Perspectives
Join Our Community Subscribe to Paul's PostsPerspectives color our view on reality. It’s how two-dimensional drawings are perceived in three dimensions.
We see what we want to see in an effort to better understand our world. When you look at a freshly bloomed flower you can see beauty or sneeze-inducing pollen.
When we see an expensive collection of high-end gear we can admire it and hope to experience the wonders of its potential or the opposite.
It’s all about perspective.
What’s yours?
As an audiophile I try to obtain the best out of my gear (better speaker setup, absorbers, new gear…). To my wife, everything’s already fine and there’s no need to get any further. Different perspectives in the same living room…
Hoping to experience the true potential and wonderment? You got it, Paul!
Well, this post hits me smack in the face after purchasing your P3 Stellar Powerplant. 🙂
I just set it up last night and after cleaning and reorganizing my Hi-Fi racks to fit the beastly 34 pound / 17 inch wide P3 into my system I could only look at all my gear with pride and excitement. The synergy looks amazing. Thing is before I Knew what hit me it was 2am! Gosh I gotta get up and go to work in 3 hrs! . Awe the power of love. 🙂
My perspective is to expect something good when I look at a bunch of gear in a high end setup.
My experience is, that except of the speaker placement, which tells a lot from start, everything can happen and no one can reallly predict sound quality on a high level or not from the looks or the value of a setup.
My perspective is to close my eyes & enjoy listening to the music that I have selected.
Hmm…”Perspectives”…follows on nicely from yesterdays posts, comments & replies (which I missed) due to sleep deprivation.
Folks don’t get too excited about the rising sun of 2021; it is, by all accounts, the light of an oncoming train…well, at least the first 8 months of it.
I think that if things are going to improve significantly, compared to this year’s “Sh!t Show”, that it wont start happening until August, if at all.
Steven,
Yesterday you typed, “..it is that audio equipment is as much about it’s aesthetics as it is about sound quality”
God I hope not!
Surely audiophiles & audio enthusiasts couldn’t be so shallow.
Who’s aesthetics?
Yours, mine or some A.I.’s algorithm?
From the sleek design of PS Audio’s ‘Stellar’ range to the boxy rectangular woodgrain retro look of the new LEAK Stereo 30 Plus.
From the tall thin(ish) design of a white GR-Research NX-Otica loudspeaker to that of the squat woodgrain design of a Harbeth.
Or the classic ‘chunky’ McIntosh design with their big electric blue VU meters.
Or Wilson Audio’s alien ‘Transformer’ design…
…who’s preferred aesthetic?
And this coming from someone who shoves his audio gear into a cupboard…I hope that you can appreciate the irony.
For me it’s a look that would absolutely horrify your wife & yourself, for my favourite audio ‘look’ or aesthetic is that of black industrial looking boxes & loudspeaker cabinets taking pride of place in my living room.
Now; Cricket 🙂
Warner’s back & our new wonder-boy batsman Will Pucovski should hopefully make a ton while he’s out there.
The third test should remain at the SCG amidst new concerns of CoViD-19.
Personally I think that Tasmania should get a go whilst CoViD ‘hovers’ in my fair city.
(I’m also hoping that Steve Smith can pull his head out of his arse, as well)
Audiomano,
Unfortunately again this year you & I just seem to grate on each other; oh well, it’s impossible to get on with everyone in this world…so I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you & yours all the very best for the new year.
And sclaningham,
I would also like to take this opportunity to wish you & yours a great audio-educational 2021.
May your mind be open enough to listen to many audio set-ups so that you can experience your own aural revelations in Hi-Fi, rather than just parrot other people’s opinions ad nauseam.
To all of you who regularly attend this wonderful ‘Paul’s Posts’ site, I wish you all a synquisetous 2021.
FatRat, it is difficult to watch 3 games at once. Sympathies, and your national humiliation. Losing without Virat! I agree on Tasmania, if only in honour of the great R T Ponting, but it does tend to be a bit cold and windy. Nothing gave me more pleasure than Ashwin rolling over Smith in the first innings. He can’t read him!
As for aesthetics, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I was happy to buy PS Audio even though to my eyes it is quite unattractive, because it sat in a cupboard and I didn’t have to look at it. I like the look of my Devialet, but it sits in the same cupboard and I don’t feel I’m missing out at not being able to stare at it, unlike Nephilim81 above. I’m more interested in the fact that Devialet takes so little space.
So my issue with aesthetics basically relates to speakers and I don’t care how good they are, if they are ugly I’m not interested. My wife even more so. Does an audiophile have to be a purist where only sound matters and looks are irrelevant? Why can’t you have both? Discussing aesthetics with my dealer and my wife, they are very important to sales. My dealer sells McIntosh and it is perhaps the most distinctive brand out there. For an industrial design, I love it.
I very much like the new Leak designs. I also like the Yamaha AS line. My ideal is the Garrard 301. I just like a lot of designs from about 1951 to the late 1970s, especially in architecture.
Products like NAD M10, M33, Naim Uniti etc are massive successes as the are designed to be seen in family spaces, with big screens, and look great. Leak the same. They win the big awards for sound quality as well. No compromise.
Steven,
Always fun jousting with you sir 😉
You type, “Does an audiophile have to be a purist where only sound matters and looks are irrelevant?”
Strictly speaking I’d say yes.
For me it’s all about the sound.
Oh, & if you’re a purist then you make space for your audio set-up.
In fact I would venture to say that it is the quality of the sound emanating from a pair of loudspeakers that make them attractive to me…I mean, really, how much can you ‘pretty up’ a loudspeaker cabinet, ie. a box?
As long as you’re happy with yours, I’m happy with mine & ‘Nephilim81’ is happy with his…I guess that’s all that matters.
Now, bring on the next Ashe’s series so that we can really get stuck into each other.
I hope that you & your loved ones stay safe & well in the new year.
Best wishes for 2021.
Fat Rat:
I wish you for yourself twice as much as you wish for me.
Audiomano,
Oh, you said that last year too.
Damn!
That’s twice that you’ve outdone me 😉
No Fat Rat, this is the first time I have written in this space, this wise popular sentence, which as such, contains a profound truth.
Audiomano,
I must disagree with you (again) because in ‘Paul’s Posts’ titled ‘Respect’ dated Jan 1st 2020 in your 6:52pm reply to me you typed, & I quote,
“Thanks Fat Rat:
That in 2020, life will give you twice what you want for me”
Go check it out, if you think that I’m wrong.
Fat Rat:
I have not reviewed the post you are referring to.
But if that’s just how you say it, you must be the person who deserves 2 times this sentence from me.
Thanks, guys and I for another would love to understand the game of Cricket. My minimal understanding is that the bowler (pitcher) is trying the rather impossible looking task of throwing a ball at the plate in the hopes of it bouncing up and knocking one of the little wicket sticks off its mount. The batter is there in the hopes of stopping the ball from doing that.
The rest of it, like what happens if he hits it, is beyond me.
Do I have the first part even close to being right?
Baseball certainly is simpler.
Oh yeah? Let’s see a bowler throw a ball at 105 miles per hour through a tiny space in the strike zone of a batter.
https://thegamehaus.com/mlb/nolan-ryans-record-108-mph-fastball/2018/08/19/
And lets see a cricket batter hit one 582 feet or with an exit velocity of 117 miles per hour.
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2698852-the-longest-home-runs-in-mlb-history
What the hell kind of game takes a break in the middle for tea time? You get a 7th inning stretch for a few minutes. I don’t even know why you get that.
Sorry, you’re about 70 years too late. You really have to start to pick it up at schoolboy level, playing the game. It’s as much tactics and psychology as anything else.
A tradition are international 5-day matches starting on Boxing Day, three matches this year, in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, hence the lack of sleep, especially in the Northern Hemisphere.
Hi Paul,
Steven pretty much nailed it.
It’s like a foreign language; it’s best if you can ‘get in early’
Much like audio is about acquiring your ability to critically listen through extensive listening, understanding Cricket takes a lot of time watching & reading the subtleties of what’s going on…hence the ‘getting in early’ bit 🙂
Mr. Fruit Bat, what is wrong with you?
Have you ever wondered why there are so few women participating in this you call “audiophile”? Who are you? You brag about being fat and not caring about it. You joke about giving performance reviews to your wife. You brag that there is no good [classical] music in the XXth century. You poo-poo everyone’s opinion unless it agrees with you. Basically, you are a bore. And clearly, you have no interest in expanding the field. neither does Paul. When I asked him to define some vague words, he declined and said he writes to the 80% that get it. When I challenged him to demonstrate the utility of his creations, he declined. Trust him, “he” said. Trust “your” ears, he said.
It was my husband’s interest in audio that brought me here. He has been in it for a long time, having built his first speakers as a teenager. When I met him, I had no idea that this “industry” existed. He was all in. He introduced me to most of the issues. Taught me a lot. But we are not the same. I listen to Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, chamber music, violin concertos. He prefers Copland, Rachmaninov, John Adams, Gorecki and Piazzolla. I listen to 80s rock, he listens to “progressive” rock. But I am a musician by education. I played violin in the state orchestra. I play piano now. I sing in a Master Chorale. In English, Spanish, latin (Carmina Burana), Hebrew, Farsi and even had to learn Russian for Alexander Nevsky. He has no idea of music theory. I explain why a piece is so technically difficult and he tells me how it was recorded or how it sounded from the audience. We both listen to the jazz standards.
I may not have heard as many “hi-fi” sets as you appear to have done, but I know how music sounds.
I read about music reproduction in order to discuss this with him. I know who Toole is.
However, here you espouse some wild approaches, as calling a system “fatiguing”, arguing about cables, whether to elevate them or not. This is not the science of audio reproduction.
I truly don’t care if the equipment is a statement. I just want to listen to the music.
Bores like you, and people that are so unwelcoming, will make this industry disappear. Think about it. Think how many women musicians there are, how many women in the orchestras, popular singers etc. Do you think they don’t know what they are doing? They don’t know what they hear? Do you think that men tell Lady Gaga or Taylor Swift how their records have to sound? That they don’t provide final approval? You live in a different world, Mr. Fruit Bat. I don’t hate men, I actually have contempt for men like you.
And, finally, cricket sucks. One day or five day tests. Nothing like rugby. He took me to the first match in 2007 in Cardiff, and now I am enthralled. We have gone to all RWCs since (except 2011). I got to meet and interview Dan Carter and Richie McCaw. Charming men. That is a sport! If we get the vaccine, we will go to SA to see the Lions test next year. On vera!
Sorry for FR
You poked the bee’s hornet and got mighty stung!
taiye315,
Really?
Do you really think that that clueless, insulting man-hater could possibly ‘sting’ me?
Oh please.
I’m just getting under her skin.
Look at how much of her time & effort that she wasted getting her frustrations out in her post…it’s hilarious 🙂
sclaningham,
And so you shall apparently remain pretty much clueless in the world of audio.
I suspected as much.
I’d love it if more women were interested in high-end audio, but the decades have proved that women just aren’t that interested in the hardware side of music reproduction regardless of whether you & I are slagging-off at each other…non sequitur…as you say.
However, insulting & pretentious people like you we can do without…regardless of their sexual orientation.
Anyway, I do hope that you are able to see past the “science” & actually ‘listen’ in future.
I hope that you feel better after typing out your diatribe (above) & remember that you can always put a good therapist, or two, on retainer.
If nothing else it’s nice to know that I’ve managed to get right under your skin.
Cheers & good luck in 2021 😉
Now now let’s make peace with each other
taiye315,
HAPPY NEW YEAR!! 😉
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU AND YOUR WIFE.
I always enjoy your comments.
FatRat, some people think ill of you – heaven forbid!! Roll on 7th Jan.
Steven,
Oh dear 😮
My whole world just collapsed 😉
Just to clarify, in English football matches opposing fans are segregated and separated by a line of police. Alcohol is banned for fear of a riot. At cricket matches the fans all mix together and usually wind each other up all day, fuelled by alcohol, the more alcohol the more fun it gets. I taught my kids how to drink at cricket in their mid teens. Nothing beats an England/Australia crowd. There is never any trouble because the game is more important than winning or losing. From my experience, FatRat’s approach to life and audio is just typically Aussie.
If you look at the link below to the preamble to the Laws, on the left is the most famous image in modern cricket history. Brett and Freddie. You husband will explain it to you, but it summarises what cricket is all about.
When I was at school we had two mandatory sports – rugby and cricket. I played cricket every moment I could. Rugby – we had a deal with the teacher who ran our game that we’d jog around for 20 minutes and throw a ball around and then go and do something more sensible. The only permitted alternative to rugby was golf, and only in the last 2 years, so that’s why I took up golf.
I am sorry for your poor choice. My husband started playing as a very young boy and is now still involved as a rugby referee, besides sometimes writing about it.
You have always appeared as a very reasonable man.
I have never assumed that just because something is expensive it is any good. The question I see is, what is your perspective on value?
My background is in economics. There is no escaping that high-end audio is to a large extent sold as a luxury product based on brand value or perceived quality, which is often illusory. The ultimate luxury product is perfume, where cost of production is often 5% or less of retail price. My wife is qualified in this field and used to make face-creams and sell them for one-tenth the price of the same high street luxury product. I am informed this is the case for many so-called high-end cables.
For non-luxury consumer brands like Panasonic and Onkyo cost of production is 70% to 75% of sales, their production is much more efficient and they spend vastly more on R&D than any high-end audio company (typically 8% to 10% of revenues last time I looked). A classic example are disc transports. Only major corporations like TEAC (including Esoteric) and D&M (including Marantz) can afford to develop them, which they sell to high-end companies on massive multiples and so the high-end product, which is basically the same, costs 2 or 3 times as much. Some very high end brands really do impress me with the quality of their engineering, usually turntables, for example Brinkmann, EAT and top-end Origin Live, and I appreciate the price given they operate in a very low volume market.
So my perception is for a balance between quality and value and this often involves looking at the business model rather than the marketing material.
I appreciate there will always be customers who don’t look at the price, think more expensive is better and get great pleasure spending what to others is obscene amounts of money. I have no problem with that at all. What I find interesting is that people suffering financial hardship due to Covid-19 and having to trade down the audio ladder reporting that they have lost little in quality. As Paul says, it is all a matter of perspective.
This community has changed my self-perspective. Before joining you all, I fumbled around the internet reading randomly about my hobby. Selecting articles and reviews based on my own interest at the moment. And at the bookstore, I’d always pick up one of the few audio magazines on the shelf but be disappointed and uninspired – mostly advertisements and reviews of gear way above my budget. Amongst my local friends, family and neighbors I’ve been the only “audiophile”. So I’ve kind of been the “big fish in a little pond” when someone needs help with their music/equipment. Not an ego thing – its fun to help others enjoy music and improve their sound. But here in this PSA community, I’m happily a small fish in this big pond. Its great to swim in both perspectives!
So thank you Paul and all of you posting here! I’m learning every day and having fun!
djB-O-B,
Every now and then there’s a piranha in this audiophile pond, so beware… 🙁
My perspective is scientific knowledge. It’s theoretical backed up and challenged with experience and the endless search for logical flaws as well as opportunities. It is the synergy of this knowledge combined with imagination and creativity to analyze and solve problems that drives me. Mathematics is the language of science but it is not science in itself. It’s a closed system of logic that can approximate the real world but it is not the real world. I find it so compelling and so fascinating in the greatest era of scientific discovery that I’ve lost all interest in fiction and the trivial. Art and music can please me but it has to be something I can make sense out of. It can be upsetting but if it is it at least has to be interesting. Applying science to problems is engineering. By definition engineering is creating contrivances, controlling the real world to make something happen at will and prevent other things from happening. The ability to control the universe even to a small degree for a brief time strikes me as infinitely more powerful and desirable than controlling people. For a millionth of a second creating the conditions at the center of a star releases more energy than all of the energy of all of the entire lives of all of the people who ever lived combined. Contriving a machine to duplicate the sound field that reaches our ears one by other means is a challenge. Understanding that sound requires a mathematical model to analyze it. Contriving a machine to duplicate it by other means requires reconstructing it as closely as possible. How do you know if you have done that? Unfortunately without scientific data I can only rely on memory of subjective experience. Why is that good enough? Because that’s what its purpose was in the first place, to please and entertain me.
Today I learned something from PaulMcGowan about “cricket” (assuming his assumptions are correct).
Compared to me he knows an awful lot about this incomprehensible sport 🙂
It’s not a sport, it’s a game. There’s a big difference.
Cricket not a sport but a “game” ?
Not everyone agrees with you
quote,
“A sport is a physical activity carried out under an agreed set of rules, with a recreational purpose: for competition or self-enjoyment or a combination of these.
A game is a recreational activity involving one or more players, defined by a goal that the players try to reach, and some set of rules to play it. Games are played primarily for entertainment or enjoyment. The difference of purpose differentiates sport from game, combined with the notion of individual (or team) skill or prowess”
So, according to this cricket is a sport and not a game”, unquote
Vivek Gondaliya
And another quote,
“Cricket is a sport.
Another version called bat ball is a game.
Why
Cricket contains two many rules in order to ensure a fair fight.
Bat ball contains no such rules. There is no no ball,no wickets,no catch outs or runs.There is only a four or a six and even those are not counted.
Bat ball is played for fun alone while cricket is a proffession and a mark of honor just like another sport”, unquote
Satish Dixit.
Just a few examples of many.
Absolute rubbish. The laws have been administered by the MCC since 1788 and can be found on their website. The preamble, which is the most important thing of all, is an attempt to define the Spirit of Cricket into the rules. The Spirit of Cricket has been the unwritten rule for centuries.
https://www.lords.org/mcc/the-laws-of-cricket/preamble-to-the-laws-spirit-of-cricket
It says:
Cricket is an exciting game that encourages leadership, friendship and teamwork, which brings together people from different nationalities, cultures and religions, especially when played within the Spirit of Cricket.
So the main rule is not about how you play the game, but the character and behaviour of the people who play it. You can read the following 42 rules, but that won’t make it any clearer.
Is that when the Aussies use sand paper on the ball to cheat?
The basic offence was under Law 42.
Just to clarify, cricket has no rules. It only has laws. However, under Law 41, ultimately the umpires can decide what’s fair and unfair, whether in the laws or not.
The actual ball tampering is a relatively minor Level 2 offence, but in this case it was a premeditated plan, the Australian Prime Minister intervened and ultimately it was deemed contrary to the Spirit of Cricket and the Australian Code of Conduct and three 12 month bans were given.
Much longer bans have been given for betting scandals.
Rugby has laws too. And cheating is cheating.
American baseball and football have rules too. But the rules of what Americans call football and what British legacy nations call Rugby are different just as American Baseball is not like cricket or as is sometimes derogatorily compared “rounders.” Here’s a Rugby fan from New Zealand watching some American Football tackles seeing this game for the first time. There’s a whole series where a New Zealand lady reacts to American football but I thought this would be more interesting for you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYXDx2YPqDg
I wish you a happy new year and if you tell me that women are not interested in audio equipment because the sound that comes out doesn’t sound like real music I’ll be the first to agree with you. Less you think that in the US rough and tumble sports are reserved for men, let me dispel that notion for you here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JySr3QeeOs
sclaningham,
Oh, so now you’re sending me ‘part 2’ of your insane diatribe in secret (post & delete), so that no one else can see what a true lunatic you really are (as if they haven’t already)
You coward.
Humans are a disaster! We are never pleased, with anything for more than a msec. Our protocol for choice or change is erratic, at best.
However, with out all these idiosyncrasies, we probably , would never progress, scientifically or socially. Could you just imagine not emerging from walking on all four limbs over three plus million years ago, to walking on only two limbs? Could you imagine going out and having to buy four shoes? I think that would be worse than deciding on a pair of speakers!
All in all, our diverse opinions on any topic is fun. Exchanging ideas is very important. We MAY even learn something if we listen, absorb, evaluate and place thoughts into action or no action. Sometimes, its good to store these thoughts and use them for future endeavors. The best advice I EVER received was from my father just before I went into opening my office. He said listen to what you hear, then deduct 90% and doubt the other 10%; the other suggestion was to always try and build a new mousetrap and not reside, mentally, on what you have learned during the academic years. Simple!
I think he understood humans.
So, now, we move into a new year-2021!
And ……………………………………………………………………..?
Larry
My perspective, especially at this time of year, is one of gratitude. To be living in this time and place is simply extraordinary. To those consumed with guilt and anxiety, I say turn off the media noise. Anyone who can afford a good hifi and who takes pleasure in music should be extremely joyful.
Baseball is indeed an interesting subject and has birthed some unusual characters, Yogi Berra being my favorite. I don’t understand anything about cricket, but I wonder if there is an analogy to hitting in baseball where a batting average of .300 is great and .400 almost incomprehensible. Where else is 30% considered a huge success?
A little guy from Cootamundra who learned to bat with a stick in the outback had a batting average in international cricket of 99.94 over a 20 year career. In almost 150 years of cricket the next closest averaged 61.87. In those 150 years only 40 players have averaged over 50, which is considered exceptional, and there are only 4 active players with an average over 50. The Don, as he was known, needed only one decent scoring shot in his last game to average 100.
The Don was so good that the English devised a dangerous new tactic for the 1932/33 series just to try and defeat him. The Australian management accused the English of being “unsportsmanlike” that resulted in diplomatic engagement between England and Australia and was only resolved by the Australian Prime Minister. The word for the tactic is still not uttered today, a bit like Voldemort.
Comparing cricket to baseball is like comparing curling to hockey or croquet to golf. The gist of baseball is every pitch has a uniquely different strategy as the defense sets up for every batter, runner and pitch.
Occasionally there are hits, base runners and runs. Runners on base change the dynamic of the game once again. From time to time the home run is as exciting as the game gets other than a strikeout, double/triple play or hit batsman which isn’t considered good sportsmanship but certainly has an affect.
Shall we discuss the merits of an organized eleven person football team’s strategy compared to the chaos of soccer? 🙂
It seems to me that The PS Audio Family like many other families has turned into “The Fight Club”. My pleas to stay on topic have fallen on deaf ears over the past months and I feel that real information about audio design, equipment reviews and the love of music have fallen to the side of the road without anyone noticing or caring. As a daily follower, this has become very unfortunate. I still hold out hope that Paul’s Posts will somehow RESET and get back to staying on topic as I fear many viewers may be driven away from what was a great source of audio information.
The Ego is always at work and needs constant feeding (mine included) and that’s what my perspective is today.
I am with you Stimpy. It’s occurred to me maybe this has gotten a bit out of hand. I am thinking seriously of turning off the comments and just writing my daily post.
People can read or not read.
Let me know your thoughts.
Hi Paul,
“All work & no play makes Jack a dull boy”
I’m going to make a supreme effort to stay on topic next year & to cut back on the ball-breaking; although Steven & I will undoubtedly be humorously at each other’s throats over cricket.
Your cooking tips & your occasional non audio topics do make this site more interesting & fun…please don’t stop doing them.
Having said that, this year has been fun & thank you for ‘relaxing the rules’ in the face of ‘The 2020 Sh!t Show’.
Remember, you only have to email me a ‘Cease & Desist’ letter.
Best to you & yours in 2021
Stay safe & well.
Sounds boring and like censorship. Free speech is about allowing the expression of what you agree with as well as what you don’t agree with. If you don’t allow comments I guarantee interests in your posts decline dramatically.
If Paul pulled the plug on the comments section this blog would become most boring. Face it, the same twenty or so people post here almost every day and oftentimes repeat themselves just as the topics inevitably will. Numerous off topic comments spice the daily read and for many of us “industry veterans” that’s a chance to actually learn something new or be entertained.
The occasional row here is nothing compared to other blogs, forums and message boards on the internet. What’s so offensive about a little humour in life?
Enforcing on-topic only discussions is just so parochial and the one thing i’ve learned from 2020 is “WE don’t need no more stinking rules!”
Please stop being so sensitive and feel free to jump in head first to Paul’s forums, tutorials, video’s and have yourself a happy/merry little New Year!
stimpy2,
Why can’t we have both information & disagreements?
Surely the two are mutually exclusive.
Does this site need to be so limited?
Anyway, all the best to you & yours in 2021.
One’s perspective depends on one’s attitude. Either the glass is half full or half empty. Those with negative attitudes are always looking for negatives. The sneeze causing pollen comes first unless the person is allergic to pollen. One with a positive attitude will appreciate the beauty of the flower well knowing that smelling it could cause sneezing but so what. I grow roses. They look so nice. I even smell them when they are in bloom. The smell is intoxicating. So what if I end up with a sneeze or two. Same about a high end set up. The first thought that comes to mind is WOW! what wonderful sound it must make. The thought that it could be a let down is only after it does not live up to expectations which is rare. The glass is always half full. Makes life so much more fun. Regards.
Paul’s posts mixed with the regular crew of commentators on this forum are often a philisophical highlight of my day. Off topic banter is reliable & easy to skip over. Take care everyone in 2021.
Let’s do our best to be kind to each other. I haven’t yet decided which way to go, comments or no comments, but I am leaning on keeping them in as long as everyone plays nice.
To Joe, this isn’t about free speech. You are free to speak your mind whenever you want. It’s about offering or not offering a platform for it.
And to Fat Rat and Mrs. Sclaningham. How about you two make a new year’s resolution to chill out on the bickering back and forth? Let’s practice kindness and understanding next year.
I too enjoy the comments and think it makes my Daily Posts richer. When it turns ugly it becomes no fun. That’s when I either pull the plug or maybe I reach out individually and try and calm things down. I have yet to decide.
The nice thing about being the writer and moderator is I get to set the tone. And so let me be very clear. The tone needs to remain friendly with generosity. Differing viewpoints are encouraged and most welcome. It should be like a spirited family dinner.
What I won’t put up with is hateful comments. There’s been enough of those.
Hopefully this resonates with our family and we can keep inviting everyone to the table.
Let’s move into 2021 with greater resolve towards kindness and generosity.