inquiry

> Now I am thinking of other people I could contact. I > have had many friends over the years but we more or > less had our “goodbyes” and that was that. No more > contact. Weird how that is the case with some friends, > but not with others. Oh well.

You've got me remembering what I want to call “eras of friends”.

> Guidelines For Use Of New Facebook Account

I still think you'd be better off letting go of those not making the effort to find you in your Facebook-less online habitats.

In a way, the evolution of the internet – in extremely stark contrast to biological evolution – has been one of lowering barriers, a significant problem with that being that those who couldn't smart their way over/around the barriers are likely similarly less than smart across the board – so that in a very real way lowering the barriers is paramount to lowering the conversation/exchange.

Be worth the effort to get to know, and don't settle for any others less than able/willing to make that effort.

> Why do people post anonymously? Is it because they feel > safer hidden behind a shroud? Maybe they’re not as > comfortable with posting something that deviates from their > “brand,” or what they normally write about. Of course, > I say “they,” but this is an all-inclusive and broad > umbrella term that also applies to me.

Ultimately, there's only and ever exactly one reason: because most people are complete – if not utter – dangerously ignorant assholes capable of wreaking unimaginable havoc over matters even less significant than a typo.

I miss using real name and contact information like I can't express. It was a time when even heated online discussion felt bound to its genuine context: words in loosely topically defined “places” (e.g. alt.religion.jimmy-johns...). If/when we “did battle”, we were of humans trying to out-clever each other in verbiage and/or reason, with no confusion between the playing surface(s) and “real life”.

> In my case, it is more because I haven’t decided if I > want to stick around at write.as, and the only way these > posts get “published” on read write.as is if I post > anonymously.

Please do!

> There is a part of me that shrinks at exposing my writing > to others as well: even if I am only writing informally > like this. It’s still a piece of my inner world that > I’m not yet prepared to share with just about anyone. I > still hide behind a pseudonym. I still use a nom de plume, > so regardless of if I post with my account name, or purely > anonymously, I’m still in essence, anonymous.

Inner worlds, too, shall pass. I'm beyond amazed how many I've had, with bountiful orthogonality of “views” betwixt them.

I mean, I think about what I wrote most about in USENET days, and the general overriding topic is laughably unimportant to me now: I can't imagine writing so much as a phrase in its context.

And, yet, once upon a time I somehow wrote thousands and thousands and thousands of posts about it....

And assuming I live another ten years and happen to be living sufficiently boring life that I feel compelled to pour over what I wrote in this period, it's all but guaranteed I'll be nothing but all 0x5754463F over it....

> I'd like to apologise for being difficult in the meeting > today. Let's put it down to my inclination for mischief > and your pride of age. Let's collaborate tomorrow; align > and click; peter then go home. I need to clean my teeth > and fall asleep in my own arms, lain across my chest like > a sky driver. As usual I'm peaceful, diminishing but far > from over.

Beautiful.