On Monday, January 24, 2022 at 5:33:17 AM UTC-5, Sandman wrote:
> In article <XnsAE028A2B4...@46.165.242.75>, Phil Dago wrote:
> > ...
> > AFAIK, Sandman is still alive and kicking.
>
> More or less :)

Hopefully more of the more <g>

Going to have to get ourselves back to Scandinavia after all
of this CoVid disruption has passed ... IRRC, you're well north
of Stockholm; is there any good places in your general area
for seasonal viewing of the Northern Lights?

-hh

In article <7a9c858d-76a5-4b75-8dd0-9bf62430b928n@googlegroups.com>, -hh
wrote:

> > > AFAIK, Sandman is still alive and kicking.
> >
> > Sandman:
> > More or less :)
>
> Hopefully more of the more <g>

> Going to have to get ourselves back to Scandinavia after all
> of this CoVid disruption has passed ... IRRC, you're well north
> of Stockholm; is there any good places in your general area
> for seasonal viewing of the Northern Lights?

I live in Vasteras, which is about an hour west of Stockholm. There were
actually northen lights in this area a week ago, I missed it though. You have
to go much further north to be more sure to see it if the conditions are
right.

In fact, something I would suggest is going to Tromso in Norway. It's way up
north but it's so beautiful and special!

--
Sandman

On Monday, January 24, 2022 at 12:17:09 PM UTC-5, Sandman wrote:
> -hh wrote:
> > > > AFAIK, Sandman is still alive and kicking.
> > >
> > > Sandman:
> > > More or less :)
> >
> > Hopefully more of the more <g>
>
> > Going to have to get ourselves back to Scandinavia after all
> > of this CoVid disruption has passed ... IRRC, you're well north
> > of Stockholm; is there any good places in your general area
> > for seasonal viewing of the Northern Lights?
>
> I live in Vasteras, which is about an hour west of Stockholm.

Ah, I was getting you mixed up with another friend, who was
from Huljen ... that's the "way up north" location.

>There were actually northen lights in this area a week ago,
> I missed it though. You have to go much further north to be
> more sure to see it if the conditions are right.

Understood, that's what I was thinking of. Time of year is also
important too, because it needs to be dark, so summer's not
a great time (too few hours of darkness); learned that from a
trip to Iceland a few years ago.

>
> In fact, something I would suggest is going to Tromso in Norway.
> It's way up north but it's so beautiful and special!

That's been a main location I've seen recommended before; a local
photo club went there a few years ago...will have to see if they plan
to run another trip again soon(ish). Would be nice to combine it
with a trip to Svalbard, but seasons are wrong for doing both at
the same time.

-hh

On Wednesday, December 22, 2021 at 9:09:11 PM UTC-5, John wrote:
> On 12/22/2021 3:22 PM, Thomas E. wrote:
> > On Sunday, December 19, 2021 at 10:11:12 PM UTC-5, John wrote:
> >> On 12/16/2021 10:34 AM, Phil Dago wrote:
> >>> Jaden Amber <jadena...@gmail.com> wrote in
> >>> news:2a2472d9-b107-41e2...@googlegroups.com:
> >>>
> >>>> I was active in this forum all those years ago. Actually contacted
> >>>> Joe outside of the forum. Went under a different name and was a
> >>>> mid-tier prolific presence defending the Mac from the early 90s,
> >>>> through Apple's near death rattle years, then slowly drifted away
> >>>> after Jobs arrived and the Cupertino ship righted itself and Apple
> >>>> ultimately became one of the most powerful companies in the world.
> >>>>
> >>>> Who needs advocacy at that point?
> >>>>
> >>>> But most folks don't remember the late 90s when Microsoft nearly
> >>>> walked away with it all. Long before the kinder, gentler Bill
> >>>> Gates arrived and Netscape was told Redmond would suck their air
> >>>> supply, or where Intuit was another acquisition target, but when
> >>>> that failed, MS dumped it's Microsoft Money for free in order to
> >>>> suck its air supply. Or the video testimony that had been doctored
> >>>> by Microsoft in trying to prove the Internet Explorer could not be
> >>>> removed from Windows. Had it not be for Linus Torvalds, Steve Jobs
> >>>> and Google's Page and Brin and all the other emerging wild
> >>>> Internet billionaires who chafed at being muscled by Microsoft, we
> >>>> would all be looking a different kind of screen right now. Maybe
> >>>> not horrible, but probably something a lot clunkier.
> >>>>
> >>>> My mantra back then was that competition was good. And it is good.
> >>>> All these years later I'm very satisfied with my Macs, iPhones and
> >>>> iPads and the stuff I create with them. Gun to my head, I can use
> >>>> Windows better than most folks my age, but why? Thankfully for
> >>>> Adobe and PDF and other relatively open protocols I don't have to
> >>>> worry about compatibility like we all did back in the 90s and
> >>>> early 2000s.
> >>>>
> >>>> Microsoft is no longer - well not really - the evil empire that
> >>>> they were back then. And I say that acknowledging that they made a
> >>>> lot of worthy products, and I've gotten to know some great people
> >>>> who work or have worked there.
> >>>>
> >>>> It's just that things were soooo out of balance back then. So
> >>>> precarious. And some of the Windows advocates were smart and
> >>>> civil, but others were just trolls to the nth degree. Maybe this
> >>>> was all just a tempest in a teapot and the words we exchanged
> >>>> didn't go beyond this forum. Maybe it was just a bit of therapy or
> >>>> sparring or whatever.
> >>>>
> >>>> Regardless, I liked Joe. I liked a number of the other folks here,
> >>>> and came back on the regular to hear from them. Today Apple needs
> >>>> advocacy like Elon Musk needs more money. Thankfully the bigger
> >>>> issue is about security, staying current with technology and
> >>>> wondering if Cupertino is ever going to fill up that big spaceship
> >>>> ring building with people after Covid. Probably...
> >>>>
> >>>> Been a long time. Felt the itch to check out the old UseNet (now
> >>>> Google Group) and do a search on "Ragosta." Sorry to hear he
> >>>> passed so young. Imagine he lived a good life and is in a better
> >>>> place. One that doesn't greet its arrivals with a C:\>
> >>>>
> >>>> On Tuesday, November 9, 2021 at 10:21:34 AM UTC-8, John wrote:
> >>>>> Twenty years ago I first dropped into CSMA. It was supposed to be
> >>>>> a Mac
> >>>>
> >>>>> advocacy group but at that time hardly any effective advocacy was
> >>>>> performed. I remember Joe Ragosta who went by the name Macman as
> >>>>> I recall. Unfortunately he passed a few years ago at the young
> >>>>> age of 55.
> >>>>
> >>>>> There was a guy named George Graves who was an interesting
> >>>>> character who was into high end audio. Think he must have passed
> >>>>> also. There was Sandman(hope he is still OK. Alan is still around
> >>>>> - not doing any real advocacy. Cannot remember the others.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Back then in 2001 the Mac was a total piece of junk and I was a
> >>>>> Windows
> >>>>
> >>>>> XP backer. By 2004 and an improving OS X I bought my first Mac.
> >>>>> Ever since I have been a Mac advocate. Thing about how far Mac
> >>>>> has come since my first experiences with it at work in the
> >>>>> nineties. Classic Mac
> >>>>
> >>>>> OS sure was an embarrasment.
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>> Snit turned CSMA into a troll fest so many of the regulars left.
> >>> AFAIK, Sandman is still alive and kicking.
> >> So is George Graves from my research.
> >
> > He seems to have dropped off 10-12 years ago, about the same time as Ragosta. He lived in the Bay area, but a quick obit search turned up nothing.
> From my research George is alive and well. He moved to Toronto and was
> writing for an audio journal.

That's great news, thanks for passing it along. Sounds (pun intended) that he's a pig in mud!

On Wednesday, December 22, 2021 at 9:09:11 PM UTC-5, John wrote:
> On 12/22/2021 3:22 PM, Thomas E. wrote:
> > On Sunday, December 19, 2021 at 10:11:12 PM UTC-5, John wrote:
> >> On 12/16/2021 10:34 AM, Phil Dago wrote:
> >>> Jaden Amber <jadena...@gmail.com> wrote in
> >>> news:2a2472d9-b107-41e2...@googlegroups.com:
> >>>
> >>>> I was active in this forum all those years ago. Actually contacted
> >>>> Joe outside of the forum. Went under a different name and was a
> >>>> mid-tier prolific presence defending the Mac from the early 90s,
> >>>> through Apple's near death rattle years, then slowly drifted away
> >>>> after Jobs arrived and the Cupertino ship righted itself and Apple
> >>>> ultimately became one of the most powerful companies in the world.
> >>>>
> >>>> Who needs advocacy at that point?
> >>>>
> >>>> But most folks don't remember the late 90s when Microsoft nearly
> >>>> walked away with it all. Long before the kinder, gentler Bill
> >>>> Gates arrived and Netscape was told Redmond would suck their air
> >>>> supply, or where Intuit was another acquisition target, but when
> >>>> that failed, MS dumped it's Microsoft Money for free in order to
> >>>> suck its air supply. Or the video testimony that had been doctored
> >>>> by Microsoft in trying to prove the Internet Explorer could not be
> >>>> removed from Windows. Had it not be for Linus Torvalds, Steve Jobs
> >>>> and Google's Page and Brin and all the other emerging wild
> >>>> Internet billionaires who chafed at being muscled by Microsoft, we
> >>>> would all be looking a different kind of screen right now. Maybe
> >>>> not horrible, but probably something a lot clunkier.
> >>>>
> >>>> My mantra back then was that competition was good. And it is good.
> >>>> All these years later I'm very satisfied with my Macs, iPhones and
> >>>> iPads and the stuff I create with them. Gun to my head, I can use
> >>>> Windows better than most folks my age, but why? Thankfully for
> >>>> Adobe and PDF and other relatively open protocols I don't have to
> >>>> worry about compatibility like we all did back in the 90s and
> >>>> early 2000s.
> >>>>
> >>>> Microsoft is no longer - well not really - the evil empire that
> >>>> they were back then. And I say that acknowledging that they made a
> >>>> lot of worthy products, and I've gotten to know some great people
> >>>> who work or have worked there.
> >>>>
> >>>> It's just that things were soooo out of balance back then. So
> >>>> precarious. And some of the Windows advocates were smart and
> >>>> civil, but others were just trolls to the nth degree. Maybe this
> >>>> was all just a tempest in a teapot and the words we exchanged
> >>>> didn't go beyond this forum. Maybe it was just a bit of therapy or
> >>>> sparring or whatever.
> >>>>
> >>>> Regardless, I liked Joe. I liked a number of the other folks here,
> >>>> and came back on the regular to hear from them. Today Apple needs
> >>>> advocacy like Elon Musk needs more money. Thankfully the bigger
> >>>> issue is about security, staying current with technology and
> >>>> wondering if Cupertino is ever going to fill up that big spaceship
> >>>> ring building with people after Covid. Probably...
> >>>>
> >>>> Been a long time. Felt the itch to check out the old UseNet (now
> >>>> Google Group) and do a search on "Ragosta." Sorry to hear he
> >>>> passed so young. Imagine he lived a good life and is in a better
> >>>> place. One that doesn't greet its arrivals with a C:\>
> >>>>
> >>>> On Tuesday, November 9, 2021 at 10:21:34 AM UTC-8, John wrote:
> >>>>> Twenty years ago I first dropped into CSMA. It was supposed to be
> >>>>> a Mac
> >>>>
> >>>>> advocacy group but at that time hardly any effective advocacy was
> >>>>> performed. I remember Joe Ragosta who went by the name Macman as
> >>>>> I recall. Unfortunately he passed a few years ago at the young
> >>>>> age of 55.
> >>>>
> >>>>> There was a guy named George Graves who was an interesting
> >>>>> character who was into high end audio. Think he must have passed
> >>>>> also. There was Sandman(hope he is still OK. Alan is still around
> >>>>> - not doing any real advocacy. Cannot remember the others.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Back then in 2001 the Mac was a total piece of junk and I was a
> >>>>> Windows
> >>>>
> >>>>> XP backer. By 2004 and an improving OS X I bought my first Mac.
> >>>>> Ever since I have been a Mac advocate. Thing about how far Mac
> >>>>> has come since my first experiences with it at work in the
> >>>>> nineties. Classic Mac
> >>>>
> >>>>> OS sure was an embarrasment.
> >>>>
> >>>
> >>> Snit turned CSMA into a troll fest so many of the regulars left.
> >>> AFAIK, Sandman is still alive and kicking.
> >> So is George Graves from my research.
> >
> > He seems to have dropped off 10-12 years ago, about the same time as Ragosta. He lived in the Bay area, but a quick obit search turned up nothing.
> From my research George is alive and well. He moved to Toronto and was
> writing for an audio journal.

In fact, you can see a very old picture of him at his former Toronto employer here https://www.lacquerchannel.com/

Apparently retired now.

On Tuesday, November 9, 2021 at 1:21:34 PM UTC-5, John wrote:
> Twenty years ago I first dropped into CSMA. It was supposed to be a Mac
> advocacy group but at that time hardly any effective advocacy was
> performed. I remember Joe Ragosta who went by the name Macman as I
> recall. Unfortunately he passed a few years ago at the young age of 55.
> There was a guy named George Graves who was an interesting character
> who was into high end audio. Think he must have passed also. There was
> Sandman(hope he is still OK. Alan is still around - not doing any real
> advocacy. Cannot remember the others.
>
> Back then in 2001 the Mac was a total piece of junk and I was a Windows
> XP backer. By 2004 and an improving OS X I bought my first Mac. Ever
> since I have been a Mac advocate. Thing about how far Mac has come
> since my first experiences with it at work in the nineties. Classic Mac
> OS sure was an embarrasment.

Your post led me to see how far I go back. For the Google repository it's August 1997, about 24.5 years ago. Other contributors have posts farther back. Joe Ragosta goes back several more years, but sadly nothing in many years now.

Alan Baker likely holds the record for most lifetime CSMA posts. A name lookup yields 697,334 posts to CSMA alone. He is a very frequent poster in one other group too, REC.SPORT GOLF (which has little to do with golf) 660,473.. A cursory look at some racing, skiing and Apple-centric sites turned up a few scattered Baker posts, but I may did not spend a lot of time on searching.

Maybe Alan would like to step and do a little bragging???