Pretty much. As a lazy student who should have graduated last year already, I have way too much time on my hands and spend way too much time following the news, among other things.

Joel is certainly a gentleman, but his inclusion in the list surprises me mainly because he hardly ever budges at all on anything, even in the face of obviously superior arguments or when he's clearly wrong. Though I suppose the others you name don't always do that, either, possibly excepting Cannoli who seems to pride himself on following the logic wherever it leads him. The others, yes, though I'm not sure about calling Tom a gentleman. But surely there are others who should be in that list - Vodalus is someone I rate very highly, SilverWarder, though maybe he's not around enough now for you to know him well, and many people who participate more rarely but have worthwhile posts when they do, like nossy or Sareitha. And then there are some of the usual suspects like everynametaken and Glieseian/random thoughts that perhaps get a bit more aggressive at times, but still make solid contributions for the most part...