No, no agenda Blizzard. Nor anyone's friend here, in particular. No allegiances or alliances. Nothing like that. Nothing "smells" as you put it - that is just paranoic.
I am actually a very ordinary fellow who enjoys the hobby, loves his music (mainly classical - baroque, classical and early romantic; and jazz from swing through to hard bop) and enjoys learning from those with interests and experiences that align with mine. And I (generally) enjoy the company of the people I meet. Even the Americans (that was a joke btw)
I tend to also not be afraid to call things as I see them, perhaps borne of some insight into the human condition. I have seen alot of life, had more than a few ups and downs, as one does, and try (sometimes without success) to maintain some degree of equanimity these days.
I reject that I have been "blasting" as you put it, indelicately.
Amir. Yes, well. He is like any other member, co founder or not. We all have equal voice, and whether 53 posts of 53,000 posts, our conduct and posts reflect our character and personal dignity.
I don't care for trolling - or the deliberate inflammation of others (whether they are aware of it or not). In my judgement Amir does this regularly, but very cleverly. He is adept at taking one issue and turning it into another, then rolling it into a third. In the other thread where I proffered my views and in which you also participated, Amir turned a (seemingly endless) dispute with Mike, into a "in what way should this forum be run" public appeal, then into "should we allow certain interest groups to censor free debate" - all the while dragging in others to a (completely mischaracterised) discussion that was essentially private between him and Mike, but which he appears to love playing out in public.
I observe Amir likes to bait people; the people that will always rise to the bait he holds out, every time. And when they do, up he pops saying how they are/he is perfectly entitled to challenge the tech, just not the person or violate the TOS. When of course he is in fact provoking the person endlessly, usually by the proxy of unwitting accomplices. And for what purpose exactly? I have no idea.
Anyways I sincerely hope Amir stops it for the sake of this forum - it has lost some really decent people and will lose many more unless it stops. But I don't see that happening. Amir like you, is obviously an incredibly intelligent man. Unlike you he is also a very skilled negotiator, a very adept man who knows how to manipulate others for his own purposes and a reasonably articulate man. Amir is someone who, I feel, plays a game here for his own amusement, or perhaps because he always has to "win", whatever winning is, and whatever the cost. Much, my dear, like what I perceive drives you.
Perhaps I am completely wrong in this, in which case I apologise unreservedly to both Amir, and you. But I do not think so.
I do know that you feel the need to be noticed and heard, and above all validated. I get that. Nothing wrong with that. We all like to be noticed, hopefully positively. But perhaps the way to gain the respect you seek is to learn that what you don't say is often as important as what you do say, both in life and in these little online communities.
Now onto the personal jibes - I usually don't bother answering these, but perhaps can offer some small insight.
I agree I have a low post count, certainly compared to yours, in much the same period of membership, mainly because I am sensitive to other people's feelings, and don't wish to post, unless I
think can add value or wish to ask a question. These days I try to post positively, and not speak in conclusive statements. Or attempt to.
I also have a busy life outside the hobby - work, family and a few other interests. So posting isn't a priority. That said, I take issue that I have not contributed anything positive here. Even thanking a fellow member for posting his system, and congratulating him on it, is a positive contribution. People post their systems because they worked hard to get it where it is and they want to share that passion with others. I am grateful they took the time and trouble to do so. Thanking them is a polite acknowledgement of that. Expressing admiration also makes others feel good. It is not all about discussing the conceptual advantages of i2s over USB. Emotional intelligence is just as important as someone's technical knowledge - indeed much more so.
So you know, I limit my posting on internet forums mainly to Stereonet, in Australia. You can see my posting there. You will find me under my own name, as here. This is a deliberate approach to make me personally accountable for my online activity. I commend it to all, which is why I invited you to so do a few days ago. I rather think there would be alot less fuss on online forums if everyone did much the same. But of course such a thing is entirely voluntary.
I really hope you take the opportunity offered here, not by me, but by everyone else. No one is saying you should leave, or should not post, or contribute freely. What, I suggest, is the message, is this: slow down, take a breath, consider the impact of what you wish to say on others, accept that everyone isn't as focused as you, and may have a counterpoint view that is valid, at least to them. It doesn't matter if they are right or wrong and whether what they are saying makes sense to you or not. They also wish to be heard, listened to and validated. Above all else, let someone else have the last word from time to time. Conversations are not unilateral statements of belief to be championed and defended at all costs. Life is not a never ending argument, relentlessly played over and over, again and again, where one seeks to prove how one is the smartest person in the online room. Whether you are or not, it is not a way to make friends. And friends are important. Perhaps you might consider saying, from time to time, "you know I don't agree with you about [insert topic de jour], and don't accept what you say, but thanks for the discussion and perhaps we can just agree to differ", instead of going on a fatwah against the individual or concept he believes in, until you, or he, ultimately leaves.
I leave you with this: continually upping the ante (for instance as you just did here) can only end one way. It is not the way forward.
Be well my friend. I am not your enemy; no one here is. And please stop being played for the fool. Amir is, in my submission, encouraging you for his own purposes, not yours. They almost certainly do not align, despite what you may understand to be the case. But again, perhaps I tilt at windmills. But perhaps not.
