Re: Set up LiveJournal community?

Ric Locke <warlocke@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On Sat, 25 Mar 2006 15:18:38 +0000, Jonathan L Cunningham wrote:

Mary K. Kuhner <mkkuhner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

In article <1hcmnx1.1nnu18c1h887wgN%spam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
Jonathan L Cunningham <spam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

I wonder to what extent you were extrapolating, and to what extent there
was a genuine, albeit indirect, conversation going on. And to what
(snip)

[This reply is a bit long and rambling, 'cos I'm sort of thinking out
loud.]

It's puzzling. And that's why, for me, it's very much on-topic for
this group. If I could figure out what it is I'm thinking, I maybe
could do it better in writing.
(snip)

In other words, you are drawing a distinction between "know" and
"recognize".

I think what you may be groping for is a predictive ability. If you know
someone, to some degree you can predict their behavior. From there,

I think predictive ability is part of it: if I *know* someone, then I
can predict to a certain extent. That doesn't mean the prediction has
to be right: it just means it makes it easier for them to surprise me.

(It takes really weird behaviour from a stranger to surprise me -
because I don't have so many expectations about how they'll behave.)

I don't think it's a recognition thing - you need to know far less to
recognize somebody. Since I was short sighted as a boy (or maybe that
is irrelevant) I tend to pay less attention to appearance, but
I *do* have some ability to recognise people by the way they move/walk.
(I've got much better at recognising faces, but I have accosted a total
stranger thinking I recognised her: "You're Lisa aren't you?"
(Suspiciously) "Yes?" -- to a total stranger who, coincidentally, had
the same name[*] as the person I thought she was <sigh>.

And, of course, by their voice.

I'm pretty sure I can recognise quite a few people here, in rasfc, by
their writing style. But only those with a distinctive style. That
doesn't mean I know them better than others with more conventional
writing voices.

[*] Whatever her name was - it's happened more than once. More often[**]
I've been similar accosted by people I've never seen before in my
life, who manage to convince me I *have* seen them before -- like we
shared an office for six months (no, not quite that bad! <g> -- but it
can still be embarrassing).
Hmmm.

"Who are you?"
"Don't you recognise me?"
"Not yet. Here, write something!"

Jonathan

[**] But not very often
.