This morning I wrote an e-mail to my local Linux User Group, asking for help in figuring out what’s wrong with my laptop fan (which whirls madly most of the time and every now and then just stops, oblivious to the rising heat). I was afraid my newbie request would be met with scorn and mockery, but instead I got several very helpful replies.

In what I believed to be the last mail in the thread, I thanked everyone, even though no suggestion had worked. But the list moderator replied once more saying no need to thank us, this is what user groups are for. “Otherwise, we’d have founded a Bridge club or something.”