[oclug] (OT) April 6 meeting

[Zac Sprackett]

* Mike Roy wrote:
> Hello Everyone:
> 	Well, I???m not sure if this is really ???off topic??? as good manners are never 
> out of style.  At the start of the April 6 meeting, there was an announcement 
> that the club needed speakers for both the shorter ???lightening talks??? and 
> longer, more elaborate presentations.  More on this later.
> 	During the meeting, I listened, watched, and tried to enjoy an educational 
> and entertaining presentation by Mr. John Turnbull on the Network Time 
> Protocol.  I found Mr. Turnbull to be witty, informed and articulate in 
> presenting his subject.  

I also quite enjoyed the presentation.  Thank you to John for taking the 
time to deliver the talk.

> 	However, what I found most distressful during this talk was the high volume 
> of verbal diarrhoea that Mr. Turnbull and the rest of the audience were 
> subjected to because of a few thoughtless and selfish morons, including, I???m 
> sorry to say, some members of the OCLUG board.  Not only did these rude 
> clowns contribute nothing to the meeting, they disrupted Mr. Turnbull???s 
> presentation on a number of occasions and spoiled the presentation for the 
> rest of us. Perhaps if they are so in love with the sound of their own voices 
> and feel they have something to say, then they should volunteer to give a 
> talk on their own.  

There was some discussion that occured and interupted the talk.  I 
believe this discussion stemmed from the fact that the talk was
quite interesting and got people thinking.  It would nice if we could
all do our part to ensure that we wait to ask questions and not disturb
the speaker or others trying to pay attention to the presentation.

That being said, I think that calling people morons does nothing to help
the situation and is an obvious attempt to troll on the list.  I
personally don't believe that these kinds of statements have a place
here as they are not constructive.  If you present your case in a less 
combative manner I'm sure you'd get more agreement.

> 	I think that an apology to Mr. Turnbull is in order because the disgusting 
> behaviour of a few rude morons reflects on the entire club.  When someone 
> takes the time and makes the effort to offer us new knowledge and insight, 
> then the very least we could do is show that individual the most basic 
> courtesy by listening to what he (or she) has to say.  
> 	If the club is experiencing difficulties in finding individuals to give talks 
> to the club, then, perhaps, the reason may be the inexcusable and rude 
> behaviour these individuals are subjected to when trying to deliver their 
> presentations.

I don't believe there is a shortage of people willing to give talks.
That does not mean that I'm saying its ok to have sidebar conversations
during a presentation.  I just think that you might be misrepresenting
something here.

> 	I was not the only one to notice this rude behaviour but I do hope this is 
> the last time that I experience it at a club meeting.

Again, we just need to have everyone remember that with a speaker
addressing a large audience the conversations even if whispered can
cause difficulty for the presenter and the audience to follow.

-z

-- 
zac sprackett                             zac at sprackett dot com
ottawa, canada                                         lpic-1,ccna
gpg fingerprint: CC8A DB41 4B47 ABD0 C6CE BEFC 5FCC FDF4 4DE6 F9CE
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