With regard to the swimming analogy: I am self taught, and my first “lesson” came when, as a child, I fell overboard at sea; real deep end stuff.
Orac, I have probably given the wrong impression about links and background learning. The problem arises when I ask a question, you give a link that at first sight seems unconnected, and add a cryptic comment. I look at the link and the comment and think “this must somehow relate to my question, but I don’t know how; I’ll come back to it when I have time.” Chances are I never get back to it. Perhaps a link with a clear indication as to how it is relevant would be most valuable.
It may be that you suspect some of my questions are deeper than they are. For example, Bill's contributions to the gravity/force/energy provided the impetus for me to sort out the thoughts that were responsible for my OP.
