OUTSTANDING! He says about The Sub-driver Gazette!

[Subculture]

Ah okay, so it's all my fault then? Me and my big mouth!

Andy

[He Who Shall Not Be Named]

Ah okay, so it's all my fault then? Me and my big mouth!

Andy

No good deed goes unpunished. You know that, Andy

[Slats]

Andy has been the main advocate of magazine format change for years -- He's the guy who best articulated how cumbersome traditional magazines are as compared with the immediacy, next to zero production cost, and utility of material presented directly on the Internet. Mike Caswell's, The SubDriver Gazette, came about, in no small part, because of Andy's observations and advocacy.

The bickering Andy speaks of is an intrinsic part of any group. Even more so if you put a bunch of talented (and opinionated) people, unsupervised, in a room for too long ... only one of them (well bloodied) will leave standing. Hence the need for Editors and Monitors. The type of Editor drives not only the technical content, but the spirit of a journal: If the Editor is more interested in numbers of participants than useful content, he'll go the PC route: appealing to the many, but retarding the advance of the Craft by alienating the talented ... and you get the SCR of today.

However, if the Editor is willing to suffer the sometimes questionable presentation of his technically astute authors, and he steers true to his stated goal of presenting cutting edge, useful information on the subject at hand, then that Editor will present material that may alienate some, but will be of critical value to those actually interested in participating in the Craft the periodical promotes.

(The Editors of the SCR who followed the great Gene Berger, knowing the great expense and risk the magazine presents the SubCommittee, have played it safe as to magazine content, courting 'friendly' authors. Leaving we meat-eaters -- the inventors, innovators, and risk-takers -- at the door with hat in hand. The result is a family friendly magazine full of regurgitated information; information first passed on to the current 'experts' by the real experts years before).

I've had at least three Internet sites set up just for me to spout my activities in the r/c submarine arena. Why? Because, in America, I'm The Guy in this field. Each one of those forums eventually failed or became something else because the Editor/Monitor either forgot that I was the Star Attraction; or, as more contributors and readers came on board, some people within the swelled ranks found themselves embarrassed by some of the things I had to say. Even the traditional magazine, the SCR, for a period of time, was my Oyster; people read it in no small part BECAUSE my works were presented there -- that came to an end when the SubCommittee in its entirety became PC; the Editors became more interested in growing membership than maintaining the initial organizations mission of growing the Craft.

No one in this game knows better than me the 'life-cycle' of a hard-hitting, informative periodical -- I've been at the start, and end, of several as the featured attraction. Each began with the Editor convinced that my works and thoughts were indispensable to the discussion. And ended with the Editor convinced that my thoughts and works were killing any potential growth of the forum/publication/journal. But, I don't think that will happen with the SubDriver Gazette: We have, as Editor, a guy who is as nasty and opinionated as me, and contributors who are real peers of mine. I like this little club-house of ours. A place where I can pull up a chair, slug down a drink or two, and pontificate without caution, caring little who's within ear-shot.

Yeah ... I like it here!

God speaks the truth.....The big problem with Hobby's per se is administrators who act like politicians. These small people have no discernible skill to build, or even humbly accommodate those that pioneer the hobby for those that can't. In the end "Growth in Membership" is what these morons seek to massage their political agendas, and the Growth is at the cost of dumbing down the hobby to the level of the lowest common idiot. It's this **** Head factor driven by Ebay, Walmart and any other 99c vendor, that feeds the professional politician's aspirations to include everybody at the cost of totally rat ****ing those who enjoy advancing the hobby. I'd rather be part of group that realises that the "Killjoy" should never administrate, direct, or dictate activities, that they are incapable of doing for themselves. Hobbies are a prime target for small minded little people to fill and replenish their needs of exerting power over others. These people are easy to spot - opinionated, train spotting types, they purport to be a walking Encyclopedia on the hobby, but at days end they build very little and learn nothing over time to improve their pathetic skill base. In Australia petty jealous over new Technology has lead a smear campaign against David and Mike's Torpedo system. The argument was "safety" and lack of insurance. The largest club here, TF72, had its Executive seek a blanket ban on the system. There was not one incident that lead to this decision AND Not one of the club's administrators had even seen a live test of the system, hysteria and bull****, were the order of the day. The product disparagement and misrepresentation was disgraceful. ...Despite a group of Submariners going off and organising an event with complete insurance for torpedoes - this "club" is yet to rectify the position. This is but one example! Such issues infest model flyer's, train clubs, and probably knitting circles too.
At days end its our responsibility to fight the good fights, stand up and and smack down as required all those who seek to white-ant hobby's for nothing more than their own ego.
J

[Subculture]

I think you get the old mob mentality kicking in with clubs, which is why I belong to very few these days.

Individuals can usually be reasoned with, but once you get a group thinking (or not) collectively you often end up with a very different outcome.

I think Issigonis got it right when he said a camel is a horse designed by committee.