Inappropriate Use of this Forum

If you are referring to the competency of technical questions, I cannot agree with you more.

But as far as the choice of topic is concerned (technical/non-technical), there are plenty of non-technical issues that are and must rightly be of interest to engineers. My recent post on this topic is a case in point.

One of my favorite clueless posters. This is just one example.
How to Make this Pneumatic Hooter Work?

"Lets find the person on here that has never asked a stupid question. Anyone want to step up and claim the title?"

Are we talking lifetime or just on CR4?

IF its CR4 only I have never posted anonymously because I was worried that my question was stupid plus what questions/discussions I do post tend to be either for entertainment or general chit chat, So....?

That face is as big as a North Dakota oil spill.

I don't know why the system likes to do that to me some days.

That happened to me once, too.

Never figured it out.

My, what a big emoticon you have.

What can I say? I have massive doubts and sarcasm!

(Whatever.)

I had a good one for you, but I forgot it.

I have to go to a fancy party and I'm wearing jeans. Should I still wear a tie?

Free booze and all, I think I'll skip the tie.

What are your thoughts on that?

It's a golf shirt, I think a tie would be a bit much, don't you???????????????????

There are no "stupid questions" only "stupid answers".

This is at least my humble opinion.

Many times I gave complete quantitative answers which asked from me much more than only make a Google research and recommend (?) several addresses but for which I got comments at the limit if insults.

However I do not answer questions coming from person who do not have a "civilized" behavior according to what is my personal definition of "civilized".

Unfortunately, sometimes the answer is not in layman terms to be understood. And that makes it difficult

You are right I should stop to answer. I agree.

Basically if I do not understand some thing I ask for explanations not insult the one who gave me the answer. But of course we have different ways to appreciate same event.

That stupid questions are asked it is normal. But the screening can be done by participants : they can ignore the question and do not act.

What I more do not like is the reaction of people who are frustrated by the answers or recommendations and go immediately to invectives and personal attacks.

The last one was the guy who wanted to define a hot flow to heat a volume. I recommended some books about heat transfer and he answered to have them on the shelf but had no time to use them. Insults followed.

After several weeks I send a private message (since I promised in my answer to check his results and correct them if necessary) asking if help is needed. I have till now no answer. This is the proof of his stupid thinking which cannot be foreseen.

What we should do is avoid unproductive discussions with persons who are not willing to have an open ear or eye but who stubbornly refute any comment contrary to their belief.

Early in the morning, the front page is covered with unintelligible questions and spam.

It's real easy to ignore it. On the questions, I just don't see the point in going to the trouble to reply with an insult.

Not only are there some idiotic questions, but there are also some incomprehensible answers. Without mentioning any names/monikers, there are certain regular and occasional contributors who have, what I can only call, a bizarre, jumbled writing style that passeth all understanding. Some, I am sure, are trying to respond on some hand-held device that doesn't exactly encourage good writing skills, others may be somewhat dyslexic - who knows? - so I suppose one shouldn't criticize too much (although I admit, I have).

Is this an engineering question...?

I posted a stupid question and got two responses:

1. google it, etc.

2. you must not remember your class in motors, (which is true.) then this person (thank you Sir!) gave an answer, just enough that I could get started researching in the right direction. this is all I needed and was perfect.

Honestly, there would be no forum here is not for questions, good, bad, and medium.

We can conceivably answer "google it" to every single question, but what kind of forum is that?

Still, its fun to make fun sometimes...

We either........

a) Ignore it entirely (yes I know it can be hard sometimes).

b) Let someone else answer it

c) Post a very simple and quick cut-and-past answer that at least points the poster in the right direction to answer it themselves. Link to Wikipedia seems to answer most of them.

d) Answer the question (with various degrees of finger waving and tutting).

e) Get the admin to remove it.

f) Post something helpful and on topic, possibly with a link, but not worded in a particularly nice way. The sort of thing you would say to their face in person if they asked you the same question.

g) Post something totally off topic and hijack the post (start a conversation between CR4 members, etc).

etc.

It's not the homework ones that really bother me, its the ones where posters are trying to apparently do something really dangerous that they are definitely not qualified to do (electrical wiring or substation design for example).

A Blog is a discussion, and I agree a post may get hijacked, and I have been one to do this. But with the experience I have seen, these off topic discussion, are added to solving a problem. I can't count how any times in a brain storming session the topic strayed, and then to return to on topic, or.......... Develop a solution total for lack of better words "out of the box thinking" solution.

Now if you enjoy uniformity, great. In the real world, real problems are solved by real people who do not see things the same. And avoiding to do the one thing that happens with uniformity, and that is group think.

How's that for finger waving and tutting (what ever tutting is, I have to look it up)

I debated for awhile before I posted this but here goes.

Breathe……Count to 10……Breathe.

I know many engineers that absolutely love answering questions, any question. The only question not worth asking is, should I ask? If someone has enough gumption to find this site and the willingness to ask a "5^th grader" question, who are you to berate them? If you know the answer, answer it. If you don't know it, don't comment.

Remember you might miss the next teenager that asks if it's ok to store chorine next to brake fluid. You might think that it's an answer that they can just Google, but do you trust everything in Google? Have you tried to Google anything lately to a complicated question? Stake your life on it? Someone else's life?

I know you must be so busy that you can't afford any of your time for the little people. But I know there are many people in CR4 that will answer the question in an intelligent and responsible way, that's why they are here after all. What if the teenager is too shy to bother the big engineer? Decides that they don't want to take up your time and it should be "all good", probably doesn't matter anyway? What harm can it do? How would you feel when if they burn't themselves or worse?

"This is a forum of engineers for engineers" What a load of fluff. I can't find that term anywhere in CR4. Are you currently puffing out your chest and beating it? I'd like to find out from the site admin what's the percentage of engineers in CR4? Where is the cut off? Only engineers that have 2 PhD's may apply?

Where forums for non-technical general knowledge questions.

Wiki? How to?

Ha, Ha. YOU are funny as well.

Besides what question cannot be somehow ultimately boiled down to an engineering problem?

There are always questions to ask and answers to be given.

When my kids ask a question, I tell them the answer if I know it or help them find out if I don't. I don't tell them to run to Google because I haven't got time.

Sorry about the rant, I know it's a bit strong and probably out of proportion but I needed to write it.

I'm going to lie down now. Breathe…1..2.. Breathe..