Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site unc.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!mcnc!unc!wfi
From: wfi@unc.UUCP (William F. Ingogly)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: Metropolis and Brunner
Message-ID: <292@unc.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 30-Mar-85 12:44:11 EST
Article-I.D.: unc.292
Posted: Sat Mar 30 12:44:11 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 1-Apr-85 03:07:05 EST
References:  <216@unc.UUCP> 
Reply-To: wfi@unc.UUCP (William F. Ingogly)
Organization: CS Dept., U. of N. Carolina at Chapel Hill
Lines: 48
Summary: 

> Yet again, it ought to be clear that the fewer qualifiers used, the
> stronger the statement is.  Have read Strunk and White's THE ELEMENTS
> OF STYLE?  It is the best book on English usage...never mind.

Your appeal to Strunk and White as an authority is beside the point.
A statement can also be strong to the point of absurdity. Some writers
use this for comic effect (it's called hyperbole). The unskillful or
inappropriate use of hyperbole is defective style, pure and simple.

> Another reason is that some of us like to "peg" ourselves.  As soon
> as I made that statement, some alert people learned a great deal
> about me.  More didn't, and still more couldn't care less, but

And what exactly is it that we're supposed to learn about you? I
suggest you reread the statements I responded to (I've conveniently
reproduced them a little later in this response). One of the qualities 
that separates good writing from bad writing is CLARITY. You don't have
body language, voice intensity or pitch to convey information so all
the meaning in a sentence must be conveyed by its content and
structure. That's why we use smiley faces to indicate irony or
hyperbole in our postings to the net. Asking a reader to read your
mind or guess your meaning is just plain unfair.

> Another possible reason is as a "Turkey Detector."  That is, anyone
> who doesn't see the implied In My Opinion in those statements,
> and consequently Flames, is letting us know something about him.

Oh, come off it.  Where are the `implied In My Opinions' in the
following statements:

>Also who wrote THE SHEEP LOOK UP , ( an english guy ?) , the Best
>SF Book of all time .
  
>>No.  The best SF book of all time is LORD OF LIGHT by Roger Zelazny.
>>It is also the best English Language book written in the twentieth
>>century.  
  
>>>The best English language book of the 20th century is very probably 
>>>Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings".  

The semantic content of these statements is clear and unambiguous.
There's no information about the authors' intentions, so I'm totally
incapable of commenting on whatever it was that you `really' meant.
If you can show me ANYTHING in these statements that qualifies the
superlative `best,' please point it out to me. I'm always ready and
willing to learn.

                                   -- Regards, Bill.