I agree with the penguin person - we just need to clamp this thread at 12PSI with some poron foam between each post and it'll never bulge out of topic under normal use.
I view online forums a lot like social hour at a dinner party. People tend to chat in small groups, and the topic will always drift. The fun part is standing on the periphery of two or more groups and participating in all of the discussions.
It was a joke by going off-topic. Relax a little, brother. Interact with the people. Many here can be nice and will be happy to help with your project/endeavor/learning. You don't have to take it all upon yourself to figure it all out by yourself to the point of frustration.