What should we do with the Avatar Unit?

I dont know if I'm alone in this but I do find it useful, especially to see who of my contacts are online.

Also the fact that alot of my contacts are in America or Australia means that there mostly online when I'm not so I find it handy as a shortcut to my profile to see my last posts and if anyone has commented on things I've posted, or questions I've asked/answered.

I don't use the recommended content that is suggested on there but I think the other features are useful, I'll be interested to see what others think about this and how often it actually is used :)

I have not set-up an avatar, I do like many of them that others use.
I just have not tried them yet, as I do not want to overload the already loaded TR servers.
When I stop getting long load times and/or page not found errors often, I may play a bit with them. But, I guess I am usually online when many others are, because ever since I joined TR, I have always suffered with these issues.

I never have liked that. maybe the country.
native language would be more helpful. imho.
just fix the site so all the programming works like it should. i always like to visit the questions, i hardly ever go anywhere else. the things i find to be little aggravations (ahem) have to do with stuff like: when I click forums/then questions (sigh, i am already clicking more times then i want to) i asked for questions once, twice and now...the link takes me to wait for it...Discussions so three times i must click to make it to Quesitons.) maybe my avatar could have a link that takes me directly to new questions.
also i do love it when i get a, er, point. i don't like having to hunt for what post awarded me the point. a link to the last post i got a point for would also be fun.

That match what you have in your newsletters. That, I would like.

truthfully, I don't really watch the contacts online part. I know others do. When I want to see that, I just go to my profile to check on it.

I don't think the My Updates every truelly reflected updates to what you have particpated in. Things would scroll off. I'm not sure if that was based on date/time stamp, with latest being shown first? I would rather see topics I am following with the most updates first. And then desending from there. Sort of like a hot topics, but what you are following.

Just a sugestion. I'm happy to be truthfull with the way it is.... I've gotten use to the navigation, so I can pretty find what I'm looking for anway.

Dan

But I do like knowing who's on-line and who isn't, so I can look for responses (or not). The Updates only ever show the three most recent updates to usually around 10-15 active discussion subscriptions, so I relied on the email notifications that I'm no longer receiving (my cheap shot! ;) ) more often than not.

as a gateway to the content I am following. However of late it is hasn't been updated. Until the past couple of days "My Updates" didn't reveal anthing subsequent to 4/11 in spite of the fact that I had been posting and subscribed to several new discussions/questions. As of today, none of my updates of yesterday are listed, only 2 of the 4 times that Bloc added me to his/her contacts along with another member who has added me to his contacts.

I like to use it as a gateway to threads I am following, and hope that issues with it get worked out soon. I also like the tabs just the way they are, and would prefer to keep it as it is.

And there was feasting and revelry among the peasants, and they slaughtered the fatted calf, and drank wine, and knew virgins (the few they could find around here).

I don't know why "Job Role", "Location" and "member since" need to be shown -- I know what my job is and where I'm at... If I want/need to see those things I can go edit my profile. It would appear that you are just trying to fill some space -- how about some site or user stats (number of visits, number currently online, number of new posts per second, etc.) or some additional tab selections (see next).

I like the current tabs, but maybe you could move the "my forum posts" link down to there. What the heck, move all the links from the uppermost right-hand to there (My Workspace, My Newsletters, etc).

And, of course, I HATE the animated advertizements that are just below it.

I can see the avatar etc. but there is no evidence of any blue box

It's easy to find out where you have been what is happening and much more importantly when I can stop answering questions when I reach that magic 666 figure. :D

Much more importantly with knowing those of your contacts currently On Line you know where not to tread for your own safety as some of the girls are getting slightly out of control like with that Bat Mobile sub thread that you had to pull. :^0

I actually find it quite useful though I don't use the Recommended or My Updates because they just don't offer enough for my needs but it's a must to know who's currently On Line so you can sneak in something and have a day or so to ready yourself for the comeback from the out of control females lead by GG who you crowned the [b]Queen Geek.[/b] :0

She has lead so many astray for the True Path of the Righteous that it's no funny and the worst thing is that they are enjoying themselves. :(

It's was also quite useful over the past few days when TR was having Issues so that you could navigate back to see where or what you had posted to and when you get someone accepting a answer it's very easy to find out what it was that proved useful and extremely fast to see it as well.

Col

Hi Beth,

I actually never realized there were tabs so you can look at who is online and updates. I'm sure that they are useful to some people, but not to me. I sometimes look at the recommended tab and wonder why those things are recommended to me.

I really don't like the Avatar and my information prominently displayed when I go into TR. It doesn't bother me when I'm on my home computer, but if I bring up your site at work, I really don't want people there to see that information as they may search on some of my posts and see that I've been griping about them. :^0

AV

It does not have enough in it to be really useful to me, to be honest, and with the tabs, it is more clicks to be useful than a "one shot" page. I really do not use the "Contacts Online" feature, "My Updates" were always where it was at for me, and since it is not the default, I do not use it. Most of the information in it (like my personal details about myself!) are not helpful.

If anything, I think it should be replaced by details of whoever wrote what you are reading!

J.Ja

I'm getting used to the Blue Box.
I do use the Contacts, i've used the updates a couple times, i don't really use the recamended.

If i had my way, i'd change the "Recamended" to "Discussions i am posting in"..as then its at my fingertips rather than clicking, then clicking again, and clicking yet again.

Would anybody be interested in having some sort of indicator in the message threads about who is on-line in the thread?

For instance, people who are on-line would have their links printed with the word "OnLine" next to their name just like you have "NEW" next to recently posted messages.

Would that work? Would anybody care? Would I get a raise for asking?

I think the information displayed in the avatar box is controlled by the same widget that displays it under your posts. Remove the data from one and you remove it from the other. I'm sure some staffer will correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm used to it.

Of course, that doesn't mean it can't be changed.

Gods, there's so much I can do with that I don't even know where to begin. I think the best of the bunch is probably:

I posted a massive update to the porcelain server.

http://tinyurl.com/fz854

Then to make things cleaner and not as time consuming to load the new layout was adopted so that it allowed faster page loads and a less cluttered look.

Col

;o)

Dan

.

Thought I passed along the update.

The senility is deeper than I thought...

There's another TR member, who's handle I don't recall, - owing to his being an asshole - now claiming to be from your old haunt. Quite frankly, he's given Hell a bad name.

In any case, welcome back; I hope life's better for you now, wherever you are.

since you've publicly 'fessed up, I must say that this "senility" excuse is wearing a bit thin.

I happen to know that you're well my junior, and your using my age related excuses before I do just won't do. Have you youngsters no respect for your elders anymore?

We can all fly like an eagle, and my avatar reminds me of that every time I log in to TR. I hope it might even remind others of the same thing.

For some, it defines their persona, for others, their mood (at the time), and for almost everyone who's been around a while, instant recognition of an old acquaintance.

I hope you keep it just the way it is. What's that old saying about fixing something if it ain't broke?

But you were probably talking about the blue box that we see, and the avatar would remain where it appears otherwise. Well, the same applies. It ain't broke.

Except T2 is trying to use agility to pull the guile care from your hand! :)

Ok, I guess the real saying was "age and craftiness will beat youth and agility every time."

After the hot flashes start, you can claim anything you like... as long as you're me.

You may be chronologically older but I am funcionally more senile! :D

Were it not for the demands of women, would so many men be taking drugs for the treatment of ED? I suspect not.

To quote from one of my favorite songs, "I ain't got it all that bad." - Montgomery Gentry

trying to find out what happened to you.

Owing to my exceedingly variable schedule, a crashed hard drive in my main machine, TR having changed the headers in their e-mails such that many are now dumped into my general inbox rather than the appropriate folders, etal., I'm still playing catch-up here at TR. I still have over 670 un-tended to TR e-mails!

I did, however, notice that I'd not seen any sign of you here for some time, and was just about to start a discussion inquiring if anyone had heard from you, knew if you were expected to return here, etc..

Your showing up now was a quite serendipitous.

Glad to see that you're still on the right side of the grass.

Figuratively speaking, I had a totally unexpected kick in the head at an extremely low point in my life and to keep my formerly, somewhat tenuous grasp on the top side of the dirt in reality I had to take a break to sort things out.

It's suffice to say that a few folks seem to think that they gain something from kicking people when they're down. For a few fine folks its the "in" thing to do.

It's unfortunate in some ways but I've known for a long time that there's a lot of truth in the saying, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

Onward and upward.
Yesterday's gone.
It's real good to see you too.

Now, for a rhetorical question, what are the chances of you playing nice with everybody?

Sandy ALWAYS plays well with others...

Ish.

Well, me, anyway.

:)

"[i]Polite conversation is rarely either.[/i]" -- Fran Lebowitz

"[i]A true gentleman is one who is never unintentionally rude.[/i]" -- Oscar Wilde

BTW, are you trying to do the pink ribbon avatar switch here at TR this year? Owing to my volatile schedule - perhaps absence of any real schedule would be more appropriate - I missed participating last year. I don't recall when it was; but, my recollection is that it was in the next 2 months or so.

In theory? It's feasible. In reality? It's not. :_| :( :| :) :^0

"[i]In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice; in practice, there is.[/i]" -- Chuck Reid

In this case, I doubt that it's even theoretically possible, absent humans possessing a hive mind, not unlike that of the Borg as portrayed on Star Trek.

In practice, it is sometimes necessary, for the greater good, that bullies be publicly confronted and taken to task for their ill mannered behavior, lest they continue to bully others.

"[i]The only thing necessary for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing.[/i]"

On other matters, how is your health situation? At last report, you were still recovering from your accident.

And, assuming that you really did move to California, and without asking you to here reveal more than you care to, did you move to the south or the mountainous north?

I look at the theoretical possibility as, "if I can do it, you can do it." The reality is, I can't do it either.

I may tilt at different windmills than others do but I still have my own sense of right and wrong that drives my actions, some of which I may regret later but who isn't subject to all of the faults us humans have?

I don't mind telling about the wrist.
A month ago I finally reached MMI, (Maximum Medical Improvement). If I try hard I've got 50 degrees total ROM (Range Of Motion) in flexion and extension. Normal is anywhere from 165 to 180+. I have about 10 deg. total ROM side to side.

Most of the time I have zero pain.

My grip strength is better than my Doctors.
I had an FCE, (Functional Capacity Exam) and I've been measured at 205#'s in a straight lift, arm hanging straight down, on that hand if I flex my knees and and pull hard.

My strength drops and pain rises fast with other motion. I can't put a stoopid 15 pound box on a shoulder high shelf with my right hand alone. She stopped at 60#'s with my left hand. Ran out of weight to fit in the box.

The upshot of the whole thing is that I'm restricted to light to medium duty for my dominant right hand. That kicked me out of the job classification I had when I smashed my wrist bones. To quote the MPT (Master Physical Therapist) directly, "I'd be afraid to have you on the road in a semi". My Doctor agreed with the results of the FCE.

Now if I can find even a "toilet cop" job that pays decent I am good to go.

About the rest? I'll just say this. If it ever became necessary I'd trust you with my exact location.

It also brings to mind the situation re. my best friend.

Approx. 10 yrs. ago he suffered severe eye damage owing to the accidental deployment of an air-bag in a rental car. Ford disavowed any responsibilty, claiming that there was no defect present, and that the deployment had to have been triggered by a real event of the type for which the air-bag was intended to protect against; this despite the fact that the incident occurred while parking the vehicle, with no other vehicles or other objects involved.

His lawyer eventually found out that there was indeed a known defect, one that Ford had managed to keep secret; still, Ford refused to make a settlement offer. His lawyer finally filed a civil suit against Ford. [b]But[/b], the suit was filed [b]1 day late[/b], i.e. after the statute of limitations had expired. While the lawyer claims that such was purely accidental, I'd sure like to see his financial records.

The injury resulted in re-occuring cataracts - they can be removed by laser, but always return - and a permanent inability to change the focal length of that eye; it's permanantly stuck at a far distance.

At near distances, the presence of 2 distinctly different images is so distracting that he must use a magnifying glass and his remaining good eye to read, a task that is both laborious and tiresome.

At sufficiently far distances, where the images from each eye are more nearly the same, he is, for the most part, able to function reasonably well, although his depth perception is unreliable. Needless to say, riding shotgun with him is an adventure; more than once I've had to grab the wheel to keep us from veering of the ride side of the road.

Through all of this, the only recompense that he's received is the medical care provided by his wife's health insurance. In this regard I hope that you've fared better than he.

While action at a distance is difficult, there are many who frequent TR whose experiences, skills, knowledge, etc. are collectively quite expansive, such that they may still be of help to you. And, I've no doubt that there are many who would help if they could; so, do not fear to ask.

In the mean, here are several possible occupations, suitable for being home based, that you might consider:

1) Moonshiner
2) Meth lab owner/operator
3) Gigolo
4) Porn actor
4) Hit man (assuming that the recoil's not a problem)

I don't need any help with anything. We're making it alright, completely off the public dole too, I'd like to point out.

What I need is a J O B. It would be nice to even get a rejection letter. Then I could regret to inform them that I have to reject their rejection letter and will be starting work on Monday.

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s169/sharewhat/ScreenShot178.jpg

Just to clarify, when I said "help," I was referring to information, sources of information, contacts, advice, etc., that may aid you in your quest. TR's collective membership possesses a wealth of such, not unlike that of a library. Do not hesitate to tap into it anymore than you would any public library.

TR is definitely a great resource for those who want to help themselves and learn. That's the best reason to come here in the first place.

Well, that and the uncluttered and intuitive new look.

And, though you failed to get prior permission to use my likeness as your avatar, no foregiveness is required, as I am flattered.

Enjoy.

When I read your reply I was using this as an avatar.

Your comment may still be accurate though.

And I did so hard try to keep my secrest.

...I feel that I should reply to your original question.

Max nailed it.

I think it looks ok.

Let us know how you get on