Request for Input/Suggestions

Kennita Watson (kwatson@netcom.com)
Tue, 23 Sep 1997 08:55:03 -0700


Nicholas Bostrom writes:
>This thread is closely related to the Carter-Leslie Doomsday
>argumen. I have a paper about this:
>
>http://www.hedweb.com/nickb/140797/doomsday.html
>
I notice that I don't want to follow this URL -- not because
I don't like Nicholas or his writings or his topic, whatever
it means, but because I worry that I don't have the time to
read it (note that I assume that it's long), and I feel
overwhelmed.

Exploring my reactions, I note that I have learned about as
much as I have time to learn or feel that I need to learn about
medicine and physiology from Medline, which consists entirely
of abstracts. Is it time for an Exline? I think this would be
a "peer-reviewed" online journal of articles, research, and
debate on futurist topics. The part most useful to me is that
in order to be eligible for inclusion in such a journal, writers
would be required to supply abstracts for their material that
could be searched and read by busy individuals such as myself.

What I haven't figured out is why someone would run such a
thing, and why people would consent to review writings -- how
would they get paid? Presumably if the reviewers are of high
enough reputation, writers will do the abstracts just so they
can submit the papers for review (hm -- this might also result
in some more well-thought-out writings). Somehow it seems that
subscriptions wouldn't work, because there's so much information
available for free. Maybe a time-delay subscription, where
people who pay get more articles?

Darn it, what would *you* pay for?

Cheers,
Kennita

Kennita Watson | The bond that links your true family is not one of blood,
kwatson@netcom.com| but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do
| members of the same family grow up under the same roof.
| -- Richard Bach, _Illusions_