# I Robot



## Arrius

I received today an anonymous birthday greeting that seemed to have been triggered automatically when the day came round. Having just checked the congrats page and seen that other foreros are still getting birthday greetings from actual people as I did last year from a moderatrix, I should like to ask that my name be removed from whatever programme sends off this automatic impersonal kind of greeting, as I dislike communicating with machines, whether on the 'phone or the internet, where such messages are generally known as spam. In any case no more birthday greetings, please, of whatever kind, however well-intentioned the person who organised this robotic procedure. 
Arrius


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## Alxmrphi

Arrius said:


> I received today an anonymous birthday greeting that seemed to have been triggered automatically when the day came round. Having just checked the congrats page and seen that other foreros are still getting birthday greetings from actual people as I did last year from a moderatrix, I should like to ask that my name be removed from whatever programme sends off this automatic impersonal kind of greeting, as I dislike communicating with machines, whether on the 'phone or the internet, where such messages are generally known as spam. In any case no more birthday greetings, please, of whatever kind, however well-intentioned the person who organised this robotic procedure.
> Arrius



Please tell me this is an April Fool's related post


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## cuchuflete

Alex_Murphy said:


> Please tell me this is an April Fool's related post



Alex,

We have told you dozens of times that there are no April Fool's posts allowed in these forums.  There is no Tooth Fairy.  No Santa Claus.  Why won't you believe us?


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## Arrius

No, it really is my birthday, and those my genuine feelings, whether the message was sent mechanically or only appeared to have been. Admittedly, April Fool's day is not a sensible day to be born on, but one has little choice . Now I have made my request, I consider the matter closed.


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## WhatADaftName

Oh Happy Birthday, Mr.Arrius


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## HiSugarAstrology

Humanoid birthday greetings Mr. UpsideDown.  And Backwards Birthday Happy too.


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## Arrius

Many thanks, you've made my day . I don't think your name is daft at all, whether it is a Rushian or an englsih name. Glad that at least I'm on the (generally) warm Costa and not in damp and windy Blackburn like you.... and also thanks to HSA (pity you couldn't turn the greeting upside down too, though an expert hacker might even be able to manage that). Full marks for recognising that my avatar is a human head upside down and back to front. It has been variously taken to be a bag made from a hide or a mole burrowing upwards. Actually, it is the head of Alred E. Newman of MAD Magazine fame.
Let us cease this frivolous badinage now, before we annoy somebody,


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## frogger

cuchuflete said:


> Alex,
> 
> We have told you dozens of times that there are no April Fool's posts allowed in these forums. There is no Tooth Fairy. No Santa Claus. Why won't you believe us?


You mean there is no Santa Claus????????
Yes there is!


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## WhatADaftName

Oh but it _luvly_ day in Blackburn, Mr.Arrius (though it still drafty).


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## cuchuflete

frogger said:


> You mean there is no Santa Claus????????
> Yes there is!


  Well, we may have to reconsider our position on Santa Claus,
but it has been scientifically established that there is no Alex_Murphy on Wednesdays.


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## Alxmrphi

Well soon there won't be at all when mike_* finally*_ gets around to changing it (hint hint) lol.


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## lablady

A serious response to a serious request-

Arrius,
If you go into the User Control Panel, then "Edit your Details", you can select the "clear" button next to your birthdate and save the change. If the database doesn't know your birthdate, it can't send you an e-mail (disclaimer: unless WR has buried the date in some hidden spot that we can't see).

I just gave it a try, and was able to save my profile without a birthdate.

Happy Birthday from a real person.


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## Paulfromitaly

I am rather disappointed: the WR database does know my birthday date, nevertheless I have never received any sort of automatic or human greetings! 
Discrimination!
Are you sure the sender is WR?


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## Punky Zoé

Paulfromitaly said:


> I am rather disappointed: the WR database does know my birthday date, nevertheless I have never received any sort of automatic or human greetings!
> Discrimination!


Neither have I!   
Happy Birthday Arrius! 

PS: I've just discovered what your avatar was...


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## Arrius

I forgot that my version of my profile was distinct from the User Control Panel for editing alluded to by the _real person_ *lablady,* to whom my thanks for her good wishes. I believe I have now dealt with the problem by successfully removing my birthdate. As regards *PaulfromItaly*'s queries, I have come to believe that, as *Jana *has told me privately, it is vBulletin who power the site who are responsible, but this site was mentioned in their message and they were not. I hope that *Paul* doesn't feel too neglected: I am a great admirer of his and the Italian forum in general. However, it will take someone who is not computer semi-literate like me to explain why he has never received an in-house birthday greeting or even a robotic one.
Thanks also to *PunkyZoë*, and an imbecillic snigger from Alred E.Newman.


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## Jana337

What I meant is that the functionality was invented by vBulletin and not by Mike, which does not mean that the messages were sent by vB. I believe Mike could turn it off but what if some users like to receive it?  I am sure that individual names cannot be removed from the list of recipients because there is no such list. All users who enter their birthday get the message (I don't know why it is not the case for some of you). So if anyone else is bothered by automatic birthday wishes, please remove your birthday from your profile (do not forget to save the changes you make by scrolling down to Save).


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## Arrius

I probably should know, but haven't the slightest idea who "Mike" is, although he would seem to be in charge. But this matter is of no further concern to me. My thanks to everybody. A. 
Btw, it was not my intention to solicit good wishes, though it is always possible that I was driven by subconscious Freudian motives.


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## cuchuflete

For those who wish to display their age, or simply their month and date of birth without a year, and not be troubled by computer-generated birthday greetings, there is another option.  Include your birth data in your profile, and turn off the option to receive e-mail notifications from administrators.  The only computerized birthday notice will then be your name on the main forum page in the Today's Birthdays section at the bottom.


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## mkellogg

Arrius,

I know you have dealt with this already (Happy birthday!), but for the benefit of others, you should be able to just click a link at the bottom of the birthday greeting to get off that mailing list.

Yea, vBulletin wrote the birthday greeting as part of the software.  Many people seem to like getting it.  A few people per day even write back saying "Thank you very much!  It was so kind of you to remember." 

Mike


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## Arrius

Mike,
   Ah, delighted to make your acquaintance, and thank you too for your good wishes.  I can imagine that some people are delighted to receive such greetings, but it appears to be on the false assumption that there is a person behind them, hence the grateful replies. In a Rowan Atkinson sketch, that professional idiot sends birthday cards to himself, and this "functionality" is somewhat similar in nature and nearly as pathetic.
                      Cheers,  Arrius


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## ajo fresco

Paul and Punky, I don't know why some foreros get these WR birthday e-mails and others don't.  

Arrius, I got _two_ automated birthday e-mails yesterday.  One was a simple sentiment from WR -- and the other was a musical, Flash-animated, interactive blow-out-the-candles and whack-the-piñata extravaganza from Disneyland!

I guess it's a matter of perspective.  They were the only greetings I got yesterday, so I'd have to say it was better than nothing.


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## Arrius

¡Cumpleaños feliz, *ajo fresco*! Someone must have requested the Disneyland greeting for you, which is not so bad.  I sometimes use a free service provided by a French magazine for ladies to send an animated, musical back-up greeting in case the hard copy card doesn't make it in time. But one is able to include a personal message in that.


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## Punky Zoé

Ooops!!!  My apologies to WR, I received a kind birthday message .
(robots are less absent-minded than some human beings ) 
(but the latter are more inventive)


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