Whatever happened to Dr Zen?

I often wonder what happened to Glen Wall. He just disappeared. Which is a bit odd, because people usually like to flounce.

I gave him a quick google, just to check whether he had been active recently and I'd missed it. I came up with a post from YT. It's gold.

From: Dr Zen
Newsgroups: alt.writing
Subject: Re: Get moderated

Murder on the dancefloor. Panic in alt.writing. Alan Hope
is playing a tune that goes a lot like:

>B goes:
>
>>But enough of him. Let's talk moderation. Maybe it was discussed in the
>>past, and if so, then it can be renewed, no harm in that.
>
>Forget it. If you want moderation, start your own moderated group,
>like the people did for misc.writing.moderated. If you check, you'll
>find the interesting situation there, whereby there's a bunch of
>"frequently asked" questions posted once a month, and nothing else,
>ever.
>
>Quite who is asking these questions, where and with what frequency is
>anyone's guess.
>
>You'd go down well there. The members of MWM hate other people's posts
>so much nobody ever starts a thread in case there are replies.

I think what he needs to call for is an
alt.writing.dr.zen.is.not.allowed.and.if.he.is.im.going.to.cry

I'm delighted that with so little effort I've become Glen Wall. Ah
well, I've got a line of the fuckheads in alt.fiction.original,
queueing up to tick me off for crossposting them and not sharing my
fiction. You'd think they'd learn.

Zen

At the same url (the top post; I didn't read through it for god's sake), there is a post I made that says it all in my view. A man who doesn't get it whines and I troll him by simply being reasonable. Poor Dave Allyn. I'll miss him now I'm gone.

From: Dr Zen
Newsgroups: alt.fiction.original,alt.writing
Subject: Re: Alicia -- Revison -- (3984)

Shit happens. Here's Dave Allyn with the
report for alt.fiction.original:

>On Sun, 06 Jun 2004 13:46:14 +1000, Dr Zen wrote:
>
>>I fought the law but the law won. On Sat, 5 Jun 2004 18:09:13 +1000,
>>"Anopheles" led the case for the prosecution:
>>
>>>
>>>X-No-Archive: yes
>>>
>>
>>What's all that about? Trying to deny posterity or just any bad boys
>>who use google to post?
>
>No, most people on this group use the X-No-Archive:yes when they don't
>wish to have the story archived by google.

I can't see why you'd want to but I know why it's done.

I was asking Barry why he did it.

> If that is the news reader
>of choice, It cannot be helped. It also is my cue not to put it in
>the AFO archives either. The reasons behind this request are left to
>the OP, and often stay that way. Proper netiqute requires you to
>respect their wishes.

You'd think you'd realise by now that I don't share your idea of
"proper netiquette".

In my books it is not proper netiquette to try to exclude one or other
newsreader. Opinions on this issue, just as on most issues, vary.
>
>>>Please retain the header above in any replies.
>>
>>I much prefer to share you with the wider readership, Barry.
>
>If Barry wishes not to be shared, why do it anyway?

Because -- and I expect this will be very hard for you to grasp, Dave,
but do try -- I do what I wish rather than what Barry wishes.

> What can it
>possibly gain you? I have noticed that you tend to do what you want,
>when you want, and don't really give a thought to others around you.

I give them the thought they're due, Dave.

>You usually make some good points in your crits, but generally come
>off (at least to me) as arrogant, and it tends to detract from the
>advice you give.

Tough shit. You can take it or leave it. It's all gold.

> I noticed that you continue to cross post as well.
>Are you incapable of leaving a thread in the original NG?
>

I just don't like being bullied by the likes of you, Dave. The more
you make a fuss about it, the more it makes me want to do it.

>Also, I noticed you mentioned the charter of the NG, The Charter is
>also based on the good faith GIVE AND TAKE of it's members, and it is
>impossible to do both if you never post any fiction of your own.

Don't you fucking charter me. There's nothing in it that suggests
anyone has to post their work here. I am only interested in *giving*,
Dave. Maybe you find that hard to understand, but I'm just a giving
type of person.

> In
>fact, a quick look at the archives yield nothing under Dr. Zen, or
>anything under D or Z that could be taken as you.

I am telling you that I have never posted, and will never post,
fiction to this group. I've never pretended otherwise.

> If there is a name
>under which you have contributed, please let me know, otherwise, this
>leads me to believe that you either have not posted any fiction to
>this group in the last 4-5 years, or have requested it all kept out of
>the archives. If you requested it out of the archives, then why do
>you not respect others requests to do the same?

Why second-guess the answer, Dave? I would never try to keep out of
the archives. I like being in them. I'm not scared of what I write.

> If you just have not
>contributed any fiction of your own, why not?

Refer to the post in which you saw me mention the charter, Dave. I
explain why not there.

> Personally, I consider
>the style and abilities of the person doing the critique when I read
>the advice they give. If I don't care for a person's style, or
>technical abilities, I tend not to weigh the advice they give as much
>as someone whom I respect and admire as a writer.

More fool you. If all you want is a good backslap, you can give my
critiques the swerve. I don't care. Others my find value in them.

> I will grant you
>that I have not been in this group as long as most. It is entirely
>possible that you were a contributor at one point, and are in a dry
>spell currently. Your responses to basic requests from other members,
>however, leads me to believe otherwise.
>

I am about now checking my watch. It's absolutely none of your
business whether I've ever posted anything for critique. You do
realise that, don't you?

>Lastly, this is not a request to begin a flame war.

It looks to me like one. You seem to be trolling me.

> If you have sound
>logical arguments contrary to the above to make, please do so. I am
>especially interested in knowing how you justify yourself regarding
>the cross posting

I like it.

>, and blatantly ignoring a X-No-Archive request.

I haven't got the faintest idea what one of those is, and I don't want
to learn. All of my posts go into the public record.

If you want to restrict your mails to certain people, use email, dude.
Start a mailing list. This is a public forum, even though there are
some here -- and I do include you, Dave, I'm sorry to say -- who seem
to think it's a private club.

>Swearing and insulting only serve to make yourself look bad.

So, calling you a fucking old lady wouldn't do me any good?

You're not a schoolteacher by any chance, Dave?

> Swearing
>and insulting are the only tools left when someone has lost an
>argument, and doesn't know when to concede.

No, silly Dave. They're actually pretty much my upfront tools when I
have an argument. See, I could easily out-argue you with any means I
choose. Your platitudes go for nothing because quite simply, I don't
call you names because I have nowhere left to go, but because I don't
want to go anywhere else.

> I trust you will not fall
>to this level. I hope no one else does either. I certainly won't.

Gawd forbid anyone should transgress that fatal barrier, eh, Dave?

>
>P.S. I just did an alt.fiction.original google search for "Dr Zen"
>as of about 45 seconds ago, there were 544 responses, none of which
>were original fiction from you.

Hey, and none with the archiving switched off. Lucky, huh?

> All but a small handfull were Re:
>(someone elses story or thread.) The rest were places that had both
>words "dr." and "zen" but were not you..

Here's a tip. Put both words in quotes next time. No full stop after
"Dr".

> I did, however, find it
>interesting that the issue of cross posting has been brought up
>several times before, the earliest dating back to a message from
>October of 2000. It is obvious that you have been asked repeatedly,
>and yet you continue. I can only wonder at your reasons, but dearly
>hope you will enlighten me.
>
>

I fear enlightenment is something you will have to find for yourself.
HAND.

Zen

posted by Dr Zen @ 1:12 pm