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I've learned a ton on this site over the last several months of reading through posts. One of those things is that I've learned how much I don't know. It really blows my mind how much collective knowledge and real-world experience there is on this forum. To me, that's really cool that people are willing to share with others to help them learn as well.
One other thing that I've noticed along the way is that Sunking has his detractors. It seems like he is often criticized for his abruptness, for calling people out, or calling names.
At first this bothered me. I'd originally came across solarpaneltalk because I'd seen the marketing for something that seemed really awesome (Iron Edison batteries,) and really hoped that they would be the magic bullet that they were purported to be. When I made my first posts, I did so with the hope that Sunking wouldn't respond, because I'd seen his negative comments about the technology elsewhere in the forums.
In essence, I wanted my hopes to be validated, and I wanted to find people who would agree with those hopes.
In the end, Sunking did comment, along with a number of other folks, several with direct experience with the technology. And in the end, the technology didn't turn out to be the magic infallible thing that I'd hoped it would be. But beyond that, I learned something, that hopefully other newbies to this forum will learn as well.
Sunking isn't being a jerk when he challenges us or calls us out, and he's not being intolerant of other people's views either. However, he is intolerant of deception, ignorance, not listening, trying to do stuff that will cost us money unnecessarily, and especially trying to do stuff that could kill or injure us or others. He's also intolerant of conjecture, unproven claims, and falsified/misleading data. And, that's not a bad thing, even though it can be uncomfortable when directed at us.
As I've read through this forum on many occasions, (and realized that he is also a member of other forums where he's likewise respected (and possibly reviled for the same reasons as he is here,)) I've learned to have a deep respect for him, his experience, and his knowledge.
As I was thinking about it the other day, I realized that he parallels the two best teachers I've had in my life -- my dad (an electrical engineer) and Mr. Shirley (my high school science teacher.) Both have a very deep working knowledge of their fields. And both have no qualms whatsoever in calling out stupidity, ignorance, or foolishness. Not because of pride, but because of their concern for others, and out of a desire for others to be the best that they can. And out of that, I have built a very deep respect and trust for them.
Am I saying that they're infallible? Of course not. Neither is Sunking I'm sure. But I do feel as if his detractors are unfair in their accusations and criticisms. Many times when people act standoffish towards him, it is because they seem to be approaching a question or problem the way that I did with my early posts about NiFe batteries -- they want their views to be validated, not challenged. Even if they're not correct. And they don't want to admit when something Sunking says might contradict what they're saying.
The thing is -- Sunking has no qualms about calling people out on things like that. He knows that he knows what he knows. And I don't think that's a bad thing.
So, to the newbies out there like me -- do your research. Read the stuff that Sunking (and others) link to in their posts. Try to understand what he's actually saying. If he calls you out, take it with a grain of salt and try to understand why you're being called out. He has a ton of respect on this forum and others, from moderators and members alike. There is a ton that can be learned here on these forums - not just from him, but from everyone
Chris
One other thing that I've noticed along the way is that Sunking has his detractors. It seems like he is often criticized for his abruptness, for calling people out, or calling names.
At first this bothered me. I'd originally came across solarpaneltalk because I'd seen the marketing for something that seemed really awesome (Iron Edison batteries,) and really hoped that they would be the magic bullet that they were purported to be. When I made my first posts, I did so with the hope that Sunking wouldn't respond, because I'd seen his negative comments about the technology elsewhere in the forums.
In essence, I wanted my hopes to be validated, and I wanted to find people who would agree with those hopes.
In the end, Sunking did comment, along with a number of other folks, several with direct experience with the technology. And in the end, the technology didn't turn out to be the magic infallible thing that I'd hoped it would be. But beyond that, I learned something, that hopefully other newbies to this forum will learn as well.
Sunking isn't being a jerk when he challenges us or calls us out, and he's not being intolerant of other people's views either. However, he is intolerant of deception, ignorance, not listening, trying to do stuff that will cost us money unnecessarily, and especially trying to do stuff that could kill or injure us or others. He's also intolerant of conjecture, unproven claims, and falsified/misleading data. And, that's not a bad thing, even though it can be uncomfortable when directed at us.
As I've read through this forum on many occasions, (and realized that he is also a member of other forums where he's likewise respected (and possibly reviled for the same reasons as he is here,)) I've learned to have a deep respect for him, his experience, and his knowledge.
As I was thinking about it the other day, I realized that he parallels the two best teachers I've had in my life -- my dad (an electrical engineer) and Mr. Shirley (my high school science teacher.) Both have a very deep working knowledge of their fields. And both have no qualms whatsoever in calling out stupidity, ignorance, or foolishness. Not because of pride, but because of their concern for others, and out of a desire for others to be the best that they can. And out of that, I have built a very deep respect and trust for them.
Am I saying that they're infallible? Of course not. Neither is Sunking I'm sure. But I do feel as if his detractors are unfair in their accusations and criticisms. Many times when people act standoffish towards him, it is because they seem to be approaching a question or problem the way that I did with my early posts about NiFe batteries -- they want their views to be validated, not challenged. Even if they're not correct. And they don't want to admit when something Sunking says might contradict what they're saying.
The thing is -- Sunking has no qualms about calling people out on things like that. He knows that he knows what he knows. And I don't think that's a bad thing.
So, to the newbies out there like me -- do your research. Read the stuff that Sunking (and others) link to in their posts. Try to understand what he's actually saying. If he calls you out, take it with a grain of salt and try to understand why you're being called out. He has a ton of respect on this forum and others, from moderators and members alike. There is a ton that can be learned here on these forums - not just from him, but from everyone
Chris
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