(echoing) thanks to Ted & Felix (and prior moderators and admins) for all their
hard work over the years. I've managed to maintain an almost-complete offline
archive since subbing back in late 1996 -- 23,989 posts. A few instances of
disgusted un-subbing was followed by climbing back in the now-creaking saddle. I
like being able to do searches across that archive to see who has posted what
about what. And it wouldn't be impossible to tabulate who has generated the most
verbiage over time...
For example, I see that David posted only two times in 2000 -- in March and
August...
I do hope that, somewhere, before the plug is pulled, that some statistical info
is harvested -- how many subscribers, at least, and in 20 years, release a list
of participants at the end.
Starting with ZKP4, I used the list as a resource for teaching workshops on
networking and creative action as well as to alert my international students to
a more nuanced, imaginative, and (for North Amurikan folks, waaay more critical)
view of the Internet and its techno-social context. I never felt it was about
being in the vanguard, but rather simply a somewhat more transparent vision of
what technology 'hath wrought'. Though there was a good dose of optimism that
has long-since evaporated in the face of ten years of whatever the hell is going
on out there.
The aging demographics are visible across any medium that one becomes in youth
habituated to. I note this with IRC; the online 'Brainstorms' community (that
Howard Rheingold established 15 years or so ago; with who watches (nightly)
Cable (network) news; who reads newspapers anymore, and so on. Inevitable, but
not a death-sentence unless one feels a deep need to influence other
demographics in what seem now to be more trivial ways.
nothing is forever, but I ain't gonna unsub now ... gotta go back outside to
finish a worm farm.
jh
--
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Dr. John Hopkins, BSc, MFA, PhD
grounded on a granite batholith
twitter: @neoscenes
http://tech-no-mad.net/blog/
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