The Forum Seems to be Taking a Hostile Turn - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Jon Chandler
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 07:04:15 am
content: I've noticed an awful lot of hostile and rude replies to forum posts recently.People ask well-intentioned questions and get a major smack down. Some of the members here are known for this but it seems to be a growing trend.Yes, posters should do some research on Google before asking questions. And posters should also include enough details in their post so that it can be understood. People asking questions should remember that they are asking people to take the time and effort to answer their questions, so take enough time to word the question clearly and to provide details so that the question is understood.When answering questions, remember, none of us was born knowing this stuff! If the original poster is lacking a basic understanding, explain it or link to appropriate tutorial materials.

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 07:15:07 am
content: Turn? Somebody posts this every month or two.Just another case of theGIFT…

author: GeoffS
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 07:18:01 am
content: Please report posts you're not happy with via the port to moderator' button.The forum is quite busy and sometimes problem posts can go unnoticed.

author: BravoV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 07:38:31 am
content: Quote from: GeoffS on January 06, 2014, 07:18:01 amThe Mods probably look like not doing much on the surface, but personally I know this for sure, they're pretty busy behind the screen, diligent and react "reasonably fast" to any reported posts/threads.Kudos to the forum Mods !PS : "reasonably fast" means sometimes due to different work shifts across different time zones.

author: GeoffS
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 07:49:30 am
content: Quote from: BravoV on January 06, 2014, 07:38:31 amApologies to Mr. Pinkerton

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 07:54:18 am
content: The board has grown quite a lot, could maybe do with a few more moderators?

author: GeoffS
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 07:56:03 am
content: Quote from: Psi on January 06, 2014, 07:54:18 amI believe Dave is currently interviewing candidates.

author: peter.mitchell
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 09:17:58 am
content: Quote from: c4757p on January 06, 2014, 07:15:07 amI support this post.

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 09:25:04 am
content: Well, make them read this, and make a list of questions before posting the first post.http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc1855.txt

author: JoeO
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 09:43:25 am
content: 2 additional points:Turn on your country flag. The question "Where is a good place I can pick up a widget" is meaningless unless you tell me where you are.If there is something important about you, the poster, let us know about it. "I am an 11 year old ....".

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 10:19:21 am
content: Quote from: JoeO on January 06, 2014, 09:43:25 amExactly. I mean the forum is not safe material for any children, not even Dave's videos, and that is expected. What are they even doing here? Even electronics is not safe for a 11 year old (and I'm fully aware that children that age are playing with Kalashnikov in Africa).

author: peter.mitchell
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 11:33:15 am
content: QuoteSomewhat related, what the heck is up with people not understanding that "the internet" isn't the real world and more importantly may not have the same culture as their own?In the same way you wouldn't go to a foreign country and expect the countries culture to change to match your own, you should not go onto the internet and expect those to change their culture to match your own; unless of course, you are from the internet, and in that case,I come from a world you may not understand...

author: XOIIO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 12:12:55 pm
content: Quote from: c4757p on January 06, 2014, 07:15:07 amMan, that's great, and so true.

author: rolycat
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 12:24:32 pm
content: Quote from: JoeO on January 06, 2014, 09:43:25 amCould this be made mandatory during account creation? Allow users to leave it blank if they prefer, but make that a choice rather than the default.

author: jeremy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 12:26:05 pm
content: Quote from: NANDBlog on January 06, 2014, 10:19:21 amUh, I started with electronics a fair bit before age 11....

author: GeoffS
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 12:30:44 pm
content: Quote from: rolycat on January 06, 2014, 12:24:32 pmIt can be but I recall some complaints a while back so it was made optional.

author: GeoffS
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 12:42:10 pm
content: Quote from: wilfred on January 06, 2014, 12:36:21 pmThere are some users with a black flag which I assume means that they haven't set their country or explicitly set it to NULL/BLANK/TBA. ?I'll look into it.EDIT: If you don't set your country during initial registration then you show no flag. If you explicitly set your country to the blank option (first option on the list), then you will show black flag.

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 01:30:22 pm
content: Quote from: peter.mitchell on January 06, 2014, 11:33:15 amUh yeah well uh so what is the culture of "the internet" ?The same way as if 20 foreigners from 20 different countries with 20 different cultures and 7 different believes and 20 different political viewpoints are stranded on an before uninhabited island. So what is the culture then?Guess the internet is what it was meant to be: an open gathering place for everyone, also for the bad (behaviour) guys.

author: peter.mitchell
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 01:42:28 pm
content: Quote from: Kjelt on January 06, 2014, 01:30:22 pmWell for one, the recognition of technology enough to permit you to actually be on the internet.I do understand that there are a lot of different places on the internet and a lot of different people but there is generally more commonality amongst all the people on the internet, compared to all those not on the internet.

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 02:04:21 pm
content: Quote from: Psi on January 06, 2014, 07:54:18 amSMF has a provision for busy forums that need more moderators. The way to handle it is to assign board moderators (not Global Moderators) to concentrate on individual boards. That way the work load is spread out. If a trusted member hangs out more in certain boards because they know the subject, and they agree to volunteer, that would be ideal.They can move, split, moderate posts, and lock threads. There is also a moderation center that handles all the RTMs and all the moderators can see what's being done. Also there is a means to issue warnings in SMF 2.x.x, so that a ban is not the first thing that happens to a member that breaks the rules.I know, I know, I don't know anything about forums ...

author: liquibyte
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 02:25:02 pm
content: Quote from: xrunner on January 06, 2014, 02:04:21 pmYes, but you know there's other software out there than SMF right?I'm just razzing ya man.

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 02:32:58 pm
content: Quote from: liquibyte on January 06, 2014, 02:25:02 pmHey WTF?LOL, no problem. Yes of course I know, but for now they are using SMF. If you want to call it my opinion that's fine, but the fact is that there are a lot of SMF tools and options available to a large forum that I just don't see the powers that be taking advantage of. I like this forum a lot and I like Dave a lot (even though I have debated him strenuously from time to time). He's a big boy.If you look at the stats, guests online, and members online, it's growing too large for the few mods and Admins I see to efficiently take care of. If they don't get a handle on it soon, it's just going to be ever more large and unmanagable.

author: liquibyte
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 02:40:21 pm
content: I agree that it could use some tweaking. Personally I'd like to see a phpBB here instead, but that's just me. If Dave sticks with SMF I'd like to see a dark theme option. I may do a stylish theme soon because I do insomniac work and hate white in my eyes at 3am.There's good info on most available options athttp://www.forum-software.org/forum-reviews

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 02:42:56 pm
content: Quote from: liquibyte on January 06, 2014, 02:40:21 pmIf you look at the main forum page, you see the O-scope display New post & No New Post icons? I made those for Dave to help spice up the look.

author: GeoffS
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 02:49:11 pm
content: There are any number of excellent mods for SMF the problem is that not all of them will work on the version of SMF on which the forum runs (2.0.6 - the latest)While it's possible to manually patch most of the mods in, this requires both a knowledgeable admin to do the patching and someone (or multiple someones) to test it hasn't broken anything.Having mods applied can also be problematical when a new version of SMF is released. You have to back out the mods, update SMF, reapply mods, test etc.This requires, as xrunner has said, more admins/programmers which Dave would have to engage, probably not for free.

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 03:07:11 pm
content: Quote from: peter.mitchell on January 06, 2014, 01:42:28 pmWell the same analogy to carowners and drivers. They have more in common then the non-carowners/drivers. But in that group there are also people that do not obey the rules of the road and annoy other drivers. Even with rules and police (admins) that is ongoing unfortunately.

author: Skimask
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 03:55:27 pm
content: Maybe, just maybe, it's not so much that the forum has taken a hostile turn.Maybe it's that the minions of the world have taken a stupid turn.

author: dr.diesel
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 04:05:30 pm
content: Quote from: Skimask on January 06, 2014, 03:55:27 pmDemocrats have been stupid for decades, nothing new.

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 04:21:08 pm
content: Quote from: Jon Chandler on January 06, 2014, 07:04:15 amI didn't notice. Looks like a great community considering the different cultures, religions, ages and background. I would not try to make it 'perfect'.Hopefully you will not interpret my post here as 'hostile and rude'. ;-)

author: echen1024
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 04:22:34 pm
content: Quote from: NANDBlog on January 06, 2014, 10:19:21 amI must disagree here. While Dave's content might not exactly be suitable for 15 year olds, electronics is. I started soldering at 10, and remember being 11 and working on various small projects I found onlinel

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 04:43:53 pm
content: Both Dave's content and electronics are safe for children, with appropriate supervision. They just aren't safe for simpering, special-snowflake, cover-the-kids-in-bubble-wrap parents.If your Little Darling hasn't heard a curse word or twenty by the time he's eleven, it's time to let him out of the cage...

author: SgtRock
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 04:46:14 pm
content: Greetings EEVBEES:--Keep in mind that this is not a publicly owned blog, and it is not "the internet". It belongs to DJ, and he can run it any way he wants. That being said I want to add that I am by in large satisfied that moderation is honest and fair. None of us bat 100% all the time.--When I first joined this blog DJ had a full time job and a brand new family to support. EEVBlog was a sideline. As such, moderation was not as thorough as it has been lately. At that time there was a person who frequently used the words "s*ck it" or something similar to folks he disagreed with. Nowadays that kind of behavior would have the quietus put to it most skosh.--Today's EEVBlog trolls are confined to non-profane ad hominem like denier, or saying that people who disagree are stupid, which is hostility rather than argument. I am not troubled by that vice which causes people to hate those whom they disagree with. There are a lot of folks on this blog I disagree with, on energy policy particularly, whom I know to be good honest people.--Some free advice: Do not use personal insult. Do not use vile and disgusting language. Do not use race, religion, gender, or nationality in an insulting fashion. Do not post numerous long posts on top of each other. Get a response or two and then go on, otherwise you might be driving people out of the thread, yea even out of this blog by sheer boredom. Try not to get angry at people for having different opinions. Have a sense of humor, and poke fun gently. Usually the answer to speech you disagree with is more speech, so try not to report anything but the really out of bounds behavior to moderation."An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life."Robert Anson Heinlein 1907 - 1988Best RegardsClear Ether

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 04:50:02 pm
content: Quote from: echen1024 on January 06, 2014, 04:22:34 pmGood for you. Much better than loitering at the local mall.My guess is that they are referring to the language, not the technical content.

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 04:51:58 pm
content: Quote from: dr.diesel on January 06, 2014, 04:05:30 pm

author: rolycat
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 05:42:30 pm
content: Quote from: dr.diesel on January 06, 2014, 04:05:30 pmIt's true that democracy is a pretty stupid form of government - as Sir Winston Churchill said, its the worst - apart from all the others that have been tried.I don't think you should apply that pejorative term to all those who still believe in it, though....What's that you say? There's another variety of Democrat? Not everyone on this forum cares

author: Stonent
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 05:51:23 pm
content: Quote from: rolycat on January 06, 2014, 05:42:30 pmDemocracy is two wolves and a lamb trying to decide on what to have for dinner.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 05:55:59 pm
content: With a bear just out of smell range looking on to get them all......

author: MatCat
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 06:10:08 pm
content: It's the law of averages, for every x amount of people there is a douche bag, the more people you get in a group the more douche bags there are on average. Second to that is world situation, I would have to try to find it again but there was a fascinating study into human behavior over time and there is strong evidence to show that we fall into roughly a 50 year cycle, on one end of that cycle people tend to be at peace and the world wonderful, on the other end of it things just fall to crap. What drives it is one generation grows up in peace and slips into complacency and corruption, then the next generation comes along and has to deal with the strife of the previous generation, gets fed up, and changes it, and when that generation is in to change things it's not always a peaceful change. This study showed this pattern repeated for the last few thousand years of human history, and the data for the last 200 years was especially telling (since there is much more of it). And you guessed it, we are right in the peak of the worse side of the 50 year track.

author: IntegratedValve
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 06:42:50 pm
content: I suggest a new punishment for misbehaving members. Instead of immediate ban, list those douchebags in a special section call it: Douchebags of the Week.

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 06:53:54 pm
content: Quote from: IntegratedValve on January 06, 2014, 06:42:50 pmLOL - that would just encourage more people to be douchebags.

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 07:27:59 pm
content: Quote from: echen1024 on January 06, 2014, 04:22:34 pmYey, I started electronics early also. And no, I did not had a crazy aussy bloke youtube channel poking around live equipment, sayingbutt crack porn. I like it, it is funny, even educational. And it is not for kids. The 230V wire looks exactly like the one I was playing around back in the day, only that one was connected to a 4,5 V battery.

author: JoeyP
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 07:36:30 pm
content: Quote from: MatCat on January 06, 2014, 06:10:08 pmI'd be very interested in reading that study if you happen to remember the name or source. I have a belief that at least the USA (if not other parts of the world) has been going to shit for decades now, mostly because life's been too easy for us lately. And the pace and depth seem to be increasing. I think we're in for a *serious* attitude adjustment as a result. The last such attitude adjustment was the great depression followed by WWII, but that was a bit more than 50 years ago. People who lived through all of that have a dramatically different attitude than typical 'mericans of the past couple of generations.

author: MatCat
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 08:01:47 pm
content: Quote from: JoeyP on January 06, 2014, 07:36:30 pmHere ishttp://www.nature.com/news/human-cycles-history-as-science-1.11078

author: JoeyP
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 08:45:45 pm
content: Thanks MatCat. The article was interesting, but seemed to underplay certain events (like the great depression) so as to fit into the suspiciously round number of 50 years. But it does point out some thoughtful concepts.

author: echen1024
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 08:58:17 pm
content: Quote from: c4757p on January 06, 2014, 04:43:53 pmOh god. The typical stupid american parent who needs to wrap their kid in bubble wrap.

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 09:24:13 pm
content: Quote from: NANDBlog on January 06, 2014, 10:19:21 ami was chewing on solder at age 8 and etching my first boards at age 10. there is nothing wrong with me (except a nervous blinking of right eyelid , wiggling of ears , a few fluorescent green hairs and a tendency to drool over test equipment with lots of led's and buttons , but that is a common denominator for almost anyone here on the forum)kids are over pampered these days ...If you lived as a child in the 60's or 70'sLooking back, it's hard to believe that we have lived as long as wehave...- As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags or ABS or Traction control.- Riding in the back of a pickup truck on a warm day was always a special treat.- Our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paint. We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors, or cabinets.- When we rode our bikes, we had no helmets. (Not to mention hitchhiking to town as a young kid!)- We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle.- We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then rode down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times we learned to solve the problem.- We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. Our parents knew that all the neighbors would watch out for all the kids. No cell phones. Unthinkable.- We played dodge ball and sometimes the ball would really hurt.- We got cut and broke bones and broke teeth, and there were no lawsuits from these accidents. They were accidents. No one was to blame, but us. Remember accidents?- We had fights and punched each other and got black and blue and learned to get over it.- We ate cupcakes, bread and butter, and drank sugar soda, but we were never overweight... we were always outside playing. We shared one grape soda with four friends, from one bottle and no one died from this. Frequently we ate stuff out of our unwashed hands.- We did not have Playstations, Nintendo 64, X-Boxes, video games at all, 99 channels on cable, video tape movies, surround sound, personal cell phones, Personal Computers, Internet chat rooms ... we had friends. We went outside and found them.- We rode bikes or walked to a friend's home and knocked on the door, or rung the bell or just walked in and talked to them. Imagine such a thing. Without asking a parent! By ourselves! Out there in the cold cruel world! Without a guardian.- We made up games with sticks and tennis balls and ate worms and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes, nor did the worms live inside us forever.- Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't, had to learn to deal with disappointment.... The teams actually kept score and the winning team was allowed to be excited and the losing team learned to be good sports about it and learned that, in life - sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.- Some students weren't as smart as others so they failed a grade and were held back to repeat the same grade..... Horrors. Tests were not adjusted for any reason.- Almost no one went to "pre-school" and when we graduated high school we all knew how to read, use proper grammar and do basic math. We all learned how to count out change without a calculator to tell us the amount.- The worst problems in school were tardiness and chewing gum in class.- Our actions were our own. Consequences were expected. No one to hide behind. The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke a law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law ... imagine that!- If you misbehaved your parents spanked you and no one arrested them for doing that! We also learned that when a parent said "No" - they actually meant that and our lives would not be ruined forever by being denied every little thing we wanted at any given moment.- New toys were received on birthdays and holidays..... not on every trip to the store. Parents gave us gifts out of love.... not out of guilt.- This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers and problem solvers and inventors, ever. The past 50 years has been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.According to the' new generation rules' we should never have survived all of this....

author: liquibyte
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 09:33:11 pm
content: Man you put a lot of thought into that.We had a "SMOKING" area in high school for students.

author: mtdoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 09:33:44 pm
content: Quote from: NANDBlog on January 06, 2014, 10:19:21 amMy 7 yr old son loves watching Dave's videos with me. Does that make me a bad parent.....Quote from: JoeyP on January 06, 2014, 08:45:45 pmAn alternative cyclical view of human history with a fairly rich literature supporting it isStrauss–Howe's generational theory.It is based on the idea of 80 year cylces composed of 4 generations each. For example in US history the 80 yr "fourth turnings" that correspond to climactic historical changes would roughly correspond to the American Revolution, Civil War, Great Depression, ?? now on verge of next "4th turning'....

author: AlfBaz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 09:36:20 pm
content: Sorry about this off topic stub...Hi SgtRock, I noted your use of the term "by in large"Quote from: SgtRock on January 06, 2014, 04:46:14 pmHaving mostly heard this phrase as "by and large" I looked it up to double check and it seems the latter is the "usual" use. It appears to hail from ancient nautical times, "sailing by the wind" (into it) and "sailing large" (with it). Given the eclectic nature of most of your posts I was wondering if it was just a typo or perhaps you know or have heard of something different?

author: romantronixlab
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 10:39:59 pm
content: Quote from: free_electron on January 06, 2014, 09:24:13 pmI was not in the 70's but did half 80's and 90's, and grew up as you described. Kid nowadays want to rule over parents and do nothing interesting but exercise their fingers by texting. I do play consoles and text from time to time, but I try to teach my kid the old fashion way, he thinks it too crude but he is learning and even like it sometimes.I laugh at some people, runs like crazy (or worse) just because the kid fell of a bike and got some scrapes. Good old alcohol and bandaid.Today an accident is equal to lawsuit something that I think is too overused and absurd. What happened to old fashion person to person solving and happy medium?

author: IntegratedValve
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 10:55:02 pm
content: Speaking of seatbelts, I always have seatbelt when travelling by plane, and since I was a kid. I would not call this pampering, it's called safety. Can you imagine what can happen falling from skies without your seatbelt on?

author: SgtRock
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 11:03:04 pm
content: Dear AlfBaz:--Indeed you are correct Sir, it is "by and large". I know better but I was not paying sufficient attention to what I was doing. I was trying to repair a TV, load Windows 8.1 on a laptop, and type all at once. I just reviewed my last post in answer to you. It had at least 5 errors in it. Some days ..."I'll have the Alfalfa sandwich, and the smashed yeast"Woody Allen 1935 -Best RegardsClear Ether

author: AlfBaz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 11:06:36 pm
content: Quote from: wilfred on January 06, 2014, 10:31:03 pmThe two bold sections in the above quote are open to dispute but will inevitably lead to personal preference which makes it difficult to discuss intelligently. I can assure you, however, that your premise is also not universal

author: AlfBaz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 11:09:27 pm
content: Quote from: SgtRock on January 06, 2014, 11:03:04 pmThat's fine, there are sometimes different schools of thought on where phrases/words originate and I was curious to see if there was another

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 11:10:16 pm
content: Quote from: AcHmed99 on January 06, 2014, 11:07:27 pm

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 11:10:40 pm
content: Quote from: AcHmed99 on January 06, 2014, 11:07:27 pmYou're too optimistic. They won't havethatmuch ambition... I foresee a whole lot of petulant whining in the next twenty.Quote from: SgtRock on January 06, 2014, 11:03:04 pmYoumonster! Why would you do such a thing to an innocent laptop?

author: GeoffS
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 06, 2014, 11:17:00 pm
content: Thread has drifted way off topic.