Well im sorry to tell you lads, but we were WAAAAAYY off base in thinking
that we MG owners were "The International Order of Old Farts".....
With the recent Riley acquisition, i have been writing to people all over
the world for information including the Riley RM club in the UK. They
wrote back very quickly with an application form so i may join (I will)
and a copy of their magazine which comes out 8 times a year - its a
pretty professional mag, very good tech info and articles, lots of
chitchat and ads - its in black and white but the pictures are very
sharp. Somebody spends a LOT of time on this.....but i digress....
The Club General Secretary has a page of musings, and in addition to
mentioning a couple of car sightings on the TV, committee meeting reports
and so on has the following opinion on a members suggestion that they
start an email group and get a web page
quote (i have snipped a few passages for brevity)
"......I dont normally comment on letters sent in by members but BTs
comments on email caused my normal placid self to become very hot under
the collar.
B.... explains the advantages in his usual forthright and able way, but
what of the disadvantages?
If the growth of email and ther means of electronic communication
continues at its
present rate, the personal touch in communications will all but
disappear. The art of conversation will be greatly reduced and whilst
everyone will have excellent keyboarding skills, the ability to write a
letter by hand will have gone. "Does that matter?" you might ask. Of
course it does. Wielding a pen or having a telephone conversation
develops ones personality whilst sitting at a keyboard sending orders,
questions and letter electronically reduces a person to a
semi-automaton..............
everything else i do in the course of my secretarial duties gets hand
written and will continue to do so even if the committee decides to go
"electronic" at some future date.
B..... also raises the question of the Club having a "website". ...I cant
see any special advantages, given that the details of the Club and means
of making contact in the conventional way are readily available..........
I dont believe the Club will gain any great benefit from email or the
internet."
unquote
I dont mean to make fun of this gentleman, which is why i didnt give his
name but just as an illustration of how i believe him to be wrong;
I got the Riley club address from Neil Cairns, a gentleman i have never
met, or spoken to, in a country 3000 miles away with whom i have had
several discussions and from whom i have learned a great deal!!
Similarly, all of us who have met and become friends with other listers
at shows, rallys etc would never have had that opportunity were it not
for our "meetings" and "conversations" here; nor would we be able to get
advice on how to tune an SU carb in the USA from somebody in Australia in
about half an hour!!
So thanks again to MJB without whos efforts we COULDNT, and we must
redouble our own efforts to increase our "curmudgeon quotient", become
older and fartier because at present there are people out there of
Olympic quality OFdom and we are merely amateurs!
mike robson
69 roadster (engine back in today nice maroon paint against 6 coats of
black laquer)
70 BGT
72 roadster (still for sale!)
53 Riley......(on soccer tournament duty tomorrow!!)
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