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

Michael Butler (mmb@best.com)
Sun, 30 Nov 1997 19:13:31 -0800 (PST)


$100 a year doesn't pay for a lot of luxury cars. No one is offereing
$3000 nine-day intensive ExI workshops.

No offense, but I think you need your cultometer adjusted.

On Sun, 30 Nov 1997, Geoff Smith wrote:

> all-encompassing. The first sense people get is "these extropians are
> trying to tell me how to live."

So are 4-H and the Rotarians. :)

> What if they don't have web access? Many of us are restricted to e-mail
> only services provided by our respective universities. Limiting comments
> from university students seems to me to be a *very* bad idea.

OK, you may be right. I don't have a glib answer for this. But I know what
I don't like.

> Exactly. Empiricism is important here. In this respect, I think we
> should bow to those who have been here longest. If you read Harvey
> Newstrom's post, you will see that making people pay does not reduce the
> S/NR ratio since those who paid think they are getting ripped off if they
> can't ramble on about irrelevant topics.

Defense in depth: filtering will still be easier; and $95 is not $8.

> True. Which is why those who think someone's post is noise should just
> ignore it. If many people think it is noise, the noise-maker will get no
> replies, and get discouraged through silence not to post irrelevant
> material again. The seems to me to be the best system (and most
> extropian) Kennita Watson tend to be a strong advocate of this way of
> policing the list, and I agree.

I'd agree if it worked; it hasn't (either?) :) :)

Leaving works. *shrug*

> > Every decision has a cost. Good people are not doing their best on the list
> > right now because of the current state of affairs.
>
> I think the cost is not worth the value. If Harvey Newstrom is correct,
> S/NR will not change significantly, so what is the value of restricting
> posts to the list?

ExI gets a little money, I get messages from people who felt like making a
bet. I believe that Harvey's one data point deserves another.

> Geoff.

Geoff, I hope you undertand I'm not trying to throw weight around or
bellyache. I am describing that I *expected* to have to pay, and was
*disappointed* that I didn't. Call me a mutant.

MMB