Ages on Profiles?

February 14, 2003 11:16 PM

Slithy_Tove makes a remarkable point. I know one can easily lie about it. But how about an age entry on our profile page?
posted by crasspastor to Feature Requests at 11:16 PM (43 comments total)

For instance this.

I'm sorry. But he comes off my age.

Congrats anyhow quonsar, on a job well done. ;-)

A good daughter gettin' married to the right guy is a job well done.

I forgot to tell you today when I met you, I go by crasspastor in certain webcircles.
posted by crasspastor at 11:32 PM on February 14, 2003

It seems unnecessary to hardcode this. Just put it in your username description field if you find it useful. Of course, statistics would be interesting, but ... not terribly so.
posted by IshmaelGraves at 11:40 PM on February 14, 2003

heh. i've known the young man for some time now. and "coming off as" is not quite "lying about it". :-)
posted by quonsar at 11:40 PM on February 14, 2003

I'm older than many and quite possibly most of you.

Does it really matter?

'cause I was always told that after you get out of school, it doesn't.

Really.

It. Doesn't.
posted by WolfDaddy at 12:11 AM on February 15, 2003

What? And expose us thirteen-year-olds pretending to be over-the-hill European sages?
posted by MiguelCardoso at 12:33 AM on February 15, 2003

I fergot to close dem tags.

Sorry quonsar. Still uncertain. Ever hear about the boy who called WOOOOOOLFDADDY!!!!?

You know it's a compliment though. I simply can't tell. Satirical and serious, you always make a cogent point.
posted by crasspastor at 12:47 AM on February 15, 2003

Ahem.

*cried* WOOOOOOOLFDADDY!!!!!?
posted by crasspastor at 12:55 AM on February 15, 2003

I'd be interested to see a graph of average userbase age over time, since the birth of the filter. Alas, it's toooooo laaaaate.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 1:06 AM on February 15, 2003

No, better to judge members irrespective of age. I think it can only lead to trouble.
posted by Yelling At Nothing at 1:14 AM on February 15, 2003

I am admittedly somewhat confused by this thread, but if it's just another excuse to congratulate quonsar, well then: Many Congratulations!

Knowing user ages might reduce some stress, at least you'd know who to take with a grain of salt. What I mean is: I may be a pain now, but you should have heard me when I was 19.

Also, shouldn't somebody tell Miguel's parents that he's using their computer?
posted by hama7 at 1:50 AM on February 15, 2003

Meh.
I expect people to either know what they're talking about in a discussion, or approach it from the perspective of wanting to learn something. I could care less how old they are.
If someone's being childish, then accept it as childishness; age is never really a justification for it. If someone makes an ass of themselves in a discussion in which age really is something of a practical qualifier, then they hopefully learn a lesson. The bitching about user numbers finally died down, so we need another arbitrary number to use for pointless bickering?

Besides which, Slithy makes the assumption that younger people "don't have the capital, etc..." so why don't we also have a "Salary" field?
posted by Su at 2:06 AM on February 15, 2003

so why don't we also have a "Salary" field?

Better make it really big for Midas
posted by sebas at 3:33 AM on February 15, 2003

Knowing user ages might reduce some stress, at least you'd know who to take with a grain of salt.

a/s/l is relevant info if you're on a Eminem chatroom.

what about how much money one makes? it's relevant if the community is discussing money, right? and military service experience is certainly relevant in a war discussion, why don't we put that in the userinfo as well?

re: "grain of salt". do you mean that someone in his twenties is inherently dumber than an older guy? maybe it's just an older man's rationalization -- getting older, one likes to delude himself into thinking that yes, one may be losing hair, gaining weight, losing stamina, spending too much money on Viagra, and generally getting closer to Alzheimer/hospice/cemetery time, but what the hell, age gives you wisdom right? so it _is_ worth it. I don't think so, and I strongly disagree with the "grain of salt" thing.
personally, I think some of the biggest assholes here on MeFi are (or at least say they are) over 40. and I take their opinions with a 40-pound bag of salt

on preview: I'm with Su on the "Salary" field thing?
posted by matteo at 6:37 AM on February 15, 2003

I'm 32 years old, from what I've seen at MeFi gatherings, that puts me smack in the middle of the curve. Boy, am I sick of the middle of the curve.
posted by jonmc at 8:58 AM on February 15, 2003

do you mean that someone in his twenties is inherently dumber than an older guy?

Yes, because there are no idiots over 25.

Are you trying to provide evidence to the contrary?

(kidding of course, you young whippersnapper...)
posted by hama7 at 9:09 AM on February 15, 2003

Boy, am I sick of the middle of the curve.

Speaking of which, if you had to choose to be on the high end of the curve or the low end, which would you choose? (other than the middle, I mean)
posted by hama7 at 9:14 AM on February 15, 2003

I'm 21. My IQ is 85. I make $110k a year, mostly from my trust fund and interest from various real estate ventures I made in my early teens. I have one of those Japanese Invisibility Ponchos that I use to fight crime with. Anything else, you nosy bastards?
posted by Hildago at 9:35 AM on February 15, 2003

Hey! You too?
posted by blue_beetle at 9:55 AM on February 15, 2003

hama7, depends on what curve you mean. Economically, I suppose I'd like to be higher if for no other reason than security, although I've always felt more comfortable around people on the lower end plus I really hate ostentatious gluttony. Intelligence-wise I'd like to be higher, I guess, lookswise and accomplishmentwise too, i guess. But at the same time I'm a lazy sonofabitch, and I'd probably be just as happy slipping downward for no other reason than less pressure.

I dunno, I was just saying that I'm tired of ordinary, i suppose.
posted by jonmc at 9:58 AM on February 15, 2003

Well, I was supposed to become immortal if I decapitated like two more people, but then Freddie Mercury had to go and die, so I couldn't have my cool theme music when I was ascending to the ultimate plane of existence. So I said, "Screw that."
posted by Stan Chin at 10:14 AM on February 15, 2003

what about how much money one makes? it's relevant if the community is discussing money, right? and military service experience is certainly relevant in a war discussion, why don't we put that in the userinfo as well?

Heh. Who needs Total Information Awareness? Just institute Mandatory Mefi Userpages,.
posted by IshmaelGraves at 10:14 AM on February 15, 2003

23!
posted by corpse at 11:11 AM on February 15, 2003

corpse being 231 you have me beat ; P
posted by thomcatspike at 12:06 PM on February 15, 2003

if you had to choose to be on the high end of the curve or the low end

The high end. Experience and wisdom aids treachery and ego, which trumps youth and beauty every single time.
posted by WolfDaddy at 12:46 PM on February 15, 2003

Then you die, wolfdaddy, and what do you have then?
posted by ashbury at 2:00 PM on February 15, 2003

Then we young and the beautiful get the corpse all to ourselves! Rawwr!
posted by Stan Chin at 2:21 PM on February 15, 2003

It trumps youth and beauty, ashbury, but it also attracts it. So there.
posted by WolfDaddy at 2:26 PM on February 15, 2003

if you had to choose to be on the high end of the curve or the low end

The low end. Gives me that much more time to experience Stan's hilarious antics.
posted by lazaruslong at 3:30 PM on February 15, 2003

The Far End- Dead: I would have joined earlier, but getting a decent connection here, is, well, Hell.
posted by ?! at 4:35 PM on February 15, 2003

Carousel! Carousel! Carousel! Carousel!
posted by willnot at 4:36 PM on February 15, 2003

*hides his hand from willnot*
posted by eyeballkid at 5:01 PM on February 15, 2003

RUNNER!
posted by WolfDaddy at 5:17 PM on February 15, 2003

*runs from the sandmen*
posted by eyeballkid at 5:32 PM on February 15, 2003

I would love to see a remake of Logan's Run. It wouldn't be as good, tho. Seriously.
posted by ashbury at 6:34 PM on February 15, 2003

ashbury, may I interest you in the William F. Nolan Official Website?
posted by jazon at 7:39 PM on February 15, 2003

I would like to see a reenactment of Logan's Run.
posted by Hildago at 9:41 PM on February 15, 2003

Fish! And plankton from the sea!
posted by interrobang at 9:42 PM on February 15, 2003

An age entry?
WHAT'RE YOU, CRAZY? Or are you just under 25?
posted by Shane at 9:45 PM on February 15, 2003

"Youth is wasted on the young."
But you won't understand this till you're 35.
posted by Shane at 9:48 PM on February 15, 2003

A blockbuster high-budget, high-tech remake of Logan's Run is in pre-production at Warner Bros.found at the very bottom of jazon's link

Thanks jazon.
posted by ashbury at 4:55 AM on February 16, 2003

Logan's Run changed my life. No, really.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 5:19 AM on February 16, 2003

Hey, look! This thread number is my user number! I'm older than MetaTalk. Or less experienced, depending on your interpretation.
posted by chino at 1:35 AM on February 17, 2003

I am 30 and nicely curved at both the high and low end.
posted by picopebbles at 12:09 PM on February 17, 2003