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Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,605
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2001
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of the 19 posts in this thread, 12 are by our pooh-bahs and carpals. Your revered sirs and ladies might not fully appreciate the level of ignorance of we poor peons, and our lack of what may be (for you) routine information.
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
>Your revered sirs and ladies might not fully appreciate the level of ignorance of we poor peons, and our lack of what may be (for you) routine information.
that's why the FAQ(s) were created; if something is lacking therein, it's now up to you poor peons to let Max or Jo know.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
Dear Keiva: I remember all too painfully how little help there was for beginners when I joined. And I have had very little luck with FAQs in general, because my questions just ain't in them. One exception, I had to update my atom time computer clock program (www.atomtime.com its free and lovely) My computer clock is far from accurate, and I reset it at least once a week. I downloaded the update, but it just would not install the shortcut icon needed to use it. TADAHH! A FAQ told me how to do it.
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Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,146
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 3,146 |
All you have to do to find the biggest and best sites is to type "word sites" into Google and let 'er rip. Nearly all the biggies come up. Including "A Word A Day" And probably tsuwm's wwftd site, too, although I didn't look that far. Sorry, Joe ...
The idiot also known as Capfka ...
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
and for a slightly different cross-section, google 'word-of-the-day'
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Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,409
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 3,409 |
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 13,858 |
Dear Max: what I was saying was that if I had known about Quinion's site in 2000, using its search index, I could have found answer to "Full Monty" and over a dozen like it, and obviated a lot of poor guesses. including some of mine which I now regret.
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Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 10,542 |
bill, you seem to be under the misaprehension that I, since I was familiar with quinion, could have saved you some embarassment... and since I didn't, I was therefore setting you up for same. is this the correct reading of your disquiet?
let me try to explain how I react to word speculations (and this is different than when I first started posting to this board). I am fortunate to have a very fine history of the English language at my (online) disposal, and the temptation is *great to jump right in at the first opportunity to "set the record straight". but that will often stifle *any further discussion, so I don't do that too often these days. (I'm not always able to stifle myself in that regard.)
but when I don't have an answer immediately to hand on some wordy issue, I usually look in some other fine references that I have at hand in hard copy. my final resort is to 'google' -- and I say final because of all the garbage out here on the 'net. as it happens, all of the several* references I have made to quinion came about as the result of googles. when quinion happens to show up via google, I'll reference that readily because I have (through my own experience) learned to value Michael's research. but I don't make a practice of going to his site to see if I can find specific words or phrases. it's just not the way I do research. (and his lists aren't extensive enough to make that very rewarding.)
my final comment on the subject is that I never... never... ever have made a practice of hiding my resources. many have asked me where I find words for my subscription list and I have a list that I maintain and provide in answer. I may have even posted that list here at one time -- I can't remember because of all the times I've answered that question.
I don't mean to belabor the point, but I hope this exegesis helps you feel better about my methods.
-tsuwm
*ycliu
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Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 1,981 |
Thanks tsuwm, I think that your answer is very reasonable. I think that you are a very helpful board member, able to help us out when we need it without "taking over". I'm sure that you have to exercise self restraint at times when an answer is so obvious to you, yet people are clearly enjoying the journey to the answer. Respect In the early days we did discusss the idea that people shouldn't jump on a question and come up with the answer straight away because it was taking the fun out of it. Some of us enjoy a challenge and the strange and incorrect answers we come up with along the way are part of the fun, rather than a cause of embarrassment. Given that the time zone range is so great it didn't seem fair to have a question answered before some people even got to see it. I think we have a pretty good balance on that now, correct me, if am wrongNow that there are so many on-line resources (I particularly like onelook.com for the choice of dictionaries it has at its disposal), we could all look things up for ourselves and never need to ask a question. What is interesting, to me, here is the range of perspectives on offer. If someone researches something and posts a link it adds value to the link because the person who posts it is saying that they believe it to be correct. I often half remember things and find that it is easy to uncover an answer because I have a vague idea what I am looking for. I find this particularly helpful when we are dealing with cross cultural issues as it is hard to read between the lines of websites without the helpful eye of a native or exprect pointing us in the right direction.
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Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156
old hand
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old hand
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 1,156 |
I must agree with the last few posts above mine...if we all just answered each others' questions dryly, with no local colour, wit, tangents, or speculation, I wouldn't have gotten hooked on the Board. It's the social interaction with people who share a common interest of mine that I crave. You know, the process is as important as the end result, and all that. The common interest in words alone wouldn't be enough to keep me coming back! I can get that from much more boring sources than you guys... 
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