Hey all

[a cat]

I'm new here so I thought I'd say hello!

[D]

On Sat, 17 Jun 2023 16:07:40 -0600, a cat <a_...@example.com> wrote:
>I'm new here so I thought I'd say hello!

No "googlespam" on the "eternal-september" nntp server since mid-March,
but this group (co.general) is quiet as a mouse. The "boulder.general"
newsgroup is only slightly more active, so maybe Colorado is peaceful
compared to, for example, the "alt.california" group that is generally
flooded with propaganda. Probably not much to discuss about Colorado,
execpt maybe the chronic cold, cloudy and wet weather this whole year.
They say it should warm up a bit starting tomorrow...better late than
never. So what brings you to this nearly uninhabited usenet newsgroup?

[a cat]

On 6/17/23 5:13 PM, D wrote:
> On Sat, 17 Jun 2023 16:07:40 -0600, a cat <a_...@example.com> wrote:
>> I'm new here so I thought I'd say hello!
>
> No "googlespam" on the "eternal-september" nntp server since mid-March,
> but this group (co.general) is quiet as a mouse. The "boulder.general"
> newsgroup is only slightly more active, so maybe Colorado is peaceful
> compared to, for example, the "alt.california" group that is generally
> flooded with propaganda.

I'm still getting used to all of this, but I had to filter out lots of
hate-filled messages and spam. Maybe I'm doing this wrong?

> Probably not much to discuss about Colorado,
> execpt maybe the chronic cold, cloudy and wet weather this whole year.
> They say it should warm up a bit starting tomorrow...better late than
> never.

It's been crazy lately, hasn't it? So much rain!

I don't follow sports, but I guess there's the Nuggets win!

> So what brings you to this nearly uninhabited usenet newsgroup?

I'm exploring Usenet because I'm tired of centralized, for-profit social
media. I thought I'd do my part by dropping by and saying hello :)

What about you? I didn't expect anyone to reply to be honest. What are
you doing here?

[D]

On Sat, 17 Jun 2023 17:47:34 -0600, a cat <a_...@example.com> wrote:
>On 6/17/23 5:13 PM, D wrote:
>> On Sat, 17 Jun 2023 16:07:40 -0600, a cat <a_...@example.com> wrote:
>>> I'm new here so I thought I'd say hello!
>>
>> No "googlespam" on the "eternal-september" nntp server since mid-March,
>> but this group (co.general) is quiet as a mouse. The "boulder.general"
>> newsgroup is only slightly more active, so maybe Colorado is peaceful
>> compared to, for example, the "alt.california" group that is generally
>> flooded with propaganda.
>
>I'm still getting used to all of this, but I had to filter out lots of
>hate-filled messages and spam. Maybe I'm doing this wrong?

Unmoderated newsgroups enjoy the unique distinction of providing equal
opportunity for uncensored freespeech in these universal public forums
comprising over one hundred thousand newsgroups, the majority of which
are inactive or nearly so, but some of which are relatively busy, with
dozens or even hundreds of articles per day on average. Thus filtering
newsgroup articles is based on experience, discretion, newsreader, etc.
Certainly everyone blocks googlegroups, but beyond that is a gray area.

>> Probably not much to discuss about Colorado,
>> execpt maybe the chronic cold, cloudy and wet weather this whole year.
>> They say it should warm up a bit starting tomorrow...better late than
>> never.
>
>It's been crazy lately, hasn't it? So much rain!

Moved here from Marin County, California in 1970, been here ever since
and this year has been the most consistently inclement in memory. Whew!

>
>I don't follow sports, but I guess there's the Nuggets win!

When I was younger, big league competition sports seemed appealing but
exploitation has progressively commodified it as commercial enterprise,
but maybe that's how it's always been and getting older simply makes it
more obvious? Oscar Wilde would agree on that point "...the only thing".

>> So what brings you to this nearly uninhabited usenet newsgroup?
>
>I'm exploring Usenet because I'm tired of centralized, for-profit social
>media. I thought I'd do my part by dropping by and saying hello :)

Yet social media is moderated, which some might prefer to the veritable
wild west of uncensored public discussion in this longitude of daylight.
E.g. Jimmy Hoffa said "there are criminals on both sides of these bars",
and I would observe there are no good guys in a world full of bad guys.
But I've been lucky, 65 and never seen the inside except on television.

>
>What about you? I didn't expect anyone to reply to be honest. What are
>you doing here?

I'm a retired hobbyist, variously active in newsgroups since January 1998,
subscribed to about a dozen of them of which only several are very active.

[a cat]

On 6/17/23 8:09 PM, D wrote:
> On Sat, 17 Jun 2023 17:47:34 -0600, a cat <a_...@example.com> wrote:
>> On 6/17/23 5:13 PM, D wrote:
>>> On Sat, 17 Jun 2023 16:07:40 -0600, a cat <a_...@example.com> wrote:
>>>> I'm new here so I thought I'd say hello!
>>>
>>> No "googlespam" on the "eternal-september" nntp server since mid-March,
>>> but this group (co.general) is quiet as a mouse. The "boulder.general"
>>> newsgroup is only slightly more active, so maybe Colorado is peaceful
>>> compared to, for example, the "alt.california" group that is generally
>>> flooded with propaganda.
>>
>> I'm still getting used to all of this, but I had to filter out lots of
>> hate-filled messages and spam. Maybe I'm doing this wrong?
>
> Unmoderated newsgroups enjoy the unique distinction of providing equal
> opportunity for uncensored freespeech in these universal public forums
> comprising over one hundred thousand newsgroups, the majority of which
> are inactive or nearly so, but some of which are relatively busy, with
> dozens or even hundreds of articles per day on average. Thus filtering
> newsgroup articles is based on experience, discretion, newsreader, etc.
> Certainly everyone blocks googlegroups, but beyond that is a gray area.

I don't have Google Groups blocked, and that's where I'm seeing most of
the garbage. Maybe I should do that? It seems like there might be some
good posts coming from there though.

>>> Probably not much to discuss about Colorado,
>>> execpt maybe the chronic cold, cloudy and wet weather this whole year.
>>> They say it should warm up a bit starting tomorrow...better late than
>>> never.
>>
>> It's been crazy lately, hasn't it? So much rain!
>
> Moved here from Marin County, California in 1970, been here ever since
> and this year has been the most consistently inclement in memory. Whew!

It's been welcome, but I would welcome it a little more spaced out :)

>> I don't follow sports, but I guess there's the Nuggets win!
>
> When I was younger, big league competition sports seemed appealing but
> exploitation has progressively commodified it as commercial enterprise,
> but maybe that's how it's always been and getting older simply makes it
> more obvious? Oscar Wilde would agree on that point "...the only thing".
>
>>> So what brings you to this nearly uninhabited usenet newsgroup?
>>
>> I'm exploring Usenet because I'm tired of centralized, for-profit social
>> media. I thought I'd do my part by dropping by and saying hello :)
>
> Yet social media is moderated, which some might prefer to the veritable
> wild west of uncensored public discussion in this longitude of daylight.
> E.g. Jimmy Hoffa said "there are criminals on both sides of these bars",
> and I would observe there are no good guys in a world full of bad guys.
> But I've been lucky, 65 and never seen the inside except on television.

There are some moderated Usenet groups, aren't there? And there's no
reason there couldn't be more?

My opinion is that free speech as an absolute, like many binary
philosophies, is flawed. Paradox of intolerance and all that.

But supporting that, I agree that everyone's flawed, and we should all
have more patience and compassion for one another. And people should
start *talking* to one another again.

>> What about you? I didn't expect anyone to reply to be honest. What are
>> you doing here?
>
> I'm a retired hobbyist, variously active in newsgroups since January 1998,
> subscribed to about a dozen of them of which only several are very active.

Wow, very cool! I was around a bit back then too, but too young to
really understand how all this worked. Better late than never :)

[D]

On Sun, 18 Jun 2023 10:14:22 -0600, a cat <a_...@example.com> wrote:
>On 6/17/23 8:09 PM, D wrote:
>> On Sat, 17 Jun 2023 17:47:34 -0600, a cat <a_...@example.com> wrote:
>>> On 6/17/23 5:13 PM, D wrote:
>>>> On Sat, 17 Jun 2023 16:07:40 -0600, a cat <a_...@example.com> wrote:

snip

>I don't have Google Groups blocked, and that's where I'm seeing most of
>the garbage. Maybe I should do that? It seems like there might be some
>good posts coming from there though.

Do what thou wilt. Popular newsreaders each have specific scoring rules.

>> Moved here from Marin County, California in 1970, been here ever since
>> and this year has been the most consistently inclement in memory. Whew!
>
>It's been welcome, but I would welcome it a little more spaced out :)

It can always get colder.

>There are some moderated Usenet groups, aren't there? And there's no
>reason there couldn't be more?

Some prefer moderated forums, but the unmoderated forums are uncensored.

>My opinion is that free speech as an absolute, like many binary
>philosophies, is flawed. Paradox of intolerance and all that.

"Do as I say, not as I do". Robert Louis Stevenson wrote a book about it.

>But supporting that, I agree that everyone's flawed, and we should all
>have more patience and compassion for one another. And people should
>start *talking* to one another again.

I'm used to quiet, reading, writing, arithmetic, etc... more productive.

>> I'm a retired hobbyist, variously active in newsgroups since January 1998,
>> subscribed to about a dozen of them of which only several are very active.
>
>Wow, very cool! I was around a bit back then too, but too young to
>really understand how all this worked. Better late than never :)

Newsgroups can be helpful, fun, entertaining, informative, educational,
inspirational, and who knows what else? I'd recommend sampling headers
from other, more active groups... "co.general" is a deserted wasteland.

[a cat]

On 6/18/23 3:23 PM, D wrote:

>> There are some moderated Usenet groups, aren't there? And there's no
>> reason there couldn't be more?
>
> Some prefer moderated forums, but the unmoderated forums are uncensored.
>
>> My opinion is that free speech as an absolute, like many binary
>> philosophies, is flawed. Paradox of intolerance and all that.
>
> "Do as I say, not as I do". Robert Louis Stevenson wrote a book about it.

Which is that?

>> But supporting that, I agree that everyone's flawed, and we should all
>> have more patience and compassion for one another. And people should
>> start *talking* to one another again.
>
> I'm used to quiet, reading, writing, arithmetic, etc... more productive.

Those are my preferences as well, but I'm commenting on being presented
with conflict. I think too often now things just become a two-sided,
one-sided, shouting match. People dig in their heels.

>>> I'm a retired hobbyist, variously active in newsgroups since January 1998,
>>> subscribed to about a dozen of them of which only several are very active.
>>
>> Wow, very cool! I was around a bit back then too, but too young to
>> really understand how all this worked. Better late than never :)
>
> Newsgroups can be helpful, fun, entertaining, informative, educational,
> inspirational, and who knows what else? I'd recommend sampling headers
> from other, more active groups... "co.general" is a deserted wasteland

Yes, I've been posting here and there. But also one of my intentions is
to help create community. If this newsgroup is deserted now, it may not
always be if I say hello (that's how this conversation happened!).