[CQ-Contest] Trying to make sense out of... [was: Annoying trend]

[Bob Naumann - W5OV]

How about some of you great thinkers coming up with something positive 
instead of pontificating about how things should be / should have been 
done? Oh, and most of the work being criticized is performed by those 
getting no compensation.

Aside from critique from those with few credentials, there isn't much 
value in many of these discussions.

Who cares what two numbers are sent as a check? Who cares if you have 
to insert a 599 in a Cabrillo file?

Sheesh! 

How about coming up with a solution to solve the lack of growth in ham 
radio? How about an idea to pry kids away from computer games? 

The latter one reminds me of an idea that I had some time ago and that 
is likening contesting to computer gaming. After all, computers are 
integral to all of this now - aren't they? Why can't we come up with an 
advertising campaign that shows how much fun contesting is and focus on 
getting these kids who play computer games around the clock? Have any 
of your heard of World of Warcraft? (Did you see the Southpark episode 
that accurately portrayed it?) These kids could be contesters!

73,

Bob W5OV

> ----- Original Message ----
> 
> Then why not state in the rules: 
> 
> Check (the last two digits made up at random)
> 
> It seems pretty straightforward what the check is. I cannot see why 
some people are so resistant to sending the correct thing.
> ---------------------------
> 
> John,
> I asked the same question, but within the context of Cabrillo files 
("why must I pack RST=599 when i didn't TX or RX an RST?").  The answer 
is just as annoying, but it is the answer none-the-less:
> 
> As a hobby, we are full of folks who say, "Let's go do something 
cool, and pick up the pieces later -- promise."  We then create all 
sorts of "adapters" to connect togther something that works, 
technically (but often misses the mark aesthetically or 
philosophically).  Once it is made to work, there seems to be little 
interest in going back to tidy things up again.
> 
> Look at the typical ham shack as proof. :)
> 
> Sadly, and as a defense mechanism, a culture of name-calling those 
that question the untidiness emerges.  They are called:
> * "armchair lawyers"
> * "monday morning quarterbacks"
> 
> or their opinions are trivialized because their callsign hasn't 
appeared in:
> * "the mwdink reports"
> * the log of some uber-station
> 
> Despite being an e-mail list whose purpose includes thread-oriented 
text-based discussion, some subscribers then complain about the amount 
of e-mail they receive on topics such as this -- suggesting instead 
that time should be spent on-the-air rather than at the computer.  This 
argument always makes me scratch my head in wonder.
> 
> We can make whatever sense we want to of all of this, but hopefully 
the above addressed the underlying factors at play.
> 
> Ev, W2EV
> 
> 
>  
> 
________________________________________________________________________
____________
> Never miss an email again!
> Yahoo! Toolbar alerts you the instant new Mail arrives.
> http://tools.search.yahoo.com/toolbar/features/mail/
> _______________________________________________
> CQ-Contest mailing list
> CQ-Contest at contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
> 
> 

Bob Naumann - W5OV