This post is in response to Bob Blick's post, "Re: [PIC] Simple rules about behavior on the Piclist": Bob said (among other things): > The Piclist is a place of good will and friendship. Not a place to press > your personal agenda. I completely agree with Bob, PICList is not a place to press one's personal agenda. To see who has a personal agenda, and how he is going about pressing it, let's take a trip back in time. Buckle your seatbelts! From: "Bob Blick" Sent: Friday, April 11, 2008 23:07 Subject: [EE] Un-subscribbling so Russell can play all he wants > I've finally had enough of this crap. Have your pseuedo-scientific > mumbo-jumbo and while you're at it, tie some magnets to the fuel line on > your automobile to get better mileage, Russell. It's you or me and I > quit. You win. Have fun with what's left of the piclist. > > -Bob And so Bob left, only to return three days later to make a comment about what makes a good discussion list. Among other things, he said: > Until recently I thought Russell was the big problem. But now I realize > I should blame James Newton. [...] > If I was a list admin I would not add tags or suggest people filter to > avoid Russell. > I would forbid Russell from starting threads or kick him off the list. > But I do not want to be a list admin, so I will not challenge James. I > will leave. > > I don't expect the piclist will change much, but it is not my list. > I like the piclist of years past, but it is no more. > I think I'll join the Microchip forum and maybe someday I'll find an EE > list or forum somewhere that has admins that share my spirit. > > Thanks for the ride. > > Cheerful regards, > > Bob This time Bob seemed to leave for good, until he reappeared again on June 9th, 2008, to come to Olin Lathrop's rescue. We'll skip the "hateful, small-minded people" part, and Herbert Graf's explanation why Olin was put on moderation, and instead get a glimpse of how Bob sees the PICList: > Over the years, the piclist has changed. It's been dumbed-down. > [...] > What's to be done? Like Olin, I am also an educated, intelligent, fully > employed person who is very busy. I don't "need" the piclist. My ego > doesn't need stroking. But I am willing to put some effort into fixing > what I perceive to be wrong. Do I think this can happen? Unlikely, as > those who think the piclist is fine the way it is won't like it. They'll > probably need to leave the piclist completely although I am not > interested in a hostile takeover. I'll need help, too, so I'd like to > hear from people who think this is a good idea. > [...] > > Cheerful regards, > > Bob Let me string this together for easy reading: "[T]hose who think the piclist is fine the way it is ... [will] ... need to leave the piclist completely". There's your final solution to the Russell (and Vitaliy) question! Isn't it a good thing that Bob is "not interested in a hostile takeover"? From: "Bob Blick" Sent: Monday, June 09, 2008 18:05 Subject: Re: [ADMIN]: Question about member > The help I am offering is administrative, in case any of the admins who > have been running the piclist decide they wish to take a break. > > Cheerful regards, > > Bob Later that day, an email went out to a small group of PICList members: From: "James Newton" Sent: Monday, June 09, 2008 19:20 Subject: RE: OFFLIST: Time for James to move on from PICList So after almost a decade as the list admin, James resigned. From: "Bob Blick" Sent: Monday, June 09, 2008 21:09 Subject: Re: [ADMIN]: Question about member > Gaston Gagnon wrote: >> James, >> Obviously Bob wants to become administrator with an agenda of his own >> which has nothing to do with the object of this thread. >> Bob says he does not like bashing. Good enough. The question of the >> moment is "As administrator, how will he prevent Olin from bashing other >> members of the list? >> Gaston > Hi Gaston, > > Although you asked James the question, perhaps I'm in a better position > to answer. > > First, my agenda definitely does have something to do with this thread. > Nobody on the piclist should be allowed to be trashed for weeks on end. > That's why I objected, I felt the list needed some help, and I'm willing > to put time and effort into it. > > Second, there are personal dynamics at work here. At various times over > the last few years I recall James saying that the job of admin is no > fun. The dynamics will certainly change, and if things don't get better > I'm sure I'll hear about it. > > Finally, if you've been on the list for a few years you already know > that Olin and I have respect for each other and have also had our share > of differences. But if I'm put in the role of diplomat I will try to be > diplomatic. > > Cheerful regards, > > Bob Just how diplomatic is Bob? In a recent post, Olin referred to several list members as "morons" and "idiots", with no reaction from Bob. Other topics get stomped out on a whim, just because they are "divisive" (i.e., do not agree with Bob's view of the world). So anyway, Bob had to go through an unofficial confirmation hearing. Here's a part of Bob's response to a question from Byron Jeff: From: "Bob Blick" Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2008 09:38 Subject: Re: [ADMIN]: Question about member [...] > Where do I go from here? I'm volunteering to help take the piclist back > in time ten years. But if the owner of the piclist doesn't want that, I > can't be of much use. Hey, who is the owner of the piclist anyway? Ahh, the good ol' days, when there was Saddam Hussein, the Y2K bug, and dialup internet. And here's another one from Gerhard: From: "Bob Blick" To: "Microcontroller discussion list - Public." Sent: Wednesday, June 11, 2008 18:13 Subject: Re: [ADMIN]: Question about member >> Other than policing people and making them not post -- which is what I >> think you said you don't want to do --, what else do you want to do to >> make >> people not post what they want to post? If the current content isn't what >> you would like it to be, it sounds to me as if you were proposing much >> more >> policing than just trying to make sure that posters don't offend members. >> (Maybe putting everybody but Olin on moderation :) >> >> Gerhard >> > > Hi Gerhard, > > I think there's very little left in original context, it wouldn't make > sense to try to reply. > > But since you are challenging me, please let me ask what it is about the > piclist that you like and also feel I would destroy. Because I think the > piclist was better ten years ago and that's what I'm aiming for. > > How would I go about changing it? I guess with my powers of persuasion, > it's not like I can send a free tank of gas to everyone, or smack them > upside the head. > > Cheerful regards, > > Bob "Powers of persuasion". I thought Bob meant it, until he put me on moderation last week, for challenging him on-list. Now, let me pause for a second and acknowledge that Olin is very nice in person. I'm sure Bob is, too. Also, they're both brilliant people. However, I do not like what Bob is doing to the PICList, and I felt compelled to do something about it. The person who just this summer allowed himself to post this message: > I don't know, stuff like this sign my neighbors have in their front yard > treads that line pretty closely - they run the risk of having someone > plant a flaming bag of poo on their front porch. > > But I suppose it could be more offensive, like a picture of Muhammad. > Even worse, Muhammad pooping. There'd be more burning than just a bag of > poo. ...is now tightening the bolts to force (and eventually, keep) the undesirables out, and to actively shape PICList into his vision of what it needs to be. You may or may not agree with Bob, but at least now you can't say you did not know what was coming. Thank you for your time. Vitaliy P.S. I understand that I will probably be banned for making this post, and that is a price that I am willing to pay. -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist