Muzman on 26/12/2009 at 18:56
Quote Posted by Renzatic
Does it really matter though? After all, there are alot of people out and about as we speak who are quite good at driving their car, but think of their engine as a "12 liter V4 or something". It doesn't matter if they know all of jack and shit about the minute details of the internal combustion engine, they just need to know how to drive.
The same thing applies to computers. If a grandma wants to get on Facebook to talk to her kids, she doesn't have to know a single thing about northbridges or the various types of RAM, heatsinks, FSB clocks, or any of that other fun crap to do any of that. She just needs to know how to navigate the desktop and know what buttons do what.
See, you just had to ruin everything and make me say something less ranty and more sensible didn't you.
The key phrases are 'matter' and 'minute details'. The principle of the notion is that people might be better off, and even industry might make better products, if the populace were more cluey about how the world around them works (and the things in it).
We are, more and more, utterly dependent on these things and the people who are selling them would like it to stay that way. The power imbalance there disturbs me. Not because it hasn't always been this way, but each time a new technology comes along it adds a new layer between the knows and the don't knows. Another mystery to cook up myths about or just feel helpless in the face of. And when it comes time to make civic decisions about these things it becomes just one line of PR versus another as often as not (if there's any debate at all).
Does it matter? Hard to say. I think it'd certainly be better if people took slightly more interest than none in these matters, which seems the current average. Do they need to go to the minute details of particle physics to understand their mobile phone? Not really, and few would as that's a bit of a commitment. But there's a few degrees along the way to that extreme that are useful too.
Anyway, my rant was just that the thing you hear all the time about kids these days being so switched on is bollox. They just use more of the things their parents don't so much, and they don't necessarily use them well. It's just a story from some mystified 'Boomer prodding at his iPhone, like every 'kids programming the vcr' joke from the last 30yrs of sit coms.
SubJeff on 26/12/2009 at 19:35
I make it ranty because its more fun that way! :mad:
I think there is a distinction between being a geek and knowing everthing or even a lot about a device and knowing what you need to know to use it to its greatest potential, to use it safely and yes to not waste money on things with features you will never need or use.
Renzs example is off target because the sort of knowledge I'm talking about is not about the internal combustion engine, but about the type of fuel your car takes or basic maintenance like checking and topping up the oil.
Kolya on 27/12/2009 at 12:00
Quote Posted by Rug Burn Junky
You really don't know when to shut the fuck up and leave well enough alone, do you?
Seriously, you're being a bit of a crybaby.
I was talking about a certain breed of computer geeks. In retrospect I'm not surprised that you felt you were being addressed though.
PigLick on 27/12/2009 at 12:11
also posting spree by Orgy, we need more old timers back in the fold.
although, just looking at the registration dates for the posters in this thread, i guess we dont.
Rug Burn Junky on 27/12/2009 at 16:01
Quote Posted by Kolya
I was talking about a certain breed of computer geeks.
Bullshit. Are you really so fucking delusional to think that anyone believes that?
Since you've repeatedly used almost the exact same phrasing to misconstrue my posts recently, it's pretty obvious that you were just being a twat and passive-aggressively trolling me.
And now you're being a coward too. At least own up to it when you're being an asshole. It's fucking pathetic that you're trying to pretend that you're not.
rachel on 27/12/2009 at 16:04
You sure? I'd side with Kolya on this one, he was in context and your attack kind of came out of nowhere... :weird:
Rug Burn Junky on 27/12/2009 at 16:12
I'm not going to waste my time searching the forums for this one, but he has used almost EXACTLY those words to whine about me in other threads.
This isn't some isolated coincidence and he can't be unaware of it, since that was the main criticism that caused him to stick his nose into my shit in the first place. That's the thing about being a passive-aggressive coward like he is - he's not trying to be OBVIOUS about it. He's baiting and trolling.
Even though it was "in context," he saw an opportunity to take a potshot at me whether I was involved or not, which is pretty pathetic (THAT is stalking, Briareos H. I wasn't even involved and was just reading the thread when I noticed him pretty obviously pulling out his same tired, lame schtick). I'm just calling him out on it so that hopefully he'll just quit it and everybody else doesn't have to watch this every time he decides to scratch the sand in his vagina.
/edit: We know how this ends anyway: Kolya comes back and denies it again, while attempting a lame insult in my direction. A half dozen people think he's a twat, another half dozen think I'm paranoid, and the rest shrug their shoulders and say "WTF?"
I've said all I needed. Deep down he knows he's a troll, whether he admits it or not. There's not much more purpose I can serve, though, inevitably, 4 other posters are going to unnecessarily weigh in, and I'll explain myself to them, at which point Kolya will again try to insult me, and we'll repeat the cycle. We've seen this movie before and don't need to again. So let's everybody just pretend this all happened already and we can move on.
Sulphur on 27/12/2009 at 16:56
Trance is right. It's Christmas weekend. Beer for all! Come on and chill the fuck down, people.
TTK12G3 on 27/12/2009 at 17:41
Let's try not to kill each other until the new year.
