Hi Thomas, on Sun, 17 Aug 2008 23:50:36 +0700GMT (17.08.2008, 18:50 +0100GMT here), you wrote:
TF> No, I am a founding member of another (6-step) group! It was conceived TF> on this very list. TF> Leif Gregory is the author of the steps. I cannot find them on my TF> computer now, so if Leif or another member could post them here again, TF> that would be great. I can. :) E-mailaholics International E-mailaholics International is a non-registered bunch of people who feel committed to the development of e-mail as a means of communication. You can declare yourself a member, if you feel that you belong there. It was first formulated by Leif Gregory and a number of members of "The Bat! Users' Discussion List" (TBUDL). Here are the levels of EMA as drawn up at that time. EMA - E-mailaholic pronounced like you were going to say the word e-mail but without the "il".., i.e., ee-ma-holics... **** The 5-level EM scale **** Level 1 Are you sure that you even know what e-mail is? You probably send all of your holiday greetings on actual paper cards. You prefer to use a pen and paper, and think e-mail is some new-fangled doodad that interferes with your cutesy little post-it note campaign. Your family and friends come first in your life. You think a filter is something that you put in a coffee machine. You think that level 4 EMs are demented, and that level 5 EMs should be considered legally insane. Level 2 You prefer handwritten communication over e-mail, but at least recognize its usefulness. You have plenty of time for family and friends. You know how to set up limited filters, but only have a couple because you only receive a few e-mails a day. Level 3 You are nearing the point of no return. You are but a few UDLs (User Discussion Lists) from attaining the next level. Keep working at it. However, be forewarned that your family may come to regard you as more of a furniture fixture than a human. You prefer e-mail over handwritten communications and still obtain the ability to write legibly in cursive. You have obtained the perfect equilibrium between family, friends, the Internet, and a real life. Your filtering subsystem is substantial, and wows many Internet users. There are slight butt-cheek grooves in your chair. You look up to level 4 EMs as saints, and level 5 EMs as exotic. Level 4 You are a shining example of EMness. Perfection is but a few e-mails away. You can use a pen and paper in extreme emergencies, but only by printing; cursive now eludes you. Close family members must e-mail you to get you to come in for dinner. You vaguely remember the names of friends who are without e-mail addresses. Your filtering subsystem is so complex that all but the most astute of alpha-geeks will be lost in its complexities. There are deep butt-cheek ruts in your chair. Oftentimes, of their own volition, your fingers will move into the position necessary to press the hotkeys for checking e-mail. People will remember you for years to come as your posts are scattered far and wide throughout many mailing list archives, which will be referenced time and time again. You look upon level 5 EMs as demigods. Level 5 You are an incorrigible and incontrovertible EM; the epitome of all that is EMness. You are considered by aspiring EMs as the shining light at the end of the tunnel. You are undoubtedly the reason that your ISP has spent ungodly amounts of money to upgrade their bandwidth. You stare in wonder at those who still possess the ability to write with a pen. You vaguely remember the names of close family members who are without e-mail addresses, and you refer to your friends not by name, but by their e-mail address. Your filtering subsystem is so advanced that it is almost self-aware. NASA scientists plan to model their next neural net from it...Once they figure it out that is! You have worn out a few chairs in your time. You have a permanent disfigurement in which your fingers are fixed at the exact width needed to push the hotkeys to check your e-mail. Be proud, you are a leader among leaders. Never let it be said that your Internet existence was spent in vain, as your postings are forever immortalized in all mailing list archives around the world. -- Cheers Peter The Bat! v4.0.28.1 :beta: on Win2K, SP4, 5, 0, build 2195 plenty of POP accounts,no IMAP, OTFE enabled, several newsgroups via MyGate Dell Latitude C600 P3 at 1002 MHz, 512 MB RAM ________________________________________________________ Current beta is 4.0.28.1 | 'Using TBBETA' information: http://www.silverstones.com/thebat/TBUDLInfo.html