That's a good idea.

Funny, I'm working on a blog entry covering the same concept. We (the CR4 admin) are looking to put together a listing of the most common questions (and answers) so that when someone asks one of them - "how do I size a cable...size a bus bar, etc.", we can genially nudge the poster in the right direction.

So as a start, what are some of the most common questions that you're sick of seeing but that require something of a technical answer (but not very simple questions where a link to Wikipedia is sufficient i.e., "What is earthing")?

Also, if you could provide a link to an example thread that would be great!

Chris, could you tweak the Ask a Question page ? Maybe have a check box saying somethink like, "I've tried my key words/phrase" in the Search all of CR4 box, but have not found the answer I need". Disable the 'submit' fuction until that box has been checked.

_{please don't do that to the 'stay on topic' bullet !}

Chris how about making the search for a previous thread easier to use. Last week I went looking for a thread I remembered reading. Despite numerous tries I could not find it. Obviously my clumsy attempt at finding the correct keyword was insufficient. I suggest that others may also have a similar problem in finding relevant threads. Eventually they give up and post a new ( possibly repeated ) question to the forum. And how on earth do you figure out how and where to get the specific number of a particular post. I can't even find a number for the posts thatI am reading. I just cannot see how CR4 functions in the background. I'm not a computer guru. For that matter how do I find the number of a specific post I myself have made in the past.

Thanks Kris! that helped somewhat. I'm partially vision impaired and my peripheral vision misses a lot of thing. I have a hard enough time reading what is centered in the screen so I often miss what's located at the very edge. To be honest I have to zoom in on a page in order to read it on a large monitor. when my attention is focussed I also tend to miss things that are in small print near the edge of the screen. My address bar is not normally visible. For example the picture you included in your post is totally unreadable. It's just a faint blur.

As a test of the search feature I picked on a new thread I had not seen before. I then typed in what I thought was the key words and pressed 'SEARCH' That only got me to another page asking me all sort of questions to which I did not know what to answer. Clicking on the Default simply got me nowhere. Now what??

Am I such an idiot that I am the only peson in the world who has this problem?

I can't explain why (maybe it's to do with how pages are stored/cached on the web), but on a quick test I just got better results from adding more search parameters in a CR4 search; Clipping a phrase from you post above, and adding your name, I arrived at a result for the intended post. I don't know if the image will be clear enough, but I'll try anyway.

No again it's pretty lousy . The extra search parameters are at the bottom of any search. Here's what I was using.

Unfortunately I don't know what to advise on the viewing issue. The only bit I know is holding control and using the scroll wheel can zoom in/out. Oh, and F11 toggles the screen size. It might be a good topic to start a discussion on ? I know a number of other members have a similar problems and they might know some good tools/tweaks.

Chris,

I lay before you 2 dead chickens and a sick camel for your approval of my silly supplication enjoyment.

One example but its not quite typical http://cr4.globalspec.com/thread/39122#comment411917

The other peeve is all the requests for help that lack enough background to let us help someone out. Here is an example http://cr4.globalspec.com/thread/39122#comment411917

Should we have a section on: How Do I Make A Bomb?

It was starting to look like we were on a roll for a long collection of funny wise a** answers. Then, Chris had to ruin it by suggesting we do something productive that contributes toward a better good for mankind. I feel like I am back in school.

P.S. A better search capability is a good idea.

LOL !

Feeling like we're all at school is probably a good thing, in so many ways

I'm still trying to figure out the selection criteria here. It's a nice array of topics. The one (right now) that immediately grabs my attention is the drinking glass one; seemingly trivial/silly, but probably has some interesting fact to be found + potential for some giggles (in my head it instantly translated to English people drinking tea out of china cups, cucumber sandwiches etc). Once I've caught up with subscribed threads, it'll be my next port of call to consider.

I think we should include all the variants on perpetual machines.

Don't b mean, you might do that yourself (perpetual motion) one day!

does it mean we can't ask dumb questions any more?

if there's a young student joining in should on the other hand be given a fair chance to raise his occasional novice ideas though.

yeah, i'm sure there are those who raise questions just to stir and annoy the hell out of the others.

however, questions like how to:

- size a bus-bar

- size an electric-chair (perhaps for the mother-in-law)

- charge a cap with a lightning strike for later use (dangerous stuff)

- build a nuke powered car, plane, bike....etc

- implement the diesel loco's driving concept on the tail-rotor of a helicopter

should all be piped to a dead end or an already spent discussion/s months and years earlier.

dumb questions aren't that dumb most of the time. Being ignorant isn't being stupid. Ask on, it makes some of us feel useful

Stirring the pot? Thats a good way to get people thinking.

Some are bothered by ignorant questions from students, etc. I don't think you would be here if helping others wasn't in part of your make up. The ones that come here just to glean info don't last very long.

if one of us had the time, he could actually write a book - a compendium - of answers to such "homework" questions, culling from the CR4 archives. a nice title would be "CR4's Treasury of Wisdom (and Tomfoolery)". the tomfoolery section would contain the now-funny exchanges made while discussing such threads as "requiring 'Guest' to register", and those threads welcoming a newbie's first post, etc., methinks that would be a useful and fun book, too!

Game on!

Demi - I think it has to do with, ...immediate answer/s. On demand type of thing.

At first glance, I like this idea, droberson.

Good suggestion. GA from me.

Refer post 4 by sb: I would add one more subject "U stamping". Just yesterday or day before somebody has opened the subject (again)

If we give serach for the subject, we can find more than 30 earlier thread on the subject with different titles. The latest thread originator didn't bother to search the earlier threads.

I have to say, when I first found this place I had NO IDEA what the appropriate science or technology even was.

And the question largely stumped the experts, too.

But the civility I was treated with brought me back with other technical questions.

I fear an early screening process of any sort would have discouraged many of the more helpful folk we have here - perhaps I am wrong.

I like the idea of having stock answers to repeat questions (presuming we have gotten good with answering homework), condensing particularly good threads to an archive, but I also like a community where a person can just ask if they can hang out.

I think the problem here is: "CR4, the engineers place for news and discussion", as the name implies is a place where questions of an engineering nature are asked. It is not the place to find out where is the cheapest place to buy such n such or how do I fix my garbage disposal or how much is 2 and 2. These are questions for a service technician, a teacher or sales person, not an engineer.

Glad I'm not alone in this!

I had the impression when I received an invitation to join cr4 that it is 'The Engineer's Place for News and Discussion' as it says above.

I was thinking more along the line of design engineers than b...Field Service Technicians/engineers to join in with all sorts of dumb questions relating to their stupid field service problems. (Often these people get answers like check it with your local authority or check the local standards and they get upset because nobody wants to help them.)

If they work for a firm they should follow the firm's advice and instructions relating to a problem. If the question has some merits then let it pass through but, avoid those dumb questions that nobody will ever make any use of!

I am not talking about brain teasers and humorous articles they're great, and can be entertaining.

I noticed, currently there would only be just a handful of good contributors however, I'm sure their number would soon increase but, only if they were given a fairer chance rather than let the amateurs (field service techs/engineers) and alike take over and run the show with their novice (dumb) ideas.

Isti80 wrote: only if they were given a fairer chance rather than let the amateurs (field service techs/engineers) and alike take over and run the show with their novice (dumb) ideas.

I hope that was said in jest. Since when does field service service techs /engineers get lumped with amateurs and why are their ideas dumb? Academic credentials do not guarantee a measuer of common sense. Practical application work often does. Lacking common sense; a field tech or engineer seldom last in that job.

"Since when does field service service techs /engineers get lumped with amateurs and why are their ideas dumb?"

Since the early 90s when privatization became a high priority in the western world as a cost saving exercise.

I used to provide tech support for these people (field service techs) at some stage and my conclusion was that there were two types of them:

The fresh recruits from schools, with hardly any hands-on experience, and the 'fruit cake' types from previous times who were both poorly trained and unqualified. As a result many of the later ones obviously got their jobs under the "who you know" instead of "what you know" scheme.

Almost 2 decades on these tradesmen are beginning to leave their heavy foot-prints in many areas sadly even amongst the training staff members of some institutions as well, mark me.

Would you mind not to twist my words!!!

Perhaps I did not make myself clear enough that I was referring to those as 'fruit cakes' who could not become anything more than field service techs/engs after privatization got on.

I am merely referring to individuals who only have 'cheap skills' and hence, they have nothing better to offer than asking stupid questions like; perpetual motion, electric tail-rotors for choppers, how to convert asynchronous motors to generators, how to design a perpetual-mobile and the list goes on about questions like these that I have come across over the past couple of years. I am not even a regular participant here any more but still these issues I have seen to be raised a number of times.

I do not care how little qualification somebody might have because they're might be self taught with real hands-on skills. I'm sure those with creative minds and talents do not relate to my previous remark/s.

Lets be honest, constructive people don't raise stupid questions without a reason.

When I was at college some lecturers would say after we had covered a new topic - 'before you ask any question use your brains' - indeed, why not?

After all that's what it takes to be a designer is using that little bit you may have between the ears. Many of those field service engs/techs and fiddlers just don't do that before they raise their ideas or do they?

Great Question... I have had similar thoughts...

Your suggestion sound somewhat similar to a proposal I made Jan 1 09. (new years inspiration?) and a followup comment. (also in the same thread is some ideas on GA that may be relevant.)

My basic idea was that factual information could be contained in 'fact' type posts.

which leads to the question, what is a fact? I said that it had to have evidence, which leads to other types of posts... so I proposed a whole system of information relationships.

See here (#271) for a further continuation of related ideas in this suggestion for a 'language' of science.

Chris.

In its broadest sense CR4 exemplifies what is called "A life of the Mind."

I think my own most simple question was specifically about what sort of glue might be best for what I wanted to do, and was a purely technical question.

By the time we get to Jorries Blog we are into areas of thought that force me into sadness over my own lack of certain training.

Del the cat is a guiding star on this site.

Sometimes he is silly, as in the instance of his recent post of one of his cats.

Othertimes he can be very biting, in that sort of well mannered way peculiar to the brave English.

All I know is that regardless of philosophies and religions, it is good to help your friends, it is good to help your fellow man, and CR4 has helped me, and I hope I have helped others by my participation.