This is my one and only message to the Extropians list on this topic. I
have not been reading the list for a few weeks and do not want to be
involved in Kathryn's issues. However, after receiving a slew of private
mail from her I scanned the posts that involved this latest outburst and
I'm responding. I have no interest in or time to continue after this message.
Lee Daniel Crocker made sense to me:
> "...the fact that you are now putting together media material cannot
> discount earlier materials put together by people who have been doing
> this for years. Also, the fact that we have been doing this for years
> does not discount the work of your or other people who are putting
> media materials and press kits together..."
>
>I suppose if you really stretched the limits of the language you might
>be able to interpret that as an accusation that you've ignored earlier
>efforts for some unspecified reason, but I certainly don't read
>way. It reads to me like just idle chest-pounding: Hey! Look at me!
>I've done that too!
I think Natasha was pointing out what had already been done and was being done. Probably a good idea since Kathryn seems to see us as enemies (something entirely of her creation) and so we can't expect to receive any credit from her.
Eliezer wrote:
>As near as I can tell: Kathryn started it when she misinterpreted
>Natasha, then Natasha gratuitously used a curse-word. I would say
>you're both about equally to blame for all this. Furthermore, as far as
>I can tell, you don't have anything to actually argue about, since as
>*both* of you have stated your respective publications have nothing to
>do with each other.
Eliezer's comment also made sense, from what I read. However, I can understand Natasha's use of "crap" since we *have* been getting crap from Kathryn for no good reason. Kathryn has said that I "yelled" at her, which is untrue, and she has caused trouble for Natasha over and over. Natasha's use of "crap" may seem gratuitous, but given what she's put up with I think it's *entirely reasonable*, if not as informative as it might be to those not involved.
I'm not going to go over everything issue and past problem point by point. I simply am not willing to expend my time and energy on this. Kathryn (and one or two anti-extropians on the Transhumanist list) may want to fantasize that I see her as an enemy. I do not. I see in Kathryn someone with many good qualities, but I also see someone who persistently misinterprets, makes harmful assumptions, and engenders conflicts. I don't have time for this. I would not even post this message, except that I'm sick of seeing Natasha being the object of this nonsense.
With the time that I'm finally about to see opening up, I'm looking forward to getting back to working on the ExI website, which badly needs updating, and getting out an issue of the Exponent newsletter.
Max