That Old HBP Post and FPs/FAQs...

[Smythe, Boyd T {FLNA}]

>>Debbie wrote:
>>Can we bin them now?  We've got a poll question to cover it.  All we need
to do is save the really well-reasoned ones.  Like Boyd's, which was
priceless and deserving of a triple FEATHERBOA.<<

>Then Carolyn wrote:
>Is that in the FP database ? I hope I didn't miss it. It's his updated sock
theory that I remember most vividly! Boyd -where are you, if you read this,
remind us of your HBP post.<


boyd:
Wow, thanks for the very kind words! BTW, like so many others, I owe my
moderately subversive nature to those who have gone before [glares at
Kneasy] and to the payoff for all subversion: a richer discussion of the
books.

Unfortunately, the firewall at work now prevents me from accessing the
groups directly (I'm purely an email groupie now), so I can't copy or link
to the post Debbie mentions. But I'm guessing it's either SSHARP OWW
(Salazar Slytherin Heaves Absolute Racial Purity On Wizard World) or PS I
LOVE ME LETS KISS (Parasitic Salazar Is a Layer Of Voldemort, Evildoing Most
Egregiously, Love Ends Tom's Spell, Kedavra Is Still Smarting) post a few
months ago, where I suggested that Salazar's spirit currently inhabits Tim
Riddle's body, and that Salazar is the HBP. Obviously I'm standing on the
shoulders of giants with those, but I did provide plenty of supportive
canon. Not definitive, but hopefully persuasive.

BTW, while many of my posts are intended to get our mental juices flowing, I
actually believe in these two. And I do hope for some real WW fear and
mayhem before it's over--but I'm afraid it will all be implied and offstage.

To make this more than an assisted plug for some of my cockamamie theories,
I'll weigh in on the FP/FAQ debate. Perhaps when we're nearly done with
basic coding, a small team should canvass only categories with the most
posts then add the FP code to those *few* posts most worthy in each
category. So every significant area will have its own FPs, and no one feels
that their pet category is left out. I, for one, don't care for discussions
of school populations or SHIPs, but others do and have created some
memorable pieces of work that would be a shame to miss.

Then the FAQ team could do a 1-2 sentence summary of each FP and link to
them. New members could then read through this enhanced list and focus on
the topics that interest them. No popular topics left out, hopefully still a
short read. As for concerns with repeating the Lexicon, why should we assume
that all new members have perused the Lexicon? It is an awesome resourse,
but quite large for a newbie to sift through. Addressing the most commonly
discussed categories in one FAQ might be useful; plus, not all fantastic
posters seem to agree with the Lexicon on topics such as Hogwarts/WW
population, and that's OK.

As for predictions with no canon, I think we should keep them only if they
are genuinely groundbreaking, and even then only if they at least *try* to
support the prediction with some decent logic. So for one-liner predictions
(including the vast majority of HBP predictions) I'd reject 'em. They'll be
worthless to future generations.

Now back to coding!

--boyd
is it just me or have HPfGU posts been more interesting lately?