Have we failed?

[DJKELLY]

I've seen some thread killers before but, wow!

Bart, you might not be a native English speaker but you surely make yourself well understood. You mentioned the word "scrape" in reference to an uncomfortable shave, and that works for me. Scrapey is a very descriptive term even it is not in my Iphone dictionary. So is crispy. For a smartass like me, words are meant to be twisted; noun into verb or stretched to their limits. It is a primary reason that English is the universal language of science. It is very descriptive but has so many nuances and idioms that it is not easily mastered.

I love all you guys, Denny

 

[Guest]

What an interesting thread.

Let me try to understand what happened so far. In the beginning was the shave. And it was good. Then, there was the internet forum. And the shave was not good enough any more when it was good. Because people with small penises and big egos needed public self confirmation. And the honemeister was born and bred. And it multiplied. And shaves became totally ubersmooth, and edges became sharper than sharp. And the egos got bigger.

Then the forum exploded, and from its debris, men with even smaller penises and even bigger egos formed more forums, and the number of honemeisters got bigger and bigger.

Until one day, a voice of reason spoke up, and its words were, "Let there be simplicity, and let it take the form of one hone. Let there also be science where previously there was drivel, collusion, and shilling." And again the forum exploded, and frow it grew something small, yet beautiful. Focussed, driven, and exact. And it thrived, and grew. And with its growth came the necessity to speak in one language about the hone. And its characteristics were defined in simple, descriptive terms. And it was good.

But the forum grew further, and flotsam and jetsam from across the interwebs wanted to join it. And they refused to read, but posted instead. And they did not care what they posted as long as it pleased their egos.

Meanwhile, back in another part of the interwebs, an obtuse German got angry. And just a tad frustrated. Because this is an international forum, and I do not give a toss about your pathetic struggles with a language whose only purpose here is to transfer messages from sender A to recipient B.

LHK,
Robin

 

[BlacknTan]

I understand completely the sense of loss as more members hear about, and want to join the intelligencia from the new world order. What once was a small, inclusive place where everyone knew their bounds, knew which toes not to step on, and accepted the higher intelligence of the ruling class, had now become just another forum as they have left, possibly where such shennanigans were not tolerated, and the riff raff and lesser educated from all over the globe floods in to destroy the once comfortable little abode.
I joined pretty early on, but didn't feel so bold to participate until I bought a coticule and became friendly with some members. I realize that that was pretty presumptious of me, but Americans are brash (crisp?), and tend to push their way in where uninvited.
It's unfortunate that the internet provides the perfect place for people to seek the adoration that is not available in one's own life. Obviously, people are treated and talked to as they never would be in a face to face conversation, and that's too bad..
I came here to learn something and have a little interaction along the way.. Nothing more, nothing less. It seemed a friendly place, and I was prepared to be friendly.
I could answer the venom in kind, but that would not be good for the members who genuinely want to discuss and not enlarge their already prodigious egos, or for the board itself.

The Associates have a quality place here. It's too bad a few are bent on destruction, but it's the name of the game on these boards, and it won't come from here... I respect some folks here far too much for that reaction to come from me.

 

[vgeorge]

Oh, Paul, my friend, what fire have you started?

People, people, it is only a stone from the ground and a little metal to be sharpened - it is all of relatively recent origin and decline. For all of us, it is still great fun. Don't let that be ruined with atavistic fighting instincts no longer really needed - for most parts of our lives.

 

[Bart]

[warn]It's time to stop this nonsense.

It is me that runs all these tests on Coticules. If I decided to use +++'s to designate speed and sharpness coming of milk-like slurry, that is entirely my prerogative. If I chose to use three words to discern between slight finishing differences, that is my prerogative as well. I could have chosen Mick, Mack and Mon; but I didn't, I chose Brisk, Engaging and Mellow.
Learn to live with it.

Now, about linguistics used on the forum. As already concluded a while ago during the conversation about spelling of layer names and the use of abbreviations, you can hold an opinion about how language should be used, and you can try to live by your own rules, but you can't impose them on others. And neither should you take other people's refusal to live up to your standards personal. I genuinely believe that anyone posting on his forum does his best to make himself understandable. Misunderstandings occur, but they are easily enough to clear up.

If anyone can't live with the contents of this post, please feel free to find a forum that suits you better.

Kind regards,
Bart.[/warn]

 

[danjared]

I offer my apologies, Bart. I meant only to offer suggestions for what to do, noting the probable cause of the misunderstanding. I did not intend to add to the heat of the debate.

 

[tat2Ralfy]

My sincere apologise to anyone who took offence to my comments, it was never my intention

best wishes
Ralfson (Dr)

 

[Bart]

Jared, you don't need to apologize for making a well-intended suggestion, my friend.

You were in no way responsible for the Kindergarten aspects of this thread.

Kind regards,
Bart

 

[TM280]

I have a bit of the same affliction as Robin, apparently, and wish to comment as to how I read this thread in general.

In a round-about way I have a point. I think it is disingenuous to attempt to defuse a heated debate with claims concerning the general insignificance of what we are arguing about (and yes, we have all thought, said or written this at one point or another about this endeavor...). I say this as (potentially) strongly as I do for one simple fact: already 5 pages of this seemingly innocent OP in, people are upset, insulting and insulted.

Well, more than one simple fact. We do spend a good deal of time with not only the activity, but talking about it. It is the reason this forum exists (thankfully). What may be overlooked is that what we share is far outweighs what we disagree on (obtuse Germans may be exempt from this point... ). (And by the way, Denny, German was the scientific language of choice until recently precisely for the reasons you, also rightfully, claim for English... )

What this means for me is that we shouldn't defuse these arguments on the grounds of their insignificance, but on the grounds that (non-ironically meant) we are comrades. I have re-read this whole damn thread looking for what happened. I repeatedly see statements of respect and good humour.

The differences of opinion concerning language use neither start nor end here. I offer this link as a telling illustration of this,and as a comment on the content of the original discussion: http://www.jstor.org/pss/2216118

(I haven't read the whole article, so won't go good for the author's perspective. The accessible first page states the problem well, and I would send the article to anyone who cares about this type of thing and doesn't have access to JSTOR.)

regards,
Torolf

[sub]PS. I do believe the meaning of words is worth arguing about...[/sub]

 

[DJKELLY]

You're too kind, Torolf. At least if by data savvy you mean stubborn, anal retentive and fascist (in the technical sense of these words).

Yo, Bart, how about a joint effort? If not, I suggest that Torolf lead this endeavour, as it calls for diplomatic and moderation skills, not technical ones.

Regards,
Robin

Holy Crap, Self-Deprecating EuroMan--I have never seen so many straight lines in one place in all my life. It is such a target rich environment, I can't take the shot. I am paralyzed with awe. Your stuttering pal, Denny

p.s. I would be honored to work with you two gents, and anyone else, with suggestions for the glossary. I do NOT have the IT background, but will be happy to scan for appropriate entries and definitions if that will help.

 

[Bart]

You're too kind, Torolf. At least if by data savvy you mean stubborn, anal retentive and fascist (in the technical sense of these words).

Yo, Bart, how about a joint effort? If not, I suggest that Torolf lead this endeavour, as it calls for diplomatic and moderation skills, not technical ones.

Regards,
Robin

That sounds perfectly fine with me. It's technically not a very difficult job, and there is already a set of user rights made, called "glossary crew". I will add you guys both to that group, and leave it to the both of you to coordinate your efforts. As far as I'm concerned you can go about it any way you see fit. Maybe we could even make the system put a thin gray line under words that are in the glossary. You'll have to work with the System Administration Team to work out what's possible (Stijn and Jared).
It'll be Monday before I al able to setup the account, because I have a sound engineering job starting tomorrow morning, until Sunday late.
In the mean time the Coticule Rectification Team is on full standby, so everyone: you better be nice to each other while dad's away for business.:|

Thanks for helping out, fellows,
Bart.

 

[Bart]

Dennis, I hadn't read your post, yet, as I was scanning through this thread for posts I missed, when things got so heated, they required immediate action. I will add you to the glossary crew as well. I'm sure the guys can use a good "word scout".

Thank you,
Bart.