Hi!
Well, I thought I could shut up but I think it finally got me. This
thread just shows why we, scientists, are so unpopular with the
general public (read taxpayers).
My previous suggestion "don't read" didn't wash. Instead we are
going to ask students to advertise themselves in the questions. Well,
some of the students may be stupid, but none of them is going to be
THAT stupid if s(h)e wants a help with a term paper.
Secondly, sometimes I post to sci.physics a question that EVEN
a student (of physics) would not ask. How do I flag these? "Yo! I got
a REALLY stupid question"? Well, I do that, and it seems that nobody
minds ( at least if I look at the kind of replies I get). What is the chance
that as a student I would get all kinds of "helpful" adivices instead
of the answer?
Thirdly, ANOTHER NEWSGROUPS!? Are you all nuts?! The number of
the newsgroups that I subscribe now (only in biology) is totally
crazy. If on top of that one would add a number of postings a week
one would very easily see that 3-4 groups would be just enough. It
is like with journals, comes to the point that I read only 5 or 6
of them. The rest I do via some computer software. I can't wait for
someone to publish a software that would allow me to screen newsgroups
for what I want. I can do if by veronica by sometimes it misses this or
that. So, anyway, another student groups? Hey, I got an idea, and how
about a peer review system? Say, I submit this post to an editorial board,
they go thhru it check for the relevance etc. and then they post it. See,
you normal moderated group is not good enough because then we might
depend too much on a personal taste.
Fourthly, ideas of trying to impose posting or editorial or other
kind of regulatory policies on INTERNET postings are (to UNDERSTATE IT)
somewhat dicatorial. Dont't like it, don't read it. And if you don't know
what a "kill file" is, well too bad.
I realize that internet evolves (more in lamarckian than darwinian sense)
and things will change rapidly. But please, have some reason. Usage
of internet does not merit yet a mention on an NIH grant application.
Let's have this place free of PC, it is supposed to be a contact place
not a controlled Hyde Park
Przemko
Przemko Tylzanowski Ph.D.
Dept. Biochemistry
University of Antwerp
p:32-3-820-2331
f:32-3-820-2248
