simon (12/04/82)
In response to my suggestion for an "unexplained" newsgroup I've received 22 replies. They break down into: 18 - in agreement, ranging from mild curiosity to enthusiasm 3 - suggested using net.misc (2 of whom referred to a previous discussion about a net.psi) 1 - strongly against, stated that such a group has "no basis for reasonable discussion" I imagine the number of yes votes is of the same order of magnitude as that received by other groups voted into existence so we should go ahead and create the group. But first there are two things that need clearing up - the subject matter and the name. Some of the people who replied wondered just what the group is for. The following is a more detailed (but still partial) list of topics (some serious and some not so) that I had in mind: i) philosophical-scientific frameworks eg - eastern philosophical systems (Vedanta, Yoga, Taoism, Zen ...) and mystical thought in general - modern physics (see for example "The Tao of Physics" by F. Capra) - Jung and Pauli's "acausal" principle - ... ii) parapsychology iii) the occult iv) magick (sic), ritual and mythology v) strange things that don't really fit into any of the above eg - megalithic sites (Stonehenge etc) - the shroud of Turin - spontaneous human combustion (whatever it is it doesn't sound very nice) - ... The types of articles I'd expect to see would be discussions on various experiences people have had, books or articles they've read or anecdotes they've heard. Turning to names, a number were suggested - net.esp, net.psi, net.magic, net.mystic, net.farout and net.strange. The first four cover subsets of the proposed group so they are not general enough. Of the remaining two, net.farout has some negative connotations so I'll go with net.strange (as the person who suggested it said, it's "catchy"). So just to wrap things up, unless I receive strenuous objections from usenet administrators (or people in some position of authority as far as the net is concerned), I'll go ahead and create net.strange. Simon Gibbs
lee (12/04/82)
Yes, but how many "yes" votes do we need before a net-wide group is created. Twenty interested people out of 1000's seems small.