Re: Checking in (again) to see who's still around

On Sun, 25 Jan 2026 16:18:16 -0000 (UTC)
Alan Ralph <[email protected]> wrote:

> The Big Blue Alien walks to the bar and slides some Zorkmids to Mike in r=
eturn
> for a mug of tea.
>=20
> "Well, last year was=E2=80=A6 something, and this year isn't looking to c=
hange much.
> Which sucks."
>=20
> =E2=80=94Spiffy

Me lurky long time. I have read several groups while hardly ever responding=
. I don't see the low activity as suckage. I see it as a sign that people a=
re busy with other things. Yet periodically netizens still remember their o=
ld correspondents.

I couldn't get the car out of the driveway today. About six inches of sleet=
 has made it impossible to get any traction even on level ground. I got cab=
in fever, which turned into caffeine fever and so here I am way past bed ti=
me, revisiting the old haunts of digital ghosts. I recognize some of the ol=
d nyms of users who are true Usenet dinosaurs. They're not extinct (yet!).

Some of us who continue to lurk don't say much. If you post something inter=
esting, it *is* being read, even if there is no response. I think some are =
burnt out on the idea of long discussions because of many reasons I'd rathe=
r not blather about. But we are still interested in being informed of the t=
houghts of others. It's much more human than reading a propaganda news feed=
 on the regular net or Eternal September rage spigots.

My attitude toward Usenet changed. Instead of expecting continuous back and=
 forth I see it as a way to just blurt the words and ideas out there for wh=
oever to examine even if they say nary a word.

=3D OCTADE =3D alt.rhubarb =3D misc.misc =3D sci.crypt =3D
=3D https://soc.octade.net/octade =3D