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The Senator is ALIVE !!!


atheisticmystic

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WTF. Let there be no mistake that the very people in this thread that are now saying what a pleasure Mike is, and are now chastising Arnold F. for criticizing Mike, are the very people that drove him off this site.  They bitched and complained about him continually. Some even petitioning JW to have him banned.  Hypocrite much?

Edited by Mirror
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WTF. Let there be no mistake that the very people in this thread that are now saying what a pleasure he is are the very people that drove him off this site.  They bitched and complained about him continually. Some even petitioning JW to have him banned.  Hypocrite much?

what are talking about? Speaking for myself at least, I never bitched and complained about him, while still butting heads with him on occasion

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Jose, I take you're word that he hasn't been problem for you.  That's great!  I'm not crazy about his posts and I was less crazy about his bizarre PM's (which he continued even after I asked him to stop), it was his deliberate, targeted harassment that was the real problem.   Actually, to be accurate, it was only a problem for me.  No one else had a problem with his harassing me.   I can understand that - none of us can see every other post - he did it in a way no one else could easily see unless they spent the day looking (like he did).

To be honest, it's flattering in a way to be held responsible for my behavior in a way no will ever hold him responsible for his.  They know better.

I don't know who you are, Mirror, but I can't tell if you're brave or reckless.  You don't want to be seen as being on my side here!

 

 

 

 

I'll also go on record and say that Senator Mike is delightful and very pleasant in person, and you should try not to judge him based on his posts (which I know is very hard to do). In person, he's very giving of his time and knowledge (which is pretty vast), and always courteous. It definitely gives new light to reading his posts. I know he can get very repetitive when reading "RTFM" and the old <hat> online, but I bet if you met him in person, it would completely change your perspective on him.

I

Edited by Arnold F.
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In part because I knew he did whatever he wanted here not only without consequence, but with active approval from membership and tacit approval from admin, I didn't come much.  Therefore I was not around enough to have an opinion about why he left.   Normally, it would make me very sad to hear someone felt unwanted, particularly someone who so obviously needed attention.  But I'm afraid I can't be sad in this case after the very special attention he paid to me.  Moreover, if someone can confirm he's unhappy please do.

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WTF. Let there be no mistake that the very people in this thread that are now saying what a pleasure Mike is, and are now chastising Arnold F. for criticizing Mike, are the very people that drove him off this site.  They bitched and complained about him continually. Some even petitioning JW to have him banned.  Hypocrite much?

You seem to be confusing the challenging of a person's online manner with liking and appreciating the person behind the behavior.

Just like I'm going to guess that you're probably nicer than your abrasive anonymous nature exhibited here would lead one to believe.  But, then again, I may be wrong.

 

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Unless Mirror (whom I warned against dissent!) posted something I can't see he doesn't seem to be confusing anything.  

That said, I wasn't around to witness any sustained criticism of Derwood, just occasional complaints.  So from what I saw it's hard to imagine that he'd feel unwanted.  It strikes me he never seemed to be fully relating to anything here either intellectually or emotionally - there appeared to be little empathy and there was an OCD quality to his posting in general.   His "feeling" anything at all here seems an unlikely hypothesis and I sensed even then he was held to a lower standard of behavior because folks knew he wasn't fully in control, perhaps.  

 

 

You seem to be confusing the challenging of a person's online manner with liking and appreciating the person behind the behavior.

Just like I'm going to guess that you're probably nicer than your abrasive anonymous nature exhibited here would lead one to believe.  But, then again, I may be wrong.

 

 

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Arnold,

I can't count how many times Jeff, Crew, JB and other big knobs directly chastised the Senator for his shennanigans; he received no favor nor protection from anyone. When I first posted here, I caught some condescension from him, but I posted how sexy he was when he was angry, and things dissipated. I recently tried that tactic with the coward Robert Ford Mirror, and sure enough he backed away too.

Best,

Steven

I always found the Senator to be a humorous and valuable part of the forum, and sometimes people really DO just need to RTFM. I spoke with him briefly at the NAB mixer meetup and he gave me this pen. I laugh every time I use it.

IMG_5537_1.jpg

Ill buy that off ya ?

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^ Absolutely. Many times Jeff himself has asked Senator to cut it out. 

But apart from all the noise he was making and generating, look at how he has shaped this forum: most question threads will now open with a statement that yes, the internet has been searched before posting the question and the manufacturer has been asked as well, but without success. He has forced us to learn to solve our problems on our own (which is a key skill for a mixer), instead of asking others to do it for us. 

He has taken to heart (maybe too much) the old "give a man a fish and he'll food for a day. Teach him how to catch a fish and he'll have food for a lifetime". He wanted everyone here to understand that simple concept, too. 

I'll say it again: I miss him

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Arnold,

I can't count how many times Jeff, Crew, JB and other big knobs directly chastised the Senator for his shennanigans; he received no favor nor protection from anyone. When I first posted here, I caught some condescension from him, but I posted how sexy he was when he was angry, and things dissipated. I recently tried that tactic with the coward Robert Ford Mirror, and sure enough he backed away too.

Best,

Steven

Ill buy that off ya ?

You flatter yourself.

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I think The Senator was (and is) a hilarious guy with a very dry sense of humor that may sometimes not be apparent when you just look at ASCII text on a screen. In person, trust me, he's very funny, sly, sarcastic, but also very knowledgeable and has a vast amount of knowledge and experience. It's fair to say The Senator does not suffer fools gladly, and if he has a fault it's that he doesn't tolerate ignorance very well, particularly from people who are stubborn and unwilling to learn.

I always read the Senator's messages online in his voice, and to me, they were often hysterically funny -- even when dripping with sarcasm. Sadly, his answers were usually correct: "It depends..." "have you contacted the manufacturer?"... "have you read the manual?" Those three answers actually apply to about 90% of the silly questions that are sometimes asked here.

When you're asking an opinion -- as in, "hey, Senator, I was thinking of buying either Model XYZ vs. Model 123, but can't make up my mind. What would you say the pros and cons of each are?" He's willing to offer an opinion. He's also given me solid advice in the past when I'm up against a difficult producer in a job-related deal gone south. What he won't do is coddle people who expect people on the internet to do their research and learning for them. I find it unfortunate that Senator Michaels doesn't speak out more here -- I'm sure he's reading and lurking in the background -- because I think he has an interesting point of view on a lot of subjects.

Even if you don't agree with The Senator, and even if you don't agree with his bedside manner, his grasp of the facts is generally extremely good and he knows what he's talking about. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I think The Senator was (and is) a hilarious guy with a very dry sense of humor that may sometimes not be apparent when you just look at ASCII text on a screen. In person, trust me, he's very funny, sly, sarcastic, but also very knowledgeable and has a vast amount of knowledge and experience. It's fair to say The Senator does not suffer fools gladly, and if he has a fault it's that he doesn't tolerate ignorance very well, particularly from people who are stubborn and unwilling to learn.

I always read the Senator's messages online in his voice, and to me, they were often hysterically funny -- even when dripping with sarcasm. Sadly, his answers were usually correct: "It depends..." "have you contacted the manufacturer?"... "have you read the manual?" Those three answers actually apply to about 90% of the silly questions that are sometimes asked here.

When you're asking an opinion -- as in, "hey, Senator, I was thinking of buying either Model XYZ vs. Model 123, but can't make up my mind. What would you say the pros and cons of each are?" He's willing to offer an opinion. He's also given me solid advice in the past when I'm up against a difficult producer in a job-related deal gone south. What he won't do is coddle people who expect people on the internet to do their research and learning for them. I find it unfortunate that Senator Michaels doesn't speak out more here -- I'm sure he's reading and lurking in the background -- because I think he has an interesting point of view on a lot of subjects.

Even if you don't agree with The Senator, and even if you don't agree with his bedside manner, his grasp of the facts is generally extremely good and he knows what he's talking about. 

+1. Marc always hits the nail on the head.

I still get the PM's. I don't mind them. If Mr. Michaels were my teacher, I'd be gracious. I also feel that he brought the proper spelling, punctuation, and communicating of a succinct thought ~ to a better level than most boards have. I appreciate that. I hope to meet him in person one day.

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Last time I spoke with Senator was at the the most recent Atlanta sound mixer this past summer.  He also mentioned to me that he was in the process of retiring.  I got to know him by talking with him in person throughout the years at various sound gatherings and he's a solid, knowledgable and genuine guy with tons of character.  I also miss his comments here on JW.   I'm hoping his presence on here will come back. 

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When I discovered this forum (not that long ago - maybe 6 months back) it was the result of Googling a question I had about some equipment. Sure, I could've called the manufacturer, or read the F-n manual, but I decided to ask the guys here. Mike instantly private messaged me his response, which was basically what his pen reads + maybe an insult, I'm still not sure. I was confused about why he was responding (using the quote function and all, but) privately. I wrote him off as a lonely troll... and contacted the manufacturer. Turned out to be good advice, Mike. They knew the answer.

Now that I've had some months to read through many old valuable threads here, I find the Senator to be very knowledgable and actually endearing (in an east coast kind of way). His relentless non-answers usually sum it up. He's been around the block and knows his stuff and in most cases... yeah, it depends.

If the Senator ever made you feel dumb, that might have been a chance to learn something. 

Edited by JimKeaney
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Mikes posts are important because as more and more people new to the business make their presence known, they fail to grasp the simplest concepts of being involved in a technical field. And that is quite simple: do your own research, read the manual, and contact those whom can help you best; the manufacturer. Also, sometimes it is not the tool but he/she who weilds it. If you expect to work in a technican field and be taken seriously, being able to do your own googling should be the least of requirements. The inability of which to do even that makes guys who can do basic soldering look like demigods, and we all know that any Utility must be able to do that. Senator, you were often annoying and overbearing, but you carried an important message that needs to be reinforced. Come back, and maybe just be a little more tactful. 

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I think the Senator has managed to get it right over the last little while.

This forum is definitely not plagued by people asking simple questions, and 95% of the time it's dead easy to avoid something you're not interested in by looking at the subject header, what could be simpler?

This forum has been MUCH better for not being constantly infected by smart ass, gratuitous, time wasting, repetitive, attempts at a cure which was far worse than the disease.......

Edited by pindrop
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