Random thread picker
 

I thought that it would be interesting to read some of the old threads, but don't really have time to read very many. I wanted something that would encourage me to read threads in forums that I don't normally even enter. To assist in this, I've created an Excel spreadsheet that randomly picks one forum from the list of 18, then randomly picks one thread from all of the available threads for that forum. The object is that I'll run it once a day and read the thread that falls at that number. I have the default thread display order, which is reverse chronological.

For example, the spreadsheet is currently choosing "Forum: Home Base, thread: 319." If I've counted correctly, this is a thread called Sad and Happy. Of course, this will change if a new thread is added, and it neglects the fact that there are some deleted threads, which throws off the count. Unfortunately, the threads aren't numbered, so I have to calculate the page and count down from there.

If a thread interests me I'll post a response, so don't be surprised if you start seeing old threads popping up.

Cool.

I just responded to my first random-generated thread, in Quality Images.

This is kind of like turning over the muck at the bottom of the lake to see what floats to the surface.

Actually, if I've interpreted the vbulletin URLs correctly, each thread is assigned an ID number that's independent of what forum it's in. It would be pretty easy to put out a web page--or add a button to an existing one--to pull up a random thread, if only one had a variable to tell what the current maximum value for the thread number is.

Sounds like a job for... (insert dramatic music) UNDERTOAD.

But probably not.

This from the (not-addicted) dwellar who's planning on quietly fading away, right?

So you're the one who has been reading my posts!

I'm only doing it for LJ, who seems to miss the old days.:)

ya.

Share and enjoy.

http://www.deathtongue.net/cellar/random.pl

(note: all this does is pick a random number between 1 and 14678 and plug it in where the thread number goes. The number that comes back may refer to a thread that's been deleted, is in a restricted area, etc. etc.)

Sweet.

Steve, that's awesome! Maybe it could even be a permanent link somewhere?

that should be a link down by the cookies thinger.

Thanks, SD. That's a lot easier than what I'd been doing with the spreadsheet. Is 14678 the number of threads as of today?

One interesting thing that I noticed: If I open an old thread, like 2002, it comes up with 15 posts to a page and red borders, but the newer ones are 40 to a page and blue borders, which is what I've set up in my options.

PS -- Is dayafter.jpg posted somewhere in the Cellar?

The dayafter jpg.

SD you are the be all and end all!

I believe he was looking for my photoshop of what the young lady's friends did to her while she was passed out.

http://www.deathtongue.net/cellar/dayafter.jpg

SD -- I see your random thread picker spawning a whole new interest in the Cellar. Posting will skyrocket, the tip jar will be overflowing, UT will make so much money he'll quit his new job.

World-wide productivity will plummet.

Cellarites will lose their jobs, quit cooking, stop talking to their families and become virtual hermits, stop paying their bills and become homeless, spend all of their time in internet cafes and libraries, forget to eat, and die.

Thanks SteveDallas.

You kid, but I've already looked at about 20 random old threads. Some were really good. I can see this being a huge time waster.

I've been doing this for years. "click here", find a title that interests you, and read away!

Bonus points to the first poster who knows what already in place built-in cellar option this represents. :)

Stalking. For instance, I go to HLJ's profile, see where he is now, and follow him from post to post. :unsure:

You'ld have to find someone more interesting than me. And what if your stalker starts stalking you?

I don't know. The world might implode and we'd end up in a black hole or something.

This is the cellar's existing built-in *stalking* option?! Um, ok. Maybe I'll just put you on my ignore list out of self defense. Can I get my User CP notarized? Sheesh.

No, nothing will happen; by definition, your stalker is already stalking you. :D

By the way, the link I posted has nothing whatsoever to do with going to any user's profile.

I give up. What is the option?

Uisge, I'm glad you caught that.

By the way, now that I know that uisge is whiskey, I see your name as Whiskey Breath.

It looks like the 'Who's Online' option from the 'Quick Links' menu towards the upper-right.

:biglaugha I like that!

No more callers, please. We have a winner!

It's cool. Their bosses, coworkers, family members, creditors, bill collectors, utility companies, bankers, landlords, real estate agents, and sheriffs will be glued to The Cellar too.

Details. Somebody will invent The Matrix before it comes to that. (Or at least before it comes to that for EVERYBODY.)

I live to serve humanity.

Wow, I don't remember saying any of that. Pass me the hits 4 haysoos, dude.

What the hell is a Yahoo Slurp Spider?

Perhaps we - you, I, the two of us - have swapped identities. It was that whole stalkee-stalking-stalker, black hole thing, I'm sure.

Sorry, I don't know what happened---some sort of weird cut & paste warp field I guess.

I thought it was a joke. When I clicked on the arrow that was by my name, it took me to a different post of mine. Strange.

I'll still take the hits 4, though.

I've calculated that turning over an old thread should result in an average of 112 new views - that's got to be worth something.

That and 5 bucks will get you a Cafe Latte Smatte Decaf Half Staff Jumbo Capa-poopo at Starbucks, HLJ.

I've just added a link to the random thread picker to my sig line, so it's always with me.

Only if you're stalking yourself.

Random Head Licker...

And I've been expecting the random nose picker...

SteveDallas, I would like to request two changes to the random thread picker. It creates a link to http://www.cellar.org/showthread.php?t=XXX, where XXX is between 1 and 14678.

1) could you remove the www (i.e. change it to http://cellar.org/...)? For some reason, using the www results in a different format and one where the user (at least for me) is not logged in.

2) Could you increase the upper range to include more recent threads? I don't know what that number should be.

#2, sure, I'll do it.

I can do #1 but I'm not sure what's going on.. I expect it has to do with what the cookie in your browser says... which means it will break for people like me who use www.cellar.org :)

SteveDallas, I see your point. I'll just change my normal log-in to www.cellar.org and see if that fixes it.

Thanks.

I was using the Random Thread Picker and ended up on this thread:
http://www.cellar.org/showthread.php?t=373

It says the thread is closed. I wonder why that is. I think that's the first closed thread I've seen.

I've seen a few of them. Sometimes I've gotten an "invalid thread ....." message too.

I did close a bunch of really old threads once.

Random Picker Broken?
 

I wonder if SteveDallas's Random Thread Picker is broken. I've just used it 8 times and this is what came up:

Do you Pee in the Shower? (Ducksnuts)

Pictures of Hot Guys (Ibram)

Word Association, Part Deux

Do you Pee in the Shower? (Ducksnuts)

Pictures of Hot Guys (Ibram)

Word Association, Part Deux

Do you Pee in the Shower? (Ducksnuts)

Do you Pee in the Shower? (Ducksnuts)

That doesn't seem so random.

It reflects the other subjects you have been searching on the internet.

Perhaps, but that doesn't explain why it would open the Word Association thread.

Will someone else try it and see what they get. (It's at the bottom of the text below this text - whatever that's called.)

I just noticed that it sometimes comes up with another Do you pee... thread. Very strange.

I got three word assn threads in a row, and then left the thread, and just now came back to it and got three "do you pee..."s in a row.

I think SteveDallas has some 'splainin to do.

That's very odd.... I'll have to look into it.

I clicked on "Random thread picker" and it opened this thread.

pee, pee, pee, word assn.

teh thred thingamajigger is be brokededed~!!!11!one!!!11!1!!

hot guys, pee, hot guys, hot guys, word ass

I got pee, word assoc, hot guys, hot guys.

works fine for me. you're all just fucking around, aren't you?

Look at the thread numbers that come up: 4520, 7678, 14225, 16859. Notice a pattern?

4815162342... whoa, dude. the numbers, man! theyre after me, duude! [/hurley]