Okay, dude, you can shut the 7>:-# up now.

Yep, this is Blinker speaking. We'll cover 'how' and 'why' in a minute... but rest assured that I'm in no way responsible for any of the harassment this handle has inflicted on the board.

Now, let's start at the beginning.

I've known for quite some time that Geoff341 is a real person and not simply the prank handle of a regular. He's occasionally e-mailed me through my website asking Sliders questions similar to those he initially posed here... in fact, the first few sets of BBoard posts were *simultaneously* sent over e-mail through a working e-mail addy, in his name, at a legitimate cable ISP (nope, not AOL).

So you can imagine my bafflement as these increasingly self-parodying spam attacks under his handle began.

This was Geoff's last e-mail, on March 8 (just as the flood of Geoff impersonators was showing up - http://bboard.scifi.com/bboard/browse.cgi/1/5/545/27566):

1. I've heard something about a sliders movie have you?
2. Is the movie still being produced?
3. Whose going to be in it?
4. Are there going to be any more sliders movies after this first one gets released?

After that, he went dead... but the posts continued. Each less believable than the last. They all remained at least marginally credible until March 26, when he posted the infamous "Masturbation":

http://bboard.scifi.com/bboard/browse.cgi/1/5/545/27648

Notice anything different about this post? It's a totally distinct style of writing from anything previous. Not only are the run-on sentences absent, but when has Geoff *ever* inserted a single carriage return between two questions?

So that's when it hit me that someone must've guessed the guy's password. I proceeded to do so myself, and sure enough, Geoff had picked an unfortunately obvious one to go with his handle. I sent him e-mail asking if he'd really made those posts, but have yet to hear a word back from him (even though the posts under his handle have certainly proceeded apace).

In the meantime, I left the handle alone and watched the impersonator become increasingly transparent ('So Informant's April Fool's joke was real, right? That was a real article, wasn't it? Was it real?')

But this is where I'm pulling the plug.

The titles on today's posts -- "The Fuss™"... oh, sorry, "The Fuss," and "Quinn (aka harbinger of death itself?)" are not only the most obviously "satirical" to date (you really expect me to believe someone who's demonstrated the writing level Geoff has would use the phrase "harbinger of death itself?") but sound an AWFUL lot like a CERTAIN OTHER KNOWN SPAMMER I WON'T NAME... JUST YET.

In the meantime, the password to this handle has been changed, and mail sent to Geoff apprising him of the new one. We'll see if he ever returns.

So here's my entirely conjectural theory of events:

1) The flood of pseudo-Geoffs around March 8 drives the real one from the board. (Incidentally, none of the impersonators had the same or a similarly guessable password, indicating that the real Geoff was not "schizophrenic" as has been alleged.)

2) Some mysterious, shadowy, unknown poster who apparently loves stirring up trouble, perpetrating hoaxes, and fostering cynicism on the board hacks the password and begins annoying the 7>:-# out of everyone with his 'satire' on Geoff's stupidity.

3) This individual shares the handle with his small but like-minded circle of friends, who have a grand old time convincing one and all that "Geoff" has multiple personalities (i.e. different writing styles). Hmm... maybe the same fellow responsible for such gems as "AssRipper6" and "Scott_Bakula_Da_Man" is involved?

http://bboard.scifi.com/bboard/browse.cgi/1/5/545/27522
http://bboard.scifi.com/bboard/browse.cgi/1/5/545/27560

4) Anti-Geoff paranoia reaches such a fever pitch that when an actual TV producer planning a Sliders-like series visits the board, an infuriated Grizzlor -- Geoff's archenemy -- flames him into never returning.

http://bboard.scifi.com/bboard/browse.cgi/1/5/545/27642

As Grizz comments in his apology:

"...this board gets flooded with ridiculous claims and outlandish outright lies people make up just to annoy everyone here."

To the false Geoff... thank you VERY much for contributing to THAT. If the post is indeed legitimate and the show ever makes it to air, I'll be sure to smile contentedly as I recall that you helped SCREW over our chances of getting to speak directly with the creator as fellow fans of "Sliders."

So, does that about add up? Because it sure as hell does to me.

Oh, one last comment:

I believe the person behind the Geoff clone "Mink3" got the handle idea, either consciously or unconsciously, from this short-lived newbie:

http://bboard.scifi.com/bboard/browse.cgi/1/5/2326/26334/18

And is there anyone here who apparently has that thread bookmarked?

http://bboard.scifi.com/bboard/browse.cgi/1/5/545/26585/4

I dunno, Grizz... maybe your theory about 341 and Twizzler being one "psycho" has some merit.

- Blinker 7:-#
http://slidersweb.net/blinker