[-empyre-] dealing with the present tides in affairs of listed states & company

[simon]

It is interesting, to me, what you say, Renate, about the "chance to 
wait and perhaps go back at a later time" in the light of Johannes's 
predictables--leading somewhere--and perhaps missing the retrofitted 
loco of linear history or listserv discussion. Why not sit this one out? 
This thread, this post, this presidential tenure?

And earlier, Renate, I think you mentioned the potential for division 
between theory and practice which has haunted the list (but is it eerie 
or weird? something eerily absent? or weirdly present that ought not be 
there?)

The choice would for me rather be between which response is active and 
which one reactive, theory or practice, waiting or doing something, now 
or later. (Some time ago I was developing software (suggestively, on 
Rails) for exactly the sort of nonlinear discussion platform that would 
support action at a distance of time, tagging renewal of interest in 
past topics, new comments on old threads, and divorcing the active 
theoretical or practical choice from the present; some government 
support for establishing commercialisable IP, but insufficient funding 
for development led to the idea being shelved.)

best,

Simon