[DECtalk] my thoughts

Sean Randall sean-r at runbox.com
Wed Aug 17 06:54:40 EDT 2005


Hi all,
I've had a cool summer so far (figuratively speaking).
I spent a week in Brno (which is why, Shaun, Red dwarf isn't on the dot - 
we have lives, you know).

All this seriousness in the middle of my vacation is a bit too much for my 
poor addled brain awash with sun and fun, so I'll keep this brief:

DECtalk has been fun.  I've had a great time doing this stuff, listening 
to the rest, asking questions.  But there comes a point where things run 
out.
Was it Andre who said that DECtalk is great when your sixteen and got 
nothing to do in the summer? 'Cos that basically sums it up, it's a laugh 
but hasn't got much of a viable future unless someone keeps the hosting of 
it down.
I was talking about this yesterday with Matthew and, like most of you, 
figure the archive to be mostly Dead.  There are new files now and then, 
but, by and large, nothing much happens.  Red Dwarf is the exception to 
the rule (and even that has an audience of about 3 people - say 10 to be 
optimistic).
I'm enjoying it so will continue to the end of 8 - why not?  Even if the 
archive goes down, you guys can listen to the texts (rarely it is I go for 
an mp3) these days.
I'll be sad to see it go if it does - but the wining, bitching, 
complaining and arguing is just a pointless way not to solve the problem 
because only a few people give a rats ass about this stuff don't they? 
it's not commercially backed or anything, and therefore it's not 
interesting to a vast majority of people.

Personally, I'll use DECtalk to make wacky sounds if I need to, do stupid 
things when I'm bored - that's the entire point of it for me.  I don't use 
it as a day-to-day thing - if I did, it'd lose it's novelty.

So anyway.  Donating doesn't seem to be reaching much of a peek - we have 
mirrors, which is fortunate - and I will get the first rd ep of 6 out this 
week I hope (I have exam results in tomorrow so I might get totally 
hammered if I do well).
But the one thing I can't do is take all this too seriously, as I said. 
it's fun, it's comedy, it's a laugh.  Turning it into a powerplay for cash 
and bandwidth is just something you do with no real practical result --  
bit like the entire point of making the files in the first place, 
surprisingly enough.



Ciao,
Sean R.


If you are close enough to read this, I am close enough to slam
on my brakes and sue you.




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