From: michael.trew@att.net   
      
   On 9/20/2021 3:01 PM, Boron Elgar wrote:   
   > On Mon, 20 Sep 2021 10:05:45 +0100, "Kerr-Mudd, John"   
   >   wrote:   
   >   
   >> On Sun, 19 Sep 2021 21:21:19 -0700 (PDT)   
   >> Beaver Fever  wrote:   
   >>   
   >> Is there anyone left here who can talk about something sensible? Or do I   
   just get BF's random thoughts?   
   >   
   > There is FB, Reddit, Insta,Twitter,Tik-Tok and myriad other online   
   > outlets for opinion, commentary, or dudgeon these days, not even   
   > mentioning the group capabilities of certain messaging apps. The   
   > Usenet version of AFCA, which really requires a decent news reader,   
   > just falls by the wayside.   
   >   
   > Add all that along with so many people accessing primarily through   
   > their phones, and we are like buggy whips.   
   >   
   > When something interesting from past days comes to mind, I have been   
   > known to try a Google Groups search among AFCA responses and other   
   > than the immediate reaction of "I see dead people," I am quite taken   
   > with the diversity the group had in its heyday.   
   >   
   > I do miss the community, which, from what I hear, is closest cousin in   
   > the FB group (close, but no cigar, IMHO), but I just cannot tolerate   
   > FB.   
   >   
   > And no, regardless of what Trew tries to claim, the rec.food.cooking   
   > group is not thriving. Its most innovative cooks and especially, its   
   > culinary intellectuals are long gone, and its daily postings, which   
   > are numerous, are filled with trolls and useless douchebags.   
   >   
   > Sorry, Michael, but seeing that you, yourself, regularly dump 50+   
   > posts within a small number of hours sometimes more than once a day,   
   > over on rfc, you are indicative of the problems over there, not an   
   > exemplar of the thriving community of old. Yeah, lotta posts, but like   
   > the old politics groups on Usenet, its like flies on rice, which is   
   > the closest rfc comes to a true cooking group. There are at least two   
   > certifiables posting there and generating long threads these days. No   
   > joke- they are used as group punching bags.   
   >   
   > It should also be known that I am virtually shunned by the current rfc   
   > group, and labeled as a sailor-swearing, unladylike (oh Lord, I LOVE   
   > that) poster cuz I call out racists, sexists and assholes (this   
   > reputation is well established, though perhaps described a bit   
   > differently,  here on AFCA, too, of course - I have no qualms about   
   > telling someone to fuck off.) . Gotta love it.   
   >   
   > I keep up contact with a few of the old crowd, whom I miss, from here   
   > or from rfc or a couple of other groups, by email rather than Usenet.   
      
   I'm well aware it's far past its heyday, as is the rest of text-based   
   Usenet.  By "alive and well", I meant that the group still has quite an   
   active discussion going on, and it's not all spam/garbage (think:   
   alt.politics).  Yes, much of it is off topic, and yes, I veer off topic   
   enough, but they keep me amused.  50+ multiple times daily?  I think   
   not.. maybe per day, total.   
      
   If you can't beat them, join them.  Does this group exclusively talk   
   about the Straight Dope and/or Cecil Adams?  No.. didn't think so.  RFC   
   would have died a very LONG time ago had there not have been so much   
   discussion outside of food.  The few mental patients over there are   
   quite cringe-worthy, but what can you do.   
      
   That all being said, I wish I could have seen the group 20+ years ago.   
   (Well, I would have been 6 years old then..) Even in the past 5 years,   
   some great newsgroups that I have been on and off have dried up and   
   died.  Time marches on.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)