"If you think Scripture is telling you what you want to hear, take a long, hard second look."
- The Ancient Mariner
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Update: Oh, this isn't going the way I thought it would . . .
Original post:
You may have noticed that the nebulous group known as "The Thinklings" is really a sham. The Thinklings is primarily one guy (Jared Wilson) who is currently on "hiatus" and thus posting like a crazed banshee.
I hardly ever post, and when I do I generally craft idiotic posts which are purposed solely for generating lots of filler commentary (by the way, Word Tag Memers, keep up the great work! We're almost there!!!).
Phil posts thoughtfully and well, albeit in waves.
There are several honorary Thinklings who do their part, laboring in obscurity like the "featured" members of the SNL cast.
There is Kenny, who checks in periodically, but is too busy losing weight and fathering children to post much. He does, however, claim one or two top ten posts as his own.
Asbell remains our wise patriarch. Descending from on high to post something would sully his shining robes.
Bird is on a true hiatus, and is much missed, but will never lose his Thinklinghood (in no small part because of his award-winning Gatorade post)
Then there's Blo. He never posts. We're not even sure he's real for crying out loud!
I've been waiting, hoping, dreaming of the day when Blo becomes re-engaged in the Thinklings blogotorium. But, alas, I've had it. I am therefore opening up the comments thread on this post as a vote for the continued Thinklingdom of Blo. Do we de-Thinkling him? Leave your vote in the comments thread.
Original Update: We're going to do this vote like Blo's in the coliseum, surrounded by snarling lions and dressed in a smashing leather sarong that compliments his girlish figure:
Make your vote count. A "thumbs down" vote means Blo is history (or legend, depending upon your view of the corporeal reality of Blo). A "thumbs up" vote means that he retains his Thinkling status.
Blo - if the comments start going against you, the only way you can stay the swift hand of justice is to come up with a substantive post. Godspeed.
Trackbacks:
Trackback URL: http://thinklings.org/bloo.trackback.php/2231.
Comments on "Bill - DeThinklinged? (aka "The Post That Blew Up In (now former Thinkling) Bill's Face")":
3. Jared
- 06/28/2005 7:11 am CDT
Okay, based on your update:
Thumbs down.
Wait -- we're voting on whether the leather sarong compliments his figure, right?
5. Thor
- 06/28/2005 8:02 am CDT
Thumbs down...Wait, was the vote whether Blo is a chick? Oh, well then, then thumbs up ;)
I think Blo's too busy teaching Romans somewhere or schooling Bill in b-ball.
6. Shrode
- 06/28/2005 8:04 am CDT
I will only vote thumbs down...if we consider voting thumbs down on some of our other non-posters. (Yes, even the great Asbell...who I'm not sure ever wanted to be a part anyway. I'll bet he felt drafted. :)
And maybe we should open up their slots to someone else?
HEY! We could have a "I want to be a thinkling" contest!
We could have people submit posts. We current thinklings would be the judges, but we could also allow our readership to vote a la "American Idol".
What do you think?
my vote: thumbs down on Blo and Asbell...conditional upon our replacing each of them... thus keeping the perfect number at 7.
(So hey honorary thinklings, you could have a promotion coming...better get to posting. This is a merit based system after all.... or is it? :)
So, I guess we don't believe in "Once a thinkling, always a thinkling?" Can one lose their thinkling status? Or would it be more accurate to say that one can willfully choose to reject thinkling status? And what's the basis of maintaining thinkling status? Grace or Works?
7. Chris
- 06/28/2005 8:20 am CDT
So, I guess we don't believe in "Once a thinkling, always a thinkling?" Can one lose their thinkling status? Or would it be more accurate to say that one can willfully choose to reject thinkling status? And what's the basis of maintaining thinkling status? Grace or Works?
I knew that this would eventually work its way out :-) I vote thumbs up for Blo and Asbell both, since "All Thinklings are God's Thinklings." Right?
:-)
8. Jared
- 06/28/2005 8:48 am CDT
Well, we've been over this before. My belief is that perseverance is the proof one's election. So if Blo and Asbell get the boot, they were never really Thinklings to begin with. ;-)
Also, once they have tasted of the Thinklingly gift and departed, it is impossible to restore them again.
And while we're on the subject:
What of those who've never heard of the Thinklings?
9. Raindream
- 06/28/2005 9:09 am CDT
LOL, Jared.
As for the vote, I am full of compassion and look forward to a post or comment. Thumbs up.
10. Daniel
- 06/28/2005 9:12 am CDT
Is it possible for me to earn my Thinklinghood or is it given to me solely by the grace of Thinklings?
On Blo: Demote him to "honorary" status so that maybe he will grow to appreciate his current status.
11. Daniel
- 06/28/2005 9:14 am CDT
Of course, I fully realize that I could never arise to the standard of the true Thinklings through my own merits. The status can only be given to me by grace through faith.
;-)
12. Brian in Fresno
- 06/28/2005 9:17 am CDT
Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh! My world is falling apart! What is happening?! The foundation of everything I hold dear is crumbling! How can you turn on each other like this?! Man against man, brother against brother. Factions fighting. Is this a coup?! Which side am I on? Which side should I choose? Will I be forced to choose?
Help me!
15. jen
- 06/28/2005 9:41 am CDT
I have no opinion either way. I vote that Daniel be made an official Thinkling, though. He's posted more than Blo and Asbell combined.
16. Bill
- 06/28/2005 9:56 am CDT
But seven is our number and the counting of our number must be seven.
So you're, in essence, voting thumbs down, since for Daniel to become fully Thinklinged Blo would, necessarily, have to step down in shame.
And how would Quaid, Stroke (both of whom are safely ensconsed at highschool camp right now) and Rob T feel about Daniel getting the nod?
Jen, you are sowing dischord.
17. Jared
- 06/28/2005 10:03 am CDT
In response to Brian:
Dogs and cats living together! Mass hysteria!
---
In response to Bill, et.al.:
I am unsold on the idea that Thinklings could even propose the excommunication of those who achieved Thinklinghood before them. I'm looking at you, Bill! Blo was one of the three original Thinklings, receiving that honor before you came into the fold.
Isn't this sort of like the young rowdy crowd edging out the older members of the congregation because they are no longer "useful"?
Maybe, Bill, you should take your honorary Thinklings and just start a rival group blog across the street. You could be Thinklings Community Blog, while we will remain First Thinkling Blog (est. 2003).
We will nod at each other politely when we cross paths at the grocery store, but we won't allow our kids to date each other, and we will shun any member of our own who decides to visit the other's blog one week.
All those in favor?
All those opposed?
18. Daniel
- 06/28/2005 10:14 am CDT
Please, I don't want my name associated with dischord.
I've said time and time again, that I'm not really even intellectually worthy to be an honorary Thinkling (although I'm honored).
I just want to fill out one of the "Meet the (honorary) Thinklings" things.
:-)
19. Jared
- 06/28/2005 10:31 am CDT
You know this post is completely pointless, as Blo simply does not exist.
This post is the equivalent of SETI's radio signal travelling into the outer regions of space hoping for extraterrestrial response. All they -- and you -- are gonna get back is static silence.
20. Alan
- 06/28/2005 10:40 am CDT
I don't know if any of y'all saw this last night. Hopefully this will be helpful in settling some of these questions.
LARRY KING: So let’s talk about the Thinklings. Because we've had ministers on who said . .. Well scratch that. Just one, down near San Antonio. He says being a Thinkling is all about the posts. He’s not a good Thinkling, mind you, but . . .
JOEL OSTEEN: Yeah, I don't know. I think it's a cop-out to say I'm a Thinkling but I don't ever do anything ...
KING: What if you don't accept Blo at all?
OSTEEN: You know, I'm very careful about saying who is and isn’t a Thinkling. I don't know ...
KING: If you believe you have to believe in Blo? They're wrong, aren't they?
OSTEEN: Well, I don't know if I believe they're wrong. I believe here's what the internet reveals and this is what I believe. But I just think that only Bill will judge a person's heart. He does a lot of that, you know.
KING: So are you saying you want to be a Thinkling?
OSTEEN: I grew up in Houston with my father. I believe I am . . . I should be– a Thinkling. I don't know all about their religion, with all their “theology” and “hermeneutics.” But I know I love Jared. And I don't know. I've seen their pictures. So I don't know. I know for me, I want to have a relationship with Shrode. He kind of looks like me, you know.
KING: You don't say Jared is “on hiatus”?
OSTEEN: I don't.
KING: Is that a word you don't use?
OSTEEN: I don't use it. I never thought about it. Why would I? He posts more than Instapundit.
KING: You believe in the internet literally?
OSTEEN: I do, I do.
KING: Blo existing, Bill being able to play basketball, Shrode looking like Noah Wylie, Jared having some sort of nontrivial amount of bedroom prowess, and all that?
OSTEEN: I do. I do. I believe that. I believe it all.
22. RazorsKiss
- 06/28/2005 10:48 am CDT
That, Alan... was pure comic genius. Absolute, and complete uberosity personified.
Jared, you guys are a scream.
You're right - Blo doesn't exist.
THUMBS DOWN!
25. Shrode
- 06/28/2005 10:51 am CDT
Alan,
LOL,LOL, LOL! I'm so glad you're my friend. :)
Of course, I read that and I think, "Man, he gets us. He really gets us. And knows us maybe better than we know ourselves. " :)
26. Bill the Former Thinkling
- 06/28/2005 11:24 am CDT
[Bill sits in stunned silence]
I think I just got de-Thinklinged by Jared. . .
*sigh*. Ok, tonight I'll take down my bio, and join the ranks of my honorary Thinkling brethren.
[Boy did this backfire on me!]
27. Josh
- 06/28/2005 11:44 am CDT
I'm normally just the lurking type, but I had to comment after a laugh-out-loud funny comment by Alan. Great work!
29. Shrode
- 06/28/2005 12:17 pm CDT
I love the new title! Man, talk about backfired. I'm pretty sure the last thing Bill expected was to be replaced by Alan. 
30. Bill the Former Thinkling
- 06/28/2005 12:21 pm CDT
Yeah, you could say that.
[Bill stares into nothing. His cheek twitches.
Off in the distance a dog barks]
32. blestwithsons
- 06/28/2005 1:42 pm CDT
Cheer up Bill. I don't think you can de-thinkling the creator of the 2nd highest comment getting post AND the fast rising word-tag meme.
There once was a disheartened Thinkling
Whose eyes had lost all of their twinkling
Cause the balance was tipped
by a real funny script
But who's Alan? I haven't an inkling!
33. The commenter formerly known as a Thinkl
- 06/28/2005 3:48 pm CDT
Thanks for the poem. BlestWithSons.
I shall read it often, in my banishment.
Goodbye Thinklingosphere. I'm glad I knew ye. . .
36. jen
- 06/29/2005 12:27 am CDT
Hilarious.
I almost nominated myself as a New Thinkling, but then I realized that would be too audacious, presumptuous.
39. salguod
- 06/29/2005 4:34 pm CDT
Matthew - "I do not think that word means what you think it means." LOL!
Alan - Oh my goodness.
Are we still voting? If Blo doesn't exist then he isn't really a Thinkling anyway, since something non existant can't be something else anyway, right? Based on the non-existance of Blo, I decline to vote, as it doesn't matter anyway.
Bill - What were you thinking? Maybe you can fabricate some Blo post to take the eyes of the blogscape off of your treachery. :-)
40. The commenter formerly known as a Thinkl
- 06/29/2005 5:01 pm CDT
I think it's too late for me,. Salgoud.
Save yourself . . . save . . . your . . . se -
[Bill expires, shaking a large rattle]
41. Daniel
- 06/29/2005 5:29 pm CDT
Bill, put your bio back up and reclaim your rightful status as "Jewel of the Thinklings."
(Shakes fist in Homer-esque fashion) Do iiiiitttt!
42. The former Thinkling who is not quite de
- 06/29/2005 11:29 pm CDT
[Bill, not quite dead yet, slowly raises his arm and points to comment #17]
de-thinklinged (gasp) by (choke) J-j-jared . . .
'tis a far, far better thing I do than I have evah done . . .
[Bill expires again, and is taken whither we know not where on a flaming chariot]
43. blestwithsons
- 06/30/2005 2:19 am CDT
Now what's really creepy is how the exThinkling managed to put his comments on a Thursday post back on Tuesday... Especially given that the Thursday post is about the possibly flexible nature of time...Hmmm. Perhaps the exThinkling had a premonition of his own imminent expiration (like milk!) and reached across time to plant one last reminder of the greatness that was B***. (His name has become anathema - we shall not speak it)
Now that he has been struck down - will he become even more powerful?
44. Disembodied Voice
- 06/30/2005 3:51 am CDT
[Deep, mysterious voice]
History became legend . . . Legend became myth . . .
He whom we do not name can not yet take again a physical form, but his spirit has lost none of its potency.
[Clears throat. Normal sounding voice]
So who's the new Thinkling? Jen or Alan?
Leave your vote in the comments thread.
Vote early, vote often.
49. Bill the THINKLING
- 07/01/2005 1:38 am CDT
Whooooop!!!!
My Word Tag Meme Homies came through!
[points to the top ten scoreboard]
Hey Jared. There's a new kid on the block. You shant be rid of me so easily!
Feels good to be back. A Thinkling restored, with all the rights and privileges therein. Redemption. . . Restoration . . . man, nothing like it.
I feel another song coming on.
I've taken my bows
And my curtain calls
You've brought fame and Thinklingness, and everything that GOES with it
I thank you all (blestwithsons, Rich, SCPanther, pigwotflies, you Rock!)
But it's been no bed of roses
No pleasure cruise
I consider it a challenge before the whole blogospheric race
And I ain't gonna lose
(and we need to blog ON and ON and ON and OOOONNNNN)
I am a Thinkling, again
And I'll keep on fighting, till the end
I am a Thinkling, I am a Thinkling
No time for Jared* for I am a Thinkling
Agaaaaaaaiiinnnnnn.
* Just kidding Rod - don't banish me again, please!
50. SCPanther
- 07/01/2005 1:45 am CDT
We will, we will blog you!
etc.
Welcome back, Tink, er... Bill!
52. Bill
- 07/01/2005 8:11 am CDT
It's nice to have people believe in you. Thanks Razorskiss.
It's nice to be, once more and forever, a Thinkling.
Ahh...
ahem. Ok - well, now that that's taken care of, let's get back down to business. I'm feeling pretty spry today - what with a new post roaring up the charts and all. So: Who with me for ousting Blo? Leave your vote in the comments thread.
I vote: Thumbs Down! Sorry Blo, my imaginary Bro, but you're simply not a real entity. We can't have mythological creatures as members of the Thinklings. It's unnatural.
54. SCPanther
- 07/01/2005 5:17 pm CDT
Now wait just a second, Bill. Is it your position that the communique cited on this page was formed by chance through random mutation over vast periods of time? It seems to me to be far too complex, irreducibly so, for such a scenario to be plausible.
It would seem clear that such a communique must have been designed, ergo, there must be a designer.
I submit that the most reasonable explanation is that the designer is the entity known in this culture by the name Blo.
Therefore, your abloism is unwarranted.
55. Bill
- 07/01/2005 6:07 pm CDT
All I can say SCPanther is that Blo is a mystery. Wrapped in an enigma.
I want to believe Blo exists. I do.
56. Rich
- 07/01/2005 7:33 pm CDT
I'm pretty sure I saw a "Blo" in one of the cryptozoology books my son checked out from the library. I guess I believe that there's one somewhere around. At least there's something wandering out there that fits the description.
For me, it adds to the charm and mystery of the Thinklings to have guys that just don't post. And then if there's ever a sighting, it's almost like manna from heaven. Or better yet, quails.
By the same token, I'm genuinely happy regarding Bill's reinstatement to the Thinklings, and I can't wait for the next time he posts something saying, "hey, I thought up another one of those games last night, but I'm sure it will never hit the top ten -- BUT KEEP POSTING TO IT GUYS!!!" And of course I will.
57. SCPanther
- 07/02/2005 9:47 am CDT
Bill said: All I can say SCPanther is that Blo is a mystery. Wrapped in an enigma.
I want to believe Blo exists. I do.
Ah, but the point, my until-recently-less-than-Thinkling friend, is that Blo is a mystery that has, at least in some limited form, revealed himself.
You say, "show me the evidence," but I say that the problem here is not a lack of evidence, but an unwillingness of the heart to accept it.
To look deeper, I would suggest that perhaps this is because you subconsciously wish to be a Thinkling unto yourself? This is surely original sin!
59. SCPanther
- 07/02/2005 4:53 pm CDT
Dang, Chris, did you whip that whole page up just for this?!
That's fairly impressive!
Disturbing, of course, but impressive!
61. Shrode
- 07/04/2005 2:33 am CDT
Chris,
That really is impressive. "greatamericanblo.com" hilarious!
63. Quaid
- 07/04/2005 7:03 am CDT
Whoa. I leave for one week and one of the coolest posts evuh comes and (nearly) goes.
First of all - I vote "no" or "thumbs down" to Dethinklingize Bill.
Second voting thumbs down to Blo and not to Asbell seems illogical. Still, Asbell seems to nice of a guy to kick out of anything.
Lastly, since my name was thrown out there as a possible replacement if the Blow were to be ejected, I am not sure if I can offer a totally non-biased vote on the question of Blo's Thinklingness. I will vote "Thumbs Down", though in the case that my vote does count.
To keep the completeness of 7, maybe y'all could just cast lots.
64. Quaid
- 07/04/2005 7:05 am CDT
I think it quite ironic (don't ya think?) that this post about retiring a Thinkling came right before the O'Connor retirement from the bench. Very interesting.
If the Thinklings are the Court, who is the President? Could the President threaten a Thinkling-Packing Scheme a la FDR? (Not the FDR from Seinfeld)
65. faithCommons
- 07/04/2005 8:01 am CDT
As best I can tell, Christianity got its regular meeting habit from the Jewish Synagogue system. We could assume that Islam did too, in perhaps a more indirect way. But Pagan religions also had meeting places and the other great world religions have comm
66. Bill
- 07/04/2005 2:24 pm CDT
"First of all - I vote "no" or "thumbs down" to Dethinklingize Bill."
Man! Another person wanting to off me! And this was one I thought was a friend. Betrayed!
Ah well, Quaid's hungry for a spot in the Thinklings pantheon. I guess I can understand his treachery.
I've been out a few days. Chris - that's amazing. Your picture of the Blo actually gave me a well-needed faith booster. I'm starting to believe . . . perhaps can even say I do I do I DO BELIEVE in BLO!
And I vote to oust him!
Quaid, my "friend", if the Thinklings are a court, Jared is both Chief Justice and President. Yes, it's unconstitutional, but what are ya gonna do - he owns the executive and legislative.
Jared is a benign dictator, though. Can't think of a better hub for the Thinklings wheel.
67. Chris
- 07/05/2005 8:40 am CDT
"First of all - I vote "no" or "thumbs down" to Dethinklingize Bill."
Man! Another person wanting to off me! And this was one I thought was a friend. Betrayed!
Did I miss something? Your quote sounds like Quaid was voting to keep you.
You can't leave, Bill. Who would get rid of all the spam? :-)
68. Jared
- 07/05/2005 8:46 am CDT
Who would get rid of all the spam?
Um, me?
Hey, Bill, what exactly do you do around here?
;-)
69. Jared
- 07/05/2005 8:48 am CDT
If I may revisit the original purpose of this post:
I am now voting for Blo's excommunication. I have it on good authority that the wuss has yet to ask his wife if he can join me and Bird for our semi-annual Ent-Moot this Friday. I've been emailing him for over a month trying to get an answer from him about his attendance. Then I hear, a week away, he hasn't even run the idea by his wife yet.
"Exactly who wears the pants in this family, H.I.?"
So ixnay on O-Blay. (Unless he emails me his intention to join the moot. In that case, I'm back to booting Bill.)
70. Bill
- 07/05/2005 9:22 am CDT
Hey, if it wasn't for my spam-bans you'd be deleting spam 28 hours a day, boss.
I've deleted my share. *snort*
Oh, and I agree -
Hey Hey Ho Ho
That wuss named Blo has gotta go
73. Jared
- 07/06/2005 4:34 am CDT
Spam is now clean.
I am on vacation, you know. ;-)
---
Bill, we have spam bans?
74. Bill
- 07/06/2005 6:02 am CDT
Quaid - my profuse apologies. I misread your intentions. We are comrades again.
Jared - you wound me sir.
(seriously, once I had the system send me every spam that was banned in a given day. It went into the 1,000s - you just don't see them).
Not that it couldn't be better.
And where the heck is the preview feature! Maybe I do need to be dethinklinged after all!
Down with Bill!!!!
Er . . .
75. Jared
- 07/06/2005 6:20 am CDT
I was just joking, of course. The bans are great.
And I'm happy to do my part as the policeman in service to your Department of Defense.
78. Bill
- 07/07/2005 6:16 am CDT
Quaid - I'll give you the recipe:
You Moot on the 8th
Blo does not materialize on the 8th
Jared will probably have you promoted to full Thinklinghood before the second steak is on the flame.
79. Quaid
- 07/07/2005 6:47 am CDT
I can't moot until late. (the very thought of my first moot has me all quite interested)
(It feels kind of funny. Kind of like when you climb the rope in gym class.)
I won't be the only honorary at the moot, though. Stroke will be there, right? And someone else, too?
80. Bill
- 07/07/2005 7:07 am CDT
Stroke, you, Bird, Rod
I don't even know where it is - Rod is keeping me in the dark. Still bitter, I s'pose. If I knew I might drop by for just a little while. But Rod's making sure that doesn't happen . . .
*sigh*
Oh, and we are hoping that Blo manifests, even if it's just him rattling the cupboards a bit and perhaps us hearing a faint "maaaaaaaan roooooooooddd" on the wind.
81. Thinklings » Blog Archive »
- 09/04/2005 10:31 am CDT
[...] OK, everyone don't you think, he's suffered long enough? He once tried to De-Thinkling someone else and somehow it backfired. But he's the one that renamed himself "De" and claims to have been De-thinklinged. I didn't vote, did you? But he seems to think that being "De" is the will of the people. [...]
I vote Yes.
Wait -- we're voting on whether Blo is a chick, right?
Maybe he'd more inclined to blog if they let him on the Intellectuelle team.