The future of the list?

[Orlowsky at aol.com]

I subscribe to a legal discussion listserv that went through similarly
childish flame wars a year or so ago.  This provoked great outcries from
long-time subscribers, who begged for a moderated list.  After much
discussion, a moderated version was set up *in addition to* the original
unmoderated list.  Those on the unmoderated list receive all posts, and those
on the moderated list receive only the cream of the crop.  I now subscribe to
the moderated version and I can vouch that the life has been almost
completely sucked out of the list, but since I subscribe to it only for the
information, I don't care.  I actually prefer to get my information from that
list in pure, high-density information nuggets, and couldn't care less about
the personalities.

I imagine there are those who feel the same way about the p-list.  Couldn't
something similar be done here?  Personally, I enjoy the personalities, and
the constant chatter about subjects only minimally related to Pynchon,
although I, too, am getting mightily sick of the constant bitchfests from
certain quarters.  It appears, though, that there are those out there who
would prefer to receive only the meatier posts, like those of the MDMD, and
would happily leave the coffee-klatch aspects far behind them.  Do we have
the technical capabilities here, Murthy and/or Matt?

Bob