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Well, I feel like I should have the final say here.
1) "Tyrant-at-Large" is a joke--it was a descriptor I invented for myself in a college society, based on the comic strip "Cavin and Hobbes"--that I selected when I registered here in 2012. I had honestly forgotten it was still my moniker, but I've changed it now to "moderator" to clear up any confusion.
2) I was asked to be a moderator months ago to keep an eye on things, since I'm frequently logged on here. I haven't posted very much in the last ~6 months, mainly due to other things going on in my life and also as a reassessment of my own online persona in the wake of the bans last fall, but I have been around. And, I've been mostly hands-off; California98Civic, you're right in that we probably should have closed more threads when it became clear that no productive discussion could result from them.
3) There are no degree requirements to be a moderator; this isn't a job, and I'm not paid (and to my knowledge, neither are the other mods!); I was simply asked to be an extra set of eyes and I said yes. That said, I hold *three* degrees, and one of those is an engineering degree; I teach at a university, although not in engineering; and I have had articles published in national journals in my field of expertise. That last one is to demonstrate that I have the necessary qualifications--namely, being able to read and write--to moderate an online forum.
4) The closed threads this week had either 1) devolved into unproductive argument, or 2) were started in attempts to restart the same argument, which already did not have anything to do with aerodynamics, the subject of this subforum. The threads on patents were *not* about using patent illustrations to design aerodynamic devices; they were about the broader subject of whether "ideas" are patentable. If you want to argue that, take it to the Off-Topic subforum--but if such a thread devolves again, we'll have no choice but to close it.
We can discourse civilly here; argue the merits of ideas; share results of testing and building and tinkering. We're all passionate and invested. Just be aware of passion overtaking intellect, be nice, and know when to step away from the keyboard.
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