HI TOm,

On Sun 2036-Dec-21 23:15, Thom LaCosta (1:261/1352) wrote to Richard Webb:

 RW> YOu know, it's interesting, but I've crashed R. Hoffman
 RW> netmail asking him about criteria for joining familynet to
 RW> pick up a couple of echoes looked to be of interest.  Crash
 RW> mailed him direct, modem to modem.

 RW> NO reply.


TL> You might want to make a post about familynet in the othernets
TL> echo...Bob posts there.
tHink I carried that one for awhile, might again.

 RW> NOw as soon as echolist updates come in, we unzip 'em,
 RW> remove any line with the name "hoffman" in it, as they're
 RW> just wasted space and time.  

TL> Well, it we applied the logic of wasted space and time across the
TL> board, we could eliminate many echoes, most of the admin addresses
TL> in Fodonet, and a large number of the node listings (g).....but
TL> that. like your statment, is simply a matter of opinion.

AGreed.  WE spend enough time on 14300 just saying hi to
folks, letting folks make their skeds to move off frequency
and chatter, but when the stuff really hits, we're there,
with folks who know how to get the job done .  SPent a
week ago today (Friday) I was assisting CAnadian fellow and
his wife who'd left the AFrican coast bound for Bermuda and
run into some rough weather.  WE ended up diverting a
supertanker to him to drop off a 55 gallon drum of diesel
.  dIsmasted, inadequate means of wind propulsion onboard and only
6-8 hours fuel remaining in the tank.


 RW> I don't see anything elisted by BOb HOffman, unless I unpack the
 RW> archive. 

TL> ???? how else would you expect to see things elisted without
TL> unpacking the archive?
Oh no prob, it's just that some of what I do around here
with my automation looks through elist entries when backbone updates are
made.  Anything elisted, for example, which
shows that there's a rules file gets noted, possibly the
rules file unpacked in a speicla place, etc.
IF I should succeed in communicating with BOb and decide to
pick up some fl stuff in the future then it'll see them . Until
then ... "
TL> I can understand your frustration....and it's not only Bob....I
TL> could name names and node numbers....but that won't solve any
TL> problems....what I can say is that over time, Fidonet has become
TL> less and less communicative, and I suspect less and less attractive
TL> to folks who aren't already participating. 
TL> I suspect it's similar to ham radio....fewer and fewer folks build
TL> things....they simply get on the air.


Yah, I know.  I was doing battles within ham radio I think
about the same time frame on people who volunteer for nts
assignments then don't pick them up, etc.  I"m an NTS upper
echelon net manager (area net for central time zone) and am
active in much more.  I"ve got one operator who covers a
multitude of sins for the system by filling in for missing
links and operators, both on NTS digital and phone circuits, and I needed
to cover for him that day, as well as cover for others who volunteer to
take on these responsibilities then
don't show up .
sPeaking of which, did you read that guy's editorial in the
Contest update I posted in ls_arrl yesterday?  Have a look
at it.  Man has some valid points re: are we on the cusp of
a new golden age in ham radio.

This same frustration is also why I argue against this
automated email by radio as being the be-all and end-all in
emcomm work, but that's a subject for another echo .
WHEn it's the right tool, it's the right tool, but
oftentimes.... this ain't no nail and what you really need
is a screwdriver .

73 de nf5b

Regards,
           Richard
--- timEd 1.10.y2k+