I just completed the entirity of the four-day PC-post odyssey, albeit as a spectator. Nonetheless, I am incredibly impressed with the participants in that grueling endeavor. ktalon was first out of the blocks for the pro-PC team, attempting an early attack with his post of his "test" of PCs vs. normal cranks. However, this move was marked by the ever-vigilant Gary in SD, a dedicated domestique of the anti-PC squad. Gary's effort was a half-hearted (and largely uninspired) one, though, and ktalon's teammate Francois exploited Gary's lackluster performace with a swift counter-attack. With t-t-n able to block the field, ktalon bridged to Francois and, at the end of Day 1, it appeared that the pro-PC team would take this event in a run-away.

However, such was not the case as the real players in the anti-PC squad had apparently been playing possum. "Not a PCer" and Philbert moved to the front early on Day 2 and drove the train, quickly regaining the ground lost on Day 1. Francois, Frank Day's trusty lieutenant, unfortunately contributed to the ease with which the anti-PC boys reeled-in his break. Francois apparently did not believe that the heretofore unknown Philbert had the requisite palmares to prove a threat to the pro-PC's recent domination of the forum. Philbert, gamely supported by "Not a PCer," readily proved otherwise and the anti-PC gang was back in the mix.

Mid-morning of Day 2 was filled with a series of attacks and counters, some more courteous than others, with "Not a PCer" and ktalon jousting at the front. At high noon on Day 4, though, things changed, as Philbert charged off the front like a scalded cat. The force of his attack was such that even Francois, PhD that he is, was forced into a defensive mode, as he and t-t-n attempted to organize and limit the damage done. Both were clearly on the rivets in their efforts to mark the un-bridled aggression of the anti-PC bunch. Sensing the confusion within the Pro-PC outfit, "Not a PCer" took over at the front, setting a blistering tempo. For the remainder of the afternoon, the Anti-PC boys kept the Pro-PCers on the ropes, the only exception being ktalon's ready dispatch of Gary with his pithy "math of percentages" comment. Day 2 ended with the Anti-PC team firmly in control of the thread, with ktalon doing yeoman's works trying to keep Anti-PCers relevant.

But Day 3 dawned with much needed help for the Pro-PC group as Frank Day, the squad's GC threat, finally came to the fore. However, his efforts to impose his will on the thread were stymied by the emergence of Fred, a force form the Anit-PC faction who had succeeded in hiding in the pack until now. The two are a study in contrasts. Frank boldly declared his arrival on the thread, bolstering his teammates' efforts as he attempted to beat back the plucky Anti-PCers. Fred, on the other hand, slipstreamed up the side of the group, with inocuous questions and jovial comments until he came alongside Frank. And then he pounced. The ferocity of his attack recalled Philbert's earlier salvo as Fred struck at the very heart of the Pro-PC band, gaping them even as they looked to their fearless leader for direction. And he provided it, dictating the terms on which the remainder of the contest would be fought: anecdote versus evidence. Frank's boys rallied to the "no objective data needed" flag and fought Fred to a stalemate, perhaps gaining a bit at the end as Fred made the tactical error of supplying data but then not properly applying it to his efforts.

Ah well, in all it was an exhilarating display of...something. I am exhausted just from watching. I need to go ride my bike (non-PC). Of course, after reading all that, I'm not sure how to ride it...more-fully apply the extensors? loop-in the flexors? where is my cardiac output in all this? how do I get these motors running? Oh crap, when does American Idol come on?