Walters Resume

[walters]

Hi this is Walters

seems like alot of people want to know about what i do and if i have a
background in electronics to understand what u all are telling me
I fix keyboards, guitar effects, guitar amps and i went to school for
4 yrs of electronics
I know how to signal trace, troubleshoot to a point not really
in depth but a general basic view of it.
There was no classes talking about guitar effects so i dont know
everything about phase shifters and flangers and so on
The Techs in here like RG and Mark Hammer and rest on you
you guys are very smart people i dont know what schools u went too
but i dont know any school that teaches effect pedals
i know basic Electrons i work doing Repairs for 10yrs
but u guys know more in depth about how circuits work
thats why i have questions because no teacher at my schools
had any knowledge of this information.
if u want my Resume i'll email you it if u dont believe me
or u are curious of what i do.

[Transmogrifox]

I think the only thing we want to know is if our answers are making sense to you.  Some of these threads you have started begin with a machine-like entourage of questions, then you get clear-cut very well laid out answers from the likes of RG, and your next post is an entourage of questions that seem as if you didn't even read the response...so that leads us to believe that you don't have the electronics background--and if that was so, we would change the format of our answers.

Again, this is not said to make a target of you.  I know some others in the forum have become a bit annoyed--but I think it's good that you're coming to a point where you would like to understand why and how these effect work.  That's learning.  I don't think RG and Mark Hammer learned this stuff from school--they learned it by asking questions, and just sitting and thinking.  Just building stuff and trying to design things so that you have to think all the way through it on your own will teach you like these guys have learned.

So, sorry I'm so wordy here, but I say keep asking.  People don't have to read your posts if they're not interested in helping.  If you're interested in learning, and you are actually taking the responses you get seriously and reading them through---thinking about them, than many of us are happy to help.  That's what the forum is about.

The only advice I can offer is:  take it easy, chill out.  Be patient and take these things one at a time.  I had to just sit and think through the concept of the phasor before it came together for me--then it donned on me it's just a notch filter--nothing too mystical or weird.  A flanger is basically a comb filter.  It actually has a very similar response to a digital FIR filter.

I just think you have your mind made up about what you think a phasor is, and you're trying to bend people's explanations about it into your concept and it isn't working.  Just forget anything you think about what you don't understand and try to pretend you're learning about it with no previous knowlege.  Remember:  guitar effects do not defy physical laws and properties of electronics.  

Did they ever teach you the Fourier transform at the school you attended?  If you have done Fourier math and you understand the link between the time and frequency domain, this stuff should begin to take form.

Best Regards--May your understanding increase,

Ryan


Chill out! :wink:   You'll get it.

[Dragonfly]

The only advice I can offer is:  take it easy, chill out.  Be patient and take these things one at a time.  

might i also add that many of walters questions have been asked AND answered in the past....using the "search" function on this forum is a basic skill that enables a person (like me ) to REALLY learn a lot !

and walters...welcome to the forum !

andy

[walters]

No i didnt learn the math side of electronics, my teacher just said
ohms law is all u have to learn because it never lies to u
I dont really know y i would need math like transfor doesn't
Work Bench and Circuit Maker does this stuff for us now
using a computer it works out all the formulas if i have the
result i just have to plug it in.
Unless u can tell me and inlighten me is to why i need math
and what formulas i need to really use and to applied this stuff
in a phasor and flanger or fuzz units
I learned the Basic Laws and Principles of electronics and but
they sorta of work with guitar pedals i mean there needs to be
a new book with new Electronic Pedal Laws and Principles
does anybody know the laws and principles to pedal effects?

[niftydog]

i went to school for 4 yrs of electronics

Aside from working in the industry for 5 years, that is the extent of my training in electronics as well.

I don't know exactly what they taught you at that school, but I'm surprised at the basic level of some of your questions, particularly considering 4 years of study!

I strongly suggest that you need to search the forums and read up a bit before you ask barrages of questions.

You are quickly using up all of your favours and you've only been a member for a day!

This forum is about sharing, you cannot just come here and demand information about every subject you can think of!

We are a very friendly bunch, but we don't like being taken advantage of.

[toneman]

Walter,
no disrepect intended,
but, what "electronics school" did U attend that didnt give U the fundamentals?
My electronis "classes" consisted of 2years of junior college.
The rest of the knowledge was gained by 25yrs of hands-on.
Sure, it took me more than 2years to understand Ohm's law, but there are other "laws"
such as Kirkov's that i still don't understand fully that really aren't needed in the
world of electronics repair.  Actually, IMHO, " electronics repair" is a dying field.
Everything either goes obsolete or is "not cost effective" to repair.
But, don't throw away your tube amps.   Put them on Ebay...  
Your questions of "how do i plug things in backwards", really do not imply any electronics fundamentals nor do they suggest U have any musical background either.
Your latest questions about transformers suggest U did not learn any AC-theory
aswellas electronics fundamentals.  AC and DC theory was convered in my
2nd semester at the Junior College.  The behavior of AC on inductors and capacitors
is very fundamental and the laws of physics have not changed in the last 30yrs.
I agree there are no formal "classes"  or guitar effects pedals, but musical electronics
are but a small faction of the total electronics world.  "Plugging pwr in reverse" is
something folks here do by "accident" not by intention.  And, like driving backwards,
from the back seat, is really unpredictible as to what will "actually" happen.
4 years of "electronics college"  should have given U *much*  more knowledge than what your questions indicate.  MayB U should re-enroll ??  in a better school?? a  refresher?
Asking folks here 2 give U electronics fundamentals,  is difficuilt, at best;  impossible
to say the least.  I'm sure U have PMed other folks as U have me about  *Adding* noise to
a circuit.  This  is really *not* in the realm of DIY musical electronics....at least, as far as
i understand it.   Always, Keep learning.  But, when U ask questions,  how do
your know when U get the "right" answer?   The "answer",  is that U must know some
of the "answers" already, so U can filter the fact from the BS.  And, U should figure
out how to *verify* what U consider to B  the "correct" answers.  This, again, can only B done by knowlegde. Kind of a Catch22??? Know what a Catch22 is??
Welcome to the real world.
staycurious
tone

[R.G.]

eems like alot of people want to know about what i do and if i have a
background in electronics to understand what u all are telling me

I fix keyboards, guitar effects, guitar amps

For money? What is the name of the business, and where is it located?

and i went to school for 4 yrs of electronics

What is the name and location of the school?

I know how to signal trace, troubleshoot to a point not really
in depth but a general basic view of it.

Can you describe that to us?

There was no classes talking about guitar effects so i dont know
everything about phase shifters and flangers and so on

Have you read the "Technology of" articles at GEO?

The Techs in here like RG and Mark Hammer and rest on you
you guys are very smart people i dont know what schools u went too
but i dont know any school that teaches effect pedals

That's because effects electronics is all covered by basic electronics.

i know basic Electrons i work doing Repairs for 10yrs
but u guys know more in depth about how circuits work
thats why i have questions because no teacher at my schools
had any knowledge of this information.

I will agree with that statement based on what I see. Your teachers really did not have any knowledge of how circuits work.

if u want my Resume i'll email you it if u dont believe me
or u are curious of what i do.

Just post it here.

[walters]

Yea so , whats with my background Why u so curious about me
im not trying to take advantage of you people i just want to talk tech
I have nothing to Prove to any of you like R.G i know about electronics
i dont know about everything i dont know this was a Job interview
that i was on in here is R.G my Manager because i dont want to
work for him. I dont think i ask Basic Electronic Questions i think people
that read them over look this as being Basic but i have just started
the question it gets more in depth i have to lead you into it first. Alot
of you are over reacting about me and its Herassing me alot like R.G
with his private messages. Since all u are so smart why isn't R.G and all
you working for like NASA maybe need a career change for all you
they seem to be so curious about my background so so much.
Seems like basic electronic question i have u can't answer but then go
behind my back and laugh and Private message me if you can or can't
answer my questions , and to project on me because of my
electronic background i didnt know my electronic classes taught everything theres is in every Field of electronics. I put questions up there
for me and for other users that dont have a knowledge and a background
of electronics to learn from i think alot of people that use this site
dont know that much about electronis and can read my post and learn
for it . Thank you all for your time and Answers and i take electronics
serious  Peace Walters

[The Tone God]

Well now that it seems Walters is reading some of the posts so I'll try to be less tounge-in-cheek then I was in the other thread.

Walters, you may have not figured it out but I'll let you know right now. Your anoying everybody on the forum. That simple. Worse yet you seem not to know it. Let me explain why and I'll even do it in typical "Walters" form so you can understand it.

1.) You appear out of no where and spray the forum with your questions. 2/3 of the first page are your postings. To others it appears that you are monoplizing this forum for your own self and you may just be doing that.

2.) Your poor post formating, grammer, and desperate need for punctuation does not encourage others to answer your many questions. I don't know if its because English is not your native lanugage or that your new to the internet.

3.) Your questions are too vauge and broad. People come here on their own time. Everyone is not interesting in spending all that free personal time reading/answering your questions in detail especially when you can find many of the answers in other places.

4.) Despite your claims you seem to lack basic electronics knowledge hence the inqures about your background. When you ask basic questions then retort stating you have a background electronics it seem that you both insulting the forum member(s) and confusing people as you are not letting us know what you know. Knowing what you know helps others form their answers to suit you particular need. You need to help others to help you.

5.) You seem to have not taken upon yourself to seek information on the topics at hand. Nobody is hiding this information. People are not interested in spoon feeding you information. You have to make an effort to learn on your own. This is DIY.

6.) To claim that asking these questions under the pretense of being some type of service for future others without knowing that most of these questions have already been answered in the past is ignorant. Those who don't understand that past can't predict the future.

7.) Your increasing bad attitude shown in your last post indicates you do not know how to behave here. You are not making friends or encouraging others to help you. It is counter productive for you and no one else.

My advice to you is (in order):

1.) Learn some manners and netiquette.

2.) Take time to observe how we behave here so as to learn how to interact.

3.) Learn basic electronics.

4.) Read the EVERYTHING at the links posted above (i.e. FAQs, GEO, AMZ, etc.)

5.) Use the forum's "search" function to see if there is already information on your topic.

6.) Make use of web search engines.

7.) Then post your questions here with as much detail as you can provide.

8.) Be patient and nice.

Andrew

P.S. If this was one of my forums you would have received a warning PM and/or post by now.

[R.G.]

Yea so , whats with my background

You misunderstood some fairly straightforward answers to your questions. When that happens, the background is usually the problem.

Why u so curious about me

Just trying to help by finding a level at which you can be communicated with.

im not trying to take advantage of you people

Sorry, but yes, you are. You're asking for help on a great number of wide topics. You would like us to simply tell you answers, and yes, that is taking advantage of us.

i just want to talk tech I have nothing to Prove to any of you

I agree with that.

like R.G i know about electronics
i dont know about everything i dont know this was a Job interview
that i was on in here is R.G my Manager because i dont want to
work for him.

That's fine. No job offer is being extended, and this is not a job interview.

I dont think i ask Basic Electronic Questions i think people
that read them over look this as being Basic but i have just started
the question it gets more in depth i have to lead you into it first.

Save us some time. Leap the delicate, difficult, complicated stuff first.

Alot
of you are over reacting about me and its Herassing me alot like R.G
with his private messages.

The private messages were advice, and were offered in response to YOUR private messages. And "herassing" is not a magic word.

Since all u are so smart why isn't R.G and all
you working for like NASA

Who says we're not?

maybe need a career change for all you
they seem to be so curious about my background so so much.

It's a pretty simple question. Tell you what. I'll go first.

Here's my background:
- started electronics at 14, read voraciously and was building amps from scratch at 16. BSEE from Oklahoma State, MSEE University of Texas; thirty years professional employment as an EE.

Seems like basic electronic question i have u can't answer but then go
behind my back and laugh and Private message me if you can or can't
answer my questions , and to project on me because of my
electronic background i didnt know my electronic classes taught everything theres is in every Field of electronics.

hmmm... "behind your back"? "laugh"? "Private message me"?
I believe that any comments I've had to or about you were either public - here - or by private message that included advice on how to get a better response.  As I've pointed out several times, knowing your background makes it easier to get an answer to the right level so you can understand.

I put questions up there for me and for other users that dont have a knowledge and a background of electronics to learn from i think alot of people that use this site dont know that much about electronis and can read my post and learn for it .

I think if you'll ask, you'll find that I've spent some years answering questions from even the most beginner of beginners, with some pretty fair results. Ask them.

Thank you all for your time and Answers and i take electronics
serious Peace Walters

And thank you for helping us all realize that we're all children of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars we have a right to be here. After all today *is* the first day of the rest of our lives. And today is also the last day of the first of our lives. Peace, flowers and goodness. Smile and the world smiles with you.

Peace, flowers and sunshine. Tomorrow is another day. The sun shines on the just and the unjust. Virtue is its own reward.

[walters]

1.) i didn't know there was a standard of electronic Knowledge u have
    to have and English Grammer to post questions ?


2.) I think you techs here are to hard on me and trying to Discourage
    me but im not taking it i dont have a bad additude im a really
    nice person i get paid $17.50 an hour for my electronic work
    i get paid for my Additude and my work and my knowlegde
    of what i have. Sorry im not as smart as some of you in this
    chat. Again i have to say i think u all all teachers and forgot
    how to be students for someone like me that is willing to learn
    and i do have a background in electronics. Electronics is like a
    Doctor it takes many many years to really know it .
    I am not asking Basic Electronic questions im asking how
    circuits really work in REALITY not theory i might ask Theory
    questions to get to a point to put it in a Reality
    I ask questions about Appilied electronics taking the theory
    and apply it to a circuit.

3.) I dont like how u treat me saying i dont know electronics
     and i dont have a background how do u people really know
    that? and Whats your point if i dont ? why can't u just answer
    the questions i have?

4.) I take theses questions serious and i would like u too.

5.) I do understand what u are saying to me about electronics

Thanks for your help and time   walters

[puretube]

I think if you'll ask, you'll find that I've spent some years answering questions from even the most beginner of beginners, with some pretty fair results. Ask them.

I`m not being asked, I don`t count myself to the "beginners", we may not be the best of friends,
but I`ll gladly be the first to affirm that R.G`s above statement is absolutely true, and nothing but accurate!

Find most answers to most of almost anybody`s questions patiently and diligently answered on R.G`s website and in his thread-contributions in the past.

If there would have been a "www" back then...,
with all the knowledge available with the hit of a "search-" or "google-" button,
it would have saved me years of experimenting, learning, and experiencing...

[Transmogrifox]

hey Aron, could you remove or terminate this post?  It seems like it's spiralling downward and away from the topics of this forum.

Walters--just get ahold of yourself.  Realise that none of us know you any more than you know us.  Have some confidence--people are not judging your legitimacy as a person.  People are ruffling eachothers' feathers, and the more annoyed and angry people get, the more mean and angry things they say get.

Simply understand that the entourage of posts put everybody on edge because nobody does that in this forum.  Just back off, take their advice--and maybe return something to the forum out of your knowlege base.  You obviously know more than some people here and have something to offer them as well.

[walters]

I don't need R.G to answer my questions i will not be asking anymore
    questions anymore about anything at all i have to say is
    that the Techinicans in this site are really verbally abusive.
    i feel the techs have not helped me out more than verbally
    abusiving me and trying to Discourage me of my electronic
    background i been in this field since i was 15 too R.G but i come
     from a different background than the Techs at this Site.
    I feel there is a Prerequisite to have a Grammer and Electronic
    masters Degrees from many schools to ask questions here.
    i have ran into and worked for techs like on this site that
    Discourage a person that is willing to learn and all i have to say
    is if R.G and the Tech that hate me so much from my simple
    questions and the people on here amire them for there knowledge is  this pick a better role model and stop using them as a stand by
    because your scared to tell them that they are mean people
    and this is not right.and i want to ask R.G and the Techs that hate me
    is did your Electronic Teachers treat you like how u verbally abuse me
    and Discourage you did your teachers do this?
    i look at techs like them and say thats a Tech that when i grow
    up i do not want to turn out like. Always be nice and Share
    information and treat people equal even if they ask stupid
    question. This is all my Opinion about how i felt about the techs on  this site and how they treated me by judging me first without know me at all. Seems like I annoyed alot of techs on this site for asking to many questions then why is there a site to say questions to help people out? and saying im taking advantage of you?
I took it to far by asking to many questions but i have been waiting my whole life for a site like this to be able to talk about guitar effects but the problem is the some of the techs here that have a pedestal because of there knowlegde and talent " not all people are as smart as you or didn't get the information as easy as you did. Electronics has a Learning Curve to it and for the techs in this site it can easy to you than for me to be so smart. I hope these makes it more clear.Thanks for your time and answers  Walters

[davebungo]

Your imitation of Pidgeon English is very pale.
You know too many of the characters in this forum to be a newcomer.
Who were you in your previous existance?
You've been sussed mate.
It was fun while it lasted.
Keep on plugging your effects in backwards, it suits you.

[ryanscissorhands]

Name: Ryan
Electronics background: 18 months ago, I knew only that I could test a 9V with my tongue.
Forum experience: I waste my life away on this forum.

Okay, walters, I think that there has just been some miscommunication here. You seem to think that the people here are verbally abusive; I check this forum on average 12 times a day; yes, I know, I'm a loser. I've read most of what goes on here, and I can tell you that the people here, for hte most part, are not verbally abusive. Or at least they are not meaning to come off that way. If you are taking it as intentional "verbal abuse," please understand that as someone who has been around here as a spectator, that is not the intention. Especially from R.G. So if you feel that way, try not to because this is one of the most civil and not-off-topic forums I've been to. (CONCLUSION: these folk are good folk; insults are usually unintentional).

Here's how I see it: you REALLY want to lear about effects. As do I. And to discover this forum, with all of its contributors and archives of information, it's like finding a treasure chest full of gold. It really is. (Three cheers for the people who answer my questions!). So it's tempting to grab all of the gold that's here, because it's a place with mor info than we expected possible. (CONCLUSION: we feel like we've won te lottery.)

The problem is that we can't just take the gold from the treasure chest, because ech piece of gold is a real person somewhere in the world who invests their own time to answer our questions. And they have no problem with answering them. But I've seen where the frustration comes in: they've answered the questions SO MANY TIMES that even myself (an idiot) can answer some of them, because I've read so many topics on that. . .topic. This can be avoided using the search function, because many of the questions that you have have been answered every week for the past 3 years. So, can you see why this would be frustrating for someone who answers the same questions every week? If you can, you can understand at least SOME of that frustration, and realize that, although you're excited to get into this, posting  a dozen topics in a day about previously answered questions can seem like it's overdone. (CONCLUSION: many people have come looking for the "gold" here at this forum, and the gold sometimes gets agitated from all of hte hands digging into it. Gold being R.G., Doug H, Dean H, Mark Hammer, etc. [sorry to leave out others]).

But, for R.G. and such, please realize that the searhc function has its limitations. I've had problems with it as a beginner. The search function works best for a very specific question: finding a perf layout for the Marshall Shredmaster, or tips for modding a DS-1, or other similar SPECIFIC questions. When wanting to learn about "transistor theory," the search function gets every post with the words "transistor" and "theory" and whatnot. It is difficult to ask SPECIFIC questions as a beginner, and so, the search function often fails to single out general questions. (CONCLUSION: search is better for more experienced people than for beginners).

Here are the problems as I see them:

1) Walters is NOT trying to take advantage of the people here; he just doesn't know how to take advantage of the archives and search function effectively, (and neither do I, very well).

2) Walters was posting many threads because he is excited; let's be happy for him, but politely ask him to not dominate the forum.

3) Walters--sorry to criticize, but can I make one request, please? Could you please punctuate? When you are done a sentence, use this "." . When you ask a question, use this "?".  It makes the questions easier to read, easier to answer, and easier for you to learn.

4) Also, walters, when you ask questions, try making a numbered list. Not only does it help others, but it makes sure that all of your questions get answered because replied look like:

"1) Yes, it's three.

2) NO, never put THAT in an AC socket, it will sterilize you.

3) I don't know"

I hope this clears up, because, Walters, if you can figure out what this particular forum's etiquette is, there will be no problems. They're nice, helpful people. Don't lose this resource because of a bad first impression of us here which is based solely on miscommunication and misunderstanding of how to best find what you're looking for.

We all want the same thing: to make pedals. The less we step on each other's toes (intentionally or accidentally), the more we can dance. Or learn. Or whatever. You get hte picture.)

[NaBo]

This is sad, guys  

walters, I really think everybody just started off on the wrong foot with you.  It was a little overwhelming to have 30 or so questions covering such a broad range of topics all from the same person on their first day.  I'm sure R.G. didn't mean to offend you or insult your intelligence by asking about your background, and I'm sure it was just frustration on your part how you retaliated.

It appeared, at least from a few of your posts, that there were a few holes in your knowledge (everybody has those, or we wouldn't be here... or human! ), some of which could possibly be attended to more appropriately from other resources readily available to us all.  It's just less efficient (for you as well) to have to post each question, wait, and hopefully get an answer that explains it well enough to understand.  It's plain to see you are very knowledgeable about electronics in general, and I think it's really admirable how genuinely interested you are in this subject, especially the technical side of things.  There's just some great online resources you may not have discovered yet, dealing specifically with stompboxes and guitar-related circuits, which could give the information in a more comprehensive format than the question-and-answer format of this forum.  Without kind of flooding the forum with all sorts of questions.  I think that's all R.G. was trying to explain, before things got a bit ugly on both sides.

I can guarantee the nobody here hates you, or intended for their words to be misconstrued as verbal abuse towards you... This all seems like an unfortunate misundertanding, and I think it would be really sad to see you leave so soon because of it.  

Edit: Looks like ryan just hit the nail on the head a few minutes before i finished my post...  right on, brother

[Mark Hammer]

Guys....GUYS....GUYS.....I SAID GUYS!!! (insert referee whistle here)

Hold on just a second.  Before an all out flame war starts (and momma don't allow no flamin' around here), let's take a step back.

1) Welcome, Walters.  You've found the right place.

2) A sensible practice is to post no more than a handful opf questions at a time...in one thread...and wait for a reply.  The reason is that when people have a lot of questions, they are usually related in some way, and answering one of them will usually link to answering the rest in the same posting.  Splitting all of one's questions up and tossing them around like confetti may *seem* like a reasonable way to do things but it ends up being frustrating for the very people you want to help you out, because they are forced to split their answer all over the place.  It also doesn't help you to receive disconnected fragmented answers.  My advice is to start over with a cluster of 3-4 questions in ONE posting, and wait for the reply.  THEN follow up on the same thread with another post containing whatever questions occur in response to the replies you received.

3) I'm not particularly pleased with the sort of response you've gotten from some people here. It is uncharacteristic of them.  At the same time, your "entry" to this forum was, to be brutally frank, a little clumsy, and probably brought out their worst side.  Nothing that can't be fixed, though.  Assuming everything works out in the end, I think you'll find this to be about the most "flame-free" place around.  
To be honest, the temperature HAS picked up a little in the past year, but that seems to have been primarily from the large number of new faces that have come here and burst in through the forum door even more clumsily than you did.  It happens in electronic environments, and I guess that is part of the price of being popular and becoming well-known.  I'm confident every one of those folks is pleasant in real life, a terrific colleague, and some one you wouldn't mind going for a drink with.  Stick them on a forum, though, and for some reason it brings out their worst.  Personally, I like to remember that at all times.  It helps me to respond more tolerantly, and make less of whatever apparent abuse seems to arise.  "Prick-itude" is a trait we all share on occasion.  The trick is not to assume that's who people are all the time.

4) I'm actually not a technical type.  I'm a psychologist by training.  I just make it SEEM like I know a lot because 15 years of teaching university helps me to be good at explaining things.  Well, that and pring over FX schematics for close to 30 years.  The way I see it, if *I* can be of assistance to people around here, then ANYBODY can.  I thoroughly expect all you have learned up until now to multiply several times during the next year as you begin to apply it, with the help of others and the many resources around here.  It won't be long until YOU become one of the "resident experts".  Just be patient, ignore all the grumpiness of people, and learn to ask questions that people enjoy answering.

Welcome on board.

I sent you to read DEVICE not to get rid of you, but because MANY folks have praised the contents of that newsletter and have learned a lot from it.  It was only around a year but it provided so much.  Given your training, I think you will enjoy it.

When I used to teach (I don't any more, for health reasons), it seemed every year I would get someone in my classes who was "the question asker".  They would sit in the front row right under my nose and ask a question the moment it popped into their head.  I didn't really mind it so much but there were a few things I *did* mind, one of which was the way the rest of the class would roll their eyes and disengage from the class the moment the "question asker" asked something.  It was as if it was an automatic recess for them, because they figured it had turned into a private conversation between myself and the student.  I also didn't like their attitude towards the student.  Admittedly, some of the "question askers" were a little odd from time to time, but that was no reason to treat them with disrespect.  I *could* have simply declined to respond to the question asker's constant inquiries, but the problem is that you end up sending out a message to everyone else that questions aren't welcome...and that's no way to either teach, or go to school

The questions HAD to be answered, but I needed to maintain class decorum, and everyone deserved to have their dignity and curiosity intact at the end of the day.

How did I solve this dilema?  Easy.  I would take the question asker aside and ask them to sit in the geographic centre of the room from now on.  That was it.  They didn't have to change their behaviour for me at all, besides that.  Did it work?  You bet.  Because when I looked at the student to answer their question, I was making eye contact with half the class at the same time, so it felt like I was talking to them, and they paid attention instead of having their attention wander.  They treated the question asker AND my replies with more respect.  Without the question asker realizing, too, their behaviour changed a little.  Because they could actually see the their classmates once they moved back from the front row, they tended to be a little more conscious of them and wait another 300msec before asking their questions.  It tended to make their questions better organized, and as a result, my answers more interesting to the rest of the class.

What relevance does this have for you? (and everyone else here who is only inches away from doing it themselves).  Simple, think about your questions a tiny bit longer.  Organize them so they are easier to answer and so that any possible responses will help others as well.  Wait a little longer before asking the next question.  It will work out better.  Lurkers take note and learn.

Peace, and happy soldering.  Now get back to work.

Mark

[ryanscissorhands]

Wow, I've been referred to! Thanks NaBo! And also thanks for saying what I meant, only in a more concise way. Mine's so long that  most won't read it (That's why I added "Conclusions" to most paragraphs. It's like Coles notes.)

EDIT: Spelling.

[octafish]

I'd have to second ryan's difficulties with the search function. However if I get a reply to a posted question like " this has been covered before", or "search the archives" then I'm happy because then I  know the info is there to be found!

Walters, the way your posts are cramped to the left and unpunctuated makes them really hard to read. You don't have to use semi-colons, comas, etc. Just full stops/periods  and question marks. Spelling can be lazy and words made up (seriosity is my favorite), english is fairly forgiving in that respect. However your posts in this thread are confusing and difficult to read.

If you are not an english speaker, then tell us what language you speak someone here might also speak it. Though really your english is fine, you just need to break up the flow with a little punctuation.

P.S. R.G. is a nice guy and very helpful to newbies, plus he is one of the bona-fide gurus of this forum. I believe from reading his public posts that he didn't mean to be insulting but genuinely helpfull.