I was planning on writing a follow-up to the
state of the archive post of last week, yet
things have been so disheartening that I have
avoided opening it up again. my heart is not
in it enough to go further with restoring the
archive nor to engage Howard right now within
such a context, and there is a possibility an
archive will appear online which would solve
most all the outstanding issues so it is not
an area of contention anymore. though time is
needed. and as much as it is possible to make
a case and argue it or try to create archives
by brute-force, I'd much rather it be a bit of
fun and in good spirits to get it started and
not devolve further into chaos. so my part has
been to not press further with Howard, to live
and let live, and again to invite Howard into
this list community if and when the timing is
right. until that time, there is an outstanding
archive issue that medium- and long-term will
be beneficial to keep online, and not because
of any individual mails but the constellation
of events and ideas and peoples perspectives
that created the public work as it now exists.
hopefully the archive (version 1+2) will show
up online someday again, and at that point the
context will change and so too maybe the list
will be purged of whatever angst may now exist.
I was going to write about half-a-dozen strong
arguments which could be pursued online so that
this situation could change. though the path of
least resistance may be better in this case as
wasting time, energy, work, and good spirits on
bleak and dreary outcomes is not on my holiday
season wishlist and it is hoped that design-l.v2
will be freed of this morbid state and start the
new year with some benefit of the doubt that we
can do most anything, as we constrain ourselves.
what needs doing? what can architecture and art
do that other approaches cannot? what are our
shared dreams, ideas, imaginations- and what is
possible that has been rendered useless by the
current ways of teaching and constraining ideas?
there's a massive amount of negative network lava
that has spewed out of some network volcanos which
thrives on the bursting forth of hatreds as a way
of practicing art- don't let it infect design-l.v2
interactions-- don't vaporize the archives for a
lesser goal or purpose-- there's too much wrong
in the world to forget that there is also a hell
of a lot of good too, in everyone, no matter if
we disagree or may be bothersome to eachother (of
which I am a part). it is the holidays, there is
a lot to be grateful for -- and to be humbled by
for those who have everything less-- except maybe
a belief that most everything transcends hatred,
makes life worth living, and to keep going despite
all odds-- including those in this list lions den.
the list lives or dies on the quality of the ideas
and the value of the exchanges. we got this far so
we can get beyond these first weeks and stabilize
the new system. maybe 2005 will have an archive as
part of the network storming just over the horizon.
everyone's angry- everyone's had their say, and now
it's the holiday season, and people may be miserable
though let's at least try to give the benefit of the
doubt that everyone is trying their best, or to at
least try to offer the best options with judgments,
so to keep the good qualities around after the fact.
I look forward to the day when this all makes sense!
In any case, I am grateful to those on the list now
and prior years who have been generous in a sharing
of ideas and goals, and who tried to crack the nut
which remains to this day an enigmatic net.no-exit.
what can we now do together that we cannot do alone?
reclaim WTC initiative, design-l.v2 publication, the
lobbying for architectural reform (.edu and otherwise).
we've still got a chance to make it happen while alive.
so what can be done and what are we trying to do?
enjoy christmakkuh and other holidays of the season,
brian (not moderating, not administering, just saying)