From: Michael Wiik (mwiik@messagenet.com)
Date: Sat Aug 17 2002 - 23:16:48 MDT
lcorbin@tsoft.com wrote:
> If this is the major mechanism, then you've caused
> me to see that we should avoid incendiary Subject Lines, such
> as "Nuke The Saudis!!!", no matter what the content of the post
> is.
Any concerns that mailing list archives are indicative of official (or even
typical) extropian thought can be solved simply and forever by a suitable
disclaimer on the extropy web site. This would disable (or at least provide
plausible deniability for) any linkage between list discussions and the
extropy institute. The extropy.org operators could either write this sentence
once or we can argue about it forever here.
lcorbin quotes samantha and responds:
>> As much peace, prosperity and benevolent singularity for all
>> as possible is something that I have assumed is a shared ideal
>> for everyone here. Is that presumptive?
> No, and that's very constructive to simply ask. Like you,
> I can't imagine that anyone here doesn't want that. So, in
> the same way, it's going to be necessary to focus on the
> means and ways, rather than the ends.
I find it presumptive. I would add 'where practicable'.
I think the base problem is that email lists are unsuited for resolving any
nontrivial issues. Perhaps a tour of the archives (no doubt taking dozens
of hours or more) would reveal if anything has ever been 'solved' by list
discussions. By that I mean any thread that ends in a plan immediately
suitable for copying to your congressmen (or other appropriate figure).
This is unfortunate, as I consider it quite possible that a virtual extropian
'think tank' could quite well generate thoughtful and comprehensive policy
suggestions. I think a blog format to be much, much more valuable for
implementing this than an email list. Since implementation of a suitable blog
is a nontrivial issue, we waste time by trying to discuss it here.
I think we should reserve the list for things like news, the weather, notices,
etc. Without heavy-handed enforcement of a long set of rules, (unlikely to fly
on this list anyway), I think it impossible to do any more than maybe change a
list subscribers mind here and there. If we want to be taken seriously, a new
medium must be found.
Ok, I understand an extropy blog doesn't yet exist, so I might as well list
some advantages I see with such a format:
o Defined subject prefixes, automatically enforced .
o Instant tallying of votes on important issues .
o Specific, defined, and automatically enforced types of criticism .
o Bringing lurkers into the actively contributing list since comments .
o could be specified with a much finer grain than currently, as in at the .
o paragraph level .
o Refinement of positions at a much finer grain .
o A way to instantly publish a position paper at various points along the .
o discussion, which would be suitable for direct use as a press release .
All of the above (and much more) is possible with html and perl. None of the
above is possible w/o a great deal of collective effort and strict adherance
to standards on a text-based list.
Apologies for sounding so negative.
-Mike
---- This message was posted by Michael Wiik to the Extropians 2002 board on ExI BBS. <http://www.extropy.org/bbs/index.php?board=61;action=display;threadid=52809>
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