Forrest

Thanks for the links. Still not entirely the wiser but happy to remain that way. Happy also to see the end of your story.

Naturally, I much preferred Romany's version of events!

Well done the pair of you. I was about to say 'Your talents are obviously wasted on OLO', but on second thoughts I think it might be just the vehicle for you.

Just don't over-indulge now will you Forrest!

Epilogue to a Duel

Forrest was amazed by Fractelle's fortuitously rapid recovery from her severed subclavian.

He understood the symbolism of Romany's spiked collar: the way she had risen to avenge Fractelle left little doubt about that; after all, the dogs of Waugh each had one similar and everyone knew how they behaved. Romany was nothing if not dogged. He didn't visualize Bronwyn having one, though. She seemed less, well .... feral.

Romany's blood red cape was impressive, Forrest granted. The red frilly knickers over the Army pants beat Forrest, however. They'd have to be very form-fitting Army pants for that combination to distract and mesmerize - not like any Army pants Forrest had ever seen! Must be a Chinese thing. With a Chinese meaning. Perhaps Foxy's post explains it best: http://forum.onlineopinion.com.au/thread.asp?discussion=2069#43048

Seajaye, Lord Dymo, Thread Labeller in Chief of OLO, after the exertions of his exhortations of Bronwyn, Fractelle, and Romany to indulge in feminazi triumphalism, had nodded off. Perhaps that was just as well. How would he be able to label this thread?

Memories of an old serialized Two Ronnies skit came to Forrest's mind. The Ronnies, held in oppressive domestic servitude under the feminazi regime that had come to power en Angleterre, dreamed and plotted escape. (Forrest could almost hear the echo's of the high-heeled quick stepping curfew patrols passing the empty pubs in the emasculated empty streets, see the toned thighs all moving in irresistible unison. Shudder!)

The day had come.

Escape!

Over the Border!

Into WALES!

Forrest realized it was only a dream. There was no Wales. There was to be no escape for him. He only hoped Ludwig had got away unnoticed without having been administered a couple of field radial keratotomies from Romany smashing his contact lenses.

With heavy heart, Forrest recognised that he had better get back to meeting Fractelle's requirements, or he would be held guilty of a thread hijack.

One thing puzzled him, though. How did Emile Zola get dragged into this?

WOW!

Romany and Forrest.

I doffs me cap to ye both; a sumptuous metaphorical cap.

FG, feel on one hand that I should've joined the game (but it was YOUR game, your rules and I was already feeling very stalked with malicious intent by The Usual Suspect).

Did I feel my thread had been hijacked? A little, but so well written and full of intrigue and humour.

Therefore, I have learned a thing or two; lighten up and trust a little more.

Romany, with your imagination and talent, I know that your courage and the support of Bronwyn and CJ (when he finishes with that hogshead) we can walk and stumble, proud and tall, into the blood red future.

Cheers.

Returning to Article 1 of the Memorandum ..............

This is my re-ordered list in accordance with Fractelle's approval given for this poll. The order is from most desired at the top of the list to least desired toward the bottom. Just copy and paste from this into your text editor or word processor, re-ordering in accord with your own preferences as you desire. Then click 'new post' in this thread, copying from your text editor into the posting pane. Then submit. Don't just read, then nod or shake your head. VOTE! That might make the OLO editoriate a little more interested.

The numbers given at the start of each line is a reference to the post(s) in which the feature was mentioned, if you want context in relation to suggestions.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

9. 11. 14. Spelling and punctuation correction edit facility for topic titles

7. 10?. 12. 14? Non-intrusive but distinct background colour for intra-Forum quotes

3. 7. 19. Bold

7. Standard sized font

3. 7. 10. 14. 19. Italic (confined to non-Forum quotes)

11. Asterisks confined to expressing sarcasm

12. 13. 16. Progressive removal of text enhancement privileges for infractions

4. OP designed mini-polls

3. 14. Coloured text options

10. 18. Reduced size links

3. 14. Variable sized font

18. Unique user avatars

17. A spell checker that does not remember the Alamo

3. 5. 14. Smileys (graphical emoticons)

3. 14. Different fonts

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Don't ask!

Do not ask!

They weren't like that in the text editor. Nor did they appear in the preview pane. The XXs extended in unbroken files and plunged to oblivion off the flat page of the OLO earth, like so many unbaptised proto-catholic lemmings, intent only upon the future they might not have . Why?, why?, why?, Forrest wondered.

The problem was you didn't get very much technical support, down here on the Technical Support threads.

Forrest knew X was the unknown quantity, but surely that didn't mean that the collegiate wisdom of Computerdom knew nothing of how XXs behaved? Why, and more importantly, how, did this seemingly shorter line of XXs in Gedit extend itself so seemingly infinitely? Forrest didn't get it. Neither the Holy Wisdom of Number nor the technical support. Heaven forbid, there was only one number involved (zero being a mere place-holder), but even if one believed the heretics and pretended that there were two, it shouldn't be that hard to formulate a theory that accounted for the behaviour of One, even if and when it was represented that that quantity was unknown!

Forrest wished R0bert was on the thread. R0bert seemed to display a knowledge of the behaviour of XXs, even if he was not a mathematician. You could get more calm common sense from him. No pretensions, unlike mathematicians. "Mathematics" - even the name was pretentious. After all, there really was only one number to be studied, Unum. Why did they put an 's' on the end of the word? So utterly pretentious and duum! And some even had the hide to call it a "science"!

It was mainly from other posters that Forrest had garnered his knowledge. Like that absolute gem of hidden truth that he had got from Ludwig only the other day. He had learned the full name of that program for cyberspatial life commonly referred to as 'Word': it was Microsoft Word!

Forrest compiled in his mind the post he would make to the Ubuntu Forums about this discovery.

R0bert watched quietly from the sidelines as Forest was unindated by XX's. Possibly glad that he did not know how Forrest had got himself into that jam. Robert had seen the fate which befell Fractelle and had not practiced his markmanship for some time nor had he ever trained in dueling. Forrest was to coldly efficient at dispatching a foe.

R0bert did wonder what Forrest was trying to do with all those XX's, R0bert has found one X to be quite adequate for his own meager needs.

R0bert