4 ms·

Of course, this assumes he tells the truth. ;) Personally, I just use random aliases of two words [e.g. open+dais] that are meaningless and use them for things

Of course, this assumes he tells the truth. ;) Personally, I just use random aliases of two words [e.g. open+dais] that are meaningless and use them for things. If asked me age, I lie, etc. You can poison the well pretty effectively as long as it isn't RL.

lifeisstillgood 12y ago
I doubt that any (non psychopathic) human can maintain that charade for very long. Even lying about your age will show inconsistencies and betray anchoring. You will give away far more than you think. Hence the advice to captured soldiers and arrests felons - name rank and serial number and shut up!
- opendais 12y ago
  I must be a psychopath then. It isn't hard really. It is like acting or playing D&D. You make some quick character stats and use that persona for awhile. In the past 24 hours I've been accused of being a racist and a psychopath on HN. I know that wasn't your intent but that is the outcome.
  - lifeisstillgood 12y ago
    Ok I'm confused. Are you ShitLord (shit+lord)? Then having multiple personas does not seem particularly useful in keeping your own privacy. Let's say you are really MikeSoap - then no matter how much ShitLord or opendias are well played personas - anything you say as them is ignored when it comes to working out what Mike's preferences and political opinions are. If you aren't any of those accounts, in other words if you only come online as personas, then, why bother at all? You are not expressing yourself and it all seems a bit of a waste. And even if you are really ShitLord then this is the age of clever fraud detection - I will lay money that your personas follow your timezones, that one persona never comments on the same thread within $SPEEDHUMANTYPING seconds of the other, or any other "tells" that we humans are really bad at hiding. I understand that Only psychopaths or mentally badly ill people can maintain deeply convincing acts over long periods - that was my point - not that you are a psychopath.
    - shitlord 12y ago
      Just FYI, I'm a different person. I don't know who that person is.

lifeisstillgood 12y ago

I doubt that any (non psychopathic) human can maintain that charade for very long. Even lying about your age will show inconsistencies and betray anchoring. You will give away far more than you think. Hence the advice to captured soldiers and arrests felons - name rank and serial number and shut up!

opendais 12y ago
I must be a psychopath then. It isn't hard really. It is like acting or playing D&D. You make some quick character stats and use that persona for awhile. In the past 24 hours I've been accused of being a racist and a psychopath on HN. I know that wasn't your intent but that is the outcome.
- lifeisstillgood 12y ago
  Ok I'm confused. Are you ShitLord (shit+lord)? Then having multiple personas does not seem particularly useful in keeping your own privacy. Let's say you are really MikeSoap - then no matter how much ShitLord or opendias are well played personas - anything you say as them is ignored when it comes to working out what Mike's preferences and political opinions are. If you aren't any of those accounts, in other words if you only come online as personas, then, why bother at all? You are not expressing yourself and it all seems a bit of a waste. And even if you are really ShitLord then this is the age of clever fraud detection - I will lay money that your personas follow your timezones, that one persona never comments on the same thread within $SPEEDHUMANTYPING seconds of the other, or any other "tells" that we humans are really bad at hiding. I understand that Only psychopaths or mentally badly ill people can maintain deeply convincing acts over long periods - that was my point - not that you are a psychopath.
  - shitlord 12y ago
    Just FYI, I'm a different person. I don't know who that person is.