From: cheating@ccvm.sunysb.edu (queue cue)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.books,alt.satanism,bit.listserv.fnord-l
Subject: Re: Robert Anton Wilson (Was: Satan)
Keywords: and still is...:)
Date: 13 Aug 92 16:58:34 GMT
Organization: Mollusk Infrastructure
Originator: cheading@casbah.acns.nwu.edu

In article <1992Aug13.154854.22437@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> amartell@nyx.cs.du.edu (Alex Martelli) writes:
>majcher@acsu.buffalo.edu (Salamander~) writes:
>
>>>He he.  I STILL think the idea of an alt.wilson group or something would
>>>have been good.  Anyway:
>
>>	Try bit.listserv.fnord-l (or FNORD-l@ubvm.bitnet).
>
>Signal to noise ratio close to 0, IMHO.  Which is why I had once proposed
>an alt.fan.raw, but it fell flat.  So now I'm haunting r.a.b - after
>all if ALL books are to be discussed here, why not Wilson's!
>--
>Alex Martelli - preferred email alex@am.sublink.org

And here we go again.  Do you know what an alt.group is, son?  Do
you know, for one thing, that you can easily create an alt.group,
it requires no prior discussion, though most admins seeing alt.fan.raw
might consign it w/o faq to the dustbins thinking it's a newsgroup
for those who want their BURGERS RARE, DAMMIT!  But, more to the
point, using your proposed title as an example, do you know that
any and every newsgroup and most especially those in the alt.hierarchy
are subject to an automatic signal-to-noise ratio of <5 in the best
of cases?  You're not reading this on alt.satanism, are you, chum?
Maybe you could rmgroup rec.arts.books.wilson (you'd have to get
rid of the raw anyway, as that's just inviting those who normally
read rec.sex.films to think they've found something more to their
liking, as well as marking you a perpetual victim of the alt.cascade
funboys) and hope for the best there.

But, even more to the point, bit.listserv.fnord-l *%_IS_%* the newsgroup
and the listserv for discussing these materials.  So you find it
occasionally filled with items which don't fit the description?  Do
you know that if you actually have anything to say, you're welcome
to do so and ought to find out if there's any interest out there in
what you're discussing?  At the least, you'll get a kind note from
salsbury@acsu.buffalo.edu inviting you to move over to leri-l where
REAL discussion takes place, the haven of those who don't have the
nerve to stick it out on FNORD-L/bit.listserv.fnord-l.  Course, it's
much easier to point and whine and complain about how there's too
much damn noise ... what's the usenet motto that used to be tossed
out to new members?  Something like "Be prepared for anarchy."  Or
are all of you too damn intimidated by LIBALP and LIBWCA?

Cretins.

Hopefully you'll find what you're looking for, friend, on r.a.b;
some very helpful people around with plenty of information and even
a willingness to discuss all the sordid details.  But, and I repeat
the standard diatribe about the net, it's a place for making contacts,
and by throwing something out into the wide sargasso, you then must
be prepared to do some sifting.  Happy, happy, joy, joy, to those 
with the patience.

M (and, H, and I know you're listening, as you may have guessed, I've
chosen the persona of the unpleasant belligerant who smells constantly
of scotch and diesel fuel and seems to always be late for something
else)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.books,rec.humor,talk.religion.misc,sci.skeptic