Andrew Mayo signed off with:

(much snipped)
>
>IMHO this will reduce noise levels substantially; for example, the long
>thread on atmospheric electric charges could be pursued at leisure OT.
>This may well interest some of us; it would be our choice, though, as to
>whether we bothered to pursue the topic.
>

CHOICE is what it's all about. One man's "noise" is another man's music,
and vice versa. It ultimately boils down to this: WHO gets to decide?

Right now, you and I do. If I don't like it, I delete it. If you like it,
you read it.

That's the way it should be. Those who find this arrangement too annoying
to deal with can, do, and should leave.

Many of the more thoughtful contributors to this list are careful to use
the subject line to identify messages that are obviously OT, but nobody's
perfect. If some self-appointed list policeman wants to create a
"noiseless" list, maybe all the posts will be of such high quality that
everyone will flock to it and desert this one. Or not...

/lecture mode OFF.

Reg Neale