if Arbiter is a troll, is he better than Vadar at ThePaceline?

[Dr. Maserati]

Please tell all...

Nah... I was joking as the last post I sent to TheArbiter I had set him the rather unenviable task of proving that Simeoni hadn't doped before he met Dr. Ferrari - which would have discredited Simeoni.

The last thing TheArbiter wrote to me was "laterz"... and the next thing I saw was that he was banned.

 

[Anonymous]

im all for people being banned if they threaten violence, etc etc or are racist, homophobic or prejudiced in some way (unless its against religion, thats fine), but banning people for rubbish.. its sad that someone sat behind a desk gets a hard on from pushing a ban button..

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

From reading this thread, Eva Maria is the only person who hints at doing so, so maybe she has something to do with the disappeared...

Uh, pretty sure Eva is a "he" not a "she".

And your evaluation is incorrect. Pretty sure Eva can be found on other sites as well, and has talked about starting a blog around Euro pro cycling, so no need to control or moderate anything here.

There was a poster called Nobody - he got eliminated during the Tour, I rechecked some of his old post's and could not see anything in there to warrant a ban.

I did not know about Nobody being banned, that sucks. I don't think that guy was a native English speaker either, but I don't know. No clue what he did to get banned. Loved his avatar though.

WBT was warned by Greg and maybe others for making posts and feeding fires in the racing forum that belonged in the Clinic. And I think when he started talking about having exclusive access to Livestrong numbers and such, it just seemed beyond his normal outrageous behavior. Especially for being a guy with a sharp tongue, who wasn't even from the States.

I would be interested to know what the rules are guidelines are - as many of us (including myself) can be fast and loose at times - is it how you say something or the content of the post that get's people banned?

I would like to think that Greg, Susan or someone else would warn you first through a PM, but I don't know either.

 

[Anonymous]

I would like to think that Greg, Susan or someone else would warn you first through a PM, but I don't know either.

They do.................

 

[Dr. Maserati]

They do.................

Lol....

C'mon TFF - everyone here knows you are in fact one of the moderator's...

and also that you were TheArbiter because you just got bored being soo damn right all the time and to keep us on our toe's!

But it's ok I wont tell anyone..

 

[elapid]

Lol....

C'mon TFF - everyone here knows you are in fact one of the moderator's...

and also that you were TheArbiter because you just got bored being soo damn right all the time and to keep us on our toe's!

But it's ok I wont tell anyone..

LOL - the thought of TFF and Arbie going toe for toe and then being the same person. There would have to be some serious mental issues for a psychiatrist to work out!

 

[Anonymous]

Lol....

C'mon TFF - everyone here knows you are in fact one of the moderator's...

and also that you were TheArbiter because you just got bored being soo damn right all the time and to keep us on our toe's!

But it's ok I wont tell anyone..

There is one thing for certain here, I will never be a moderator. Even I believe a moderator should be objective.

That and they don't have a melt down like I did with the guy who had cancer. I honestly missed that he had cancer until the next day, but I wrote things that were just freaking stupid and inappropriate. In all honesty, I have been kind of embarrassed since then because it was pretty bad.

I'll recover though.

And I only wish I could troll like Arbiter. That really was pretty impressive. IF it is who Bro thinks, then the guy is a freaking genius anyway. I will say that you did a great job with him though because you never lost your cool. How you didn't open every post with "You fuc*ing idiot" is amazing to me. Good job.

 

[pedaling squares]

I know for a fact that TheArbiter does not even believe any of the stuff he was posting. He just wanted to get a rise out of people. If one person is doing it then that can be annoying, but what if there are half a dozen? How many of these members who pop in, post for a week, and disappear are really the same person?

Like totally_lance? Flames in on Aug 1, drops a line into every LA thread, then disappears on Aug 5?

 

[scribe]

Like totally_lance? Flames in on Aug 1, drops a line into every LA thread, then disappears on Aug 5?

totally lance is a side nic by someone who can't stand LA fans. Aside from the obviously ridiculous postings, the bumping up of less than flowery LA threads was the clinch.

 

[scribe]

Let him/her deny reporting Arbiter to the moderators then. His/her post in this thread practically admits doing so.

You think the moderators respond to 'I don't like him' complaints?

ETA: I just saw her post about multiple user names.

 

[pedaling squares]

totally lance is a side nic by someone who can't stand LA fans. Aside from the obviously ridiculous postings, the bumping up of less than flowery LA threads was the clinch.

Oh, no doubt. The posts were way too obvious bait to have been a genuine fan. It just reeked of someone creating an alter ego for a week of fun. And it probably worked.

 

[BigBoat]

This message board is a complete "free for all." There is hardly any moderation apart from Jackhammer's wierd fight/death thread challenges being removed.

I believe a lot of these usernames are the same exact person. I think if you take the typical forum there really is not many people on it... 20-30 that have already been here for weeks. Yet you constantly see new usernamnes spring up every day. The average cycling news reader KNOWS about the forum and they have for months. If they wanted to join they would have.

 

[Ozzie2]

bit of truth to that observation BB that to have a slew of new names all at once is unusual

i traditionally came around to the web site at TdF time, but am staying because enjoying a few threads and learning LOTS so going through them

i was dubious about whowas who wasn't, when i noticed Cadel simply couldnt keep up this year and wondered why., plus also trying to understand what were these politicsof the peleton that he breached when he tried his move.

so to discover the forums and some of the contributers here really is something

but the ones who drop in- post about specific things- bang bang bang- yeah, i think there must be some reason for that

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Let him/her deny reporting Arbiter to the moderators then. His/her post in this thread practically admits doing so.

That's not the same as clamoring to be a moderator though, is it? Again, pretty sure Eva is male.

I believe a lot of these usernames are the same exact person.

Interesting in that a few people have accused you of having multiple names across several different forums and websites.

 

[runninboy]

I'm wondering if the Arbiter was LA himself. Hear me out.

The guy started seriously posting just over a week ago or so (joined Aug 3), and made a slew of posts very rapidly.

His tag said he was from the UK, but he didn't post like he was, IMO.

He used many of the same words that we hear all the time, and the same arguments, but he used "troll" a lot when talking about others critical of LA. The same term LA himself uses.

He knew a lot about LA, and a lot about cycling, but would only lead on and hedge a lot. He was a classic at baiting as well, and leaving things to hang.

It's fairly well known that LA looks at, and has posted anonymously, on message boards.

What do you all think?

Wow that thought had never crossed my mind but now that you mention it his writing style is very similar to the way LA speaks.
And they both share that kind of hissy fit style if you dare question them.
They dont disprove the facts but they both love to attack the messenger
Hey remember that little film clip years ago when Sheryl Crow said the first thing LA did when he fire up the puter in the morning was to go to
Cyclingnews.com?
It would make sense that this would be the forum where he would troll


Also he could have made the Roche/Kimmage reference, I picture LA at his keyboard and just making random accusations towards people he wants to throw some mud on.

 

[Ozzie2]

Wow that thought had never crossed my mind but now that you mention it his writing style is very similar to the way LA speaks.
And they both share that kind of hissy fit style if you dare question them.
They dont disprove the facts but they both love to attack the messenger
Hey remember that little film clip years ago when Sheryl Crow said the first thing LA did when he fire up the puter in the morning was to go to
Cyclingnews.com?
It would make sense that this would be the forum where he would troll


Also he could have made the Roche/Kimmage reference, I picture LA at his keyboard and just making random accusations towards people he wants to throw some mud on.

The plot thickens
But surely not??!!

For what its worth, a few years back I investigated a text that purported to have multiple authors but was contended to have just the one. Anyway. Through use of work-print analysis it was shown that there were multiple authors of it and it was what it said it was. Really interesting stuff for sure.

But what does it mean? It means that you can do a wordprint analysis of text to compare text A from person X, against text B from person LA, and you can see if there is statistically significant text-overlap

Of course you need a large enough sample of their written documents generally in the same context. And can that be found?

Viola we have….ta-da twitter.

best to keep to just text / writing- There are numerous studies which have shown there are distinct style differences between written and spoken works by the same author

essentially some people are stuck to certain words, such as “that” or overuse of abbreviations (LMAO) or they get speficic words back to front when typing. I for instance am easily busted on the words coudl and woudl- I get the d and l back to front when I type- can’t help it, its just my fat fingers failing me and the way my brain moves my fingers as they press the keys.

There are also noncontextual words, and familiar or often used “word blocks” to test

Then Inside words The letter “e” is the most common letter used inside words, then the letter “t”, and so on. Some people overuse the letter F for whatever reason

Each person has a unique text pattern, similar (but not exact to) voice print and even finger prints, (although they are specific this is not an exact science0

So what I am saying, is if you were keen and had sufficient time and text from the author (word for word not sally Jenkins versions), you could find some commercial software that can do it for you, perhaps at a site like this

http://www.download32.com/ms-word-print-multiple-documents-software-i6280.html


easier is probably to just compare twitter quotes and web site posts for key words and word blocks. Be careful for Fan-boys just parroting though

problem is, IF it were that person, then as low as my opinion of that person already is, to be honest I’d prefer not to know. I’d be embarrassed for that person like I was embarrassed for george bush jr when he spoke in public

Chances are its more likely to be a relative. I’ve been on enough stock market boards to know that the directors and head of sales and the like all DO visit to read comments, and occasionally post as well. It would be_very_unusual, and highly disciplined, if he did not post.

make no mistake. Sports stars DO go to fan sites. One can also eliminate suspects by identifying times when say they were actually swimming or cycling also to see if they were posting at that time

I’d say no its not him, but no question he’d come and visit here and knows your names and comments

Chances are the thread “why do they lie” is where you get your comment.

Look for a low # poster who really hits a new thought on it and makes you think hard and empathetically.

I’m not a psychologist- heck I probably need one, but all people have the need to communicate and express themselves.

I’d be surprised if he_didn’t_post. I’d equally be more surprised if he did post often

You’d want someone with no "friend"s, maybe 1 or 2 max. they aren’t going to risk their reputation on the moderators of a web site looking into the private mail boxes

Thoughts anyway.

 

[BigBoat]

No doubt Lance is on the forum. This is THE cycling forum apart from Road bike review. $hit this has even gotten bigger than Cycling forums.

Now I dont like to speculate because flame threads were started against me and "who I really am" was thrown around with all these crazy usernames like Tom Morris, mustard, etc.. And thats un-truthful and uncomfortable.

But I cant refuse to wonder...If "Jackhammer, BYU123, 131313, TheArbiter, etc" are all Lance. It seems a lot of these usernames supposedly come from the UK... Didnt "Swift Solo" and several others claim to be from the UK?

 

[unsheath]

Now that the Arbiter is gone, who's going to step up to the plate? The entertainment has to come from somewhere.... Heck, I kinda even miss it.

Bobby Drivel, where art thou???

 

[Ozzie2]

No doubt Lance is on the forum. This is THE cycling forum apart from Road bike review. $hit this has even gotten bigger than Cycling forums.

Now I dont like to speculate because flame threads were started against me and "who I really am" was thrown around with all these crazy usernames like Tom Morris, mustard, etc.. And thats un-truthful and uncomfortable.

But I cant refuse to wonder...If "Jackhammer, BYU123, 131313, TheArbiter, etc" are all Lance. It seems a lot of these usernames supposedly come from the UK... Didnt "Swift Solo" and several others claim to be from the UK?

i guess if you have the time you can find the grime

twitter.com/LIVESTRONG/statuses/2153600857

FWIW i think byu123 is an ex Brigham Young alumni http://www.gps-sport.net/users/byu123

remember, the guy you are looking for was on a bike for most of july

find out who_didn't_post during that time is as important

 

[auscyclefan94]

No doubt Lance is on the forum. This is THE cycling forum apart from Road bike review. $hit this has even gotten bigger than Cycling forums.

Now I dont like to speculate because flame threads were started against me and "who I really am" was thrown around with all these crazy usernames like Tom Morris, mustard, etc.. And thats un-truthful and uncomfortable.

But I cant refuse to wonder...If "Jackhammer, BYU123, 131313, TheArbiter, etc" are all Lance. It seems a lot of these usernames supposedly come from the UK... Didnt "Swift Solo" and several others claim to be from the UK?

He's probably reading our messages right now. He knows were on to him

 

[elapid]

Now that the Arbiter is gone, who's going to step up to the plate? The entertainment has to come from somewhere.... Heck, I kinda even miss it.

Bobby Drivel, where art thou???

Bobby is training for the Leadville 100. He recently posted an interesting article on how a MTBer beat some roadies in a race in South Africa. Bobby is actually not as big a troll as most think. He definitely is defensive when he gets his heckles up, but after he calms down he is actually quite rational about all things Lance.

 

[pedaling squares]

Who shot JR?

This is getting funny. As investigators, we make good cyclists.

No doubt The Arbiter will rise again and the speculation will continue.

 

[Dr. Maserati]

.....

And I only wish I could troll like Arbiter. That really was pretty impressive. IF it is who Bro thinks, then the guy is a freaking genius anyway. I will say that you did a great job with him though because you never lost your cool. How you didn't open every post with "You fuc*ing idiot" is amazing to me. Good job.

I try and use the Contador technique of communication as opposed to ... well - you know who's.....

 

[scribe]

As investigators, we make good cyclists.

No doubt!

 

[Dr. Maserati]

Bobby is training for the Leadville 100. He recently posted an interesting article on how a MTBer beat some roadies in a race in South Africa. Bobby is actually not as big a troll as most think. He definitely is defensive when he gets his heckles up, but after he calms down he is actually quite rational about all things Lance.

+1.

While there are a few posters who occasionally pop in and scream Lance never doped, you must only convict in a Court of Law, Lemond is bitter etc there are a lot of genuine supporters who I believe don't check out the Clinic or want to read to much in to off road activities of LA.

I actually don't blame them - recently I was on a Clubride and LA came up by the guy beside me. He said he wanted to believe LA did it clean - I said nothing (which is unlike me during a Clubride!) so he was able to draw his own conclusions from my silence.

My thoughts were why ruin his view of LA - if he really wanted all he has to do is read L2L or check in here, but he has made a choice not to - and having seen many of my favorite riders from years ago confirmed as dopers I can empathize with their stance.