10-11 years ago, I might have thought I was a major part of this site. Uncertain of that now,
Larry Send a noteboard - 18/03/2011 09:36:26 PM
E.g. your post about reading books in 4 different languages, and then asking others who if they know which books they are and if they'll read them too, or would be interested in reading them...
You mean the thing I copy/pasted from The OF Blog? That was pretty much as what Joel guessed, except originally it was intended to be a fun sort of guessing game among a great many well-read people who visit that blog and who make even better book suggestions than what I do on occasion.
Hardly anyone here speaks that many languages. Yes, there are people who do, but most people don't. This alienates people, as hardly anyone likes it when they are clearly being excluded. So they dislike you, or at least aren't attracted to you as someone they would become friends with.
But when it's from a personal reading, some people have. I learn languages and blog about them not to make myself seem better than/to others, but to better myself without regard to how others perceive that. But it is not to exclude others, but rather to include several of the blog's readers who are multilingual (and far more proficient in some of those languages than I ever shall be), as well as some here. Only 3% of the volume of books published in the US/UK markets are translations. Ask a few dozen Spanish-language and Portuguese-language writers, readers, editors, and publishers just how important it is to them to see an American reviewer praising their works. It is another reason why I do read works in other languages, for discoveries to pass onto others, with a chance that those who can't read them in the original can at least enjoy them in translation, if those are chosen for translation in the first place.
Not that it matters, but next month, a story by the Argentine writer Leopold Lugones will be able in a new English translation. I'm finishing up the translation this week and it'll be available via e-book. Maybe that's not quite so exclusionary?
The other part...umm...that assumes that I try and fail to make friendships online. Lately, I just haven't tried here, period. Whether or not there are those who dislike me or not is not and never was the point of the post, so bringing such up is rather odd, almost as odd as thinking 100% of people anywhere would ever like someone 100% of the time.
You make it a habit to post things that excludes the majority of people. This means that either you are posting in the wrong place (e.g. post these things where the majority speaks 4 languages), or you are posting the wrong things.
Or maybe, it's just some people who skulk about here choose to cast such in the worst ways possible?
What is it that you want from here? If you want friends, then you would be better served in paying attention to what qualities in you would make you attractive as a friend. If you want people's admiration, then you'd be better served if you showed you were knowledgeable/wise without showing off quite so much.
I want neither. I don't need either. I just noted that things had changed and that it was interesting to reflect back upon it.
Illusions fall like the husk of a fruit, one after another, and the fruit is experience. - Narrator, Sylvie
Je suis méchant.
Je suis méchant.
Things that I have learned and noticed over 11 years
16/03/2011 11:07:50 PM
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Most of the personal sharing you describe I've shifted over to my Facebook activity.
17/03/2011 12:12:34 AM
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You are getting older, that's all
17/03/2011 01:12:14 AM
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Netscape turns 18 next year....
17/03/2011 01:21:40 AM
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It will never catch on!
17/03/2011 01:32:00 AM
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It's not that I don't still love the Illuminati BBS, a man just needs a little variety sometimes.
17/03/2011 03:30:55 AM
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joel, you're about to get married, no leering at other browsers for you! *NM*
17/03/2011 04:34:35 AM
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What's odd is that I've become happier and more content in recent years
17/03/2011 02:28:14 AM
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Familiarity breeds contempt.
17/03/2011 01:14:03 AM
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remember all that time we spent on the phone? sometimes i miss stuff like that
17/03/2011 05:34:08 AM
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Even I have gotten tired of the politics.
17/03/2011 06:17:23 AM
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My view on politics has changed quite a bit in the past few years
18/03/2011 09:40:31 PM
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Mine hasn't, really, but my opinion of repeating my positions endlessly has.
18/03/2011 11:14:39 PM
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Things I've learned..
17/03/2011 02:17:46 PM
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I stopped trying to be funny when I realized I wasn't, and that I can't take a joke.
17/03/2011 03:19:56 PM
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Well, you could just be silly instead
18/03/2011 09:52:46 PM
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I think part of the problem is people are simply not posting fun stuff any more
17/03/2011 05:03:52 PM
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Chat was definitely better than the MB for building personal relationships.
17/03/2011 11:34:49 PM
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Some of the conversations I have on FB are like chat with really bad lag. *NM*
18/03/2011 01:03:21 AM
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I don't think you like me.
18/03/2011 06:27:45 AM
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So ignore him. I like you.
18/03/2011 07:32:47 AM
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19/03/2011 04:43:55 AM
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Yeah, if you've been avoiding me over an internet fight, you really do.
19/03/2011 08:56:03 AM
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random thoughts is yours? Talk about your unlikely pairings....
18/03/2011 04:32:17 PM
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Re: random thoughts is yours? Talk about your unlikely pairings....
19/03/2011 04:46:59 AM
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It doesn't help that you don't tend to post things that make you likeable.
18/03/2011 06:55:04 AM
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I always took those posts as attempts to include people.
18/03/2011 05:33:55 PM
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That's a very positive outlook, which perhaps is shared by others *NM*
18/03/2011 09:13:43 PM
- 229 Views
10-11 years ago, I might have thought I was a major part of this site. Uncertain of that now,
18/03/2011 09:36:26 PM
- 707 Views