Computer Hope

I would personally like to thank Dilbert for putting the effort into vastly expandy the FAQ section and bringing it out of it's doldrums. Innovative in what is covered and how it is covered. Not too high tech, but usually spot on.

Many of the topics have been locked at his request, but additional info can be added by any moderator you feel comfortable contacting - Flame, Fed, dl65, Myself, or the few I have just forgotten in a senior moment. We can review, add and relock the topic. It's our own little wikipedia. Bad links that need to be changed are also fair game. Pictures that can be inserted to clearly identify an issue are also helpful.

Again, Kudos to Dilbert the smartest young man we know on the west coast.  

GX1_Man

In commemoration, I give Dilbert the only tool that a Windows Technician really needs:



Use liberally.


--Oober

[highlight]Edit: P.S. Well done! I'll be perusing the FAQs when I get some spare time off from studying.[/highlight]

Yes Yes Kudos to Dilbert!    Your time spent is admirable  

Flame

Wow. I have to say -- once again -- that I am flattered. There is no "aw shucks" blush smiley out there I can find. Too bad, it'd be perfect here. will have to do. I know that nothing I've written is truly groundbreaking, but more of a reference so the others and I need not repeat ourselves tirelessly. I mean, who wants to explain screenshots day in and day out? Thus QA0023. The simple stuff that the common user doesn't know (and who can blame them? Exploring how a PC works is for the daring) can be placed in the QA forum and the information is there. Permanently. That's a great concept IMHO and I wish more computer help sites would implement this idea.

As for the locking of threads: For the record, I did this when I found Mac patrolling the forums yet *again*. I realized I had a slew of QA threads open for posting. I could whine to a Mod every time Mac posted there, but I didn't want to go through that, and I'm sure none of the Mods did, either. I simply asked for them to be locked to protect the threads. The QA threads is for information in its pristine form - pure. This forum is holy ground, my friends. The thought of that... fool... hijacking them made me bristle.

I too can be contacted if information is wrong, out of date, or if Imageshack decides to be a jerk and stop hosting my pictures, or if you just don't get it. Either way, since I too am now a local Mod, I can re-open my posts and modify them. (Kudos to the Admin for returning and seeing my need) I am always willing to make my posts clearer, more accurate, or illustrate them. As is evident with my CSS thread; 6 revisions total! All in the name of giving the standard poster easy access to correct information.

I don't know what inspired me to begin writing QA threads, but once I started I could not stop. It gives a delicious feeling of accomplishment that I was able to contribute to the forums and leave a lasting impression on it. Really, that's all every person on Earth wants, right? When it gets right down to it, what you remember at the end of your life, what really is important to you, is that you made a difference. As a piece of Jr. High literature I will never forget said: "Everyone has something that is theirs and that is important. A garden plowed, a pair of shoes made. It's all special in its own way." I don't remember the title of the book, but those words have stayed with me for a couple of years so far, bubbling back up when it's important to remember it.

I thank you for recognizing my work, a work that is not finished. Yes, QA0027 is in the writing (unless someone takes that number. Then it's QA0028 ) and I don't feel that will be the end of it. As usual, it's nothing new and amazing; it's just information that I feel is handy to know and can be referenced. I have touched a small variety of subjects, from games to web design to, recently, hardware work. But who says I have to stick to just that? I am continuing to slowly wear down my keys as I type article after article.

But not all praise can go to me - Hopester Doofus hasn't posted in a while, but I consider him as a sort of role model - he was the person who started the QA forum, brought it to life. He may not have posted a new article in a while, but I look up to him and his wealth of knowledge. And of course, Flame, robpomeroy, and another one IIRC contributed to the continued growth of this forum. Maybe not as many articles, but the content is excellent nonetheless, and I refuse to let them be simply forgotten just because I made a flurry of posts. Raise your soda cups to Hopester, Flame, and robpomeroy!

Well, I've spent nearly 4000 characters on this post, so I will close with this: Anyone with valuable information, whether you have 1000 posts or if this would be your first post, is more than welcome to add to this forum as well. We don't care if you're new here - feel free to post information, and don't fear correction. Any corrections made are not personal; just making sure the info is what it must be. Because I'd be a fool to say I was never corrected while writing. And I don't see the end of correction, nor do I hope for it. The accuracy of information means more to me than "getting it right the first time". You never will - fact of life.

-Timothy "Dilbert" Bennett

Dilbert, I have two things fro you. First, I don't expect you to know this, but Hopester Doofus did not invent the idea of the Q&A board. Raptor did. You never had the "pleasure" of meeting Raptor, but he was the biggest poster ComputerHope ever had. Once the new forums came, he didn't like the interface, so he left. Hopester made the first post in Q&A, which is where you got the idea. Just a little CH History  

And now...

Dilbert, you have played an important role in the ComputerHope forums, especially as a very new member. It't nothing fancy (please do excuse me for putting this together in about 15 mins) but I hereby dub you a ComputerHope Expert. To commerate this event, I present to you this banner...



Take it as a sign of pride... The banner of honor.  

Flame

Actually, I did know Raptor for a time. Not too well, but I did meet him. He was the one with the guy from Death Wish as an avatar, right?

Secondly, I didn't know that about Raptor being the one to start it. Raise a toast to Raptor as well! *clink*

Finally: Changing signature now... muchos gracias - Much thanks.

lol  Well, we gotta leave you with somethin'. Just wish I was better at Photoshop lol  BTW, where's your bio?

Flame

I don't usually give out that kind of thing on the 'Net. LOL but I suppose I can. My vital stats:

Name: Timothy Bennett
Age: 15
Location: Amity, OR, USA (No, not the site of some real version of Amity-ville Horror )
Interests: Computers

Computer life: Grew up with them; toyed around on my mother's Tandy at 2 y/o (equipped with DOS). Didn't know any more than how to change drives and execute programs. Oh, and how to destroy a Turbo Pascal diskette. (Back in the days of floppies that were truly floppy - 5 1/2, were they, or 5 1/4?) Got a computer with 3.1 for a short while, then it was Win95 for us. It was during this period I wreaked havoc with the computer. Nothing major - just changing settings. Like:

Double-click speed at max
Wallpaper changing
Screen saver password (got chewed out for that one)
Booted to Safe Mode several times

and the like. Then we got Win98 and I caused more headaches. Then came WinME. This was a dangerous period for me: I could have been turned off to computers altogether. I swear, I learned quickly what BSOD meant. Finally, I got WinXP and never looked back. I've had a good time with it, and it's the most stable of the Windows' for me.

How's that for a bio?

Oh, and you're way better with Photoshop than I am. I'm better with Paint than Photoshop!

   Quite a bio lol    I can relate to two things in that whole book. Age, and computer experience starting age. Small world  8-)

Flame

Well done Dilly, I like most people here have been watching the Q&A grow and thinking to myself what a good job you've been doing.  [smiley=thumbup.gif]

Now, back to work, how about a Q&A on 'How to Google'? +blah, -Blah, "blah blah", you know the deal.