Subject: Re: Thick skinned chairs (Was Re: different calendar scales)

From: Bob Mahoney <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2003 09:28:20 -0500

Part of the problem, for me at least, is that my work responsibilities have moved me solidly away from calendaring.  My day job, network security in a 50k-host network without a firewall, has moved to remove anything like "free time" from my life over the last two years.   (Microsoft owes me "one peaceful summer", at bare minimum)

I was ready to step away at just the time that Pat lost her travel funding...  Since MIT would continue to send me to physical meetings, I've tried to be available for the in-person chair needs, and have hoped that WG members and Pat's free cycles would be enough to carry the work forward.   

The situation has been difficult, and to the extent possible, Pat and I have certainly tried to at least keep the WG alive, so that what work and solutions that are possible will have a chance to move forward.  As the needs of the WG for hands-on intervention have grown, our fragile availability has been a problem.

It would appear that we are at a real turning point at present, between WG debate, problem complexity, general intellectual fatigue, and chair availability.  We would certainly all like for productive work to move forward, but I think we need some increased understanding across the board, and a renewed energy and focus on the work, if this effort is to survive.  To some extent, this may require some compromise and a more mindful exercise of politeness among list members.   We all want useful calendaring standards deployed and used, and we need to remember that long debate and angry words are a strong threat to that hope...

-Bob

---

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 11 Nov 2003 10:01:22 -0500

ditto.

Bob Mahoney <[email-masked]> 
Sent by: [email-masked]
11/11/2003 09:28

To
[email-masked]
cc
Mark Smith <[email-masked]>, Ned Freed <[email-masked]>, 
Ted Hardie <[email-masked]>, [email-masked]
Subject
Re: Thick skinned chairs (Was Re: different calendar scales)

Part of the problem, for me at least, is that my work responsibilities 
have moved me solidly away from calendaring.  My day job, network security 
in a 50k-host network without a firewall, has moved to remove anything 
like "free time" from my life over the last two years.   (Microsoft owes 
me "one peaceful summer", at bare minimum)

I was ready to step away at just the time that Pat lost her travel 
funding...  Since MIT would continue to send me to physical meetings, I've 
tried to be available for the in-person chair needs, and have hoped that 
WG members and Pat's free cycles would be enough to carry the work 
forward. 

The situation has been difficult, and to the extent possible, Pat and I 
have certainly tried to at least keep the WG alive, so that what work and 
solutions that are possible will have a chance to move forward.  As the 
needs of the WG for hands-on intervention have grown, our fragile 
availability has been a problem.

It would appear that we are at a real turning point at present, between WG 
debate, problem complexity, general intellectual fatigue, and chair 
availability.  We would certainly all like for productive work to move 
forward, but I think we need some increased understanding across the 
board, and a renewed energy and focus on the work, if this effort is to 
survive.  To some extent, this may require some compromise and a more 
mindful exercise of politeness among list members.   We all want useful 
calendaring standards deployed and used, and we need to remember that long 
debate and angry words are a strong threat to that hope...

-Bob