I dunno BA. Perhaps some examples are in order:
1) I don't understand rebar anchorage. As far as I can tell, neither does anybody else. Everyone just seems to treat a developed bar as though it is a bar that could not be pulled out from the concrete in which it is embedded. That's wrong. Rebar anchorage is rather important to the whole RC design thing. I design a lot of concrete buildings. This is a question that I've been hesitant to bring up semi-publicly for some time.
2) Many years ago, I was assigned the task of creating a whitepaper on the use of a concrete admixture that is produced in my (our) area of practice. There wasn't much information readily available so I thought to myself "hey, I should ask my engi-tips buddies!". I did exactly that and managed to find GOBS of relevant information in the process. However, several people on the forum pounced on me because I didn't instantly recognize the term SCM when it was mentioned. They carried on about how, if I didn't know that term, I had no business doing any work on concrete admixtures.
Of course, I'm quite familiar with the term supplementary cementitious material. I just had a brain fart when I first saw the acronym. If this wasn't bad enough, my client then stumbled across the thread and noticed where I'm located. He contacted my boss and said something to the effect of "why are we paying you to do this work for us if you're just trolling around the internet for information?". Then, of course, my boss paid me a visit. I defended my strategy successfully to both client and manager but it was not a particularly pleasant afternoon. In that instance, I wish that my profile had me listed as working in Belize.
3) In general, this is a community more interested in practical matters than theoretical ones. Usually this suits me but, sometimes, it doesn't. A review of the threads that I've started will reveal that I often drift into areas that others find overly pedantic. I worry about this because I fear that my forays into pedantry will make me seem like an impractical spaz -- which is only partly true -- within a community that I value highly. In the past, I've considered tracking down JAE, showing up on his doorstep, and seeing if he'll take me on as his protege. Will engineer for room and board. JAE probably wouldn't take me on because he's seen my ridiculous diatribe about composite beam theory.
As I understand it, the administrators of this forum are big fans of anonymity. I believe that we are discouraged from posting our email addresses or contacting one another directly for that reason. As an interesting aside, I'm fairly certain that you and I live in the same geographical area. And, through our mutual participation on the site, I know that you know stuff. Lots of stuff. I've often considered reaching out to you to see if you might be willing to serve as a sort of external mentor for me. But, alas, we are two semi-anonymous ships passing in the night...
The greatest trick that bond stress ever pulled was convincing the world it didn't exist.
