Did this happen to you in school, too, where you would wave your hand, bounce up and down in your seat, whisper "It's me, teacher; it's me" and still not be recognized?. Rabbit, this is Little Bear, Sluzzelin Redux, as it were. I hope some of your travel is for amusment.
Bielle (
talk)
02:52, 30 October 2009 (UTC)reply
(very belatedly) Thank you, Bielle. My travel was full of amusement, and your comment still amuses me (more than did that surreal experience which prompted your message :). I liked Rabbit Redux, though not as much as ... Run, ... at Rest, and particularly ... is Rich. ---
Sluzzelintalk12:28, 16 February 2010 (UTC)reply
Late is okay, even with birthdays. In fact, at my great age, "never" is better for birthdays. I have forgotten the contretemps which prompted my initial message, though it must have involved the Ref Desks'
resident rabbit -memory loss being yet another sign of aging. It is cheering to see your signature again and to read your words. Are you back for more than a survey?
Bielle (
talk)
22:04, 16 February 2010 (UTC)reply
Where I live, it is also all snow for 2010, and more on the way. I shall watch for your bons mots on the Ref Desk. They are much more fun than a survey.
Bielle (
talk)
02:40, 18 February 2010 (UTC)reply
***Barnstar for Above-&-Beyond*** goes here
Your
exemplary response humbles as well as helps me. However much I've learned in the past
10+ years, these recent
3.5 here have contributed enormously to my Holocaust archives work, and just the beginning of what I can yet contribute to the Information Revolution that is Wikipedia. You do
us all proud, and I hope this succeeds in communicating some of my appreciation and admiration. --
Deborahjay (
talk)
11:52, 16 February 2010 (UTC)reply
The rabbit who has somewhat usurped my initials has been bounding from bad to worse on the RefDesks, as far as I am concerned. Thank you for remembering
what I had said and
quoting it. I haven't seen a general change in the RefDesks' tone, to be honest.
BrainyBabe (
talk)
12:40, 21 March 2010 (UTC)reply
In my view, the general tone, as well as Bugs's style in particular, oscillate. I guess it's a matter of taste — hard to resolve objectively. I hoped for your over-the-shoulder plea to be persuasive enough to make an impact. I think the best we can do is lead by example. Each desk seems to be capable of providing the necessary signal amidst the noise. Sometimes barely. ---
Sluzzelintalk16:26, 22 March 2010 (UTC)reply
Campionato di calcio della Città del Vaticano
Thank you Sluzzelin for your answering my question on the soccer championship in the Vatican.
I guess being polyglot like you seem to be allows you to help many Wikipedia users.
Ciao,
Brinvillier —Preceding
unsigned comment added by
Brinvillier (
talk •
contribs)
19:09, 23 March 2010 (UTC)reply
I knew nothing about this Cup, and thank you for evoking the image of the Sistine Chapel Choir's defense fouling the Servizi Economici!
As for languages, I often assume the asker has already googled for keywords in English. Though I adore the English language for so many reasons, it is also comforting to discover stuff out there that cannot be found in English. That our sister sites, despite being dwarfed in sheer number of articles, bear information you cannot find on English Wikipedia. Auguri. ---
Sluzzelintalk21:14, 23 March 2010 (UTC)reply
Why, thank you, dear
Sluzzelin, for bringing
this to my attention! Time allowing, I'm only too delighted to pitch in. You couldn't know (but perhaps intuit) how many topics that matter to me are touched upon in a bio such as
David Beigelman's, and what great access I have to material. (e.g. 8 entries in the English edition of The Chronicles of the Lodz Ghetto, of 19 in the 4-vol. Hebrew! though for now I've managed to just check the index of each). Keep watching the page! Meanwhile, enjoy where you're at, and be safe! --
Deborahjay (
talk)
11:27, 3 June 2010 (UTC)reply
My oft-too-hurried writing
My very dear
Sluzzelin, let's not let
that infernal anacoluthon thingie bother our respective, mutual, and reciprocal [self-]esteem. What I wrote at last was
my attempt at cluing in
User:Mr.Bitpart, who may be a newbie of the trollish persuasion; I was tempted to write on "his" Talk page suggesting he post his queries in his native language if failing to communicate in
ELF, but thought better of rising to what might after all be bait. In contrast, I'd say your bit on
Little-f "fascism" was spot on and enlightening in more of a thread than I'd anticipated. Besides, you mustn't disparage
your reading when it's my writing that requires improvement; I'm a professional with responsibilities, after all. Also, please accept my apologies for the tardy responding: my workplace insists on a very respectable ratio of work:WP or I risk having the plug pulled. That having been mentioned, please feel free to chime in at any time! -- cheers,
Deborahjay (
talk)
15:46, 12 June 2010 (UTC)reply
In what languages are you fluent and in what others can you "get by"? Being stuck at one-and-a-half, I have tremendous respect even for a full two! If this is just too personal, please forgive me and pretend I did not ask. Regards,
Bielle (
talk)
01:50, 25 June 2010 (UTC)reply
(Which is the half?). I only feel comfortable in English and various varieties of German. I do read and speak Italian and French regularly but often find myself switching to English for convenience. Spanish is ok, but I rarely read it. Hungarian is a love I've neglected for years. Russian is an on-and-off lover, I hear him well but struggle with reading him. With all other languages (Bulgarian, Kazakh, Romansch etc.), my knowledge is very spotty and purely based on intant-gratification-type interest. ---
Sluzzelintalk02:00, 25 June 2010 (UTC)reply
French is the half, though probably a quarter would be more truthful; I am much better at reading than at either writing or speaking. It has always been more than a little embarrassing to me that, unless we grew up in a household where English was not the common language, very few Canadians ever learned any other language. This is a bilingual country, officially, but except for federal documents and a few isolated communities, you never know it to be true in the vast reaches from eastern Ontario to western British Columbia. Did you hear the head of the Vancouver Olympic Committee murdering the portions of his speech supposedly in French? He was so awful I had to turn off the sound! And
Jacques Rogge was gracious enough not even to wince.
lol, I missed the Olympic speech. I am so not used to Canadian French that hearing it always makes me smile. To my biased ears, it almost sounds like they are speaking an acquired tongue . Officially, my country is supposed to be at least tri- if not quadrilingual. My generation (and many previous ones) started learning at least one of the other languages (usually French or German) in sixth or seventh grade, but that doesn't mean we can actually speak it fluently, and nowadays it is not uncommon for a Genevois to choose English when communicating with a Zürcher. ---
Sluzzelintalk14:03, 25 June 2010 (UTC)reply
The rollback in Jerusalem article
It's fine, I understand you. I just hope people will understand that Jerusalem is integral part of Israel. Some people just get me mad when they edit by no understanable reason (like the one who removed the country listing). Have a great day! --
Sipio (
talk)
19:44, 29 June 2010 (UTC)reply
Thanks for understanding :-) Since I was the one who screwed up, I probably shoudn't be giving you advice, but please don't let a website get you mad, and
don't panic! Don't get me wrong either; I've gotten mad and panicked countless times. I just find life more pleasant and meaningful when I remain disinterested with regards to Wikipedia. ---
Sluzzelintalk20:19, 29 June 2010 (UTC)reply
Hi
Hello Sluzzelin :)
I find it easier if I quote from your important post at the Ref Desk:
"you often pose questions which look highly specific, full of all sorts of restrictions regarding an acceptable answer".
Yes, because I ask my questions from a linguistic point of view, not often from a practical point of view. Fortunately, this Ref Desk is full of people, some of whom understand my linguistic point of view, and give me answers I find satisfactory, as happened in my thread at the Ref Desk. Anyway, I really don't blame anybody, I just read all the answers and indicate whether they meet the requirements indicated in my question. If the answer has met these requirement, then that's wonderfull (as has already happened in my thread at the Ref Desk), and if it hasn't met the requirements, then I just explain why I don't find it satisfactory, but I don't think that anything bad happens if the answer doesn't meet the requirements. I appreciate every answer, even when it doesn't meet the requirements.
"unclear as to what you are actually asking".
Ok, some users may find my questions unclear, while others find it quite clear. Again, I appreciate everyone, including those who've found my question unclear. The diffrenece between the users who understood my question immediately and the other users who didn't, is probably rooted in the user's expectations. A user who expects practical questions, may have found my question unclear. It's Ok, and whenever any user notifies me, I try to answer them as best as I can, including by quotations from previous clarifications of mine the user may have skipped.
"when we ask for clarification, you order us to read again".
"Order"? I think the better word here should be: "ask", or "beg". Can't I ask you to read again some clarifications of mine you might have skipped? If you think the quotations didn't help you understand me better, you're always welcome to notify me, and I'll try to make myself clearer, as I'm trying to do that now.
"When we attempt to interpret what you are asking and give our best response, you rigidly quote yourself and argue why that answer is incorrect".
"Rigidly"? I think the better expression here should be: "in a precise manner". I'm trying to quote the exact words (the user may have skipped), just because I have no better words. However, whenever the user notifies that my quotation is not satisfactory, I try to explain more (as I'm doing now), although I think that what I had written in the quoted words is clearer than any more clarifications. Anyways, I don't accept your saying that the answer is incorrect: I just notify that the answer does not meet the original requirements (if it really doesn't), but I appreciate every answer, even when it doesn't meet the requirements.
"You also often take us far too literally".
I apologize if I ever did.
"Your paragraph beginning with "Not all of you have done the best ..." comes across as extremely petty)".
You may have taken me far too literally. by "to do the best" I mean "to give an answer that meets the requirements indicated in the question". However, I never meant that any user who gave me such an answer hasn't tried to do their best to help, and I appreciate every effort, even when it does not result in a satisfactory answer.
"We're just a couple of volunteers at a reference desk".
So am I, when I answer questions at the Ref Desk, so all of us are in a good group, thanks God... :)
"not MENSA test candidates, not classmates or professors on whom you can hone your logical and argumentative skills in debate".
I'm not looking for any of those guys you've mentioned, I'm seeking an answer for a question asked from a linguistic point of view, rather than from a practical point of view. Fortunately, some users here understood my point at once. Had I made it clear since the beginning, our misunderstanding would have disappeared since the beginning. Anyways, I appreciate every user here, including those users whose point of view is practical rather than linguistic.
I was referring to flexibility and also empathy. For example, I recommend accommodating people who in good faith don't understand your question, pausing for a second and trying to come up with another way of phrasing or structuring your question, rather than being rigid and insisting that all the information is there. Yes, I'm guilty of using hyperbole, I guess I was a bit frustrated after having read a long and pointless talk page discussion about your Math question. You didn't seem to be understanding the general point, and I was seeing constructive and helpful volunteers getting frustrated with the way you feedback into the thread of your question. Look, it's not a big deal, I just shouted, which I probably shouldn't have done on the desks themselves. Sorry about that. I bear you no ill will and certainly wouldn't want to discourage you from asking questions. I just think you might be getting better answers and doing so in a friendlier atmosphere if you learn to bend a little :-) Have a wonderful Sunday! ---
Sluzzelintalk06:11, 25 July 2010 (UTC)reply
Hi Sluzzelin :)
I find it easier if I quote from your important recent post:
"I was referring to flexibility"
I recall a joke :) HOOTmag meets a cop. Hootmag: "Hello, where is 214th Avenue? Cop: "It's right up there, and...it's not 214th Avenue, it's Fifth Avenue". HOOTmag: "But I was asking about 214th Avenue!" Cop: "So try another way of phrasing or structuring your question". HOOTmag: "Sorry, but I'm not looking for Fifth Avenue at all, but rather for 214th Avenue!". Cop: "Oh young man, please try to be more flexible"...:)
"I was referring to empathy".
As I've already said: I appreciate every answer, even when it's about the Fifth Avenue while I'm asking about 214th Avenue. However, I find nothing non-empathic in indicating that the answer was not about my question :)
"For example, I recommend accommodating people who in good faith don't understand your question, pausing for a second and trying to come up with another way of phrasing or structuring your question".
Oh, I forgot to go on in my tale about the cop. The cop added: "I recommend accommodating cops who in good faith don't understand your question about 214th Avenue, pausing for a second and trying to come up with another way of phrasing or structuring your question"... :)
"rather than being rigid and insisting that all the information is there."
"Rigid"? As I've already said in my previous response to you, I think the better expression here should be: "in a precise manner". I'm trying to quote the exact words (the user may have skipped), just because I've got no better words. However, whenever the user notifies that my quotation is not satisfactory, I don't insist that "all the information is there", but I rather try to explain more (as I did later in the thread), although I've thought that what I had written in the quoted words is clearer than any more clarifications.
"Yes, I'm guilty of using hyperbole",
And I'm guilty of not being clear enough.
"I guess I was a bit frustrated after having read a long and pointless talk page discussion about your Math question".
Oh, so we are in a good group :) I, too, was frustrated after having read that long and pointless talk page discussion. Whoever took a part in this duscussion - referred to my Math question - without being aware to the basic details of the sequence of events! for example, they thought by mistake that I was asking about a riddle whose full solution I knew, or that I could have given an unhidden response to a hidden post, or that I could have changed other users' posts (not my posts) which included time delays, and so on. I really was frustrated after realizing that the discussion went nowhere, just because the users who took a part in that discussion were not aware of the sequence of events!
"You didn't seem to be understanding the general point, and I was seeing constructive and helpful volunteers getting frustrated with the way you feedback into the thread of your question".
Which "thread of" my "quesion"? the thread about my Math question, or the one about my Syntax question? Anyways, I, too, was frustrated just because of the same reason! Nevertheless, I answered all - as politely as I could, trying to explain my point as clear as I could.
"I just think you might be getting better answers and doing so in a friendlier atmosphere if you learn to bend a little" :-)
Oh, that's exactly what I was asking about: what did you mean by "to bend a little"? Did you mean that I had to change my question about 214th Aventu - into another question about Fifth Avenue?...Or, that I had to avoid indicating that the answers (which I fully appreciate) about Fifth Avenue did not refer to my original question about 214th Avenue? :)
He is magnificent, thank you so much, Giano! You go on calling him "Little Ugly", 'Zilla, just because he doesn't resemble an early tetrapod. One day he will grow up to be a fabulous
Rag Thief and scare 'Zilla out of her own pocket. (/me runs away with Little Ugly). ---
Sluzzelintalk16:32, 25 July 2010 (UTC)reply
Mrs Bishonen! This nasty and unpleasant jealousy of yours is becoming tiresome. You can only have an "Emu Award" if you earn one; so please desist in your belittling of it. The Emu Award , like the
Emmy Award, has been modelled on a beautiful, carefree goddess and a woman in her prime - in this case myself. Darlingest Giacomo had my finely honed and bred features interpreted by no less a genius than
Epstein. So enough from you, Mrs Bishonen, now please don't let us detain you from your duties - which I'm sure are many and very pressing indeed. Good day to you.
Lady Catherine de Burgh (the Late) (
talk)
19:02, 26 July 2010 (UTC)reply
Thoroughly alarmed, Little Ugly jumps into Bishzilla's pocket, from which he can be heard timidly squeaking at the Late Lady : ] 'Shonen menagerie go walkies soon with Lady?
Little Ugly22:00, 26 July 2010 (UTC).reply
So
this is twice now - wasn't this
torban your pickup too? That Flickerista takes nice photos and goes to exotic places; I'd be happy just to hear these instruments played. (Live, of course.) Are you an aficionado of ethnic music? Get to hear much? Something I hope to access in my future, if I can ever get my priorities straightened out (and work no more than, say, a 50-hr. week). -- Cheers,
Deborahjay (
talk)
20:40, 26 July 2010 (UTC)reply
You're very welcome, of course! I don't think it was me with the torban, I would remember that (I hope). Yes I love music anthropology and I'm always looking for unheard stuff. It's part of why I travel a lot. (I'm not that into what is often marketed as "
World Music", though one shouldn't generalize just because of a label). There must a be a lot opportunities to listen to folk music from former Soviet Republics near where you live or work. Live music always burns itself into my brain forever, as opposed to listening to music at home or even watching video recordings. I hope you find the time, even better, the time to travel outside of business trips! ---
Sluzzelintalk20:51, 26 July 2010 (UTC)reply
Sluzzelin has been identified as an Awesome Wikipedian, so I've officially declared today as
Sluzzelin's Day! For being a great person and awesome Wikipedian, enjoy being the star of the day, Sluzzelin!
Nah, but I do know now another Patron Saint's day. My only one I knew was
Saint Swithun and that was cause of a George Carlin bit. :) But the reason you got picked is for your work here on the project. I pick people who pop up on my watchlist mostly though. Congrats! :) -
Neutralhomer •
Talk •
19:47, 4 August 2010 (UTC)reply
Did this happen to you in school, too, where you would wave your hand, bounce up and down in your seat, whisper "It's me, teacher; it's me" and still not be recognized?. Rabbit, this is Little Bear, Sluzzelin Redux, as it were. I hope some of your travel is for amusment.
Bielle (
talk)
02:52, 30 October 2009 (UTC)reply
(very belatedly) Thank you, Bielle. My travel was full of amusement, and your comment still amuses me (more than did that surreal experience which prompted your message :). I liked Rabbit Redux, though not as much as ... Run, ... at Rest, and particularly ... is Rich. ---
Sluzzelintalk12:28, 16 February 2010 (UTC)reply
Late is okay, even with birthdays. In fact, at my great age, "never" is better for birthdays. I have forgotten the contretemps which prompted my initial message, though it must have involved the Ref Desks'
resident rabbit -memory loss being yet another sign of aging. It is cheering to see your signature again and to read your words. Are you back for more than a survey?
Bielle (
talk)
22:04, 16 February 2010 (UTC)reply
Where I live, it is also all snow for 2010, and more on the way. I shall watch for your bons mots on the Ref Desk. They are much more fun than a survey.
Bielle (
talk)
02:40, 18 February 2010 (UTC)reply
***Barnstar for Above-&-Beyond*** goes here
Your
exemplary response humbles as well as helps me. However much I've learned in the past
10+ years, these recent
3.5 here have contributed enormously to my Holocaust archives work, and just the beginning of what I can yet contribute to the Information Revolution that is Wikipedia. You do
us all proud, and I hope this succeeds in communicating some of my appreciation and admiration. --
Deborahjay (
talk)
11:52, 16 February 2010 (UTC)reply
The rabbit who has somewhat usurped my initials has been bounding from bad to worse on the RefDesks, as far as I am concerned. Thank you for remembering
what I had said and
quoting it. I haven't seen a general change in the RefDesks' tone, to be honest.
BrainyBabe (
talk)
12:40, 21 March 2010 (UTC)reply
In my view, the general tone, as well as Bugs's style in particular, oscillate. I guess it's a matter of taste — hard to resolve objectively. I hoped for your over-the-shoulder plea to be persuasive enough to make an impact. I think the best we can do is lead by example. Each desk seems to be capable of providing the necessary signal amidst the noise. Sometimes barely. ---
Sluzzelintalk16:26, 22 March 2010 (UTC)reply
Campionato di calcio della Città del Vaticano
Thank you Sluzzelin for your answering my question on the soccer championship in the Vatican.
I guess being polyglot like you seem to be allows you to help many Wikipedia users.
Ciao,
Brinvillier —Preceding
unsigned comment added by
Brinvillier (
talk •
contribs)
19:09, 23 March 2010 (UTC)reply
I knew nothing about this Cup, and thank you for evoking the image of the Sistine Chapel Choir's defense fouling the Servizi Economici!
As for languages, I often assume the asker has already googled for keywords in English. Though I adore the English language for so many reasons, it is also comforting to discover stuff out there that cannot be found in English. That our sister sites, despite being dwarfed in sheer number of articles, bear information you cannot find on English Wikipedia. Auguri. ---
Sluzzelintalk21:14, 23 March 2010 (UTC)reply
Why, thank you, dear
Sluzzelin, for bringing
this to my attention! Time allowing, I'm only too delighted to pitch in. You couldn't know (but perhaps intuit) how many topics that matter to me are touched upon in a bio such as
David Beigelman's, and what great access I have to material. (e.g. 8 entries in the English edition of The Chronicles of the Lodz Ghetto, of 19 in the 4-vol. Hebrew! though for now I've managed to just check the index of each). Keep watching the page! Meanwhile, enjoy where you're at, and be safe! --
Deborahjay (
talk)
11:27, 3 June 2010 (UTC)reply
My oft-too-hurried writing
My very dear
Sluzzelin, let's not let
that infernal anacoluthon thingie bother our respective, mutual, and reciprocal [self-]esteem. What I wrote at last was
my attempt at cluing in
User:Mr.Bitpart, who may be a newbie of the trollish persuasion; I was tempted to write on "his" Talk page suggesting he post his queries in his native language if failing to communicate in
ELF, but thought better of rising to what might after all be bait. In contrast, I'd say your bit on
Little-f "fascism" was spot on and enlightening in more of a thread than I'd anticipated. Besides, you mustn't disparage
your reading when it's my writing that requires improvement; I'm a professional with responsibilities, after all. Also, please accept my apologies for the tardy responding: my workplace insists on a very respectable ratio of work:WP or I risk having the plug pulled. That having been mentioned, please feel free to chime in at any time! -- cheers,
Deborahjay (
talk)
15:46, 12 June 2010 (UTC)reply
In what languages are you fluent and in what others can you "get by"? Being stuck at one-and-a-half, I have tremendous respect even for a full two! If this is just too personal, please forgive me and pretend I did not ask. Regards,
Bielle (
talk)
01:50, 25 June 2010 (UTC)reply
(Which is the half?). I only feel comfortable in English and various varieties of German. I do read and speak Italian and French regularly but often find myself switching to English for convenience. Spanish is ok, but I rarely read it. Hungarian is a love I've neglected for years. Russian is an on-and-off lover, I hear him well but struggle with reading him. With all other languages (Bulgarian, Kazakh, Romansch etc.), my knowledge is very spotty and purely based on intant-gratification-type interest. ---
Sluzzelintalk02:00, 25 June 2010 (UTC)reply
French is the half, though probably a quarter would be more truthful; I am much better at reading than at either writing or speaking. It has always been more than a little embarrassing to me that, unless we grew up in a household where English was not the common language, very few Canadians ever learned any other language. This is a bilingual country, officially, but except for federal documents and a few isolated communities, you never know it to be true in the vast reaches from eastern Ontario to western British Columbia. Did you hear the head of the Vancouver Olympic Committee murdering the portions of his speech supposedly in French? He was so awful I had to turn off the sound! And
Jacques Rogge was gracious enough not even to wince.
lol, I missed the Olympic speech. I am so not used to Canadian French that hearing it always makes me smile. To my biased ears, it almost sounds like they are speaking an acquired tongue . Officially, my country is supposed to be at least tri- if not quadrilingual. My generation (and many previous ones) started learning at least one of the other languages (usually French or German) in sixth or seventh grade, but that doesn't mean we can actually speak it fluently, and nowadays it is not uncommon for a Genevois to choose English when communicating with a Zürcher. ---
Sluzzelintalk14:03, 25 June 2010 (UTC)reply
The rollback in Jerusalem article
It's fine, I understand you. I just hope people will understand that Jerusalem is integral part of Israel. Some people just get me mad when they edit by no understanable reason (like the one who removed the country listing). Have a great day! --
Sipio (
talk)
19:44, 29 June 2010 (UTC)reply
Thanks for understanding :-) Since I was the one who screwed up, I probably shoudn't be giving you advice, but please don't let a website get you mad, and
don't panic! Don't get me wrong either; I've gotten mad and panicked countless times. I just find life more pleasant and meaningful when I remain disinterested with regards to Wikipedia. ---
Sluzzelintalk20:19, 29 June 2010 (UTC)reply
Hi
Hello Sluzzelin :)
I find it easier if I quote from your important post at the Ref Desk:
"you often pose questions which look highly specific, full of all sorts of restrictions regarding an acceptable answer".
Yes, because I ask my questions from a linguistic point of view, not often from a practical point of view. Fortunately, this Ref Desk is full of people, some of whom understand my linguistic point of view, and give me answers I find satisfactory, as happened in my thread at the Ref Desk. Anyway, I really don't blame anybody, I just read all the answers and indicate whether they meet the requirements indicated in my question. If the answer has met these requirement, then that's wonderfull (as has already happened in my thread at the Ref Desk), and if it hasn't met the requirements, then I just explain why I don't find it satisfactory, but I don't think that anything bad happens if the answer doesn't meet the requirements. I appreciate every answer, even when it doesn't meet the requirements.
"unclear as to what you are actually asking".
Ok, some users may find my questions unclear, while others find it quite clear. Again, I appreciate everyone, including those who've found my question unclear. The diffrenece between the users who understood my question immediately and the other users who didn't, is probably rooted in the user's expectations. A user who expects practical questions, may have found my question unclear. It's Ok, and whenever any user notifies me, I try to answer them as best as I can, including by quotations from previous clarifications of mine the user may have skipped.
"when we ask for clarification, you order us to read again".
"Order"? I think the better word here should be: "ask", or "beg". Can't I ask you to read again some clarifications of mine you might have skipped? If you think the quotations didn't help you understand me better, you're always welcome to notify me, and I'll try to make myself clearer, as I'm trying to do that now.
"When we attempt to interpret what you are asking and give our best response, you rigidly quote yourself and argue why that answer is incorrect".
"Rigidly"? I think the better expression here should be: "in a precise manner". I'm trying to quote the exact words (the user may have skipped), just because I have no better words. However, whenever the user notifies that my quotation is not satisfactory, I try to explain more (as I'm doing now), although I think that what I had written in the quoted words is clearer than any more clarifications. Anyways, I don't accept your saying that the answer is incorrect: I just notify that the answer does not meet the original requirements (if it really doesn't), but I appreciate every answer, even when it doesn't meet the requirements.
"You also often take us far too literally".
I apologize if I ever did.
"Your paragraph beginning with "Not all of you have done the best ..." comes across as extremely petty)".
You may have taken me far too literally. by "to do the best" I mean "to give an answer that meets the requirements indicated in the question". However, I never meant that any user who gave me such an answer hasn't tried to do their best to help, and I appreciate every effort, even when it does not result in a satisfactory answer.
"We're just a couple of volunteers at a reference desk".
So am I, when I answer questions at the Ref Desk, so all of us are in a good group, thanks God... :)
"not MENSA test candidates, not classmates or professors on whom you can hone your logical and argumentative skills in debate".
I'm not looking for any of those guys you've mentioned, I'm seeking an answer for a question asked from a linguistic point of view, rather than from a practical point of view. Fortunately, some users here understood my point at once. Had I made it clear since the beginning, our misunderstanding would have disappeared since the beginning. Anyways, I appreciate every user here, including those users whose point of view is practical rather than linguistic.
I was referring to flexibility and also empathy. For example, I recommend accommodating people who in good faith don't understand your question, pausing for a second and trying to come up with another way of phrasing or structuring your question, rather than being rigid and insisting that all the information is there. Yes, I'm guilty of using hyperbole, I guess I was a bit frustrated after having read a long and pointless talk page discussion about your Math question. You didn't seem to be understanding the general point, and I was seeing constructive and helpful volunteers getting frustrated with the way you feedback into the thread of your question. Look, it's not a big deal, I just shouted, which I probably shouldn't have done on the desks themselves. Sorry about that. I bear you no ill will and certainly wouldn't want to discourage you from asking questions. I just think you might be getting better answers and doing so in a friendlier atmosphere if you learn to bend a little :-) Have a wonderful Sunday! ---
Sluzzelintalk06:11, 25 July 2010 (UTC)reply
Hi Sluzzelin :)
I find it easier if I quote from your important recent post:
"I was referring to flexibility"
I recall a joke :) HOOTmag meets a cop. Hootmag: "Hello, where is 214th Avenue? Cop: "It's right up there, and...it's not 214th Avenue, it's Fifth Avenue". HOOTmag: "But I was asking about 214th Avenue!" Cop: "So try another way of phrasing or structuring your question". HOOTmag: "Sorry, but I'm not looking for Fifth Avenue at all, but rather for 214th Avenue!". Cop: "Oh young man, please try to be more flexible"...:)
"I was referring to empathy".
As I've already said: I appreciate every answer, even when it's about the Fifth Avenue while I'm asking about 214th Avenue. However, I find nothing non-empathic in indicating that the answer was not about my question :)
"For example, I recommend accommodating people who in good faith don't understand your question, pausing for a second and trying to come up with another way of phrasing or structuring your question".
Oh, I forgot to go on in my tale about the cop. The cop added: "I recommend accommodating cops who in good faith don't understand your question about 214th Avenue, pausing for a second and trying to come up with another way of phrasing or structuring your question"... :)
"rather than being rigid and insisting that all the information is there."
"Rigid"? As I've already said in my previous response to you, I think the better expression here should be: "in a precise manner". I'm trying to quote the exact words (the user may have skipped), just because I've got no better words. However, whenever the user notifies that my quotation is not satisfactory, I don't insist that "all the information is there", but I rather try to explain more (as I did later in the thread), although I've thought that what I had written in the quoted words is clearer than any more clarifications.
"Yes, I'm guilty of using hyperbole",
And I'm guilty of not being clear enough.
"I guess I was a bit frustrated after having read a long and pointless talk page discussion about your Math question".
Oh, so we are in a good group :) I, too, was frustrated after having read that long and pointless talk page discussion. Whoever took a part in this duscussion - referred to my Math question - without being aware to the basic details of the sequence of events! for example, they thought by mistake that I was asking about a riddle whose full solution I knew, or that I could have given an unhidden response to a hidden post, or that I could have changed other users' posts (not my posts) which included time delays, and so on. I really was frustrated after realizing that the discussion went nowhere, just because the users who took a part in that discussion were not aware of the sequence of events!
"You didn't seem to be understanding the general point, and I was seeing constructive and helpful volunteers getting frustrated with the way you feedback into the thread of your question".
Which "thread of" my "quesion"? the thread about my Math question, or the one about my Syntax question? Anyways, I, too, was frustrated just because of the same reason! Nevertheless, I answered all - as politely as I could, trying to explain my point as clear as I could.
"I just think you might be getting better answers and doing so in a friendlier atmosphere if you learn to bend a little" :-)
Oh, that's exactly what I was asking about: what did you mean by "to bend a little"? Did you mean that I had to change my question about 214th Aventu - into another question about Fifth Avenue?...Or, that I had to avoid indicating that the answers (which I fully appreciate) about Fifth Avenue did not refer to my original question about 214th Avenue? :)
He is magnificent, thank you so much, Giano! You go on calling him "Little Ugly", 'Zilla, just because he doesn't resemble an early tetrapod. One day he will grow up to be a fabulous
Rag Thief and scare 'Zilla out of her own pocket. (/me runs away with Little Ugly). ---
Sluzzelintalk16:32, 25 July 2010 (UTC)reply
Mrs Bishonen! This nasty and unpleasant jealousy of yours is becoming tiresome. You can only have an "Emu Award" if you earn one; so please desist in your belittling of it. The Emu Award , like the
Emmy Award, has been modelled on a beautiful, carefree goddess and a woman in her prime - in this case myself. Darlingest Giacomo had my finely honed and bred features interpreted by no less a genius than
Epstein. So enough from you, Mrs Bishonen, now please don't let us detain you from your duties - which I'm sure are many and very pressing indeed. Good day to you.
Lady Catherine de Burgh (the Late) (
talk)
19:02, 26 July 2010 (UTC)reply
Thoroughly alarmed, Little Ugly jumps into Bishzilla's pocket, from which he can be heard timidly squeaking at the Late Lady : ] 'Shonen menagerie go walkies soon with Lady?
Little Ugly22:00, 26 July 2010 (UTC).reply
So
this is twice now - wasn't this
torban your pickup too? That Flickerista takes nice photos and goes to exotic places; I'd be happy just to hear these instruments played. (Live, of course.) Are you an aficionado of ethnic music? Get to hear much? Something I hope to access in my future, if I can ever get my priorities straightened out (and work no more than, say, a 50-hr. week). -- Cheers,
Deborahjay (
talk)
20:40, 26 July 2010 (UTC)reply
You're very welcome, of course! I don't think it was me with the torban, I would remember that (I hope). Yes I love music anthropology and I'm always looking for unheard stuff. It's part of why I travel a lot. (I'm not that into what is often marketed as "
World Music", though one shouldn't generalize just because of a label). There must a be a lot opportunities to listen to folk music from former Soviet Republics near where you live or work. Live music always burns itself into my brain forever, as opposed to listening to music at home or even watching video recordings. I hope you find the time, even better, the time to travel outside of business trips! ---
Sluzzelintalk20:51, 26 July 2010 (UTC)reply
Sluzzelin has been identified as an Awesome Wikipedian, so I've officially declared today as
Sluzzelin's Day! For being a great person and awesome Wikipedian, enjoy being the star of the day, Sluzzelin!
Nah, but I do know now another Patron Saint's day. My only one I knew was
Saint Swithun and that was cause of a George Carlin bit. :) But the reason you got picked is for your work here on the project. I pick people who pop up on my watchlist mostly though. Congrats! :) -
Neutralhomer •
Talk •
19:47, 4 August 2010 (UTC)reply