From: twpierce@unix.amherst.edu (Tim Pierce)
Subject: Re: CFD: alt.qixnews
Organization: Homosexual Fascist Lobby, Rampant Paranoia Division
Date: Sat, 7 Nov 1992 18:57:28 GMT

In article <1992Nov7.050955.26565@mnemosyne.cs.du.edu> mporter@nyx.cs.du.edu (Mitchell Porter) writes:

>I would like to propose the creation of alt.qixnews.
>
>PROPOSED CHARTER
>
>alt.qixnews, in brief, would be for discussions that don't fit comfortably
>within any particular category... interdisciplinary topics, radically new
>topics, shunned topics, weird topics.

Misc.misc.  Or talk.bizarre.

>A quick list of some of the things
>that might be addressed:
>
>* The ideas of "renegade" thinkers who are too individual to be easily
>located on the intellectual map. Examples might be William Irwin Thompson,
>Avital Ronell, Robert Anton Wilson, Terence McKenna, Hakim Bey, etc etc.

Talk.philosophy.misc?  Alt.discordia?  Alt.slack?

>* Developing conceptual systems that will integrate or encompass
>previously disparate areas. For example, various attempts are underway to
>understand the relationship between information theory and physics, which
>in turn points to a future conceptual crossover between cognitive science
>and physics.

'Tis what crossposts were invented for.  (Besides starting flame wars,
that is.)

>* Looking at oft-shunned topics: anarchy, psychedelics, radical
>skepticism, Fortean phenomena, etc. There are already newsgroups and/or
>mailing lists on many such areas, but there is no real forum where they
>can be looked at *together*.

"Newsgroups: alt.anarchy,alt.psychedelia,sci.skeptic"

>* "Free Religions" such as Discordianism and the Church of the SubGenius,
>and strange systems of belief. Again, there are already newsgroups such as
>alt.discordia and alt.slack, but there is no general forum for discussion
>about what it all means.

Oh, please.

>SOME QUESTIONS:
>
>1. Why call it "alt.qixnews", of all things? I don't even understand what
>the name means!
>
>To cut a long story short, "Qix" is my handle on BBS's and my name in the
>"Church of Virtuality/Reality", one of the Free Religions mentioned above.

Very cute.  Completely meaningless, and highly egocentric.

>I think "Qixnews" sounds interesting but not zany. (And besides,
>if Kibo and Carasso can have newsgroups, why can't I...?)

Kibo has become a net.icon through wit.  As for Carasso, if you really
want his reputation, you're welcome to it.

>2. Why not stick with the idea of a mailing list?
>
>Not everyone likes to carry on such discussions on mailing lists:

Tough.

>the
>problems include finding personal mail in the midst of list mail,

Have the Reply-To address for the mail set to the list address.  Most
mailers will then make all list mail appear to be "From" the mailing
list.

>and
>finding the items you are interested in amongst the general flow of list
>items. These problems become particularly great when the list in question
>has a fairly high traffic.

It sounds to me like there's no evidence that this forum will *have* a
lot of traffic.

>A Usenet newsgroup has a potentially larger
>audience, in the form of casual readers who may have, only a passing
>interest in most of the topics discussed.

I thought you wanted serious discussion.

-- 
____ Tim Pierce                / 
\  / twpierce@unix.amherst.edu / I use antlers in all of my decorating.
 \/ (BITnet: TWPIERCE@AMHERST) / 
Newsgroups: alt.config,alt.music.alternative,alt.rock-n-roll.metal.heavy