Thursday, November 25, 2004
JSH: Living and learning
I've been watching "Everybody Loves Raymond" and they just had this great episode where Raymond's father decides to paint his house and is his usual self so Raymond fires him, but of course his mother convinces him to go talk to his father again, and his dad says something about people being the problem when all that should matter
is if you're right.
And I used to actually think that way.
I figured that, hey, this is a PUBLIC forum, and I can come out here and talk about whatever math related thing I want—following the RULES you know as it's math related—and then people would give me grief, which to me just showed you that people were the problem. I mean if it's a PUBLIC forum, and you're posting about math then BY THE RULES I should just be able to post, but I got all this flak.
Sure I had lots of ideas that were wrong that I thought were right, but hey, I was following the rules, and in the real world problem solving is a difficult process where you brainstorm ideas, eventually critique them, and then hopefully come out at the end with something.
I FOLLOWED THE RULES of Usenet and twerps gave me grief—still give me grief—and for a while I decided that people were the problem.
But now I realize that some people are the problem and I don't have to let them get to me. So I follow the rules, talk about math related as I see fit, and hey, I have a paper at a math journal anyway, so let the losers keep at it, as if they have no lives.
So hey, yeah, I'm not the nicest guy around, and I don't mind dishing it out, challenging people, or making big claims when I feel they are justified, but at least I'm following the freaking rules of Usenet.
These other people, they steal posts and put them on their own webpages. Hound me all over Usenet, and spend all sorts of effort to control my postings and I'm supposed to be the bad guy?
Like Frank I'm misunderstood. People cheat. But hey, they're still important, and at the end of the day, it's better when you make the effort to be nice. So I'm making the effort. I'm being nice now. This is me being nice.
is if you're right.
And I used to actually think that way.
I figured that, hey, this is a PUBLIC forum, and I can come out here and talk about whatever math related thing I want—following the RULES you know as it's math related—and then people would give me grief, which to me just showed you that people were the problem. I mean if it's a PUBLIC forum, and you're posting about math then BY THE RULES I should just be able to post, but I got all this flak.
Sure I had lots of ideas that were wrong that I thought were right, but hey, I was following the rules, and in the real world problem solving is a difficult process where you brainstorm ideas, eventually critique them, and then hopefully come out at the end with something.
I FOLLOWED THE RULES of Usenet and twerps gave me grief—still give me grief—and for a while I decided that people were the problem.
But now I realize that some people are the problem and I don't have to let them get to me. So I follow the rules, talk about math related as I see fit, and hey, I have a paper at a math journal anyway, so let the losers keep at it, as if they have no lives.
So hey, yeah, I'm not the nicest guy around, and I don't mind dishing it out, challenging people, or making big claims when I feel they are justified, but at least I'm following the freaking rules of Usenet.
These other people, they steal posts and put them on their own webpages. Hound me all over Usenet, and spend all sorts of effort to control my postings and I'm supposed to be the bad guy?
Like Frank I'm misunderstood. People cheat. But hey, they're still important, and at the end of the day, it's better when you make the effort to be nice. So I'm making the effort. I'm being nice now. This is me being nice.
# posted by James Harris @ 19:01 
