[Arch]

I don't have a clue about blow molding or glass blowing. In another
thread, I was mostly joshing Jesse about not finishing the insides of
his vessels, but I like his style and that of most folks here. Just look
at the twists and turns his "gambit" has led to. We enjoy a similar
serendipity from many other thoughtful threads posted by turners who
think and provoke others to do so. They are also willing to try out
their innovations, sucessful or not. Turners like Charlie, George,
Robert, the Leos and so many others.

IMHO, rcw survives and is alive and well because it allows a woodturner
to have some space outside the box. There is, of course, a need and a
place for pictures, questions and supportive praise along with
authoritative comments about maple bowls and more advanced work, but the
unfettered questions and suggestions, brainstorms and out of the box
threads here seem to have a special interest for many of us. There is
no penalty for woodturning heresy on rcw. In fact opinions contrary to
established turning dogma are welcomed and avidly discussed, pro & con.
Some that seemed outrageous have led to useful information.


If we must suffer the occasional rude, inappropriate or vulgar post like
that of bob&carole's latest, in order to enjoy this freedom, so be it.
It's easy to delete them or maybe enjoy a sense of superiority.

I think we owe many thanks to those here that push the envelope and to
the others that open it and post their thoughtful opinions (often
contrary) of the contents.
Sorry I got out of the box only to get up on a soapbox. Forgive.


Turn to Safety, Arch
Fortiter


http://community.webtv.net/almcc/MacsMusings

[Lobby Dosser]

(Arch) wrote:

I think we owe many thanks to those here that push the envelope and to
the others that open it and post their thoughtful opinions (often
contrary) of the contents.
Sorry I got out of the box only to get up on a soapbox. Forgive.


It needed to be said. Thanks and Amen!

[[email protected]]

On May 25, 5:28 pm, Lobby Dosser
wrote:
(Arch) wrote:
I think we owe many thanks to those here that push the envelope and to
the others that open it and post their thoughtful opinions (often
contrary) of the contents.
Sorry I got out of the box only to get up on a soapbox. Forgive.

It needed to be said. Thanks and Amen!

I second that, Arch. Well said.

I think over the years I have learned more here, seen the limits
stretched farther and have been entertained more about woodturning
than anywhere else.

Over the years there have been some real characters here, some are
gone, and some still stick their heads in every once in a while like
Ruth Niles. I still remember when she was turning on the old Sears
monotube about 8 - 9 years ago. Now she is a nationally known turner,
and I am sure her busy schedule as much as anything keeps her from
posting like she used to.

And like others, she has other venues that she posts to and keeps up
with. I actually still like this meeting place better than some of
the others simply because it is unmoderated. A lot of the time, it
just seems like a more honest forum than the moderated blogs or
hosting sites.

I'm always hoping for new blood, and always hoping for some of the
readers of this newgroup to jump in. The new blood is good and keeps
the interest level up.

Thanks for bringing this up, Arch. Like many, I sure feel like you
have been a real valuable asset with your musings to get us to think a
little more about what we are doing and how we are doing it.

Thanks for letting me use your box. ;^)

Robert

[Prometheus]

On Fri, 25 May 2007 17:23:55 -0400, (Arch) wrote:


I don't have a clue about blow molding or glass blowing. In another
thread, I was mostly joshing Jesse about not finishing the insides of
his vessels, but I like his style and that of most folks here. Just look
at the twists and turns his "gambit" has led to. We enjoy a similar
serendipity from many other thoughtful threads posted by turners who
think and provoke others to do so. They are also willing to try out
their innovations, sucessful or not. Turners like Charlie, George,
Robert, the Leos and so many others.

Oh, I finish them- I just don't like doing it much!

IMHO, rcw survives and is alive and well because it allows a woodturner
to have some space outside the box. There is, of course, a need and a
place for pictures, questions and supportive praise along with
authoritative comments about maple bowls and more advanced work, but the
unfettered questions and suggestions, brainstorms and out of the box
threads here seem to have a special interest for many of us. There is
no penalty for woodturning heresy on rcw. In fact opinions contrary to
established turning dogma are welcomed and avidly discussed, pro & con.
Some that seemed outrageous have led to useful information.

That is precisely why I'm still active here, and no longer participate
in the Wreck. Seems like new ideas over there are greeted with a
snort of derision and a trainwreck's worth of thread deviation that
always leads back to politics. Don't get me wrong, politics are
important- and worth talking about, but it's a PITA to try and sift
through a hundred posts about current events to find the three posts
that actually have something to do with the original woodworking
related posting!

If we must suffer the occasional rude, inappropriate or vulgar post like
that of bob&carole's latest, in order to enjoy this freedom, so be it.
It's easy to delete them or maybe enjoy a sense of superiority.

That's just spam, and there's not much of it here compared to most
forums. It's a nice quiet little corner of usenet with an amazing
signal to noise ratio.

I think we owe many thanks to those here that push the envelope and to
the others that open it and post their thoughtful opinions (often
contrary) of the contents.

Agreed. I'm always amazed when I take a moment to stop and
contemplate the value of the internet in general, and usenet in
particular. Even with all the chaff that inevitably crops up on such
an open-ended system, there is endless information availible for the
picking. There is no other time in human history when so much could
be learned so easily, and at so low a cost- considering that mere
literacy has been the sole province of an small elite throughout most
of human history, it boggles the mind. It hasn't even been more than
a blink of the world's eye since paper was rare, and books had to be
copied by hand by cloistered monks.

This form of communication, more than anything else, is ensuring the
continuation of widespread literacy, and that benefits us all. Even
with a thousand grammatical mistakes, a million acyronyms and syntax
that looks like pigdin, the lowliest post or blog forces people to
deal with the written word- it's a vast improvement over what I
remember from my youth, when many of the people around me would
proudly proclaim that they didn't read *anything*, and there were far
too many folks who would slowly muddle through the most simple of
sentances or even signs whilst moving their lips and sounding each
word out.

While I still see that from time to time, I have never encountered it
with anyone who is even marginally computer-literate. Don't get me
wrong- this isn't an attack on those who have a hard time with written
language. Quite the contrary, actually- I've known a lot of people
who had trouble with literacy but were otherwise amazingly talented in
one way or another. When they stretch those literary bones on-line
from time to time, it gives us all the possibility of the benefit of
learning from them, which would otherwise have been either impossible
or very unlikely- few people will ever write a book, but most can
handle the occasional letter to the world at large!

And, there is the added benefit of being able to talk with like-minded
people. While I make small talk at work to pass the time, without
having all the forums of the internet to read and jaw on, I would have
lost my grip on sanity quite a while back (though some may say that
happened long ago anyway.) While I really enjoy the landscape,
freedom and low cost of living associated with being in a sparsely
populated area, the people I am surrounded by are the children of
farmers and factory workers, many of whom have continued in those same
lines of work. When I talk with most of them about making *anything*
in my spare time, all they see is more work and drudgery- and don't
even want to hear about it.

Face-to-face conversations around here are about weather reports,
drinking stories and gossip are all there are to be had- and my lack
of interest in any of those things doesn't make me many buddies, even
though I am owed a lot of favors and treated with a somewhat
rediculous level of respect by most. It's kind of like always being
everyone's dad- the first one people come to when they have a problem,
and the last one to be invited to the party.

It's actually really nice when someone points out that I've said
something idiotic, or am holding an irrational or erronious belief.
It's constant peer-review, and forces you to remain honest with
yourself. A guy can't learn anything from yes-men and synchophants,
and learning and making are the *only* two things I am about. (I
shudder to think what a psychologist might make of that, but luckily
for me, I don't put much stock in them.)

Sorry I got out of the box only to get up on a soapbox. Forgive.

Nothing to forgive, Arch. I think we all enjoy your musings!