richard@gryphon.COM (Richard Sexton) (08/25/89)
Tom's just no fun. In article <14585@bfmny0.UUCP> tneff@bfmny0.UU.NET (Tom Neff) writes: >Buster unwisely saying "Let the flames begin" doesn't mean mischevious >veterans are right to take him up on it. Well, let's all hope Buster learned his lesson. (<-- blatently dripping sarcasm) >Rankles means irritates, and this is a school (or "scholl" - is it time >to start the spelling flame explanation thread yet? :-) ) on its own >terms, not "mine" or "humorless" or any of that stuff. (gratuitous explanation. I knew what he meant, but was just foolin around) >New folks reading this -- Richard gets up on the wrong side now and then, >but the *convention* is to be polite, as you would be in person. When >you meet net.curmudgeons -- and you will -- the best strategy is to be >even MORE polite. They reciprocate or lose interest fast. New folks reading this. Richard never gets up on the wrong side. I have one side of the bed, and my wife has the other. She won't let me get up on her side of the bed (shameless double entendre), so I end up getting up on my side of the bed (more of same). More to the point I am actually always in a good mood. So why do I write things like the article that pissed (gratuitous obscenity) off so many people ? I am an asshole (the easy way out). I find it terribly amusing, moreover, so do a great many intelligent people I repect. It's scary. (the honest part). But enough of me, what about you ? You come here often ? What do you do ? What's your sign? (gratuitous nonsense) Wait. (context switch) Allow me to offer a potential conclusion viz. signature files (technical content). Some people point out, and correctly so, that you don't really need them. All the information you need IS in the header. You may not, however, have the wherewithall to extract that information. So the convention of a short, concise .signature file exists. Nobody will get frazzled if you use a 1 or 2 line signature file that has your email address. What will rankle, is if you make it excesivly large (email addresses are generally less than 32 characters - there is no excuse for 6 lines of redundent address with 2 lines of hyphens acting as a border), excessivly stupid (those damn ascii pictures of bill the cat have to go. The same goes for little and not so little ascii pictures of landscapes, spaceships, arrows, and space aliens), or excessivly worthless (The net, by and large, does not want or need your Postal address. If somebody wants it they'll send you a note asking you for it. People often put quotes or whatever in their .signature files. This is to relieve the monotony of an otherwise very dry stream of verbage. If you do use a quote, remember that it, like a childs diaper, needs to be changed often. They stink otherwise. Since some of you in the back of the class have fallen asleep, I suggest we terninate this lecture. And please don't come to class stoned again. -- Nsukka Misaje Akure Jos Plateau Port Harcourt Emyok Makurdi Lafia P82 richard@gryphon.COM decwrl!gryphon!richard gryphon!richard@elroy.jpl.NASA.GOV