Brush up those manners!

[fj834@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Dr. George A. Themelis)]

As many of you know, in the past I have been called a trouble-maker and my 
occasionally strong opinions have caused some flames.  With time and with 
the help of John B., I am gradually learning to present my thoughts in a 
less provocative and more constructive way.  Here are a few examples for 
the benefit of photo-3d subscribers...
 
Instead of saying: 
 
1. YOU ARE WRONG!
2. Your Kodak stereo camera sucks.
3. Loreo users are lazy TV-watching bums.
4. If I see another beamsplitter image I am going to throw up.
5. I hate prints... I only take slides.
6. The hell with viewers.  Projection rules.
7. You call this thing with the scratched lenses, a viewer?
8. $250 for a Realist 3.5?  Where do you think we are?  In Tokyo?
9. View-Master is a toy...I wouldn't even bother with it.
10.I HATE THE NEW MINI-DIGESTS!  GET RID OF THEM OR I AM OUT OF HERE.
 
I would try something like:
 
1. I hear and value your opinions and I appreciate the effort that you put 
   into presenting them in such an elegant and informative way.  Perhaps you 
   should allow me to express a slightly different viewpoint...
 
2. Your Kodak stereo has good optics, it's easy to carry and use and it has 
   contributed a great deal to the popularity of 3-d.  However, I am afraid 
   that my rough handling might damage this very fine camera, blah, blah,
   blah...
 
3. The Loreo stereo camera system is the best medium to introduce someone 
   to stereo photography.  It is certainly easy to use, etc., etc..  I see 
   nothing wrong with you, entertaining yourself watching TV, while I am 
   staying up all night trying to mount these darn slides.
 
4. _Framesplitters_ are certainly a convenient way to capture stereo images 
   with your regular camera.  I am afraid though that certain geometric and 
   photographic limitations prevent me from enjoying your fine images at their 
   fullest potential, blah, blah, blah.
 
5. Stereo prints have a place in the history of stereoscopic photography 
   and they still have a large number of loyal followers, blah, blah, blah.
   Prints offer many advantages, like... (see article by Bill Walton in PSA
   Journal for some ideas here...).  On the other hand, some people claim that 
   the realism of slides, blah, blah, blah, breathtaking.
 
6. I agree that a viewer is perhaps the best way to show a slide at its 
   best, but stereo projection offers a number of advantages, blah, blah,
   blah.  Once properly projected, stereo slides can be fascinating, blah,
   blah, blah...
 
7. I appreciate showing me this fine optical device of yours.  It was 
   certainly a worthy investment from your side.  If money is no object, 
   perhaps you could consider experimenting with a viewer with glass 
   achromatic lenses, which some people praise for its optical performance, 
   blah, blah, blah, etc.

8. I hear that Dr. T is offering the same cameras for about half the price.
   Is there something special about this particular camera or its previous
   owner, or are Dr. T's cameras inferior in some way?
 
9. Unquestionably, the View-Master stereo system has contributed and 
   continues to contribute a great deal to our wonderful hobby.  The 
   convenience and economy of mounting and viewing 7 pairs in one reel, 
   blah, blah, blah, is hard to beat.  I personally enjoy the system, but 
   I feel that the smaller image size and lack of flexibility in mounting do
   not allow me to express my creativity as much as I would have liked to, 
   blah, blah...
 
10. I find the new format of the mini-digests very interesting... Under 
    different circumstances, I would have loved it, but considering that (I
    am getting email at work)(I am paying by the message)(I have a limit on
    how many messages I can keep in my mailbox) I feel that, at the present
    time I should temporarily interrupt my photo-3d subscription... It has 
    been a great learning experience for me, blah, blah.  If you ever
    decide to go back to once a month monster digests, I will be happy to 
    join again.  Many thanks to the moderators of this list, blah, blah, blah...
 
Some time in the future remind me to give you tips on how to critique 
stereo slides (images).  This can be handy with expo2 ready to go...
 
Regards, blah, blah blah -- George Themelis


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