nanog volume (was: Problems sending mail to yahoo?)

[Randy Bush <randy () psg com>]

> Can we wrap the mail threads up

actually, i am still learning from some of them.

i have a hypothesis to add

nanog list volume is proportional to

   S + E

where S is the amount of Slack time the active members have and
      E is the existence of a significant Event

in the absence of a significant event, volume is directly driven by the
amount of free time we have at the tube.  as there is no event to
discuss, we will discuss whatever is kinda interesting, often the same
subjects.  after all, this is a discussion forum, not a current news desk.

if an operational event ocurrs, discussion of it quickly predominates
over the S component.  if we could watch this happening, we might even
learn something interesting about information flow in our culture, as
the wavefront of the E information causes posters attention to move.

and, in the absence of an E, and  S being diverted to to actual paid
work, volume goes down.  as pfs mentioned this eve, some time in the
last months, the shortage of E and S was so severe that someone posted
an "is the list working" test message.

randy