Re: When was the last time an extropian post changed your life?

Michael M. Butler (butler@comp*lib.org)
Mon, 01 Dec 1997 14:23:55 -0800


I think I was writing a little deeper than you were bothering to read. I
meant each example to be a different kind of selection pressure:

>>Is the Rotary a cult? is the Princeton Institute for Advanced Studies a
>>cult? Is 4-H a cult? Is the specialty-certified service station I take my
>>car to a cult? How about the letters-to-the-Editor column of Scientific
>>American?
>
>Individuals without the funds to pay yearly 4-H dues are usually given a
>rider.

That's not my point here. My point here (made more clear by a part of my
post you elided :) is
that 4-H "tries to tell people how to live" at least as much as any ExI
member I've ever met. Possibly more.
Regardless of that, the "dues" all members pay in 4-H do exist, and are
those of conforming to the mores of the US American agricultural heartland.
Be a rotten enough kid, and they _will_ suggest you do something else with
your time...

>And anyone is allowed and invited to write to the letters column of
>Scientific American. They don't limit the discussion to sub'ed members.

Ah, but again you miss my point. Which is, in this example, that the
letters are *edited*; another selection pressure, and based on the author's
letter's value being judged by the editor. The "dues" here are more
abstract yet strangely familiar given the prior case: fitting (or _being
fit into_) into the editorial categorization scheme... "What KIND of letter
is this? How well does it sound to me (the editor) when I read it loud?" Etc.

I run several mailing lists for the user groups/professional orgs I am
>involved with. If done properly, it takes almost no effort after the
>initial setup/tweaking.

I'm sorry, now I don't seem to understand what _your_ point is. Somebody
_already_ runs this list, no? :)

>| Jeffrey Fabijanic | TooMuchCoffeeMan says:
>| Designer, Tinkerer, Cook |
>| Roof Gardener, Homebrewer | "The only redeemable
>| (617) 983-3056 | coupon in Life is -
>| 38 Spring Park Ave, JP MA | ACTION!

I love your .sig quote, BTW.

MMB

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