DIY flamewar ?

[jh]

Today I witnessed a colleague's phone talk with a person 
at the other end who obviously wanted to sell him some insurance,
or some way to "save money". I opened my ears, because
we normally have a little competition in the office about getting
rid of such callers in an elegant way. What normally would
be just bothersome becomes quite funny that way. 
My collegue listened to that person today for some time, and
then said  "You probably wonder why I have not hung up already,
but listen to all you've been telling me so far. Well, that's because
I have a son who has to earn his money the same way, and so
I know how it must feel to make such calls !"
It really *did* have some effect. At least it made me laugh for some
minutes. He was so convincing.

=== ===

To be honest, I had my problems with many of you when you
joined the diy list (and I'm sure many have problems with myself
as well). This is because of my ego, which is offended by anybody
who does things different from myself, by any different style.
If someone has a better solution for a problem than what I used to think
the best solution, there is an immediate defense - until I see that
I can learn from the better solution. 
If I see some design that I consider less then optimal compared
to my favorite solution, my first reaction is to despise it - untill
I see some possibility to use it as an economic alternative for
certain not-so-high-end applications.

If I had to choose whom I'd rather have on the list, Tom or Jörgen,
I'd probably know who is closer to my own way to look at things.
But apart from my personal opinion being irrelevant, I truely hope
that no such decision must be made.

JH. (feeling stupid - but I'd be feeling more stupid if I'd have kept silent.)