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An Analogy


2Est8Attys

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I would not dream of moderating the website owner. I'm just a volunteer.

 

All those people I hear on NPR, and the ones behind the scenes who review and produce programming... they're volunteers, right?

 

Chickens hatch from eggs. Eggs are just thin-skinned rocks. If you wait long enough for a rock to incubate, perhaps it will hatch something as well.

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Personally, I think this thread is a lot like a snowball. Layer upon layer of the same stuff until it gets so big it's no fun to roll any more and in the end it all melts away into a soggy mess. :D

 

Yes, I like making snowball too. :D

Amen!

 

Now, is that a simile or a metaphor? (My choice - simile.) :D

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...Argue why rocks are actually like chickens...

Some rocks are caches.

 

If the dead animal was allowed as a cache the chicken would have been a cache soon enough.

 

Or:

 

I've seen rocks and chickens while caching and those are only separated by three degrees from Snoogans.

 

Or:

 

NPR has talked about rocks, and chickens.

 

Or:

 

Chuck a rock at a chiken and that will connect them.

 

Or:

 

Freeze a chicken and it goes through train windows like a rock.

:D:D:D

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How much of public radio’s content is created by the listener?

 

To the extent that our taxes help support public radio, one might hold that listeners (and others) prop up...provide the means by which public radio is able to operate. So while the content is not created by listeners, it certainly is substantially sponsored by listening and non-listening taxpaying citizens.

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What a shocker. A topic overanalyzing an analogy.

 

Consider this statement:

 

Rocks are not like chickens.

 

Argue why rocks are actually like chickens.

 

Go.

 

Good idea though: Get the government to subsidize the web site and I guarantee this site will be more like NPR. Whatever that means.

Of course, when someone says, "Get the government to subsidize" something, they are referring to taxpayers paying to subsidize.

 

Now if the government operated more like Groundspeak, citizens would pay less taxes and more in premium user fees for added services. You would pay for only that which you use, above the minimum that the federal government should provide.

 

I like the Groundspeak model better than the federal government's model.

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To be fair, the analogy was to public radio, and not to NPR, which is just one of the programs our public radio station purchases. Our local public radio station has a small paid staff, and a large base of volunteers. They receive no governmental support, not even from the university from which they broadcast. Their entire budget comes from voluntary contributions and corporate sponsors.

 

I did not mean to suggest that Groundspeak is or should be a nonprofit organization. I respect Jeremy's admiration of Aan Rand's brand of capitalism, and wish him the best. (Who is John Galt, indeed.)

 

My thought was to compare the motives of those who provide voluntary support, and to suggest that it often has little to do with the "benefits" of membership. At the same time, those that don't contribute shouldn't begrudge the benefits provided to encourage membership.

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Actually, I find the whole Ayn Rand series of books a bit over the top, though they certainly do make some good points.

 

I appreciate the nice analogy, but no analogy (by design) can match up point by point to something else. Groundspeak = Groundspeak and how we operate the Geocaching.com web site. Anything else may compare to but not equate to how Groundspeak runs the web site.

 

So, does the way we run the web site work? Well, judging by the success of the web site and the fact that we're in hard economic times and the rubbermaid management system we call geocaching.com seems to continue to function, one would have to say yes. It does seem to work. Can we do better? Certainly.

 

Could someone do it better? For fun (and exxageration) I would say that half of the users of the web site could do it better, and the other half can't. The big issue is determining which half is which. So you have to deal with our dumb decisions and our good ones, for better or worse.

Edited by Jeremy
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Good idea though: Get the government to subsidize the web site and I guarantee this site will be more like NPR.

Quotes from NPR's home page:

 

"NPR receives no direct federal funding for general support."

 

"A very small percentage - between 1-2 percent of NPR's annual budget - comes from competitive grants sought by NPR from federally funded organizations."

 

"NPR member stations are autonomous entities and are not owned or operated by NPR, nor does NPR fund member stations."

 

"The appropriation from Congress accounts for only about 14 percent of the cost of operating local public radio stations, and the remaining 86 percent must be raised from a variety of sources, most importantly contributions from listeners."

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Now, slowly step away from the NPR analogy.

That's a good idea. However, since the OP is about that analogy, if I stepped away from it, a moderator would immediately appear and order me to get back on topic. I might even get a warning for hijacking the thread. Of course, you can talk about anything else, like chickens and rocks but us mere mortals are pretty much limited to talking about the NPR analogy in this thread.

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Ok. I suppose you misunderstood my first post, which was to point out how anyone could find differences in even something so patently ridiculous as comparing rocks to chickens. This is certainly on-topic, as are my follow-up posts. Unfortunately, further proving the point, folks followed up my posts with off topic posts supporting my initial post.

 

Didn't mean to lose you there. I had assumed it was obvious but I'll start adding explanations below my posts.

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Keystone Approver has carte blanche (as do any other moderators) to moderate me. However, keep in mind that, since this is a comparison to Groundspeak, of which I happen to be the president, it would seem that my responses here would be on-topic by default. The moderators can correct me on this.

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So, does the way we run the web site work? Well, judging by the success of the web site and the fact that we're in hard economic times and the rubbermaid management system we call geocaching.com seems to continue to function, one would have to say yes. It does seem to work. Can we do better? Certainly.

 

As an end-user of Groundspeak, I am happy with all that is offered here. Certainly I am not one of the most active users of Groundspeak - probably some might consider me little more than a "lurker", but for my purposes Groundspeak serves me well. As I need more features and functionality, I will be happy to become a premium member.

 

Thanks!

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. . . ideas and constructive critisism would fall on deaf ears . . .

Sorry CR, but given the recent action in this thread, I can't help but try and rub your nose in it a little . . .

 

My personal experience has been that Groundspeek is unusually attentive to these forums. Clearly, our chatter does not fall on deaf ears, even if you don't always get the response you would like.

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Keystone Approver has carte blanche (as do any other moderators) to moderate me. However, keep in mind that, since this is a comparison to Groundspeak, of which I happen to be the president, it would seem that my responses here would be on-topic by default. The moderators can correct me on this.

Well, KA just wrote "I would not dream of moderating the website owner."

 

But my point was just that since the OP was about the NPR analogy, talking about something else could be considered off-topic, therefore I cannot follow your suggestion regarding stepping away from the NPR analogy. If you want us to step away from the NPR analogy then let's get this thread closed. It wouldn't hurt anyway because the analogy has been discussed in depth already, there's not much else to discuss here, and I wouldn't enjoy reading a dozen more posts about chickens and rocks.

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. . . ideas and constructive critisism would fall on deaf ears . . .

Sorry CR, but given the recent action in this thread, I can't help but try and rub your nose in it a little . . .

Actually, we largely ignore CR, so to his defense, his criticisms would seemingly fall on deaf ears. For the most part we do monitor the forums pretty closely, or at least get the occasional link to ideas that we haven't heard of before.

 

(Just Joking CR. It came off harsher in my post)

Edited by Jeremy
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I consistently mis-read the title of this topic as "An Apology." Imagine my disappointment when all I keep getting is an analogy.

 

I want apologizing to.

Auntie Weasel, I am truly very sorry about your reading comprehension problem. :D

 

That was a JOKE. :D

 

Sort of like my joke about never moderating one of Jeremy's forum posts. :D

 

I've got to start using smilies more. :D

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Good idea though: Get the government to subsidize the web site and I guarantee this site will be more like NPR. Whatever that means.

Of course, when someone says, "Get the government to subsidize" something, they are referring to taxpayers paying to subsidize.

How silly! Governments have control of the MINT! That can get as much money as they want. (but wait - why do we have to pay taxes at all then!?!?!?!)

:D:D:D:D:D

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Argue why rocks are actually like chickens.

Go.

 

Here is a Rock song by No Redeeming Social Value called Chicken:

Chicken Stumble in the middle of the night / Looking for a late night bite / Slam the door open the 'fridge / All you see is stale bread / Wait a second there's something in foil / I hope to God it isn't spoiled / Half way there and I know what it is / It's the chicken I ate with Johnny Stiff / I love chicken / I like it too / We eat more chicken than your whole dadgum crew / We eat much chicken / Just ask these musicians / Eating chicken is Redeeming religion / A leg, a wing, a breast, a thigh, a back / We love chicken - that's a fact / Suck the meat right off the f%^&ing bone / It's fun to eat with friends or dine alone / Throw it on the 'que and burn it up / Crispy on the outside then it's done / A plate of wings and a bucket of hot sauce too / And to wash it down any stinking brew will do.

 

Taken from the Tellico Times article on the The Great Vonore Chicken Gizzard Gold Strike of 1911:

As anyone that was raised in the country knows, and most city folks too ...a chicken ain't got no teeth. But, they like to eat a lot of hard stuff, like shelled corn and grain. Everything goes straight into their gizzard as soon as they swallow it. A chicken's gizzard is like a little bag made out of muscle, a sort of preliminary, first-stage stomach. Inside the gizzard are rocks, which take the place of teeth and do the actual grinding up of the things that they eat. That is why you see chickens pecking at the ground all the time ...they're not only eating bugs and worms and grass seeds, they're picking up rocks too.

So if the greatest honor in Rock Music is to get a Gold Album,and gold comes from Rocks, and NRSV sang about Chicken, would their gold album come from Chicken Gizzard Rocks?

there-how's that? :D:D:D:D

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Rock Chicken

 

Ingredients:

 

Chicken (about 3 Lbs)

Red BBQ. Spice Rub or flavoring of Choice

1 long roll heavy foil

Large stack of newspaper

3 med rocks taken from a dry spot

Fire Mitts & Long Tongs

 

Start a fire about 3 1/2 hours before meal and heat rocks in the fire for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours until VERY HOT! In the mean time spread out newspaper until about 1/4 to 1/2" thick, on this place two long sheets of foil joined with drug store fold (shinny side up) place seasoned chicken on foil.

 

Carefully remove 1 rock with tongs and wrap in a small square of foil. Stuff this rock inside the chicken then remove the next two rocks and wrap them and place one on each side of the chicken.

 

Wrap the chicken and rocks in foil then in the newspaper and place in a large box let set for 1 1/2 to 2 hours . Unwrap and enjoy.

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Who is CR??????

How come it all of a sudden became the "Pick on CR" thread? :D

Because it is your turn in the cosmic karmatic order of when people shall be picked on!

 

Well that, and I happed to be feeling silly when I posted....... :D

 

hmmm, I'm not sure that karmatic is a word. I also know that I am horribly off topic and that KA guy will probably warn me now. :D:D:D

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If you want us to step away from the NPR analogy then let's get this thread closed. It wouldn't hurt anyway because the analogy has been discussed in depth already, there's not much else to discuss here, and I wouldn't enjoy reading a dozen more posts about chickens and rocks.

This is perhaps the most sensible thing posted to this thread today.

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