Re: Future of RPG

OK,

/rant ON

I said that because I recall wasting ALOT ALOT of time in lit classes
while some "learned professor" attempted to provide us with the
"enlightened meaning" behind stories and prose...ad nauseum!

I'm reminded SPECIFICALLY what Melville said after tiring over the
ceaseless bantering by these kinds of dolts, to the effect of:  'There's
NO hidden meanings...IT'S JUST A STORY..." when talking about Moby Dick...

Lit 'professors' have insisted on inflicting their own fictional
interpretations and meanings on good works of literature, that are good
stories, with their attempts to embellish these things most likely several
parsecs beyond what the original author intended...at least in most
cases...

I could waste bandwidth all night, but I'd much rather goto dinner, it's
much more beneficial...and I don't have to search all night with a little
lamp to find the meaning of my little bowl of pasta...  Or perhaps, I
should be reading my tea leaves??????

Ergo, we will respectfully agree to substancially disagree on this
topic....before David lowers the non-topic kybosh on all of us... :)

/rant *off

Don in DC

On Tue, 9 Nov 2004, EDoxtator wrote:

>
> > message: 1
> > date: Tue, 9 Nov 2004 12:07:53 -0800 (PST)
> > from: "James H H Lampert" <jamesl@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> > subject: Re: Future of RPG
> >
> > > I guess this explains how my american/english literature (aka major
> > > bullshit artists) are able to keep their jobs...their classes are
> > > required.....
> >
> > If you really regard professors of literature (and writing, music, and
> > art) as purveyors of bovine scat, then you are exactly like all the
> > University kids who surround themselves with Fountains of Knowledge, then
> > won't voluntarily take so much as a sip from one that isn't connected with
> > their chosen career path. And those classes are required (and where I went
> > to school, an extra semester of writing was required of all computer
> > science majors, at least in my department) because it was the only way to
> > get most of them to drink from those Fountains. (Or as Dorothy Parker once
> > said, "You can lead a HORTICULTURE, but you can't make her think.")
> >
> > Because if you really regard those professors as such, then you don't have
> > the slightest clue what the difference is between training and education.
> > (HINT: Training teaches you how to make a better living. Education teaches
> > you how to live more fully.)
> >
> > If that is so, then I pity you.
> >
> > --
> > JHHL
>
> Thanks for saying that Jim, I was way too angry to post anything but all kinds
> of nastiness.
>
> I'd also like to point out that my dad has been teaching at the
> college/university level for 30+ years.  He specializes in those "BS" courses
> our friend just mentioned.
>
> Desipite the fact that he's taught literally hundreds of courses in English,
> Speech, Humanities, Film, Composition, and Literature, he's managed to help 
> his
> students become teachers, doctors, lawyers, and... computer programmers.
>
> And over the years, a large number of former students have taken their 
> precious
> time to call and write or even visit him after graduation.  They've said 
> thanks
> for broadening my horizons, and helping them to establish something that a lot
> of business and computer courses don't teach:  the critical faculty.
>
> I've been in  this bidnez since... well, too long.  I was writing programs
> professionally for my high school in the late 1970's.  Arguing about the next
> generation stuff has made me think, and I've come to the conclusion that I'm
> not terribly worried about where the next crop, flock, murder, group, pride 
> (or
> whatever collective noun you use to describe an aggregate) of RPG programmers
> is going to come from.
>
> As stated previously, there's a pile of RPG code out there that has to be
> maintained.  As long as businesses pay money for people's services to 
> maintain,
> construct, and design new RPG code, someone is bound to pop out of the
> woodwork.  When the money dries up, so do the programmers.
>
> Also, I don't really care what a person's background is.  I've worked with 
> guys
> who had no education past high school and guys who had Master's Degrees in
> Speech Pathology.  Their programming skills certainly weren't in proportion to
> their diplomas.
>
> --
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