Re: Tragedy

["Sean B. Palmer" <sean@mysterylights.com>]

[...]
> HumanML should return to the issues of creating
> models to enhance the use of digital technology
> for human communication and understanding.

I very much agree with Len. This catastophe has affected the world on a
scale previously unimaginable, and the grief and outrage and other emotions
and feelings that surface at such times are understandable, and not
particularly something that we need to stand back and analyse. It has
happened, something which was unthinkable before, and although I suggest
that we grieve and pay our respects for a while on the list, HumanMarkup
must return to (as much is possible) the sense of normality that it had
before this event occured. This project is a technical committee chartered
to investigate and employ methods of usnig XML to reduce human
miscommunication, and while we have found out blatantly what the dangers
are, we must keep level headed about this. I do not think many of the
comments such as I have been recieving through the humanmarkup-comments
list are at all appropriate at this time, or any other.

If we need to temporarily suspend the HumanMarkup effort until such a time
as we can at least get over it enough to start working to some level of
normality, then I suggest we do so. If people really feel the need to keep
discussing things that, however important, are outside of the scope of the
group (and I fully understand that need), then I suggest that they use the
deprecated humanmarkup@yahoogroups.com list to do so. Many of us are still
subscribed there, and others are free to join.

There is a lingering sense of "let's get HumanMarkup to support people in
the aftermath of what has happened as much as possible". This is, however,
to a great extent impossible. If people are living in the NY/Washington
area, then they would be of much more help spending half an hour donating
blood (which I urge them to do) than sending weeks of spurious letters to
this list. Although the insanity of what has happened is more surreal than
some of the most outlandish movie plots, let us all keep level headed about
this, say a prayer for those who have suffered great loss and for those who
need the strength to carry on in the face of this event, and carry on
working together sensibly as best we can.

--
Kindest Regards,
Sean B. Palmer
@prefix : <http://webns.net/roughterms/> .
:Sean :hasHomepage <http://purl.org/net/sbp/> .