When I first read this thread the other night I was touched in more ways than one. While the question deserves more than platitudes the more thoughtful responses of BigInch and others reminded me of a quote (I thought of Einstein) that is good to keep in mind, and I never did find a source except for some notes so I hope I can quote it now halfway accurately, "The difference between the most learned person and the least is trivially insignificant in comparison to what is unknown to mankind". In the process though I came across many others I think worthwhile and attributed to that great brain e.g.:
“The only source of knowledge is experience.”
“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” [By these measures and the countless folks I have seen helped over the years by the most envied handle on our forum, even a few of whom have awarded him “stars”, all of us have gained from these exchanges. While I suspect many of us like to contribute to these forums and feel it is worthwhile simply as we learn a lot therefrom, it should be remembered none of us are perfect, most of this stuff is volunteered, and for most of us contributions are otherwise quite thankless and payless efforts.
As to the statement of LI also that simple answers are hard to come by, particularly when so little to go on is often provided by the OP, Einstein even said,
"When the solution is simple, God is answering." (maybe not us!)
80 threads on these forums is barely scratching the surface. Also, if you get to the point where you can help many others 20 years in, I think you will have done a remarkable job. The fact that these forums are readily searchable means however you can by just digging a little with the search feature borrow on a literal wealth of knowledge at least once you separate the wheat from the chaff, to perhaps better know what to ask. If I would leave you with one more thought that may be at least a little more original that those quoted above (though admittedly prompted by the also good response of zdas04), let me assure you that while embarrassment hurts some, in the world of piping it is generally far better to say/ask something stupid than do something stupid, as the stakes re the latter can be surprisingly high.
On a personal note, as all of us are tax/rate payers and also consumers (even to the point when we are no longer productive in this field), I am heartened when younger folks ask such questions and clearly want to get to where they can also help others. While there may not be a whole lot of shortcuts, the most positive public figure I can remember in our country and my lifetime once said, "Each generation goes further than the generation preceding it because it stands on the shoulders of that generation. You will have opportunities beyond anything we've ever known." While he might not have been entirely original in these thoughts (borrowing some from Sir Isaac Newton, and later Ayn Rand?), seeing the world today our children must start out in after his passing, I hope in the end Mr. Reagan was right. All have a great weekend!
