Passing the Torch

Hi Folks,

I'm pleased to announce that Mike Battaglia is now a moderator.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFhLCee3IP4
(I find this performance pretty lifeless but I chose it
because it's on period instruments)

I've been planning to pass the torch to Mike for some time,
and recent events convinced me that now was the right one.

Astute readers may notice that I still wear the crown next
to my user ID. This is only temporary while I'm training
Mike.

In my last post I suggested that we vote Margo our official
List Mom (a title Jon Szanto used on MMM), or similar title.
This position could have more power that of moderator in many
respects, since its opinions will be free of the associated
politics. In the U.S., judges are often appointed or elected
for life, for similar reasons.

Best of luck to Mike, David, and Gene going forward!

-Carl

So begins a new Medvedevian age.

How naive of me to imagine that positively contributing long-time standing members of a list would naturally have a say in who they want to see as moderator among viable candidates...

You must have had all the right reasons, Carl, to autocratically pick a recent member who uses such colourful and educational language with a flamboyant spin, especially in the form of:

"you're a prick",
"you're an obnoxious punk", and
"you're an astonishingly arrogant person who lacks self-awareness".

while resorting to group voting in the case of Margo. I wonder why you didn't just "appoint" her to her designated post?

Congratulations on your choices. You'll go places with that keen insight of yours.

It's a mystery to me how, in case I falter with words, I shall be receiving any moderational direction from our "new moderator" since his messages will keep landing in my spam filter. Maybe I will be consigned to rely on you Carl, to duplicate your apprentice's warnings to me.

Cordially,
Oz.

--

✩ ✩ ✩
www.ozanyarman.com

Carl Lumma wrote:
> Hi Folks,
>
> I'm pleased to announce that Mike Battaglia is now a moderator.
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFhLCee3IP4
> (I find this performance pretty lifeless but I chose it
> because it's on period instruments)
>
> I've been planning to pass the torch to Mike for some time,
> and recent events convinced me that now was the right one.
>
> Astute readers may notice that I still wear the crown next
> to my user ID. This is only temporary while I'm training
> Mike.
>
> In my last post I suggested that we vote Margo our official
> List Mom (a title Jon Szanto used on MMM), or similar title.
> This position could have more power that of moderator in many
> respects, since its opinions will be free of the associated
> politics. In the U.S., judges are often appointed or elected
> for life, for similar reasons.
>
> Best of luck to Mike, David, and Gene going forward!
>
> -Carl
>
>
>

Ozan wrote:

> Maybe I will be consigned to rely on you Carl, to duplicate
> your apprentice's warnings to me.

With all due respect, you do not understand what the moderator
job entails. By lashing out you are making everyone else
misconstrue it also. The list is tired of these negative
feelings. Please, let it rest.

-Carl

Ozan>"How naive of me to imagine that positively contributing long-time standing
members of a list would naturally have a say in who they want to see as
moderator among viable candidates..."

I'll leave it to Carl to explain the "whys" behind this but, at least on the
surface, this method behind the new moderator election seems anything but
democratic. If anything, I wish we had some sort of multi-individual
"government" where even the "president" could not just randomly pass a judgment
without approval from the other people in the "government"...I could only
predict such a system would guard well against dictatorship. Not picking on
Carl in particular at all...but the situation of giving any one person near
absolute power over something.

>"while resorting to group voting in the case of Margo. I wonder why you didn't
>just "appoint" her to her designated post?"
True, in the closest thing we had to a formal vote, Margo won hands down.
But, come to think of it, even if Margo had won, I wish there was a "Board of
Moderators" here to make sure no one moderator was becoming too biased, out of
hand, or generally non-democratic in his/her actions.

Carl>"Best of luck to Mike, David, and Gene going forward!"
Come to think of it, maybe it isn't as bad as I thought...

On one hand, there was no formal vote.
On the other, had there been one it may well not have been much different
and having three moderators, of sorts and no "lead moderator", seems to imply no
one person is going to go around telling.the others what to do.

I, for one, am very glad Mike B managed to make the title. From my
experience he can be quite a critic, but a positive one both challenging of new
ideas but ultimately open to them. The positivity of and lack of flaming on his
"tuning-research" list seems to show his potential...and his knowledge of
psychoacoustics and related programming of it is, in my opinion, superb.
Same goes for picking Margo as a "list mom"...her temper control and "A and
B" not (either) "A or B" view of conflicts and toward Western vs. Middle-Eastern
historical scales seems very refreshing. And I don't think Ozan should be so
angry about it (seems to me he got things at least 50% his way).

And I realize a lot of moderator (or related)'s job is simply "picking up
trash"...but I'm pretty sure a lot of it will also be inspiring the rest of us.

Best of luck to you both!

At this point Ozan, I Suggest hitting the restart button, and give your and Mike's relationship a new start.
I don't think that Mike will use these words as a moderator.
Regardless of what happens, i think he will take his position seriously. Best to wish him well as i assume he will to you also.
A vote would have been good , but as Carl said he had already asked Mike.
Szanto would also have been a good choice and a few others.

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, Ozan Yarman <ozanyarman@...> wrote:
>
> So begins a new Medvedevian age.
>
>

Best luck to Mike and he has my support as well as deepest sympathy:)

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "Carl Lumma" <carl@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Folks,
>
> I'm pleased to announce that Mike Battaglia is now a moderator.
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFhLCee3IP4
> (I find this performance pretty lifeless but I chose it
> because it's on period instruments)
>
> I've been planning to pass the torch to Mike for some time,
> and recent events convinced me that now was the right one.
>
> Astute readers may notice that I still wear the crown next
> to my user ID. This is only temporary while I'm training
> Mike.
>
> In my last post I suggested that we vote Margo our official
> List Mom (a title Jon Szanto used on MMM), or similar title.
> This position could have more power that of moderator in many
> respects, since its opinions will be free of the associated
> politics. In the U.S., judges are often appointed or elected
> for life, for similar reasons.
>
> Best of luck to Mike, David, and Gene going forward!
>
> -Carl
>

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "Brofessor" <kraiggrady@...> wrote:
>
> Best luck to Mike and he has my support as well as deepest sympathy:)

I couldn't agree with Kraig more. I've had some recent off-list conversations with Mike, and I am deeply impressed with him as an individual. I believe he brings a solid, smart, compassionate demeanor to the table, and wish him well.

On Wed, 10 Nov 2010, Carl Lumma wrote:

> Hi Folks,
> > I'm pleased to announce that Mike Battaglia is now a moderator.
> > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFhLCee3IP4
> (I find this performance pretty lifeless but I chose it
> because it's on period instruments)
> > I've been planning to pass the torch to Mike for some time,
> and recent events convinced me that now was the right one.

Please let me warmly congratulate Mike, and also congratulate
you for your wise judgment in passing the torch to someone
who has the skills and technical capabilities appropriate to
this position.

I might add that my inability to view or hear a youtube
video like the link above (I'm curious what piece and
period instruments, etc.), as well as some anomalies at
times in accessing Yahoo simply as a user, suggest your
good judgment in picking someone to moderate along with
the other two moderators remaining in office who won't be
up against such complications. This is doing me, as well
as all users, a favor. Your suggestion below seems to me
just right, if there's a general consensus for it here.

> Astute readers may notice that I still wear the crown next
> to my user ID. This is only temporary while I'm training
> Mike.

Well, may I wish you both a smooth and happy training and
transition process!

> In my last post I suggested that we vote Margo our official
> List Mom (a title Jon Szanto used on MMM), or similar title.
> This position could have more power that of moderator in many
> respects, since its opinions will be free of the associated
> politics. In the U.S., judges are often appointed or elected
> for life, for similar reasons.

If people like this idea, I would be delighted -- and find the
judicial analogy a very attractive one indeed. And I agree in
seeing advantages of having this kind of role distinct from the
"executive branch" of moderation in the strict sense.

> Best of luck to Mike, David, and Gene going forward!

Indeed!

> -Carl

With warm congratulations to Mike, and to you for your long service,

Margo

Hi Margo,

> > http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XFhLCee3IP4
> > (I find this performance pretty lifeless but I chose it
> > because it's on period instruments)
[snip]
> I might add that my inability to view or hear a youtube
> video like the link above (I'm curious what piece and
> period instruments, etc.),

The "Galliard Battaglia" by Scheidt, of course. :)

It's two cornetts, four sackbuts, and continuo organ.

> With warm congratulations to Mike, and to you for your
> long service,

Thanks!

-Carl

On Wed, Nov 10, 2010 at 3:10 AM, jonszanto <jszanto@...> wrote:
>
> --- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "Brofessor" <kraiggrady@...> wrote:
> >
> > Best luck to Mike and he has my support as well as deepest sympathy:)
>
> I couldn't agree with Kraig more. I've had some recent off-list conversations with Mike, and I am deeply impressed with him as an individual. I believe he brings a solid, smart, compassionate demeanor to the table, and wish him well.

Thank you to Jon, Kraig, Margo, Mike, and all for your kind words. It
is quite a privilege for me to serve as moderator for this list. I
assure you that I will clean up the files section and delete spammers
with the best of them.

The main concern that I have is that the flaming on here has gotten
pretty intense in this last month and a half. I think everyone's in
agreement on that. I think that we can have an academically frank
discussion of ideas without personal attacks coming into it. I also
think, correspondingly, that one should not take criticism of their
ideas personally. But there's no point in raising the issue now that
it's all sort of died down.

You should all know that I will never moderate anyone for criticism of
my moderational actions, or moderate anyone for having an idea that
disagrees with the status quo, or anything like that. My job is
basically to go behind the scenes and delete spam and clean up the
files section.

I also strongly support the idea of Margo as a list judge, or "list
mom," or something like that, and will likely be collaborating with
her offlist often.

-Mike