MEMES

[30-30remchester]

Yup, after a few thousands of BBs I could quickly point-shoot (no sights) and hit nickel-sized targets out to about 10 yards, maybe a little farther, 8-9 times out of ten.

Put a LOT of BBs down that barrel.

For us it was those little snap together balsa wood gliders and a BB gun that taught us wing shooting.

 

[16thVACav]

He was a tough old bird, but to this day I virtually never use either of those words in any of my speaking or writing.

How much did he deduct for "virtually"?

 

[oldbrownhat]

How much did he deduct for "virtually"?

I'm guessing this was all well before this became a "thing":

 

[johngalt]

Irregardless your professor was basically a jerk

Irregardless, that class is probably an appropriate venue for being a stickler.

 

[Rudi]

And a bit more trek.

 

[Rustyt1953]

 

[LVSteve]

In college I had a writing/speech prof who HATED the word irregardless - he insisted it was a non-word.

If you messed up and used it when doing a speech or presentation in his class, it was an instant 10% markdown of your grade for that presentation. And he would immediately pipe up and ask you "irregardless?" - EVERY time - right in the middle of your speaking. Just to show you he heard it and let you know your grade on that particular presentation just got knocked down one full grade.

He also hated the word "basically" because he said it was a worthless, "filler" word that added nothing of value. He'd interrupt you to say "basically?" every time you used it - but since he at least considered it a REAL word - even though a useless one - he only marked your grade down 5% for using it.

He was a tough old bird, but to this day I virtually never use either of those words in any of my speaking or writing.

Lesson learned, courtesy of Bob Phinney...

A somebody who made a living writing technical reports, I’m with the prof, especially on filler words. My boss once got a report from another author, part of which read:

“Battery XYZ456 is basically identical to the same as battery ABC123 except in length, width, depth, and output voltage”

My boss’s reply was less hysterical.

 

[Rustyt1953]

 

[BC38]

Irregardless your professor was basically a jerk

That would be one take on it. And many of my classmates might have agreed with you.

I see things a little differently.

While he may have come across as a jerk to some of his students, by being a jerk he taught us a LOT about how to be better writers and public speakers.

When I'm spending my own hard-earned money for education, I'd rather have a hard taskmaster who actually challenges me, and forces me to improve my skills, than an easy-going instructor who just gives everyone a "pass".

JMO and YMMV...

 

[Tom S.]

That would be one take on it. And many of my classmates might have agreed with you.

I see things a little differently.

While he may have come across as a jerk to some of his students, by being a jerk he taught us a LOT about how to be better writers and public speakers.

When I'm spending my own hard-earned money for education, I'd rather have a hard taskmaster who actually challenges me, and forces me to improve my skills, than an easy-going instructor who just gives everyone a "pass".

JMO and YMMV...

One would argue that one could be a taskmaster without being a jerk however.

 

[Onomea]

Irregardless your professor was basically a jerk

Another way of looking at it is that the world is full of bosses that have their annoying idiosyncrasies, so learning the lesson early on, through an eccentric or stickler prof, that you'd best learn to accommodate yourself to these as it will make life a lot easier as you go forth in the world is a valuable lesson.

Don't have to carry it home with you in your personal life, but to be successful you'd best learn to accommodate, adapt to, what you consider BS by bosses in your business/professional life.

Or, put yet another way, life ain't fair, so best get over it, accommodate it, and keep on truckin'.

 

[Rudi]

I remember.

 

[oldbrownhat]

I remember.

Me, too. "MIKEY LIKES IT!"

 

[Rotorhead1026]

I remember.

It helps to have the same name. I don’t “hate everything”, though.

 

[Rudi]

The jokers of Trek.

 

[BC38]

One would argue that one could be a taskmaster without being a jerk however.

Yeah, there's a spectrum between the two extremes, for sure.
Funny thing is, although Professor Phinney and I were 180 degrees apart in our philosophy of life and our worldviews, he still ended up being one of my favorite teachers in college.
He was tough, and could be pretty abrasive, but at the same time, he was still fair, even with people (like me) that he disagreed with.
IIRC, I took 4 classes from him (2 writing, 1 public speaking, and 1 ethics in engineering) and I actually enjoyed all of them.
I developed a lot of respect for the guy.

 

[Chuck24]

Me, too. "MIKEY LIKES IT!"

That was preceded by Mikey hates everything

 

[Golddollar]

When I'm spending my own hard-earned money for education, I'd rather have a hard taskmaster who actually challenges me, and forces me to improve my skills, than an easy-going instructor who just gives everyone a "pass".

/QUOTE]

When I was in law school I had a Commercial Transactions class in my second year. The professor was known for being emphatic about good draftsmanship of contractual terms. His draftsmanship examples were something like this:
1. andnsnsnsnnsnnsnn:
a) aksfdkdsfkafksdafas
b) akgjdgasdkgkg and
c) aakakakkkakaka.

Over 38 years of drafting requirements for issuance of title insurance policies and exceptions to coverage for title insurance policies, I was sure I was hearing the professor's voice in my ear as I was drafting these things.

Years later, I met his widow and told her that 25 years after I graduated from law school I could still hear her husband's lectures in my ears.

 

[oldbrownhat]

When I'm spending my own hard-earned money for education, I'd rather have a hard taskmaster who actually challenges me, and forces me to improve my skills, than an easy-going instructor who just gives everyone a "pass"

Oh, that's SO YESTERDAY! My gf, who teaches molecular biology and genetics at univ. has a reputation as a hard marker. Those with actual aptitude and a good work ethic do well. The rest flounder and sink to the bottom. But of course nowadays you're really not allowed to let that happen, so she has to scale the marks to make the less capable students look better. Actually, I think they have now gone to just a pass/fail system, so as not to hurt the students' delicate feelings. She is SO looking to retire!

She told me - with some glee - that this quarter, she and "X" are teaching two sections of the same course. "X" is a softie, so his class has something like double the number that hers does

 

[oldbrownhat]

I remember.

Now, do you remember the ad with the tag line, "You're soaking in it."?