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I second that, the story is interesting and has the value of a general lesson, but on second thought it sounds like other obviously made-up anecdotes, such as "

by Udik 8y ago

I second that, the story is interesting and has the value of a general lesson, but on second thought it sounds like other obviously made-up anecdotes, such as "the car that wouldn't start after buying strawberry icecream" or the "emails that didn't go farther than 500km". There is a little kid obsessively licking his hands in winter? They must have become very red and inflamed after only two or three days. Therefore, first thing a parent does seeing them red, is to put some cream on. End of the story.

gowld 8y ago
Why do you think "emails that didn't go farther than 500miles" is obviously made up? https://www.ibiblio.org/harris/500milemail-faq.html https://www.ibiblio.org/harris/500milemail-faq.html How would putting some cream on prevent the licking? Cream doesn't last forever.
- Udik 8y ago
  Thank you for replying, at least I have an idea of why those downvotes. As for the 500 miles email, thank you, I didn't know that FAQ page. However, it highlights a number of issues that actually make the story seriously implausible, even if the author swears by it. Q: If you're not 100% certain of all the details, why did you write the original post so vividly? A: I took license. It made a better story that way. [...] Q: the technical details at the end just don't add up. A: I know. But especially: Q:Well, to start with, it can't be three milliseconds, because that would only be for the outgoing packet to arrive at its destination. You have to get a response, too, before the timeout will be aborted. Shouldn't it be six milliseconds? A:Of course. This is one of the details I skipped in the story. It seemed irrelevant, and boring, so I left it out. Hmmm, that is quite some detail to leave out, as it just makes the story impossible. No further explanation given. As for this story, the cream wouldn't prevent the licking, but it would solve the root cause, the dryness of the hands. Put the cream on for a few days, until the redness is gone, and that basically solves the dryness issue as well. Then the licking might restart a few days or weeks later, but that should have already shifted the focus to the state of the hand's skin rather than the licking itself.

by Udik 8y ago

gowld 8y ago

Why do you think "emails that didn't go farther than 500miles" is obviously made up? https://www.ibiblio.org/harris/500milemail-faq.html https://www.ibiblio.org/harris/500milemail-faq.html How would putting some cream on prevent the licking? Cream doesn't last forever.

Udik 8y ago
Thank you for replying, at least I have an idea of why those downvotes. As for the 500 miles email, thank you, I didn't know that FAQ page. However, it highlights a number of issues that actually make the story seriously implausible, even if the author swears by it. Q: If you're not 100% certain of all the details, why did you write the original post so vividly? A: I took license. It made a better story that way. [...] Q: the technical details at the end just don't add up. A: I know. But especially: Q:Well, to start with, it can't be three milliseconds, because that would only be for the outgoing packet to arrive at its destination. You have to get a response, too, before the timeout will be aborted. Shouldn't it be six milliseconds? A:Of course. This is one of the details I skipped in the story. It seemed irrelevant, and boring, so I left it out. Hmmm, that is quite some detail to leave out, as it just makes the story impossible. No further explanation given. As for this story, the cream wouldn't prevent the licking, but it would solve the root cause, the dryness of the hands. Put the cream on for a few days, until the redness is gone, and that basically solves the dryness issue as well. Then the licking might restart a few days or weeks later, but that should have already shifted the focus to the state of the hand's skin rather than the licking itself.