Am I the only one who has been unable to understand the threads for the last week or so? Is anyone here making sense? Are you all commenting on bizarre posts on other threads or some grand inside joke?
I just want to be involved. That's all. Feel pity for me.
Oh, wait, I meant to say, "For Ganesha's sake, doesn't anyone here have a LIFE?"
Forgive my foolish mistake.
Are there REALLY seventy-five comments on this thread? For Christ's sake, doesn't anyone here have a LIFE?
Oh, wait...I'm posting here, too...Forget everything I just said.
LNHammer,
Nice! What about callipygian? That's a good one, too. I don't know the meaning of any of the other words (and what was that last one again?).
But seriously, the word "embrangle" rocks!! THIS is the kind of discussion I was looking for here!!
James Henry,
Here, here! Those are the fresh insights I've been looking for! Thanks for posting.
Mythago,
Don't get me wrong. I'm certainly not defending Mr. Pierce's folly. He gave a very reactionary reply and while it may not have been the smartest thing to do, it was at the very least a human thing to do. People with feelings overreact, whether they are right or wrong. He made the mistake of overreacting on a forum with a very savvy group of people who were prepared for his overreaction. And if I were in his shoes, I might react the same way (especially when people start nosing around and threatening to interfere with his life by informing his superiors). Mr. Pierce's reaction seems to be following the Elizabeth Kubler Ross-seven stages of death-thing (forgive my ignorance). Denial, anger, acceptance, etc, etc.
And by the way, there is no better word in the world than "toadies." Just had to say it.
Beating a dead horse.
We get it.
The reasons are justified.
Leave the guy alone and stop demanding a mea culpa you're never going to get. Stop digging.
I keep coming back here over and over to see if there is anything new to say, but there isn't. Stop with the dogpile.
Isn't the beauty of learning from life about redemption? Do you think he's going to do it again? I doubt it. Let's all just move on with our lives.
Sorry, but I still feel sorry for the guy. In fact, I think I feel more sorry for him than I would some schmoe who actually used his advice, because it was idiotic in the first place. But I guess that's just my opinion. This board is full of opinions.
I don't read or write science fiction or fantasy, and before coming to these boards, I'd never heard of Tor.
However, this board is an excellent way of learning about the process of publishing and the biz. Plus, it's fun.
However, ripping on Todd James Pierce is no longer fun. Now, it's a bit troubling. Let's talk about Futurama instead.
At the risk of alienating (good lord, did I spell that right?) myself on the board here...Can we just leave the guy alone?
The internet is a place where things can be said in the heat of the moment or in a vacuum where one might not expect others to read it. I know I've sent out emails that made me look like an ass or posted pages that were eventually taken down. Mr. Pierce has been savaged for his misguided comments and his reactions were entirely understandable upon his discovery.
I would never want to argue with most of the people on this board, because, quite frankly, they're really good at arguing and making their point. Mr. Pierce tried to argue and got burned. His advice was wrong. His reply was reactionary. Mistakes were made.
And I feel sorry for the guy. Take it or leave it as you please. There are humans, misguided though they may be, on the other side of our connections.
Thank you Skwid and Marilee for both missing and illustrating my point in the same post. (Sigh)
Okay, so after I wrote that, after I've blown my load by completely giving up hope on people because of their sheer stupidity, I walk into the room to see my beautiful baby daughter sitting in the hallway singing to herself. It was, quite literally, one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen...
...and then I realize that THAT is the reason why we keep railing against these fuckers. My ass if I'm going to leave the world in the sorry state that it's in without trying, especially since I brought that little girl into the world.
And in that sense, there is the cause that I would die for. My daughter. I've answered my own question. I've had an arguement with myself. You all had to listen to it.
Yeah...so...okay...I guess I should go back to my Entertainment Weekly with my favorite actor, Tom Hanks, on the cover. Ciao.
Just to play the devil's advocate here, but are we just fooling ourselves to think that the American public actually cares about any of this? (And I'll say the Canadian public as well, considering we're having an election and the platform-less Tories are winning the hearts and minds of a populace I thought was more intelligent than it actually is).
To be quite honest, I find that the populace is turning out to actually be quite stupid. They go home to their diets of Fox news and CNN and watch Survivor and go to the movies to see crap like Shrek, and above all, they do their best to keep from thinking. Let me emphasize that again. They do their best to keep from thinking.
And maybe that's how they want it. Maybe the majority of people prefer to be spoonfed and as long as they don't have to use their brains or come up with an independent thought, they're just peachy, thank you very much.
Perhaps I'm just being cynical, but I'm finding my beliefs to place me in a solid minority. We can rail all we want about injustice and the pathetic nature of our so-called leaders, but what difference will it actually make?
There was an excellent article in Harpers (I looked for it but couldn't find it) a few months back about how disappointed the author felt that he'd never put himself on the line for a cause. So I guess that's the question, isn't it? How many Americans would be willing to risk everything they have for their cause? How many Americans would be willing to die for a cause? How much do they have to lose before they do this? Because I think that is what it is going to come down to in the future. Not now, but soon.
And so I think that we can bitch and moan all we want, but it will make little difference. We are the educated minority and until the people are willing to make a change and upset the balance of their lives and educate themselves, all the talking we could ever do would be for naught. I mean seriously, we can write letters, we can call our congressional representatives, we can join the protests, but if the majority of the population wants it the way it is, then it shall be that way.
Yeah...so...okay...I guess I should go back to my Entertainment Weekly with my favorite actor, Tom Hanks, on the cover. Ciao.
Was bumbling through the net today and I found this link. For those of you who have a somewhat high-profile in certain cities, it might be a good idea for you to sign-up with these folks. (Can't remember where I found the link...either dailykos or metafilter).
In other news, I started training for a half-marathon today by running for fifty minutes straight. I rule!
Damn! This is better than c-span. Please, please, please, keep entertaining me with this wonderful banter all day long. Dee-licious!
Hey everybody!
This was how bored I was today. Go here. I'm the second guy. I'm such a bastard!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
I completely agree with gthistle. I think the problem with schools nowadays is that people think of them like corporations, so they need a "results" based model. But results don't tell the whole story.
Of course, I'm speaking from an elementary school teacher point of view, but those "results" have been creeping into the lower grades for years (especially thanks to bush). Administrators think that there have to be standards for measurement, that kids should be at this point at this time, or the system isn't working (as if they're answering to shareholders). The simple fact of the matter is that everyone learns in different ways and that an overall standard cannot be applied to everyone.
There needs to be a revolution in the field of education because the way it has been done for years simply doesn't work in the world that in which we live today.
Can someone here define what, exactly, plagiarism is? Is it the lifting of the source material word for word? Or would it also include rewriting the source material in your own words (same idea, different words used to express that idea)? Just wondering.
Just to let everyone know, I'm celebrating because I turned in my papers to become a Canadian citizen today! Yeeee-hawwwww!
How a boy from rural Oklahoma ended up living in Canada by way of Shanghai, China is a long, drawn out story, so I won't bore you with it. Although, not to brag or anything, but I have lived an extraordinary life in my short, thirty-one years. Man, am I cool or what?
Sorry, I just had to tell somebody. You see, my wife is asleep and I'm lonely.
Look, I know no one cares, but here are my numbers 33 0 4 2 0 41 4 5 2 0 9 84 7 0 0 43
Creepily accurate.
Adrian:
You know what? You're absolutely right. It was sleep deprivation. Innate was the wrong word to use. Also, please forgive the double post. My computer went all screwy.
| Year | Number of comments posted |
|---|---|
| 2004 | 64 |
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