New Independent Review

[Tom_Wescott]

I do hope you won't end up as Cannon Fodder.

Inevitably, there will be those who will argue she was non-canonical fodder.

That said, I'm sure your article is excellent. Don wouldn't expect anything less.

This is true. Don has much higher standards for his scribes than he does his columnists.

Okay, final jibe.

Yours truly,

Tom Wescott

[mariab]

Monty,
I like it that you really went for it. Don and I have exchanged some jibes privately and I'm sure he can tell when I'm teasing, plus I'm afraid he already knows that I love to push it.
I am the greatest fan of your articles, I've learned so much from them, and I'm currently about to re-read Defenseless Whitechapel. Obviously, I meant that not one thing about Tom and you is serious as persons. Your articles I enjoy, some of them even tremendously.
And no, I won't need Tom to be “generous“ when he dissects my future articles. And this one is meant seriously.

I do hope you won't end up as Cannon Fodder.

And if you ever saw me going over a kicker, you might have said “cannonball“. Definitely non-canonical cannonball.

[Monty]

Sure Maria.

Thank you.

Monty

[mariab]

No problem, Monty. I'm feeling slightly irreverant tonight, and actually am about to go to sleep, after a too long day.

[Supe]

Mercy! I go out for a few hours to research some local history (forget hurricanes and snowstorms -- I discovered that 99 years ago my part of town was without power because someone angry with the electric company dynamited all the poles) and look what happens.

Don.

[Adam Went]

I really feel for Don. By the by, one single article of mine, and you guys are toast.

Then I hope your article comes with toast, because I just dropped mine when I read that!

Don, you're quite right, my apologies. I think it's best if we just agree that it's all Monty's fault and move on.

Cheers,
Adam.

[mariab]

Mostly I was kidding, Adam. There are a couple articles coming up, and the text is partly done, but the research pertaining to finalizing them is logistically complex (think AF translations, contacting different Archives all around the world), so it'll take up months. But the research is progressing.

So sorry, Don, and also to have involved you in a scandale à Lyon!

[Adam Went]

Maria:

Then I wish you all the best with it, and look forward to seeing what you come up with, especially if it's in regards to Israel Schwartz as you've alluded to elsewhere recently.

Cheers,
Adam.

[mariab]

Thanks Adam, and the best with all of yours too.
Ripperology is obviously not my first priority, as I'm really busy in my own field and – besides articles – working on 2 different books. One's at the editor's, hopefully to manage it at the publisher's after the Xmas holidays, and the other one I'm still structuring, hopefully to start writing it next summer and finish it until 2014 – if I live. :-)
And I don't know if Don will agree, but I have the feeling that the second book is always more work than fun, cuz one has acquired some experience, but probably lost their illusions along the way.

[Adam Went]

Perhaps you can give your books a sneakly little plug in this upcoming article of yours, Maria.

I'd written half a story and then the computer crashed and I lost all of it, so i'm taking that as an omen that it wasn't meant to be!

Cheers,
Adam.

[mariab]

Perhaps you can give your books a sneakly little plug in this upcoming article of yours, Maria.

Not really, as it's a total another field, plus they'll get purchased by libraries and stuff, not so much privately. Actually for my second book I feel very moderately enthused.

I'd written half a story and then the computer crashed and I lost all of it, so i'm taking that as an omen that it wasn't meant to be!

Ouch. Always use an USB stick if you start on a new text or article. My comp is sooo old and saturated, it keeps complaining and I have to restart it and do tricks. I hope it doesn't die on me one of these days.

[Adam Went]

Maria:

Ouch. Always use an USB stick if you start on a new text or article. My comp is sooo old and saturated, it keeps complaining and I have to restart it and do tricks. I hope it doesn't die on me one of these days.

Just as long as you're not still stuck with Windows 95 or something.

And yes, I agree with you about the USB, but it's not always the old computers - I was writing it on my laptop which is only a couple of months old, and yet it still crashed. Never trust new technology either!

Cheers,
Adam.

[mariab]

Just as long as you're not still stuck with Windows 95 or something.

It's the G4 iBook and it's not yet 4 years old (though pretty beaten up from travelling), but you know how computer firms do everything in their capacity to push us into updating our hardware and software constantly – it's ridiculous.
Everything I need to survive I got it on my 2 USB sticks, still, I really hope my iBook survives a few years, if only for commodity and sentimental value. It also features strategically placed sponsor stickers everywhere. Under the keyboard it says “BeachBum“ (which is actually a bikini label, but the sticker looks cool). On the top cover there's even a “scary“ pink brain by Rip Curl which gets me odd looks when going through airport security. (Actually, not really. The security guards mostly smile.)

And yes, I agree with you about the USB, but it's not always the old computers - I was writing it on my laptop which is only a couple of months old, and yet it still crashed. Never trust new technology either!

Ouch. Has happened to me too a couple times, and I had to re-write a couple proposals and texts from scratch. Nowadays when I'm writing something new, I'm updating a copy on a USB stick every half an hour or so.

Didn't we just highjack the thread again? Poor Don will be frustrated. At least we're not fighting anymore.

[Adam Went]

Only 4 years old? When you said that, I was expecting you to say that it was a NASA style computer or something!

Anyway, yes, back on topic.

Cheers,
Adam.

[mariab]

Possibly it's not so much its age, as the fact that it's beaten up and saturated with data.

Yes, back on topic.