🚀 go-pugleaf

On 14 Mar 2018 in alt.folklore.computers, Peter Flass wrote:

> Nothing at all for the last couple of days? Is this maybe an Eternal
> September problem? I have visions of getting thousands of messages
> all at once.

Phase of the moon? I normally use Eternal September; I just checked on 
another server, and the only messages since Friday are this thread, and 
the older, same-titled thread.

-- 
Joe Makowiec
http://makowiec.org/
Email: http://makowiec.org/contact/?Joe
Usenet Improvement Project: http://twovoyagers.com/improve-usenet.org/

Peter Flass <peter...@yahoo.com> writes:

> Nothing at all for the last couple of days? Is this maybe an Eternal
> September problem? I have visions of getting thousands of messages all at
> once.

ES is working fine as far as I can tell.

-- 
Dan Espen

On Wed, 14 Mar 2018 10:09:40 -0400, Dan Espen <dan1...@gmail.com>
wrote:

>Peter Flass <peter...@yahoo.com> writes:
>
>> Nothing at all for the last couple of days? Is this maybe an Eternal
>> September problem? I have visions of getting thousands of messages all at
>> once.
>
>ES is working fine as far as I can tell.

I use a paid server, the three I'm replying to is it.

On 2018-03-14, JimP <solo...@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Wed, 14 Mar 2018 10:09:40 -0400, Dan Espen <dan1...@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Peter Flass <peter...@yahoo.com> writes:
>>
>>> Nothing at all for the last couple of days? Is this maybe an Eternal
>>> September problem? I have visions of getting thousands of messages all at
>>> once.
>>
>> ES is working fine as far as I can tell.
>
> I use a paid server, the three I'm replying to is it.

I use Newsguy.  "It's quiet... too quiet."

-- 
/~\  cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid (Charlie Gibbs)
\ /  I'm really at ac.dekanfrus if you read it the right way.
 X   Top-posted messages will probably be ignored.  See RFC1855.
/ \  HTML will DEFINITELY be ignored.  Join the ASCII ribbon campaign!

Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> wrote:
> On 2018-03-14, JimP <solo...@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> On Wed, 14 Mar 2018 10:09:40 -0400, Dan Espen <dan1...@gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>> 
>>> Peter Flass <peter...@yahoo.com> writes:
>>> 
>>>> Nothing at all for the last couple of days? Is this maybe an Eternal
>>>> September problem? I have visions of getting thousands of messages all at
>>>> once.
>>> 
>>> ES is working fine as far as I can tell.
>> 
>> I use a paid server, the three I'm replying to is it.
> 
> I use Newsguy.  "It's quiet... too quiet."
> 

Is it Trump? The Russians?

-- 
Pete

On 3/14/2018 12:05 PM, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
> On 2018-03-14, JimP <solo...@gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> On Wed, 14 Mar 2018 10:09:40 -0400, Dan Espen <dan1...@gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Peter Flass <peter...@yahoo.com> writes:
>>>
>>>> Nothing at all for the last couple of days? Is this maybe an Eternal
>>>> September problem? I have visions of getting thousands of messages all at
>>>> once.
>>>
>>> ES is working fine as far as I can tell.
>>
>> I use a paid server, the three I'm replying to is it.
> 
> I use Newsguy.  "It's quiet... too quiet."
> 

Maybe BAH is responsible for 98% of the traffic on this group...  and 
her AOL debacle prevents her from posting!!!   ;-)

-- 
numerist at aquaporin4 dot com

On Wed, 2018-03-14, Charles Richmond wrote:
> On 3/14/2018 12:05 PM, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
>> On 2018-03-14, JimP <solo...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>>> On Wed, 14 Mar 2018 10:09:40 -0400, Dan Espen <dan1...@gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Peter Flass <peter...@yahoo.com> writes:
>>>>
>>>>> Nothing at all for the last couple of days? Is this maybe an Eternal
>>>>> September problem? I have visions of getting thousands of messages all at
>>>>> once.
>>>>
>>>> ES is working fine as far as I can tell.
>>>
>>> I use a paid server, the three I'm replying to is it.
>> 
>> I use Newsguy.  "It's quiet... too quiet."
>> 
>
> Maybe BAH is responsible for 98% of the traffic on this group...  and 
> her AOL debacle prevents her from posting!!!   ;-)

Not unlikely. It seems to me most newsgroups are driven by very few
posters; others (e.g. me) participate, but don't start new threads.

/Jorgen

-- 
  // Jorgen Grahn <grahn@  Oo  o.   .     .
\X/     snipabacken.se>   O  o   .

On 14 Mar 2018 17:05:18 GMT, Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid>
wrote:

>On 2018-03-14, JimP <solo...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> On Wed, 14 Mar 2018 10:09:40 -0400, Dan Espen <dan1...@gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Peter Flass <peter...@yahoo.com> writes:
>>>
>>>> Nothing at all for the last couple of days? Is this maybe an Eternal
>>>> September problem? I have visions of getting thousands of messages all at
>>>> once.
>>>
>>> ES is working fine as far as I can tell.
>>
>> I use a paid server, the three I'm replying to is it.
>
>I use Newsguy.  "It's quiet... too quiet."

Yup, mine is NewsGuy to.

Over the years I have received emails from them about a server issue
and I get an extra few days or a week or two added to by subscription.

Nothing on that front yet.

On 3/14/2018 12:38 PM, Charles Richmond wrote:
> On 3/14/2018 12:05 PM, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
>> On 2018-03-14, JimP <solo...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> On Wed, 14 Mar 2018 10:09:40 -0400, Dan Espen <dan1...@gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Peter Flass <peter...@yahoo.com> writes:
>>>>
>>>>> Nothing at all for the last couple of days? Is this maybe an Eternal
>>>>> September problem? I have visions of getting thousands of 
>>>>> messages all at
>>>>> once.
>>>>
>>>> ES is working fine as far as I can tell.
>>>
>>> I use a paid server, the three I'm replying to is it.
>>
>> I use Newsguy.  "It's quiet... too quiet."
>>
> 
> Maybe BAH is responsible for 98% of the traffic on this group...  and 
> her AOL debacle prevents her from posting!!!   ;-)
>
Could well be. IIRC, a few other times when she's gone offline, the 
traffic has dramatically dropped. She may be the grain of sand that 
makes our oyster grow a pearl.

Dan Espen <dan1...@gmail.com> wrote in news:p8baf4$r66$1...@dont-email.me:

> Peter Flass <peter...@yahoo.com> writes:
> 
>> Nothing at all for the last couple of days? Is this maybe an Eternal
>> September problem? I have visions of getting thousands of messages all
>> at once. 
> 
> ES is working fine as far as I can tell.

I think so too. comp.os.vms seems as busy as ever, but gardening group that 
I subscribe to, also seem unusually quiet. 

Peter Flass <peter...@yahoo.com> writes:

> Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> wrote:
>> On 2018-03-14, JimP <solo...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>>> On Wed, 14 Mar 2018 10:09:40 -0400, Dan Espen <dan1...@gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> Peter Flass <peter...@yahoo.com> writes:
>>>> 
>>>>> Nothing at all for the last couple of days? Is this maybe an Eternal
>>>>> September problem? I have visions of getting thousands of messages all at
>>>>> once.
>>>> 
>>>> ES is working fine as far as I can tell.
>>> 
>>> I use a paid server, the three I'm replying to is it.
>> 
>> I use Newsguy.  "It's quiet... too quiet."
>
> Is it Trump? The Russians?

I'm feeling overwhelmed.
What's left to discuss...okay:

I'm seeing hints that some Republicans will turn on Trump.
Always, priority 1 is getting re-elected.
When things get bad enough, they'll turn on him like
mad dogs.

-- 
Dan Espen

On 14/03/2018 13:26, Peter Flass wrote:
> Nothing at all for the last couple of days? Is this maybe an Eternal
> September problem? I have visions of getting thousands of messages all at
> once.

I use a different usenet server and it is quite.
Maybe it is like that point at a party where everyone just stops talking 
for a few seconds at the same time?

Andy

On 14/03/2018 19:33, Alfred Falk wrote:
> Dan Espen <dan1...@gmail.com> wrote in news:p8baf4$r66$1...@dont-email.me:
> 
>> Peter Flass <peter...@yahoo.com> writes:
>>
>>> Nothing at all for the last couple of days? Is this maybe an Eternal
>>> September problem? I have visions of getting thousands of messages all
>>> at once.
>>
>> ES is working fine as far as I can tell.
> 
> I think so too. comp.os.vms seems as busy as ever, but gardening group that
> I subscribe to, also seem unusually quiet.

I used to have about 20+ groups that I frequented but over the 
years/decades people have left Usenet for web clients or social media or 
else ISPs have dropped Usenet support and they just die off.

Now I have a few groups and even some of them are dwindling to a small 
core of nutjobs just arguing with each other over decade old fights. 
There are a couple of thriving groups but even they have been 
infiltrated by Usenet nutjobs who need an audience since they have 
contributed to the death of their previous groups.

Sadly Usenet is in terminal decline.

Andy

On Wednesday, in article <p8bph0$dim$1...@dont-email.me>
     dave.g...@wizinfo.com "Dave Garland" wrote:

> On 3/14/2018 12:38 PM, Charles Richmond wrote:
>> On 3/14/2018 12:05 PM, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
>>> On 2018-03-14, JimP <solo...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> On Wed, 14 Mar 2018 10:09:40 -0400, Dan Espen <dan1...@gmail.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Peter Flass <peter...@yahoo.com> writes:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Nothing at all for the last couple of days? Is this maybe an Eternal
>>>>>> September problem? I have visions of getting thousands of 
>>>>>> messages all at
>>>>>> once.
>>>>>
>>>>> ES is working fine as far as I can tell.
>>>>
>>>> I use a paid server, the three I'm replying to is it.
>>>
>>> I use Newsguy.  "It's quiet... too quiet."

News.Individual.Net here.  I'm with Charlie: it's disconcertingly quiet.

>> Maybe BAH is responsible for 98% of the traffic on this group...  and 
>> her AOL debacle prevents her from posting!!!   ;-)
>
> Could well be. IIRC, a few other times when she's gone offline, the 
> traffic has dramatically dropped. She may be the grain of sand that 
> makes our oyster grow a pearl.

Quite possibly.  She certainly provokes a lot of, erm, "discussion".

We've also lost Morten; and Speedo used to keep threads going with his
unique style of "argument" (but he's been gone for over a year now[0]
without the group dying to the current extent, so perhaps his influence
looms too large in my memory).


[0] Not that I'm complaining: he was the person who made me give up my
25-year killfile celibacy, and I now have no need of it.

-- 
Simon Turner                                    DoD #0461
si...@twoplaces.co.uk
    Trust me -- I know what I'm doing!          -- Sledge Hammer

On 3/15/2018 4:38 AM, Simon Turner wrote:
> On Wednesday, in article <p8bph0$dim$1...@dont-email.me>
>       dave.g...@wizinfo.com "Dave Garland" wrote:
> 
>> On 3/14/2018 12:38 PM, Charles Richmond wrote:
>>> On 3/14/2018 12:05 PM, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
>>>> On 2018-03-14, JimP <solo...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> On Wed, 14 Mar 2018 10:09:40 -0400, Dan Espen <dan1...@gmail.com>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Peter Flass <peter...@yahoo.com> writes:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Nothing at all for the last couple of days? Is this maybe an Eternal
>>>>>>> September problem? I have visions of getting thousands of
>>>>>>> messages all at
>>>>>>> once.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> ES is working fine as far as I can tell.
>>>>>
>>>>> I use a paid server, the three I'm replying to is it.
>>>>
>>>> I use Newsguy.  "It's quiet... too quiet."
> 
> News.Individual.Net here.  I'm with Charlie: it's disconcertingly quiet.
> 
>>> Maybe BAH is responsible for 98% of the traffic on this group...  and
>>> her AOL debacle prevents her from posting!!!   ;-)
>>
>> Could well be. IIRC, a few other times when she's gone offline, the
>> traffic has dramatically dropped. She may be the grain of sand that
>> makes our oyster grow a pearl.
> 
> Quite possibly.  She certainly provokes a lot of, erm, "discussion".
> 
> We've also lost Morten; and Speedo used to keep threads going with his
> unique style of "argument" (but he's been gone for over a year now[0]
> without the group dying to the current extent, so perhaps his influence
> looms too large in my memory).
> 

"Speedo" is the rat we burned down the barn to get rid of !!!    :-)

-- 
numerist at aquaporin4 dot com

On Thu, 2018-03-15, AndyW wrote:
...
> I used to have about 20+ groups that I frequented but over the 
> years/decades people have left Usenet for web clients or social media or 
> else ISPs have dropped Usenet support and they just die off.
>
> Now I have a few groups and even some of them are dwindling to a small 
> core of nutjobs just arguing with each other over decade old fights. 
> There are a couple of thriving groups but even they have been 
> infiltrated by Usenet nutjobs who need an audience since they have 
> contributed to the death of their previous groups.
>
> Sadly Usenet is in terminal decline.

If it's any comfort, Facebook groups seem almost as bad.

It's a paradox which puzzles me: invent a way for strangers to
communicate in groups, and the groups will eventually be taken over by
people whose personality disorders, in various ways, make them
/unable/ to communicate.

/Jorgen

-- 
  // Jorgen Grahn <grahn@  Oo  o.   .     .
\X/     snipabacken.se>   O  o   .

On 15 Mar 2018 17:36:35 GMT
Jorgen Grahn <grahn...@snipabacken.se> wrote:

> It's a paradox which puzzles me: invent a way for strangers to
> communicate in groups, and the groups will eventually be taken over by
> people whose personality disorders, in various ways, make them
> /unable/ to communicate.

The loonies are easy to ignore or filter away, but they probably
discourage potential new users (who mostly arrive on Usenet from
the various web-based front-ends) from sticking around.  I wonder if a
decent web portal could revive the medium - give it a twitter-ish
format or whatever is the current social media craze, while allowing
the user to manage filtering effectively (or perhaps allow an
administrator to manage the filtering for them).
It's probably a lost cause, people have been trumpeting the death of
Usenet for years although I think it will yet linger longer.
Even if the global network withers we can still run private servers,
like in the old BBS days.   :-)

On 2018-03-15, Rob Morley <nos...@ntlworld.com> wrote:

> On 15 Mar 2018 17:36:35 GMT
> Jorgen Grahn <grahn...@snipabacken.se> wrote:
>
>> It's a paradox which puzzles me: invent a way for strangers to
>> communicate in groups, and the groups will eventually be taken over by
>> people whose personality disorders, in various ways, make them
>> /unable/ to communicate.

Sounds like politics in a nutshell.

> The loonies are easy to ignore or filter away, but they probably
> discourage potential new users (who mostly arrive on Usenet from
> the various web-based front-ends) from sticking around.  I wonder if a
> decent web portal could revive the medium - give it a twitter-ish
> format or whatever is the current social media craze, while allowing
> the user to manage filtering effectively (or perhaps allow an
> administrator to manage the filtering for them).

What I like about Usenet is that it doesn't belong to anyone.
Social media sites like Facebook, on the other hand, are monopolies.
What really irks me are those web sites that make you log in via
Facebook before you can leave comments.

> It's probably a lost cause, people have been trumpeting the death of
> Usenet for years although I think it will yet linger longer.
> Even if the global network withers we can still run private servers,
> like in the old BBS days.   :-)

Fidonet will rise again!  :-)

-- 
/~\  cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid (Charlie Gibbs)
\ /  I'm really at ac.dekanfrus if you read it the right way.
 X   Top-posted messages will probably be ignored.  See RFC1855.
/ \  HTML will DEFINITELY be ignored.  Join the ASCII ribbon campaign!

On 15 Mar 2018 17:36:35 GMT, Jorgen Grahn <grahn...@snipabacken.se>
wrote:

[snip]

>It's a paradox which puzzles me: invent a way for strangers to
>communicate in groups, and the groups will eventually be taken over by
>people whose personality disorders, in various ways, make them
>/unable/ to communicate.

     It is not puzzling to me.

  1) What can you do to disruptive people?  It is not as if you can
lead them away from the polite people.  Were we discussing in person,
we could.

  2) Some people actually think USENET is not subject to normal
manners.  I have seen at least one sig to that effect.

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

On Thu, 2018-03-15, Rob Morley wrote:
> On 15 Mar 2018 17:36:35 GMT
> Jorgen Grahn <grahn...@snipabacken.se> wrote:
>
>> It's a paradox which puzzles me: invent a way for strangers to
>> communicate in groups, and the groups will eventually be taken over by
>> people whose personality disorders, in various ways, make them
>> /unable/ to communicate.
>
> The loonies are easy to ignore or filter away, but they probably
> discourage potential new users (who mostly arrive on Usenet from
> the various web-based front-ends) from sticking around.

It's not that easy, IMO.  The discussion tends to end up revolving
around them and their obsessions, so that the saner posters spend most
of their energy on it, too.  Or you can end up with an agressive
frequent poster who believes it's his job to dominate the group.

None of this applies to a.f.c ... but to most or all comp.* groups I
frequent.

> I wonder if a
> decent web portal could revive the medium - give it a twitter-ish
> format or whatever is the current social media craze, while allowing
> the user to manage filtering effectively (or perhaps allow an
> administrator to manage the filtering for them).

See above regarding Facebook discussion groups. I don't think it would
help.  

(The idea of an administrator there has a nasty effect that we at
least don't see on Usenet.  Postings may go missing; people insinuate
instead of stating things out loud, like you'd expect in in a police
state.  This may happen even when the admins have good intentions.)

> It's probably a lost cause, people have been trumpeting the death of
> Usenet for years although I think it will yet linger longer.
> Even if the global network withers we can still run private servers,
> like in the old BBS days.   :-)

/Jorgen

-- 
  // Jorgen Grahn <grahn@  Oo  o.   .     .
\X/     snipabacken.se>   O  o   .

On Thu, 15 Mar 2018 13:04:54 -0700
Gene Wirchenko <ge...@telus.net> wrote:
 
>   1) What can you do to disruptive people?  It is not as if you can
> lead them away from the polite people.  Were we discussing in person,
> we could.
> 
If someone is shouting at you "in person" you can't easily ignore him,
but if he's SHOUTING ON USENET you can just click "next".

On 2018-03-15, Rob Morley <nos...@ntlworld.com> wrote:
> On 15 Mar 2018 17:36:35 GMT
> Jorgen Grahn <grahn...@snipabacken.se> wrote:
>
>> It's a paradox which puzzles me: invent a way for strangers to
>> communicate in groups, and the groups will eventually be taken over by
>> people whose personality disorders, in various ways, make them
>> /unable/ to communicate.
>
> The loonies are easy to ignore or filter away, but they probably
> discourage potential new users (who mostly arrive on Usenet from
> the various web-based front-ends) from sticking around.  I wonder if a
> decent web portal could revive the medium - give it a twitter-ish
> format or whatever is the current social media craze, while allowing
> the user to manage filtering effectively (or perhaps allow an
> administrator to manage the filtering for them).
> It's probably a lost cause, people have been trumpeting the death of
> Usenet for years although I think it will yet linger longer.
> Even if the global network withers we can still run private servers,
> like in the old BBS days.   :-)
>

Still somewhat alive in the former Soviet union, even Ukraine Fido.

Perhaps something on github?


-- 
greymaus.ireland.ie
Just_Another_Grumpy_Old_Man

On 2018-03-15, Gene Wirchenko <ge...@telus.net> wrote:
> On 15 Mar 2018 17:36:35 GMT, Jorgen Grahn <grahn...@snipabacken.se>
> wrote:
>
> [snip]
>
>>It's a paradox which puzzles me: invent a way for strangers to
>>communicate in groups, and the groups will eventually be taken over by
>>people whose personality disorders, in various ways, make them
>>/unable/ to communicate.
>


The BBS's were much better re; polieness, but it was expensive for
phone calls. That is where the Internet wins. Almost free.

-- 
greymaus.ireland.ie
Just_Another_Grumpy_Old_Man

On 3/15/2018 12:36 PM, Jorgen Grahn wrote:
> On Thu, 2018-03-15, AndyW wrote:
> ...
>> I used to have about 20+ groups that I frequented but over the
>> years/decades people have left Usenet for web clients or social media or
>> else ISPs have dropped Usenet support and they just die off.
>>
>> Now I have a few groups and even some of them are dwindling to a small
>> core of nutjobs just arguing with each other over decade old fights.
>> There are a couple of thriving groups but even they have been
>> infiltrated by Usenet nutjobs who need an audience since they have
>> contributed to the death of their previous groups.
>>
>> Sadly Usenet is in terminal decline.
> 
> If it's any comfort, Facebook groups seem almost as bad.
> 
> It's a paradox which puzzles me: invent a way for strangers to
> communicate in groups, and the groups will eventually be taken over by
> people whose personality disorders, in various ways, make them
> /unable/ to communicate.
> 

"There's a way to do everything, and everything in its way."


-- 
numerist at aquaporin4 dot com

On Thu, 15 Mar 2018 21:10:21 +0000, Rob Morley <nos...@ntlworld.com>
wrote:

>On Thu, 15 Mar 2018 13:04:54 -0700
>Gene Wirchenko <ge...@telus.net> wrote:
> 
>>   1) What can you do to disruptive people?  It is not as if you can
>> lead them away from the polite people.  Were we discussing in person,
>> we could.
>> 
>If someone is shouting at you "in person" you can't easily ignore him,
>but if he's SHOUTING ON USENET you can just click "next".

     There is the threat of counteraction.  That does check some.

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

On Wednesday, March 14, 2018 at 9:26:28 AM UTC-4, Peter Flass wrote:
> Nothing at all for the last couple of days? Is this maybe an Eternal
> September problem? I have visions of getting thousands of messages all at
> once.
 
surgery.

Rob Morley <nos...@ntlworld.com> writes:

> On Thu, 15 Mar 2018 13:04:54 -0700
> Gene Wirchenko <ge...@telus.net> wrote:
>  
>>   1) What can you do to disruptive people?  It is not as if you can
>> lead them away from the polite people.  Were we discussing in person,
>> we could.
>> 
> If someone is shouting at you "in person" you can't easily ignore him,
> but if he's SHOUTING ON USENET you can just click "next".

Usenet is like [1] a street party but with kill files.  At a street
party, if some drunken jerk  starts hitting on a Sweet Young Thing,
maybe her Big Brother and his jock buddies will deal with it quietly.
But maybe not.  And if some Clockwork Orange yahoos move in, everybody
just goes home.  Street parties don't have kill files and Call the
Cops (or even the Big Brother gambit) can get very messy and in any
case isn't very convivial.

Kill files are pretty good but not perfect; worse, newbies essaying
migration to Usenet find the kill file notion too technical, can't be
bothered to figure them out.

Malice isn't required for people to be distuptive.  On a local group,
we had 2 or 3 pottymouth belligerent yahoos.  And one educated,
even-tempered, otherwise intelligent guy who felt it neccessary to
engage every yahoo post with reasoned debate.  You can imagine how
that went.  Nearly everybody left the group.  The putatively
intelligent guy vanished for reasons unknown and the yahoos eventually
went away for lack of adequate gratification.  It's only gradually
recovering a year or so later.


[1] But see also: 5 blind men + elephant
-- 
Mike Spencer                  Nova Scotia, Canada

On Thu, 15 Mar 2018 07:40:53 +0000, AndyW <An...@nojunqmail.com> wrote:

>On 14/03/2018 13:26, Peter Flass wrote:
>> Nothing at all for the last couple of days? Is this maybe an Eternal
>> September problem? I have visions of getting thousands of messages all at
>> once.
>
>I use a different usenet server and it is quite.
>Maybe it is like that point at a party where everyone just stops talking 
>for a few seconds at the same time?
>
>Andy

There was an interesting short story written about that some years
ago. A guy tried to investigate it, and shortly after he got started,
something arrived outside of a party he was attending and the world
came to an end. I didn't understand it, but apparently some being was
going to return, not necessarily God, at that time of an hour, and
thats why people all stop talking for a few seconds at the same time.

On 2018-03-19, JimP <solo...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Thu, 15 Mar 2018 07:40:53 +0000, AndyW <An...@nojunqmail.com> wrote:
>
>>On 14/03/2018 13:26, Peter Flass wrote:
>>> Nothing at all for the last couple of days? Is this maybe an Eternal
>>> September problem? I have visions of getting thousands of messages all at
>>> once.
>>
>>I use a different usenet server and it is quite.
>>Maybe it is like that point at a party where everyone just stops talking 
>>for a few seconds at the same time?
>>
>>Andy
>
> There was an interesting short story written about that some years
> ago. A guy tried to investigate it, and shortly after he got started,
> something arrived outside of a party he was attending and the world
> came to an end. I didn't understand it, but apparently some being was
> going to return, not necessarily God, at that time of an hour, and
> thats why people all stop talking for a few seconds at the same time.




I know the feeling. You wake up, and everyone is gone home..and the
Iveagh Buildings is just a memory. There was a story that stephen
King still using Wordstar.
-- 
greymaus.ireland.ie
Just_Another_Grumpy_Old_Man

On Mon, 2018-03-19, JimP wrote:
> On Thu, 15 Mar 2018 07:40:53 +0000, AndyW <An...@nojunqmail.com> wrote:
>
>>On 14/03/2018 13:26, Peter Flass wrote:
>>> Nothing at all for the last couple of days? Is this maybe an Eternal
>>> September problem? I have visions of getting thousands of messages all at
>>> once.
>>
>>I use a different usenet server and it is quite.
>>Maybe it is like that point at a party where everyone just stops talking 
>>for a few seconds at the same time?
>>
>>Andy
>
> There was an interesting short story written about that some years
> ago. A guy tried to investigate it, and shortly after he got started,
> something arrived outside of a party he was attending and the world
> came to an end. I didn't understand it, but apparently some being was
> going to return, not necessarily God, at that time of an hour, and
> thats why people all stop talking for a few seconds at the same time.

Which story was that?  I've read it but cannot remember who wrote it.
The only hint I can offer myself is that almost all short fiction I
read is SF from the 1960s or earlier (aka "some years ago").

/Jorgen

-- 
  // Jorgen Grahn <grahn@  Oo  o.   .     .
\X/     snipabacken.se>   O  o   .

On 19 Mar 2018 21:47:40 GMT, Jorgen Grahn <grahn...@snipabacken.se>
wrote:

>On Mon, 2018-03-19, JimP wrote:
>> On Thu, 15 Mar 2018 07:40:53 +0000, AndyW <An...@nojunqmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>>On 14/03/2018 13:26, Peter Flass wrote:
>>>> Nothing at all for the last couple of days? Is this maybe an Eternal
>>>> September problem? I have visions of getting thousands of messages all at
>>>> once.
>>>
>>>I use a different usenet server and it is quite.
>>>Maybe it is like that point at a party where everyone just stops talking 
>>>for a few seconds at the same time?
>>>
>>>Andy
>>
>> There was an interesting short story written about that some years
>> ago. A guy tried to investigate it, and shortly after he got started,
>> something arrived outside of a party he was attending and the world
>> came to an end. I didn't understand it, but apparently some being was
>> going to return, not necessarily God, at that time of an hour, and
>> thats why people all stop talking for a few seconds at the same time.
>
>Which story was that?  I've read it but cannot remember who wrote it.
>The only hint I can offer myself is that almost all short fiction I
>read is SF from the 1960s or earlier (aka "some years ago").
>
>/Jorgen

I'm at a loss as well as to author and story title. I seem to remember
it as a short short story, less than 1,000 words.

--  
Jim

On Tue, 20 Mar 2018 09:25:24 -0500, JimP wrote:

> On 19 Mar 2018 21:47:40 GMT, Jorgen Grahn <grahn...@snipabacken.se>
> wrote:
> 
>>On Mon, 2018-03-19, JimP wrote:
>>> On Thu, 15 Mar 2018 07:40:53 +0000, AndyW <An...@nojunqmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>>On 14/03/2018 13:26, Peter Flass wrote:
>>>>> Nothing at all for the last couple of days? Is this maybe an Eternal
>>>>> September problem? I have visions of getting thousands of messages
>>>>> all at once.
>>>>
>>>>I use a different usenet server and it is quite.
>>>>Maybe it is like that point at a party where everyone just stops
>>>>talking for a few seconds at the same time?
>>>>
>>>>Andy
>>>
>>> There was an interesting short story written about that some years
>>> ago. A guy tried to investigate it, and shortly after he got started,
>>> something arrived outside of a party he was attending and the world
>>> came to an end. I didn't understand it, but apparently some being was
>>> going to return, not necessarily God, at that time of an hour, and
>>> thats why people all stop talking for a few seconds at the same time.
>>
>>Which story was that?  I've read it but cannot remember who wrote it.
>>The only hint I can offer myself is that almost all short fiction I read
>>is SF from the 1960s or earlier (aka "some years ago").
>>
>>/Jorgen
> 
> I'm at a loss as well as to author and story title. I seem to remember
> it as a short short story, less than 1,000 words.

It also sounds a lot like the scene in The Restaurant at the End of the 
Universe, where the believers are waiting for the coming of the Great 
Prophet Zarquon (who has only eight minutes left before the apocalypse, 
and apologises for being late).

-- 
Using UNIX since v6 (1975)...

Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
 http://www.mirrorservice.org

On 20 Mar 2018 16:00:51 GMT, Bob Eager <news...@eager.cx> wrote:

>On Tue, 20 Mar 2018 09:25:24 -0500, JimP wrote:
>
>> On 19 Mar 2018 21:47:40 GMT, Jorgen Grahn <grahn...@snipabacken.se>
>> wrote:
>> 
>>>On Mon, 2018-03-19, JimP wrote:
>>>> On Thu, 15 Mar 2018 07:40:53 +0000, AndyW <An...@nojunqmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>On 14/03/2018 13:26, Peter Flass wrote:
>>>>>> Nothing at all for the last couple of days? Is this maybe an Eternal
>>>>>> September problem? I have visions of getting thousands of messages
>>>>>> all at once.
>>>>>
>>>>>I use a different usenet server and it is quite.
>>>>>Maybe it is like that point at a party where everyone just stops
>>>>>talking for a few seconds at the same time?
>>>>>
>>>>>Andy
>>>>
>>>> There was an interesting short story written about that some years
>>>> ago. A guy tried to investigate it, and shortly after he got started,
>>>> something arrived outside of a party he was attending and the world
>>>> came to an end. I didn't understand it, but apparently some being was
>>>> going to return, not necessarily God, at that time of an hour, and
>>>> thats why people all stop talking for a few seconds at the same time.
>>>
>>>Which story was that?  I've read it but cannot remember who wrote it.
>>>The only hint I can offer myself is that almost all short fiction I read
>>>is SF from the 1960s or earlier (aka "some years ago").
>>>
>>>/Jorgen
>> 
>> I'm at a loss as well as to author and story title. I seem to remember
>> it as a short short story, less than 1,000 words.
>
>It also sounds a lot like the scene in The Restaurant at the End of the 
>Universe, where the believers are waiting for the coming of the Great 
>Prophet Zarquon (who has only eight minutes left before the apocalypse, 
>and apologises for being late).

Well, the story I remember was they weren't waiting for anyone, but
the main character was trying to figure out why everyone stopped
talking at a particular time each hour. Even though rooms full of
people had been gabbing away loudly just seconds before.

--  
Jim

On Tue, 20 Mar 2018 11:16:57 -0500, JimP wrote:

> On 20 Mar 2018 16:00:51 GMT, Bob Eager <news...@eager.cx> wrote:
> 
>>On Tue, 20 Mar 2018 09:25:24 -0500, JimP wrote:
>>
>>> On 19 Mar 2018 21:47:40 GMT, Jorgen Grahn <grahn...@snipabacken.se>
>>> wrote:
>>> 
>>>>On Mon, 2018-03-19, JimP wrote:
>>>>> On Thu, 15 Mar 2018 07:40:53 +0000, AndyW <An...@nojunqmail.com>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>>On 14/03/2018 13:26, Peter Flass wrote:
>>>>>>> Nothing at all for the last couple of days? Is this maybe an
>>>>>>> Eternal September problem? I have visions of getting thousands of
>>>>>>> messages all at once.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I use a different usenet server and it is quite.
>>>>>>Maybe it is like that point at a party where everyone just stops
>>>>>>talking for a few seconds at the same time?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Andy
>>>>>
>>>>> There was an interesting short story written about that some years
>>>>> ago. A guy tried to investigate it, and shortly after he got
>>>>> started, something arrived outside of a party he was attending and
>>>>> the world came to an end. I didn't understand it, but apparently
>>>>> some being was going to return, not necessarily God, at that time of
>>>>> an hour, and thats why people all stop talking for a few seconds at
>>>>> the same time.
>>>>
>>>>Which story was that?  I've read it but cannot remember who wrote it.
>>>>The only hint I can offer myself is that almost all short fiction I
>>>>read is SF from the 1960s or earlier (aka "some years ago").
>>>>
>>>>/Jorgen
>>> 
>>> I'm at a loss as well as to author and story title. I seem to remember
>>> it as a short short story, less than 1,000 words.
>>
>>It also sounds a lot like the scene in The Restaurant at the End of the
>>Universe, where the believers are waiting for the coming of the Great
>>Prophet Zarquon (who has only eight minutes left before the apocalypse,
>>and apologises for being late).
> 
> Well, the story I remember was they weren't waiting for anyone, but the
> main character was trying to figure out why everyone stopped talking at
> a particular time each hour. Even though rooms full of people had been
> gabbing away loudly just seconds before.

Possibly this?

 http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/poestories/section10/





-- 
Using UNIX since v6 (1975)...

Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
 http://www.mirrorservice.org

On Tue, 2018-03-20, Bob Eager wrote:
> On Tue, 20 Mar 2018 11:16:57 -0500, JimP wrote:
>
>> On 20 Mar 2018 16:00:51 GMT, Bob Eager <news...@eager.cx> wrote:
>> 
>>>On Tue, 20 Mar 2018 09:25:24 -0500, JimP wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 19 Mar 2018 21:47:40 GMT, Jorgen Grahn <grahn...@snipabacken.se>
>>>> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>>On Mon, 2018-03-19, JimP wrote:
>>>>>> On Thu, 15 Mar 2018 07:40:53 +0000, AndyW <An...@nojunqmail.com>
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>On 14/03/2018 13:26, Peter Flass wrote:
>>>>>>>> Nothing at all for the last couple of days? Is this maybe an
>>>>>>>> Eternal September problem? I have visions of getting thousands of
>>>>>>>> messages all at once.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>I use a different usenet server and it is quite.
>>>>>>>Maybe it is like that point at a party where everyone just stops
>>>>>>>talking for a few seconds at the same time?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Andy
>>>>>>
>>>>>> There was an interesting short story written about that some years
>>>>>> ago. A guy tried to investigate it, and shortly after he got
>>>>>> started, something arrived outside of a party he was attending and
>>>>>> the world came to an end. I didn't understand it, but apparently
>>>>>> some being was going to return, not necessarily God, at that time of
>>>>>> an hour, and thats why people all stop talking for a few seconds at
>>>>>> the same time.
>>>>>
>>>>>Which story was that?  I've read it but cannot remember who wrote it.
>>>>>The only hint I can offer myself is that almost all short fiction I
>>>>>read is SF from the 1960s or earlier (aka "some years ago").
>>>>>
>>>>>/Jorgen
>>>> 
>>>> I'm at a loss as well as to author and story title. I seem to remember
>>>> it as a short short story, less than 1,000 words.
>>>
>>>It also sounds a lot like the scene in The Restaurant at the End of the
>>>Universe, where the believers are waiting for the coming of the Great
>>>Prophet Zarquon (who has only eight minutes left before the apocalypse,
>>>and apologises for being late).
>> 
>> Well, the story I remember was they weren't waiting for anyone, but the
>> main character was trying to figure out why everyone stopped talking at
>> a particular time each hour. Even though rooms full of people had been
>> gabbing away loudly just seconds before.
>
> Possibly this?
>
>  http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/poestories/section10/

No, not Poe either.  I'm pretty sure it's a short story from an SF
genre writer.  Possibly Asimov; I haven't read a lot by him, but he
had stories with The Creator/God/Judgement Day aspects, which IIRC
this one had -- the silences were a biological remnant or racial
memory.  People subconciously stopped talking in order to listen to
the voice of some supreme being.

It could be Philip K. Dick too, or pretty much any SF author.

Whatever story this is, it's hidden in some yellowing paperback in my
library.

/Jorgen

-- 
  // Jorgen Grahn <grahn@  Oo  o.   .     .
\X/     snipabacken.se>   O  o   .

On 20 Mar 2018 19:46:39 GMT, Bob Eager <news...@eager.cx> wrote:

>On Tue, 20 Mar 2018 11:16:57 -0500, JimP wrote:
>
>> On 20 Mar 2018 16:00:51 GMT, Bob Eager <news...@eager.cx> wrote:
>> 
>>>On Tue, 20 Mar 2018 09:25:24 -0500, JimP wrote:
>>>
>>>> On 19 Mar 2018 21:47:40 GMT, Jorgen Grahn <grahn...@snipabacken.se>
>>>> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>>On Mon, 2018-03-19, JimP wrote:
>>>>>> On Thu, 15 Mar 2018 07:40:53 +0000, AndyW <An...@nojunqmail.com>
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>On 14/03/2018 13:26, Peter Flass wrote:
>>>>>>>> Nothing at all for the last couple of days? Is this maybe an
>>>>>>>> Eternal September problem? I have visions of getting thousands of
>>>>>>>> messages all at once.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>I use a different usenet server and it is quite.
>>>>>>>Maybe it is like that point at a party where everyone just stops
>>>>>>>talking for a few seconds at the same time?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Andy
>>>>>>
>>>>>> There was an interesting short story written about that some years
>>>>>> ago. A guy tried to investigate it, and shortly after he got
>>>>>> started, something arrived outside of a party he was attending and
>>>>>> the world came to an end. I didn't understand it, but apparently
>>>>>> some being was going to return, not necessarily God, at that time of
>>>>>> an hour, and thats why people all stop talking for a few seconds at
>>>>>> the same time.
>>>>>
>>>>>Which story was that?  I've read it but cannot remember who wrote it.
>>>>>The only hint I can offer myself is that almost all short fiction I
>>>>>read is SF from the 1960s or earlier (aka "some years ago").
>>>>>
>>>>>/Jorgen
>>>> 
>>>> I'm at a loss as well as to author and story title. I seem to remember
>>>> it as a short short story, less than 1,000 words.
>>>
>>>It also sounds a lot like the scene in The Restaurant at the End of the
>>>Universe, where the believers are waiting for the coming of the Great
>>>Prophet Zarquon (who has only eight minutes left before the apocalypse,
>>>and apologises for being late).
>> 
>> Well, the story I remember was they weren't waiting for anyone, but the
>> main character was trying to figure out why everyone stopped talking at
>> a particular time each hour. Even though rooms full of people had been
>> gabbing away loudly just seconds before.
>
>Possibly this?
>
> http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/poestories/section10/

Nope, I know most of the E. A. Poe stories. The story I'm trying to
remember was written between about 1950 and 1965.

--  
Jim

On 20 Mar 2018 21:38:48 GMT, Jorgen Grahn <grahn...@snipabacken.se>
wrote:

>On Tue, 2018-03-20, Bob Eager wrote:
>> On Tue, 20 Mar 2018 11:16:57 -0500, JimP wrote:
>>
>>> On 20 Mar 2018 16:00:51 GMT, Bob Eager <news...@eager.cx> wrote:
>>> 
>>>>On Tue, 20 Mar 2018 09:25:24 -0500, JimP wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> On 19 Mar 2018 21:47:40 GMT, Jorgen Grahn <grahn...@snipabacken.se>
>>>>> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>>>On Mon, 2018-03-19, JimP wrote:
>>>>>>> On Thu, 15 Mar 2018 07:40:53 +0000, AndyW <An...@nojunqmail.com>
>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>On 14/03/2018 13:26, Peter Flass wrote:
>>>>>>>>> Nothing at all for the last couple of days? Is this maybe an
>>>>>>>>> Eternal September problem? I have visions of getting thousands of
>>>>>>>>> messages all at once.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>I use a different usenet server and it is quite.
>>>>>>>>Maybe it is like that point at a party where everyone just stops
>>>>>>>>talking for a few seconds at the same time?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Andy
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> There was an interesting short story written about that some years
>>>>>>> ago. A guy tried to investigate it, and shortly after he got
>>>>>>> started, something arrived outside of a party he was attending and
>>>>>>> the world came to an end. I didn't understand it, but apparently
>>>>>>> some being was going to return, not necessarily God, at that time of
>>>>>>> an hour, and thats why people all stop talking for a few seconds at
>>>>>>> the same time.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Which story was that?  I've read it but cannot remember who wrote it.
>>>>>>The only hint I can offer myself is that almost all short fiction I
>>>>>>read is SF from the 1960s or earlier (aka "some years ago").
>>>>>>
>>>>>>/Jorgen
>>>>> 
>>>>> I'm at a loss as well as to author and story title. I seem to remember
>>>>> it as a short short story, less than 1,000 words.
>>>>
>>>>It also sounds a lot like the scene in The Restaurant at the End of the
>>>>Universe, where the believers are waiting for the coming of the Great
>>>>Prophet Zarquon (who has only eight minutes left before the apocalypse,
>>>>and apologises for being late).
>>> 
>>> Well, the story I remember was they weren't waiting for anyone, but the
>>> main character was trying to figure out why everyone stopped talking at
>>> a particular time each hour. Even though rooms full of people had been
>>> gabbing away loudly just seconds before.
>>
>> Possibly this?
>>
>>  http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/poestories/section10/
>
>No, not Poe either.  I'm pretty sure it's a short story from an SF
>genre writer.  Possibly Asimov; I haven't read a lot by him, but he
>had stories with The Creator/God/Judgement Day aspects, which IIRC
>this one had -- the silences were a biological remnant or racial
>memory.  People subconciously stopped talking in order to listen to
>the voice of some supreme being.
>
>It could be Philip K. Dick too, or pretty much any SF author.
>
>Whatever story this is, it's hidden in some yellowing paperback in my
>library.
>
>/Jorgen

Possiblly a P. K. Dick story, but I don't think so. Doesn't remind me
of any H. Ellison stories either.

--  
Jim

On 2018-03-20, Jorgen Grahn <grahn...@snipabacken.se> wrote:
> On Tue, 2018-03-20, Bob Eager wrote:
>> On Tue, 20 Mar 2018 11:16:57 -0500, JimP wrote:
>>
>>> a particular time each hour. Even though rooms full of people had been
>>> gabbing away loudly just seconds before.
>>
>> Possibly this?
>>
>>  http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/poestories/section10/
>
> No, not Poe either.  I'm pretty sure it's a short story from an SF
> genre writer.  Possibly Asimov; I haven't read a lot by him, but he
> had stories with The Creator/God/Judgement Day aspects, which IIRC
> this one had -- the silences were a biological remnant or racial
> memory.  People subconciously stopped talking in order to listen to
> the voice of some supreme being.

Plato, in 'Republic' had the concept that the planets and such in
their movement through 'space', made a musical sound that people usually
did't hear as it was a constant. (As far as I remember, it's been a
while.). There was a connection with the Greek (ancient) theories on
music.

>
> It could be Philip K. Dick too, or pretty much any SF author.
>
> Whatever story this is, it's hidden in some yellowing paperback in my
> library.
>
> /Jorgen
>


-- 
greymaus.ireland.ie
Just_Another_Grumpy_Old_Man

JimP <solo...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On 20 Mar 2018 21:38:48 GMT, Jorgen Grahn <grahn...@snipabacken.se>
> wrote:
> 
>> On Tue, 2018-03-20, Bob Eager wrote:
>>> On Tue, 20 Mar 2018 11:16:57 -0500, JimP wrote:
>>> 
>>>> On 20 Mar 2018 16:00:51 GMT, Bob Eager <news...@eager.cx> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>> On Tue, 20 Mar 2018 09:25:24 -0500, JimP wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>>> On 19 Mar 2018 21:47:40 GMT, Jorgen Grahn <grahn...@snipabacken.se>
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> On Mon, 2018-03-19, JimP wrote:
>>>>>>>> On Thu, 15 Mar 2018 07:40:53 +0000, AndyW <An...@nojunqmail.com>
>>>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> On 14/03/2018 13:26, Peter Flass wrote:
>>>>>>>>>> Nothing at all for the last couple of days? Is this maybe an
>>>>>>>>>> Eternal September problem? I have visions of getting thousands of
>>>>>>>>>> messages all at once.
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> I use a different usenet server and it is quite.
>>>>>>>>> Maybe it is like that point at a party where everyone just stops
>>>>>>>>> talking for a few seconds at the same time?
>>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>>> Andy
>>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>>> There was an interesting short story written about that some years
>>>>>>>> ago. A guy tried to investigate it, and shortly after he got
>>>>>>>> started, something arrived outside of a party he was attending and
>>>>>>>> the world came to an end. I didn't understand it, but apparently
>>>>>>>> some being was going to return, not necessarily God, at that time of
>>>>>>>> an hour, and thats why people all stop talking for a few seconds at
>>>>>>>> the same time.
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> Which story was that?  I've read it but cannot remember who wrote it.
>>>>>>> The only hint I can offer myself is that almost all short fiction I
>>>>>>> read is SF from the 1960s or earlier (aka "some years ago").
>>>>>>> 
>>>>>>> /Jorgen
>>>>>> 
>>>>>> I'm at a loss as well as to author and story title. I seem to remember
>>>>>> it as a short short story, less than 1,000 words.
>>>>> 
>>>>> It also sounds a lot like the scene in The Restaurant at the End of the
>>>>> Universe, where the believers are waiting for the coming of the Great
>>>>> Prophet Zarquon (who has only eight minutes left before the apocalypse,
>>>>> and apologises for being late).
>>>> 
>>>> Well, the story I remember was they weren't waiting for anyone, but the
>>>> main character was trying to figure out why everyone stopped talking at
>>>> a particular time each hour. Even though rooms full of people had been
>>>> gabbing away loudly just seconds before.
>>> 
>>> Possibly this?
>>> 
>>> http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/poestories/section10/
>> 
>> No, not Poe either.  I'm pretty sure it's a short story from an SF
>> genre writer.  Possibly Asimov; I haven't read a lot by him, but he
>> had stories with The Creator/God/Judgement Day aspects, which IIRC
>> this one had -- the silences were a biological remnant or racial
>> memory.  People subconciously stopped talking in order to listen to
>> the voice of some supreme being.
>> 
>> It could be Philip K. Dick too, or pretty much any SF author.
>> 
>> Whatever story this is, it's hidden in some yellowing paperback in my
>> library.
>> 
>> /Jorgen
> 
> Possiblly a P. K. Dick story, but I don't think so. Doesn't remind me
> of any H. Ellison stories either.
> 
> --  
> Jim
> 

Fritz Lieber?

-- 
Pete

On Wed, 2018-03-21, Peter Flass wrote:
> JimP <solo...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On 20 Mar 2018 21:38:48 GMT, Jorgen Grahn <grahn...@snipabacken.se>
>> wrote:
...
>>> No, not Poe either.  I'm pretty sure it's a short story from an SF
>>> genre writer.  Possibly Asimov; I haven't read a lot by him, but he
>>> had stories with The Creator/God/Judgement Day aspects, which IIRC
>>> this one had -- the silences were a biological remnant or racial
>>> memory.  People subconciously stopped talking in order to listen to
>>> the voice of some supreme being.
>>> 
>>> It could be Philip K. Dick too, or pretty much any SF author.
>>> 
>>> Whatever story this is, it's hidden in some yellowing paperback in my
>>> library.
>>> 
>>> /Jorgen
>> 
>> Possiblly a P. K. Dick story, but I don't think so. Doesn't remind me
>> of any H. Ellison stories either.
>
> Fritz Lieber?

Leiber.  It's possible: I've read a lot of his short fiction in recent
years.  I especially like the late horror stories, from the 1970s.
They are a bit hard to track down: there have been reissues in the
past decade, but no effort to publish all his stort stories.

On the other hand, it doesn't "feel" like a Leiber story.
On the third hand, not all of them do.

JimP?

BTW, Leiber had this story which was kind of the opposite
... Rump-Titty-Tah-Tee or something.  Where a new jazz riff is so
catchy it goes viral, and spreads into everything from women's fashion
to architecture and insane asylums ... the beatniks who came up with
it have to invent another riff to cancel it out.

/Jorgen

-- 
  // Jorgen Grahn <grahn@  Oo  o.   .     .
\X/     snipabacken.se>   O  o   .

On 21 Mar 2018 16:21:04 GMT
Jorgen Grahn <grahn...@snipabacken.se> wrote:

> BTW, Leiber had this story which was kind of the opposite
> ... Rump-Titty-Tah-Tee or something.  Where a new jazz riff is so

	Rump-Titty-Titty-Tum-TAH-Tee - it worries me a little that I recall
it right down to the TAH.

-- 
Steve O'Hara-Smith                          |   Directable Mirror Arrays
C:\>WIN                                     | A better way to focus the sun
The computer obeys and wins.                |    licences available see
You lose and Bill collects.                 |    http://www.sohara.org/

On 2018-03-21, Ahem A Rivet's Shot <ste...@eircom.net> wrote:

> On 21 Mar 2018 16:21:04 GMT
> Jorgen Grahn <grahn...@snipabacken.se> wrote:
>
>> BTW, Leiber had this story which was kind of the opposite
>> ... Rump-Titty-Tah-Tee or something.  Where a new jazz riff is so
>
> 	Rump-Titty-Titty-Tum-TAH-Tee - it worries me a little that I recall
> it right down to the TAH.

I didn't read that one.  (For some reason I never read much of Leiber's
stuff.)  However, I pulled out my copy of Arthur C. Clarke's collection
of SF tall tales, _Tales from the White Hart_, and sure enough, there
was "The Ultimate Melody", about someone who built a machine that sorted
through various riffs until it hit upon the Ultimate Melody, at which
point the machine's creator went into a state of blissful catatonia
which could not be broken by any means.

-- 
/~\  cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid (Charlie Gibbs)
\ /  I'm really at ac.dekanfrus if you read it the right way.
 X   Top-posted messages will probably be ignored.  See RFC1855.
/ \  HTML will DEFINITELY be ignored.  Join the ASCII ribbon campaign!

On Wed, 2018-03-21, Ahem A Rivet's Shot wrote:
> On 21 Mar 2018 16:21:04 GMT
> Jorgen Grahn <grahn...@snipabacken.se> wrote:
>
>> BTW, Leiber had this story which was kind of the opposite
>> ... Rump-Titty-Tah-Tee or something.  Where a new jazz riff is so
>
> 	Rump-Titty-Titty-Tum-TAH-Tee - it worries me a little that I recall
> it right down to the TAH.

You might want to memorize the negation too, just in case:
"Tah-titty-titty-tee-toe!".

(I had to look it up.)

/Jorgen

-- 
  // Jorgen Grahn <grahn@  Oo  o.   .     .
\X/     snipabacken.se>   O  o   .

On Wed, 21 Mar 2018 17:09:13 +0000, Ahem A Rivet's Shot wrote:

> On 21 Mar 2018 16:21:04 GMT Jorgen Grahn <grahn...@snipabacken.se>
> wrote:
> 
>> BTW, Leiber had this story which was kind of the opposite ...
>> Rump-Titty-Tah-Tee or something.  Where a new jazz riff is so
> 
> 	Rump-Titty-Titty-Tum-TAH-Tee - it worries me a little that I 
recall
> it right down to the TAH.

Reminds me of the Monty Python sketch about the lethal joke.

Ah, here we are:
 https://youtu.be/8I3zCQzZx68

-- 
Using UNIX since v6 (1975)...

Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
 http://www.mirrorservice.org

On Thursday, March 15, 2018 at 10:12:37 AM UTC-4, Charles Richmond wrote:
> On 3/15/2018 4:38 AM, Simon Turner wrote:
> "Speedo" is the rat we burned down the barn to get rid of !!!    :-)

I wonder what kind of killfile magic folks came up with when I noticed
Rod Speed seemed to be gone. Good job!

On Wednesday, in article
     <240a21dc-06a0-40da...@googlegroups.com>
     daiyu...@gmail.com "Daiyu Hurst" wrote:

> On Thursday, March 15, 2018 at 10:12:37 AM UTC-4, Charles Richmond wrote:
>> On 3/15/2018 4:38 AM, Simon Turner wrote:
>> "Speedo" is the rat we burned down the barn to get rid of !!!    :-)
> 
> I wonder what kind of killfile magic folks came up with when I noticed
> Rod Speed seemed to be gone. Good job!

Careful with the attributions there: I didn't write any of what you
quoted.

Dear Rod seemed to vanish without trace in early January 2017: his last
"Rod Speed" post was on 2017-01-03, the last sock-puppet one (posting as
"John") on 2016-12-31.  It's nice not having to use a killfile any more!

-- 
Simon Turner                                    DoD #0461
si...@twoplaces.co.uk
    Trust me -- I know what I'm doing!          -- Sledge Hammer

On Wed, 21 Mar 2018 20:32:23 -0700 (PDT)
Daiyu Hurst <daiyu...@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Thursday, March 15, 2018 at 10:12:37 AM UTC-4, Charles Richmond
> wrote:
> > On 3/15/2018 4:38 AM, Simon Turner wrote:
> > "Speedo" is the rat we burned down the barn to get rid
> > of !!!    :-)  
> 
> I wonder what kind of killfile magic folks came up with when I noticed
> Rod Speed seemed to be gone. Good job!

He just fell of the internet a few weeks ago IIRC - I guess he got
medicated, locked up or otherwise indisposed.  Never mind - someone
should be able to cobble together a Rod-bot without too much effort.

On 3/21/2018 10:33 AM, Charlie Gibbs wrote:
> On 2018-03-21, Ahem A Rivet's Shot <ste...@eircom.net> wrote:
> 
>> On 21 Mar 2018 16:21:04 GMT
>> Jorgen Grahn <grahn...@snipabacken.se> wrote:
>>
>>> BTW, Leiber had this story which was kind of the opposite
>>> ... Rump-Titty-Tah-Tee or something.  Where a new jazz riff is so
>>
>> 	Rump-Titty-Titty-Tum-TAH-Tee - it worries me a little that I recall
>> it right down to the TAH.
> 
> I didn't read that one.  (For some reason I never read much of Leiber's
> stuff.)  However, I pulled out my copy of Arthur C. Clarke's collection
> of SF tall tales, _Tales from the White Hart_, and sure enough, there
> was "The Ultimate Melody", about someone who built a machine that sorted
> through various riffs until it hit upon the Ultimate Melody, at which
> point the machine's creator went into a state of blissful catatonia
> which could not be broken by any means. 

Thank you! Reading this thread, I have been racking my brain to remember what story
this was, though this story is not the subject of this thread. "The Ultimate Melody"
has stuck with me all these years.

-Tim Sprout