[vsnet-chat 3696] attachments

[p.warhurst@auckland.ac.nz (p.warhurst)]

Dear all,
         I would like to make a few comments (which I expect will be my
last) with regards to the recent discussions about the purpose of
vsnet-chat, and posting attachments.
        Firstly, and most importantly I implore Bruce Sumner to reconsider
his assertion that he will no longer post charts to vsnet ' <at all> '. I
think the community of visual observers are well served by contributions
such as his, and the posting of Sumner's charts to vsnet-charts is an
important contribution worthy of continuance.
        I think there has been something of a watershed, in terms of a clear
delineation between those who prefer direct and specific postings, and those
who feel that posting in all directions for 'maximum coverage' is a good way
to work. However I would suggest that the practice of 'maximum coverage'
type postings is behaviour which we know is one of the causes of people
complaining about internet speed. It is bad maths to imagine that many small
postings have no effect on bandwidth. While the vsnet postings are a
molecule in a drop in the ocean, when compared with daily internet traffic,
the attitudes typified recently are strikingly similar to the attitude one
encounters, for example, when discussing light pollution issues with a flux
spilling neghbour, i.e. 'yeah, so what if I _do_ point my lights low, look
at all the other lights around, it's a drop in the ocean..'.
        I doubt we are nearing some kind of 'bandwidth apocalypse', but it
is very disheartening for me to see careless and indiscriminate use of
resources by scientists, amateur or otherwise. One would hope that the
mental processes involved in learning careful experimental method, necessary
for determining subtle variations in starlight intensities, would gradually
infuse into the daily lives of its practitioners. I remain confident that
generally, this is the case.

        Cheers

        Paul Warhurst

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