Sort of an open letter to Olin. Sort of.

> Mike Hord wrote:
>> include budging in the queue at the market, cutting 
>> people off in
>> traffic, being an ass to people in a public information 
>> exchange

> You have no idea what I do in line at the market, in 
> traffic, etc.  Stating
> these things as facts is just plain wrong (and incorrect 
> for that matter).

What's the chance we can call a truce on this lot?

FWIW - and not directly relevant to truce call
He actually said:

> From what I've seen, Olin is the kind of guy who's ...

Now that's the sort of indirect non assertion that people 
were talking about recently with another example and, er, 
another person having made it. You are here on the receiving 
end of a similar 'event'.

What I'd really like is for people to feel they are able to 
stop beating up on Olin *BECAUSE* he decides to agree that 
he'll voluntarily limit his actions in one geographically 
(PICLIST-o-graphically?) small area  - but a very vital one.

Olin:    Please swear on Bible or affirm an affirmation that 
you are suitably awed by:

"I Olin Lathrop, being of sound mind, and in fact sounder 
mind than many other list members, various admins and guys 
in NZ not even mentioned, do hereby swear promise and other 
wise commit myself, by all that's holy & valuable to me by 
my terms of reference, to stay away from instructing the 
newcomers in matters of etiquette, sanity, laziness, 
stupidity, RTFMing, dead fish, phases of the moon and in 
fact ANYTHING at all until they have come of age, transited 
the basic rites of PICList passage and become novo-citizens 
of this our great and respected sub society, NOTWITHSTANDING 
that I consider such a behaviour less productive, less 
character forming, less list improving, and less generally 
salubrious in many many ways, YET I will so commit to do due 
to my love AND for the sanity of mind of a small majority of 
my fellow listizens, AND will conscientiously hew to such 
practices, styles and general behaviours such as might 
otherwise lead me to the gates of transgression in a trice, 
all unintended, AND IN CONSEQUENCE of my magnanimous and 
totally unnecessary gesture, bestowed in aforesaid love and 
concern for my fellow listizens, I shall expect, albeit not 
DEMANDE, the due adulation, respect, admiration and general 
benison of the assembled listizens and more. Amen.

And all the people said - "Amen. Kiss kiss. Welcome home 
Olin. Boy we've missed you. Really!!! Can you tell us how to 
... ?. Why when I do this does it ... ?. In your code ... ?. 
Say look. No. Dont! There's a newbie over there and he's 
acting pretty lazy, close your ears and look the other way 
and we'll go beat up on him a little, but gently, and we're 
sure that in no time flat he'll be up to the level where 
he's not going to totally waste your valuable time. // Hey - 
pretty amazing really, you know that guy the other day who 
typed all in capitals? I thought he was  real idiot frankly. 
Turns out he's using a mouthstick to operate a key board. 
Pretty old tech. AND he's got a PhD that way! . ... .  // 
famous astronomer / suicidal / Cambodian / ... . "

And Olin grew old and prospered amongst his community of 
international friends, and those who knew him well wondered 
quietly at his statesmanlike behaviour and words of great 
technical wisdom.

OR

:-(.

Olin - how about it?
One small step for a man ... ? :-).




            Russell


PS:    By all means write me a prescription of the one small 
area in my life that needs changing.
One???
Small??
Are you mad?
:-)
Compared to me you're on a roll :-)









-- 
http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive
View/change your membership options at
http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist