[TheForge] Long rambley YAK Effectively filtering the offensive.

Fri Nov 14 06:30:01 2003

Simple proof, once again, that innovation, invention and philosophy came
primarily from regions with long, cold winter nights.  Perhaps the Fall from
Grace, partaking of the Tree of Knowledge and expulsion from Eden coincided
with an ice age? :)  We just don't see the more temperate, subtropicals of
the list getting this philosophical, eh Jer?

Kevin

>  -----Original Message-----
>  From: [email protected]
>  [mailto:[email protected]]On Behalf Of Jerry Frost
>  Sent: Friday, 14 November, 2003 5:53 AM
>  To: [email protected]
>  Subject: [TheForge] Long rambley YAK Effectively filtering the
>  offensive.
>
>
>  ----- Original Message -----
>  From: "Andy Vida" <[email protected]>
>
>  Subject: Re: [TheForge] Effectively filtering the offensive.
>
>
>  >
>  >
>  > [email protected] wrote:
>  > >
>  > > I have found that every list has certain roles that just
>  seem to always
>  > > get filled, ( kind of like families).   There always seems the be the
>  > > wise sage, the feckles youth, the voice of reason, the sanctimonious
>  > > prig, the peacemaker and of course the a**hole.    Compared to what I
>  > > have to deal with on other lists, I feel blessed to have Andy holding
>  > > this job down.
>  >
>  > I guess I'll take that as a compliment, backhanded as it may
>  > be. :)
>  >
>
>
>  Yeah, I've often felt getting backhanded would be good for you
>  Bro. <grin>
>
>  The way I keep my sanity is to remind myself E-mail lists are more like
>  cocktail parties than subject oriented discussion groups. There
>  are around
>  300-500 people subbed to the list at a given time. (no, I
>  haven't checked)
>  Most are lurkers with perhaps 30 regular posters and perhaps
>  another 20-30
>  occasional posters. Then there are the heavy posters, perhaps
>  6-10 folk who
>  post almost continuously, I sometimes fall into this catagory
>  but am usually
>  just a regular.
>
>  Visualize a really large gathering on a dark or foggy evening. You know
>  there are a lot of folks out there, just out of sight but you can't know
>  them unless they step into the light of the campfire or out of the mist.
>  There are a couple few circles of folk standing around the fires or under
>  the streetlight exchanging ideas, jokes, jibes and insults, friendly and
>  otherwise. The folk on the outside can listen without joining, in fact
>  that's what most do but it's not reciprocal. The lurkers get to know the
>  campfire circlers but we don't get to know them. Sokay, doesn't
>  bother me,
>  though I'd really like to get to know more folk, EVERYBODY has
>  something to
>  offer.
>
>  As has been said there are most of the typical party
>  personalities hanging
>  around our campfire(s)  We can read any or all the posts easier than we
>  could keep track of the conversations in two or three circles.
>  Like any such
>  gathering there are the voices that carry, folk who circulate through all
>  the little groups, never hanging out but always there. The folk everyone
>  knows, voices we hear no matter which fire we're hanging around.
>
>  When things are slow blacksmithing-wise the conversations get chaotic,
>  sometimes heated, often silly, sometimes boring, sometimes over
>  the top. But
>  let a juicy subject come up, preferably a good tough question or
>  problem and
>  watch it get tackled. It sometimes reminds me of the red headed
>  quintuplets
>  turning on the babysitter at bed time. <grin> There're lots of fitting
>  analogies but I'm working on colorfully pithy. I gave up on
>  terse long ago.
>  <grin>
>
>  We're pretty much all agreed on one thing though, we're here for
>  the company
>  of blacksmiths and other metal workers. We're here for
>  information and the
>  camaraderie of folk with similar interests. Some are here for the bare
>  facts; answers. I like facts and answers too but to understand
>  the replies
>  you have to know something about the person speaking. While we all speak
>  english (okay, most of us) of a sort, <grin> we don't
>  necessarily speak the
>  same language. This is where the bull session aspect of the list is so
>  useful; we get to learn a little about the person making a
>  statement, posing
>  a question or making wild speculations. We can never know what a person
>  really means we can only know what they say. The personal
>  knowledge gives a
>  better chance of understanding what the Person is saying and a
>  better chance
>  of knowing what they mean.
>
>  Being in the company of smiths has broadened my perspective and skills
>  immensely though I've only met maybe a dozen in person and only
>  played with
>  fire and iron with three. Still, having read many posts by the
>  voices that
>  carry I've learned to tweek my perspective towards theirs.
>
>  Who here couldn't learn a thing or two about ingenuity from Mike Spencer?
>
>  The power of shear human knowledge and skill with basic ("traditional")
>  tools from George Dixon?
>
>  The value of book learning, research and adaptation from Bruce Freeman?
>
>  Perseverance in the face of unspeakable pain from Roy Wilson?
>
>  The list is too long to name more than a few folk who've been
>  inspirational
>  for me. My last point being I wouldn't get nearly as much as I have if I
>  hadn't sat around the fire chewing the fat with the folk.
>  Sometimes I get in
>  a bind and ask myself: How would Mike S. do this, George, Roy, Andy V.?
>  Yeah, I know the last is kind of scary. . . .still, it works
>  more often than
>  not.
>
>  Well, didn't this just turn into a long philosophical ramble.
>  Maybe you'll
>  want to read the subject line and apply it to me eh? <grin>
>
>  Weekends when I'm working graveyard shift can be pretty boring; it's too
>  cold and dark to do anything outside, there isn't even a 24 hr.
>  cafe within
>  50 miles so I have little choice but to pester the list. <sigh>
>
>  Frosty
>  ------------------------
>  If it ain't forged
>  it ain't real.
>  Wrought iron is.
>  The FrostWorks
>
>  Meadow Lakes, AK.
>
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