I just switched to using my web host for mail. I should have done this years ago, but I didn’t realize that I could (and still authenticate SMTP from the road). I’ve now abandoned Bell South for DNS, for Usenet, and for email. All I use them for now is just a data pipe. I have to say, though, that it did have a good spam filter, which my new mail host doesn’t. On the other hand, the spam filter may have been one of the reasons I was missing legitimate mail.

I haven’t been getting email notification of comments. This isn’t just an inconvenience–it means that the spammers can have their way with the blog, and I don’t even know about it. I’m putting this post up as a place for testing and troubleshooting for me and the sysadmin.

Line’s up again. Let the world tremble as I return to my mighty keyboard.

Line’s up again. Let the world tremble as I return to my mighty keyboard.

Line’s up again. Let the world tremble as I return to my mighty keyboard.

Heavy aftenoon thunderstorms knocked out my phone line yesterday, along with DSL. I’m posting this from my Treo, but it’s too slow to allow blogging with any facility. It’s supposed to be fixed sometime today. We’ll see…

I’ve finally gotten around to adding some long-overdue space blogs to the blogroll. I’ve also moved some of the dead links to the AWOL list. Finally, I created a new category, called “Futurism/Transhumanism.” The only blogs I have there now are The Speculist and Future Pundit, but if anyone can think about others (or space blogs I’ve missed) let me know.

I’m home today, but leaving for the conference tomorrow morning, and getting ready for it. I’ll be speaking on a panel tomorrow afternoon on commercial markets for reusable vehicles.

We’re going down to Key West for the weekend. I’m leaving the laptop at home.

I can quit any time I want.

And play nice in the comments sections.

“Mac” makes a comment in the previous post about how much of a jerk I am:

…to a great extent, the people who are on the receiving end of Rand’s barbs are those that cast the first stone. Whether or not Rand’s being rude to those people who are rude first is immaterial since this is Rand’s blog. If those that wish to insult Rand cannot bear being insulted back, they shouldn’t post in the first place.

While I’m sure there are exceptions, what with me being human and all, that is in fact my philosophy. I attempt to operate on the Internet (as I attempt to in life) on a tit-for-tat basis. I’ve never been a Christian, and so never feel any moral need to turn the other cheek (though I often do anyway). I just think that it’s the best philosophy of operation. As Axelrod describes it, it has the features of being nice, forgiving, provocable, and clear, which should be the basis for any interaction that provides maximum benefit to all parties.

So, if someone posts nonsense (something that I consider an insult to my blog, and to the intelligence of my other readers), and I call it that, am I being a “jerk”? I report, you decide.

[Update in the afternoon]

Sorry ’bout that. I clumsily worded the opening sentence above. “…about how much of a jerk I am” refers to the post (and is sarcastic), not to Mac’s comment.