On Saturday, October 9, 2004, at 03:47  PM, Brian Heibert wrote:

> My name is Brian NOT BOWERBIRD
> FOR THE LAST TIME I AM NOT BOWERBIRD

Brian,

Let me explain what's going on here. Several of us listers have been 
around for a number of years, and for several of those years there was 
a fellow on the list who calls himself bowerbird. He was, unlike you, 
given to lengthy rantings about all sorts of things, be he also had a 
tendency to ask other listers to write code and solve problems for him, 
so he wouldn't have to do it himself.

BB was eventually removed from the list for valid reasons that I don't 
remember, and he has occasionally tried to sneak back in under other 
aliases. It's become kind of an inside joke and a game to see who can 
spot his attempts to rejoin. That's part of the reason his name keeps 
coming up with regard to you. So far, we know almost nothing about you, 
and that leads to wild speculation.

I doubt anyone really thinks you could be the bowerbird--you're far too 
UNinterested in extemporizing and much too interested in actually 
writing code. I think some of the listers may be trying to convey, 
though, that you could do more to make use of the suggestions we share 
with you and to show  appreciation for the time we invest in your 
questions.

Please be clear that no one wants you to go away. But you could be a 
better list citizen if you made a point of following the advice you're 
given, or explaining why you are not following it; if you offered some 
clearer explanations of what you're trying to do and how you have tried 
to solve the problems you are putting forward; and  if you offered an 
occasional "thank-you" for the help you're receiving.

One thing this list has in abundance is a sense of humor, and you can 
participate in that whether or not you're an expert programmer. You are 
something of an unknown here, so some of the guys are having a bit of 
fun at your expense, trying to goad you into letting us know a bit more 
about you. (If you posted a 5-page autobiography, it would serve them 
right. :-)

So don't be offended by the "bowerbird" suggestions--they're harmless 
fun. If you're not bowerbird, we're interested in finding out who 
(beyond a name), you ARE. We're curious about how old you are, what 
part of the world you live in, what other programming you've done (if 
any), what your current project is, etc. There's no need to pour all 
this out at once, but a little explanation or a personal tidbit 
occasionally won't get anyone complaining.

If you'd like to send a post just to let us know a bit about yourself, 
you should mark it [XFB] (like this one), so the listers who really 
aren't interested will know to skip it. The rest of us are looking 
forward to getting to know you better.

  e-e
  =J= a  y
   "

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