>>>That is the best you can do??? That was more of a pun than anything...
>>
>>Well, your tone made it sound like you
>
>Whoa. Tell me Mike, how can static text that appears on a screen after being sent over a digital wire have a tone and make a sound?!?! It doesn't, it's basically a flat means of communication. And being a flat medium, just like the mirror on your car, things are not always as close (meaning close to the heart) as they appear.

I believe this is why we use emoticons -- when something stated flatly can be taken wrong. Based on your assertion, all books I read are flat. We can determine the tone, circumstances, etc., intended by the author based on the surrounding context in particular and the whole book in general. If this were not the case, I would get no pleasure from reading Stephen King, Dean Koontz, etc. Many members in general and John in particular usually provide enough context where tone can be reasonably interpretted. Goodness knows I have had to monitor enough of these threads to speak authoritatively on this subject.