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I'm not sure that I get it. Isn't this a bit shallow? Surely it takes some of the joy out of being told that you're awesome if you have to pay people to tell yo

I'm not sure that I get it. Isn't this a bit shallow? Surely it takes some of the joy out of being told that you're awesome if you have to pay people to tell you that you're awesome? A bit like paying people to be your friend?

thaumaturgy 16y ago
I want to do it for a family member.
- RyanMcGreal 16y ago
  Why not just call them up yourself?
  - InfinityX0 16y ago
    Why do we buy cards? To say all the things we can't say ourselves.
  - thaumaturgy 16y ago
    Because none of your business.
    - RyanMcGreal 16y ago
      No need to be rude.
      - thaumaturgy 16y ago
        Eh, no offense intended -- I was being short and direct, not getting personal. But, this is one of those quirks of "geekish" conversation that can really, really irritate non-geeks (or, geeks like me that aren't in geek-mode): someone mentions a personal issue, and the geek -- who has probably at some point tried every non-obvious solution to some problem only to discover that it was the obvious solution that worked -- asks the person if they've considered the obvious. The problem is that this often doesn't translate well to non-technical matters. By asking why I don't just call them and say the same thing myself, you're implying that it's the obvious solution that I haven't considered, or that you have some unique insight into a personal situation, even though you have zero information about it. That didn't offend me, but it is something that can bother people sometimes. This time I just chose the most direct method of letting you know that you didn't know enough to even ask such a question. I didn't have the time nor inclination yesterday to write anything longer, but I didn't want to leave your question unanswered since so many people seemed to think it was legitimate.
        anthonyb 16y ago
        Someone in "non-geek mode" would just explain the situation, rather than go to all the trouble of typing in an elaborate explanation of geek vs. non-geek culture (and still not explain anything).
        thaumaturgy 16y ago
        Thanks for making me sorry I bothered.
        RyanMcGreal 16y ago
        Thanks for your geeky response - upvoted with a smile. >you're implying that it's the obvious solution that I haven't considered I didn't mean to imply this. I was (and remain) genuinely curious as to why you think hiring someone to tell a family member they're awesome would be more effective than simply calling them up and telling them yourself. I took your reply as rude because you had introduced a personal issue on a public forum but didn't define your boundaries of what aspects you were willing to discuss publicly; and when I inadvertently crossed one such boundary you cut the line of questioning off abruptly rather than offering an explanation. Again, thanks for clarifying where you were coming from.

thaumaturgy 16y ago

I want to do it for a family member.

RyanMcGreal 16y ago
Why not just call them up yourself?
- InfinityX0 16y ago
  Why do we buy cards? To say all the things we can't say ourselves.
- thaumaturgy 16y ago
  Because none of your business.
  - RyanMcGreal 16y ago
    No need to be rude.
    - thaumaturgy 16y ago
      Eh, no offense intended -- I was being short and direct, not getting personal. But, this is one of those quirks of "geekish" conversation that can really, really irritate non-geeks (or, geeks like me that aren't in geek-mode): someone mentions a personal issue, and the geek -- who has probably at some point tried every non-obvious solution to some problem only to discover that it was the obvious solution that worked -- asks the person if they've considered the obvious. The problem is that this often doesn't translate well to non-technical matters. By asking why I don't just call them and say the same thing myself, you're implying that it's the obvious solution that I haven't considered, or that you have some unique insight into a personal situation, even though you have zero information about it. That didn't offend me, but it is something that can bother people sometimes. This time I just chose the most direct method of letting you know that you didn't know enough to even ask such a question. I didn't have the time nor inclination yesterday to write anything longer, but I didn't want to leave your question unanswered since so many people seemed to think it was legitimate.
      - anthonyb 16y ago
        Someone in "non-geek mode" would just explain the situation, rather than go to all the trouble of typing in an elaborate explanation of geek vs. non-geek culture (and still not explain anything).
        thaumaturgy 16y ago
        Thanks for making me sorry I bothered.
      - RyanMcGreal 16y ago
        Thanks for your geeky response - upvoted with a smile. >you're implying that it's the obvious solution that I haven't considered I didn't mean to imply this. I was (and remain) genuinely curious as to why you think hiring someone to tell a family member they're awesome would be more effective than simply calling them up and telling them yourself. I took your reply as rude because you had introduced a personal issue on a public forum but didn't define your boundaries of what aspects you were willing to discuss publicly; and when I inadvertently crossed one such boundary you cut the line of questioning off abruptly rather than offering an explanation. Again, thanks for clarifying where you were coming from.