If you can afford to become a gold level member you will have access to the block button where you won't have to see their posts.

Platinum of course offers more. My favorite feature is Search Past Results if you're trying to figure out how a particular number hit in the past that tool is invaluable. Good luck!!

I would like to become a "Paid" Member; however, I'm a broke college student barely getting by as it is. That on top of a terrible economy is taking it's toll. We'll see in about a year after I graduate and get a job as an atmospheric scientist. (Finally!)

Hey look on the bright side you may win something which will enable you to do a few things you want to. Be optimistic and create a virtual reality of what you want ..... be open to it becoming concrete reality. :-)

I agree with you 100% Tnplayer805. Nothing more frustrating than reading a lot of random stuff. Bad enough having to shovel through the negative crap. Sometimes logging on is like watching crabs in a bucket. I enjoy reading a lot of the ideas presented here and testing them on paper in my state. I also like tracking the pick 3 predictions and seeing how they perform in my state. My hat is off to the sys-op of this forum. You are most definately overworked-underpaid-and unappreciated. You have a thankless job. I would like to say thank you for having such a easy to browse forum and opening it up to any and all. THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!

First of all, I'd like to point out that Family Guy sucks. Seth MacFarlane's genius lies in the fact that he discovered how to turn an 11-minute cartoon into a 23-minute animated series by arbitrarily inserting 12 minutes' worth of unrelated content thinly disguised as shtick. Listen for phrases such as, "... like the time I ..." or "That hasn't happened since ..." or "Remember when ..." When the viewer hears those or similar phrases, he can safely go to the kitchen for a snack without missing any of the "plot." And that, my fellow members, is "what grinds MY gears."

     Now that I've gotten that off my chest, on to the topic at hand (with apologies to the blogger for the above rant).

     I have to say that I agree wholeheartedly with Tnplayer805, and some of the things he complains about emcompass the very reasons I stopped posting to the forum. The petty differences, the politics of he said, she said, and the general negativity of the comments being posted eventually proved too much for me. I enjoy a good argument as much as the next guy, but when someone backs me into a corner or attacks me, I don't want to see any tears when I come out swinging. I could spend an hour or more carefully writing and editing my response to any given topic, taking great care to choose words which wouldn't offend anyone. Inevitably, some of our dimmer beacons of all things lottery would simply skim over what I'd written and accuse me of writing something that wasn't contained in my text. When I pointed out their errors, I was accused of "implying" something; you just can't win.

     Most of my posts are quite lengthy when compared to the average submission, but there's a reason for that, too. I won't post unless I have something to contribute to the discussion, and I back up my arguments with facts and logic. The problem, apparently, was that very few people cared to actually read those arguments, choosing instead to pick a fight by misquoting me or by launching personal attacks against my character. I finally reached the conclusion that I was wasting my time, and that the majority of members didn't want to read my opinions. That's okay; I wasn't offended. I just stopped posting, and watched the forum disintigrate into the mind-numbing, mundane chatter which comprises it today. I must admit, I didn't like it very much when I'd sit here agonizing over a particular thread, constructing each sentence of my response as though the words were Lego blocks. When I was finally satisfied, I'd post it to the forum, stupidly looking forward to a few thoughtful, if not articulate, replies. More often than not, what I received for my efforts from my fellow members was a little smiley face holding a sign proclaiming, "I agree!" So? That tells me NOTHING. What, exactly, do you agree with, and why? An intelligent discussion on any topic should contain valid points on at least two opposing sides, and I never attacked anyone for disagreeing with me. I'd rather someone tells me I'm an idiot, provided he's able to back up that claim logically. By saying "I agree," these people were basically telling me and all the other members that they've simply comandeered my opinions and arguments as their own, presumably because they're unable or just too lazy to form an opinion or to express their personal viewpoints. Give me a Konane, a LOTTOMIKE, a Pick-4_Master or, indeed, even a Todd, to name just a few (my apologies to those I've failed to mention here). Those people know how to hold their ground in an argument, and they know how to make valid points without alienating their readers.

     Then there are those among us who get the itch for some LP recognition, and they go after the trophy with a vengence. These people are very easy to spot, because their screen name will be plastered all over the home page as they seek the coveted status of "Top 100 Poster" by posting multiple "I agree," or "You're right" replies to all topics on the message board. How lame! How petty! If a person's self esteem is that low, he should log off and go see a prostitute. For fifty bucks, she'll tell you you're Superman. For an extra tenner, she'll tell you you're the "Greatest Poster Who Ever Walked The Earth!" For those of you who are wondering, I can only say that maybe I'm speaking from experience, and maybe I'm not (best sixty bucks I ever spent).

     In closing, I just want to say that I developed a particular fondness for CashOnly before he faded away into the cyber world, even though I'm not gay and he's an admitted flamer (is that PC? Oh, well ...). I admired him because he was a crusader who truly believed in his chosen cause. I admit that his posts could get old very quickly, but I found some of them hilarious. He was funny because he wasn't trying to entertain us; he really wanted to abolish annuity payments, and he wasn't shy about telling us about it, over and over and over again. In truth, I'd rather read his posts than most of the drivel currently being submitted for our consideration. At least he had something to say.

     Excellent subject, Tnplayer805. I apologize for my wordy diatribe, but thanks for letting me unload.   

      Jim

What was that show where they sang that song everybody knows your name. Oh yea it was Cheers.
Some people must envision Lottery Post as this place where everybody comes and goes and all will have a great day.

Lottery post is a mix of young, middle age and old people who come from every walk of life with every personality trait maybe a few with traits yet to be defined. You have to take many posts with a grain of salt. Not let anything get under your skin and move along after the tiff is over. People can and will say things on lottery post they wouldn't say to your face.