leps-l future

[Patrick Foley]

Leps listers,

Do not move the leps-list to Yahoo! Corporations have enough control over our
lives and minds. Do not give Yahoo, AOL, the Catholic Church or any other
organization censorship rights over your knowledge stream. Do it yourself, or
find the tools to do so. Even universities censor too much. Happily most
universities are hesitant to censor scientific and political speech, the most
vital kind for a free society. Do you want Exxon-Mobile deciding which
scientists are experts on global climate change? Times-Warner-Disney-Microsoft
deciding what is an appropriate email?

Most of the security problems on the web today are due to insecure software by
Microsoft and the monopoly status it strives to maintain. Since I collaborate
with others, I reluctantly use their software, but as Neil Jones has pointed
out, cheaper, better and more secure software is available from the Open
Software movement (including Linux, which I also use). In a few years much of
the international community will switch to such software and we in the USA will
spend our time whining about security problems.

As a scientist and citizen, I prefer to encourage the open exchange of ideas
and accept the inevitable inconvenience that most ideas are defective or
dangerous. Email lists such as the leps list should stay as open as possible.

Patrick Foley
patfoley at csus.edu

Ron Gatrelle wrote:

> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Jim Taylor" <drivingiron at earthlink.net>
> To: "Ron Gatrelle" <gatrelle at tils-ttr.org>; <LEPS-L at lists.yale.edu>
> Sent: Friday, April 05, 2002 10:00 AM
> Subject: Re: Re:
>
> > Do all of you feel as gloomy as Ron re LEPS-L future?
> >
> > Jim Taylor
>
> I am running way late today on getting out to the field.  Two hour drive to
> the area and now 10 !!!    Perhaps if someone at Lep. Soc. 15- to 20 years
> ago  would have provided real leadership and given them 1) a good reality
> check and 2) some vision that wonderful organization would not have been
> made virtually irrelevant to most modern butterfly enthusiasts.
>
> One can ignore fat or start doing something about it.   One can rest on the
> past (K-mark) and let Wal-mart come along and put them out of business.
> Leps-l just floats - like a ship without a sail or rudder.  If it drifts
> into the rocks it is the fault of the captain and the crew - not the ship
> OR the passengers.  Further, sometimes the old horse needs to be put out to
> pasture and a car bought.
>
> Now, am I gloomy about leps-l future?  I would say no.  But it is at a
> cross roads and something should be done.  I am not one of those people who
> only complain and offer no solutions.  I have been a leader and
> entrepreneur in every area and stage of my life.  Here is one big step that
> can be made.  Move the whole thing to a Yahoo!group.   All Larry has to do
> is go to http://groups.yahoo.com/ and start it.  Then he just copies the
> e-members list and puts everybody on.  Done.  About 30 minutes.  No one
> even hardly know it happened.
>
> People then have a lot more security.  They can post as long as and as many
> a message as they want - and those with limited email accounts will only
> need to get a Yahoo ID so they can access the home page to read AND send
> messages.  No space from their limited email at all.  Further, a photos
> section can be added and everyone can just post their pictures there to get
> IDed etc. Larry can also authorize monitors who can deal with the problem
> that he does not have time for (he really doesn't have the time needed for
> involved supervision - so there needs to be deligation).
>
> Or everyone can just subscribe to TILS-leps-talk -- which has already been
> there and done that.  To subscribe:
> TILS-leps-talk-subscribe at yahoogroups.com
> But some will not want to as leps-talk is pro-collecting (as well as
> pro-watcher) we also like lots of stuff related to taxonomy as well as
> field reports and (even far side cartoons).   So it is not for everyone.
> Which if we are listening is the bottom line.  Leps-l is trying to be for
> everyone -- as time goes on and more (and specific) groups come on line
> that will no long fly.
>
> Ron
>
>
>  ------------------------------------------------------------
>
>    For subscription and related information about LEPS-L visit:
>
>    http://www.peabody.yale.edu/other/lepsl
>


 
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