them: this brick wall keeps hurting my head every time I bash into it over and over!
them: it never changes! help! why doesn't it work?
me : what are you actually trying to do?
them: bash my head through this brick wall!
me : what are you actually trying to do?
them: I'm trying to bash my head through this brick wall!
them: why do you keep asking me that?!?!
me : do you perhaps mean, get to the other side of the wall?
me : why don't you just use that door?
Heh, it's particularly bad in IRC (which is why I'm rarely there these days), but I have these sorts of conversations all over the place online and in person. I'm getting reasonably good at spotting what people actually want to do, based upon the bizarre questions they are asking. :-)
Yeah, but from another perspective IRC is like this:
me: I'm trying to get to the other side of this wall. them: use another wall. me: Well, I would if that would would help me. It won't. them: Hack yourself into little pieces and fling yourself over the wall. me: I can't do that because that's actually counterproductive to what I want to do. Plus, it won't work. me: Actually, I was wondering if one of the people who regularly go to the other side of the wall could just tell me where the door is? them: we know but we won't tell you. me: why not??? * them is now them|sleeping *
Hah, I think I may have had this exact conversation with Zed. s/brick wall/Webdav.
Been there, cached that :)