Read some postings by a guy named Lobohan. He's being a bit of an -- unreasonable person -- today.
Actually, I wanted to use a four-letter word that begins with "d," but I decided against it.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Pro dancing? Hardly!
I'd like to continue a thought from my previous blog posting.
I read some comments on that POF forum from people who scoffed at the need for a clean floor. They said "We just want to have fun. If you want to do the kind of dancing that needs a clean floor, you should go somewhere else." I see several obvious problems with this.
First is the notion that they just want to have fun. Well, so do other people who want to do dance. Who's to say that this dance should only be for the folks who don't need to move their feet and thus, don't need a clean, stickiness-free floor? That's basically reverse elitism.
Second, and this is pretty obvious, that kind of response is just rude.
This, there is this implicit notion that if you just dance to have fun, you'll be safe. Again, that's wrong. There are all sorts of moves that could be damaging to one's knees if you have a sticky floor. If you're just shuffling in place, no, but some kind of aggressive turn could be cause for hurt.
Why do I mention the knee? Because the knees can be pretty delicate. I know this from personal experience, as I'm nursing an injured knee right now. My friend Melissa, a practicing nurse, could tell you stories about people who tore their ACLs from moving in just the wrong way on the wrong kind of surface. Gotta be careful, folks.
I understand that these folks want to have fun. I just think they were being kinda childish about it, and that they were unwilling to take reasonable precautions that any dancer should know. Heck, I'm not a great dancer by any means, and yet I knew about these things long before I learned anything about how to dance!
I read some comments on that POF forum from people who scoffed at the need for a clean floor. They said "We just want to have fun. If you want to do the kind of dancing that needs a clean floor, you should go somewhere else." I see several obvious problems with this.
First is the notion that they just want to have fun. Well, so do other people who want to do dance. Who's to say that this dance should only be for the folks who don't need to move their feet and thus, don't need a clean, stickiness-free floor? That's basically reverse elitism.
Second, and this is pretty obvious, that kind of response is just rude.
This, there is this implicit notion that if you just dance to have fun, you'll be safe. Again, that's wrong. There are all sorts of moves that could be damaging to one's knees if you have a sticky floor. If you're just shuffling in place, no, but some kind of aggressive turn could be cause for hurt.
Why do I mention the knee? Because the knees can be pretty delicate. I know this from personal experience, as I'm nursing an injured knee right now. My friend Melissa, a practicing nurse, could tell you stories about people who tore their ACLs from moving in just the wrong way on the wrong kind of surface. Gotta be careful, folks.
I understand that these folks want to have fun. I just think they were being kinda childish about it, and that they were unwilling to take reasonable precautions that any dancer should know. Heck, I'm not a great dancer by any means, and yet I knew about these things long before I learned anything about how to dance!
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Trying Hard12: He's trying too hard to be unreasonable
Let me elaborate on this Trying Hard12 fella.
I came across a discussion on PlentyOfFish about some singles dance. One guy complained that people were venturing onto the dance floor with damp shoes, stating that this was making the floor sticky. I don't doubt it. This was apparently referring to some dance in February, so I'm guessing that the shoes were probably salty as well, thanks to the wintery weather. That would definitely make the floor kinda sticky.
Now that's bad news. Even before I took any dance lessons, I already knew that one shouldn't track mud or water onto a dance floor. I didn't know any real moves, but I could have already told you that that would be a bad idea. Heck, even if it didn't make the floor sticky, it would still be less than considerate.
Apparently, this Trying Hard12 guy didn't understand that. Now, if he disagreed with that need, he could have simply made a case for why wearing dry shoes wasn't necessary. Instead, he threw out snotty remarks like "You're a real complainer, aren't you?" Not exactly a sign of maturity on his part.
He wasn't the only one. There were some cool and rational heads, but a few other people were also childish. I could tell that trying to jump in would have been futile, since it's very difficult to intervene when people are acting like children.
Sadly, it seems like common sense and common courtesy aren't all that common anymore.
Some people didn't think the floor was sticky at all, or they didn't think that a dance floor needs to be clean. One person even said, "If the dance floor was bad, I would have noticed!" I'd like to make a couple of educated guesses.
My first guess is that the dance floor was probably stickier in some spots than in others. That's what you'd expect when people are tracking water and salt onto the floor. Second, I'd guess that the scoffers were probably dancing the way a lot of people do -- mostly moving their upper bodies, without a lot of confident foot movement. It's the kind of dancing that you typically see at a bar or club, the kind that lends itself to the unfortunate "white guy dancing" stereotype. There's nothing wrong with dancing that way, but when you do, you probably won't realize how important it is to keep the floor from getting tacky.
I came across a discussion on PlentyOfFish about some singles dance. One guy complained that people were venturing onto the dance floor with damp shoes, stating that this was making the floor sticky. I don't doubt it. This was apparently referring to some dance in February, so I'm guessing that the shoes were probably salty as well, thanks to the wintery weather. That would definitely make the floor kinda sticky.
Now that's bad news. Even before I took any dance lessons, I already knew that one shouldn't track mud or water onto a dance floor. I didn't know any real moves, but I could have already told you that that would be a bad idea. Heck, even if it didn't make the floor sticky, it would still be less than considerate.
Apparently, this Trying Hard12 guy didn't understand that. Now, if he disagreed with that need, he could have simply made a case for why wearing dry shoes wasn't necessary. Instead, he threw out snotty remarks like "You're a real complainer, aren't you?" Not exactly a sign of maturity on his part.
He wasn't the only one. There were some cool and rational heads, but a few other people were also childish. I could tell that trying to jump in would have been futile, since it's very difficult to intervene when people are acting like children.
Sadly, it seems like common sense and common courtesy aren't all that common anymore.
Some people didn't think the floor was sticky at all, or they didn't think that a dance floor needs to be clean. One person even said, "If the dance floor was bad, I would have noticed!" I'd like to make a couple of educated guesses.
My first guess is that the dance floor was probably stickier in some spots than in others. That's what you'd expect when people are tracking water and salt onto the floor. Second, I'd guess that the scoffers were probably dancing the way a lot of people do -- mostly moving their upper bodies, without a lot of confident foot movement. It's the kind of dancing that you typically see at a bar or club, the kind that lends itself to the unfortunate "white guy dancing" stereotype. There's nothing wrong with dancing that way, but when you do, you probably won't realize how important it is to keep the floor from getting tacky.
Friday, April 22, 2011
POF abrasiveness
I understand that some people like to vent on the Internet. Heck, that's part of why I have this blog. Some folks tend to step way over the line, though.
Came across a few postings on POF by some guy named "Trying Hard12". Boy, this fella is a real piece of work. He's obviously a very unpleasant fellow, based on his postings.
Came across a few postings on POF by some guy named "Trying Hard12". Boy, this fella is a real piece of work. He's obviously a very unpleasant fellow, based on his postings.
Thursday, April 07, 2011
OOP misconceptions
I read an old Internet posting wherein somebody basically scoffed at object-oriented programming. He dismissed it as nothing more than the natural outcome of being able to call functions.
This shows that this person had absolutely no understanding of what object-oriented programming (OOP) truly means. Sadly, there are a lot of folks like that out there. A lot of people, including some computer science majors, think that OOP basically means keeping one's data private and using a set of public functions in each class. That's not it at all. It's not even a good example of information hiding, for pity's sake.
This shows that this person had absolutely no understanding of what object-oriented programming (OOP) truly means. Sadly, there are a lot of folks like that out there. A lot of people, including some computer science majors, think that OOP basically means keeping one's data private and using a set of public functions in each class. That's not it at all. It's not even a good example of information hiding, for pity's sake.
Wednesday, April 06, 2011
Bittersweet
I remember some pleasant times during my high school years. Some pleasant people, too. So why do I often think back on those years and remember the unpleasantness?
Saturday, April 02, 2011
Danny Boy!
O Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen and down the mountainside
The summer's gone and all the roses falling
'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide.
But come ye back when summer's in the meadow
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow
'Tis I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow
O Danny boy, O Danny boy, I love you so.
But if ye come and all the flowers are dying
If I am dead, as dead I well may be,
You'll come and find the place where I am lying
And kneel and say an Ave there for me.
And I shall hear, though soft, your tread above me
And all my grave shall warmer, sweeter be
For you will bend and tell me that you love me
And I will sleep in peace until you come to me.
From glen to glen and down the mountainside
The summer's gone and all the roses falling
'Tis you, 'tis you must go and I must bide.
But come ye back when summer's in the meadow
Or when the valley's hushed and white with snow
'Tis I'll be here in sunshine or in shadow
O Danny boy, O Danny boy, I love you so.
But if ye come and all the flowers are dying
If I am dead, as dead I well may be,
You'll come and find the place where I am lying
And kneel and say an Ave there for me.
And I shall hear, though soft, your tread above me
And all my grave shall warmer, sweeter be
For you will bend and tell me that you love me
And I will sleep in peace until you come to me.
Sunday, February 06, 2011
danceronice, redux
A few weeks ago, I commented on this person, danceronice, from elsewhere on the web. I observed that she seems to have a volatile personality, and that one should tread carefully when speaking to her. Personally, I'd prefer to steer away from folks like that.
Boy, was that an understatement! Let's just say that I've revised my opinion, and not in a positive way. This gal seems like a truly unpleasant person, at least based on what I've read. I don't normally comment on folks this way, but in her case, it's kinda hard not to notice.
Yeah, definitely not a pleasant personality.
To be fair, some people tend to behave like entirely different people when they're on the 'net. In person, they can be much more civil. On the whole though, when people behave poorly on the 'net, I take that as a sign of their underlying personality.
Boy, was that an understatement! Let's just say that I've revised my opinion, and not in a positive way. This gal seems like a truly unpleasant person, at least based on what I've read. I don't normally comment on folks this way, but in her case, it's kinda hard not to notice.
Yeah, definitely not a pleasant personality.
To be fair, some people tend to behave like entirely different people when they're on the 'net. In person, they can be much more civil. On the whole though, when people behave poorly on the 'net, I take that as a sign of their underlying personality.
Saturday, February 05, 2011
More on dance
I attended a group dance lesson tonight. Most of the times, the beginners tend to fumble along, but they somehow manage to do some simple steps, however inelegantly.
Tonight though, we had one couple that simply could not move at all. It was as though they had lead weights tie to their feet. Instead of taking a step, the wife would slide her foot around, and instead of taking a step backwards, she'd move her foot in some strange direction.
The husband was no better. He constantly needed to be coached on even the simplest steps. Stepping to the side was like an absolute chore. It was bizarre.
Tonight though, we had one couple that simply could not move at all. It was as though they had lead weights tie to their feet. Instead of taking a step, the wife would slide her foot around, and instead of taking a step backwards, she'd move her foot in some strange direction.
The husband was no better. He constantly needed to be coached on even the simplest steps. Stepping to the side was like an absolute chore. It was bizarre.
Friday, February 04, 2011
More on the dance bozo
More about that guy from my previous blog entry...
This fella said "If you declare that moving to the beat does not, by itself, constitute interpretation, then you are making a value judgment!"
So what's his problem? People make value judgments all the time. People routinely decide that one movie is better than another, or that one painting is more artistic than another. There's nothing wrong with that. People's judgments may differ in specific circumstances, but that doesn't mean that it's wrong to make such judgments.
He also said, "You are declaring that somebody else's dancing is inadequate!" Good grief. Where does this fella get such ideas? I think it's pretty obvious that declaring that somebody's dance doesn't constitute interpretation is NOT the same as saying that this dance is inadequate.
He even said, "These people aren't uneducated plebes just because they're only moving to the beat!" Again, good grief. He's obviously trying to strive for some sort of level playing field, but he's ditching his common sense in the process. No rational person would draw the conclusions that he jumped to. Heck, I can't play any musical instruments, but I wouldn't call myself an uneducated plebe for doing so. This guy apparently doesn't grasp that many skills that take time to develop. Recognizing that it takes time to develop these skills is NOT the same as saying that people who haven't developed them yet are uneducated plebes.
Like I said, this person has no common sense.
This fella said "If you declare that moving to the beat does not, by itself, constitute interpretation, then you are making a value judgment!"
So what's his problem? People make value judgments all the time. People routinely decide that one movie is better than another, or that one painting is more artistic than another. There's nothing wrong with that. People's judgments may differ in specific circumstances, but that doesn't mean that it's wrong to make such judgments.
He also said, "You are declaring that somebody else's dancing is inadequate!" Good grief. Where does this fella get such ideas? I think it's pretty obvious that declaring that somebody's dance doesn't constitute interpretation is NOT the same as saying that this dance is inadequate.
He even said, "These people aren't uneducated plebes just because they're only moving to the beat!" Again, good grief. He's obviously trying to strive for some sort of level playing field, but he's ditching his common sense in the process. No rational person would draw the conclusions that he jumped to. Heck, I can't play any musical instruments, but I wouldn't call myself an uneducated plebe for doing so. This guy apparently doesn't grasp that many skills that take time to develop. Recognizing that it takes time to develop these skills is NOT the same as saying that people who haven't developed them yet are uneducated plebes.
Like I said, this person has no common sense.
Thursday, February 03, 2011
Dance
I was reading the overly PC writings of some guy on the Internet. He's an experienced dancer, but he's also WAY too hung up on being egalitarian.
Some people were talking about how a lot of dancers don't really interpret the music when they dance. This tends to be true of people with no real dance training or skills. It's especially true of the folks who just kinda squirm and wiggle in place when they "dance." I mean, really -- no reasonable person would say that that's "interpreting."
Yet this one bozo got all huffy and politically correct about the whole issue. He said, "Who are you to make that judgment? As long as people are moving to the beat, they are interpreting the music!"
Now that is just horribly, horribly naive. Music involves far more than just a beat. It also involves rhythm, moods, and much more. I don't think that I can completely define what it means to interpret a musical number, but it certainly involves far more than just moving to the beat.
This guy was trying to be all egalitarian. He didn't like the idea of people saying that folks who just wiggle around on the dance floor aren't interpreting the music. I can appreciate the fact that he was striving for some sort of equality, but in the process, he was taking an absurd and completely unreasonable stance.
Some people were talking about how a lot of dancers don't really interpret the music when they dance. This tends to be true of people with no real dance training or skills. It's especially true of the folks who just kinda squirm and wiggle in place when they "dance." I mean, really -- no reasonable person would say that that's "interpreting."
Yet this one bozo got all huffy and politically correct about the whole issue. He said, "Who are you to make that judgment? As long as people are moving to the beat, they are interpreting the music!"
Now that is just horribly, horribly naive. Music involves far more than just a beat. It also involves rhythm, moods, and much more. I don't think that I can completely define what it means to interpret a musical number, but it certainly involves far more than just moving to the beat.
This guy was trying to be all egalitarian. He didn't like the idea of people saying that folks who just wiggle around on the dance floor aren't interpreting the music. I can appreciate the fact that he was striving for some sort of equality, but in the process, he was taking an absurd and completely unreasonable stance.
Wednesday, February 02, 2011
Tuesday, February 01, 2011
A political low blow
I think that it’s unfair to blame politicians for decisions that their parents made when the politicians in question were only six years old. That sounds kinda distasteful, regardless of whether these politicos stand on the political spectrum.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
I hate snow
I hate snow. I really, really hate it.
As a child, I enjoyed playing in snow. Nowadays though, I hate it, since it means having to trudge through the white stuff, shovel my driveway, and generally drive under hazardous conditions. Yech.
As a child, I enjoyed playing in snow. Nowadays though, I hate it, since it means having to trudge through the white stuff, shovel my driveway, and generally drive under hazardous conditions. Yech.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Sunday, January 09, 2011
Manuals. We need manuals.
I am astonished at the number of companies that don't seem to understand the need for accurate, comprehensive user manuals or other technical documentation. Absolutely mind-boggling.
These folks do get the concept, though. They do understand. Hallelujah!
These folks do get the concept, though. They do understand. Hallelujah!
Saturday, January 08, 2011
Facebook status updates
I've found that most of the people I know on Facebook tend to post unimaginative status updates. Some of them (this fella, Eddie, for example) are especially unimaginative.
I think this is akin to the manner in which most people create boring photos. They just smile at the camera in different ways and expect to create memories that way. Well, they may create a few memories, but not in the same way that a creative or well-composed photograph would.
I think this is akin to the manner in which most people create boring photos. They just smile at the camera in different ways and expect to create memories that way. Well, they may create a few memories, but not in the same way that a creative or well-composed photograph would.
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