Re: heal the world, and misc@ [strictly coffeetime reading]

[Marius Van Deventer - Umzimkulu]

Hear hear.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: -f [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] 
> Sent: 10 June 2005 02:50 PM
> To: OpenBSD
> Subject: heal the world, and misc@ [strictly coffeetime reading]
> 
> 
> dear list,
> 
> a nice cup of coffee in front of me, and as a big fan of
> robert x., let me reflect a bit on the phenomenon called
> "misc@openbsd.org"...  will try to keep it short.
> 
> 
> a couple of days ago, there was a quite big thread about optimized
> kernel builds.  the caller had a point (all of us do, no matter how
> insignificant) but some of the answers were rude, childish and much
> more trollish than the actual post itself.  that thread made
> me quite disgusted of misc@, the way people treat each other here.
> 
> 
> i am a teacher.  i have a degree in "teaching computer science".
> when you learn to be a teacher, you must sign up to basic
> psychology classes.  obviously.  teachers are role models.
> obviously.  i don't teach at the moment, and i am not sure
> i will.  i have found the fact that some of the kids will
> form habits, opinions, god-knows-what-else based on my
> personality quite scary and too big a responsibility.
> for now anyway.
> 
> but i am also what some might call nerd/geek (blech) and am
> very familiar with the social implications of that.
> 
> 
> 
> what people here mostly fail to realize is, how impersonal
> the internet really is. 99% of you don't know how old i am, 
> how do i look like, what's my life like.  same is true from
> my side towards you.
> 
> 
> <thesis>
> my point is, that you could be affecting(flaming) a developing
> personality, a 13 year old kid who just happens to be very
> intelligent, just installed the system and hurries off to the
> mailing list to satisfy his knowledge hunger without realizing
> all the mailing list nuances we see everyday (top posting,
> long signatures, not reading the documentation beforehand,
> posting the "taboo" questions).  you just never know.
> (well, except darren reed ;-)
> </thesis>
> 
> it's all about experience.  there is a baby born every second,
> and no one was born wise.
> 
> everyone who uses email for more than 5 years knows just how
> elusive this form of communication is.  how easy it is to
> misunderstand, misinterpret even a clearly worded email.
> 
> <advice>
> 1. if a mail makes you angry, never respond rightaway.
>    in the best case, sleep on it.  in the worst case, go do
>    something else, come back in an hour, read it again carefully
>    and then respond.
> 
> 2. if a mail makes you angry, in 85% of all cases, you should
>    just delete it, and forget about it.  i am quite amazed
>    how hard it is for people to ignore stuff.  you must exercise
>    your ignore muscle.  saves awful lot of time and energy.
>    (i know, this mail is the opposite of this advice, but i slept
>    on it ;-)
> 
> 3. never assume that you are writing to an intelligent adult
>    person.
> 
> 4. remember that email is archived and one day you might read
>    what you wrote years ago.  you know, shame and stuff.
> 
> 5. a whole planet could be reading what you wrote.  you represent
>    your family, upbringing, country, etc, and last but not least
>    yourself.
> 
> 6. chill out and relax.  as one of my taglines say:
>    "good words cost no more than bad."
> </advice>
> 
> peace,
> -f
> 
> ps. musical background for this mail provided by two lone 
> swordsman and arovane
> -- 
> en taro adun