The arguments of the old days, even when they became petty or vituperative, were, for me, just as instructive as the calmer archival education. The reputation of the Sphere rested firmly upon such an unsparingly critical approach, and on the full airing of opinion which often compelled response from one. It did get messy, but the poetic results were often dazzling, and the lessons learned were invaluable to me. It changed me, thickening my skin without making it impermeable. I see nothing even remotely comparable to that raucous goldmine going on here these days, nothing to distinguish the Sphere from any other site. But perhaps lightning only strikes once.
Nemo
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