> I'm very sorry for posting a public message about one of the correspondants on this message forum, but my curiosity has been really piqued.

That's quite alright. I've been expecting it for quite a while - not necessarily from you, but just in general.

> Darien, you seem to be a very good catalyst for conversations... I've just spent quite long time catching up on all the threads (or as many as I have time for), and from the best that I can see, you are here to see what the others know. Everybody else is trying to explain things away (and granted, they're doing a darn good job of it, too), but you- you don't even seem to care about what they say... you just want to know how much they know (please correct me if I'm wrong.)

You're not wrong. I do care more about the people I'm conversing with than I do about the answers we might reveal - those are important too, don't get me wrong; but I find people to be very interesting.

> But why? Why dig so deep just for the dirt? Granted, I've seen a lot of jewels discovered in the process... but it's as if you don't even care about the answers, just the person who's answering.

It's not that I don't care about the answers - I pay attention to those, but only when I'm completely satisfied. But, again, you're right - I care more about the respondant that the responce.

> Are you really some sociology major, or is this all part of some philosophical thesis you are trying to prove?

Philosophy major, actually (Philosophy & Religion & Theater). This isn't expressly involved with a thesis, but it would make an interesting basis.

> Or is it that, in pretending to want to know what others know, you are really just trying to stimulate some good intellectual conversations? Because I can see how that could be a goal, as well... especially today's anti-intellectual climate, when few people can have focused thoughts for more than 15 minutes (notice how many times people say "I did have an idea when I started this...")

That as well.

> Or (in a much likelier scenario), are you merely using this forum as a stepping-stone to conquering the world? I can see how you might be competing against Issachar, trying to find out his weaknesses and strengths in the Site Market Game as well as his postings... or are you Issachar in the first place? (No offense to Issachar if he is reading this thread also, and also no offense to Darien for saying 'no offense to Issachar'.)
>
> I don't exactly remember how you would be trying to take over the world via Rinkworks if you were both Iss and Darien (15 minute rule), but I can see how it would work out if you were two arch-rivals attempting to use pen-names in a forum, each subtley attempting to learn the most about the other (under the guise of wanting to know about everybody) before the hostile take-over occurs....

Well... yeah. Of course it's part of my plan for world-domination. As for me and Iss being the same guy, well... have you ever seen the two of us in the same room at the same time?
Oh, and just a technical note - when I do take over the world, it won't be hostile. You probably won't even notice, actually. :-}

> Aww, I dunno. I just got run over by my own train of thought... I think I had a good idea *somewhere*... if I could just remember what it was... (Too bad. I thought that the elipses would help me to remember it...)
> ...

I think you did pretty well. You seemed to get through to my motivations pretty clearly. I congratulate you!

(Oh, and, just so you know - the black helicopters will be coming for you shortly).

dkd1