You got it PolyBoaz, I’m an old winker from way back!

Hey yes, wouldn’t a video facility be great on OLO!

That’s an excellent Youtube.

Dear Steel,

Thank You for your kind words.

I'm not sure that I deserve them - but it
was comforting to get such a warm hug
from an unexpected source on a cold winter's day. :)

Personally I wonder what's happened to our other
OLO contributors, people like - Vanilla, David Boaz,
Romany, Ginx? Just to name a few.
I miss them very much and keep hoping that they'll
be back soon.

We do need their strong voices.

I too used to be a avid reader and contributor to OLO, but now I can go days at a time without clicking the OLO "bookmark" at all.

What happened? Two things in reality. One was frustration, caused in part by the fact that so many people appear to be out to hurt the feelings of others and I've been guilty of it too on the rare occasion. The other is that I've become more focused on educating people on the advent of Peak Oil and the population explosion caused by our addiction to once plentiful and cheap fossil fuels, so I tend to stick to sites dealing with those issues and there's plenty to keep me busy.

Also in relation to frustration, I couldn't begin to describe the frustration I feel when someone touts the benefits of the soon to emerge "hydrogen economy." I've gone to great lengths at times to explain just why the hydrogen economy simply isn't possible, only to find the same person/poster over and over again making statements about how great the emerging hydrogen economy will be and how it will allow humanity to keep going with "business as usual." In the end, I decided to stop banging my head against the brick wall and ceased being an OLO contributor. I feel much the same way about the Christian fundamentalists who appear on this site. I don't hate religion, but attempting to argue the logic of religion with fundamentalists is another 'head banging' exercise.

Another factor I found was that there's plenty of well educated posters at OLO and they say it much better than ever I could, so I feel I have nothing of significance to offer on most subjects.

So yes, I'll continue to look in on OLO every now and then, but no longer have the same fire and passion I once had to become involved in discussions.
Aime.

Ludwig

OLO has enough relevance to keep me tuning in - although I don't have the time to spend as much as I'd like.

There are certainly some magnificent contributors here, who have taught me a lot. And then there are others for whom a picture speaks volumes (or, in this case a cartoon):

http://images.ucomics.com/comics/nq/2008/nq080731.gif

In conclusion, does OLO have any significance or relevance?

We will know the answer to that by the end of this decade...

PS

Foxy, dear, Polycarp IS Boaz - therefore, you need not miss his inimitable posts.

;-D

Spikey,
You do begin to sound like a cracked record I have to say! But I thought I would help you out on a couple of points.
Publishing six articles each day offers readers a choice of material and I would doubt that many people would get through them all. But it does allow us to offer a range and depth of opinions, which after all is what we are about.
I don't have another job as a tutor or anything else. So no padding with students' essays I am afraid.
And if you (or anyone else) would like to take a gander at what OLO was doing a few years ago you can find them here: http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://onlineopinion.com.au/. Happy reminiscing.
To everyone else, I am delighted to read how relevant and significant OLO is to you.
Susan Prior - editor

SusanP

Who's a tad defensive, then? Let's change the needle and see if that helps you out.

Publishing six articles each day 'offers readers a choice of material'. Yes, I agree, especially if every now and then one is of high quality.

Offering six articles each day offers 'a range and depth of opinions'. Well yes to range, but decidedly no to depth. Two different concepts, Susan.

Re my tutor jibe, I'm surprised you are so literal-minded. But really, some essays I wouldn't give more than a bare pass to in my courses.

'No padding'? Well come on, Susan, you know some of the articles are written by people with no particular expertise and no more understanding of the issues than the average person on the street. I'd love you to be a more more selective as to quality of argument and prose style.

I know I should be more grateful Susan, but they're not always pearls you cast - free of charge - among us swine. I'm sure you're much happier to hear nice music from 'everyone else'. Most people don't like discord, even if it's true.

Now, I'll go out and buy an iPod. Anyone want some old scratchy 78s?