Note to readers

It’s time for a bit of housekeeping, especially since we have some new readers who apparently need some tips:

1.) If you haven’t read “Da Roolz” on the sidebar—the guidelines for commenting—please do so. And please adhere to them.

2.) The Roolz include several hints that are being flouted too often for my taste. First, do be civil. Many of us (including me!) tend to be a bit more touchy during these troubled times, and I am seeing not only rather unpleasant emails in my inbox, but also more ad hominem remarks and squabbles in the comments section. Please be nice to your fellow readers, addressing them exactly as you would face to face in their living room.  As the Roolz indicate, try not to get into protracted debates (usually one on one) in the comments.

3.) Please try not to dominate threads, commenting repeatedly on the same thread. As the Roolz note:

Try not to dominate threads, particularly in a one-on-one argument. I’ve found that those are rarely informative, and the participants never reach agreement. A good guideline is that if your comments constitute over 10% of the comments on a thread, you’re posting too much.

4.) I am being inundated with emails, perhaps because people are staying at home more and thus having more time to write. The upside is that I get a lot of useful tips and things to read. But the downside is that I am losing emails or forgetting about them as they move down to the Devonian of my inbox. I advise readers again to try to limit emails to me, perhaps sending two per week at most.  If you have tips or things that I might find interesting, please aggregate them and send them as a group.

But, as always, there are exceptions, especially if you find typos or factual errors I make, which I like to correct promptly.

I am Professor Ceiling Cat (Emeritus) and