10 ms·

Why not just call them up yourself?

by RyanMcGreal 16y ago

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.

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.