Bob,

I think that your last post exposes the fundamental cause of this conflict in viewpoints.

AFAICT, you view questions in this forum as if they were being ask by someone who is in the position of either a peer/associate or a student.

Back in the (very) early days of DARPAnet, that was always the case. Anyone who had access to the network had both the background and attitude to restrict their postings to matters as they might be discussed at the Faculty Club, an advisor's office, or in the Graduate Student Lounge.

However, today, U don't need to bean learned good to git on da 'Net. As a result, current "conversations" are more likely to reflect an intercourse as seen between peers in the Middle School Cafeteria.

Therefore, some are offended when they perceive you as taking the tone of "teacher" when they wished only for a peer-level response.

Perhaps we need separate "rooms" and check credentials at the door. In the "kids" room, one should not offer more than a superficial answer. And those asking questions in the "adult" room should be prepared to spend some effort in learning, or, at least, thank you for pointing them in an appropriate direction.

[QUOTE=Wacky;283223]Bob,

I think that your last post exposes the fundamental cause of this conflict in viewpoints.

AFAICT, you view questions in this forum as if they were being ask by someone who is in the position of either a peer/associate or a student.

Back in the (very) early days of DARPAnet, that was always the case. Anyone who had access to the network had both the background and attitude to restrict their postings to matters as they might be discussed at the Faculty Club, an advisor's office, or in the Graduate Student Lounge.

However, today, U don't need to bean learned good to git on da 'Net. As a result, current "conversations" are more likely to reflect an intercourse as seen between peers in the Middle School Cafeteria.

Therefore, some are offended when they perceive you as taking the tone of "teacher" when they wished only for a peer-level response.

Perhaps we need separate "rooms" and check credentials at the door. In the "kids" room, one should not offer more than a superficial answer. And those asking questions in the "adult" room should be prepared to spend some effort in learning, or, at least, thank you for pointing them in an appropriate direction.[/QUOTE]

I think these remarks are quite astute.

My son has a problem recognizing social cues. He misses important nuances in conversation and often makes inappropriate comments.

Bob has similar attributes.

From context, Bob long ago settled into a paradigm where he acts as the teacher and others are students. It is probably the only way he is comfortable interacting with others. He would therefore project most of his paradigm onto this forum treating it as a teacher/student social situation. Unfortunately, this paradigm is limited in relationships. You have to wonder if Bob treated his wife as a "student".

DarJones

[QUOTE=Fusion_power;283253]My son has a problem recognizing social cues. He misses important nuances in conversation and often makes inappropriate comments.

Bob has similar attributes.

From context, Bob long ago settled into a paradigm where he acts as the teacher and others are students. It is probably the only way he is comfortable interacting with others. He would therefore project most of his paradigm onto this forum treating it as a teacher/student social situation. Unfortunately, this paradigm is limited in relationships. You have to wonder if Bob treated his wife as a "student".

DarJones[/QUOTE]

Yet another person who can't conduct a discussion without personal
insults.

As for the last comment, ROTFLMAO.

[QUOTE=R.D. Silverman;283258]Yet another person who can't conduct a discussion without personal
insults.

As for the last comment, ROTFLMAO.[/QUOTE]

And his speculation about my relationship with my wife is highly
inappropriate. I note that noone else thinks so by the lack of
comments. Which makes the rest of you a bunch of hypocrites.

You all continue to call me anti-social all the while indulging in nothing
but personal comments and insults. And the moderators have not
commented upon this. Which makes them hypocrites as well.

[QUOTE=R.D. Silverman;283258]Yet another person who can't conduct a discussion without personal
insults.

As for the last comment, ROTFLMAO.[/QUOTE]

Bob:

It's almost impossible to keep this thread from being personal...after all, there's a *PERSON'S* name at the top, and, funny, it seems to be yours! :smile:

So, here's the gauntlet:

By your comments on this forum, Mr Silverman, make one of us bright, maybe-student hobbyists here want to know and/or discover more about real math than the limited things we would otherwise know, learn, or discover without you in the picture.

Do it without one word that is emotionally loaded with negative connotations, and without any untruths that you would find dishonest. Any other action in public on this forum is legal, including moving threads to appropriate subforums, such as "homework", and changing titles.

My copy of "Counterexamples In Topology" says that you can't keep that up on this forum until June 1, 2012. I'll deposit it with the moderator of this forum of your choice. Your own counterexample will be reward enough.

[QUOTE=R.D. Silverman;283264]I note that noone else thinks so by the lack of
comments. Which makes the rest of you a bunch of hypocrites.[/QUOTE]A false conclusion from a false assumption. Lack of comment does not equate to agreeance.

[QUOTE=Fusion_power;283253]Bob long ago settled into a paradigm where he acts as the teacher and others are students. It is probably the only way he is comfortable interacting with others.[/quote]

I have to disagree. Bob's posts in the Soap Box subforum are much like most other forum members -- no teacher/student attitude there.

[quote]My son... misses important nuances in conversation and often makes inappropriate comments.

You have to wonder if Bob treated his wife as a "student".[/QUOTE]

Now that's an uncalled for cheap shot. Your son isn't the only one in the family capable of inappropriate comments.

[QUOTE=R.D. Silverman;283264]And his speculation about my relationship with my wife is highly inappropriate. I note that noone else thinks so by the lack of comments. Which makes the rest of you a bunch of hypocrites.[/QUOTE]

or perhaps just not reading this thread on an hourly basis.

[QUOTE=R.D. Silverman;283264]And his speculation about my relationship with my wife is highly
inappropriate. I note that noone else thinks so by the lack of
comments. Which makes the rest of you a bunch of hypocrites.

You all continue to call me anti-social all the while indulging in nothing
but personal comments and insults. And the moderators have not
commented upon this. Which makes them hypocrites as well.[/QUOTE]
I also consider the speculation quite inappropriate, especially since I have read your posts about your wife. I am with you in this. (not to say I am not a hypocrite, we all are from time to time :P). But you may consider the lack of comments is not because people don't agree with you, but because they are prudent to involve themselves in a discussion like this. I feel you have a lot to teach us in an area where you CAN teach us, like math, and not social relations. Why don't you open a topic, like a blog, and teach us some math. Quadratic residues and non-residues, orders modulo, finding roots, groups and multiplicity, whatever, the way you would teach your students in a class. I would be more eager to read that than arguing about wives. Seriously. What do you gain from all this futile discussion?

Bob, my post was meant to be analytical, not insulting. On the other hand, I left it wide open to a range of interpretations. May I ask you to please consider that the way you understood my comments is most often the way other people understand your comments. In other words, the worst possible interpretation.

To you and to others on the forum, I would like to publicly apologize for the above "cheap shot". My intent was to make a rather hard nosed point, but it clearly was over the line.

DarJones

semantics is what turns a piece of half-raw castrated bull meat into a sizzling hot juicy rib eye steak.

[QUOTE=R.D. Silverman;283264]And his speculation about my relationship with my wife is highly inappropriate. I note that noone else thinks so by the lack of
comments. Which makes the rest of you a bunch of hypocrites.

You all continue to call me anti-social all the while indulging in nothing
but personal comments and insults. And the moderators have not
commented upon this. Which makes them hypocrites as well.[/QUOTE]Drivel.

You posted your first message at 01:48 UTC and the one quoted at 03:05. I'm buggered if I'm going to monitor this thread 24/7 on the off-chance that someone may have posted something you find inappropriate.

Now that it's roughly 09:30, I'm out of bed and starting to become re-caffeinated, I'll observe that I also think that the comment in question was inappropriate.

I'll leave you to clarify whether you still consider me a hypocrite. For my part, and on the present evidence, you appear to be impulsive, impolite and ill-tempered.


Love & kisses,
Paul