[ExI] fermi question alive and well

[spike at rainier66.com]

From: extropy-chat <extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org> On Behalf Of Dave Sill
Sent: Sunday, March 31, 2019 5:36 PM
To: ExI chat list <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org>
Subject: Re: [ExI] fermi question alive and well

 

On Sun, Mar 31, 2019 at 1:03 PM <spike at rainier66.com <mailto:spike at rainier66.com> > wrote:

 

In light of more recent developments, I encourage periodic re-evaluation of all tradition and protocol, in all areas of our lives, including religion, politics, internet, everything.

 

Speaking of the Internet...how many of today's under 40's techies know why it's called that? How many can give even the crudest explanation of an IMP?

 

Hint: it's not a portmanteau of "international" and "network".

 

-Dave

 

 

 

Hi Dave, cool thanks.  I don’t know what is an IMP, and am well over 40.

 

In any case another though occurred to me, so I don’t have to worry about the dreaded double post, what a relief, even if I no longer remember why it was ever dreaded: traditions stick for whatever reason, for long after everyone who remembers why they started has perished.  We see this in church liturgy: only a few hardcore experts in that one narrow field know why church services go off the way they do and how it started, and why plenty of it probably doesn’t really apply anymore but people still do it because people still do it because people still do it that way and so on.  In that world tradition is tolerated because it is so tolerated.  If everyone forgets to move on, well no problem.

 

In the internet world, things change very quickly.  But there are a  few relics that just stay on, in a way a bit analogous to tradition in the church world.  People forget to change.

 

spike

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