ASKING FOR HELP PLEASE!

[brucehoult]

Phone numbers and email addresses in posts are generally a bad idea however...

Yes, of course they are.
But it appears they've been scrubbed from the original post by someone named "Simon".

As a mod on reddit I'm jealous because they don't give us that power.

On the other hand I'm always reluctant to nuke posts that aren't actively dangerous or libellous or off topic etc. My forum has 23000 members (the best posts are actually read by 10k+) and it only takes about 10 down votes (which we don't have here) to put a post off most people's radar.

[Halcyon]

New year, new crazies.

[Analog Kid]

New year, new crazies.

Or new trolls.

[tggzzz]

People who want to reply, do so,  those who are offended by it should tut and move on?

That makes me think of the kind of statement Musk would make to "justify" how Twatter has degenerated under his leadership.

If you have something valuable (e.g. the quality of posts on this forum), then it is worth actively defending that quality and ensuring it doesn't slip.

[vk6zgo]

Faries may not exist

Yes they do,they wear boots and spend the night dancing with dwarfs,you gotta believe me. And theirs also the pink fairies,there a whole bunch of sweeties.

I thought I had booted fairies dancing on my roof, but they turned out to be Ibises.

[Halcyon]

New year, new crazies.

Or new trolls.

More or less the same, except there is treatment for mental illness.

Faries may not exist

Yes they do,they wear boots and spend the night dancing with dwarfs,you gotta believe me. And theirs also the pink fairies,there a whole bunch of sweeties.

I thought I had booted fairies dancing on my roof, but they turned out to be Ibises.

Over where I am, we call them Cockatoos (or Possums at night time).

[fzabkar]

https://www.penguinmagic.com/p/17412

[SteveThackery]

so half the forum want to reply while half are outraged that I don't delete everyones efforts.

So what? You're the moderator!!   What other people do is irrelevant. And it has nothing to do with outrage.

It's to do with the fact that this forum should never be a place where mental health advice is given. Think of the inadvertent damage we might do. And if it starts to look like a scam, what possible value is there in allowing the scam to continue?

What proportion of the forum membership is qualified to give advice on electronics? 90%, maybe? That's good, right? Now ask yourself what proportion is qualified to give mental health advice.

[Analog Kid]

Plus it's not even clear in this case whether mental-health advice or a quick kick to the rear end is what's called for.

[brucehoult]

People who want to reply, do so,  those who are offended by it should tut and move on?

That makes me think of the kind of statement Musk would make to "justify" how Twatter has degenerated under his leadership.

If you have something valuable (e.g. the quality of posts on this forum), then it is worth actively defending that quality and ensuring it doesn't slip.

I'm not sure what the supposed "problem" is on Twitter, where you have to explicitly follow each person you want to see messages from. If you're seeing rubbish content there -- and I'm not -- then that's entirely a you problem.

People there who I value following sometimes leave apparently because of personal feelings about Mr Musk (which is illogical, imo), but then they always seem to come back. Two names that immediately spring to mind are FPGA and Microsoft guy Jan Gray (@jangray) and INRIA Nancy RISC-V and FPGA and 3D geometry and cosmos modelling guy Bruno Levy (@BrunoLevy01).

The problem *I* have with twitter is that it's gotten SO MUCH more relevant technical activity in the last year or two that I now struggle to keep up with even the small number of people I follow. I sure as heck don't have time to add another similar service.

[Halcyon]

so half the forum want to reply while half are outraged that I don't delete everyones efforts.

So what? You're the moderator!!   What other people do is irrelevant. And it has nothing to do with outrage.

It's to do with the fact that this forum should never be a place where mental health advice is given. Think of the inadvertent damage we might do. And if it starts to look like a scam, what possible value is there in allowing the scam to continue?

What proportion of the forum membership is qualified to give advice on electronics? 90%, maybe? That's good, right? Now ask yourself what proportion is qualified to give mental health advice.

I understand where you are coming from, and whilst I'm not a doctor, I'm one of the few people here that does have significant training and experience in dealing with mental health patients.
There is a big difference between (even an inexperienced person) saying that "Your thoughts are irrational because xyz, and you should consult a medical professional", versus someone saying "You should take xyz medication for your issues, because I suffer from the same delusions and happen to take the same meds".

I'll use a very real world example: Talking about suicide and thoughts of suicide, with a person who is actually suicidal, isn't going to magically put the idea into their head and make them jump off a bridge. Talking through things can actually be beneficial for a person, especially those who might have insight into their condition and just want to hear a logical explanation or reassurance from someone else.

[Analog Kid]

There is a big difference between (even an inexperienced person) saying that "Your thoughts are irrational because xyz, and you should consult a medical professional" [...]

If a statement like that ever becomes actionable, meaning that the person saying it could be held legally liable for any consequences, then that's a world I definitely do not want to live in.

[Halcyon]

There is a big difference between (even an inexperienced person) saying that "Your thoughts are irrational because xyz, and you should consult a medical professional" [...]

If a statement like that ever becomes actionable, meaning that the person saying it could be held legally liable for any consequences, then that's a world I definitely do not want to live in.

You won't have an issue unless you are repeatedly targeting an individual, bullying them online and telling them they should go and end their life. But you would have been banned from here long before that.

You won't (and can't) be legally held liable for having an opinion, even if it's an incorrect or misguided one.

[Xena E]

People who want to reply, do so,  those who are offended by it should tut and move on?

That makes me think of the kind of statement Musk would make to "justify" how Twatter has degenerated under his leadership.

If you have something valuable (e.g. the quality of posts on this forum), then it is worth actively defending that quality and ensuring it doesn't slip.

I wouldn't know, I don't use Farcebook or Twatter.

Long before Musk took over ownership of Twitter I had already exercised my free choice over it and moved on... for reasons other than some offended sense of self importance that my opinion actually counted above that of everyone else...

X

[Analog Kid]

Whatever you think of X/Twitter, it still remains a vital tool used by lots of journalists, despite the changes wrought by Musk.
One needn't subscribe to his beliefs to use it.

Facebook, not so much.

(I use neither.)

[vk6zgo]

New year, new crazies.

Or new trolls.

More or less the same, except there is treatment for mental illness.

Faries may not exist

Yes they do,they wear boots and spend the night dancing with dwarfs,you gotta believe me. And theirs also the pink fairies,there a whole bunch of sweeties.

I thought I had booted fairies dancing on my roof, but they turned out to be Ibises.

Over where I am, we call them Cockatoos (or Possums at night time).

That's what we suspected, till we saw the "bin chickens" stomping around on the roof of another house, & were lucky enough to witness the takeoff of one of ours.
Like watching a C130 trying to takeoff from a carrier!

[vk6zgo]

Desperately asking around to see if anyone has any knowledge of the below and is able to help.

If you know anything about some form of black magic/witchcraft that does the following, even if only one or some, please help :
- Access and see through the victim’s brain entirely (ie. memories, knowledge, thoughts, languages)
- Block the victim from accessing the full capacity of the victim’s own brain
- See everything the victim sees (either through the victim’s eyes or what registers in the victim’s brain)
- Control and manipulate the victim’s emotions, thoughts, dreams, tears, sweat, what the victim smells, etc
- Communicate with the victim
- Vibrations
- Induce pain in the victim (could feel it anywhere on the body)
- Control the victim’s bodily movements (but for this, the victim has stronger control over his/her/their own body still)
- Etc

I know it might be hard to believe but countries like Indonesia have attempted to ban black magic/witchcraft, proving that such magic exists. Please, I’m begging for help! If you or anyone around you has any knowledge of the above magic, please message me.

Also, if it’s possible, could you please spread this to the people you know so there will be a higher chance for me to be helped. And if you happen to chance upon it any time down the line, please remember this message. If you hear of anyone who might know about it as well, I would greatly appreciate if you could connect me with that person. Please!

I thought I would address you directly.

Although to those without knowledge in our field, some of the things that can be done in the field of Electronics & Electrical Engineering look like magic, they are not, & use the quite well known Laws of Physics.
We don't know any more than you do about magic, but most people are very dubious about its existence or effects.

It might be better to try people with expertise in either magic itself, or nearby fields such as Religion or Psychiatry.
EEs & Technician's are no more knowledgeable in what you are asking than the "burger flipper" at MacDonald's, except most of us have been around for many years without encountering any of the effects you describe.

[artag]

As you all know, 'any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic'.

[EEVblog]

so half the forum want to reply while half are outraged that I don't delete everyones efforts.

You're a moderator...

- Does the OP's thread (assuming that the post is in any way genuine given the scam phone number) add value, technical stimulation or reputation to the forum.
- Is any member going to be able to give any mental assistance to the OP (again, assuming that it isn't an attempt to trap people with the phone number.
- Is the general trolling and mickey taking* of any benefit and can it be described as "efforts".

It's about keeping the forum clean, tidy and not full of crap, not a popularity contest.
EDIT: *Aside from squadchannel's contribution, showing how widespread this scam is.

As a general rule here, if there has been signicant contriution by legit users to the thread before a moderator gets to see it, then we don't delete whole threads like this even if started by a spammer. As they often evolve into other interesting discussions.

[EEVblog]

so half the forum want to reply while half are outraged that I don't delete everyones efforts.

So what? You're the moderator!!   What other people do is irrelevant. And it has nothing to do with outrage.

It's to do with the fact that this forum should never be a place where mental health advice is given. Think of the inadvertent damage we might do. And if it starts to look like a scam, what possible value is there in allowing the scam to continue?

What proportion of the forum membership is qualified to give advice on electronics? 90%, maybe? That's good, right? Now ask yourself what proportion is qualified to give mental health advice.

Chill out, it's just a spammer/bot.

[IanB]

You won't (and can't) be legally held liable for having an opinion, even if it's an incorrect or misguided one.

That depends on the jurisdiction you live in. There are parts of the world where you certainly can be held liable (and imprisoned) for voicing an opinion (yes, UK, I'm looking at you). May also be true in Germany, though I'm less familiar with that. It generally comes under the umbrella of "hate speech" or "supporting terrorist organizations" or similar.

You may be familiar with the way that if you report a burglary, the police (in the UK) will shrug and say "nothing we can do, claim it on insurance", but if you make a post on social media the government doesn't like, the police will turn up on your doorstep and arrest you.

The whole trend is rather disquieting.