I think the difference between GIs and DGIs is a matter of temperament. You can see this for yourself by taking the Keirsey Temperament Sorter test. I will predict that the vast majority of GIs are of NT (Promethean) temperament. The different temperaments are, of course, explained at that same site. By the way, the proportion of NTs in the population has been estimated by the author of this test to be 5% or possibly even less. That may explain the general lack of interest in Y2K in the population.

-- Steve Heller (stheller@koyote.com), December 16, 1999

Answers

Yet another inane, self-validating posting, Steve. At this late hour, does this kind of posting actually make you feel good, and do you think other associates in the doom camp actually feel good about such blather?

The distant drums are calling, Steve. I think they're saying your 15 minutes of fame are just about up.

(Thanks to Y2KPro for yet another great posting. If SysOps deleted it, you missed yet another 'call on the carpet' for Mr.Heller for which no amount of explanation seems to be forthcoming)

-- Bad Company (johnny@shootingstar.com), December 16, 1999.

Note the completely off-topic "response" by one of the head professional pollies. Getting pretty desperate to somehow "discredit" me, aren't you?

Now, for those of you who aren't dedicated to that hopeless quest, I'd appreciate any feedback if you take the test.

-- Steve Heller (stheller@koyote.com), December 16, 1999.

Steve,

My temperament showed myself to be a Guardian: SJ and my Variant temperament to be an Inspector. I think you will find most GIs to be Guardians as myself.

-- flierdude (flierdude@sprynet.com), December 16, 1999.

Steve, you have the advantage of a SysOp who deletes the attempt to 'discredit you' before the public sees it. Yet, I don't see you addressing what Pro posted. Is it 'intellectually superior' to ignore it, and think maybe it'll go away by itself?

Seems you're doing a good job of discrediting yourself.

-- Bad Company (johnny@shootingstar.com), December 16, 1999.

My temperament showed myself to be a Guardian: SJ and my Variant temperament to be an Inspector. I think you will find most GIs to be Guardians as myself.

-- flierdude (flierdude@sprynet.com), December 16, 1999.

Very interesting! The SJs I know don't want to think about it for one or more of the following reasons:
It's too abstract for them to consider it real;
The authorities have told them not to worry; and
"Doomers" have been stigmatized in the media.

However, your example shows that it's possible to overrule those concerns and prepare anyway. Thanks for the feedback.

-- Steve Heller (stheller@koyote.com), December 16, 1999.

Bad Company:

If you are referring to my prediction of a high likelihood of a major disaster, I stand by it. In fact, it's prominently featured on my WWW site. Here's the link. Satisfied now? If not, I suggest you get a life.

-- Steve Heller (stheller@koyote.com), December 16, 1999.

I got these results:

Your Temperament is Idealist : NF Your variant temperament is Champion : ENFP

What to make of that, I dunno.

-- Kurt Ayau (Ayau@iwinet.com), December 16, 1999.

And by the way Steve,

I could build a fence around my property and never leave if necessary. I am totally prepared to keep 20 people alive for the rest of their lives. From 4000 watts of continuous renewable energy to complete food production for a lifetime.

-- flierdude (flierdude@sprynet.com), December 16, 1999.

Heller,

I'm sick of you blowing your own horn. It's old, just like you are.

So you have a website....la deee dah. My 15-year-old kid has created several. Maybe he could give you some pointers.

-- (SickOfHeller@here.com), December 16, 1999.

Interesting test Steve. Even though my wife would dispute it, looks like I am normal. On second thought, maybe there is something wrong with this test.

By the way, I dislike seeing Pro post as it is such a waste of time.

-- ghost (fading into the@background.com), December 16, 1999.

SickOfHeller@here.com), December 16, 1999. :

Another brave soul who won't give his name. Get lost, turkey.

-- Steve Heller (stheller@koyote.com), December 16, 1999.

Rotating back onto the post's topic and away from launching wet sand...

I took the test and it said:

Your Temperament is Rational : NT Your variant temperament is Inventor : ENTP

Gee, what a surprise. The inventor variant in particular. (Me? INVENT something? Na-a-a-a-ah...) I could've guessed that one withOUT a test. [lol]

O d d O n e, who has the test results to prove it!

-- OddOne (mocklamer_1999@yahoo.com), December 16, 1999.

I could build a fence around my property and never leave if necessary. I am totally prepared to keep 20 people alive for the rest of their lives. From 4000 watts of continuous renewable energy to complete food production for a lifetime.

You've got me beat by a mile. Congratulations!

-- Steve Heller (stheller@koyote.com), December 16, 1999.

Steve:

I didn't take the test yet but I'll throw this in--

We had one of the principals of a large mutual fund come and speak at our business school a few years ago. Somebody asked him how he allocated the managers between the stock funds and the bond funds.

"Well," he said, "there's two kinds of people; people that tend to be optimistic and people who tend to be pessimistic. I've noticed that the pessimists go crazy when they manage a stock fund because they can't help but agonize over everything that can go wrong. These are the ones that end up being excellent bond fund managers, because analyzing bonds coincides with analyzing risk.

On the other hand, the optimists make poor bond fund managers because they are not inclined to think about everything that can go wrong. As a result, they are much better suited at managing stock funds because analyzing a company tends to accentuate the positive."

Just food for thought.....I've been thinking for awhile now that this simple classification probably applies to the optimists and pessimists here as well (omitting the crazies, of course).

-- impala (impala@wild.com), December 16, 1999.

Fascinating! Just took it, I score as INTP. Rational, Architect. The writeup not only fits me to a T, but describes well how I feel I've best been able to help in our local Y2k work. For example, I'm the one who made up the chart of where the bulletin boards are all over town to put the posters up, so people didn't need to keep doing hit and miss postings or have to count up in their mind how many copies they'll need.

I'm used to being at the skinniest end of the bell curve, I think I'd be horrified to actually find myself in the middle of the bell curve on something.

-- Firemouse (firemouse@fcmail.com), December 16, 1999.

OddOne:

Yes, a tremendous surprise. Okay, that's one NT out of 3 so far, way above the population statistics, but not a majority. Of course, the sample is very small, but I think it will still be interesting (if we don't let the trolls get us off the topic).

-- Steve Heller (stheller@koyote.com), December 16, 1999.

Took the test. Interesting. Your temperment is Rational : NT Your variant temperment is Mastermind : INTJ

So my results agree with your assessment. I would guess about 10 , 15 % of the forum regulars would test the same.

-- Mr. Pinochle (pinochledd@aol.com), December 16, 1999.

Hey Steve - Sick of Heller has a 15 year old kid who has several sites - that's funny! I have only One 15 year old who has only ONE site - but it's a helluva site. But I Doubt you need to take any pointers from him.

By the way, I took the test, and turned out just like flierdude.

-- Doorbaby (tomG@h.com), December 16, 1999.

I also came in as an ENTP, inventor.

Wife came in as a councelor.

-- mushroom (mushroom_bs_too_long@yahoo.com), December 16, 1999.

Oh, that test! We did it in school. I'm an INTJ.

For anyone who is interested, Keirsey wrote an excellent, 200 page book about the temperament types called "Please Understand Me". The title is a little cheesy, I think, but the book will tell you more than you'll ever want to know about your temperament type.

-- impala (impala@wild.com), December 16, 1999.

Temperment: Guardian SJ

Variant temperment: Inspector ISTJ

-- Wilferd (WilferdW@aol.com), December 16, 1999.

How long does the test take? I am the temperment type that does not like to take the time to do detail stuff (unless it is cleaning my gun :=))

Ignore the idiots Steve.

-- JoseMiami (caris@prodigy.net), December 16, 1999.

I got tired of taking the test so I didn't finish it. What's my grade? Also, I felt the test didn't allow for both responses at once when that was appropriate--seriously. I think I'm both right-brained and left-brained (whatever that means). I'm imaginative and emotion but totally grounded in fact, planful and disciplined. I can tolerate mess and uncertainty, but take pains with detail.

-- Mara (MaraWayne@aol.com), December 16, 1999.

Steve, One more thought. I find myself wavering today and tempted to become a polly instead of hanging out in the middle of the road. There is so much good news and confidence out there! Like Gary North said in his reality check #44,

"It takes an act of will, extended over weeks and months in the face of government propaganda, to withstand this stream of propaganda. It is difficult for anyone to resist this barrage of propaganda. Almost no one does. What keeps me from becoming caught up in the optimism is this: I go on line every morning to post documents. Most of these documents do not verify the public's lack of concern. They may speak of 72 hours of problems, but I can still buy batteries at Wal-Mart. The public is not preparing for 72 hours of trouble."

I work with the guy who is in charge of MIAMI-DADE's y2k preparation. He was worried a year and a half ago, now he is not. He is confident that the problems will be minor. He only has 7 days of food in his house. This is not spin or lies, he genuinely is convinced that the millions of dolllars spent in South Florida and the thousands of hours of work have fixed the problem.

Today I am bouncing back and forth between "doom" and "pollysville."

-- JoseMiami (caris@prodigy.net), December 16, 1999.

I hope this won't be cosidered ballot box stuffing, but I would like to be in for the count as a GI.

INTJ

-- Susan (suheller@koyote.com), December 17, 1999.

Rational NT Inventor ENTP

Thanks for the fun, Steve. It feels good to lighten up a bit.

Thanks. .

x x x x x x x

-- Magnolia (Magnooliaa@yahoo.com), December 17, 1999.

I work with the guy who is in charge of MIAMI-DADE's y2k preparation. He was worried a year and a half ago, now he is not. He is confident that the problems will be minor. He only has 7 days of food in his house. This is not spin or lies, he genuinely is convinced that the millions of dolllars spent in South Florida and the thousands of hours of work have fixed the problem.

Jose, let's suppose he's right ... about South Florida. Now we have only a few more questions to answer, starting with:
Do you produce everything you use there? For example, refined fuels?
If not, where do you get them from? Are the suppliers compliant?
Are the transportation facilities compliant?
Next, what about food? I know you grow citrus, but can you live on oranges? Do you need fertilizer? Where does it come from?

You get the idea. Don't give up now; there's not much time until we find out the truth.

-- Steve Heller (stheller@koyote.com), December 17, 1999.

Jose, the test generally takes a few minutes, depending on how fast you answer the questions. Usually your first impression is best.

-- Steve Heller (stheller@koyote.com), December 17, 1999.

I got Rational NT and Inventor ENTP.

-- Forrest Covington (theforrest@mindspring.com), December 17, 1999.

My results:

Your Temperament is Idealist : NF Your variant temperament is Counselor : INFJ

Interesting.

Blessings...Mary

-- Mary (DivinMercy@aol.com), December 17, 1999.

Interesting, Steve.

Idealist NF Champion ENFP

I don't know what I'm suited for, but I can bet it doesn't pay good!

-- Lon Frank (lgal@exp.net), December 17, 1999.

ISTJ, inspector guardian I am, heh, my boss would agree.

cool post Steve

-- Hokie (nn@va.com), December 17, 1999.

By the way, Sick of Heller, in all fairness, your 15year old COULD have created several sites. God Knows that's what 15 year olds DO these days. In fact, I have a 12 year old who'll probably be asking for his own - domain name? - before long.

Sorry, Steve, don't mean to hijack your thread.

-- Db (tomG@h.com), December 17, 1999.

Idealist NF Champion ENFP

I don't know what I'm suited for, but I can bet it doesn't pay good!

-- Lon Frank (lgal@exp.net), December 17, 1999.

I think the top career choice is "starving artist". No, seriously, you're in the "helping" group, which includes nursing, counseling, and the like. Get a copy of "Please Understand Me" or "Type Talk" for a lot of information on this and other type-related topics (which is just about everything).

-- Steve Heller (stheller@koyote.com), December 17, 1999.

My results: Your Temperament is Idealist : NF Your variant temperament is Healer : INFP By the way all you Idealist did you read the part that says Idealists do not abound, being as few as 8% and nor more than 10% of the population.

-- Carol (glear@usa.net), December 17, 1999.

great site Steve -

I got the same as Mary, idealist etc,,,

little worrying I'm in the same group as Stalin and Lenin, but Buddha and Schweitzer make up for it... :o)

BTW Bad Company you are a pussy coward )

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), December 17, 1999.

I got Guardian (varient temprament Inspector).

I suspect that we would see a wide variety of tempraments on the forum, not merely a single one.

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), December 17, 1999.

Your Temperament is Rational : NT Your variant temperament is Mastermind : INTJ

-----------------

Steve - isn't the survey going to have a tendency to be biased towards extroverts?

Cheers,

-- Tom Stein (indagatr@istar.ca), December 17, 1999.

Steve...Artisan/Crafter here. The crafter part doesn't surprise me but the artisan part...when I'm compared to people like Liz Taylor and Johnny Carson, surprises me a bit.

-- Satanta (Hammering@NewWorld.com), December 17, 1999.

Rational NT Inventor ENTP

-- LauraA (Laadedah@aol.com), December 17, 1999.

I wish you could have seen my face brighten and lighten up as I read a nearly exact description of me. Especially the intuitive ESP kind of thing, feeling what other people are feeling, etc. Really amazing and even a bit eerie. I am INFJ "Counselor/Idealist" (Ghandi, E. Roosevelt). I really really enjoyed that, thanks..... Cin =0)

-- Cin (Cinlooo@aol.com), December 17, 1999.

I shake out as a Guardian like flierdude, doorbaby, wilferd and mad monk - except my variant is Protector (ISFJ) Yep, me and Mother Theresa.

My interest in y2k can be explained by the description:

"The primary desire of the Protector is to be of service and to minister to others, but here "service" means not so much providing others with the necessities of life (the Provider's concern) as protecting others from life's pitfalls and injuries...they are vigilant in their protecting, and seem fulfilled in the degree they can insure the safekeeping of those in their family, their circle of friends, or their place of business....."

-- marsh (armstrng@sisqtel.net), December 17, 1999.

Idealist N, Counselor INFJ - I didn't go to any of the links. Do they explain what the letters mean? A lot of the questions were either or and I could have gone with both or neither. An essay question is the only way to really get it - and then it can't be scored! Pram

-- pramada (pram108@yahoo.com), December 17, 1999.

INFP. Got my weight wrong, though.

-- I'm Here, I'm There (I'm Everywhere@so.beware), December 17, 1999.

Mara, don't feel bad. I had to take the test TWICE! First time, I bookmarked the results, tried to go back later and was told answering at least 20 questions was required in order to get results. I had answered 70 AND had received the results already.

If you have the patience to answer only 20 questions, maybe you will get some results, too. My prediction is that if you are not an ENFP, then you are an ISTJ. Or somewhere in between. LOL! When it is hard to pick the answers, I think it probably means you have traits in both categories.

So I took it again, all 70 questions. Same results. Put me in the same bunker as Kurt Ayau and Lon Frank: Idealist NF and Champion ENFP. And Lon, you are right. Starving artist = writer? Whatever we are suited for, it does NOT pay well.

P.S. My son is a GI, and took this test years ago. He is an INTJ.

-- (normally@ease.notnow), December 17, 1999.

Me, INTP - Einstein and Soros, nyuk nyuk nyuk.

-- number six (!@!.com), December 17, 1999.

Steve, I 'got lost' after my intial postings last night and went to bed. This morning, i awaken to yet more chest beating from you and your legions. Let's cut the chase again, shall we? Y2KPro posted you a wonderful rendering of problems he'd had with you and your history. Since you live here and since the post lasted a little while, I have no doubt that you read it before the Sysops, in their infinite wisdom, deleted the thread.

As usual, your response to such aposting is to ignore it.

And when further called on the carpet, your response is...and has been...see my website, check my resume. Steve, you continue to illustrate that yes, you really CAN fool some of the people all of the time.

As far as your poll goes, I want to thank you for showing the world that self-validation is alive and well, and apparently will be right down to the wire. What will you do past the rollover, Steve? Will you be holding reunions for your little 'society of doom' to look back fondly and reminisce about how 'superior' you were and opine about how the rest of the world are sheep?

If such a poll soothes your ego, Steve, then by all means, ramble on. While I admittedly appreciate the input of anyone regarding y2k---including your input--your penchant to propel the doom camp into a mindset that they're 'superior' to everyone else has been alarming, and your new tactic of debate, by continually reminding everyone about your resume is downright disturbing.

However, in the spirit of the season, let me say two things: --I will not endeavor to disrupt any more of your threads will personal comments. This is your style....que sera, sera. --Happy Holidays to you and all others. Let's all hope the problems are miniscule on 1/1 and beyond.

Andy, my cat says 'hello'.

-- Bad Company (johnny@shootingstar.com), December 17, 1999.

From: Y2K, ` la Carte by Dancr (pic), near Monterey, California

I totally identified with what Mara wrote, about not feeling I could pick one or the other response in any item. However, I got over that hesitancy after taking hundreds of such tests out of curiosity as a psychology major in college. I just answer them as fast as I possibly can, and when I don't know I take a flying leap. I'm a big old INTj (rational mastermind), determined by taking this family of tests in many forms over many years. I took the Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory in college and was disturbed by the fact that I came up as "J," which seemed to me so well judgmental! :> In today's test administration, I came out as a "p," but I explain that by the fact that my son was by my side, as usual during the past nine years, and I have practiced a more compassionate attitude toward him. Since he was interrupting me a great deal during the test, he was on my mind and my answers reflect that. Inside, I'm a "j," but I come off as a "p." I'm endlessly forgiving, but I do not forget.

I very much identify with my INTj result to the point where, when I first discovered Internet Relay Chat, over four years ago, the first channel I thought to create was #INTJ.

-- Dancr (addy.available@my.webpage), December 17, 1999.

I'm an SJ/ISTJ ... my spouse refuses to takes quizzes. I remember taking a test sort of like this in grad school. The evaluator said that I wasn't taking it honestly because I ended up with equal scores among several categories. I told him that I was just an Alpha Female. (:

-- (ladybuckeye_59@yahoo.com), December 17, 1999.

Is this related to the Myers-Briggs profile ? If so, I'm ENTP.

-- (indigoseahorse@hotmail.com), December 17, 1999.

I'm an Idealist NF, Champion ENFP.

-- Deb M. (vmcclell@columbus.rr.com), December 17, 1999.

The survey says:

Your Temperament is Rational : NT Your variant temperament is Mastermind : INTJ

I agree Mara. I don't usually bother with these things. I'm a Gemini, you see. Of two minds about everything. I never know which Rich is gonna show up!

Best Wishes,

-- Bingo1 (howe9@shentel.net), December 17, 1999.

Your Temperament is Guardian : SJ

Your variant temperament is Supervisor : ESTJ

Interesting.....

-- Postman (Letters@mail.bag), December 17, 1999.

Rational NT Inventor ENTP

Seems to be a number of us. By the way, I liked your resume and would like to get a couple of your books, once we get past the mess. I want to learn Java and C++. I know C from a class I took.

-- Amy Leone (leoneamy@aol.com), December 17, 1999.

Agree,

I split between - intj and entj----well balanced I guess

-- d----- (dciinc@aol.com), December 17, 1999.

Y2KPro posted you a wonderful rendering of problems he'd had with you and your history.

And when further called on the carpet, your response is...and has been...see my website, check my resume.

Have you bothered to follow that link? If so, you would see that it does NOT lead to my resume, but to my WRP article about how bad I think it's going to be, which is what Y2K "Pro" was trying to use to discredit me. If you can't even bother to click on a link before attacking me for trying to evade some supposed "expose", then I think it is you who have discredited yourself. However, I appreciate your belated decision to stop trying to interfere with our discussion of temperament. If you stick with it, I'll be pleased and surprised.

-- Steve Heller (stheller@koyote.com), December 17, 1999.

Here's an interesting little tidbit.

I took the test again, and intentionally answered every question with the opposite of my original test.

The results showed Guardian-Inspector.

What's interesting about this is that the profile of Guardian-Inspector is very nearly the role I have in life, while the original answer of Idealist-Champion is how I like to privately think of myself.

I make my living from technical systems which I invented, yet I am known here mainly for my poor attempts at humor and poetry. Am I unusually dichotomous (disfunctional?), or am I like most of us, able to imagine several images in the mirror?

Or could it be, that any result of such a test would have been partially or substantially correct?

-- Lon Frank (lgal@exp.net), December 17, 1999.

Lon:

The test results you report are not surprising: NF and SJ are "opposite" types. The fact that you play one role in life and have another "secret" side is more interesting; do you find this causes a lot of stress?

-- Steve Heller (stheller@koyote.com), December 17, 1999.

Steve,

Your Temperament is Artisan : SP Your variant temperament is Promoter : ESTP

I was compared to Madonna and FDR. Umm.....should this bother me?

-- Familyman (prepare@home.com), December 17, 1999.

Steve,

I am probably the most laid-back stress-free old white guy you would ever know.

I have had no serious disease. I rarely get even a cold, and go to the Dr. only every three or four years for routine physicals.

But, in fairness, it has not always been so. I think that our personality inconsistencies or percieved failures are not the cause of stress. But rather our inability to deal with them. Happiness (contentment) is a choice - make it.

-- Lon Frank (lgal@exp.net), December 17, 1999.

My Temperament is Guardian : SJ
Your variant temperament is Protector : ISFJHmmm. Interesting :-)

-- Tim (pixmo@pixelquest.com), December 17, 1999.

FWIW, I have tested as an INFP, although the "F" is not too far from the "T" on the Feeling/Thinking axis. Where I work, I must necessarily function as an "INTP" since it is scientific and technical in nature. So person-to-person I am FP but by myself and working I make a rather easy switch to TP.

-- coprolith (coprolith@fakemail.com), December 17, 1999.

Looks like the Guardian's won out.

Discription of get its:

GUARDIAN SJs, being CONCRETE in communicating and COOPERATIVE in implementing goals, can become highly skilled in LOGISTICS. Thus their most practiced and developed intelligent operations are often supervising and inspecting (SJT adminstering), or supplying and protecting (SJF conserving). And they would if they could be magistrates watching over these forms of social facilitation. They are proud of themselves in the degree they are reliable in action, respect themselves in the degree they do good deeds, and feel confident of themselves in the degree they are respectable. In search of security as they are the "Security Seeking Personality" -- trusting in legitimacy and hungering for membership. They are usually stoical about the present, pessimistic about the future, fatalistic about the past, and their preferred time and place is the past and the gateway. Educationally they go for commerce, avocationally for regulations, and vocationally for materiel work. They tend to be enculturating as parents, helpmates as spouses, and conformity oriented as children. There are even more Guardians than Artisans around, at least 40% and as many as 45% of the population.

Presidents George Washington and Harry S. Truman are examples of Guardians.

I think that Pollys are mostly of the type that would take a bite out of every hotdog so no one else would eat them and he or she would get them all. They are basically self-centered and stingy. (about 95% of population)

-- by now (not@saying.com), December 17, 1999.

Steve,

If Lon thinks he has no stress, I think we should take him at his word. {If Lon's evil twin thinks HE has no stress, then it time to head for the hills.}

-- flora (***@__._), December 17, 1999.

Yeah, flora.

I admit, it was ME that took that test the second time.

And my results were: Monstrosity/Socioopath!

You want stress?? Try taking these dumb tests with neighbors dropping by at all hours of the night (Where DO they get all those pitchforks and torches?) To say nothing of the fact that I'm working with a second -hand brain here! And these stitches; talk about embaressing itch. I'd give my left arm for some cortizone creme. No, really; you see, it comes right off.

And these clothes! You ever try to find cute shoes in size 18EE? But there are some benefits to this gig. The Romanian chicks seem to like guys with big electrodes. I'm goin' down to the square tonight, and tell you the truth, I'm kinda hoping to get struck by lightening, know what I mean?

So, if that fruitcake-munchin'', poetry-spoutin', rubber-nose-wearin' twin of mine comes around asking for his brain back, tell him he just can wait 'till I'm through with it! I promise not to get it all wrinkled up.

-- Lon Frankenstein (evil@twins.Rus), December 17, 1999.

So far the major groupings seem to be falling out between the Rationals and the Guardians. Of course, not everyone is identifying themselves as to whether they are GI's or DGI's.

I came out as a Guardian:SJ Inspector:ISTJ which I find interesting. I'll have to read more of the site to see what I ultimately think of it.

I suppose I'm a GI - I've been a survivalist for twenty years, wrote the Prudent Food Storage FAQ and have advised others on food storage and preparedness for years.

........Alan.

The Prudent Food Storage FAQ, v3.5

http://www.providenceco-op.com

-- A.T. Hagan (athagan@netscape.net), February 02, 2000.