The old timers here will remember me as "clifgriffin", aka Clif, aka "The one who tested every limit of reasonable moderation with NerdInside until he was permanently banned". It's been something like 14 years since I've posted here, which is crazy to me.
Back before college. Before marriage. Before kids.
But I still think about this place. Even though I behaved like a jackass at times, being part of this community was something that was very important to me. I was just a nerdy high school kid, with too much free time. And talking about code, life, religion, politics with people who were into the same types of things as I was, was formative.
I was surprised to see new posts here. Doubly surprised to see Gerbick still moderating. Guessing Jstarks is around somewhere too?
I remember debating about the Iraq war with David Peralty (Rest in Peace). Boy was he right. I remember starting lots of controversial threads in that vein that eventually led to the creation of "Debate Grounds", a short lived outlet for political discussions in the Coffee Lounge. I remember that time LanSite didn't post in CL for 2 days, and it nearly created a search party.
Photoshop battles. Link farm scams. Fun times. WhoseWe. Every 2Advanced site. (Which are utterly ridiculous in retrospect...but they were cool as hell for their time)
I think the time leading up to 2003/2004 was the ultimate era for communities like this. There was no social media, no Reddit. Just like minded people building friendships and helping each other solve their Flash problems, online.
Anyway, I hope this post is received in the spirit it is intended.
Cheers,
Clif
P.S. For those that wonder, the last time I talked to Nerd Inside, aka Justin X.B. was June of 2006. He ghosted himself after letting me know he was ghosting himself. He cut ties with all of his former online pseudonyms. I think he wanted/needed to reclaim his privacy. I hope he is well.
