Newbie: finding the key/index of the min/max element

[Stephen J. Turnbull]

>>>>> "Laura" == Laura Creighton <lac at strakt.com> writes:

    >> I'm truly sorry that my sincere attempt to answer what I
    >> thought was a simple question caused you to resort to open
    >> hostility.  I am truly impressed by you r vicisousness.

    Laura> Oh Rats!  If you are _impressed_ by this, then I will have
    Laura> to try something else.  I wanted you to be _disgusted_.

The First Law of Marketing: It doesn't matter how bad the thing they
say about you is, as long as it isn't nothing.

But think about it -- this is logical.  By showing that you have
command of the idiom, you attract attention to yourself.  By the fact
that normally you _choose_ not to use it, your use in a special case
highlights your normal behavior, and invites consideration of your
motivation and philosophy.

It won't work on everybody.  But where it doesn't work, they won't
pause to be impressed.  They'll just dig a foxhole and start lobbing
grenades back.

    Laura> hmm, can we consider c.l.p a society?  It sure is a
    Laura> Förening, <Swedish for Society>, but do you get to use
    Laura> English that way?)

Sure.  Many meanings for "society", this usage is certainly
acceptable.  However, you might prefer "community" (which sounds like
and is derived from "common", ie, "shared").

    Laura> This is an extremely interesting and to my mind important
    Laura> social experiement,

Is this documented somewhere?  I'm interested in the experiment.  The
newsgroups and mailing lists I participate in are by and large not so
different from c.l.py in this respect, so it was not obvious to me
that it is something different.

    Laura> and you aren't going to find many people who will support
    Laura> you in your efforts to turn this place into just another
    Laura> newsgroup.

    Laura> You want us to change our societal norms and our entire
    Laura> process for your sake.  You want to make c.l.p a place
    Laura> where people do not post for fear of _wasting your time_.

I think this is rather unfair.  I agree that this is the _effect_ of
this typically American form of behavior.  You have every right, and
if you like, a duty, to defend your experiment from this threat.

But what is _wanted_ is mostly simple freedom of expression.  "Those
words just roll off _my_ back; what's your problem?  They're _just_
_words_, OK?!" says the American.  Well, to many people they're not
"mere words".  But that takes some explaining to many of the people I
know.  Americans often ask "well, why can't I do it my way, and you do
it yours?  If people don't like my way, that's what score-files are
for."  

I don't have an answer to that for you, but I did want to present it
in a way that acknowledges both the threat you correctly perceive, and
the fact that it surely was intended as an expression of personal
style, not subversion of your social fabric.  And I would be
interested to hear the answer, although I intend to follow the rules
regardless of how they are justified.


-- 
Institute of Policy and Planning Sciences     http://turnbull.sk.tsukuba.ac.jp
University of Tsukuba                    Tennodai 1-1-1 Tsukuba 305-8573 JAPAN