Re: CALROG.COM releases a book on Great Basin highways

"Sherman L. Cahal" <sherman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote...
> Andrew Tompkins wrote:
> > "Sherman L. Cahal" <sherman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote...
>
> This is becoming too hard to follow so I will do my best to reply.
> Hopefully I won't reply to something I've written ...
>
> > I reviewed that thread. From what I can tell, someone asked that
a
> > certain feature be removed or easily turned off by the viewer.
Carl
> > explained why the feature was there and gave some possible
solutions
> > on certain browsers. You chimed in with some wording that isn't
> > necessarily conducive to constructive criticism such a 'forced
down
> > the viewers of the website'. Carl's response was not vintage Carl
> > (probably set off by some of your wording) and your follow-on
response
> > guaranteed that the discussion would go downhill. Your other
possible
> > response was to keep things civil. Remember, it's Carl's website.
He
> > sets the rules based on the features that he wants in it. You may
> > make suggestions but you may not demand them or even expect them
to be
> > implemented.
>
> Granted, but I was not as arrogant or rude when people commented
about
> my web-site, especially about the Map Members feature, which is
still
> under Beta.
>

Quite right. I did a dumb-*** operator move with that myself. When
I came to you about it, I phrased the request something like "I'm
having trouble getting your new widget to work." and your response was
favorable and informative. Would it have been the same if I had said
something like "Your new widget doesn't work."?

>
> I receive suggestions about it on a weekly basis and have so
> far heeded all suggestions that have greatly enhanced performance
and
> fixed bugs relating to Internet Explorer.
>

And that's your perogative. With your web skills, you can probably
come up with 6 or 7 ways to accomodate a suggestion and pick one that
fits with the model that you use and enhances the website. I, on the
other hand, would be lucky to come up with one or two that would make
it through the XSLT conversion intact and still enhance the website
without days of work. So I tend to be a little choosier with what I
put into mine although I still keep them around in case my situation
changes and I can perform the conversion on the server.

>
> > Initially, I got a lot of guff about my website. I explained the
> > situation. I made it apparent that things weren't going to change
> > anytime soon. I kept it civil and the guff dropped off
immediately
> > and hasn't returned. An occasional newbie sends me an email about
not
> > being able to bring up a stripchart. I give them the standard
spiel
> > and that's all that's necessary. Since I still get hits on my
website
> > at its old location, I must assume that the current location also
gets
> > hits (Comcast doesn't seem to have tracking software available for
> > personal websites).
>
> Google Analytics is very nice... and free.
>

Looks nice. Too bad they aren't taking any new people right now.
Looks like the usage has outstripped their current resources. I'll
keep the website handy though for when that changes.

>
> >> My comments may sound harsh and crude, and that is my point.
>
> > And that's the problem. If you keep it civil, responses to your
> > comments, if any, will be much better. People don't like to be
called
> > schmucks. They will take criticism a lot better when it's civil
and
> > constructive, and may even apply it in whole or in part.
Constructive
> > criticism and offered opinions are very different. This also
means
> > that if someone calls you a schmuck, don't go off the deep end.
Keep
> > it civil or, like I do, ignore it.
>
> Then I apologize and will try to be less harsh and more civil in my
next
> criticism post.
>
> > Well, since neither of you has met each other then it has to be
the
> > way one of you said something to the other here.
>
> I believe the situation sprouted from the Hurricane Katrina threads,
> where he disagreed with one of my posts and made an ad homem attack
> against my character. Not knowing that others had made similar
comments
> yet he did not refute their words. It's all past now, and I have no
hard
> feelings towards him or Sandor; if I met them, it wouldn't be with
my
> karate outfit or gloves, but with ... well, gloves and outfits :O)
>
> >> I just find it amusing (to answer his post) that he spends a lot
of
> > time
> >> ranting and raving about how I flame people on for my opinion,
when
> > he
> >> himself has done it many, many times in the past against other
> > posters
> >> such as Tim or Jeremy. And continued on so even after he was
> > 'warned'.
> >
> > I haven't quite figured Chris out yet. He seems to have a bit of
a
> > problem with strong, opinionated personalities. Other than that,
he
> > seems to be a regular guy.
>
> I typically ignore his posts on MTR, since he rarely posts anything
> constructive to here. He does post updates to his web-site and
articles
> to the Yahoo! Groups, so I surmise why he is treating MTR as
secondary
> trash and a place for his rants against people, rather than using it
as
> a constructive medium like he considers Yahoo Groups. Perhaps its
the
> moderation...
>
> I personally have no problem with Tim or Jeremy, who he seems to
have
> had a hard-on in the past.
>

There are only two people here that I really have a problem with (not
counting the kook swarm from a couple of years ago). Keith, because
of his incessant off-topic whining (who seems to have dropped off the
radar), and Tim, because, ...well, let's just say that his last road
trip report was centered more on puke, farts, burbs, boogers and other
bodily functions than it was on routes, roads and bridges, and most of
his stuff is the same although he does occasionally throw out a tidbit
about Cincy.

Jeremy used to be a problem but seems to have mellowed some with age.
I'd love to see more from Chris, Barry, Doug, a few others that seem
to have fallen by the wayside.

Unfortunately, the last time that I checked, the west coast roads
Yahoo Group seems to have died with disuse. I like to keep a more
nationwide perspective anyway because of the nature of my website.
MTR is kind of like CNN's Situation Room, new stuff coming in all the
time (you just have to filter out all the junk). I still get good DOT
website URL's from deep inside their structure that I normally
wouldn't be able to find that lead to content or even format changes
on my website.

>
> And to answer Chris's post, you last
> highjacked a thread November 20 with a response to Tim that could
have
> been left out. And on April 20, and...
>
> It hasn't been a whole "year" as you suggested.
>

See 'scorekeeping' comments below.

>
> >> I personally do not care what others think of me on a public
> > newsgroup,
> >> since it is an Internet forum that only a handful see. Most do
not
> > even
> >> post to MTR anymore and opt for a moderated Yahoo group. The
> > downward
> >> trend in MTR posts is shown in Google's statistical count.
>
> > You obviously have some problem with how other people think of you
> > here because you always fire back with all the big guns when
someone
> > makes even a slightly poor comment about you.
>
> To a certain extent, yes. But it's all a moot point since its
nothing
> more than text and bits on a screen that is read by only, seemingly,
a
> handful of people anymore based on the amount of active users for
MTR.
> Most have moved on to other moderated forums it seems, which is
quite
> sad because I grew up with BBS/newsgroups...
>

Yeah. It's really too bad that this happens. At least there seem to
be occasional pop-up newbies every once in a while to replace the old
farts that leave, except those that constantly change their handles
(CC, you'ld be driving me crazy if you didn't sign your stoof!!). I'm
sure there are more reading here than there are writing and it would
be nice to have some of them drop in and say 'hi'. Unfortunately,
because of the poor response that often comes from something said
trivially, some will never participate (didn't quite get through the
USENET School of Hard Knocks or something).

>
> Other posters are like this as well. Scott is too critical at times
it
> seems, Chris blares the big guns when someone is opinionated, and so
> forth. Every poster is different.
>

This on-line 'scorekeeping' really isn't conducive to civil
conversation either. Keep it to yourself as it is really only of
concern to yourself. I keep my own score: who I respond to with
jokes, who I respond to only on certain topics, who I never respond
to. I don't really need to know your kept scores and neither does
anybody else. And you don't need to know mine (except that I do
respond to you).

>
> In real life, I doubt we are like this.
>
> >> It's called sacarasm. Hence why I added :O) Not as if I would
> > actually
> >> slug anyone.
>
> > I know. Hence why I added lines 2 and 3 in my last paragraph.
I'd
> > probably hurt myself more than the other person if I slugged
someone.
>
> I took karate for six years and am well experienced in various
fighting
> techniques. Not that I have USED them but it's quite handy to know
for
> self-defense purposes.
>
> >> Are you a web engineer or one who mainly codes for static
projects?
> >>
> >
> > My only web engineering experience is what you see on my website.
> > There are two major sections. The highways section and a section
on
> > my masters thesis project (Simplan). As for my work, I've done
some
> > embedded control software on high performance oscilloscopes and
some
> > windowed database entry/editing software (layout and control). My
> > thesis project involved a lot of software disciplines and a
sizable
> > software project. Before that was 8 years as an aircrew member in
the
> > Air Force where I did a little programmable calculator software
for
> > doing celestial computations.
>
> I am still working on my bachelors of Decision Science and
Information
> Systems, a subset of the College of Business, School of Management
here
> at UofK. I am also minoring in Art Studio and in Japanese cultural
> studies. My main focus at the moment is as a web and graphics
designer
> for the university, who I have worked for the past year and have
been
> offered a full time job after graduation, which is quite nice.
>

I went more the math and science route. Bachelor of Science with dual
majors in Computer Science and Mathematics. Then, after a 10 year
break, a Master of Science in Computer Science with a thesis project
on algorithmic testing through simulation processes.

>
> Sherman Cahal
>

--Andy
--------------------------------------------------
Andrew G. Tompkins
Software Engineer
Beaverton, OR
http://home.comcast.net/~andytom/Highways
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