Weekend update

[Cary Karp <ck@nrm.se>]

The second week of MICAT-L activity has closed with another sleepy
weekend. Although heavy traffic is rarely encountered on any
distribution list during the weekend, many lists are a lot perkier
than this one is during the week.

One of the pieces of advice generally given to those first joining a
list is to "lurk before you leap". That is, to hang around silently
for a while getting a feel for the way the list is used and getting to
know the other list members. This is normally a pretty useful way of
doing things, but when a list is brand new there is no traffic to
monitor and unless a healthy number of the list members plunge right
in, the list will have a rough time getting started.

The current statistics for MICAT-L are that it has 80 members, 10% of
whom have contributed actively. A number of topics have been suggested
for discussion but, as yet, not one has generated any protracted
dialogue. Since few new members bother to fetch the archived previous
contributions, it may be worth recapitulating the topics currently
pending (and by all means remind me if I've forgotten anything):

1. A few people have introduced themselves to the list. How about the
others?  Even if you're only here for a quick peek before moving on
we'd still like to know who you are. If nothing else, a clear notion
of how many potential contributors there are will help us judge the
need for peripheral facilities such as archive and other file
repositories. In that regard, it would also be nice to know how many
have access to Internet facilities other than email.

2. What thoughts do you have on the subject of the "primary purpose"
of an aging musical instrument? Is there a point in the lifespan of
such an object after which its primary purpose is no longer to serve
in performance contexts, but instead to serve as a (partially or
entirely mute) document about itself and the workshop and culture that
produced it?

3. How should guitar bridges be reglued?

4. How should insect infestation be treated?

And finally, here's a suggestion for yet another pair of topics:

I note to my delight that several members of the KLARINET list have
joined MICAT-L. I also note that KLARINET currently sustains
discussions about the whys and wherefores of oiling clarinets, and
about appropriate ways to seal cracks, especially by the use of
cyanoacrylates. How about starting similar discussions here, differing
in that they are based to the extent possible on objective knowledge
(that is, assertions which can be supported with hard data) about the
materials and phenomena involved rather than summarily on musicians'
personal observations? I am NOT suggesting that the latter are one bit
less valuable than the former -- merely that there are well-
established network forums for the discussion of musicians' lore and
that MICAT-L is not intended to be yet another.

Please remember to address all communications to MICAT-L to:

micat-l-moderators@nrm.se     or      micatmod@nrm.se