hi / forum introduction

[sme]

hello

firstly id like to say in advance that im sorry if this is against the house rules, if it is then please delete this post as i dont want to upset anyone.

....id like to tell the users here of a new book forum thats been set up to help those people who have read a book and have been left with a few questions. maybe you have read a book and not understood a part of it, a sentence, a whole chapter or maybe even the whole thing?

if you have then this site could be of some help. its called booksexplained.com and has the sole purpose of giving you the chance to ask other users who may have read the same book for some help in understanding what you are trying to get a grip on.

its a new forum and is VERY much in the early stages of its existence. maybe youd like to have a look and help make this forum become a useful resource for its members.

thanks and again, if this post is against any forum rules, sorry.

sme

 

[Isabell]

Lack of capitalization drives me nuts. That whole forum is set in lower case letters. I'd have a hard time staying there.
Sorry.

Sounds to me like you would need to peddle that forum in college age/teen age group setting. Most if not all of the active posters here are intelligent enough to comprehend what we read, including those teens and 20 somethings.

 

[sme]

Lack of capitalization drives me nuts. That whole forum is set in lower case letters. I'd have a hard time staying there.
Sorry.

Sounds to me like you would need to peddle that forum in college age/teen age group setting. Most if not all of the active posters here are intelligent enough to comprehend what we read, including those teens and 20 somethings.

hello isabell, thanks for your comments.

i guess the 'lower case' build is a matter of taste and maybe something we could have a look at if it really bothers too many people.

regarding your other comments, i wouldnt say that im desperately short in intelligence (or years) and i have found myself in exactly this situation. i doubt i am alone.

again, thanks for your comments and i hope you managed to get through this post without going nuts

 

[Miss Shelf]

Lack of capitalization drives me nuts, too.

 

[sme]

Lack of capitalization drives me nuts, too.

hi..hmm..i wouldnt want the site to drive everyone crazy, maybe it is something i should change.

cheers

 

[Sitaram]

Sometimes, lower case is a matter of taste, but more frequently it is a matter of being too lazy to press the SHIFT key, and too complacent to care about style or appearance or accuracy.

Remember, you do not get a second chance to make a first impression.

So, my initial impression of someone that can't be bothered with capitalization, spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc., is that they won't be careful or particular in their thinking or study, and will not likely post something that is worth my while to read. Sorry to be so blunt. Sometimes, the kindest thing one can do for another is to be unkind with honesty and candor.

Imagine someone who never learned the proper way to use a spoon, fork, knife and napkin. Imagine them at some important banquet, and all the guests stare at them in horror, as they eat pudding with their fingers, and wipe their mouth on their sleeves, and spit things out on their plate. And perhaps they even have an unpleasant odor about them, since most likely they take no more care with their personal hygiene than they do with their table etiquette. Well, people will judge your writing in the same fashion as they would judge the slob at the banquet.

It is never too late to become what you might have been. It is better to stop making excuses for the way you are and start work on improving the way you are. This is a very competitive world and workplace. No one wants to hear excuses. Labor is a disposable commodity. One must excel simply to survive.


Regarding the site you wish to promote: give a try at http://www.online-literature.com/forums

It seems to me that anyone who knows how to use search engines can find plenty of explanation on most books, so I question how useful your site would be.

Remember that story about the employee who was very accurate with small details, so accurate in fact that one day, his employer came and said, “I have noticed how careful you are in little things, so I will now promote you and give you much greater responsibilities, because I am confident that you will be just as careful in major matters as you were with minor details.”

Carelessness becomes a habit, a second nature. You will not easily be able to lose such a habit once it has become ingrained.

Sow a thought and reap an action.
Sow an action and reap a habit.
Sow a habit and reap a character.
Sow a character and reap a destiny.

 

[sme]

Sometimes, lower case is a matter of taste, but more frequently it is a matter of being too lazy to press the SHIFT key, and too complacent to care about style or appearance or accuracy.

Remember, you do not get a second chance to make a first impression.

So, my initial impression of someone that can't be bothered with capitalization, spelling, punctuation, grammar, etc., is that they won't be careful or particular in their thinking or study, and will not likely post something that is worth my while to read. Sorry to be so blunt. Sometimes, the kindest thing one can do for another is to be unkind with honesty and candor.

Imagine someone who never learned the proper way to use a spoon, fork, knife and napkin. Imagine them at some important banquet, and all the guests stare at them in horror, as they eat pudding with their fingers, and wipe their mouth on their sleeves, and spit things out on their plate. And perhaps they even have an unpleasant odor about them, since most likely they take no more care with their personal hygiene than they do with their table etiquette. Well, people will judge your writing in the same fashion as they would judge the slob at the banquet.

It is never too late to become what you might have been. It is better to stop making excuses for the way you are and start work on improving the way you are. This is a very competitive world and workplace. No one wants to hear excuses. Labor is a disposable commodity. One must excel simply to survive.


Regarding the site you wish to promote: give a try at http://www.online-literature.com/forums

It seems to me that anyone who knows how to use search engines can find plenty of explanation on most books, so I question how useful your site would be.

Remember that story about the employee who was very accurate with small details, so accurate in fact that one day, his employer came and said, “I have noticed how careful you are in little things, so I will now promote you and give you much greater responsibilities, because I am confident that you will be just as careful in major matters as you were with minor details.”

Carelessness becomes a habit, a second nature. You will not easily be able to lose such a habit once it has become ingrained.

hello

to write this way was something i decided upon, its neither careless or complacent but i thank you for your concern

im well aware that there are many book forums, as ive already said however i have found myself in the situation where ive struggled to understand a given part of a given text, be it a scientific book or a historic novel and i have wished id had someone next to me who was sharing my book, my reading experience, who i could turn to for help.

when you go to the movies for instance, you may turn to your partner or friend or whoever you go to the movies with to ask a question every now and then to clear up part of the film you havnt fully understood. the question may be complex or as simple as 'eh, didnt those two meet 10 minutes ago?'

in the cinema this interaction is possible and can be part of the shared experience but with reading being a solitary pleasure this sort of thing generaly isnt possible, unless of course your partner reads the same books as you, hence the site.

anyway, i dont want to make the writing style the main focus on the site so thank you all for mentioning this to me, it looks like its something i should change.

thanks

sme

 

[Sitaram]

You have equanimity, forbearance, and the ability to accept constructive criticism graciously, for which I commend you.

What are some of the books you would like to explain? Who are some of your favorite authors. Which authors do you consider most challenging, requiring explanation.

 

[Sitaram]

Everything I write is in public domain. You are welcome to copy anything which I have written to your forum if it seems useful and use it as you see fit. Follow my profile here to my blog, which will give you links to everything else.

Perhaps others here will volunteer some material for you, or will write something for your forum.

Obviously, you have a dream and a desire to help others.

As Joseph Campbell said, "Follow your bliss."

http://www.jcf.org/bliss.php

 

[sme]

Everything I write is in public domain. You are welcome to copy anything which I have written to your forum if it seems useful and use it as you see fit. Follow my profile here to my blog, which will give you links to everything else.

Perhaps others here will volunteer some material for you, or will write something for your forum.

Obviously, you have a dream and a desire to help others.

As Joseph Campbell said, "Follow your bliss."

http://www.jcf.org/bliss.php

thank you very much for your offer.
have a good rest of the day wherever you are.

 

[SFG75]

Not to be a jerk, but what's the hang-up about capitalization? Just curious.

 

[sme]

Not to be a jerk, but what's the hang-up about capitalization? Just curious.

hi

do you mean my lacking it or others needing it?

 

[Sitaram]

hi

do you mean my lacking it or others needing it?

I detect in each post a discriminating perception and a prudent reserve. It is a good mind which thinks and writes in this fashion. This new member is no youth but someone seasoned with experience. I also observe through the online feature that they take some time in posting a brief reply, which perhaps indicated that typing is difficult or uncomfortable; a good reason to avoid capital letters. Initially I thought this member was very young, and therefore it is imperative to encourage them to correct their habits, since youth is the easiest time for correction and reform. If you use a word processor such as Microsoft Word, it will capitalize for you. Then just cut and paste into your post.

 

[SFG75]

hi

do you mean my lacking it or others needing it?

I would be mentioning you-in your first post, there was something about not capitalizing. Just annoyed by the shift key? Once again, just curious.

 

[Poppy1]

sme, your non-capitalisation doesn't bug me at all. One poet I particularly like, e.e.cummings, never uses capitals. I always thought he was quite brave and I admire people who stick to their guns. I think your forum sounds an excellent idea, and anything that encourages people to read and understand what they are reading can't be a bad thing. Good luck with your forum and I will definitely be having a look at it.

 

[sme]

sme, your non-capitalisation doesn't bug me at all. One poet I particularly like, e.e.cummings, never uses capitals. I always thought he was quite brave and I admire people who stick to their guns. I think your forum sounds an excellent idea, and anything that encourages people to read and understand what they are reading can't be a bad thing. Good luck with your forum and I will definitely be having a look at it.

hi poppy1, thanks for your kind words.

as you can see the forum is very new indeed. i am hoping though that it grows over time into a useful resource.

thanks again

sme.

 

[ruby]

hello

firstly id like to say in advance that im sorry if this is against the house rules, if it is then please delete this post as i dont want to upset anyone.

....id like to tell the users here of a new book forum thats been set up to help those people who have read a book and have been left with a few questions. maybe you have read a book and not understood a part of it, a sentence, a whole chapter or maybe even the whole thing?

if you have then this site could be of some help. its called booksexplained.com and has the sole purpose of giving you the chance to ask other users who may have read the same book for some help in understanding what you are trying to get a grip on.

its a new forum and is VERY much in the early stages of its existence. maybe youd like to have a look and help make this forum become a useful resource for its members.

thanks and again, if this post is against any forum rules, sorry.

sme / booksexplained.com

Welcome to tbf but there's really no need for all what you've put a simple hi would be great.
Obviously your just looking for new member's to join your forum

 

[Sitaram]

With regard to e. e. cummings and capitalization:

But we will not concede that he intended his name to be in lowercase either for his public or his publications, and we now can bring forth additional evidence as support. We mentioned previously that his customary written signature used the usual caps, letters to the Watsons to the contrary notwithstanding, and we showed samples. We now have even more explicit proof.

As we may have mentioned, due to the kindness of D. Jon Grossman's son, Jerome, we have the complete file of Jon's correspondence with Cummings. On making a preliminary tour through these letters, we found Jon preparing a French edition of his translations of Cummings' poetry, and on 27 February 1951 he wrote to the poet: "are you E.E.Cummings, ee cummings, or what?(so far as the title page is concerned)wd u like title page all in lowercase?"

The poet replied on 1 March 1951: "E.E.Cummings, unless your printer prefers E. E. Cummings/ titlepage up to you;but may it not be tricksy svp[.]"

That seems definitive to us:

see:

http://www.gvsu.edu/english/cummings/caps2.html

http://www.gvsu.edu/english/cummings/caps.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalization

Some individuals choose not to use capitals with their names, such as k.d. lang or bell hooks. E. E. Cummings, whose name is often spelt without capitals, did not spell his name so; the usage derives from the typography used on the cover of one of his books.

 

[Sitaram]

e. e. cummings tombstone is written in capital letters.

http://www.poetsgraves.co.uk/cummings.htm

Also,

http://hermes.hrc.ntu.edu.tw/lctd/asp/authors/00003/introduction.htm

"My Sweet Old Etcetera" contrasts the abstract, conventional idealism of the speaker's family towards war and the realism of his actual dying in the mud dreaming of love and conception of life. The stanzas are arranged in love and conception of life. The stanzas are arranged in a 2-3-2-4-2-5-2-6 (3-3) line pattern. The pronoun "i," the proper name "isabel," the first letter of each line are not capitalized while "Your" and "Etcetera" in the last two lines use the upper case. Cummings' use of capital letters for stress or other effects preclude their conventional use - "Your smile" and "your Etcetera" achieve thus an impact on the reader's consciousness. Furthermore, this unconventional use of capitals contribute to the theme of the poem which mocks the conventional attitude towards death in the field of honor. The parentheses enfold the secret thoughts of the speaker as opposed to the objective scene of the rest of the poem. The separation of "et" and "cetera" which both divide and unite the 3-3 line pattern of the last stanza slows down the rhythm and suggests either the breaking off of life of the last gasp of the dying.

Examples at the above link demonstrate that e. e. cummings did not abandon all use of capital letters, but rather, used them sporadically, in an unconventional and unexpected manner.


Several weeks ago, I leafed through e. e. cummings' memoirs, "The Enormous Room" and noticed that edition used normal capitalization.
I don't know what the original manuscript looks like.

http://www.wwnorton.com/catalog/backlist/040150.htm

Biographical info:

http://www.harvardmagazine.com/on-line/030585.html

 

[sme]

Welcome to tbf but there's really no need for all what you've put a simple hi would be great.
Obviously your just looking for new member's to join your forum

hello, thanks

absolutely correct, i dont think i tried to hide the fact that id like people to have a look at the forum.

sorry if this offended you.

sme