ot: is this something new the internet is doing or have books always done this...

[Brian K. White]

This is off topic and sad and I apologize for both.

Is it a new facet of life that the internet, and specifically easily 
accessible and searcheable archives of what was once ephemera, is 
providing, or have books always done this just to a lesser degree but 
not significantly different in kind?

The thing I'm talking about is, for one example: I just recently got a 
little interested in laserdiscs & laserdisc players, and half the time 
when I google something about them, I run into some old post on some 
audio/video forum from Bill Vermillion.

In one sense I'm happy that in this odd unexpected way someone ends up 
leaving more of a mark. Not only do they get remembered, but in a weird 
way you even get to continue discourse with them. Before last week my 
interests didn't intersect with other areas of Bills life enough to 
cause me to converse directly with him on those topics or run into old 
posts or articles. And now even though he's gone, it's still possible 
for that intersection to occur partially and for new discussion to take 
place, at least for me. I know he was big on pay-it-forward so the 
one-way nature of all further contact probably wouldn't bother him at 
all. Especially for all people after this point where, now that the 
first people have written stuff into the racial store, from that point 
on everyone will be on both sides of those one-way contacts at some point.

Before this point, well there have always been books & letters, but that 
seems different enough in degree as to functionally be a difference in 
kind. You couldn't be interested in just any random thing, however 
focused or obscure, and google up tons of personal casual conversation 
from other people who are or were similarly interested and hear their 
thoughts or observations. If it warranted a published book or article , 
and if you were lucky enough to have access to the right library, you 
might find something, and that would still be an official and formulated 
writing, not a casual conversation.

Not like reading personal and anecdotal stuff, about this or that 
particular model of laserdisc player and unofficial wisdom about what to 
look for and what it means when this or that happens, etc... and you go 
"hey this guy makes a lot of sense, who is he?" and scroll up to the 
header and realize it's Bill or someone else you knew and respected and 
admired. It's very nice and yet very sad to run in to these posts this way.
As a guitar player and former ham radio license holder and general 
techie person I know I'll be doing so many many more times to come.

-- 
bkw