I think this is all a steamboat scam, especially since he hasn't posted again ! ( Stupid DIY'ers, Ed laughs to himself).

>A number of us looked at Steamboat Ed's work and felt he could do better things with his talent.

Where? In this thread? What I see is a number of folks saying, and I'll paraphrase, if I may - "nice work, but what are they?". I don't see "you could do better things with your talent" coming from anyone other than you. Were you having this discussion somewhere else?
And, of course, you're correct, we all have the freedom to express our own opinions. You, however, do not have the freedom to express my opinion...unless I say to you "Briggi - this is my opinion: <insert opinion here>. Please express it for me as my proxy. Thank you"

Steamboat Ed - nice work! I enjoyed seeing the photos of your progress on flickr. I hope whoever receives one of these appreciates the hard work you put into their creation!

Cheers!
:D

***********A number of us looked at Steamboat Ed's work and felt he could do better things with his talent. *************

It strikes me as more than a little bit hubristic to ridicule and condemn a person on the theory that you think he can do better.
Maybe that's what pleases him.
And who is to say what some one should be doing with their time?

It'd be one thing to say "Hay dude you are so talented you could be building spaceships"
It's another to be mean and hurtful just because what he did does not meet your expectations.

And then there is the art for art's sake thing.
An artist - a fine artist - does not have practical constraints on his or her art.
In fact a great many fine artists will reject any effort that has a practical value calling it not art but craft.
Not mind you that they are repudiating the idea of craft but rather that they see a dividing line, sort of like that line that divided carrots from potatoes. Both have their place but it's foolish to call one by the same identifier as the other.

Maybe Eddie makes wooden and metal thing-a-ma-bobs that accomplish nothing other than to be beautiful and entertaining..
Is art not a valid DIY endeavor? Why must Eddie buy his art from some one else when he is fully capable of making beauty for himself?

I applaud his effort.
It does not have to screw a top on a canning jar, or power his swamp cooler. It doesn't need to help him hook his trailer to his truck. It does not have to do anything other than what he intended, and clearly he intended beauty.
They are quite lovely in my eye.

I just don't understand the hostility with which you have greeted his effort.
Have you and eddie exchanged insults in the past and your current tone now reflects the remaining anger you feel over things past?