Dazzle Them With Brilliance
Hi:
Let's get technical without getting technical. Sounds kinda' dumb doesn't it? Well, not really, if one stops to think about it.
The purpose of this hobby is to have fun and dazzle the public with our brilliance. You've heard the old adage: “If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, Impress them with B.S.”. The sense of accomplishment we all feel when we get xx number of channels up and running, doing their blinky-flashy thing makes anyone feel that “his/her day has been made”. (Gotta' include the ladies here, as indeed, we do have some in the hobby.) Forget about the B.S. end of it, we wade through that every day.
How did You arrive at the level of expertise needed to achieve your goal of all those channels running and making someone say “WoW!” “Look at That!” “I wish I could do that!”?
For a good many of us, we started years ago in the electronics/electrical fields and as the years passed, we went from one endeavor to the next. As we traveled these many roads, we acquired the knowledge to be able to run cables, construct the controllers, program a computer, and all the various other tasks that go with having a successful display. We learned to design, solder, troubleshoot and develop programs for our controllers and in the end, passed these on to others, so they could do the same thing.
As can be observed here on the forum, there are a good many who have not had that privilege, or didn't come from that type background. Good. New blood is needed to carry this forward and achieve ever increasing heights of accomplishment. Just because your not an “expert” in electronics/electrical ways of doing things doesn't preclude you from this hobby. Presenting us with new ideas and ways to do things are what this is all about.
When I first got out of high school, I went to work for a brilliant engineer who was self taught. This man designed the first handheld radar speed gun. He also designed the electronic siren and many other devices that you are all familiar with, and yet, none would know his name if I told it. He didn't try to impress them with brilliance. He didn't have to.
His philosophy was this: 'If I know something, and you want to know it, I will teach you'. He held back nothing and he became my mentor in electronics. He did not teach me all that I know now, but his work ethic and his fantastic mind spurred me on to learn things for myself. I also am self-taught and worked all my working life in electronics in many different areas. I'm retired now, but have never given up electronics and all that goes with it.
I have been a member of this forum for just over a year, and I find that the participants here are knowledgeable, caring and are willing and able to share what they have learned and experienced with those that call themselves “noobies”.
So, how do we get technical without getting technical? To do that, the student (noobie) has to do what this forum is intended for: ASK QUESTIONS: It is up to those that have the knowledge and expertise to answer those questions in a clear and concise manner, which they do. As much as possible, stay away from buzzwords and use common, everyday language. Explain any technical terms you use and use them correctly. Take the time to carefully form your explanations. This will go a long way in “dazzling them with brilliance”.
When you ask your questions, do the same thing as above. Think about what you are asking and try to compose your question(s) in a logical manner. As has been said before: “There is no such thing as a dumb question”. If you don't know it, you don't know it. No big deal. You are not any less a person or DIYer just because you don't know how to do a task, or don't understand why it's done that way. It is not embarrassing to not know something. It is embarrassing to muddle through and not get the help you need.
Ok, so I've been on the soapbox for awhile and what I'm trying to say is this: There are a lot of good, knowledgeable, helpful people on this forum. They like to be used. USE THEM.
And have fun. That's what it's all about.
AND NOW, YOU TOO, CAN DAZZLE THEM WITH BRILLIANCE!
IdunBenHad
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Originally Posted by Hogfather
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