[Andy Evans]

I frankly don't see any point in reading this ng again. Seems to be
stone dead - just FS articles and endless off topic rubbish. Does
anyone see any point in it?

[west]

"Andy Evans" wrote in message
oups.com...
I frankly don't see any point in reading this ng again. Seems to be
stone dead - just FS articles and endless off topic rubbish. Does
anyone see any point in it?


Yes I do. Instead of complaining, how about you post an interesting article?
When was your last one?

Cordially,
west

[Patrick Turner]

Andy Evans wrote:

I frankly don't see any point in reading this ng again. Seems to be
stone dead - just FS articles and endless off topic rubbish. Does
anyone see any point in it?

Why blame everyone else for an absense of readable material?

Why not contribute a pile of on topic material for others?

And the off top crap is a fact of life that's only going to get worse
because more ppl are on-line, and more crazies enjoy access to
the only place they cannot be controlled...un-moderated groups.

So set you browser filter to exclude crap and maybe it looks a bit
better with at least 3 or 4 good posts a day to read.


Patrick Turner.

[David R Brooks]

Andy Evans wrote:
I frankly don't see any point in reading this ng again. Seems to be
stone dead - just FS articles and endless off topic rubbish. Does
anyone see any point in it?

I lurk here regularly (I expect many others do) - yes the SNR is
dreadful, but now & then one comes across a real gem. It's worth the wait

[coffeedj]

I agree with the posts above.

How about one of the oldies (Turner?) sharing with us their kill file or
filter setting. Other than eliminating all posts that have Phil Allison
anywhere, and FS/FA, I'm not sure what else to filter.

"Andy Evans" wrote in message
oups.com...
I frankly don't see any point in reading this ng again. Seems to be
stone dead - just FS articles and endless off topic rubbish. Does
anyone see any point in it?

[Patrick Turner]

coffeedj wrote:

I agree with the posts above.

How about one of the oldies (Turner?) sharing with us their kill file or
filter setting. Other than eliminating all posts that have Phil Allison
anywhere, and FS/FA, I'm not sure what else to filter.


I have never filtered or applied any kill file to any news group, so
I cannot share any settings with anyone else; there are none I can
share.

I just ignore all the noise, mostly.

But Outlook Express allows you to place message rules for incoming
emails
so that you can place words included in "subject" headers or "from"
titles
so that anything arriving with unwanted words is automatically deleted.
You can always open you delete bin to re-examine listed
imports to make sure something you wanted wasan't auto deleted.
I don't know if the same type of blocking is possible if OE is used for
NGs.

I get 300-400 spams a day these days but only get about 10 per 1/2 day
appearing in my inbox.
This is despite the filtering my ISP does.

But my ISP says I had 118,000 page hits to my site during last feb
alone,
so because of traffic to a website and its email address, it would seem
to make spams ever more likely.
I also reckon my ISP tells me bull**** sometimes, maybe I had only 118
hits.
What I don't know may not hurt me.

NGs work slightly differently to ordinary emails, but its easy to filter
if you want to.

I am using Netscape 4.7 for NG access, a browser about 13 years old now
and afaik, there are no filters
fitted to allow me to set rules for what I see listed in the bulletin
boards.


BTW, "oldies" is a six letter word that is banned around here and when
uttered in public
could have you hung buy your big toes from a lampost overnight, and
being forced to listen to
Kylie Minogue played loud.

Coffee dj must be a "young turk" I suppose....

One should be able to concentrate on anything regardless of noise,
but it becomes difficult at times.

Patrick Turner.




d

"Andy Evans" wrote in message
oups.com...
I frankly don't see any point in reading this ng again. Seems to be
stone dead - just FS articles and endless off topic rubbish. Does
anyone see any point in it?

[Mark Aitchison]

How about one of the oldies (Turner?) sharing with us their kill file or
filter setting. Other than eliminating all posts that have Phil Allison
anywhere, and FS/FA, I'm not sure what else to filter.

I use Thunderbird and have a filter set called 'not junk' for newsgroups
like this (so I can switch to read all - junk or not - at times). I
don't suppose my filter rule set could be easily exported for other
readers, but I've never looked into it. I don't think Thunderbird has
very fancy rules, just that the format might be non-portable.


I get 300-400 spams a day these days but only get about 10 per 1/2 day
appearing in my inbox. This is despite the filtering my ISP does....

having an email address on a website is a problem. You need several
email addresses, and/or a feedback form rather than email address on
the website. But they'll get email addresses from everywhere, or even
try random ones. The very worst is a wildcard "catch-all" scheme for
going to your mailbox.


But my ISP says I had 118,000 page hits to my site during last feb
alone,
so because of traffic to a website and its email address, it would seem
to make spams ever more likely.
I also reckon my ISP tells me bull**** sometimes, maybe I had only 118
hits.

See if you can get a copy of the webserver's logs for your site - if
they use a detailed form of the Common Log Format there are ways to
analyse it to see what are genuine browser accesses and what are from
bots and worms.

NGs work slightly differently to ordinary emails, but its easy to filter
if you want to.


I frankly don't see any point in reading this ng again. Seems to be
stone dead - just FS articles and endless off topic rubbish. Does
anyone see any point in it?

There is good stuff, and the s/n ratio is better than some. In the old
days, when people had time and enthusiasm, they'd make the ng a
moderated one, and solve the junk problem. I doubt anybody has the time
to volunteer. I do have an idea though, and might use my website and a
bit of software to make a semi-moderated copy of the group accessible
from a website, with the option of reading either messages that are very
likely to not be junk, possibly not junk, or everything. Would ppl use
that? (it would be free, BTW, but have a bit of a delay, and you
wouldn't be able to post to it via the website, but you'd be able to
search in fifty nifty ways).


Mark A

[Patrick Turner]

Mark Aitchison wrote:

How about one of the oldies (Turner?) sharing with us their kill file or
filter setting. Other than eliminating all posts that have Phil Allison
anywhere, and FS/FA, I'm not sure what else to filter.

I use Thunderbird and have a filter set called 'not junk' for newsgroups
like this (so I can switch to read all - junk or not - at times). I
don't suppose my filter rule set could be easily exported for other
readers, but I've never looked into it. I don't think Thunderbird has
very fancy rules, just that the format might be non-portable.

I get 300-400 spams a day these days but only get about 10 per 1/2 day
appearing in my inbox. This is despite the filtering my ISP does....

having an email address on a website is a problem. You need several
email addresses, and/or a feedback form rather than email address on
the website. But they'll get email addresses from everywhere, or even
try random ones. The very worst is a wildcard "catch-all" scheme for
going to your mailbox.


About 90% of the spams are messages with about 20 common words all
relating to
mail delivery failures of problems. When I called my ISP, they said its
probably
due to a lot of virus infected PCs automatically sending out huge
volumes of crap
all day without their owners knowing, and they said there wasn't
anything they could do about it.
I triple checked my PC for viruses and came up with nothing.
This category of spam seems to be growing, as perhaps more PCs catch
this crap.


But my ISP says I had 118,000 page hits to my site during last feb
alone,
so because of traffic to a website and its email address, it would seem
to make spams ever more likely.
I also reckon my ISP tells me bull**** sometimes, maybe I had only 118
hits.

See if you can get a copy of the webserver's logs for your site - if
they use a detailed form of the Common Log Format there are ways to
analyse it to see what are genuine browser accesses and what are from
bots and worms.

NGs work slightly differently to ordinary emails, but its easy to filter
if you want to.

I frankly don't see any point in reading this ng again. Seems to be
stone dead - just FS articles and endless off topic rubbish. Does
anyone see any point in it?

There is good stuff, and the s/n ratio is better than some. In the old
days, when people had time and enthusiasm, they'd make the ng a
moderated one, and solve the junk problem.

yes but then you ebd up like r.a.h-e, and that place puts me to sleep

I doubt anybody has the time
to volunteer.

I thought about that then worried about the occasional molotov coctail
being
thrown in through a window.
Still, its not a big worry, because there are so few Oz ppl in the
group.
Although we have one very angry ant amoung the 3 of us I think.)

I do have an idea though, and might use my website and a
bit of software to make a semi-moderated copy of the group accessible
from a website, with the option of reading either messages that are very
likely to not be junk, possibly not junk, or everything. Would ppl use
that? (it would be free, BTW, but have a bit of a delay, and you
wouldn't be able to post to it via the website, but you'd be able to
search in fifty nifty ways).

I find i don't really mind the noise. its like the chatter in the
background
when one goes to a cafe, but with a few bloddcurdling screams and
bottles
being thrown. Just duck and weave a bit, and occasionally one must reach
out and clobber some idiot
with a chair leg, and maybe I cop a bit of spilt tomato sauce, but
otherwise the group is OK to hang around.

The way other groups who try to attract people away from this one never
place any importance on ease of access
and use, so you go to a page after passwording in, then you have to
select amoung topis, when al
you wanna do is go one click and see the header list of everyone whose
posted, then be bale to click reply,
and up comes a complete window where ONLY plain text is allowed, so no
stupid
illustrations or emoticons to take up space, and where you get to
compose your message
is a rectangle 2" x 5". This is real CRAP presentation, and all to
awkward to use quickly.
Then I have found all the special interest groups quickly form cliques,
and don't much like their BS challenged.
I'd rather tell my message to a free world forum, warts and all, and to
all these little groups I say
"you know where I am"
I can recall times when many defected from r.a.t like frightened chooks
to what they though were more peaceful pastures,
and all that scared them away were a couple of noisy roosters without
many tail feathers left.

I am committed to finding truth and I ain't here to be popular.
And I welcome challenges, and folks who reckon I am all bull**** over
some issue.
Gee, i hope they back their allegations with reasons, because I
return all rotten vegetables thrown, after they have rotted a bit
more......
I am happy to help people work something out if they show some of their
own energy
of input.

I have always been a competitive person, and surprise myself with my
urge to
be so, which takes quite some conscious control.
When i am out on my bicycle, and I see some dude ahead, i wonder how
fast I can overtake him, or her, these days.
Many don't like to see a 60 yr old streak past..... some try to catch
up,
and take revenge by passing me, and aha, I have a contest....and I don't
mind all that.
The younguns in their teens or twenties just dawdling along really hate
old blokes passing them,
and when they put their hammer down they usually make mincemeat of me,
but if they slacken,
darn, there I am again right on their wheel, and off they go again.
I'm always telling folks who want to learn about tubes to do their home
work,
do their breadboarding, ask lots of questions, make lots of gear.
Measure every darn thing,
assume nothing, and enjoy the music afterwards. This stops their minds
rotting
like my cycling keeps me at about 40.

I am not so sure I'd wanna be a moderator,
I might turn into cranky old fashioned teacher with bloodstains on his
cane.

For those with message blockers in their browsers, I am sure they can
screen out the FS, FA,
and well known repeat offenders, BS artistes, and anyone else they just
don't like.

Just think for a minute. rec.audio.tubes is the ONLY unmoderated place
where
anyone can come in. Its a bit like a hotel in Kanas city in 1870, where
the barman
was nervous, and the customers were trigger happy, but you have to admit
its where anyone can say any ****ing thing, and some how this invites
some pretty lively minds at times. Its not like some village inn
somewhere in civilised
Olde Englande, where if someone says its gonna rain they all gasp,
and if someone farts they take 40 years to forget and forgive.

I must stop raving on.

The point of the group is to discuss thermionic vacuum tube uses,
properties,
history, and with broad license given to off topic matters such as loud
speakers,
cd players, TV sets, SS amps, turn tables, tape players, and just about
any other electronics associated
with tubolgical thinking.
To stop boredom, I think there should be some FS and FA and totally
off topic posts about sports, cars, women, politics, whatever should be
tolerable
if undertaken with wit, humour, good intentions, and without acrimony,
bull****, intolerance etc, etc, etc.


It appears to me that the urge to build one's own audio set belongs
mainly to the male baby boomer
generation amoung whom some feel quite alienated by society, and
consumerism, and the lack
of control over destiny. This generation, my generation, has always
liked pretty basic electronics
and many always wanted to be DIY, but many never found time until their
kids left home and the
work load lessened, and suddenly when they got serious the world had
become re-invented with an Internet,
where nobody loved the electronics involved but loved the cheap long
telegrams anyone could send anywhere
without a big fee at a post office.
But all the real old techs had died, or been electrocuted, retired or
expired,
and tubes had truly minimal backing as a % of all ppl with sound
systems.
So us boomers felt we'd lost our world, but together we could have youth
and
1960 back again, and with all the benefits of cheap electro caps, Si
diodes,
cheaper tubes, and more time to focus, and this meant talking to someone
else,
and defining ideas and testing them, and perhaps the better sound we
could get compensated for the
ear damage from age and noise of the past.
In returning to some activities of youthful fascinations, I don't mind
trying to tell myself to stay youthfully
full of zest, but I also try to farewell all the bull**** of being young
behind. Getting older means
one purpose on earth has changed; the urge to breed vanishes, and so
what replaces
all the old ways we had when we were young, and rather stupid so often?

So, many have wanted to learn, do their diy thing,
and maybe move on to what we know not, perhaps brotherhood in other
areas, I know one guy here
who has done a trip into building boats, then aeroplanes, now his kids
are grown, and he has a good wife,
he's back to boats, and wants to sail the world. He is never idle, but
is a calm cool collected man.




Patrick Turner.







Mark A