h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I have got a funny feeling something went over my head there Taff. But in cas I am being paranoid I'll leave it there. Goodnight.

actually *sat by the billabong* not the cuckaburra.

And you I know you can't access YouTube Taff which is a shame because the sheer intensity of that clip needs watching.

under the shade of a cool-a-bab tree

dont forget the jum-buck

And I love singing that song even if I sing it wrong.

It was great seeing cucckaburras in Oz..and also hearing the amazing musicality of their magpies in the south, also black cockatoos in the far north in Kakadoo.

Okay really to bed now after a bit of music in the middle of the night.

I expect you're 'off' tomorrow. But try to give me a bit of an opinion about swags if you have time.

sure

Keeping with the Aussie theme, Germaine vs Taff, that'd be one to watch

at Keeping with the Aussie theme, Germaine vs Taff, that'd be one to watch

(a shamelessly unnecessary cutnpaste there)

Could there be jelly involved

I still don't understand what fisking is. Fisk in my native language means fish. Is it like Fishing? Phishing? Trawling? Trolling?

Milla, I didn't know what it waseither. I had to rely on Google which lead me to... well you know.

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

Basically Fisking is a point by point critique typically of a blog post and most often hypercritical and sarcastic in tone, named after UK journalist Robert Fisk.

I imagine it in its most basic form from context here to look like the following:

>>quote from previous post<<

Well, here's why that's wrong.

>>quote from previous post<<

Well, here's why that's wrong.

Etc.

I guess it can be considered a form of trolling if done simply out of spite or a desire to score points.

Wonkipedia has a thingy about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisking

Kind of... distracted by lunch.

And here on h2g2, there is a particular issue of using fisking to discredit the 'opponent' rather than focussing on the topic being debated. The point about fisking is that it uses the argument to demolish a debater and because it does it looks on the surface like it's about the topic.

I'm apparently not a frequenter of those areas of h2g2.

In honesty, that's probably for the best. They can be... draining.

I have to confess that I enjoy a good Fisk, within reason of course. But now I know my wife's opinion I shall need to keep my urges in check.

I agree it can be annoying.

However, if you are arguing that:

"X is true because of A, B and C are true"

I have evidence that in fact A, B and C are all false, therefore X must be false then how else should I make my point?

I try to restrict my fisking to when someone is demonstrably incorrect and just won't listen... but apparently I come across as personally attacking the person I'm arguing with.

If somone is demonstrable incorrect and just don't listen, just give up and walk away. You will never win. http://xkcd.com/386/

"What do you want me to do? LEAVE? Then they'll keep being wrong!" - hover text