> > So when did you join silklist, and how did you hear about it? > > Udhay >
I think I joined sometime in 1998 or 1999. I had not long been on the internet and was given a little book about the internet and the things you could do on it from my ISP, PIPEX. One of the suggestions was 'email lists'. So I typed that in the prevalent search engine of the time (I think it was Alta Vista) and near the top of the results was silk-list - with the tag about it being a place to have knowledgeable conversations etc. So I subscribed... Although I do not participate much I take great interest in the posts and following the discussions. I have found that the way I personally approach discussions, arguments and logical thought has changed in the fifteen or so years. And I frequently discuss topics raised on Silk with some of my friends. I sometimes feel a little overwhelmed by the collective intellect of the list to post replies. Silk has lead me to discover many authors, Cory and John included; many areas for self-study, technology and sociology; books such as the Illuminatus Trilogy and last week I ordered 'The works: Anatomy of a city'; and... the cultural aspects. (When I saw the listing in the search engine there was nothing to suggest that the majority of the participants in the list were predominantly living in India or part of the Indian diaspora). The cultural aspect gave me an interest in India. And in a way, I found it helped me with the experience of India when I had the privilege of spending eleven months there with work in 2006 (I had an apartment in Pune May - December as well as spending time in Delhi and Mumbai). Being able to give salutations in Hindi is a great icebreaker with new colleagues that I meet. [It is with reverence, some amusement and I hope respect from Indian colleagues I have worked with that I include in joint implementation plans an activity to break a coconut on the evening prior to any cutover to live]. My email archive has been maintained since 2001 and I enjoy re-reading posts; some of my favourites being 'buffer overruns from 2002 and Adam Rifkin's 'I wake up, and once again it's December 9' from 2003. [I have a draft in my head of my take - 'I wake up and once again it's April 12' and I may share one day]. During the past fifteen years, my life and career has changed in many ways. From being a bingo hall manager at the beginning to now enjoying a career as a consultant business analyst. My personal life has changed as well. From raising one fabulous son out of the ruins of one (and so far only) marriage to meeting the love of my life and the happy birth of my second son last year. In the middle I have gone through depression and a shambolic personal life to hopefully coming out of it a better person. I no longer drink alcohol and have not done so in three years and eight months. It took me while to discover why driver-ji called me sarabi gora. Udhay's post has made me think about what silklist has meant to me. I was not invited, I did not know anyone 'in real life' and I had no noteworthy achievements that would solicit my 'collection' in to the list. To my great shame I have not met any of the dear participants - even when I was in the vicinity. I am not an active silklister. But, Silk has been and is a thread with some meaning and fondness through life's web so far. I hope you forgive my indulgence in this post. Keith
