Mike,

I'll try to help...last night my "dessert" was a Blackberry wine from
Bashore & Stoudt (local PA vintner). Not what you might expect -
semi-sweet, unlike a dessert-style wine.

Dan-O

Mike,

I'll try to help...last night my "dessert" was a Blackberry wine from
Bashore & Stoudt (local PA vintner). Not what you might expect -
semi-sweet, unlike a dessert-style wine.

Dan-O

Mike, the fact that 23 others didn't bother to change the subject line
before posting can only lead me to the conclusion that the OP's assertion
may have an element of truth !

.... or that the people who replied were mature enough to overlook
ignorance, unlike some people who are so anal they need to point out
that other people failed to change the subject line.

So, how long have you been a student at Mrs. Chumworthy's Etiquette
School? <grin>


http://www.webwinerack.com - Wine, Wine Reviews, and Wine Information


st.helier wrote:
> Mike, the fact that 23 others didn't bother to change the subject line
> before posting can only lead me to the conclusion that the OP's assertion
> may have an element of truth !
>
>

.... or that the people who replied were mature enough to overlook
ignorance, unlike some people who are so anal they need to point out
that other people failed to change the subject line.

So, how long have you been a student at Mrs. Chumworthy's Etiquette
School? <grin>


http://www.webwinerack.com - Wine, Wine Reviews, and Wine Information


st.helier wrote:
> Mike, the fact that 23 others didn't bother to change the subject line
> before posting can only lead me to the conclusion that the OP's assertion
> may have an element of truth !
>
>

> So, how long have you been a student at Mrs. Chumworthy's
> Etiquette School? <grin>
>

Don't you remember - I started the day after you, and was expelled the same
afternoon!!! ;-)

"Mike Tommasi" > wrote in message
...
> Imagine you have just discovered AFW.
>
> The most active thread, with 24 replies so far, is the one called "You
> really are a bunch of Peckerheads"

Yeah, that _is_ kind of pathetic, isn't it?

> Hmmmmm. Guys, let's start a new thread instead of keeping these funny
> ones going...

OK Mike, but what about the _subject_?

I have an idea, but it's more of a question than anything else:

Why have I (insert your name here) not yet posted to the Blog?

I have a tentative answer:

I find a.f.w less intimidating. This is conversation (although we have to
wait awhile for a response).

Blogging looks more like writing a serious paper, although I suppose that it
might be brief. I could blither on about French oak forests and how they
taste different among themselves, and which I prefer and why - but I rather
doubt that would have much of an audience; but even if it did I wouldn't
have the time to devote to writing a treatise on the subject.

I agreed, as many others here did, to participate in the blog. The trouble
is, I don't know where to start. I have a suggestion though, that might
make it easier for us to get our feet wet:

I would like to know how informal is _too_ informal. IOW, what should our
general level of seriosity be? Where on a scale of 1(Who is J Lo married to
this week?) to 10(massive myocardial infarction) should we aim to "fall" (or
should that be "arise"?)? Would that be a log or linear scale?

Here's a last minute thought: Is there an easy way to know what's going on
in the other languages in the blog? I just got an e-mail from someone
French who was really stoked about the Blog getting mention in the press.
At least I _think_ that was the gist of it. Who _was_ that masked person,
and what happened?

Tom S

in article , Tom S at
wrote on 4/14/05 10:16 PM:

Tom,
Now I have a question. I feel like I've been asleep, yet I know I've read
this thread from the beginning, and read most everything on this board.
(Sorry for the 'middle-posting'..... but....)


> OK Mike, but what about the _subject_?


> I have an idea, but it's more of a question than anything else:
>
> Why have I (insert your name here) not yet posted to the Blog?

What "blog" are you referring to????

> I have a tentative answer:
>
> I find a.f.w less intimidating. This is conversation (although we have to
> wait awhile for a response).
>
<snip>
> Tom S


Is there a blog that's been a major subject here recently? I know MikeD's
site has forums on it...... is that it? Feel like I'm missing something.
;o)

On Thu, 14 Apr 2005 23:35:11 -0700, Midlife > said:

] in article , Tom S at
] wrote on 4/14/05 10:16 PM:
]
] Tom,
] Now I have a question. I feel like I've been asleep, yet I know I've read
] this thread from the beginning, and read most everything on this board.
] (Sorry for the 'middle-posting'..... but....)
]
]
] > OK Mike, but what about the _subject_?
]
]
] > I have an idea, but it's more of a question than anything else:
] >
] > Why have I (insert your name here) not yet posted to the Blog?
]
] What "blog" are you referring to????
]

http://www.thewineblog.net/wine/

] > I have a tentative answer:
] >
] > I find a.f.w less intimidating. This is conversation (although we have to
] > wait awhile for a response).
] >
] <snip>
] > Tom S
]
]
] Is there a blog that's been a major subject here recently? I know MikeD's
] site has forums on it...... is that it? Feel like I'm missing something.
] ;o)
]

No we haven't discussed it online here. Recent events make me wonder if
perhaps we shouldn't do so, though. I'm torn between loyalty to the old
idea of newsgroup communities and what may be the modern reality of
very wide (and often juvenile) access.

In effect I agreed whole heartedly with Mark L's comment on the blog, although
I didn't respond, but now I'm starting to wonder if maybe Bill (if he has picked
up his bags) has the right idea.

-E
--
Emery Davis
You can reply to
by removing the well known companies

On Fri, 15 Apr 2005 10:58:21 +0200, Mike Tommasi > said:

] On Fri, 15 Apr 2005 09:13:58 +0200, Emery Davis >
] wrote:
]
]
] >http://www.thewineblog.net/wine/
] >
] >No we haven't discussed it online here. Recent events make me wonder if
] >perhaps we shouldn't do so, though. I'm torn between loyalty to the old
] >idea of newsgroup communities and what may be the modern reality of
] >very wide (and often juvenile) access.
]
] Again, it is not a matter of loyalty, they are two different things,
] and quite compatible I think.
]

I take your point, but I also notice we haven't heard from M. Spohn here
recently. I wonder if the whole idea of newsgroups isn't changing, and
if mechanisms like the blog won't eventually replace them. An example
is the uk gardening group urg. Used to be quite useful. Now so filled
with noise, trolls and flame wars as to be practically unreadable. Recently
it was attacked by robot-wielding trolls (who make ours here look benign
in the extreme) which many servers were unable to filter, effectively rendering
it offline for many users.

] Note about the juvenile aspect, most blogs are indeed created by
] teenagers who write all kinds of crap the first week and then never
] touch it again. This accounts for most of the so-called blog
] phenomenon, it is therefore a non-event really ;-)
]
] But in the midst of all the noice there are some really good ones. My
] tack was to go for the niche of community web logs, that is what
] thewineblog.net is.
]

That's true I'm sure. I was actually referring to the juveniles we sometimes
get here, and who are much more present on some other ngs.

] >
] >In effect I agreed whole heartedly with Mark L's comment on the blog, although
] >I didn't respond, but now I'm starting to wonder if maybe Bill (if he has picked
] >up his bags) has the right idea.
]
] I get the feeling that I have missed a few posts. I cannot find any
] comment by Mark L on the blog...
]

He commented on 12 march:

"I think that we're also seeing another, wholly unanticipated, effect of "Sideways" in afw: the arrival of trolls. My best guess is that they
take the character of Miles in the film as somehow emblematic of a winelover and decide to take aim at pomposity, slavishness to
reviewers, etc. by trolling afw. *sigh* Hopefully, once the movie has left the theaters we'll slowly return to our normal, civil forum
before all the quality posters decide to up and leave (Bill, are you listening?)"

-E

--
Emery Davis
You can reply to
by removing the well known companies

Ah, yes! Now I recall!


http://www.webwinerack.com - Wine, Wine Reviews, and Wine Information


st.helier wrote:
>>So, how long have you been a student at Mrs. Chumworthy's
>>Etiquette School? <grin>
>>
>
> Don't you remember - I started the day after you, and was expelled the same
> afternoon!!! ;-)
>
>

Emery Davis > wrote in message >...
> I take your point, but I also notice we haven't heard from M. Spohn here
> recently.

I'm still out here drinking wine, but AOL has dropped it's newsgroup
service which measn that I have to remember to google this group to
read or post and I don't get around to it as often as I used to.

I have been posting to the Blog site Michael started.

Off to taste 1987 Opus against 1990 Dominus tonight - any bets on
which will be more pleasing?

I'll try to remember to post notes!

"Bill" > wrote in message
om...
> I'm still out here drinking wine, but AOL has dropped it's newsgroup
> service

That's really lame. It amazes me that AOL manages to keep so many of its
customers when I hear so many complaints about their service (and not just
that one, which is news to me). I will _never_ buy AOL stock.

> Off to taste 1987 Opus against 1990 Dominus tonight - any bets on
> which will be more pleasing?

My $ is on Opus - but it could go either way.

Tom S

Hello yes Aol is real bad but worldwide...
if you get into trouble with your modem// connection you are on your own.
the only staff they have is the billing and recovering one...maybe
marketing.
let's boycott this provider and ruin them.

I have to let you cause really ownsome chateauneuf du pape domaine Vaudieu
should be ready and awaiting my thirsty throat...
bye

"Tom S" > a écrit dans le message de
m...
>
> "Bill" > wrote in message
> om...
> > I'm still out here drinking wine, but AOL has dropped it's newsgroup
> > service
>
> That's really lame. It amazes me that AOL manages to keep so many of its
> customers when I hear so many complaints about their service (and not just
> that one, which is news to me). I will _never_ buy AOL stock.
>
> > Off to taste 1987 Opus against 1990 Dominus tonight - any bets on
> > which will be more pleasing?
>
> My $ is on Opus - but it could go either way.
>
> Tom S
>
>

On 23 Apr 2005 09:43:21 -0700, (Bill) said:

] Emery Davis > wrote in message >...
] > I take your point, but I also notice we haven't heard from M. Spohn here
] > recently.
]
] I'm still out here drinking wine, but AOL has dropped it's newsgroup
] service which measn that I have to remember to google this group to
] read or post and I don't get around to it as often as I used to.
]
] I have been posting to the Blog site Michael started.
]

Ah, ha! In my own defence, I never for a second contemplated the idea
that you had stopped drinking (and tasting...)

I'll echo Tom -- if aol is so lame, why stick with them? Even in the great north,
there must be other options. Anyway, I hope you'll keep sending your notes
to afw, now that things are (hopefully) calming down.

] Off to taste 1987 Opus against 1990 Dominus tonight - any bets on
] which will be more pleasing?
]

My money's o nthe Dominus.

] I'll try to remember to post notes!

Your public awaits...

-E
--
Emery Davis
You can reply to
by removing the well known companies

I am going to take off an AFW hat and put on a[n] historical hat for a
moment.

"Tom S" > in
m...
>
> "Bill" > wrote in message
> om...
>> I'm still out here drinking wine, but AOL has dropped it's newsgroup
>> service
>
> That's really lame. ...


Be that as it may, the change is also deeply ironic. To see this, you may
need to have used newsgroups significantly, before AOL dramatically _opened_
its subscribers to newsgroup access (or at least, you need to be interested
in those days). That event was circa early-middle 1990s, I don't know the
date. It was a milestone for the newsgroups, because it marked the nominal
transition from the older user base (which typically came from technical
activities and was accustomed, for years, to running diverse software to
access newsgroups, from various computers and operating systems, especially
the UNIX(tm) class of operating systems, seminal to the development of
computer networks including what came about 1980 to be called the "ARPA
Internet" in the US) to the newer user base (which was relatively unfamiliar
with how software worked, and which operated by pointing and clicking --
with standard interfaces that came automatically with the computer or the
ISP.)

The consequence was a culture clash labeled Eternal September. The phrase
is from the old annual cycle of new newsgroup users appearing every
September via universities (which had long-standing network access). These
users would go through learning curves and ask Frequently Asked Questions.
One respected newsgroup moderator, who began his newsgroup in the 1980s and
still moderates it, and who saw the advent of the Eternal September, gave me
the following anecdote. It captures what was memorable about the AOL era at
the time, to the older users. (Note the capital letters.)

` The first AOL posting I ever saw was on comp.unix-wizards, which was a
group for Unix kernal hackers. It begin with "I CLICK ON THE CLICKER AND I
JUST GET ERROR MESSAGES" and it ended with "THE UNIX I AM USING IS AMERICA
ONLINE." '

Nowadays of course the readership has evolved and expanded, and most people
probably read newsgroups via software that came with the computer or the
service provider's interface. _Departure_ of AOL from newsgroup access is
more noticeable as inconvenient to AOL's veteran newsgroup users than as a
footnote to a milestone in net communication.

(For a bit more background, see RFC1855. Its codification into an NIC
document -- previously, a version was circulated by re-posting -- coincided
roughly with the Eternal September. Its section 1.0, Introduction,
acknowledges the culture shift.) -- Max

Bill wrote:
> Emery Davis > wrote in message >...
>
>>I take your point, but I also notice we haven't heard from M. Spohn here
>>recently.
>
>
> I'm still out here drinking wine, but AOL has dropped it's newsgroup
> service which measn that I have to remember to google this group to
> read or post and I don't get around to it as often as I used to.
>
> I have been posting to the Blog site Michael started.
>
> Off to taste 1987 Opus against 1990 Dominus tonight - any bets on
> which will be more pleasing?
>
> I'll try to remember to post notes!

That's great news, Bill. FWIW, my money is on the '90 Dominus.

Mark Lipton