Hogging Bandwidth: Give a Hoot; Don't Pollute

[George Hayhoe <GFHayhoe -at- AOL -dot- COM>]

I sent the following Sunday night but it didn't show up in the Sunday or
Monday digests. Eric Ray told me it was okay to repost, with apologies to
anyone who's already received it.

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Alexander Von Obert asked who uses 2400 baud modems anymore. I don't know the
answer for certain, but given the demographics of our profession, my guess is
that a large minority of us do.

I have a 14.4 modem, but I connect to an online service at 2400 because
that's the fastest speed available here (a small town of 15,000) that I'm
capable of using with my existing hardware at low cost. (As a newly
self-employed person, I'm trying to keep my hardware, software, and
connect-time costs low because they directly affect my bottom line. I look
forward to being able to upgrade when my business is better established.)

Not all of us have employers who subsidize our online activities; live in
cities where faster service is available; have equipment capable of
connecting to toll-free but costlier, faster service; or can afford that
service if we have the equipment. Those of us in these categories would
appreciate the consideration of fellow list members in restricting the amount
of bandwidth consumed by extensive quotations from previous postings.

Moreover, all the list's members will benefit from such restraint since this
list imposes considerable overhead on the hardware at Oklahoma State
University at Stillwater, which graciously provides this forum for our
benefit.

Most of us today are sensitive to the issues of environmental pollution and
wouldn't think of NOT recycling paper, aluminum, and glass and instead
sending it to a landfill. To do so would strike us as irresponsible.

Let's adopt the environmentalists' slogan to "think globally and act locally"
in the area of bit pollution as well.

All I ask, fellow list members, is that you think of the consequences before
you quote.

--George Hayhoe (GFHayhoe -at- aol -dot- com)