Avoiding Blowhard Syndrome - was: Re: [geeks] U2

[Chris Byrne]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: geeks-bounces at sunhelp.org 
> [mailto:geeks-bounces at sunhelp.org] On Behalf Of Mike Hebel
>

 
> Let me guess:  bad sense of time, names with faces == faulty, forgot 
> that the french-fries were in the oven while doing something 
> else.  But 
> you can sit down at most computers and recall everything about that 
> computer including any and all passwords you've used on it, 
> you can also 
> mentally picture the network structure without a hint of trouble, 
> patterns amaze an fascinate you - especially visual ones.
> 
> How close am I?
>

Pretty much, though I tend to have a good time sense until I get deeply
involved in something, then BAM I could be there for 20 hours and not
notice. Oh and not only patterns but connections. James Burke had some
seriously cool stuff there.

Oh and I can't recall ever having a time when there wasn't beckground
music in my head.

I understand these are common thing among the very intelligent.  

> It's hard not to give out too much information at once.  I 
> have similar 
> problems with people directly in my life.  I have a tendency 
> to correct 
> them even when it's not strictly necessary
> because I _KNOW_ I'm right on the subject after experiencing 
> much pain 
> having been wrong before or because I studied the subject at 
> some length.
> 

Yeah pretty much. And yes, I understand it can be annoying and why. What
I honestly don't understand why people take offense to it or get angered
by it. I know that they do, intellectually, but on an emotional level I
don't get why people are offended.

For some reason the simple act of expressing knowledge or opinion is
taken as an insult or an attack. It's as if people believe that by
saying what you know or believe that you are implying they are less
intelligent, or less able, or that you are better than they are. They
then get annoyed, or even angry.

I REALLY DON'T GET THIS. Why is it a competition? Its just an idea. My
expressing an idea doesn't mean I think your idea is bad or worng, just
that I have an idea that I'd like to share. 

When I say something my motivation is not to say "Ha ha I know more than
you do, look at how smart I am", but for some reason many people take it
that way.

Chris Byrne