Tangential diversifications

[Scoby_Beasley]

So !
Whats happening on here now ??
I joined in May '03 when everything seemed to be light hearted and sincere. Someone took a one way one gang switch off the wall and dropped it, They then asked on here where do I put the black/red/earth wires and they used to get an answer ( easy eh? ).

It seems that since I've been away for 6 months that now everyone has to think "diversity" etc.. The "experts" (all quallified no doubt) end up arguing amongst themselves on how to do the job, meanwhile the poor "postee" doesn't get an answer that will solve his problem !!
I think most people who hit this site want a simple answer to their problem, not an in depth theory of electrics/ building whatever, although an insight is useful now and again so that you can understand what and why you are doing something.

People only need the right/enough info to answer their dillemna, and apart from that when you are surfing the bickering makes extremely boring reading (YAWN !! Off for a lie down now).
END OF GRIPE

 

[pipme]

Hence the the diversion from topic ..... http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/buddhism/history/index.shtml .....

George Bush meets with the Queen of England. He asks her, "Your Majesty, how do you run such an efficient government? Are there any tips you can give to me?"
"Well," says the Queen, "the most impor tant thing is to surround yourself
with intelligent people." Bush frowns. "But how do I know the people around me are really intelligent?"
The Queen takes a sip of tea. "Oh, that's easy. You just ask them to answer an intelligent riddle. "The Queen pushes a button on her intercom. "Please send Tony Blair in here, would you?"
Tony Blair walks into the room. "Yes, my Queen?" The Queen smiles "Answer me this, please, Tone. Your mother and father have a child. It is not your brother and it is not your sister. Who is it?" Without pausing for a moment, Tony Blair answers, "That would be me." "Yes! Very good," says the Queen.
Bush goes back home to ask Dick Cheney, his vice president, the same
question. "Dick, answer this for me. Your mother and your father have a
child. It's not your brother and it's not your sister. Who is it?" "I'm not
sure," says Cheney, "Let me get back to you on that one."
Cheney goes to his advisors and a sks every one, but none can give him an answer. Finally, he ends up in the men's room and recognizes Colin Powell's shoes in the next stall. Cheney shouts, "Colin! Can you answer this for me?
Your mother and father have a child and it's not your brother or your
sister. Who is it?" Colin Powell yells back, "That's easy. It's me!" Cheney
smiles, and says, "Thanks!"
Then, Cheney goes back to speak with Bush. "Say,I did some research and I have the answer to that riddle. It's Colin Powell." Bush gets up, stomps over to Cheney and angrily yells into his face, "No, you idiot! It's Tony Blair!"

 

[Thermo]

i have to say that unless the question of subsidenec or damp comes up most of the replies on the building type forums are usually in the same vain and agreeable. I do however agree with you about the electrical forum! I think that it can be such a complicated subject that everyone has certain views and interpretations that sometimes boil over into a oneupmanship bun fight eg breezers screwdriver tester thread!

 

[fido]

I only discovered this site a few weeks ago and at first I started answering a few of the electrics questions but I found the same thing. Some of the regulars on this site seem to be online so much I can't see how they do any real work.

 

[breezer]

Some of the regulars on this site seem to be online so much I can't see how they do any real work.

we don't

but yes i do agree with origonal post (and i still think "neon tester" screwdrivers are of no use) but also part P must be mentioned, even though its a pain

I would also like to point out that most new posters (not all) either expect to be able to do a "complicated" job easily, and they get the "hump" when it is suggested they are not capable (which is judged by their inital post) or they never bother to search to see if it has been asked before

 

[Panjandrum]

As a relatively new poster myself, there's plenty of truth in all of this. But happily there's no consistency. Sometimes the daftest of questions gets the most helpful of answers. Sometimes a missing comma brings down the wrath of the gods. I was one of the unfortunates to confess to owning a n'#n s^&%*dr*£@r when pressed - but I lived to tell the tale, and still use it.
Maybe this does scare off a few people, but it's given me hours of entertainment.
Times must have been dreadfully boring when people asked questions and got simple, non-judgmental answers all the time.

 

[pipme]

........... I can't see how they do any real work.

You are right, a shifty bunch of argumentitive barstewards .... 'Raptors prowling the site waiting for that innocent poster exposing his soft underbelly as he pleads for help --- slash, slash ---- the post lies in tatters on the butchers block, at diynot

 

[Scoby_Beasley]

.............Maybe this does scare off a few people, but it's given me hours of entertainment.
Times must have been dreadfully boring when people asked questions and got simple, non-judgmental answers all the time.

I totally agree that it can be highly entertaining, just sometimes feel sorry for the poor bugger who asked the original question !!

 

[pipme]

.........sorry for the poor b*****r who asked the original question !!

I quote that infamous Americanism, General, to private in traction ... " Sympathy ? sympathy my boy, is a word in the dictionary somewhere between s**t and s*******s ....."

 

[planenut]

a word in the dictionary somewhere between s**t and s*******s ....."

...........There you go again, causing diversicification, come on, there cannot be much in the "S's" that can come after "Sy....."! and no I haven't got the schematic drawing for it.

___________________________
Moderator

edited to correct quote

 

[Thermo]

if the sparkies are like this on a chat board what happens when two of them turn up at your house to do a job....
no john you cant use that there, have you considered the equipotential of the flow rate?
....ah yes reginald but if you consider the maximum loading divided by the sun in the zenith of the moon god lunar at 10.05 and the iee regs i think youll find i can wire it up like that....
and so on and so on. Theyd be there all week! No wonder they usually work by themselves

 

[fido]

No wonder they usually work by themselves

No doubt there will be a Health & Safety law stopping that soon. I can be quite distressing when the customer arrives home to see how the sparky is getting on and just finds a pair of smoking boots....

 

[AdamW]

Yeh, I can't abide tobacco in my house.

 

[pipme]

if the sparkies are like this on a chat board what happens when two of them turn up at your house to do a job....
no john you cant use that there, have you considered the equipotential of the flow rate?
....ah yes reginald but if you consider the maximum loading divided by the sun in the zenith of the moon god lunar at 10.05 and the iee regs i think youll find i can wire it up like that....
and so on and so on. Theyd be there all week! No wonder they usually work by themselves

They soon agree in one area - how big the customer's wallet - How much can feasibly be transferred to the mutual swag bag. !

 

[Rider]

Most professionals who like to advise on forums will disagree on the best way to do things. I used to contribute to an electronics, TV and video recorder forum. I stopped doing it in the end because of all the back-biting between the advisors. You'd get arguments along the vein of...

"My advice has got to be right because I've been repairing these things for 20 years!"

Oh yeah" Well I've mended more TVs than you've had hot dinners in the 23 years I've been doing it, so don't tell me my advice is crap. What you're saying will get somebody killed!"

I found that I got drawn into it myself on a couple of occasions ("Huh! a mere 22 years, try 33") Well, all that sort of argument was no help to anyone. So I stopped offering advice.

When I worked for the TV rental company, the idea was to present a united front to the customer. We'd never say that the last engineer's efforts to mend a fault were rubbish. I carried that practice over to when I went self-employed too. Maybe this is why I don't agree with it being OK to do decry other contributors opinions on forums.

I like to read advice, technical and electronics forums quite a bit but rarely contribute these days. I don't think I'm cut out for the general fray of things. Forums are often a bit akin to Monty Pythons Argument Clinic, no matter what the subject is.