Re: Smart people


<hhc314@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1138657485.763647.248380@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> huskerdont, what post/rant? See, I've forgotten it already. Most of the
> older guys on this newsgroup have very thick skin, something that
> developes with age and experience.
>
> Again, I'd urge you to pay very close attention to anything that Lloyd
> and Mike post. You can learn more about fireworks from these two people
> than you will ever find in any book. As you probably already know,
> Lloyd wrote the seminal textbook on ball milling, and Mike has
> repeatedly contributed to Pyrotechnia, the Case Former, and Hardt's
> "Pyrotechnics" under a a pen name that I tactfully don't feel at
> liberty to disclose.
>
> It doesn't matter if these guys are either amateurs or professionals,
> what does matter is that each of these individuals is so gifted that
> they write the literature that the professionals use as references.
> They have the hands-on experience, and the knowledge. Arguably the best
> reference on fireworks available today is Hardt's "Pyrotechnics", and
> on the title page you'll find the name Mike Swisher, and on page xiv
> you'll find his name and short biography listed as one of the
> contributors. Contribute to the book is putting it mildly. In my
> humble opinion, Mike Swisher is today the greatest living authority on
> fireworks, possibly even surpassing Shimizu.
>
> That's why you will see me become enraged when I see some smart mouthed
> axxhole throwing juvenile insults at Mike rather than thanking him for
> the help that he has generously given to readers of this newsgroup!
>
> Jim, my posts tend to be wordy because I type so fast, and often
> carelessly without thinking. My point is simply to welcome you to
> participation in the newsgroup, urge you to develop a thick skin, pay
> close attention to the things that Lloyd, Mikem fargow and some other
> informed members post, and beware of some of the claims and "facts"
> often posted by clueless newbies.
>
> Happy year of the dog. Harry C.
>

Harry C,
You are smart. Is that not what this [OT] thread material is about?
I wonder how many others out there know that Jan 28 was Chinese New
Year?
How many would know to say the following:
"Gung si fah chai" (phonetic English for the Mandarin to say happy new
year).
As part of rec.pyro, we should have set off at least one firecracker
each to
ward off evil spirits on that day to pay our respects to the Chinese who
had
developed gunpowder well before we in western europe found the secret to
make it as well.. Why, they even made rockets for warfare. Smart people
the
Chinese. I even learned how to write some. Very logical if you ask me.
You have a symbol for 'big', you have a symbol for 'small', put the
symbol for
small on top of the symbol for big and you have the symbol for 'sharp,
pointed'.
A very logical progression for their characters for writing. The most
interesting thing
is the Cantonese guy who taught me realized the complexity of his own
language.
One word inflected up means one thing, the same word inflected flat
means another thing,
and the same word inflected down means a third thing.
Wow! I had to be careful because when he asked me how I was in
Cantonese* the proper
answer was 'not sick, not broken'. However, if I used the wrong
inflection of the not broken
part, it would mean 'not broken, no ***' :-).

*how are you? --> leh ho ma?
the answer --> moh chun, moh lan
inflect 'lan' the wrong way and it means penis in Cantonese slang. Get
it?

Happy year of the dog to you as well,
Tom the Canuck.

P.S. Thanks for your 'welcome to the NG' message. It means alot to me.
I know alot of stuff, you know alot of stuff, perhaps we should
'cross pollinate".



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