Reputation Gems or Lights?

I don't mind wearing some ice although I would never go as far as Mr T!
I just can't work out why they are green gems?????

Green gems seem to suggest or invoke the green eyed monster (jealously): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jealousy.
Also infamous in the east as jade, which is typically a grayish shade of green, when made into Chinese jade dragons, e.g: http://www.mercurytreasures.com/jachdr.html.

By contrast red gems seem to suggest life, family and are also popular when cut in shape of hearts. Fire engines, hydrants and extinguishers are also usually red.

The only obvious thing I could think of where green is go and red is stop are traffic lights.

If they are gems then:
+ Good Rep = Red gems with different shades as rep grows.
0 Rep = A gray gem
- Bad Rep = A green gem (green eyed monster), with different shades as rep gets worse.
Alternatively bad rep members don't deserve any bling and should therefore lose their gems altogether and have an icon which is not a gem instead e.g skull.

Otherwise if they are lights then:
+ Good Rep = Green lights or Go!
0 Rep = Amber light.
- Negative Rep = Red Light or Stop!

So are they reputation gems or lights and why?

They are PNG images.

Do mean to say that they are gems and not lights?
Is that because they are rectangular rather than circular or star shaped?

It seems that China actually has rectangular or bar shaped traffic lights although they are horizontal not vertical.
They are cutting edge as the coloured bar reduces in size to let drivers know how much more time they will remain in a particular colour: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ti...c_Lights_1.jpg

Although I am not sure how many other countries have the latest traffic signaling technology in place.

The most likely source for the link between the colour green and the emotions of jealousy and envy is ancient Greek medicine.

Ancient Greek medicine linked health and mood to the four humours which included blood and bile.
While blood was linked to "courageous, hopeful, amorous" feelings,
bile was linked to negative emotions like "anger, irritability, frustration, resentment, jealousy and envy": http://www.greekmedicine.net/hygiene...nd_Organs.html.
As bile, which is produced by the liver and stored in the gall bladder is typically green, there was a natural tendency to link the colour green with jealousy.

Also an excess of biliverdin, a green bile pigment which is "responsible for a greenish color sometimes seen in bruises", in the circulatory system and tissues can result in jaundice: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biliverdin. As jaundice effects the skin and whites of the eyes (sclera), too much biliverdin in the blood can literally turn a patient's skin green with jealousy, and their eyes into the envious green eyed monster!

Additionally although bile is used to help digest fat, too much "in the digestive system can lead to severe explosive diarrhea" (http://house.wikia.com/wiki/Bile).

Finally "In the seventh century B.C., the poetess Sappho, used the word 'green' to describe the complexion of a stricken lover." (http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_...reen_with_envy)

If you don't like to have green gems, there is a way to get your gem to turn red ;-)

Whatever happened to moti's gems? While on the subject, whatever happened to him?

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Originally Posted by TheBigB

Whatever happened to moti's gems?

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Not sure about his gems.

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Originally Posted by TheBigB

While on the subject, whatever happened to him?

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See post #26 in this thread -> http://www.vbforums.com/showthread.p...al-with-trolls...

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Originally Posted by opus

If you don't like to have green gems, there is a way to get your gem to turn red ;-)

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Actually the png images don't look gemlike at all to me.
I really thought they were green to go like traffic lights until I read a thread where the posters referred to them as gems.

The classic gem shape looks more like that to me:
Attachment 97985Attachment 97983Attachment 97981
The icons are from http://www.aha-soft.com.

Keep it up that way, and your "whatever" is red in no time!

Damn, can't rate your post in CC!

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Originally Posted by opus

Keep it up that way, and your "whatever" is red in no time!

Damn, can't rate your post in CC!

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I am not sure what you mean by that post as your first language does not seem to be English.
It could be a rant, in which case I enjoyed it very much!

Do you think the reputation pngs look more like lights or gems?

Reading all your post in this thread made me believe you do not like the visualisation of the reputation system used in here!
At the start you were complaining about the false colour. In order to give you the chance to get the "whatever" you have already achieved in your correct colour I tried to hint that there is a way to turn it red!
However that way isn't possible using a thread in CC!

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Originally Posted by opus

Reading all your post in this thread made me believe you do not like the visualisation of the reputation system used in here!

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As the title of the thread suggests I am trying to determine if they are reputation lights or gems.
My point was that if they are gems then green is not a good colour to use to represent a good reputation as explicated above.

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Originally Posted by opus

At the start you were complaining about the false colour. In order to give you the chance to get the "whatever" you have already achieved in your correct colour I tried to hint that there is a way to turn it red!
However that way isn't possible using a thread in CC!

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I am not sure that the reputation pngs are the wrong colour, that would depend on if the pngs are lights or gems. What do you think they look like?

I don't really care what they do look like, for me the system is self-explanitory (correct spelling?) and therefore I don't see the point.

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Originally Posted by opus

I don't really care what they do look like, for me the system is self-explanitory (correct spelling?) and therefore I don't see the point.

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The point is that while getting more green lights is fun, getting more green gems is much more of a pun!

¿Que?

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that would depend on if the pngs are lights or gems

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I don't think they're either... or they're both... or they're something else entirely. They're whatever you want them to be. If you want them to be gems then call them gems. If you want them to be lights then call them lights. I've even seen them referred to as "teeth" before now.

All you can really say they are is "little green or red squares that indicate you're reputation on the forum".

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Originally Posted by TheBigB

¿Que?

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Is the answer Montreal?

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Originally Posted by FunkyDexter

I don't think they're either... or they're both... or they're something else entirely. They're whatever you want them to be. If you want them to be gems then call them gems. If you want them to be lights then call them lights.

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The reason I raised the issue is that I have seen them referred to as gems so often.
The more I looked into green gems, the more corrupt the outcome!

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Originally Posted by FunkyDexter

I've even seen them referred to as "teeth" before now.

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"Erythroblastosis fetalis and biliary atresia are diseases which may cause teeth to appear green from the deposition of biliverdin" -Wiki
Even your teeth can turn green from jealousy!!!

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Originally Posted by FunkyDexter

All you can really say they are is "little green or red squares that indicate you're reputation on the forum".

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At this stage the only interpretation that seem to fit is that they have to be lights as in green to go!

Gems Decoded

Attachment 98229

dilettante, you were definitely April fooling in that last png!
Just looking at it is enough to make anyone feel all green around the gills :sick:!!

Also, I have to add, that, from an an evolutionary anthropologist's perspective, the only thing missing from that graph, was a picture of Shrek at the end!!!

Next, in addition to the historical medical link between falling ill, turning green and the emotions of envy and jealousy, there is also the mythology associated with green gems.

In particular green gemmed rings are often said to be used by trolls to snare others, for example, as demonstrated in the film Troll (1986), where a magical green gemmed ring is used by a very small troll in order to possess Wendy: http://www.ovguide.com/troll-9202a8c...000000006093b6.
Attachment 98417

As such the power of green gemmed rings is mythologically related to the rings of power in the Lord of the Rings, and especially to the one ring, forged by Sauron in the fires of Mount Doom, to rule them all, which sounds like that in Black Speech:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s_9wEXfEnA

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Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk agh burzum-ishi krimpatul.

One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.

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Green with envy?

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Originally Posted by dilettante

Green with envy?

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Envy is from the Latin invidia meaning to look at someone with an envious eye, otherwise known as evil, rotten or stink eye, and consequently there is very strong link between the emotion of envy and the green eyed monster. The idea seems to be that those with good eyes enjoy their own successes and those of others; while, by contrast, those with envious evil eyes do not like it when others succeed and are only satisfied when they succeed at the expense of others.

The most obvious mythological example of invidia has to be Sauron's eye positioned on top of his fortress known as the dark tower in The Lord of the Rings.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlBxkH1U8DE

Other examples include:
- The Basilisk which "is a legendary reptile reputed to be king of serpents and said to have the power to cause death with a single glance", although the crow of a rooster or seeing its own image in a mirror are fatal to it.
- The female demon Abyzou who is blamed for infant mortality including miscarriages said to be motivated by envy as she was infertile. She is pictured on amulets with fish- or serpent-like attributes.
- The gorgon Medusa in Greek mythology.
- As envy breaches the 10th commandment: "Thou shalt not covet", it has been represented by various demons.

Mythical protections and cures against the envious evil eye include:
- In Mesopotamia ruby eye pendants are cited as protection against envious eyes.
- In Mexico sweeping a raw chicken egg over the body of a victim is used to absorb the power and remove the effects of evil eyes.
- Mirrors were believed by many cultures to reflect the effects of envious evil eyes and were used to ward them off sometimes in the form of mirror plated armour.
- Making the sign of the cross.

More recently a faux romantic comedy featuring the muppets was released under the title "Green With Envy": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gr...nvy_poster.jpg, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CloKbXtD28.

Finally Nvidia, the Californian based producer of graphic processing units, used "Green with envy" as its slogan for the GeForce 8 series.
So you could substitute green with nvidia in place of envy if you wanted.
Even the company's logo looks like the green eyed monster: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nvidia_logo.svg

Sources:
1. http://www.answers.com/topic/evil-eye
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilisk
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abyzou
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirror_armour
5. http://www.websters-online-dictionar...nitions/NVidia

From FAQ

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What do the little green/gray/red squares mean?

You can see a member's reputation easily by the number of "gems" that are displayed below their avatar, on each of their posts. The Green gems indicate a positive reputation, the gray gem indicates an unknown reputation, and red gems indicate a bad/negative reputation.

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Color Green (Whether in a traffic light or on a gem) is not always bad ;)

Having said that, if you really like the color red, I am sure many would be obliged to help you with that :D

Kool

Methinks Witis is getting his knickers in a knot because of the way
he spells "color" and probably because he drives on the wrong side
of the road.

I assume that came from too much time in side-rudder ships where the "pilot" used to have to sit in the back and hang onto the "steer board" side tiller or steering oar.

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Originally Posted by koolsid

Color Green (Whether in a traffic light or on a gem) is not always bad ;)

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I have been trying to find something good regarding green gems, although, so far, my research hasn't turned up anything other than linking it to envy, i.e trying to fit too many green gems, such as serpentine or lizardite, onto a ring could actually result in gollum syndrome!

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Originally Posted by UrbanDictionary

gollum syndrome
The epitome of the syndrome is Gollum of the “Lord of the Rings.” He started out as a fairly normal being and was transformed into a hideous monster by his obsession or greed for the ring that could not be quenched. Gollum said things like “We must have the Preciouss !!!”

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source: http://www.urbandictionary.com/defin...ster%2A&page=3

Also once you incorporate the green go and red stop combination it only seems to indicate traffic lights to me.
What else has that specific green go and red stop combination????

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I have been trying to find something good regarding green gems, although, so far, my research hasn't turned up anything other than linking it to envy, i.e trying to fit too many green gems, such as serpentine or lizardite, onto a ring could actually result in gollum syndrome!

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Did you check the link in my previous comment? ;)

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Originally Posted by koolsid

Did you check the link in my previous comment? ;)

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Yep, although to be honest I didn't think that Emily's Gems was a very good reference.
Perhaps you could be a bit more specific?

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Originally Posted by Spoo

Methinks Witis is getting his knickers in a knot because of the way
he spells "color" and probably because he drives on the wrong side
of the road.

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Spoo, I had no idea that was an Americanism, a regional abbreviation meaning knee length trousers: http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/knickerbockers. Where I am from we would call them knee length shorts or drawers!

Do I detect a slightly anti commonwealthian sentiment in the rest of that post?
Are you still getting over the tiff you had with the Empire from 1775-1783??

Actually now that you have raised the issue I am not sure that removing the u in order to revert to the Latin spelling of words such as colour, favour and honour is such a good play given that Latin is now only in use as an official language by the Holy See!!

Witis

No.
Actually, it's the War of 1812 that's still stuck in my craw.
Buring the White House ,,, oh, the humanity.

As for the knickers Americanism, truth be told, I originally had nickers, but
thought that having the kn in knickers and knot was more of a word play.
Nickers is the proper spelling, right?

All of which can't help but remind me of that great line in The Abyss, wherein
Ed Harris says to Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, "Keep your pantyhose on."

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Originally Posted by Witis

Yep, although to be honest I didn't think that Emily's Gems was a very good reference.
Perhaps you could be a bit more specific?

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Honestly, I don't need Emily to tell me that "Green is the color of nature, fertility, life. Grass green is the most restful color.". I can show 10 different links on the web which say that Green Gems are good but I am sure those references will not be good for you :)

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Originally Posted by koolsid

Having said that, if you really like the color red, I am sure many would be obliged to help you with that :D

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I tried to suggest that on him already, however it didn't stop his postings :-(

Sadly it seems there was a breach and there are now quite a few Olog-hai around these parts, which are super trolls that are resistant to direct sunlight unlike regular trolls which turn to stone.

My suggestion, once you have recast a hobbit as Gandalf, is to stand your ground!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MShWnTlP60E

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Originally Posted by opus

I tried to suggest that on him already, however it didn't stop his postings :-(

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What seems to be bothering you about my thread?
Sit down on my couch and tell Witis all about it... *Puts on soothing music*

I have to add that Barad-dûr was the name of the dark tower that had Sauron's envious evil eye perched on it (which I mentioned in post #24)!!!
Sauron's sanctum was situated directly below the giant eye!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4tr83RTDPI

I hate lord of the fags and my favorite team has the color Green as an emblem and our opponents have the color red. So go Green.
Also have a look since your are interested in my country's coloration.
http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/61