Date: Sun, 31 Mar 2002 00:49:43 -0500 (EST)
From: "Keith F. Lynch" <kfl at KeithLynch.net>
To: WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net
Subject: [WSFA] Ron Kean asked where is this list, physically
Cc: bahn at tgv-rockets.com
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

In answer to the question Ron Kean asked at the Fifth Friday party
last night about where this list is actually being run:

The address is on KEITHLYNCH.NET, my personal domain, which is hosted
by PLETHORA.NET in Minnesota (one of the few states I've never been
to).  KEITHLYNCH.NET has the advantage that I "own" every possible
email address on it, so I can simply decide that "WSFAlist" will go
to the list.  But the list itself is actually running on PANIX.NET
in New York, which PLETHORA.NET forwards all KEITHLYNCH.NET email
to, after preliminary spam filtering.  The list is basically an
appendage to my increasingly elaborate procmail-based spam filters
on PANIX.NET, without which it would be impossible to use email at
all, as I would be receiving several spams per minute, around the
clock.

Archives automatically accumulate on PANIX.NET.  I'm also subscribing
via my old MIT.EDU guest account, which is in Massachussetts.  This
ensures that no messages which are seen by everyone will be lost no
matter what happens at PANIX.NET.

At least twice a week I update the indexed web-accessable archives
on WSFA.ORG, mirrored on KEITHLYNCH.NET (http://www.wsfa.org/list/
and http://keithlynch.net/wsfa/list).  About once a week I back up
the complete archives to my PC in my apartment in Virginia, which
otherwise has nothing to do with it.  About once every other week I
copy the PC's contents onto my new DEC Alpha.  About once a month
I back up the PC onto CD-ROM, and back up the Alpha onto 8mm tape.
Some of these CDs and tapes are kept offsite.

I really, REALLY hate to lose files, if you hadn't guessed.  I never
lose sight of the fact that computers are, above all else, the fastest
known way to lose vast amounts of information for no apparent reason
at any time.

Obviously, a WSFA.ORG email address would have been nicer, but
WSFA.ORG only serves static web pages.  We are paying nothing for
hosting there, and I suspect the non-local folks who bought out the
local MAI.NET which originally hosted WSFA.ORG don't realize this,
so I'm not about to call their attention to our domain.

The complete WSFA web site is also backed up exactly like the list.
--
Keith F. Lynch - kfl at keithlynch.net - http://keithlynch.net/
I always welcome replies to my e-mail, postings, and web pages, but
unsolicited bulk e-mail (spam) is not acceptable.  Please do not send me
HTML, "rich text," or attachments, as all such email is discarded unread.