Rant of the day

One of my peeves with internet forums is that all kinds of incorrect statements get made by all kinds of folks whose only qualification might be that they have a pc, and internet connection, an opinion, and know how to type. Some of this stuff is flat out wrong or even downright dangerous and IMHO needs to be corrected before a newbie reads the thread, follows it, and gets hurt in the process. So if its an area I feel I have expertise in I'll go back in to the end of a 4 year old thread and add a comment in the hopes that newbie reads to the end. I think of that as my obligation as a participant in a community.  If you disagree with my viewpoint, fine. If you don't like my posts, don't read them, that's fine too.

What I like about this forum is that the culture here accommodates debate and consideration of diverse opinions rather than quickly cutting them off. As a result there are a lot fewer erroneous threads of the type I'm referring to above than in a lot of other forums. That is a subtle thing but an important one, if we lose it here I'm gone.  In a heartbeat. 

That being said, I think a gentle nudge to get back on topic now and then is fine too. I'm at least as guilty as the next guy of wandering off. Some folks have a terse communication style, others like to ramble.  That's OK. If we do it in a spirit of good humor as opposed to mandating a regimented approach then all should be well. 

I thought it was clear that I was joking about only allowing posts on new topics!  A couple of people seem like they may have thought I was serious!  I can assure you, it as a joke.

TT

But, I've noticed something that happens when I try to go back and start a new paragraph in text I've already written [or try to add or change something].  When I hit the return key with the cursor at the point where I want to start the new paragraph, it erases a couple lines above.  Does anyone have any idea of what is going on?  It's not like I've highlighted the erased text or anything.

Now, there's an example of one of the many natural drifts that can occur in a conversation.  Something popped into what's left of the calcified neurons of my brain and off I went.  

For me, one of the most entertaining things on this board is reading the conversations as they drift away from the original topic and go off on tangents that have little gems of knowledge in them.  I would have never thought to watch out for the water in WV camp grounds, had it not been for topic drift.  Pouring a bottle of bleach in a well to sanitize it?  I'm glad I wasn't the first one to get a drink after that happened.