tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post5711480032246138275..comments2023-05-27T11:14:02.426-04:00Comments on Some Space to Think: Internet LandminesAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14216103531396452644noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-72622101913322559312010-03-01T01:11:03.352-05:002010-03-01T01:11:03.352-05:00I remember the first time I saw the word 'char...I remember the first time I saw the word 'chargen' - I had no idea what it was. I thought it might be an archaic spelling of 'charged'. Yes, I had to get somebody to explain it to me, and it took quite a long time before it became a "real word" in my internalized lexicon.<br /><br />I see Rob, Cam and Fred use abbreviations in their tweets that I cannot begin to decipher (like 4e and DA). And that's okay, since I know they're discussing SOME RPG or other (I did figure out Dragon Age. Haven't figured out 4e yet). As a non-gamer, I don't *expect* to know which ones they mean, much less expect that they should waste precious characters in a 140-character tweet, spelling it all out. They know what they're talking about.<br /><br />It does leave me none the wiser, all the same. So I understand what you mean, Craig.Angelahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10191244133348870604noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-59958335427140917002010-02-27T20:31:01.086-05:002010-02-27T20:31:01.086-05:00By 'jargon', I expect that Rob means speci...By 'jargon', I expect that Rob means specialised vocabulary used by particular groups.<br /><br />For tabletop gaming, '3d6' is an example of jargon, as are 'GM', 'system', and 'character sheet' - or, for that matter, 'character'. Little things that we use to avoid having to forever say 'roll three six sided dice and add up the numbers' or 'the piece of paper where you write down things about your pretend person'.<br /><br />That's all before we get to things like the GNS model, or task resolution, or microgames, or GM fiat, which also communicate concepts but are rather less accessible to others.<br /><br />In practice, I think, if you're not prepared to explain what your jargon means then you're mostly just trying to exclude people.Craig Waylinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00063499000095909889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-62638759093492839622010-02-27T14:51:24.851-05:002010-02-27T14:51:24.851-05:00Yes, but Sarah Palin IS a moron, so that's not...Yes, but Sarah Palin IS a moron, so that's not so much jargon as an observation of a trainwreck.Cam_Bankshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16162534181760938499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-61949982513508038122010-02-26T23:40:49.769-05:002010-02-26T23:40:49.769-05:00If by 'jargon' you mean 'the latest me...If by 'jargon' you mean 'the latest meme going around', then I understand you. For an example in the realm of politics, there are such doozies as 'Palin is a moron' (which surfaced one day, and the next day EVERYBODY knew it was true, and the ones who disagreed were also deemed to be morons) and 'If you didn't vote for Obama, this is because you're a racist who didn't want a black man in the White House'. I have heard these gems spit out by people I ordinarily consider quite intelligent, independent thinkers who should know better, but (as far as I can see) groupthink or the easy one-liner or a desire to receive approbation from a group of friends or like-thinkers has taken over their monkey brain briefly, and nary a banana in sight.<br /><br />Or, as Motleypolitico@Livejournal says, reasonable people can reasonably be expected to disagree. But it's hard to do anything but agree or disagree with blanket, broad-brush statements like the above.<br /><br />If you mean some other jargon, I think you'll have to provide more examples. My only other experience with 'jargon' lay, 20 years ago, in several assorted church-related groups. Knowing the 'in phrases' made you belong. Not knowing them made you an outsider. I know now it was merely a tribe/clan thing and humans always do that, but I didn't know that then.Angelahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10191244133348870604noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-44195621445342281242010-02-26T20:14:49.702-05:002010-02-26T20:14:49.702-05:00Jargon has no benefit in any discussion. It is mos...Jargon has no benefit in any discussion. It is most often simply a case of sheer linguistic laziness and a detriment to any attempt at clear communication and should be avoided at all costs.<br /><br />Of course, my opinion is formed from the difficulty of having worked in a cross-disciplinary field (physics, computing, engineering, and medicine), each with it's own separate (and often overlapping jargon [that is the same words have a different meaning in each field]).<br /><br />So I do say "don't do it!"Reverance Pavanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01217657347160811310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-91042580115777682992010-02-26T16:40:54.959-05:002010-02-26T16:40:54.959-05:00ObviouslyObviouslyKirby Vosburghhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11460798256196493562noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-64730539071616724002010-02-26T15:45:14.675-05:002010-02-26T15:45:14.675-05:00Hey Rob Donoghue! Many times I disagree with you b...Hey Rob Donoghue! Many times I disagree with you but this time I do not. <br /><br />PS: You continue to be awesome.Jason Morningstarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07658337818464887156noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-68956177275853043932010-02-26T10:38:08.790-05:002010-02-26T10:38:08.790-05:00@Rob, Oh, absolutely, but I was responding to the ...@Rob, Oh, absolutely, but I was responding to the twitter, not the action, (which seems the right idea).Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14216103531396452644noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1678761812929125529.post-90070566314019112662010-02-26T10:19:21.543-05:002010-02-26T10:19:21.543-05:00Hey, Rob. Thanks for the kind words up top. I'...Hey, Rob. Thanks for the kind words up top. I'm considering your point of view.<br /><br /><i>My</i> point was just to say: it's better to support someone who's been wronged by pimping his or her stuff sincerely to people you think would like it than it is to engage in stupid internet flamewars.Robert Bohlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09840732285341827271noreply@blogger.com