Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Thanks Vinay

[Vinay Gupta (vinay]

>Something there is about Email that can really heighten such reactions. I
>have had it happen to me repeatedly. In person I am sometimes agressive and
>loud, but my body language and laughter smooth the way. (I have been told my
>laugh can be heard a block away!)  Email doesn't allow for humor or other
>un-worded intentions to come through. 

I know a woman and her fiance who argue and fight incessantly by
email, long philosophical and academic tracts zinging through the ether(net)
and generally causing mayhem.  But on a telephone or in the same room,
not more than the occasional ruffled feather.

I think email is such a dry, intellectual medium by it's verbal nature,
that the stabilising influences of body language and the like aren't even
consciously missed... then... bzam.

oh, by the way, work is taking me to Florida (I'm wearing one of my
old hats: computer game designer and graphics engineer) so I may be
off the list for a while, until I get decent net access sorted out,
so please be sure to forward any dome related mail to me at
vinay [at] neuron.net and I'll, as always, be delighted to talk about them.

best,

vinay

Vinay Gupta
Worldview Livingspace