The new posters on any POAT thread would be a good example.

Question:
Has the average IQ of posters, dropped?

Choices:
By leaps and bounds.
Just a little.
no change
It has increased
Just on POAT topics.

 

Na. Every now and then something happens that just stirs the pot.

Let me guess, they just aired a rerun of POaT last night? I haven't checked my DVR yet.

The newbie topics tend to be comments on what was on last.

Yes they did. They had two shows in a row. The first was the drive shaft catapult and the second was POAT. Although that's not what my listings said but that's what ran.

Thought so.

You must be psychic WV Engineer.

Psychotic maybe.

Some people think I can read mind.

Whenever they look at me like I should be able to read their mind, I respond, I tried to read your mind, but all I am drawing is a blank.

They hate that responce

quote:

Some people think I can read mind.

Whenever they look at me like I should be able to read their mind, I respond, I tried to read your mind, but all I am drawing is a blank.

They hate that responce

Who wouldn't hate that response, you are practically you are saying that all you have in your mind is zero just a bunch of empty mass inside your brain.

quote:

Who wouldn't hate that response, you are practically you are saying that all you have in your mind is zero just a bunch of empty mass inside your brain.

I originally used it to state that I couldn't read their minds, but people don't always take what you mean.

As for the POaT threads, it's really pretty simple. Anyone with functioning gray matter has already figured it out, has already seen the show, already knows that the plane will fly. There's nothing left to discuss.

So, the people who are starting up new discussions are, almost by definition, too thick-headed to let any rational thoughts either penetrate into or escape out of their skulls. As such, the appearance that the IQ of these people is dropping is quite natural.

Gee, thanks denver... I still haven't seen it yet!

quote:

Anyone with functioning gray matter has already figured it out, has already seen the show...

Every permutation of POAT was discussed on the first page of the thread.
It's continued life is certainly an indication of some manner of mental difficulty.
Either lack of IQ or just ego.

quote:

As for the POaT threads, it's really pretty simple. Anyone with functioning gray matter has already figured it out, has already seen the show, already knows that the plane will fly. There's nothing left to discuss.

As for me seeing the show, no I haven't seen it completely only half. But to my point of view there is nothing to discussed, it looks like the plane will lift-up from the treadmill conveyor belt. What to talk about ? what there is still doubts of what transpired on that episode ? Did anyone think that they left out something to test, that because of time they didn't get to ?

It's easy, Ming. Nobody actually reads any of the posts. Sure, now that it has ballooned out to 200 pages, we can forgive people for not wanting to sift through 200 pages of manure, but all that is happening is people see the episode, think "the plane moved!! what an outrage!!" and sign up to voice their displeasure in the fact that the pilot dared to attempt a takeoff. Very few stick around to be told that they're wrong about the plane meant to be stationary, or why. Of those, for about half the light bulb goes off and they smack their forehead, and the rest fade off into obscurity.

As a matter of principle, I won't let them have the last word.

quote:

Originally posted by roofingguy:
Gee, thanks denver... I still haven't seen it yet!

Okay, you haven't actually SEEN it, but you've heard about it, right? You know that the plane flies. You know that further discussion is pointless, right? (Other than to get the last word, of course.) So that means, again, that those who desire further discussion, because they want it to be done differently, are the ones who are naturally going to seem to have a lower IQ!

Was just teasing a deliberate misinterpretation of your phrasing, denver... I knew you weren't really saying that merely the act of seeing the episode was a determining factor in whether one's brain worked or not.

Going back to the original question: The forum has improved in two ways, the language and grammar of the posters is better, and the amount of guidance available for new posters is vastly more.
I read this forum for a couple of years before finally joining up, and the reason I joined was to encourage new/young/inexperienced posters to develop better communication skills. And, honestly, to crab at dummies.
While the absolute intelligence of the posters has remained the same, their questions and observations are much better. The Internet generation, perhaps.
Oh, and I forgot: better moderation.

quote:

Oh, and I forgot: better moderation.

That's the key. I checked out this site over a year ago and it was so bad I didn't come back for nine months. When I did come back it looked much better so I started to visit regularly.

I sure hope the average IQ hasn't dropped recently since I'm still kind of new here.