Comments on: one should respond to circumstances in an infinite variety of ways http://lair.fierydragon.org/2005/09/one-should-respond-to-circumstances-in-an-infinite-variety-of-ways/ Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup Tue, 06 Jan 2009 05:28:40 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Forge http://lair.fierydragon.org/2005/09/one-should-respond-to-circumstances-in-an-infinite-variety-of-ways/#comment-115 Forge Sat, 24 Sep 2005 17:45:15 +0000 http://lair.fierydragon.org/?p=77#comment-115 I've found -at least, with people you actually are acquainted with, as opposed to complete strangers- that responses tend to weird out the chain-mailing hordes. I suppose they don't think of these things are conversations. Presumably, the convenient thing about forwards and chain letters is that you can <i>appear</i> to be saying something (which makes you an interesting person) without actually needing to think of something to say. And then again; forwarding something can mean anything from "I wholeheartedly believe this and want you to know it" to "I don't necessarily believe this, or am not interested in finding out for sure either way, but I think it's funny/thought-provoking/entertaining/whatever." I think the weird-out value of a serious response is higher when it's the latter case, because a serious response is automatically asuming the former. You, the forwarder, have suddenly become the holder of a position which you must now either defend or never mention again. Hopefully. And now I'm thinking about this way too much. I’ve found -at least, with people you actually are acquainted with, as opposed to complete strangers- that responses tend to weird out the chain-mailing hordes. I suppose they don’t think of these things are conversations. Presumably, the convenient thing about forwards and chain letters is that you can appear to be saying something (which makes you an interesting person) without actually needing to think of something to say.

And then again; forwarding something can mean anything from “I wholeheartedly believe this and want you to know it” to “I don’t necessarily believe this, or am not interested in finding out for sure either way, but I think it’s funny/thought-provoking/entertaining/whatever.” I think the weird-out value of a serious response is higher when it’s the latter case, because a serious response is automatically asuming the former. You, the forwarder, have suddenly become the holder of a position which you must now either defend or never mention again. Hopefully. And now I’m thinking about this way too much.

]]> By: drac http://lair.fierydragon.org/2005/09/one-should-respond-to-circumstances-in-an-infinite-variety-of-ways/#comment-114 drac Sat, 24 Sep 2005 14:06:34 +0000 http://lair.fierydragon.org/?p=77#comment-114 Elric: I daresay the coursework/exam combo would have been viable option for tech as well - except that I (somewhat naively) didn't want to tie myself down to a syllabus. I've always been more comfortable doing my own thing - for better or for worse - and that's how all of this started. Forge: That was possibly the first I had heard that it was supposed a shortened form - it certainly sounded to me like a backronym of sorts. And do people sending the chain mails ever expect a response in return ? What sort of response would one expect after sending several dozen (sometimes strangers) emails that cinema seats may have used hypodermic needles wedged inside them - or that some random stranger woke up in a bath tub filled with ice and found himself short a pair of kidneys ? Elric: I daresay the coursework/exam combo would have been viable option for tech as well - except that I (somewhat naively) didn’t want to tie myself down to a syllabus. I’ve always been more comfortable doing my own thing - for better or for worse - and that’s how all of this started.

Forge: That was possibly the first I had heard that it was supposed a shortened form - it certainly sounded to me like a backronym of sorts.

And do people sending the chain mails ever expect a response in return ? What sort of response would one expect after sending several dozen (sometimes strangers) emails that cinema seats may have used hypodermic needles wedged inside them - or that some random stranger woke up in a bath tub filled with ice and found himself short a pair of kidneys ?

]]> By: Forge http://lair.fierydragon.org/2005/09/one-should-respond-to-circumstances-in-an-infinite-variety-of-ways/#comment-113 Forge Sat, 24 Sep 2005 09:05:43 +0000 http://lair.fierydragon.org/?p=77#comment-113 This is something of a tangent, but that whole email-forward line about "fuck" being an acronym -it shows up on your piggy page above, as well- really gets on my nerves. The last time a cow-orker forwarded that one to me (it was just two weeks ago, in fact) I just had to respond with an explanation, and she's been all weird ever since. This is something of a tangent, but that whole email-forward line about “fuck” being an acronym -it shows up on your piggy page above, as well- really gets on my nerves. The last time a cow-orker forwarded that one to me (it was just two weeks ago, in fact) I just had to respond with an explanation, and she’s been all weird ever since.

]]> By: elric http://lair.fierydragon.org/2005/09/one-should-respond-to-circumstances-in-an-infinite-variety-of-ways/#comment-112 elric Sat, 24 Sep 2005 05:02:24 +0000 http://lair.fierydragon.org/?p=77#comment-112 which is why i chose to get assessed on my Masters on course work and exams. the thesis option was just too scary. of course since it was more business-IT orientated than tech, that was a viable option for me. which is why i chose to get assessed on my Masters on course work and exams. the thesis option was just too scary. of course since it was more business-IT orientated than tech, that was a viable option for me.

]]>