Sidebar to the left or sidebar to the right?

Which do you prefer and why.

OK, throw it at me folks.

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Gerrit's picture

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Resilience: practical action to improve things we can control.
3D+: developing language for postmodern spirituality.

Phone a lot so right is easier but yeah we are lefties.

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mobile readers would have an easier time with the sidebar on the right. I don't do mobile devices so I need some input.

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and the sidebar on the right adds an
extra step whenever I want to navigate
the site - means I must always push the
screen to the left to get to the sidebar.
And I do mean "push" not swipe with
my thumb as I'm right-handed.

Adding an extra step every time I want
to see new comments or go to content
stream isn't mobile-friendy, but the
opposite.

Also, scrolling down new comments
with the sidebar on the right means I
must be extremely careful not to
accidentaly click on an unintended
comment.

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Only connect. - E.M. Forster

gulfgal98's picture

But if the right sidebar makes it easier for those using their phones, then we should try to be as user friendly as possible.

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

Alphalop's picture

A differently formatted mobile version at some point anyway to make it easier to attract that spectrum of viewers.

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"I used to vote Republican & Democrat, I also used to shit my pants. Eventually I got smart enough to stop doing both things." -Me

I enjoy the live blogging you've been doing, good stuff.

After the dust settles a bit, we are going to upgrade the site software to a new version that was recently released. At that time we will be addressing the site responsiveness for mobile devices. You should see a definite improvement.

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gulfgal98's picture

to do live blogs. Even though I have not participated in them, I read them afterwards and they are great.

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

I don't have the best vision, so keep that in mind. It seemed perfect to me when it was on the left. Being on the right doesn't seem to be as clear and easy to follow.

On the other hand, I am a super left wing progressive. So going left is my preference Smile

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'Well, I've wrestled with reality for thirty five years, Doctor, and I’m happy to state I finally won out over it." Elwood P. Dowd "

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CS in AZ's picture

Why? I dunno. It just seems more intuitive to look to my right to watch for new stuff. It could be because I'm used to Daily Kos and the Recent list was on the right side, so that's just where I'm used to scanning for new stuff. It was fine on the left side too. I can go either way!

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Does that make us bi-textual?

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Solidarity

Alphalop's picture

That's a pretty good indicator we may want to go to the "Left" of them. Smile

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"I used to vote Republican & Democrat, I also used to shit my pants. Eventually I got smart enough to stop doing both things." -Me

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is it easier to read with the sidebar on the right?

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mobile it is the scrolling. But I'm right handed so for folks that are lefties the left will be better.

I can scroll with one hand if it on the right, but I think that we should make it easier for the folks writing Essays. We need content for folks to scroll through :).

GO c99p Go!

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supenau's picture

The majority of my site visits are on my phone. So the right side does make that easier.

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Moving the column to the right, makes it so much easier on the phone. I even like it better on my lap top. I read from left to right. All of the stuff on the left side stuff I just had to filter out.

I absolutely vote for the column to be relocated to the right-hand side of the page.

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

hecate's picture

a random generator should appear it sometimes on the left, sometimes on the right, and sometimes in the middle. Also, sometimes it should appear in a slow-moving crawl across the bottom of the page. Then it should come by here and put more wood on the fire, and maybe feed the ants.

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gulfgal98's picture

you have a warped mind. Lol

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

hecate's picture

at all times.

a740ec5d1e784594a12d168e6dbe96cc.jpg

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shaharazade's picture

don't just know it

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NCTim's picture

Diatomaceous Earth is great stuff and chemical free. It works on all kinds of critters, like the slime gnats that come with potting soil.

Diatomite is used as an insecticide, due to its abrasive and physico-sorptive properties. The fine powder absorbs lipids from the waxy outer layer of insects' exoskeletons, causing them to dehydrate. Arthropods die as a result of the water pressure deficiency, based on Fick's law of diffusion.

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

hecate's picture

we like the ants here. They are part of the family.

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jiordan's picture

however, the back and forth is starting to make me dizzy (and question my vision) Smile

I'm used to the right side but either works for me.

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Leema's picture

Either way ...but don't change again after that adaption! Lol

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When wealth rules, democracy dies.

pfiore8's picture

I'm seeing, but the sidebar was good on the left and it's good on the right, for me.

I would suggest two things, beyond the sidebar placement.

Take in the margins of the essay space. I think it makes the essays look better and it's certainly better for the eye, which can only take in so much before losing place. If you know what I mean.

I love the "vote" w/o names and love there are no HRs.

However, I would like to see if there is a response to my comment. comment stream is okay, but it moves fast. there may be a something missed that I would have responded to . . .

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“There are moments which are not calculable, and cannot be assessed in words; they live on in the solution of memory… ”
― Lawrence Durrell, "Justine"

once the server move is done I plan an essay asking for improvements input. Improvement No. 1 will be better comment monitoring. Try the Content Stream.

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NCTim's picture

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

just like DK4, it's different software but should be doable.

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WindDancer13's picture

I would also like to see a comment window at the bottom of a story. I really like the ability to go back to the top with that little arrow thing so not a really huge deal, but would be convenient. Thanks for all your work.

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass

that is definitely on the agenda. I can change the settings and have the editor on the bottom of every comment section like it is at DK5. I tried it a couple of months ago and it confused folks, they were putting comments in the wrong spot, so I changed it back to what you see now. I'm waiting until we upgrade our software in the very near future to see what changes it will have to offer.

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detroitmechworks's picture

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

JayRaye's picture

left my feedback in Tim's essay.

If right is better for mobile user, I can adapt, but prefer left.

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Never be deceived that the rich will allow you to vote away their wealth.-Lucy Parsons

Lady Libertine's picture

100% same opinion as JayRaye here. I will adjust but I prefer it on the left by, like, a lot!

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The column on the left is great for my phone and nice on my laptop.

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

upstream you said you definitely like the sidebar on the right, but here you are saying you like it better on the left. So which is it ?

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kharma's picture

Let's call it a topbar and put it on the bottom. Smile

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There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties.. This...is to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution.--John Adams

going to sidle up to the bar and pour a long tall cold one!

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NCTim's picture

I should have known better Smile

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

gulfgal98's picture

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

I thought I said that twice. Guess not. For some strange and inexplicable reason, moving it to the right hand side simplified everything for me. I checked it out on my phone. Much, much easier to read.

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

NCTim's picture

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

NCTim's picture

I vote:

David Hidalgo - Telecaster

Warren Haynes - Les Paul

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The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -

WindDancer13's picture

I find the right to work better for me. This, however, is because I "physically" interact with computers, so to me moving the mouse over to the left side of the screen requires me to swivel a lot, while on the right side it is near to my mouse. Hope that makes sense. My son used to yell at me when we played Mario Brothers because I had to physically move to play. = )

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We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.--Aristotle
If there is no struggle there is no progress.--Frederick Douglass

Pat K California's picture

But that's only because that's where the sidebar is at the GOS, the place I've spent the last 10 years before moving over here.

So, you know what that means, right? Yup. You need to put the sidebar on the LEFT so that I never get complacent again! Getting one's preconceived notions of what is "right" shook up every now and again is a good thing ...

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"Long term: first the rich get mean, then the poor get mean, and the rest is history." My brother Rob.

Alphalop's picture

I read from left to right and seeing the text off to the right side of the screen seems unnatural somehow and constantly causes my eye to want to continue reading whatever line I am currently following to the bar on the right.

I vote left. Just as I do in real life.

We don't need no stinking "Right Wing" sidebar. Wink

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"I used to vote Republican & Democrat, I also used to shit my pants. Eventually I got smart enough to stop doing both things." -Me

Unabashed Liberal's picture

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

I totally agree with you except just the opposite. It interferes with my focus when it on the left. I can tune it out when it is on the right.

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"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich."--Napoleon

Unabashed Liberal's picture

that mostly affects how the sidebar reads.

For instance, on one of my blogs, I have a right-side sidebar that gives me no problem whatsoever (meaning, like Alpha said--my eyes don't continue to track to the right to pick up the material in the R H sidebar), I 'think' because there is a very sharp color contrast, or delineation, between the main blog and the sidebar. And, there is also a vertical line separating the sidebar area from the webpage.

Having said that, I 'love' this Drupal layout/theme. And blue is my favorite color!

I suspect that most of us will adjust quite well, regardless of which side JtC decides is best.

One of the most important things (to me), is to keep the awesome ease and simplicity that C99P currently offers its users. (My blog software--WP and Tumblr--is not as accommodating in several other areas. So, I really appreciate the flexibility that we have here. I've especially never seen a comment section with such sophisticated tools, and/or capacity to edit.)

In the end, I can easily go with the flow. Just hope that we will be able to retain all the cool tools that we have, now.

Just my 2 cents!

Wink

(Music City) Mollie at DKos
elinkarlsson@WordPress


"Only he who can see the invisible, can do the impossible."--Frank L Gaines
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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

hester's picture

whatever the consensus is i'm okay. If there are mitigating factors, esp for peep on mobile, and if most of your hits are coming from mobile devices, then I'd say do what is better for them to increase your traffic.

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Don't believe everything you think.

Unabashed Liberal's picture

tell any difference. Of course, I mostly use a laptop.

Somehow, the sidebar is a little less of a distraction when it's on the left side. Now, I'm 'guessing' that it could be because (according to the Doctor) my right eye 'leads.'

OTOH, it seems (already) to be more 'normal'--probably just a matter of getting used to the switch.

Wink

Bottom line, if the right side is an improvement for the masses, "hey, go for it!"

Thanks for all the tweaks, JtC!

(Music City) Mollie
elinkarlsson@WordPress


"The obstacle is the path."--Zen Proverb

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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

detroitmechworks's picture

was getting the dread 404...

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

Unabashed Liberal's picture

PDO Exception Warnings late last night, as well.

Just FYI, Admin (in case you're needing feedback). Realize you're upgrading soon.

Wink

(Music City) Mollie
elinkarlsson@WordPress


"The obstacle is the path."--Zen Proverb
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Everyone thinks they have the best dog, and none of them are wrong.

Borkrom's picture

I thought for moment did someone shut it down- glad we are back online. By the way, I have to admit like the side bar on the right hand side of the screen.

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that happened to me also. I immediately called our webhost and they said they were investigating some hardware problems on their end unrelated to us. But in all reality I think we are going to have to move again to a better server, sooner rather than later. It will be either tonight or tomorrow night. I'll make a sticky announcement when we do it to give everyone a fair warning. I thought we had crashed again this morning but then it came back and seems to be working fine so maybe it was a hardware prob on the server side. Either way we are going to move.

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detroitmechworks's picture

I'll write my next couple Essays offline and have em ready for you when you're back.

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I do not pretend I know what I do not know.

I'll take us down about midnight central time and we should be back online after about 8 hours or so. That'll be the painless way to do it.

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gulfgal98's picture

Thanks for all you do. Dirol

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

This leaves a cleaner "canvas" on the left, and is a lot less distracting for reading. But, in all liklihood we'll quickly adapt to whatever you settle on and forget it ever was any different.

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~ Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. ~

Thumb's picture

To the left, if only because that's where bookmarks appear and the eye is used to a left toolbar.

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"Polls don't tell us how well a candidate is doing; Polls tell us how well the media is doing." ~ Me

smiley7's picture

easier on the eyes as we do read from left to right, newspaper style. But I can adjust, no biggie, just my 2cents.

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Lisa Lockwood's picture

Seems more natural there, and looks better.
Well trained by the GOS, I guess? Wink

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"When the powerless are shut out of the media, we will make the media irrelevant" ~Anonymous~

When I read something I read Left to Right. And the "Star" - for me - is the story I'm reading at the moment. So having the bar to the right gives me a choice, but it doesn't interrupt my thoughts.

I had not thought about left bars vs right bars, but when I started looking at caucus99percent today, things felt a little more comfortable. Now I know why.

best, john

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Strange that a harp of thousand strings should keep in tune so long

.. for the same reasons John,.. *jabney* described,
It seems visually less intrusive while I'm reading.

Thanks for asking

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petral's picture

I have the screen enlarged and if it is on the left I have to use the bottom scroll bar _on each page_ to move to the right so I can see that page. Since the sidebar doesn't change I don't need to see it/scroll it off for each new open. In other words, having the scroll bar on the left is a PITA.

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mimi's picture

sorry had to make myself a joke to get a laugh out of it.

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Thanks for asking.

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Granma's picture

I'm on iPad part of time.

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Borkrom's picture

Do not care of the location, I would like the side bar to blink Smile

Or maybe it could switch sides on different days- even and odd?

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we make them spin like a disco ball and autoplay the song Disco Duck in the background. Heh, that oughta' attract a lot of new members!

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gulfgal98's picture

that I did not have any liquids in my mouth.

However, the disco ball would make things interesting. Blum 3

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

Borkrom's picture

Disco Duck brings back the memories. You should be in marketing!

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Raggedy Ann's picture

I'm cracking up!
Left
Right
No left
No right
No center
No bottom

Whatever you decide is fine with me as long as I am with friends. Wink

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"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11

and was going to leave it there but for some reason that I wasn't able to troubleshoot, the right sidebar wasn't displaying on the Community Content page. So back to the left side it went. Do you have vertigo yet?

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gulfgal98's picture

I could see the right side bar on the Community Content Page. Was I tripping or sumthin?

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Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?

“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy

the one tripping because I couldn't see it and couldn't get it to display.

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Borkrom's picture

I do like to have voice and to be heard- thank you.

By the way, I do like the blue color scheme it is more in alignment with our political leanings. Besides I could never get anything to rhyme with Orange Wink

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Shahryar's picture

I'm left handed and it seems natural to me there...but I'd get used to it on the right if that's how we went.

Also please put a rotating restaurant on the top floor. Thanks.

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Presto Pizza Maker be a viable substitute?

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Shahryar's picture

or even a hot plate.

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shaharazade's picture

right now it's back on the left. I like the left because I'm a far lefty not only politically, but handed and brain wired by god knows what. I have a suggestion that is about the physical organization of the site. Hesitant here to bring this up as I know this is not a self censoring but a free thought type of place but could people please post their short posts about say, electoral political shit they just read on fox or any other place, in OT's or EB? Or maybe new threads that relate under a category. It short circuits my feeble mind to see and open and read so many excellent post put up as 'essays' or diaries. As a designing lover of organization, Virgo type with a short attention span it scatters my mind.

But then again it just might be my own mind. It needs parameters even if they are arbitrary and unnecessary. I'll learn to spin it, regardless off how it shakes out.

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Bisbonian's picture

But I constantly get my lefts and rights mixed up...so I'm not really sure which way is left.

Oh, and I'm a pilot. Don't let that discourage you...I have a compass.

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"I’m a human being, first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” —Malcolm X

mimi's picture

is that he always lands perfectly well on his two feet, so I am not concerned and would fly with you any time. Smile

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