Graham Downs on Nostr: nprofile1q…7qun5 Indeed. And I think you're 100% right when you say we use ...
nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnddaehgu3wwp6kyqpqgwdgsr5dm5z3m2fxz4ulgq2cej0th92ceqefzqyqgqawycj00hcqm7qun5 (nprofile…qun5) Indeed. And I think you're 100% right when you say we use different languages.
I wouldn't know enough to be an *expert*. You no doubt have many many years of experience in that field, and perhaps even a university degree. I don't, and since it's NOT my area of expertise, I'd still be happy to leave the heavy lifting to you. I mean, just because I have a basic understanding of how a fridge works doesn't mean I would feel comfortable repairing one, Much less building my own. But if I were in a position where I had to, I could probably figure it out... Or not; there is an expression in IT: "a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing". I am well aware that there are certain areas where the amount I know is enough to be dangerous! ;-)
I guess also the flipside of that "insatiable need to learn" I was talking about is that it often comes with an insatiable need to *explain*. So often, when non-IT people ask for advice, we'll give you the advice, and then launch into a long explanation about how it works. Which is too much information and goes over your head, and probably makes *you* frustrated because all you want is for your immediate problem to be solved.
And to be fair, I understand that reaction too. If I were to ask *you* for advice on solving *my* problem that's related to a field in which you're the expert, I also just want my problem solved. Once it was solved, though, I'd probably ask you follow-up questions about why you gave that advice, why it solved my problem, delving deeper into the intricacies, and all that.
But that would be me soliciting an explanation from you, and I'm well aware that I have a tendency to offer unsolicited explanations at inappropriate times (perhaps that's even what I'm doing right now). I'm working on it.
If we technical people would like you to understand more of the background of how and why things work, we also need to take a step back and figure out how we can make those things a little more accessible... and also realise that sometimes you don't actually *need* to understand something, at that point in time, and trust that if and when you had the bandwidth, you'd come to us wanting to know more.
I wouldn't know enough to be an *expert*. You no doubt have many many years of experience in that field, and perhaps even a university degree. I don't, and since it's NOT my area of expertise, I'd still be happy to leave the heavy lifting to you. I mean, just because I have a basic understanding of how a fridge works doesn't mean I would feel comfortable repairing one, Much less building my own. But if I were in a position where I had to, I could probably figure it out... Or not; there is an expression in IT: "a little bit of knowledge is a dangerous thing". I am well aware that there are certain areas where the amount I know is enough to be dangerous! ;-)
I guess also the flipside of that "insatiable need to learn" I was talking about is that it often comes with an insatiable need to *explain*. So often, when non-IT people ask for advice, we'll give you the advice, and then launch into a long explanation about how it works. Which is too much information and goes over your head, and probably makes *you* frustrated because all you want is for your immediate problem to be solved.
And to be fair, I understand that reaction too. If I were to ask *you* for advice on solving *my* problem that's related to a field in which you're the expert, I also just want my problem solved. Once it was solved, though, I'd probably ask you follow-up questions about why you gave that advice, why it solved my problem, delving deeper into the intricacies, and all that.
But that would be me soliciting an explanation from you, and I'm well aware that I have a tendency to offer unsolicited explanations at inappropriate times (perhaps that's even what I'm doing right now). I'm working on it.
If we technical people would like you to understand more of the background of how and why things work, we also need to take a step back and figure out how we can make those things a little more accessible... and also realise that sometimes you don't actually *need* to understand something, at that point in time, and trust that if and when you had the bandwidth, you'd come to us wanting to know more.