I dont think you came on strong. I wasnt trying to sound irritated either.
I just had to jud down the previous post ten minutes before I had to go to work so...
Besides a computer literate would probably have put in a couple of smilies just to show that he came in peace (I am still talking about my post) but I have a strong aversion towards using those because I think they are more pollutant to the written word than freon is to the ozon layer.
I have another trick I use in stead of smilies when I am in a forum.
I picture all of us as sitting on a big couch, each of us holding a glass of nice red wine in one hand while quietly and calmly debatting. Not discussing but debatting. Subtle difference.
In my experience no one sipping good red wine could ever get angry or irritated.
With this picture in my head I find that I am unable to take any offense of anything I read in a forum.
That is actually the first image that pops into my head whenever and whereever I encounter the word "forum".
Besides, the hardest part about reading something on the net, or anywhere for that matter, is guessing the mood the writer/sender was in when he/she wrote it. Guessing wrong is the source of most of the internet controversy these days. Or for musical reference since this is a guitar forum, just think of the controversy of the song "Puff, the magic dragon" by Peter, Paul and Mary. Is it about a magic dragon or is it about smoking dope?
I read about the email misunderstandings in a newspaper article a couple of months ago.
This goes right to the heart of something I learned in bussiness school: most human conversation ( I think the statistical number is about 70-80 percent, if I remember it correctly ) consists of body language, which means that understanding the written word completely is a monumental task because of the lack of body language.
Add to this that most of us dont have English as our mother tongue and the confusion can really reach staggering proportions.
I fear that at some stage wars could start because of these obstacles. It just takes one email between heads of states that is not crystal clear and we are off.
Let me give you another example:
The "more than a few hours ago" thing in my previous post was an attempt at disarming humor by understating a fact. But you cant see me so you dont know that I left school when I was 16 years old and that I am now in my forties.
Knowing what I know about communication why did I put it in then? Well I assumed that the word "hours" and the brackets would give away the fact that it was a joke. Maybe the joke might have worked if I had used "minutes" or "seconds" in stead? (Normally there would have been a smiley here to indicate to the reader that he/she was supposed to smile)
Whew, sorry if this sounds a bit longwinded but I just cant help myself. I love debats.
Now do me a small favour and go back to the beginning of this post again and try picturing a guy sitting next to you on a burgundy coloured velvet couch leaning back while holding a glass of good red wine and sporting a peacefull, interested facial expression almost showing his friendly dimples (that is a nice phrase btw. "friendly dimples". Some one ought to use that in a lyric) , while you read it again.
I hope your dimples are showing before you have reached the second line this time.
As for the "Mathilda" phrase I was wrong. I checked with an Australian library site but by then it was too late to do anything to correct my previous post.
As for my promising to do better fact finding next time I am reminded of a somewhat "sadistic" guitar tutor I once had. His favourite expression was: "practise makes better". He´d usually be sporting a wicked smile when he said that to me.
Then he´d explain that learning the guitar is not a goal but a never ending journey, much like anything else in life worth doing.
I guess my fact finding skills falls in that category too.
