Re: 6x17 on 4x5

["Mitchell P. Warner" <indepth@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Waiting and watching Simon became a challenge.  I read his first post with
some dismay at his total lack of internet decorum.  I attempted tutoring
him a bit in CAPITALS, til I knew of his vision problems such that only a
few words of a whole msg appear on a 17 inch screen.  The 'tutoring' fell
through again when I found that his dominant side had been hit by a stroke
and that his abrupt, seemingly rude, telegraphic style resulted from typing
with one finger on his left side.  Imagine not being able to do something
as simple as Ctrl/Alt/Del if you want to close out some problems on a PC.
Imagine learning allthe basics of a computer at 76 years: word-processors,
with all their problems, the typical computer problems with ISP's, e-mail
problems, everything of a technical world.  Simon never complained.  He
never took advantage of it by running of the flag of his age or problems,
unless it was required by someone jumping to conclusions. 

	Some famous person said:  "If it's the truth, it ain't bragging!"   

		It took awhile to understand the apparent single-mindness regarding
equipment and it's use.  Simon made no excuses for the very commercial type
of photography he does and the need for special cameras to do the work, to
the exclusion of many other fine panoramic cameras.  I own one of the
camera's that Simon has said he would not take money to use, yet he gives
advice unstintingly over how to use this specific camera.  When Simon takes
a piece of equipment to task he is asking the user to consider it in all
it's aspects, pro's and con's, not to be a mindless lemming running with
the flock.  Simon has never been embarassed to use any piece of equipment,
as long as it fit his specific need.  His apparent equipment 'ranting' is
intended to make us think, not just do.

Another 'famous' saying butchered: 
	Those who will not learn from history are condemned to repeat it.

Simon isn't addressing individuals. There are probably not enough years
left to take each of us in his grandfatherly hands and teach us in the way
best for our individual egos. So he draws his life with broad strokes,
history, technical, creative, travel, people; it is all a canvas of his
life, and who would be so bold as to say which colors should be removed
just for the benifit of the viewer.  

There are solutions to Simon irritation.  The most immediate is usually
located at the botton left or right of a keyboard:  'Del'

mpwarner






At 02:01 AM 12/30/1999 -0600, you wrote:
>Mitchell P. Warner wrote:
>
>> Simon seems to have only one goal:   To share his experiences, thereby
giving
>a sense of history, showing how some 'techi' solutions of the past and if he
>has made a mistake and profited from it, to share that knowledge, thus
>saving us skinned knees if possible.
>
>That's reassuring to read, and helps me think more charitably about him. If
>only that came through in Simon's own words.
>
>For those of us who don't ask and answer what he likes, Simon's posts are
>usually off-topic and off-base. He equates equipment choices with personal
>worth, and spends far more time telling where he was when than what he
>really did. That's not very useful.
>
>> At 70+ years, nearly blind, paralyzed on one side of his body from a
stroke, I
>salute his willingness to learn computer technology so that he could share
>his experiences; his quick acceptance of digital panoramic work as creating
>yet another 'defination' of the type of image so difficult to limit with
>definations but so easy to recognize by any layman.
>
>Once again, I'm prepared to be wrong and apologize for offending. I'm
>sympathetic to his physical limitations, and sincerely hope he recovers from
>his stroke. I'm impressed that he takes time to communicate with others who
>are interested in panoramic photography, assuming they adopt his definitions
>of it. But damn it, Simon, stop insulting people just because you don't like
>their gear.
>
>Seems as if people either love him or hate him, and he can sure make himself
>hard to love -- or even like.
>
>-- Amanda Chase
>amandachase@xxxxxxxxxxx
>
>
>