Text 22653, 80 rader
Skriven 2011-10-23 20:50:00 av Richard Webb (1:116/901.0)
  Kommentar till text 22643 av Janis Kracht (1:261/38)
Ärende: FidoNews Vol. 28 No. 43 Editorial
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Hi Janis,

On Sun 2011-Oct-23 00:32, Janis Kracht (1:261/38) wrote to e:

JK>      Richard takes on the big boys we deal with every day in his
JK> article,      The RISE AND FALL OF THE AMATEURS.  He queries whether
JK> the days of      the amateur are done?  I can't imagine that.

I'm hoping i don't ever have to, but I'm concerned that my
grandson, and the grandchildren of many of us could easily
see that day.  Within public service and humanitarian ham
radio we see some of the same battle we see in FIdonet, the
battle for meaningful work to do.  Without that meaningful
work, in the case of FIdonet that means files and messages
to move; structures to maintain; we lose our reason to
exist, and before that, our reason to care if it exists.
That bbs machine just sits in the corner in the basement.

Was just reading a FIdonews guest editorial back in volume
18, issue 3 I think about the abandoned bbs in the corner.


<snip>

JK>      I remember seeing some silly show on the tube, can't remember
JK> the      name of it, but it was highlighting "new entrepreneur's"..
JK> and these      guys had the silliest ideas I'd ever heard of.. I'd
JK> much rather think      of our "today"'s entrepreneur's as the body
JK> of fidonet, finding ways      to make things better for the
JK> community they love.

Indeed, I would too, and think entreprenurship will survive, but wonder if the
telecom giants will be so adept at
delivering service "right here right now" to us that we'll
eventually lose the desire to innovate in the telecom world.

A few years ago the hams fighting wildfires in southern
California found that other than providing communications
services to fire crews whose existing infrastructure was
compromised by said fires the displaced people that once
depended on those hams had everything they had come to
expect.  Their cellular carriers brought in portable cell
sites to the sports stadium where they were temporarily
located, and they had their e-text and their phones.  But as I posited in that
piece, they can't always ramp up fast
enough or with enough infrastructure.

I'll tell you a little story here from my week marooned on
hospital Island in NEw ORleans.  I'd slip out to the little
patch of cement that was above the water where us evil
smokers congregated, and on the way I'd see folks bartering
or paying good money, not just for cigarettes, but for use
of somebody's cell phone if they had a carrier that could
give them a dial out.  THE going rate seemed to be a $5 bill for a chance at
getting a connection.  You'd see a nurse
borrow somebody's phone, punch in her number, hit send, get
the usual "all circuits are busy" response and the tears
roll down her face.  THen I'd walk over to her, put an arm
across her shoulders and tell her to come up to the radio
room on the fourth floor and we'd get her fixed up with a
message to whoever she was wishing to contact, no money need change hands.

I had plenty of takers that week believe me <grin>.

JK>      I have to admit though, I did love Richard's line about
JK> Scotty's      transporter :) :) :)  (being a trekkie and all that
JK> <grin>) 

YEah I know, I'm more like BOnes, I'm not sure I'd want my
atoms scattered around by that thing, maybe it wouldn't put
me back together correctly <grin>.





Regards,
           Richard
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 * Origin:  (1:116/901)