Re: [NTLK] Fighting Complacency within the Newton Community

I am a lurker. As you can see by the untimeliness of this reply, I am way
behind in my mail. I feel compelled and think I would be remiss if I ignored
this subject. So........
First, I know Matt. Well, I have met him. He did the hinge repair on my
eMate. For about half the cost of what the going price was on "the list."
What is more, he did it promptly. We met up I gave him my eMate, and within a
day or two at the most he called and arranged for us to get together so I
could have my eMate back. Mission accomplished. We even had lunch. Matt is
a very kind and generous guy. He is very much an A type and his mind seems
to go a mile a minute. He organized a Newton get together in the Detroit area
and people brought their Newts and had some amazing stories and improvised
hardware. I had to miss it, I had rotator cuff surgery that day, but Matt made
sure that I knew all about it and posted pictures and stories to this list.
It inspired several other get-togethers. He is a valuable asset to this
community and contributes on a regular basis.

I, too have been on this list a long, long time. Jon talked about AOL and
Hardy Macia and I remember all of that. Aloha everybody. I even had a long
phone discussion once with Adam Tow regarding the libertarian philosophy and
how the Newton exemplifies the best points of it. I am not a contributor,
perhaps I should be, but I am not. I am a user pure and simple. I still cant
figure out how to make a connection to my Dell running XP. But, I have
things like a B+W G3 laying around and I know that one day I will get to it. One
of the amazing things about this list is that if you are on it long enough,
you will learn things about Macs and Windows that have nothing to do with the
Newton. From people who seem to know what they are talking about no less.
Some of what I have learned through this osmosis has helped me to do many
helpful things like setting up a home wireless network. What does this have to do
with the Newton. Everything! The people who support this list are by nature
mavericks. They like things their way. To borrow a couple of slogans, they
think differently and have it their way! I am constantly in awe of many
people here.

Like Frank, I abhor comparisons to Hitler. I am Jewish and to compare
attempted patricide with someone making suggestions of compulsory support is
ludicrous. Frank, I was born at the end of WW2, you have nothing to feel guilty
about, and if there are any African-Americans on this list, I don't accept
responsibility for what generations far removed from me have done. I do believe
and live by the code of the Golden Rule. In effect, that is what Matt was
saying, hey guys/gals if you like what you get on Newtontalk how about giving
back. That kind of passion is what drove the Newton in the first place, well,
that and profit. Now, in Matt's case, I think it was a little bit misplaced.
 Then again, in reality, those who are complaining are some of the ones who
take without giving, much like I do. Yes, we could all tell the Newbies to
"read the manual," and refer them to wiki and the FAQ's, but we would probably
lose them and a potential "Frank." How much nicer to brighten up the
neighborhood with a friendly welcome and feeding their new found enthusiasm, instead
of a cold shoulder.

I know that Matt's requests have raised the awareness of this list and good
may come of it, from which some will benefit. Matt and others have made
several eBooks that if I ever get a way to mate my Newton with my Dell, I might
read someday. This is just one area I plan on benefiting by Matt's effort. Do
I owe him anything? No. He contributes of his own volition. Even though
the message was not sent in the most effective way, the message nonetheless, is
worthy of consideration. Nothing compulsory, of course, as I am opposed to
that like I was to the draft, but I still ended up in the Navy.

With regard to Matts language; there is nary a place on the web that isnt far
worse. When I turn on my TV or go to the movies I am constantly amazed at
the proliferation of profanity. I am not condoning vulgarity, however, to
make that the focal point of the message seems to be an effort to deflect the
issue. This is not to excuse him, but if we are not immune to this yet, we
certainly should not be surprised when we are confronted by it. Myself, I
believe they are just words, they only have value to the degree we allow them. Do
I allow my 14 year old to walk around and talk like a sailor? No, and there
are people of that age on this list, still I feel you would be hard pressed to
find a 14 year old who has not resolved this issue for themselves

So, in conclusion, I think better subjects defining the content of the email
would be highly warranted to allow people to skim even more effectively.
This issue arises from time to time and for awhile things improve. I guess that
is the lesson Matt teaches us, from time to time we need to be reminded that
their are things we can do to improve our experiences. What a vindication of
the human race! The drive for improvement and excellence should be embraced
and celebrated. I am of the opinion that anyone who read Matts note,
understood his
underlying request, yes, he could have presented it better, yes, there was no
need to express himself in such a fashion, and yes, the concept or requiring
participation is misguided, but yes, we all know where Matt was really coming
from and what he really asked. too. Help or not, it is up to you. I will
be right behind you taking and maybe, just maybe, because of Matt, finding a
way to contribute something.

I welcome open and honest debate.

Bob Adamson

-- 
This is the NewtonTalk list - http://www.newtontalk.net/ for all inquiries
Official Newton FAQ: http://www.chuma.org/newton/faq/
WikiWikiNewt for all kinds of articles: http://tools.unna.org/wikiwikinewt/