rich-c: test
moved to room Meeting Place
changed username to George rich-c: hello georte rich-c: oops. George! rich-c: thought you were going to miss today George: Hi Rich George: how are you? rich-c: experiencecing the hell of pneumonia - feel great, actually lousy rich-c: like the coughings way down, reasonable appetite, plumbing not too wonky rich-c: but the slightest effort just wipes me out rich-c: eat my lunch, I need a nap to recover from the effort - bummer George: crohn's gets the most of me rich-c: well that's chronic and tends to override the rest, I guess - or complicate it rich-c: same way, my arthritis is sore at the moment, because whe joints aren't moving they tend to freeze up rich-c: get into a feedback cycle too - joint's sore so don't move it much so it gets sorer rich-c: did you get a chnace to do the Lenape search yet? George: not yet rich-c: pity because I skimmed it and the answers you want are there, very accessible George: it was a shocker when i made it to the post office rich-c: in what way? George: i haven't been there in ages rich-c: so? whaat did they do, replace it or something? George: postage went up more than i expected rich-c: yes, our postage charges have been going up too rich-c: I get the feeling the governments are milking the p.o.s as cash cows rich-c: they're supposed to be non-profit but I suspect some fancy accounting George: our government woud be better selling the post offices rich-c: no, that would just let the UPS and FedEx and such bunch get even more exorbitant in their pricing George: the private sector would do better job of delivery rich-c: sure they would, for a while rich-c: but they'd soon have an effective monopoly and be abour as responsive as MaBell rich-c: ask the publisher of your favourite magazine what a subscription would cost if he had to ship t UPS rich-c: and I can guarantee you there are folks in your own state who would never see a parcel delivered rich-c: the parcel outfits only go where there's enough trade to be worth their effort George: the letter carrier for this area can't read. i get all the wrong mail rich-c: I am not impressed with teh reading skills of any segment of the U.S. population rich-c: try sending an email to a private outfit asking a question - they can't read it rich-c: or if they can they can't understand it, and certainly can't answer it George: we have our own sloppyy writing rich-c: yes - you'll noitice I can be quite casual - but I am not sloppy rich-c: very revealing to watch our weekly chats - the language may be very casual, elliptical, slangy, allusive - but it's clear George: i'm glad this isn't handwriting rich-c: you oughta be, because you wouldn't be able to tell mine from termites in the screen George: you would never be able to read my handwriting rich-c: that's why I had to get a computer in the first place; my writing was so bad even I couldn't figure it out George: my father is even afraid to type rich-c: can't understand that - the keys aren't going to bite him rich-c: just keep pushing at them till they do what you want them to George: but his thinking is rich-c: besides, with a computer, you don't have to print or save, you can just pull the plug and it all goes away George: as long as it doesn't go over the internet the it floats somewhere forever so they say rich-c: yes, everything that moves on the internet is said to be archived somewhere George: who is the archive police? rich-c: though where on earth the necessary storage space might be I can't beging to conceive rich-c: well, anything you put up there is right on your own website, plus whatever is sent to you there rich-c: your ISP by law must archive all traffic in and out for a period of time rich-c: there are achives of all newsgroups, and I gather most chats are logged rich-c: companies will archive all their business correspondence, in fact everything that goes over their machines usually George: well they know more about me than they wanted to rich-c: note by the way that most of this is done strictly for your convenience as the user rich-c: well, it's who knows and what they know that matters rich-c: my ISP knows every web page I visit, obviously, because he can't take me there without knowing George: what strange creatures we human beings are rich-c: he may not give a sweet hoot, and keep therecord to a minimum to control costs, but he knows rich-c: on the other hand someone like AOL follows the cursor all over every page you visit rich-c: so they know what sort of things you look at, what links you follow, stuff like that George: somebody's watching me rich-c: and you know about the outfits that even try to log your every keystroke rich-c: you can't walk down the street without being watched rich-c: the issue is, are you being watched with intent? and for whose benefit? George: the FBI CIA and IRS rich-c: well, the IRS watches everyone as closely as they can rich-c: the one thing any government will protect at all costs is its revenue stream George: they just want their money rich-c: and compared to their revenue, your privacy as a citizen means squat rich-c: the FBI tends to be paranoid but given to bungling - they are unlikely to know you're there George: i feel lazy today rich-c: and in theory the CIA deals only with events outside U.S. boundaries - you believe that, don't you? George: no rich-c: you sound as if you've been listening to those awful civil liberties folks or something George: look at all those peace marches they bug rich-c: well to Americans peace is a very subversive idea George: why rich-c: well, if there were peace, what would happen to Beoing and General Dynamics and Thiokol and Rockwell rich-c: and all those other bedrock institutioins of America? George: they would still be in their doing the same thing they do now only for peace rich-c: I get the feeling you are fading out on me a bit George: for instance Boeing would still be making bigger airbusses to get people to their destination rich-c: want to knock it off for now so you can rest? rich-c: I will just leave you with one observation, George rich-c: talk to them about taxes, and most folks would rather get a busy signal when they dial 911 than pay enough to assure they don't George: true rich-c: people will pay endless amounts to kill other people, but nothing to help them rich-c: there's always more moeny for death chambers than soup kitchens George: in philly it wouldn't matter because the 911dispatchers are so rude rich-c: just be glad you get an answer - and consider their customers' manners George: an answer yes response no rich-c: anyway I need to duck out now - an hour seems my present limit rich-c: so I shall plan to see you Wednesday chat George: you dial 911 and pray for the cops to show George: ok see you Wed. rich-c: maybe if folks paid enough taxes they'd have cops to send rich-c: OK bye for now George: bye
rich-c left chat session
George left chat session
moved to room Meeting Place
changed username to rich-c