delirium - you're being ridiculous. Come on! You're taking merlyn to task for:

• pointing out to PodMaster that code he wrote was obviously flawed. I'm sorry, but PodMaster should know that flocking safely requires atomic operations. Posting that without consulting prior art was foolish.
• pointing out to pernod that the business model he was asking about was foolish, given that the product is heavily based on an opposing model.

If merlyn hadn't taken them to task on those topics, I sure as hell would've! In fact, merlyn taking them to task is his responsability. He is one of the elders of this community. As an elder, it is his responsability to make sure that the "young'uns" aren't doing something stupid. In ancient times, this may have been things like

• Don't carry your spear with the spearhead pointing at your body
• Always hunt the deer from downwind
• Don't eat that plant - it'll give you the runs

Now, it's the Goddess-given right for "young'uns" to ignore the words of their elders. But, it's the Goddess-given right for elders, who have already paid their dues, to give you that wisdom any damn way they choose. If you don't like it, then you can do it differently when you have 20 years in the business. Until then, expect responses like this when, to me, it sounds like you're whining that you didn't get a lollipop after going to the doctor.