D <nospam@example.net> writes:

> Interesting! Thank you very much for the information. With todays
> compute power, I wouldn't discount the phone book method entirely. I
> think it scales better than one might think. On the other hand,
> keeping it up to date and distributing it might be more of a challenge
> perhaps.

I don't think everyone needs to have the full global phonebook.

Swapping VCards individually may be the way for fast updates.

--
I do not bite, I just want to play.

On Tue, 20 Aug 2024, yeti wrote:

> D <nospam@example.net> writes:
>
>> Interesting! Thank you very much for the information. With todays
>> compute power, I wouldn't discount the phone book method entirely. I
>> think it scales better than one might think. On the other hand,
>> keeping it up to date and distributing it might be more of a challenge
>> perhaps.
>
> I don't think everyone needs to have the full global phonebook.
>
> Swapping VCards individually may be the way for fast updates.
>

True. I like that you challenge the underlying assumption that everyone
needs access to everyone. It is true that this is very often not the case.

In article <v9ta00$2euft$4@dont-email.me>, Rich <rich@example.invalid> wrote:
>
>Do keep in mind that you *do not* get the equivalent of the "local
>press" (as in news papers). You don't get stories on what the local
>government board is proposing (unless it also gores someone's ox, and
>they then complain about their ox being gored by the local board on
>nextdoor). Or other typical 'stories' you'd get from an actual local
>newspaper (if it existed).

Yes, this is the problem.

>From what I've heard from folks around me that are members, what you
>get is a local gossip channel, with an occasional bit of useful info
>(coyote seen at X & Y streets yesterday at 06:30).

Ours is mostly full of people complaining about other neighbors, or
sending out alerts saying that they saw a black person in the area.
Also incoherent political nonsense.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

D <nospam@example.net> wrote:
>>> Ahh got it. Maybe time to bring those improvisational UUCP networks
>>> back to life then? Why opt for the copy, when you can get the
>>> original! ;)
>>
>> \o/
>>
>> I'd join that game.
>
>Out of curiousity, how did they do discovery in those ancient times? Was
>it word of mouth, or did they have something more sophisticated?

You called Henry Spencer on the phone and asked if there was someone in
your area that might give you a feed.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

On 20 Aug 2024 22:10:01 -0000, Scott Dorsey wrote:

> You called Henry Spencer on the phone and asked if there was someone in
> your area that might give you a feed.

“Sure, I can recommend some good restaurants. What? You want to catch the
fish yourself? Maybe a rod and line should be enough for a few, you don’t
need to use a net for ... hello?”

On Sun, 18 Aug 2024 08:25:39 -0700
The Real Bev <bashley101@gmail.com> wrote:

> On 8/18/24 2:04 AM, D wrote:
> >
> > On Sat, 17 Aug 2024, The Real Bev wrote:
> >
> > Don't have it myself. My other vice, besides usenet, is mastodon, where
> > I reside on a nice and uncensored instance with a healthy mix of nazis,
> > libertarians, conservative cristians, people who just enjoy technology
> > or memes and so on. Just like I like it!

Fact-free echo chamber talk about e.g global warming?

> >
> >> The good thing about usenet is that you 'meet' random people who are probably
> >> interested in the same kinds of things that you are, aren't stupid, and
> >> aren't a waste of time. Yeahyeahyeah, a lot of loons, but they're easy to
> >> weed out and there aren't as many as there used to be.
> >
> > One mans loon is another mans hero! ;)
>
> As it should be!
>

>
> --
> Cheers, Bev
> The beatings will continue until morale improves

--
Bah, and indeed Humbug.

On 20 Aug 2024 22:07:30 -0000
kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) wrote:

> In article <v9ta00$2euft$4@dont-email.me>, Rich <rich@example.invalid> wrote:
> >
> >Do keep in mind that you *do not* get the equivalent of the "local
> >press" (as in news papers). You don't get stories on what the local
> >government board is proposing (unless it also gores someone's ox, and
> >they then complain about their ox being gored by the local board on
> >nextdoor). Or other typical 'stories' you'd get from an actual local
> >newspaper (if it existed).
>
> Yes, this is the problem.
>
> From what I've heard from folks around me that are members, what you
> >get is a local gossip channel, with an occasional bit of useful info
> >(coyote seen at X & Y streets yesterday at 06:30).
>
> Ours is mostly full of people complaining about other neighbors, or
> sending out alerts saying that they saw a black person in the area.
> Also incoherent political nonsense.

There's a lot of ignorance out there; a heap of politicians rely on it.

--
Bah, and indeed Humbug.

On Wed, 21 Aug 2024, Kerr-Mudd, John wrote:

> On Sun, 18 Aug 2024 08:25:39 -0700
> The Real Bev <bashley101@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> On 8/18/24 2:04 AM, D wrote:
>>>
>>> On Sat, 17 Aug 2024, The Real Bev wrote:
>>>
>>> Don't have it myself. My other vice, besides usenet, is mastodon, where
>>> I reside on a nice and uncensored instance with a healthy mix of nazis,
>>> libertarians, conservative cristians, people who just enjoy technology
>>> or memes and so on. Just like I like it!
>
> Fact-free echo chamber talk about e.g global warming?

I never claimed mastodon is the epitome of science and fact. I enjoy many
things that are completely made up and have no pragmatic value.

If, however, your sole criterion for enjoying things is fact and utility,
then by all means stay away from mastodon, usenet and for that matter,
most of the internet today and stick to academia. ;)

>>>
>>>> The good thing about usenet is that you 'meet' random people who are probably
>>>> interested in the same kinds of things that you are, aren't stupid, and
>>>> aren't a waste of time. Yeahyeahyeah, a lot of loons, but they're easy to
>>>> weed out and there aren't as many as there used to be.
>>>
>>> One mans loon is another mans hero! ;)
>>
>> As it should be!
>>
>
>>
>> --
>> Cheers, Bev
>> The beatings will continue until morale improves
>
>
>

Anton Shepelev <anton.txt@g{oogle}mail.com> writes:

> Kerr-Mudd, John:
>
>> PS &OT, today I went for a drink in a Social Club; it was
>> astoundingly non-social, the other people were
>> focussed on their mobile phones. So I did likewise.
>
> So that club is no longer a sutiable "medium for public
> discussions." Smartphones are joykillers, and social
> networks, ironically, great disuniters of people.

Totally true.

D <nospam@example.net> writes:

> On Thu, 15 Aug 2024, yeti wrote:
>
>> D <nospam@example.net> writes:
>>
>>> I feel like I am a very strange person sometimes. ;)
>>
>> Being normal may be nice for a vector.
>> I'm not a vector.
>>
>
> I often find people at the edges of the overton window way more
> interesting than normal peolpe. That is why I don't vote. The
> discussions are so trivial and well within the window that they bore
> me to tears.

A man after my own heart.

The Real Bev <bashley101@gmail.com> writes:

> On 8/15/24 7:07 PM, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:
>> On Thu, 15 Aug 2024 14:11:43 -0000 (UTC), Steven M. O'Neill wrote:
>>
>>> Grant Taylor <gtaylor@tnetconsulting.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>>On 8/8/24 02:32, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> It's a complete rethinking of the way distributed social media is
>>>>> supposed to work.
>>>>
>>>>Usenet is not social media.
>>> ObDevilsAdvocate: Usenet is the original social medium.
>
> +1
>
> And it gives us maximum control over what we see or avoid. No
> pictures or -- god forbid -- reels, but that's a good thing. The bad
> thing about reels is that they're addictive time-wasters.
>
>> Absolutely. And the centralization introduced by the web-based successors
>> (at least the proprietary ones) is a definite step back.
>
> What bothers me is that otherwise smart people have replaced usenet
> with Facebook. Maybe X too, but I don't read that even if I have an
> account. How hard can it be to do all three? The 'social media' make
> actual conversation, as opposed to post-it notes, difficult. I "know"
> the people I've known on usenet since 1995. I've met some of them IRL.
> FB people, unless friends of friends, are unknown strangers, just
> groups of words without names.

That's quite right. I mean, I don't know anything about FB and the
other, but they're all very much unsusceptible to conversation. So
they're totally time-wasters.

A Contributor wrote:

> +1

Without wishing to give offense:

I dislike the use of "+1", which I see as a web forum abomination.

I by far prefer the time honoured "<AOL>" (agreeing out loud)
or even "me too". [winking smiling "emoji" thing goes here].

--
^Ï^. Sn!pe, PTB, FIBS, Pro Crastinator

My pet rock Gordon just is.

snipeco.2@gmail.com (Sn!pe) writes:

> A Contributor wrote:
>
>> +1
>
> Without wishing to give offense:
>
> I dislike the use of "+1", which I see as a web forum abomination.
>
> I by far prefer the time honoured "<AOL>" (agreeing out loud)
> or even "me too". [winking smiling "emoji" thing goes here].

I like followers, replies and likes *not* being counted here, but I see
no danger in a not summed up +1.

I prefer the minimalist =b (or d= or 2 thumbs version =b d=).

Are there other compact ASCII art variants?

--
_ | China Uncensored -- Birds Aren't Real | _
o.o/| <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wq1CMvIiGp8> |\o.o
/(_) |_|\
-------^-^---------------------------------------------------^-^-------

yeti <yeti@tilde.institute> wrote:

> snipeco.2@gmail.com (Sn!pe) writes:
>
> > A Contributor wrote:
> >
> >> +1
> >
> > Without wishing to give offense:
> >
> > I dislike the use of "+1", which I see as a web forum abomination.
> >
> > I by far prefer the time honoured "<AOL>" (agreeing out loud)
> > or even "me too". [winking smiling "emoji" thing goes here].
> >
>
> I like followers, replies and likes *not* being counted here, but I see
> no danger in a not summed up +1.
>
> I prefer the minimalist =b (or d= or 2 thumbs version =b d=).
>
> Are there other compact ASCII art variants?
>

I don't know about that but, back in the day, "me too" was deemed a
usage typical of newbies. Who wants to look like B1FF? [shudder]

Incidentally: in case you missed it, my headers do include
X-Tongue-In-Cheek: Always

--
^Ï^. Sn!pe, PTB, FIBS, Pro Crastinator

My pet rock Gordon just is.

snipeco.2@gmail.com (Sn!pe) writes:

> Incidentally: in case you missed it, my headers do include
> X-Tongue-In-Cheek: Always

I noticed it a while ago, maybe I should tell GNUS to always show that
header by default. ;-D

My babel fish sometimes may miss some details. Maybe every other week
the default language in Usenet should be my native tongue... :-P

--
1. Hitchhiker 5: (101) "You just come along with me and have a good
time. The Galaxy's a fun place. You'll need to have this fish in your
ear."

On 8/27/24 3:53 PM, Johanne Fairchild wrote:
> The Real Bev <bashley101@gmail.com> writes:
>
>> On 8/15/24 7:07 PM, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:
>>> On Thu, 15 Aug 2024 14:11:43 -0000 (UTC), Steven M. O'Neill wrote:
>>>
>>>> Grant Taylor <gtaylor@tnetconsulting.net> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>On 8/8/24 02:32, Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> It's a complete rethinking of the way distributed social media is
>>>>>> supposed to work.
>>>>>
>>>>>Usenet is not social media.
>>>> ObDevilsAdvocate: Usenet is the original social medium.
>>
>> +1
>>
>> And it gives us maximum control over what we see or avoid. No
>> pictures or -- god forbid -- reels, but that's a good thing. The bad
>> thing about reels is that they're addictive time-wasters.
>>
>>> Absolutely. And the centralization introduced by the web-based successors
>>> (at least the proprietary ones) is a definite step back.
>>
>> What bothers me is that otherwise smart people have replaced usenet
>> with Facebook. Maybe X too, but I don't read that even if I have an
>> account. How hard can it be to do all three? The 'social media' make
>> actual conversation, as opposed to post-it notes, difficult. I "know"
>> the people I've known on usenet since 1995. I've met some of them IRL.
>> FB people, unless friends of friends, are unknown strangers, just
>> groups of words without names.
>
> That's quite right. I mean, I don't know anything about FB and the
> other, but they're all very much unsusceptible to conversation. So
> they're totally time-wasters.

Unfortunately, it's pretty much all we've got now. Exceptions, of
course, but my long-term "friends" don't show up in the newsgroups at
all any more. Not even the loons.

More like ants tapping feelers as they pass...

--
Cheers, Bev
"We thought about one of those discount store caskets, but,
frankly, we were worried about the quality."
-- mortuary commercial

On Tue, 27 Aug 2024, Johanne Fairchild wrote:

> D <nospam@example.net> writes:
>
>> On Thu, 15 Aug 2024, yeti wrote:
>>
>>> D <nospam@example.net> writes:
>>>
>>>> I feel like I am a very strange person sometimes. ;)
>>>
>>> Being normal may be nice for a vector.
>>> I'm not a vector.
>>>
>>
>> I often find people at the edges of the overton window way more
>> interesting than normal peolpe. That is why I don't vote. The
>> discussions are so trivial and well within the window that they bore
>> me to tears.
>
> A man after my own heart.
>

Thank you, you're very kind. =)

On Wed, 28 Aug 2024, yeti wrote:

> snipeco.2@gmail.com (Sn!pe) writes:
>
>> A Contributor wrote:
>>
>>> +1
>>
>> Without wishing to give offense:
>>
>> I dislike the use of "+1", which I see as a web forum abomination.
>>
>> I by far prefer the time honoured "<AOL>" (agreeing out loud)
>> or even "me too". [winking smiling "emoji" thing goes here].
>
> I like followers, replies and likes *not* being counted here, but I see
> no danger in a not summed up +1.
>
> I prefer the minimalist =b (or d= or 2 thumbs version =b d=).
>
> Are there other compact ASCII art variants?
>

If counting is not an option, I'd compress that to b (good) and p (bad).
Don't think we can get smaller than that, except perhaps b (good) and no
response (bad). ;)

Michael Bauerle:

> NNTP (RFC 3977) does not support notification if something
> interesting becomes available.

Can't we consider it an advantage, a natural limit to the
monkey mind, facilitating better focus?

--
() ascii ribbon campaign -- against html e-mail
/\ www.asciiribbon.org -- against proprietary attachments

D <nospam@example.net> writes:

> If counting is not an option, I'd compress that to b (good) and p
> (bad). Don't think we can get smaller than that, except perhaps b
> (good) and no response (bad). ;)

The = has no relation to arithmetic, it just shall look a bit like the
arm. Even with = I had to ask about its meaning when I stumbled over a
post with a =b for the 1st time, so I was hoping for easier to decode
variants and I think d b q p alone would be even bigger head-scratchers.
Maybe they just do not exist (in 7 bit space).

--
3. Hitchhiker 1: (25) "The point is, you see," said Ford, "that there
is no point in driving yourself mad trying to stop yourself going mad.
You might just as well give in and save your sanity for later."

Sn!pe:

> I don't know about that but, back in the day, "me too" was
> deemed a usage typical of newbies.

And for a good reason -- to encourage people to contribute
added value and to use arguments instead of "reactions" to
make their point:

Chris Hennessy (chenness@enterprise.powerup.com.au) wrote:

The brothers Usas and Senda, despairing of the state of UseNet, went
unto the mountain at the feet of Net.God. "Oh Net.God, there is
confusion and sorrow in your place of UseNet. The people worship false
gods and knowst not your will."

Net.God spoke unto Usas and Senda. "YOU PLAYETH THE GAME BY NET.GOD'S
LAWS, OR THE BAT WILL BE DEPOSITED IN THE LIGHTLESS PLACE."

Usas, being devout and greatly afeard of Net.God, prayed. "Lord, how
am I to know your will?"

And Net.God, being wise in the ways of Usas, spake thus, "THOU SHALT
OBEY THE LAWS OF USENET, THERE BEING TEN, OR BE DAMNED UNTO THE LAST
GENERATION," for He is a merciful God.

So did Net.God deliver unto Usas the Commandments.

THE TEN USENET COMMANDMENTS
---------------------------

1. Thou shalt not battle over operating systems. I am wise and in
My wisdom have created diverse and various operating systems. Be
true unto the chosen system and neither covet nor despise your
neighbour's operating system.

2. Thou shalt not battle over nationalities or tribes. I have
placed the UseNet aside from all things, and granted it unto
Usas. I am blind to the place in which pray, all prayers being
equal in Virtual Heaven.

3. Thou shalt not flame. Your Net.God has anger in His heart for
those who flame without cause or who do persecute the spelling of
others. In my wisdom I have created opinions to be as armpits;
your's is warm and secure but thine neighbour's stinks. Tolerate
others as you would be tolerated. Flames are Mine, and I do
preserve some good ones for these people.

4. Thou shalt not MAKE-$$$$-FAST. I have made Usas wise that the
love of money is the root of all evil. He who angers his
neighbour by the wasting of bandwidth shall anger Net.God, and
also by spamming or cluttering. I reserveth a special Hell for
these, and great shall be their sorrow.

5. Thou shalt quote meaningfully. Net.God loves not the man who
taketh more than needed nor he who quoteth all, including the
sig. Render unto Net.God what is Net.God's, render unto Usas
what is Usas; credit Senda for he is good.

6. Thou shalt e-mail personal prayers. I have rendered unto Usas
the ability to talk to all the peoples of the world. I tell you,
it is better to whisper into an ear than shout into a crowd.

7. Thou shalt not me-too. Make not your prayers to the Senda the
knowledge of thine neighbour. The wisdom of Usas is the ability
to speak to all people, and to choose to speak to one.

8. Thou shalt not cross post unwisely. The place I grant thee for
rec.pets.cats is not the place of comp.unix.advocacy.

9. Thou shalt not post tests in profusion. I giveth unto you the
lands of alt.test to learn of your God. Tend to Usas as I do My
calves; let the new gather the strength to stand before joining
with the herd.

10. Thou shalt send complete offerings. Send not to your God
incomplete offerings. If the parts of the sacrifice number all
the people of the world times ten your God will not be pleased to
receive all but two. The blessing of Net.God is upon he who
posts fewer large parts that he who posts many small ones.

[Note - reprinted by permission of Chris Hennessy. This can also be
found on his home page (http://www.powerup.com.au/~chenness/). My
thanks to him, and my thanks to the submitter for getting permission -
ed.]

--
() ascii ribbon campaign -- against html e-mail
/\ www.asciiribbon.org -- against proprietary attachments

yeti <yeti@tilde.institute> wrote at 02:26 this Wednesday (GMT):
> snipeco.2@gmail.com (Sn!pe) writes:
>
>> Incidentally: in case you missed it, my headers do include
>> X-Tongue-In-Cheek: Always
>
> I noticed it a while ago, maybe I should tell GNUS to always show that
> header by default. ;-D

I wish there was a way to have slrn display /only/ custom headers, but I
might set it to show that one :)

> My babel fish sometimes may miss some details. Maybe every other week
> the default language in Usenet should be my native tongue... :-P

Oh dude I love hitchhikers guide :D
--
user <candycane> is generated from /dev/urandom

Anton Shepelev <anton.txt@g{oogle}mail.com> wrote:

> Sn!pe:
>
> > I don't know about that but, back in the day, "me too" was
> > deemed a usage typical of newbies.
>
> And for a good reason -- to encourage people to contribute
> added value and to use arguments instead of "reactions" to
> make their point:
>
> Chris Hennessy (chenness@enterprise.powerup.com.au) wrote:
>
> The brothers Usas and Senda, despairing of the state of UseNet, went
> unto the mountain at the feet of Net.God. "Oh Net.God, there is
> confusion and sorrow in your place of UseNet. The people worship false
> gods and knowst not your will."
>
> Net.God spoke unto Usas and Senda. "YOU PLAYETH THE GAME BY NET.GOD'S
> LAWS, OR THE BAT WILL BE DEPOSITED IN THE LIGHTLESS PLACE."
[...]

There is no Net.God but the One True Net.God and His Word is The Law.

--
^Ï^. Sn!pe, PTB, FIBS, Pro Crastinator

My pet rock Gordon just is.

In article <1qyz5z0.kcoobeasj0vdN%snipeco.2@gmail.com>,
Sn!pe <snipeco.1@gmail.com> wrote:
>Without wishing to give offense:
>
>I dislike the use of "+1", which I see as a web forum abomination.
>
>I by far prefer the time honoured "<AOL>" (agreeing out loud)

I'm pretty sure "AOL" is a reference to the online service that was
responsible for the September that never ended, not "agreeing out loud."
Their users were infamous for quoting whole posts and just tacking on "Me,
too!" to agree with something...see Weird Al Yankovic's "It's All About the
Pentiums" as an example:

Hey fella, I bet you're still livin' in your parents' cellar
Downloadin' pictures of Sarah Michelle Gellar
And postin' "Me too!" like some brain-dead AOL-er
I should do the world a favor and cap you like Old Yeller
You're just about as useless as JPEGs to Helen Keller

--
_/_
/ v \ Scott Alfter (remove the obvious to send mail)
(IIGS( https://alfter.us/ Top-posting!
\_^_/ >What's the most annoying thing on Usenet?