(Just cut and pasted since I didn't feel like retyping it and most everyones emails are hidden),

Dr. Farmer

Since my mother always accepts=A0 my work no matter what, I was very calm i=
n producing the first paragraph. Here is what I came up with and I am very =
proud of it:

"Shrouds of grey, blinding mist curtain the highest purple mountain, where =
dwell the gods of old. By their desirous and loving hands they crafted all =
galaxies, dimensions and universes- etching endless leagues of black space =
through blank, empty walls, awakening stars from nonexistent slumbers and..=
..."

So far that is all I have but my mother, who teaches kindergarten, assures =
me to not rush; as, "Son," she would say, "You do your best work and the
language flows from you when your mind is calm and in no rush to jot down, in=
full detail, the visions and ideas which present themselves to you". Of co=
urse it wasn't this poetically said but my point is that sometimes the best=
advice comes from the ones right in front of you; your family and loved on=
es.

I am glad and honored to share this piece with you all. I hope you like it. And=
in the forum I left a response, in complete agreement of course, but pose =
another question. See if you can dissect it and understand what it is. I re=
fer to it as an "Illness".

Your always very wise and I've never gotten the chance to find out more abo=
ut you. Would be glad to learn more about the person that is Dr. Farmer as well as
others on here. Seems we all don't get the chance to know one another these days.
Thank you and hope your Valentines day came with the sweet fragrance of flo-
wers in a grassy meadow,

Charles D. O'Connor III (oconnor, cd)

P.S. I have some personality disorders but I am capable of finding tranquil=
ity in both my life and tales, I just have to work harder. And this is the =
result at least in my works. In my social life I am discovering and enjoyin=
g the company of a beautiful, young lady. Though it upsets me when I find I=
have to give up the male attitude of old and admit I need some reassurance=
that I am doing well. In a way it defeats the purpose of me learning to co=
ntrol my emotions and achieve a state of tremendous tranquility and confide=
nce. Life is a journey, ongoing, I guess. Sorry if I seem to be rambling on=
but you just seem to be an encyclopedia of knowledge, beauty and insight. =
Sort of like an H.P. Lovecraft and R.H. Barlow relationship (which by the w=
ay I just obtained the original manuscript of Barlow's story "The Root Gath=
erers" and with penciled corrections in his very own hand) I obtained it fr=
om lwcurry.com for a bizarre price of only $67.00. Guess it was
meant to be. Hope to obtain some CAS pictures and Lovecraft pictures soon.=
I am becoming quiet the collector.

Its all in self discovery and letting go, which, sadly, todays society frow=
ns upon, and its tough for me but I am making it, with help and friendly pu=
shes from many on the CAS forum. Lastly, I am just beginning to read "A Don=
Juan In hell" as you suggested, and I am enjoying it very much.

It is seldom a good idea to share private information, under your actual name, in a public forum such as this one. Anyone, anywhere in the world, can read what is on this board, and what you post is just a quick googling away from the eyes of your worst enemy.

In addition to what Jojo wrote, above, I would add that almost everything on the Internet is archived, and will be available for perhaps millennia to come. Further, employers now almost routinely do Google searches for prospective employees' names.

I used to be somewhat naive about all this, as well. Now, my view is that it is wise to exercise at least some discretion, unless you believe in complete transparency, and that your personal feelings and private opinions should be tied to your legal name and exposed quite literally to anyone--in which case, more power to you, and good luck!

Kyberean Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I used to be somewhat naive about all this, as
> well.

I sense a story here.

Quote:

I sense a story here.

*Chuckles* No, nothing dramatic. In fact, I used to post under my legal name at this site, too. I figured that, if anywhere is safe, then it would be a CAS site. The irony is that I have had more acrimonious exchanges here than at any other Web forum. CAS admirers, myself included, are a sensitive and sometimes touchy lot, it seems!

Kyberean Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> In addition to what Jojo wrote, above, I would add
> that almost everything on the Internet is
> archived, and will be available for perhaps
> millennia to come.

Which tends to suggest to me that if someone -- worst enemy or not :) -- really wants to find who's behind your pseudonym, he/she'll manage to do it one way or another. There's always somewhere something that you left behind that will eventually betray your true identity. Your IP, to begin with. And I guess future AIs will be able to trace posters by their style, choice of words, etc. To think that one can hide oneself efficiently behind a pseudo is what is truly naive, IMO.

Philippe Gindre

Chipougne Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> To think that one can hide oneself
> efficiently behind a pseudo is what is truly
> naive, IMO.

The question was whether it is a good idea to reveal sensitive information about yourself (or, indeed, other people) in the most public medium available, where it is instantly accessible to anyone. In some cases, that is exactly what people wish to achieve, but I think that often they have simply not thought the matter through carefully. When posting on a board like this one it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you are engaged in a private conversation with a small number of individuals---the ones you see posting in the thread---but the reality is exactly the opposite: You are addressing the whole world, or at least anyone in the world who is potentially interested. In addition, if you use your real name, you become a public figure and as such, under most legal systems, lose some of your rights as a private citizen.

Quote:

To think that one can hide oneself efficiently behind a pseudo is what is truly naive, IMO.

Agreed, but, as Jojo indicated, that isn't the point. The point is that coupling personal information with one's legal name online is unwise. It's equally unwise to make discovering one's actual identity easier than it is.

Anyway, I am just offering some friendly unsolicited advice, which others can take or leave, as they choose. It doesn't matter to me. Indeed, I recall reading one article in which the person suggested that we should all be unafraid of revealing our intimate selves to the entire world via our message board postings, Facebook and Myspace profiles, and the like. This person even suggested that employers might find it odd to do a Google search and not find enough online traces of their present or prospective employees. I think that this view is utterly daft, myself, but then, a few exceptions aside, I am not exactly noted for being attuned to the modern world.

(And by the way, it is possible to make oneself nearly impossible to trace online if one uses a good anonymizing system).



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 15 Feb 09 | 03:50PM by Kyberean.

Oh yes, I see your point more clearly now. Agreed.
But posting anonymously on a CAS forum... For me that gives the whole discussion a biased tone that just don't appeal to me. Again, I understand your point and I don't doubt that under many circumstances your attitude is quite justified. But saying "I" under the guise of a fake name here doesn't make sense to me. It may truly be wise to do so, but the situation it creates sounds unsatisfactory.
If you consider Gavin Smith's yahoo group (known to many members of the present forum since most members of the old Zothique Nights group joined it en masse a few years ago), I must say that I find the ambiance there more friendly, and discussions more constructive, just because most members post under their real name. Of course, in your perspective, that doesn't mean we know them at all, they may well be telling lies all the time.
By the way, what kind of job can be denied to someone on the grounds that one uses one's spare time to share literary impressions on a forum like this one? I'm not being ironical at all, I'm just wondering.

Phil

Phil,

I understand your point, as well, with regard to the use of legal names in online fora. The idea of correlating civility of discussion with open use of legal names is interesting, and there may be something to it. Myself, I speak my mind regardless of the name under which I post. Therefore, the name used wouldn't matter in my case, but you'll simply have to take my word for that.

I also am always happy to correspond privately with individuals, and I always use my legal name when doing so. My intent in using obvious pseudonyms is simply not to make it easy for anyone browsing or searching online to find my opinions and correlate them with my actual identity. I am certainly not "hiding" from those with whom I am directly communicating.

As for concerns about employers scouring the Web for potential and current employees' names, and the like, it could create problems because of the fact that, in the U.S., non-union employees (who are the vast majority) have very few job protections. Most employees are "at will", which means that an employer can fire them with no notice or severance simply because he does not like the color of their socks! Of course, my example is silly, but that's to give a bluntly expressed idea of the situation. An interest in obscure poetry, for example, could strike many potential employers as odd or eccentric, as being the sign of an independent mind. Most American employers, I suspect, don't want such employees.

To be clear, I think that the example. above, applies more to prospective employees, and not to current ones. I doubt that an otherwise well thought-of employee would lose his job because of a lately discovered eccentricity.

You also mention spare time activities. Unless there are specific provisions written into a state's law to protect workers, American employers can also fire an employee if the employer disapproves of the employee's spare time activities. In case you have not guessed by now, American employment law is weighted very heavily in favor of the rights of employers. That is not a politically partisan statement, either: It is a plain statement of fact. As a former practicing attorney, I know whereof I speak.

Anyway, much more to the point, discussions in this very forum, as you know, often range far from matters literary. In fact, one unfortunate "flame war" in which I participated a while ago involved my defending the use of certain illegal drugs. This is not information that I want prospective employers to know!

So, in the end, I would say that pseudonymity online has advantages and drawbacks. The drawbacks are that pseudonyms can encourage trollish and other forms of bad behavior, and can make one's interlocutors wonder about with whom they are communicating. The advantages are that pseudonyms offer at least a basic "front line" level of privacy protection to the individual, and also encourage more frank and forthright expressions of opinion.

Poor CD must be wondering what happened to his original thread! Sorry about that....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 16 Feb 09 | 08:51AM by Kyberean.

There are several other advantages associated with anonymous discourse. While some people believe it encourages lack of manners, it is nevertheless the case that if a "Jojo Lapin X" insults a "Kyberean" it has no potential legal consequences, whereas the same thing using real names might end in a lawsuit. (Although a former attorney would know better than to sue anyone, of course.)

Furthermore, anonymity, at least ideally, encourages a focus on ideas rather than personalities. The plumber and the PhD are on equal footing as long as what they say is intellectually sound.

OConnor,CD Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> (Just cut and pasted since I didn't feel like
> retyping it and most everyones emails are
> hidden),
>
> Dr. Farmer
>
> Since my mother always accepts=A0 my work no
> matter what, I was very calm i=
> n producing the first paragraph. Here is what I
> came up with and I am very =
> proud of it:
>
> "Shrouds of grey, blinding mist curtain the
> highest purple mountain, where =
> dwell the gods of old. By their desirous and
> loving hands they crafted all =
> galaxies, dimensions and universes- etching
> endless leagues of black space =
> through blank, empty walls, awakening stars from
> nonexistent slumbers and..=
> ..."
>
> So far that is all I have but my mother, who
> teaches kindergarten, assures =
> me to not rush; as, "Son," she would say, "You do
> your best work and the
> language flows from you when your mind is calm and
> in no rush to jot down, in=
> full detail, the visions and ideas which present
> themselves to you". Of co=
> urse it wasn't this poetically said but my point
> is that sometimes the best=
> advice comes from the ones right in front of you;
> your family and loved on=
> es.
>
> I am glad and honored to share this piece with you
> all. I hope you like it. And=
> in the forum I left a response, in complete
> agreement of course, but pose =
> another question. See if you can dissect it and
> understand what it is. I re=
> fer to it as an "Illness".
>
> Your always very wise and I've never gotten the
> chance to find out more abo=
> ut you. Would be glad to learn more about the
> person that is Dr. Farmer as well as
> others on here. Seems we all don't get the chance
> to know one another these days.
> Thank you and hope your Valentines day came with
> the sweet fragrance of flo-
> wers in a grassy meadow,
>
> Charles D. O'Connor III (oconnor, cd)
>
>

Dear young friend -- Several observations: first literary - your writing included in this post is interesting, I am concerned about "awaking from non-existent slumber" ? Explain that some more for me sometime --
Secondly: If you do not have a copy of "The Sword of Zagan" then you should get it and read my memoir - it will tell you a good deal about me, should you wish to know more - I should certainly be interested in chatting with you. There are several writers to this forum who regularly call and consult/chat regarding their literary efforts. "Sword" also has photos which I took of Clark, including one which appears occasionally on this site when opened - you are welcome to copy them from the book - the only one I did not take is of Clark as a schoolboy. That was printed by permission of an old friend in Auburn named Gene Scott - Gene was our home town "Curly" in a local production of "Oklahoma" back in the 50's, so he must be around 80 something now - had a beautiful natural untrained voice, made his living driving a D-9 Cat, clearing land, etc. I myself, spent my early years every summer for 12 years, until age 24, in hard labor in the fruit industry in Placer County, usually from 80 to 100 hours a week, my highest wage was $1.75 -
started at .50c - "O quae mutatio rerum" (final line from German drinking song, "O Alte Burschenherligkeit".