Have We Reached The Tipping Point?

[~JJ]

Well why didn't ya just say so, guy? I've got ALL KINDS of cryptocoins out the yingyang, & I'll sell you a boatload at bargain prices! Just send me all your dollars (USA preferred, but...you know.) (Just, no Canadian, ummkay?) and I'll send you an e-mail, telegram or even a private message, your preference [how's THAT for great customer service?!?] telling you how much you've won.

[Lloyd]

Well why didn't ya just say so, guy? I've got ALL KINDS of cryptocoins out the yingyang, & I'll sell you a boatload at bargain prices! Just send me all your dollars (USA preferred, but...you know.) (Just, no Canadian, ummkay?) and I'll send you an e-mail, telegram or even a private message, your preference [how's THAT for great customer service?!?] telling you how much you've won.

I'd take you up on the generous offer, except I don't want any crypto that's come out of your yingyang. Nothing personal... it's just too much work to launder crypto these days.

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[christof]

I take people seriously, and I take community seriously. The loss of both friends and a once vibrant cohort of knowledgable and enthusiastic pen friends bothers me. I've never asked anyone else to share that same feeling, but I remain surprised that anyone takes the trashing of a resource like that so cavalierly. It is what it is.

I agree with Jon.

.... I will stipulate that you may have "friends" here on this forum, but only if they are people you actually know. Perhaps you know them from pen shows, pen club or maybe your bowling league. Others, like me, are simply ones and zeros lighting up a monitor shooting light beams into your eyeballs. Emotional connections with users here is essentially a fantasy. Enjoy the fantasy, if you will, but don't confuse it with reality.

I also believe that it is possible to maintain interesting relationships even if there is no physical contact. Be it personal contacts or via a platform like this one. Of course, they do not replace personal meetings, but it is still communication between two human beings, which always has an emotional component.

As far as spam is concerned, I think it should be ignored (we members without administration rights have no other option).

I even think that discussions like this one don't get us anywhere. To keep this forum alive we should invest our time and energy in real content. As soon as too much space is given to garbage, it's over.

[KBeezie]

I agree with Jon.

.... I will stipulate that you may have "friends" here on this forum, but only if they are people you actually know. Perhaps you know them from pen shows, pen club or maybe your bowling league. Others, like me, are simply ones and zeros lighting up a monitor shooting light beams into your eyeballs. Emotional connections with users here is essentially a fantasy. Enjoy the fantasy, if you will, but don't confuse it with reality.

I also believe that it is possible to maintain interesting relationships even if there is no physical contact. Be it personal contacts or via a platform like this one. Of course, they do not replace personal meetings, but it is still communication between two human beings, which always has an emotional component.

As far as spam is concerned, I think it should be ignored (we members without administration rights have no other option).

I even think that discussions like this one don't get us anywhere. To keep this forum alive we should invest our time and energy in real content. As soon as too much space is given to garbage, it's over.

Besides how do we know he hasn't actually met up with members on here? A lot of folks do travel, and also visit pen shows and so forth, and correspond in other ways besides forums. Like Pen Pals wasn't a thing...

[kazoolaw]

Chum the forum,
Feed the frenzy.

[Brilliant Bill]

Interesting, in all my musings about this I've only ever considered online communications. But the "pen pal" concept goes far back and adds a different dimension. Fun to think about.

Talking about letter writing, here's something I learned in a biography of John Audubon. He traveled a lot and wrote a lot of letters. In those time and places, paper could be very scarce so people would sometimes get a letter and to reply they would simply turn the original document 90 degrees and write over the previous text. Not the most readable, but effective.

[catbert]

Interesting, in all my musings about this I've only ever considered online communications. But the "pen pal" concept goes far back and adds a different dimension. Fun to think about.

Talking about letter writing, here's something I learned in a biography of John Audubon. He traveled a lot and wrote a lot of letters. In those time and places, paper could be very scarce so people would sometimes get a letter and to reply they would simply turn the original document 90 degrees and write over the previous text. Not the most readable, but effective.

And sometimes the letter writer would continue their own text at right angles before sending.
https://rosenbach.org/blog/cross-wri...cross-reading/

A particularly challenging example at the end of this post:
https://blogs.bl.uk/untoldlives/2018...s-hatched.html

I feel a contrasting shade of ink for the cross-wise text might improve legibility …

[Farmboy]

I’ve had dinner with Jon but we didn’t meet here.

[~JJ]

I feel a contrasting shade of ink for the cross-wise text might improve legibility …

Keep in mind that in those times they didn't have the variety of hues &c we enjoy today. I remember in my family household (c.50's->) we had a small writing desk with paper, envelopes, a pen or two, & a solitary ink bottle. We used what we happened to have at hand, and I can't remember us having anything but black.

[catbert]

I feel a contrasting shade of ink for the cross-wise text might improve legibility …

Keep in mind that in those times they didn't have the variety of hues &c we enjoy today. I remember in my family household (c.50's->) we had a small writing desk with paper, envelopes, a pen or two, & a solitary ink bottle. We used what we happened to have at hand, and I can't remember us having anything but black.

Yup — me too. I meant it might be done more legibly today.

[Bisquitlips]

All,

Just my 2 cents. Let's just leave things as they are and wade through as needed. It's no big deal to me and I hate spam as much as anyone.

I have had the privilege of acquiring some nice pens here, not to mention really, REALLY good people!

[Dougc]

All,

Just my 2 cents. Let's just leave things as they are and wade through as needed. It's no big deal to me and I hate spam as much as anyone.

I have had the privilege of acquiring some nice pens here, not to mention really, REALLY good people!

I also feel that way on days when I am more resilient.

Other days.....

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[Lloyd]

All,

I have had the privilege of acquiring some nice pens here, not to mention really, REALLY good people!

What's your trick to acquiring really good people from here? I always find the shipping on people too expensive.

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