"Should you be telling me that? You don't have to, like, kill me or anything do you? "
"Its not a secret, as I said its standard operating procedure to code all media".

At this stage I'm officially freaked but he's remarkably calm and friendly.
"So what do you do here, whats your job?"
"Oh, I'm translator...."
"Vrai? Il y a beacoup de travail pour une traducteur dans la US Embassie en Irelande?" (really? is there much work for a translator in the US Embassy in Ireland?)

He looked very amused, nodded politely and said
"It's been really enjoyable talking to you Mr Murphy". And left.

I decided to call it a draw, necked the rest of my expensive champagne and left quickly as well.

You want to know the really bizarre thing about this whole thing?
Every few years my parent's get a Christmas card from the US Embassy.

I wish I could end this by saying "and then I zipped away on my nano-wire while he shook his fist at me cursing" like it was some cool Bond story but it wasnt. It felt weird and grubby and a little intimidating.



DeV.

DeVore

Cicero wrote: »

1. Are you going to head to Gozo Island while in Malta? I would recommend it...it's what Malta should look like instead of that horrible concrete jungle they have...

2. Have you tried any of the local food? What do you think of it?

I have been to Gozo and yes, its very pretty. I like Malta too though, but mostly for its people. They seem like what Irish people used to be like though and that makes me a little meloncholy at times. Such decent honest friendly nice folk here...

I have tried the food, I love new experiences and local culture. I dont like Goats *anything* though, and I dont like olives. So I'm a bit stuffed in that regard but the food is great in general and plenty big portions! The Maltese love their grub

DeV.

DeVore

Kiera wrote: »

What do you love most about yourself?

Wow, tough one...

My depression hasnt always let me think that way. I have never thought of what I "love" about myself. I suppose I'm happy with how I make other people laugh as a priority to me. I have a compulsion to fix problems and stop people being hurt that I like too.

I dunno... I wish I could answer that question better, genuinely.

DeV.

DeVore

Skid wrote: »

Why do you feel the need to sign off all your posts, when your name is in big letters beside your post?

Force of habit. Everyone used to do it back in the old days of Quake etc. (there were no usernames on the first webboard...you signed posts on the honour system... imagine the chaos lol)

But you know what... I've been asking myself the same question lately. So... if I believe in change.... lets see if I can break that habit. Starting from this post, I will try to never sign a post again....



(I spaced down to here to sign it... lol... ngggh, this feels so wrong....).

Larianne

Are you still into the acting?

What part would you love to play the most - on screen or on stage?

DeVore

Keep em coming but I need fooooood. Back in a bit. (its fun!)


(jesus I almost signed this one too. nghgggggh)

minidazzler

Have you ever gotten in a fistfight?

Ever used a firearm and what kind?

Gordon

What forums have you subbed?!

Loopy

What did you just eat?

4zn76tysfajdxp

Loopy wrote: »

What did you just eat?

Damn it.

Earthhorse

Gordon wrote: »

What forums have you subbed?!

What forums have you snubbed?

p to the e

What languages have you programmed in?

Pacing Mule

What's the best idea you ever had ?

And what's the worst one ?

(am hoping that boards isn't your best as that's just too obvious hence the worst question too)

DeVore

looksee wrote: »

Would you agree that Boards has changed over the last few years, and if so, do you thing its for the better? (I would say yes and yes, the difference being a more tolerant and mature attitude amongst boardsies). Is there any danger of Boards losing touch with the young/rebellious/anarchic element?

I think it has changed greatly over the last while, we have had more posts in the last 2 years then all of the previous decade summed up.

Some great folk have moved on and some great folk have moved in. I'm ok with that because everything changes.

I've become (somewhat) less rebellious and more at peace in some ways and I have a feeling Boards has mirrored that too. But I think its actually more truly anarchic then ever now. Anarchy isnt wrecking everything around you, thats Chaos. Boards muddles along, deciding its own rules for the most part, being run by the users for the most part, and while nothing which touches humans ever remains perfect, I think its longevity shows that there is something here more than most "social" media has.

Humans are the weirdest, squishy, illogical things sometimes so anything to do with them is always going to be "best efforts" rather than perfection.... once you sit back and accept that, things get a lot more Zen around here...


DeV.

histories

You sound like a cross between Neo and James Bond.......... I like it!

DeVore

Nash Careful Saga wrote: »

What u going to do next with boards would it work in another country ?
Or has it already ?
Do you have further internet ambitions ?
Oh and thanks i enjoy boards

I dunno what we will do next with Boards. I kinda got to the end of my Underpants Gnome plans but I'd like to see it mature into the place where Ireland talks to itself.

I have lots of further internet ambitions. The question is do I have the drive to do them. I'm going to see this year... I doubt I will ever be fortunate enough to be at the right place in the right company to do something as life shattering as Boards.


You're welcome, but its everyone who makes Boards, not just me.

HandsomeDivil

Give a brief summary of your life.

44leto

Its a very good service and its free, I have had numerous queries answered, I am about to ask the cycling thread the best cycling rain gear on the market, there is no where else in Ireland you can do that as well. It a good laugh as well.

Its amazing what you got from starting a silly play forum on "Doom" not a question more an I salute you good sir.

DeVore

Larianne wrote: »

Are you still into the acting?

What part would you love to play the most - on screen or on stage?

Yes I'm still interested in acting. Its a rush! But I dont get as much time as I'd like at it and doing a play is a huge committment because you cant just come and go as you please, you have fellow actors to consider.I dont want to be a dick to them.

I am currently watching Sherlock and I dont think I've ever identified with a character as strongly (except cut out all the "cool" bits... I mean his seeming inability to understand why people act the way they do and their "logic" and the way most people see him as a freak... that bit is me ). So I would love to play that on stage!

In traditional stage/screen... I would love to do "One night in November" which is a great great one man play... or one of "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead". Awesomely funny play for a mathematician

DeVore

alwaysadub wrote: »

Why have you skipped my question?

I thought this was a really clever question for a minute and was sure you were fooling me. Very meta... But no, I was just a dufus.

DeVore

Earthhorse wrote: »

What if he skips this one too? :eek:

I wont.

Jesus Shaves

Why did MCD want the details of a boards poster, does the poster still use boards?

Any chance of a job?

Kiera

Why start this thread in AH?

4zn76tysfajdxp

I've already asked a question so feel free to skip this but: What was your first computer? And if you ever met me would you squeeze my headcheeks?

Earthhorse

DeVore wrote: »

I am currently watching Sherlock and I dont think I've ever identified with a character as strongly (except cut out all the "cool" bits... I mean his seeming inability to understand why people act the way they do and their "logic" and the way most people see him as a freak... that bit is me ). So I would love to play that on stage!

In traditional stage/screen... I would love to do "One night in November" which is a great great one man play... or one of "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead". Awesomely funny play for a mathematician

If you identify with Sherlock and want to do some Tom Stoppard, surely The Real Inspector Hound would be your thing?

DeVore

minidazzler wrote: »

Have you ever gotten in a fistfight?

Ever used a firearm and what kind?

When I was a kid I found it very hard to interact with other kids sometimes. I had my close friends sure but I am not good with "social" settings (how ironic is that). This lead me to resolve a lot of conflict with my fists and I found I have a real talent for it. I've never lost a fight in my life. That sounds like a brag but its not something I'm terribly proud of.

When I left primary school in Coolock (rough school, great teachers, sh*t priests).... I went to Belvedere (great everything, priests still a bit dodgy but better than most). There I couldnt fight my way through things but I tried and very nearly got suspended.

John "Titch" Brown saved my life there. After I had won a particular ugly fight I was to be expelled and he put his ass on the line for me (and kicked mine behind the scenes). He made me use my head rather then my fists and changed the course of my life. I owe him a lot.

I got into martial arts (Kempo) to come to terms with my anger and now I train Muay Thai (on and off) for health and fitness and to maintain my mental discipline and control.



I shot a gun once in California at the age of 20 ... it was some small semi auto with a Caleco clip with 50 rounds, it was terrifyingly destructive but fun in a very bad way
Some army guys took me because they were shocked and disgusted that I was about to turn 21 and hadnt shot a weapon. Nice guys, carboots full of automatics.

DeVore

Gordon wrote: »

What forums have you subbed?!

Administrators
Admins*
After Hours*
Audio-Video Editing*
Battlestar Galactica & Caprica*
Beer Guts & Receding Hairlines*
Boards Writers (private atm)
Digital Art & Design*
Elections*
Extreme Sports*
Feedback*
FeedForward
Forum Requests*
Gambling*
Help Desk*
Humanities*
Minecraft*
Mixed Martial Arts [MMA]*
Moderators*
Nein 11*
No Drama Theatre Group*
Photography*
PlayStation*
Poker*
Politics*
Santa Strike Force
Site Development*
Stand-Up Comedy*
StarCraft*
Subscribers*
The Cuckoo's Nest*
The Workshop*
World of Warcraft*
Xbox*

DeVore

Loopy wrote: »

What did you just eat?

Lamb tikka and currently munching through Chicken Jalfrezi.

DeVore

Earthhorse wrote: »

What forums have you snubbed?

All the other ones


Ok, seriously, I dont get into the private social forums. I try to treat them all equally because sometimes it can get awfully "handbags" between them.

DeVore

p to the e wrote: »

What languages have you programmed in?

I learned programming from a guy who programmed with a soldering iron. I kid you not
He felt that punchcards were "cheating" a bit and were for engineers (pejoratively!).

My first programming experience was hacking Ye Ar Kung Fu on the Vic 20 to make it harder. I learned Basic that way. My mother used to shout at me that I would never become anything if I didnt get off that "damned computer". I get untold pleasure reminding her of that when she is on at me about something


I started with assembler on an 8086. 3 lifetimes ago. Then it was C (the plus sign hadnt been invented back then). Then Fortran, Pascal, C++ Visual Basic and that was the last language I learned (I dont count HTML as a language and Java is "cheating" and for "engineers").

DeVore

Pageant Messiah wrote: »

What's the best idea you ever had ?

And what's the worst one ?

(am hoping that boards isn't your best as that's just too obvious hence the worst question too)

I think probably Boards is the best idea I've ever had. There was that one about sucking my own d*ck but that didnt work out as well

*ahem*
The best idea after that was quitting my ridiculously highly paid consultancy gig with the bank to cycle across Europe. That was awesome. You get one life, dont sell it for any price.



the worst idea was probably thinking "I wont buy money.com and sex.com, I cant afford it" as a student.



JESUS THIS NOT SIGNING POSTS IS FREAKING ME OUT!! lol.

cml387

I wanted to ask a deep and meaningful question but in the end...was Trent for real or a superb p!sstake?

Oranage2

Who's your favourite non admin/mod boardsie?