After a Heart Attack

[Cracklin' Tobaccy]

That may be true but, it 3was also a solicitation to read about what others went through and how they handled the situation. You are firm in your narrow beliefs. I can understand how such makes life fairly simple. So, I admire anyone who can simplify their life.


And to be able to span "all fields". That has to be a comfort.

If only we could all live our lives out of pretty little boxes like the lucky few. lol

 

[LeafErikson]

Guys, what are we all doing posting on this forum without proper credentials? We’re not pipe experts, we’re just mere laymen! Pipe peasants, if you will. I suggest we begin rigorous testing upon the creation of all pipesmagazine accounts. The test will require a 4-year degree and the final exam will be smoking full Virginia flake with no dry time to a ‘fine white ash’ with no relights.

I, for one, am ashamed I’ve been posting lo these many years without the proper credentials and am looking into terminating my account directly. I suggest the rest of you laymen follow suit!

 

[ItsKarl]

That may be true but, it 3was also a solicitation to read about what others went through and how they handled the situation. You are firm in your narrow beliefs. I can understand how such makes life fairly simple. So, I admire anyone who can simplify their life.


And to be able to span "all fields". That has to be a comfort.

It stands to reason. If you don't have the expertise, you seek out the expertise. Do you disagree?
If you're not an expert, you have no meaningful way of telling who is an expert, other than credentials. Do you disagree?

Of course, if it's something as trivial as DIY stuff around the house or with the car, there's not much you need in terms of expertise, because the stakes are low. And in these cases, the result is simply a less polished job - or maybe just a cheaper one - than what professionals would do anyway. And if you have a casual interest in history, who cares if you get your information from Ancient Aliens on the History Channel - you're not authoring any textbooks on the subject. But still the principle applies: you don't have the expertise to go outside the mainstream, all you can do is go by who sounds reasonable. Problem is, to the uninitiated, there are reasonable sounding people on every possible side of the issue. For Heaven's sake, Graham Hancock sounds reasonable to people who don't know any better.

"But I'm a smart guy, I can tell good info from bad". That's what everyone says - that's why there are people on every side of every issue. And they are all just as sure of their positions as everyone else. A sense of certainty, however, is no indication of veracity. And if you think you are more clever than the majority of experts in a field - which is what you're thinking if you get your info from outside the mainstream - that's pretty bold.

 

[ItsKarl]

Guys, what are we all doing posting on this forum without proper credentials? We’re not pipe experts, we’re just mere laymen! Pipe peasants, if you will. I suggest we begin rigorous testing upon the creation of all pipesmagazine accounts. The test will require a 4-year degree and the final exam will be smoking full Virginia flake with no dry time to a ‘fine white ash’ with no relights.

I, for one, am ashamed I’ve been posting lo these many years without the proper credentials and am looking into terminating my account directly. I suggest the rest of you laymen follow suit!

Is there an education in pipe smokery? Is there a need for one? No? So how is that relevant in this discussion? There are people here with decades of experience smoking - that's credentials. Case in point: would you accept correction in pipe smoking someone who has been smoking for less than two months?

 

[jpberg]

Well this thread has gone all awesome.

Does anyone think the OP came here asking for professional thoughts?

 

[fireground_piper]

Of course, if it's something as trivial as DIY stuff around the house or with the car, there's not much you need in terms of expertise, because the stakes are low. And in these cases, the result is simply a less polished job - or maybe just a cheaper one - than what professionals would do anyway.

I’d argue the stakes are higher. “Trivial” DIY auto repair can result in injury or death of the driver, passengers, and other innocent bystanders or drivers on the road.

This is much worse than taking medical advice from random people on a heart condition as it only impacts the owner of the heart.

 

[LeafErikson]

There are people here with decades of experience smoking - that's credentials. Case in point: would you accept correction in pipe smoking someone who has been smoking for less than two months?

Someone who has only smoked for a year but smokes 6 bowls a day, has smoked many, many more bowls of tobacco than the person that has smoked once a week for 20 years.

 

[jpberg]

Hey mods, can we lock this shit show up?

 

[ItsKarl]

Someone who has only smoked for a year but smokes 6 bowls a day, has smoked many, many more bowls of tobacco than the person that has smoked once a week for 20 years.

Ok, let me phrase it differently then. Would you accept correction from someone who has smoked only six bowls?

 

[LeafErikson]

Hey mods, can we lock this shit show up?

Aw, c’mon man this has been fun

 

[ItsKarl]

I’d argue the stakes are higher. “Trivial” DIY auto repair can result in injury or death of the driver, passengers, and other innocent bystanders or drivers on the road.

This is much worse than taking medical advice from random people on a heart condition as it only impacts the owner of the heart.

If the DIY job could result in bodily harm, then it wasn't trivial, was it? But sure, if you're incompetent at changing tyres (and some people are), then clearly it's not something you should have done on your own. And if your shoddy job is the result of advice from someone, clearly you should have listened to someone more knowledgeable. But equally clearly, you thought that guy sounded like he knew what he was talking about.

 

[BingBong]

It's all about yer risk/benefit ratio, innit? However you want to measure it.

No hearties for me, yet. Plenty of other crap, unrelated. I'm still a high risk category. Strictly no more than 7 bowls a day. Or 8.

Nurse this morning: "have you been smoking?"
"Yes ma'am"
BP 121/67, oxygen sat 99%
Nurse: "keep doing whatever you're doing"

Vital Amine B3 is a wonderful thing.

 

[SmokingInTheWind]

This thread is going the way of every thread on the gun forums titled “Is .357 Magnum Adequate for Bear Defense?”

Fun to watch, from a distance.

But seriously, I think @warren gave the original poster the best advice, especially coming from a place of experience.

 

[brian64]

This thread is going the way of every thread on the gun forums titled “Is .357 Magnum Adequate for Bear Defense?”

Any credentialed expert will tell you it depends on how fast you can run in hiking boots.

 

[warren]

If you're not an expert, you have no meaningful way of telling who is an expert, other than credentials. Do you disagree?

Obviously not, I want my concerns/curiosities answered! Credentials are certainly a decent starting point. Then one needs to evaluate the "expert". Lotta "self-styled" experts out there. Some are charlatans. Many quite capable of, on the interweb and, in real life, building a following. Background checks, opinions of the expert's peers/colleagues, patient/customer revues, medical board records, governments have boards regulating certain fields with public records, and so forth are all out there which can be accessed in-person, on the internet, through the mail, texts, and telephone. Law suits are usually public information! Lots of information widely available to use when evaluating an expert, whatever field they are in, for discerning folks to take advantage of, Just takes a bit or delving into.

A lot of so-called "experts", particularly in/on the media, have agendas they are selling. Many are simply catering to the masses or, serving a paying customer to push an opinion.