What to do with Brad? (Yet another Brad McFall topic)

Well, it looks like most of the others here have already expressed thoughts similar to my own, but nevertheless...I really don't think Brad has done anything to deserve confinement to the Boot Camp. Yes he is hard to understand...ok he is extremely hard to understand, but as Lam said, restricting him to the Boot Camp is highly unlikely to actually do any good.I've been "scanning" Brad's posts (as opposed to reading them, which I gave up long ago) pretty much since his first days here and as far as I can tell, he has never been any different. I honestly don't think he can be any different. I certainly don't think he does what he does deliberately. In fact, I get the impression that he thinks his writing is clear. I'm sure it all makes perfect sense to him.I previously had an exchange with Brad in one of the many "Brad threads," in which I made some suggestions as to how he might go about writing a little more clearly. Some of the pertinent posts are #102, #107, #116 and #122.Without re-reading them all (and momentarily ignoring the obvious things like punctuation, paragraphs, etc), I believe that my main points regarded the way in which his thoughts always appear to come flooding out, by the millions.He has said that he is often pressed for time and can be very limited in how long he has to get everything down. I said that this often results in his train of thought being nearly impossible to follow, and that it would be far more worth his while to focus on one specific point and get it across clearly than to squeeze everything his time will allow into a post that nobody can comprehend.I also suggested that if this doesn't do it, he might consider composing his replies offline, when he can give them the required time and thought. I said that perhaps he could use his time online to simply take in (and if necessary, note, save, print out, etc) those things which he wishes to reply to and write his responses at a time when he isn't so pressured to think on his feet.I said that he may even try replying to just the "light" topics while here, and saving the "heavy" ones for later. Admittedly, this would put him slightly behind everyone else but my point was that it would be worth it if it results in him expressing himself more clearly.Something else I thought he could try was a "reading aloud" test. Before posting something, he could read it aloud to see if it sounds like something he would say in person. Or better yet, read it aloud to somebody else and ask them if they understood.If you're reading this, Brad, I'm interested to know if you tried any of these ideas. They were merely suggestions, of course, but I'm curious whether or not any of them were of use to you.Also, some general comments. Somehow, I don't think there is any need for concern. I, for one, seriously doubt that there are many others out there like him. Frankly, I'd be stunned if even one other "Brad" were ever to turn up at EvC. This is something I've always wondered about, myself. It has occurred to me in the past that it might be educational for Brad to post, say, an excerpt from one of his papers. I would be very interested in seeing the result of a written piece that he has put considerable time and thought into. As one of his problems seems to be rushing to "get it all down," seeing something he's had the necessary time to spend on just may give us some insights into how he thinks.He may even have done this already but I haven't read that vast majority of his posts over the years, so does anyone know? If you're reading this, Brad (and if you haven't already done this), would you be willing to post something from an essay, thesis, etc that you've completed?As always, no pressure or anything. If you'd rather not, no problem. It's just a thought. I agree; I'd hate to see him leave. Even though I haven't paid more than cursory attention to the majority of Brad's posts, for some reason that I can't quite fathom, I really like him.In fact, it was precisely because I'd so frequently ignored his posts (and got the impression that others generally did the same) that I wanted to help him out, in the first place. I think it's a shame that such a...let me see..."unique" mind gets ignored so often because of our inability to comprehend the posts it produces, and I long for the day that the lines of communication between Brad and we mortals become clear. Just think of all the stuff we can pick that lovely brain of his for!Of course, if Brad ever does become coherent to the point of being able to freely converse back and forth with the rest of us, will he really be "Brad" any more? Yes we do!

Heh, thanks for the support, Lam. It looks like you think that was a half-decent idea I had.This is actually a thought that's been sitting in the back of my mind for a long time; "I wonder what Brad's Uni assignments look like." Well, I finally decided to suggest it so perhaps now we'll find out. Yes, I think this is part of the problem. He already has so many simultaneous thoughts trying to come out at the best of times. This becomes exponentially worse when he's rushing to beat the clock.Unfortunately, it's hard to know what to suggest because I don't know exactly how limited his resources are. I don't know if he is able to save or print out forum messages at his library terminal but I think he may need to try something along these lines.Also, I think you're correct that he has no internet at home, but I wonder, does he have a computer? If so, perhaps he could compose his messages at home, save them to disk and take it with him the next time he goes to the library. If not, he may need to use a work or friend's computer.Ultimately, I think it comes down to this; Brad needs to separate his composing and his posting. Does that make sense? In other words, one way or the other, he has to take the pertinent forum messages away with him (save them, print them, whatever) and write his replies to them while he isn't online. If he is unable to get access somewhere that he won't be pressured time-wise, I think this may be the only way to go.Now in all honesty, I don't think this will completely solve the problem. I really think there are larger clarity issues here than Brad simply typing away as fast as he can to get all of his points down before his time is up.However, knowing that this is at least part of the problem, I think it's as good a place as any to start. I'm actually curious to see if it does make a significant difference to his clarity. This is one of the main reasons I'd like to see something from his Uni papers.

You're right, jar, that's a good question. Professor McFall marking your paper; can you imagine?

Um... sure... I think. But, I must admit, when I see words like "Bradmania" I can't help but get a little scared.Did you ever see my "tribute" to Brad, Mike?(edit: fixed url - AdminNWR)This message has been edited by AdminNWR, 11-20-2005 11:36 AM

When did I become so popular?Hey, Brad, you say that's your site above? As in, the articles are your own writing? Cool! From the quick glance I took it already looks way over my head, but I'll check it out some time. Thanks for the link.

Heh, thanks. Nah, I've read more than enough of his posts over the years. The scary part is when I showed it to Brad I think he made some sense out of it. Yes, you did, didn't you? Man, that was a long time ago. Heh, good luck finding it!