OK I am asking politely

Posted By: Kathleen DavidPosted On:

Hello,
This is Kathleen on Peter’s web log. As many of you know I am an administrator here on Peter’s site.

Among my any duties are dealing with things in the filter. I try to get to it about once a day and clear it out. Approving those things that just got stuck for some reason and getting rid of comments that don’t have anything to do with anything (Insert a chorus of Spam Spam Spam) here.

Now I have been noticing something that has been going on recently and I am watching it. Peter allows just about everyone to comment on things and allows for differing points of view to express their opinions. However, creating sock puppets to bolster your point/comments is not cricket here. You know who you are and I am asking in my most polite indoor voice to knock it off.

Thank you
Kath the Wife David

And to make this more palatable, I am going to open this thread to Ask the Wife and Ask Caroline questions if you have any. Caroline is excited about this so keep it polite and if your question doesn’t get answered, please understand that either she didn’t really have an answer or it is something I don’t want her to answer for whatever reason.

88 comments on “OK I am asking politely”

  1. I asked Peter this last time but I’d love to get an answer from y’all as well. Who is your favorite (and/or least favorite) Muppet?

    1. OK my favorite Muppet slides between a couple. Kermit and Rolf are high on the list. But my two favorite currently are Rizzo Rat and Bean Bunny although Uncle Deadly went higher on the list after the last film.

      I really don’t have any that I don’t like.

      I’ll ask Caroline hers when she gets home.

  2. However, creating sock puppets to bolster your point/comments is not cricket here.
    .
    I would have no problem if you should choose to ‘out’ those who do this.

    1. Honestly we have talked about this when it happened previously but decided to keep it quiet. This time I am pointing out that we are aware of the shenanigans but not outing anyone on this yet

      1. Sorry if I am a little slow but we are talking about the “avatar picture” being a sock puppet right?

      3. An understandable approach. But I for one miss the use of public shame for keeping folks in line.
        .
        When folks know their impolite bis going to get publicly pointed out, they tend to be better behaved. The “I want to be considerate/fair/polite and not hold them up for public scorn” approach doesn’t work. Your consideration begets their bad behavior.

      4. The only hitch is that the Internet is where shame goes to die. If you highlight specific people doing dumb ášš things like that, it could well foster similar actions by others who WANT that kind of public recognition. The same as hecklers in night clubs who are thrilled if the comedian actually acknowledges them; even if the comic rips them apart, they’re thrilled because they’ve been noticed.
        .
        PAD

    2. .
      Wait… You mean I might not be real and you won’t tell me if I am or not? How can I go about the rest of my week in confidence if no one can tell me if I’m just a figment of some blogger’s demented imagination or not?

      1. Don’t worry, Jerry, you’re probably real, it’s just that any people you may meet from time to time are merely the products of a deranged imagination. 😉

    1. Kind of a trick question for me since I read Peter’s scripts for X-Factor. Printed comic would be Issue 2 of Magento is Not a Hero. But the comic before that was the latest issue of Knights of the Dinner Table.

      Caroline: Young Justice!

    1. Caroline says “Midnight Unicorn” because “Fearless” isn’t published yet.

      Hmmmm….Hard to say…there are so many but I am partial to the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

    1. Caroline didn’t watch it.

      We watched the first episode before seeing the last episode. I hadn’t seen it first time around so this seemed like a good way to bookend the series. It tuned out to be better that we did since there were so many things that harkened back to that first episode.

      I thought at the end, “Well that’s fair.” They left it with enough questions answered that I felt that I hadn’t been “cheated” of an ending. In my mind, it all works out but it takes time.

      So satisfied Chuck Fan over all.

    1. It is when someone creates other accounts/names/handles and used them on one site to either argue with themselves or help prove their point or just stir up trouble.

      2. Thanks for the clarification. I (and probably many others) was picturing a literal sock puppet, which seemed… odd for online postings.

      3. The name comes from the image of someone trying to participate in a conversation by saying something himself, then turning to the sock puppet on his own hand and saying, “Don’t you agree, Mr. Socky?” Mr. Socky would then nod, perhaps putting in a comment in a high-pitched voice coming from the initial commenter’s own mouth…

      4. Given that Kathleen *makes* puppets, I think it’s understandable to have taken the term more literally than intended. I know it took me several seconds before the light dawned….

  7. For either Caroline, Kathleen, or both: Who do you think is going to win the Oscar for Best animated picture this year?

    1. Caroline says Rango will probably win but Puss in Boots deserves it.

      I think a cat in Paris is will win.

  8. Since Kath mentioned KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE above, here’s a KODT-related question for you (and Caroline, if she also reads the exploits of the Untouchable Trio plus one): What stories from that esteemed comic would you most like to see performed live? Most strips require nothing more than 4-5 people and a table (though at one live reading “Brian” did put a box over his head) and they can be tremendous fun! And I’ve played every Knight — yes, including Sarah — in the live readings.

    (As an aside, many astute KODT readers have pointed out that many Hackmaster items, from rulebooks to posters, appeared in the show CHUCK frequently. I’d say this was not so much a paid promotion as a fan’s love of that D&D parody.)

      1. Excellent choice: funny, epic, and also collected in one convenient volume!

        Here are some of my favorites for live reading(and they’re slightly older; haven’t updated ’em in a while):

        “A License to Hack/The Shake-Down Mission/Internally Yours/Prying Eyes”: The Knights play secret agents on a mission to Canada (which Dave thinks is communist)

        “Of Course”: Brian recounts an adventure

        “Scream of Kuchooloo”: The Knights take on the world of Lovecraft (and it’s been animated! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jbfIRh8kP8 )

        “The Streets of Muskeegie”: The Knights take on the Wild West

        “Lair of the Gazebo”: A Sara-less adventure where the Knights battle a gazebo! (also animated: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoTTLusJ8mU )

        “First Impressions:” Sara joins the group! (half the story is animated at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ow1zRZR5Dao )

        “The Cows of War”: The Knights come across a “magic” cow

        “Breaking Point”: In which the terminology of looking for traps comes into play

        “Agent of Evil!!”: The Knights battle each other (and maim themselves) over the legendary Hand of Vecna!

        “A Novel Idea”: The KODT book club! It also references Shatner, Ellison, and Shakespeare.

        “Once Upon a Crime”: The Knights try a storytelling game.

        “Stepping Up/My Little Brown-Eyed Slayer”: Sara runs a “Muffy the Vampire Slayer” rpg.

        “The Meddlers of Kataan”: The Knights play (what’s really) THE SETTLERS OF CATAN

        “Paper Hack Writer”: The Untouchable Trio argue that the LOTR movies are worse than HAWK THE SLAYER

        “Where Now Brown Cow?”: The Knights face the problem of starvation, steeds — and NPCs!

        “It Takes a Thief!” A puzzler requires the skills of Knuckles!

        “Taking One for the Team…” The Black Hands (my only one) act as an Army unit…

    1. Caroline says
      Last Unicorn
      How to Train your Dragon
      Lion King
      Finding Nemo
      Ponyo
      Lady and the Tramp
      Meet the Robinsons

      Kathleen says
      Kung Fu Panda
      Up
      Vampire Hunter D
      My Youth in Arcadia
      How to train your Dragon

      1. .
        Caroline has seen My Youth in Arcadia? Most the geeks I know that are my age have no idea what I;m talking about when I mention that one, let alone the ones decades younger than me.
        .
        An obvious sign of excellent parenting.

      2. I watched the first third or so of Meet the Robinsons and then fast-forwarded through the rest to see if they used any of Cowboy Mouth’s music in the film like they did in the trailer.
        .
        I’ve known Fred LeBlanc since ’86 and the rest of the band – well, not the latest replacement members – since ’91. Best live show you’ll ever see.
        .
        It was nice to see their music used in even just the trailer for a major film.

      4. We have seen Kung Fu Panda 2 and the TV series on Nick. Wally Shawn as a mechanical genius with a chip on his shoulder about Shifi and is a warthog is priceless in the TV series.

        I liked Kung Fu Panda 2 esp. the shadow puppet aspects of the animation.

      5. My Youth in Arcadia? Impressive choice (btw, does anyone know if My Youth in Arcadia/Arcadia of My Youth are one and the same movie?).

      6. .
        Yeah, Steve, it is. Various releases/edits over the years have been called the following.
        .
        Vengeance of the Space Pirate
        My Youth in Arcadia
        Arcadia of My Youth
        Space Pirate Captain Harlock: Arcadia of My Youth
        .
        Not all versions have been equal in quality of translation or edit by far.

  11. Try again, I got so upset I hit the wrong buttons.

    A while back I signed up for the CBR forums just to talk about X-Factor. It wasn’t long before I several other female fans were all banned for being “sock puppets” of some woman none of us had even heard of. The icing on that rotten cake was that one of the other women who was banned at the same time I was banned has opinions which are the exact opposite of mine 90% of the time; we’ve had 200+ comment arguments on lj previously. And yet we’re both supposedly sock puppets of another woman? I don’t think so.

    CBR refused to answer when I protested the banning. That banning has since spread to three other comics forums, which also refuse to answer when I ask them why.

    So if anyone doubts, this is me. I am not a sock puppet. I’ve been using the same user name online for close to a decade. I don’t cuss people out, I don’t make threats, and have any alter egos. If you’ve got a problem with me, talk to me about it.

    1. The easiest, quickest, and most common way to catch sock puppets is to check the ip addresses used to post.

      What you’re describing suggests that those sites have mods who don’t know anything about tech and/or completely inept sys admins.

      2. IDK about their tech knowledge, but I know many female fans who believe CBR doesn’t want any uppity females commenting there. Most of the women I know who have accounts there simply lurk and never speak for fear they’ll be banned next.

      3. That’s completely ridiculous. I know plenty of female CBR posters. I’ve met them in real life, even.

    2. In this case it was not allegations. It was multiple posts answering each other from the same IP address, so it’s a fact.
      .
      In any event, you need not concern yourself. We don’t ban people here, at least not that I recall. Opinions of all types are welcome here. On rare occasion we disemvowel somebody, but that’s only after repeated, toxic posts that are clearly not about expressing opinions, but simply trying to abuse people.
      .
      PAD

    3. Plus, really, no small loss re: CBR. I put the mutant chat boards in my rearview over a year ago and haven’t regretted it. And yes, I know it isn’t the same thing, since mine was a voluntary departure. But really, in a way we were both forced off: you, unilaterally and me because I just couldn’t take it anymore.
      .
      In any event, if you want to discuss X-Factor, here’s where you can do it and not fear being pushed aside. In fact, I think I’m going to go back to making a point of starting threads whenever one of my books comes out, probably a few days after the fact to give people time to read it (and in some cases find it; I keep hearing about shops not getting it in or ordering a handful of copies and selling out.)
      .
      PAD

      1. Just signing in to say a regular X-Factor thread here would be great. For what it’s worth, I think you’re much missed on CBR by the non-troll majority who appreciated your posting there and engaging with fans over each issue as it came out.

  12. Just to reference a thread Peter brought up a few months ago about people actually using their real names versus handles, does this happen with the former as well as the latter? Just curious.

    1. Harlan is fun. We went around his house which is like a TARDIS. It is bigger on the inside than it is from the outside. He has lots of books.

      The Young Justice recording was fun but they had feather pillows on the couch so I sneezed and coughed a lot. I like meeting the actors.

      Disney was great. We went on Star Tours.

  14. For Caroline: If you could’ve chosen your own name (besides “Caroline”) what would it have been?

      1. Awesome! Caroline, I have a daughter named Katherine who’s only a little younger than you — she’s 7 1/2. I’m glad you like the name.

      2. Since Caroline mentioned Harlan’s house being like a TARDIS, she’s obviously well acquainted with Doctor Who, so…

        To each of you: Who’s your favorite Doctor, and why? (And to Caroline, has any Doctor Who story really scared you?)

      3. Well you tend to love the Doctor that you first encountered so for me it is Tom Baker.

        Caroline likes Matt Smith because he is so silly looking.

        Caroline says that she finds some of it very scary like the big scary dolls and the scary angels.

      5. I’m not sure the dolls scared me, but the angels — absolutely. (The Empty Child is another one that scared me, but Caroline may not have seen that one.)

        And I agree with Caroline that Matt Smith is silly looking — but somehow that just adds to his alienness. I’m really liking Smith’s Doctor.

  15. Ooo, fun! To Caroline: Mr. David was one of my favorite writers as a youngster, and remains so to this day. Who are some of your favorite writers? (Some you will outgrow; some you will keep reading forever!)

    To Kath: What is the most interesting part of being married to such an imaginative writer? Thanks so much for sharing with us!

    1. Caroline says “Daddy! Mo Williems, Jeff Kinney, Cressida Cowell, Lewis Carol, J M Barrie, Mary Pope Osborne. (Actually she gave me the titles and I filled in the author-K)

      It is nice being married to someone who’s brain moves as fast if not faster than yours. I do get first crack at what he has written which is fun.

  16. .
    Have you ever considered doing the Muppet thing and making a life sized puppet that’s actually a suit? If so, what would it be and how crazy would you go with the design?

    1. Done that a couple of times in my career. The first was a commissioned piece for a children’s show that never got picked up.

      I have done a couple for various costumes we have presented at various conventions including a set of Gentlemen from Buffy.

      Right now I have an idea that Peter and I want to do that I’ll talk about after we do it. hee hee hee

      1. .
        You’ll have to post pics sometime if you haven’t already. I’ve seen pictures of your smaller puppets and seen some of your work at Dragon*Con, but I’ve never seen those before.

      2. “The Gentlemen” presentation was particularly interesting. Kath and I did it at Shore Leave (if I’m recalling correctly). The bit was called “Two Gentlemen of Verona.” Ariel (who was quite little at the time) came out and in a sing-song voice (pre-recorded) came out holding a heart box and reciting a version of the Gentlemen’s poem that I’d rewritten into Shakespearean verse. Then, with the Gentlemen’s theme playing, we came out were dressed head to toe in black, manipulating the full-sized puppets from behind. They were attired in the outfits of Elizabethan doctors and they were floating simply because we were holding them aloft. In the dim stage lighting, Kath and I more or less disappeared and all eyes were on the Gentlemen as their heads tilted left, right, and their hands pointed thoughtfully at difference audience members while the eerie Gentlemen music played.
        .
        Dead silence from the crowd. No “Oooo” or “whoooaa.” Nothing. No reaction. And when we floated the puppets off the stage, applause was hesitant, borderline tepid.
        .
        Kath and I were amazed. We thought, My God, they hated it. It just totally tanked. What the hëll did we do wrong?
        .
        As it turned out, we’d been too effective. Various people, not to mention a couple of the judges, came up and told us afterward that they had been utterly creeped out. They were so freaked out that they’d just sat there, paralyzed, and literally even forgotten to applaud.
        .
        I think we won a prize, but I don’t recall what it was.
        .
        PAD

    1. Hmmmm….worst so bad it’s good or why am I watching this kind of film.

      Ice Pirates comes to mind for so bad it’s good.

      Mulholland Drive because it made me seriously motion sick. And normally I like Lynch’s body of work but that film just didn’t work for me.

      1. Well, hold on, honey, because I’m coming back with a movie that I’ve been assured is quite possibly the worst film ever made. The guy who gave it to me once hosted a three dollar movie festival of bad films. The concept was that you pay three dollars and three films were shown. For every film you were able to sit through, you got a dollar back.
        .
        First he showed “Glen or Glenda.” Then they ran “Robot Monster.” And then they ran this one.
        .
        And people fled.
        .
        Two of the most notoriously lousy movies in the history of cinema and people were able to handle it, but they departed the theater and left behind their money because of this third film, which is currently sitting in my computer bag.
        .
        The name of this masterpiece that I am going to subject you to, my loving wife?
        .
        “Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla.”
        .
        If you don’t want to pick me up at the airport now, I’d understand.
        .
        PAD
        PAD

      3. This also raises the question (to me, anyway): Would such a list include movies that were featured on MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 — but *without* the commentary? I hated CATWOMAN, but that pales in badness compared to PUMAMAN. People may hate THE PHANTOM MENACE, but let ’em watch SPACE MUTINY and compare the two! And let us not forget MANOS: THE HAND OF FATE. I think MST3K-bad should be a level of cinematic hëll unto itself…

      4. .
        I have a copy of Manos (not the MST3K version) on DVD. I don’t know if it qualifies as a bad film for the simple reason that I’m still not convinced it’s a real film. The title is a sure tipoff that it’s an elaborate gag pulled on everyone by a bunch of stoned film students.
        .
        Manos: Hands of Fate
        .
        Why not be just completely goofy and call it Hands: Manos del Sino instead?

      5. Hëll, I own films that are much worse than that one.
        .
        Hëll, I’ve worked on films that are much worse than that one!

    2. Back in the days of GEnie’s Comics RT (or maybe SFRT), someone posted that a certain movie (I think it was a Fantastic Four movie before the more recent ones — one made back in the 90s) was so bad that it should’ve been released direct-to-home-video.

      I retorted that maybe it should’ve been released direct-to-MST3K instead.

      Can you think of any movies made during its run that were never actually on MST3K, but that really should’ve premiered there?

  19. Pingback: Sock Puppets in the Hands of an Angry God | PeterDavid.net

  20. For the whole David Clan:

    From this blog I know you are fans of Disney World. My wife and I are taking our son to Disney World for a week starting this Sunday for his third birthday. What attractions are must-see for a 3 year old and which “character restaurant”-for lack of a better term- do you recommend to celebrate his birthday?

    1. Chef Mickey is great for breakfast.

      The Crystal Place has Pooh Bear and his buddies and a nice mix of food.

      I think those would be good for a 3 year old.

      Peter Pan ride is a lot of fun. There is a Winnie the Pooh ride that Caroline loved at 3. She also loved It’s a Small World.Just about anything in Fantasyland.

    1. Wow, that’s a hard one….I’d love to go out for a drink with Apropos but I would be worried that something would take me out.

      I wouldn’t mind going out for a drink at Fuhrer’s and talking to the gang in Bete Noire but again worried about something taking me out.

  22. OK, as a parent of 4, this one is for Caroline (although Kathleen may well answer it as well 😉 )

    My kids know that if they want something, the “soft touch” in our house is my wife, ie, she’s the one most likely to fall for the puppy dog eyes, the cutesy voice and the “Daaaaadddyyy, I love you soooo much…..can I have some extre money please? 😀 ) routine.

    I was curious, which one of Peter and Kathleen is most likely to fall for the cheeky grin and dimples technique? In fact, what works best for you, so I know to avoid it if my girls try it? 😉

    (I totally understand if you don’t want to reveal a Trade Secret technique though!)

  23. Got any jokes? I’ll toss one of my favourites out there: Two eggs are sitting in a frying pan. First egg turns to the other and says, “Man, it’s hot in here.” Second egg yells, “Oh my Gosh, it’s a talking egg!”

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