What draws you to SGL?

[The60mmKid]

7 minutes ago, dciobota said:

Hmmm, maybe I haven't found a place here after all.  I see two members here obliquely referring to me and this kind of behind the back criticism does not sit well with me.  If someone has an issue with what I say or how I say it please say so directly to me.  Being civilized does not mean talking behind someone's back.  Just saying.

I am passionate sometimes and may say things that get misinterpreted as offensive.  I already apologized to Olly once for giving him the wrong impression about something I said.  Maybe I should be more there is a heightened sensitivity here to anything that would be interpreted as offensive?  I don't know.

I think for now I'll just sit out and maybe just watch.

I did enjoy sharing what knowledge I have and trying to help here and there.  This is the main reason I was on CN and the main reason I'm here.  But I'll definitely go away if I'm not welcome, I have no skin in this game.

Peace.

 

I hope you won't go away. I hope we'll all keep working to treat each other respectfully and resolve misunderstandings, and perhaps use private messages to sort out private concerns.

[mikeDnight]

19 minutes ago, dciobota said:

Hmmm, maybe I haven't found a place here after all.  I see two members here obliquely referring to me and this kind of behind the back criticism does not sit well with me.  If someone has an issue with what I say or how I say it please say so directly to me.  Being civilized does not mean talking behind someone's back.  Just saying.

I am passionate sometimes and may say things that get misinterpreted as offensive.  I already apologized to Olly once for giving him the wrong impression about something I said.  Maybe I should be more there is a heightened sensitivity here to anything that would be interpreted as offensive?  I don't know.

I think for now I'll just sit out and maybe just watch.

I did enjoy sharing what knowledge I have and trying to help here and there.  This is the main reason I was on CN and the main reason I'm here.  But I'll definitely go away if I'm not welcome, I have no skin in this game.

Peace.

 

One of the problems with any kind of communication that isn't face to face, is that things can be so easily misinterpreted - especially humour. What may be funny while writing may not be funny when reading. But over time we begin to understand the personalities on here. Similar to being at an astronomy club in person you'll gel with some personalities more than others, but it doesn't mean you don't get along with those you don't feel you gel with.  I can't remember how long I've been on SGL but its been a while, yet I've never known anyone intentionally make anyone feel unwelcome. There's no hurt here, just different personalities all passionate about the same hobby. Stick around a bit longer, I'm sure you'll find your comfort zone. ☺️

[LaurenceT]

All this talk about community and helping each other has  given me the courage to ask one question.

 

Can someone lend me a fiver until Saturday....................................?

 

 

🤣

Edited February 21 by LaurenceT

[mikeDnight]

12 minutes ago, LaurenceT said:

All this talk about community and helping each other has  given me the courage to ask one question.

 

Can someone lend me a fiver until Saturday....................................?

I could, but my granny told me "Neither a lender nor a borrower be"! There you go, I've saved you from being enslaved to debt! 😊

[badhex]

7 hours ago, josefk said:

EXACTLY the kind of thing i enjoy here Joe, and @Nik271's similar NGC 604 in a small scope thread and some similar ones on Jupiter moon events - little bits and bobs that catch the imagination and to swap notes over the next day. Brings a little bit of a social dimension to an essentially loner hobby (in my case). Diverting and educational. I never saw Enceladus with 85mm but was smiling while trying and i still haven't seen NGC 604 but i learnt that star field at the edge of M33 really well so i'm genuinely better prepared next time i try!

Haha thanks, another one to add to the list! 

Similarly then, you might enjoy this thread - look out in particular for the double star tables from @JeremyS and Lockyer's lost from @Mircea

 

[LaurenceT]

3 minutes ago, mikeDnight said:

I could, but my granny told me "Neither a lender nor a borrower be"! There you go, I've saved you from being enslaved to debt! 😊

Kind of you but I've got a dead cert bet on Villa on Saturday. honest Guv.

[badhex]

7 minutes ago, LaurenceT said:

All this talk about community and helping each other has  given me the courage to ask one question.

 

Can someone lend me a fiver until Saturday....................................?

 

 

🤣

Here you go:

[paulastro]

36 minutes ago, LaurenceT said:

All this talk about community and helping each other has  given me the courage to ask one question.

 

Can someone lend me a fiver until Saturday....................................?

 

 

🤣

Laurence, I'd be glad to lend you a fiver.  You'll just need to collect it from Oakworth, West Yorkshire 😊.

[JOC]

1 hour ago, dciobota said:

Hmmm, maybe I haven't found a place here after all.  I see two members here obliquely referring to me and this kind of behind the back criticism does not sit well with me.  If someone has an issue with what I say or how I say it please say so directly to me.  Being civilized does not mean talking behind someone's back.  Just saying.

I am passionate sometimes and may say things that get misinterpreted as offensive.  I already apologized to Olly once for giving him the wrong impression about something I said.  Maybe I should be more there is a heightened sensitivity here to anything that would be interpreted as offensive?  I don't know.

I think for now I'll just sit out and maybe just watch.

I did enjoy sharing what knowledge I have and trying to help here and there.  This is the main reason I was on CN and the main reason I'm here.  But I'll definitely go away if I'm not welcome, I have no skin in this game.

Peace.

and then someone posts something like this^^^ and you wonder what on earth has gone that you've missed 😕?

[jjohnson3803]

4 hours ago, JOC said:

What is it about the anonymity of posting online that makes people feel they can say things to someone in an internet post that, you have to hope a lot of the time, they wouldn't dream of saying to someone in person?

Because if they hide behind the Internet, they won't get punched in the mouth?  😉

I think it's akin to road rage.  Some people think it's ok to act like jackaloons as long as they have a steel shield around them.  I prefer Qigong myself.

 

[Xilman]

3 hours ago, Paul M said:

Like pubs of old, when folk used to pop out for a pint quite frequently, there would always be a familiar face to chat to and even let off the steam of the day.

Exactly.  Well phrased, Sir!

[Xilman]

1 hour ago, dciobota said:

Hmmm, maybe I haven't found a place here after all.  I see two members here obliquely referring to me and this kind of behind the back criticism does not sit well with me.  If someone has an issue with what I say or how I say it please say so directly to me.  Being civilized does not mean talking behind someone's back.  Just saying.

I am passionate sometimes and may say things that get misinterpreted as offensive.  I already apologized to Olly once for giving him the wrong impression about something I said.  Maybe I should be more there is a heightened sensitivity here to anything that would be interpreted as offensive?  I don't know.

I think for now I'll just sit out and maybe just watch.

I did enjoy sharing what knowledge I have and trying to help here and there.  This is the main reason I was on CN and the main reason I'm here.  But I'll definitely go away if I'm not welcome, I have no skin in this game.

Peace.

 

I sincerely hope I am not one of them.  If so, I apologize unreservedly and assure that it was not intentional.

[Guest]

47 minutes ago, Xilman said:

I sincerely hope I am not one of them.  If so, I apologize unreservedly and assure that it was not intentional.

Not at all, I was talking about Olly and Vlavic, just to clarify.  I don't want to start a flaming war though.  I'm ok, a grown man, was just questioning my own involvement in the forums and what means to be civil and respectful.

[Paul M]

2 hours ago, jjohnson3803 said:

Because if they hide behind the Internet, they won't get punched in the mouth?  😉

I think it's akin to road rage.  Some people think it's ok to act like jackaloons as long as they have a steel shield around them.  I prefer Qigong myself.

 

Hot heads, you indeed see them on the Internet as much as you see them on the roads.

It's a very common human trait. With that in mind, along with the knowledge that I've surely been at fault myself plenty of times in the past, I just shrug and go on my way when a thread goes south.

I was "brung up" in the rough end of a rough town. I learned how to survive at an early age 😁 

There are some extremely knowledgeable specialist on SGL. I respect that and may change my thinking on a given subject in deference to their experience and knowledge and expertise. A well presented argument is it's own proof.

Anyway, to stand on the shoulders of giants you first need to do some climbing!😇

[Paz]

I mostly lurked on CN initially and as a result built up completely unreasonable expectations based on posts about huge scopes and epic skies, but I never really had the courage to post there.

I then spent more time lurking over here and eventually joined and started posting.

I don't have much in the way of confidence or interpersonal skills when it comes to people , and in real life I would not presume that anyone wants to hear anything I have to say, but on SGL people treat each other as equals and the standard of conduct is by far the highest of any internet community I've observed, so I am happy to participate here. I'm a member of many forums covering a number of hobbies and areas of interest but I just read and don't post. This is the only forum I am confident to post on.

In real life I don't talk about astronomy unless I'm asked, which doesn't happen.

We all don't know each other personally but it is nice to see posts by familiar forum members and as odd as it may seem, I notice when people drop off the forum and don't post for a while or sometimes stop posting and move on to other things completely, and from time to time I'll wonder how they are getting on, which is kind of a marker of what the forum can mean.

[ScouseSpaceCadet]

I thought hanging around with middle class nerds might rub off...

 

Seriously I was looking for advice, found some and decided on the whole SGL is one of the better internet hang outs I've used. Four years down the line I'm a fully fledged & somewhat integrated geek, spending too much money, joining an Astro society, doing star camps, jumping up and down in the garden thrashing branches because another neighbour has erected a LED light, comfort eating & considering smoking because I'm depressed about two week's cloud cover. All the usual stuff. 😀

[LukeTheNuke]

I've recently returned to SGL under a new user name. I stopped posting regularly years ago, having become a bit obsessed with a new hobby, and having felt a bit deflated after very frustrating problems with my solar filter.

And I have a new appreciation for how generally sensible and nice this forum is, having used some less nice forums for other interests and hobbies! I like having a natter about a hobby I love, and from my travels, this to me is the best place for it by far that I've seen.

Also, you can learn so much about this hobby from SGL. And it's just nice to share your enthusiasm for this hobby with others.

I am sad to see that some long-term members have passed away since I used to post here regularly. I saw earlier this week that johninderby is no longer with us. I enjoyed John's posts. It's embarrassing to admit it, but for years, I thought John's surname was Inderby, which I thought was quite a cool, posh surname. And I see Gina has passed away too.

I know this is a sad thought, but in a way, to me it shows that SGL isn't only about sharing knowledge. It's also about the people who do stargazing. It's been nice to see some of the old gang still active here, and I look forward to getting to know some of the newer SGLers.

Part of why I love stargazing is thinking about what life might be out there. I have this wish that alien life will be confirmed during my lifetime. If so, I hope they come in peace. Or at least, will spare the stargazers.

[inedible_hulk]

Having lost my partner to illness and looking for something to keep me occupied of an evening, I bought myself a scope, and discovered SGL shortly after. In no time I was hacking up Xbox webcams to image Jupiter and Saturn. Twelve years later and SGL, though its members, continues to inspire, educate, and entertain me 😊

[Beulah]

15 years I have been on SGL!! Where has the time gone? I don't post much here any more but do drop in frequently during the week.

The year I joined was the very year I got seriously back into astronomy after being an unaided-eye observer pretty much all my life - 2009 - the International Year of Astronomy. It felt like then, the market had exploded with budget, good quality telescopes; the likes of Skywatcher, Celestron, etc, suddenly being available to mere mortals like myself. 

Having Stargazers Lounge as an introduction to deep sky observing was an excellent bonus, reading people's observation reports and deriving inspiration from the objects they described. All those events we also enjoyed collectively, whether there were Martian probe landings, auroral activity, supernovae and comets helped the camaraderie and furthering this great community.

Today, part of my profession is actually teaching folk about the night sky by running stargazing outreach events, holding talks and planetarium shows. It's a great part of my job (sadly not full time).

I am certain that this would not be possible without the enthusiasm and generous education of this wonderful community. 😊

[Richard N]

It’s a good place to discuss clouds with geographically similarly challenged folks. 

[Bivanus]

I liked the subjects , I liked the tone of the discussions, I liked the quirqiness - in a good way - and a certain comunity feeling I find endearing.

[Stu]

2 hours ago, Richard N said:

It’s a good place to discuss clouds with geographically similarly challenged folks. 

There is a certain irony that members of the other forum actually see stars but the name implies otherwise, and this forum implies we do, but we don’t 🤪🤣

[Richard N]

11 minutes ago, Stu said:

There is a certain irony that members of the other forum actually see stars but the name implies otherwise, and this forum implies we do, but we don’t 🤪🤣

Indeed. One can get a bit fed up with endless reports of clear skies in Arizona. 

[Paz]

16 hours ago, Stu said:

There is a certain irony that members of the other forum actually see stars but the name implies otherwise, and this forum implies we do, but we don’t 🤪🤣

I have thought exactly this for a long time, maybe we should exchange forum names?

[skyhog]

I'm extremely thankful that the rules prohibit the usual topics that cause so much bile out there. This really is an oasis in that regard. I have no social media footprint whatsoever for that very reason. Keep up the good work, all that maintain this site...👍