Slime wrote:
>>Good words.  But I think they are a bit ironic here since Steve was one
>>of the most vocal proponents of that very viewpoint throughout the
>>contest, and he was kind of an inspiration to me.  I'm not taking his
>>post in a totally straighforward way.  I think he is still trying to
>>come to grips with the "loss" of not fielding an entry, after he worked
>>so hard and long, rising from the ashes twice if I've understood
>>correctly.  He had to make a tough decision to self-edit based on what
>>he felt, in the end, were serious technical flaws with his entry.  That
>>takes a certain kind of toughness too.
> 
> 
> I guess I didn't fully understand Steve's situation. In any case, my post
> was also in response to many other posts I've seen on the newsgroups in the
> last few days; I just figured this would be a good place to say it.
> 
I totally agree.  And you said it well.

The whole thing evidently weighed on people's minds a lot. Several 
people feeling the need to explain their decision, one way or another. 
I think a high-profile event like this is quite a learning experience 
for us, and across several issues.  During the course of the entire 
contest, in both its phases, I believe I have personally experienced 
every feeling of doubt and apprehension that has been voiced here.