Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 16, No. 180.
Centre for Computing in the Humanities, King's College London
<http://www.princeton.edu/~mccarty/humanist/>
<http://www.kcl.ac.uk/humanities/cch/humanist/>
Date: Sat, 24 Aug 2002 08:21:40 -0700
From: Willard McCarty <w.mccarty@btinternet.com>
Subject: e-mail gone astray & other woes
Dear colleagues:
Recently I had to reinstall the operating system on my two main machines,
with the consequent loss of some files. I was able to rescue all but the
most recent e-mail. If you sent a message to Humanist that has not
appeared, it may have fallen foul of these recent events, so please resend.
Floods of junk e-mail continue to arrive into all of my accounts --
including this a.m. one offering (I quote from the subject line)
"humanist,Natural Breast Enhancement". I wasn't aware that Humanist needed
help in this area, nor am I personally dissatisfied with things as they
are. Be that as it may, this flood increases the likelihood that I will
accidentally delete a message genuinely addressed to the group. Again, if
you do not see your posting on Humanist within a day or two of sending, let
me know.
Other metaphorical floods connote changing times. Recently I received
several dozen applications to join Humanist from what appeared to be
undergraduate students, all from Malasia, none of whom had read what
Humanist is about or taken it seriously. ("I am interested in music!")
Perhaps someone had told them to go join a list and see what such things
are all about. Perhaps "Humanist" sounded friendly in a way that
"Philosophy-L" would not have.
Once upon a time I took it upon myself to investigate whether ancient
settlements as a matter of course were walled; I also needed to find out
(for reasons related to a question of interpretation in Milton's Paradise
Lost) if any significant number of instances a portcullis -- "A strong and
heavy frame or grating, formed of vertical and horizontal bars of wood or
iron (the vertical ones being pointed at the lower end), suspended by
chains, and made to slide up and down in vertical grooves at the sides of
the gateway of a fortress or fortified town, so as to be capable of being
quickly let down as a defence against assault." (OED) -- had been placed at
the inner end of the passageway leading into the fortified settlement.
Those of you with a proper education in ancient history will know
immediately that walls were only built when absolutely necessary -- they
were *very* costly affairs -- and possibly that (to my knowledge) there's
no evidence whatever of such a portcullis; they're always on the outside of
a fortification. (Go see A. W. Lawrence, Greek Aims in Fortification; F. E.
Winter, Greek Fortifications...) But to the point -- of being reminded that
we built the wall around Humanist only when provoked to do so, and that as
the siege-engines get taller and more sophisticated, the wall needs to get
more effective, as will happen shortly, I am told. Meanwhile I hope you can
have patience with your old gatekeeper, who sometimes is drowsy or
otherwise distracted.
Yours,
WM
Dr Willard McCarty, Senior Lecturer
Centre for Computing in the Humanities
King's College London
Strand
London WC2R 2LS
+44 (0)20 7848-2784 fax: -2980
willard.mccarty@kcl.ac.uk w.mccarty:btinternet.com
www.kcl.ac.uk/humanities/cch/wlm/
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