U of S | Mailing List Archive | alt-photo-process-l | Re: New home for list needed.

Re: New home for list needed.



My home phone was out for only 3 days. HOW could 300 e-mails accrue in just 3 days?

For good measure, my server went dead last night when I tried to send the following... Apparently Panix was on the job Monday AM, however, so I send it now:
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Aside from heartfelt thanks to Gord, whose labor of love has kept us in 1s & 2s these many years, I ask one question & add a comment or two:

How far back does "the archive" go? I have most of it from 1995 to 1997 in print on paper, since that was my mindset at the time... and I was so bewitched to discover the list (thanks to Greg), I had to have it in print.

Tho I write now in part to disagree with him: I also include some repetitions, which seem to me to be the crux ...

On Wed, 11 Nov 2009, Greg Schmitz wrote:

Malin, sorry. But I really, really think that alt-photo-process should be hosted in an institutional setting that is impartial, but with a significant and diverse (not just photography or the arts) constituency as the underpinning. Gord managed to host this list for many years via the larges of an institution of "higher learning." Prior to that it was hosted by a University in Australia and administered by a grad student, Steve Avery (also, I believe the founder). A small non-profit, no matter how altruistic, does not have staying power or the expertice of a larger more well established institution.

--greg
Here, as noted, I disagree... Malin seems to have managed an extremely complex operation hardly breaking a sweat. As for "staying power," there are all kinds of ways and means -- and surely alternative photography.com is itself an "institution" by now. (Not to mention that as technology advances, host replacements in future bode to become easier than ever.)

But I should probably put this on hold til I've gotten through the next 200 e-mails -- maybe this has all been worked out by now...

(Later): I've left a couple of e-mails that seemed most important to me, but now I want to make what looks (to me) like the over-riding point of all: Is this list bypassing the good in hopes of the perfect, or simply of recreating the past???? And if we try something and it doesn't satisfy, what of it? Do we lose our mortgage, or our first born or forget our password, or find ourselves forever out of ammonium dichromate?

Seems to me we'd have a period of discomfort, which we could adjust or not. If we couldn't adjust we could start again... that is, be no worse off than now. So should we tie ourselves in knots now for a guaranteed "good" which of course does not exist, or choose one of the likely goods now offered.

However, please, PLEASE -- let's not choose a set-up with image as part of the deal... There are so many pitfalls, distractions, complications and sidetracks with that I'm sure/ CERTAIN/ absolutely POSITIVE it would wreck the list. Just one for-instance: what if we hate, or simply sneer at the work of a lister who's well-spoken, full of info and a really good "provider" ? In other words, what have the formula, the innovation of handling, richness of info or simply smoothing of technique got to do with the damn picture (especially as it appears in electric light on the glass/ plastic or new-fangled monitor?).

The present system of posting URLs or other connections to see the work as/when and if desired seems to me far preferable... I for one don't want that visual stuff in my face when I'm thinking linguistically... PULEEZE...

J.


Alternative Photography wrote:
Hi Greg,
AlternativePhotgraphy.com is not a profit making organization. Quite the contrary. It is a labour of love, and voluntary membership fees goes towards direct material costs. Noone gets paid.
The offer is still standing.
/Malin

2009/11/11 Greg Schmitz <gws1@columbia.edu <mailto:gws1@columbia.edu>>

A very kind offer - but again, except as a last resort, I don't
think alt-photo-process should be affiliated with a commercial
concern, nothing personal.
--greg

Alternative Photography wrote:

I will be happy to host the list on
www.alterantivephotography.com
<http://www.alterantivephotography.com>
<http://www.alterantivephotography.com> if you want. I don't
know how to set it up, but if someone could help with that
(Kees?) that's good.
/Malin

2009/11/11 Kees Brandenburg <ctb@zeelandnet.nl
<mailto:ctb@zeelandnet.nl> <mailto:ctb@zeelandnet.nl
<mailto:ctb@zeelandnet.nl>>>

To all,

I can host a mirror of the archives and I can also setup a
(mailman) listserver for the list.
Just registered altphotolist.org <http://altphotolist.org>
<http://altphotolist.org> for the

archive mirror and maybe for a new list home. It can be up
as soon
as the list and archive will be closed.

if you all agree ;)

-kees

PS 1 I have plenty of high quality serverspace and bandwidth at
joyent.com <http://joyent.com> <http://joyent.com>
available at no cost for the list

PS 2 There's nothing wrong with a text only list I think!