charlieb wrote:

Arch wrote:


Just as soon as I hit the 'send button' I remembered another bunch of
fine contributors and thought to add them, but then I'd just remember
another bunch. You know who you are. Please rest assured that I meant to
include y'all. Sorry for the hi-jack, Charlie.




No problem. You fell into the Academy Awards Acceptence Speech
Trap - you can never remember all the names - in the time alloted.
But the sentiment behind the attempt is absolutely correct -
It's The People Stupid - that make or break a newsgroup. And it
takes good questions from newbies and good answers from the
old hands to make it valuable. A sense of humor and thicker than
normal skin don't hurt either.


The ones that have figured out that there isn't a stupid question, that
each time they ask it helps all of us to think about things we take for
granted at one time or another. As far as the tough skin, I think that
deffinately helps espescially when dodging the bowl that is exploding
(nod to JD for the thought of the day on that one).

I came to this group via the Wreck (rec.woodworking) where I learned
about Nomex and Pooh Suits (there are occassional flame wars and
manure hurling exchanges) and found a group of very helpful, patient
and supportive people who were willing to share their hard earned
knowledge with a stranger - for free. Well not actually "free" - for
there is an implied obligation to repay that help by lending a hand
to
someone else when possible.



As they say, education is never free we always pay for it. Either by
passing on the knowledge via this and other newsgroups, or in a more
personal nature through turning clubs. And last but not least through
the toughest school of all, "Hard Knocks". ;-)

This group has a well above average number of great questions
and great answers, along with more in depth discussions of
this turning thing with which we are all enamored - a rarity
in this Era of Texting of one line responses.

As for great stories, and great story tellers - The Wreck has
Tom Watson and Walt Akers - both excellent practioners of
the art form, along with a host of others, most who've moved
on - either to the big shop in the sky, or other woodworking
forums. Luigi put a bunch of them on his web site. If you
enjoy great tales hers' the URL.

http://www.yukonomics.ca/wooddorking/humour.html

Scroll down to Walt Akers and read The Big Clock Incident
and Scrap Wood, Snakes, Beer Cans And Justice. Then,
if you have the time, check out the rest of what's there.
WARNING: DO NOT READ WITH A MOUTHFUL OF COFFEE.

Groups Google "Norm Nowrecki group:rec.woodworking"
and read the Tales of Norm Nowrecki - Troll Tracker
or any of Tom Watson's stories.

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming . . .

charlie b


I personally like the musings, diatribes, and ventures into those areas
of the art of communication that will eventually ring a note of truth in
my brain and make me stop and smell the wood dust. In this hurried life
where snippets of information pass by our eyes at a dizzying pace we
forget that there are others on the end of that information. This helps
to bring back the human contact to that we are moving away from. I only
hope that as I develop my skills that I am more able to give back to the
group with helpful information instead of helpful questions.

Mike Burr

Waiting to graduate from the first 20 year career and move onto the second.