Re: TRM - Morbidity has set in, or not?

J M Davitt wrote:
> Marshall Spight wrote:
> > Frank Hamersley wrote:
<snip>
> > As an aside, I note that Mr. Pascal spends quite a lot of time telling
> > us
> > how smart and logical he is,
>
> I'm not sure that's right; he's certainly not shy about voicing his
> opinions -- and presenting them as certainties. Many of them probably
> are, although the context in which he makes his remarks is often
> opaque.
>
> and how all of his opponents are stupid,
> > ignorant, and illogical.
>
> That's certainly true -- but he explains why. At least, every now and
> again.
>
> He also spends a lot of time name calling, and
> > even making fun of other people's names!
>
> Hmm.. I've never seen him cast the first stone.

I took several years of stones and did not toss one until a light-hearted lob in a blog entry a few weeks ago named "Pascal Loses Wager." I removed it when he removed his V.I. page. It was a rebus that included a picture of an ass. That is/was my entire punch as best I recall. I do not wish the man ill, and given his approach to fellow travelers he seems a sad sort, but I would prefer not to continue to take his kicks and I know that others feel the same way. (Yes, I said the word "feel" although I know that is not part of the active vocabulary of everyone here.)

I have no problems with logical arguments if he would like to take any one of mine and lay out a logical rebuttal. I might even retract something as I'm certain I have written some less-than-stellar arguments and know I've asked "dumb questions" in my effort to learn more. He has done a lot of "see how stupid she is" writing, without countering any particular point with sound reasoning.

I recognize I'm a heretic among relational theorists, and I also know what happens to heretics. Why are my questions and arguments not strewn with mathematics? Because I have no disagreement with the mathematics itself. I disagree with some choices typically deemed standard in the industry related to how to model data for "large shared data banks." I write about that which interests me, which might or might not be of interest to one person or another -- how to write quality data-based software in a fiscally responsible way. I recall a comment on cdt about how if I cared about cost then nothing I had to say would be of interest here -- very telling, but clearly false (e.g. performance concerns and optimization are often mentioned, not to mention costs of data redundancy, poor quality data, etc). I have enough experience with budgets related to software development to have formed opinions about the relative cost of various database solutions for an organization (including data quality, personnel, configuration and change management... costs), but not enough to prove my hunches, so I continue my search, in spite of the bruises from the ad hominem attacks.

Now while I sit in my oldest daughter and her husband's comfortable, happy, recently-built home, I'm online to look up Phi Beta Kappa so I understand the honor my youngest is receiving upon her graduation this weekend. It makes me think I have at least dome some things right, and I wonder if those who feel a need to burn heretics at the stake have happy lives, given their need to throw stones at all. Maybe we need to throw Pascal a party or something and thank him for the work he has done that we do appreciate. I worry about him (and BB too). --a mom Received on Sat May 13 2006 - 05:15:19 CEST