8404 Diorama Studios

Once again I find myself questioning the value of participating in so called model forums. They can be the source of great tips, hints, and news; as well as a treasure trove of reference material, inspiration and motivation. Unfortunately they can also be the source of aggravation, bad feelings, personal slights (real and imagined), misunderstandings, and deliberate instigation of problems by morons who derive some kind of amusement from it – much like the dim bulbs who try to spam this site (enjoy moderation there, jackasses?).

Case in point, I made a post on a board with a shared detail picture of a set of modern figures that someone had made a comment about that sure looked like a a question of the accuracy of the figures. I didn’t call them out by name, made a reference to them as the ‘original poster’ and left it at that. However, they chose to out their self and accuse me of not having my facts straight. Well, sporty you may be a paragod by trade but, mistaking a sternal IO access port for a subclavian IV line will make me wonder about your knowledge base especially where it concerns anatomy and medical equipment. Here’s a hint for those who are scratching their heads – the sternum is your breastbone, center of your chest; subclavian deals with a blood vessel running along (and somewhat protected by) the clavicle (collarbone) – two very different anatomical locations. An IO or interosseous IV is inserted into the bone; a subclavian line while a more serious undertaking is still a form of venipuncture IV access and the equipment is essentially the same as any other IV; the port and access set-up for an IO infusion is by nature a completely different animal entirely and there is no mistaking it.

So, if your professional ego is so fragile that you can’t handle being unnamed and have the fact that you questioned the accuracy of a procedure not often taught outside of TCCC classes being depicted in a set of 1/35 scale plastic figures on a message board then maybe – just maybe you might have some real issues there sporty. Once again, I’m not going to embarrass you personally (or professionally) by naming you. I am going to say that people like yourself are toxic to the online community. You need a hobby, one that will cause you less stress and give you much more enjoyment.

This is just my take on things, your mileage may vary. Apologies for the diatribe, but I really needed to vent and I’m once again seriously thinking that I should reconsider how much enjoyment I’m really getting from the online message boards. All this considered, I’m heading back to the fortress of solitude to hack and glue some plastic!