PE> Guys, there are some changes happening in echomail.
PE> I don't know what's going to happen, but one of the
PE> options is that I may be calling Brisbane to collect echos.

Bit mad if Bris has the internet and you do too.

PE> However, once I start paying for volume (ie timed calls), I will
PE> want to reduce the mail volume to just the stuff I am interested in.

I think you might be surprised. You can get a situation where you
are calling twice a day now, two local calls, and you get the volume
in the time that costs that much even with STD. I certainly get that
effect most of the time, and thats still at 14400. Tho I do vaguely
remember that you did have someone getting a mass of stuff that you
wondered how they ever got a chance to even scan.

PE> Currently the mail is 5-10 minutes/day, but I
PE> can probably get what I want in <1 minute/day.

Well, what obviously counts is what you can get for the cost of
the current two local calls a day in the sense of no cost change.

Corse you do have the option of going below that now.

PE> I don't know how many of you are connected to echos
PE> because "it seemed like a good idea at the time",

Yeah, I've been meaning to turn off some of the larger
international ones, coz I just dont bother to read them anymore
with the net pissing all over those very comprehensively indeed.

VASTLY better on very high horsepower searching over old messages
too, really no need to read echoes incase something interesting
turns up coz you can search the historical stuff with DejaNews.

PE> but if you want an echo, you might have to pay me the
PE> marginal cost of a phone call to Brisbane to get it.

I wont be bothering, none of them are worth a cent to me.

PE> There may be other solutions coming out of the woodwork too.

Yeah, the most obvious approach is to use the net for the feed of
PKTs from a fido which also has net access, as Alwyns certainly does.
Dunno if he is geared up to using it to distribute within Aust tho.

PE> Can I have a show of hands of how many of you have echos you can't live
PE> without that you'd be willing to pay for (and how many K/week that is).

None basically, makes more sense to call them myself. Or piss them off.

Fido's going down the tubes very comprehensively indeed anyway,
wouldnt surprise me if there aint much left quite soon. The volume
in even the echoes like Aust_Telecom have dropped fucking heaps.

PE> You don't have to count AUST_AVTECH BTW, as that's everyone
PE> else's job to get a connection to me, not vice-versa.  :-)

PE> And any other echo where the Sydney + TML traffic is the major
PE> part, is no problem. It's things like C_ECHO. Incidentally,
PE> I don't get C_ECHO for myself.  You might find that if you get
PE> rid of the crap, you can fit it all inside a 1 minute/day call.

Quite likely.

PE> P.S. If someone wants to get really keen with their internet
PE> connection, you can get a full zone 1 feed of the international
PE> echos and feed it to me.  They only provide it as "all or nothing".

None of them are worth the trouble, dont even read the ones I get.

Arent you having a massive brain fart ?  Surely most of the echoes
must still get to Sydney even with Dave pissing off. I find it a
tad hard to believe that everyone in Sydney will be calling Bris.
@EOT:

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