I need everyone's attention for a moment.

[D. Parkhurst]

Hello Pianotechers,

For the last several years I have been maintaining the website that 
provides full text searches throughout the archives of this mailing list. 
Although I rarely contribute to the discussions this project has been 
for me an opportunity to provide a useful service to piano technicians 
everywhere, well, at least those with computers and the time to use 
them. Which brings me to my point: I will no longer have enough time 
to continue the task of maintaining and updating the website.  

In other words, my website, the ever popular Pianotech Mailing List 
Full-Text Searcher, is now searching for a new home and owner. 
Perhaps the Guild might provide server space and someone would 
volunteer to take on webmeister duties for the site? 

Currently, these are the statistics: 

URL = http://www.webcom.com/wind/ptsearch.html
Size = >61MB and growing at ~1MB per month
Visitors per day = 10>100
Hits per day = 50>400

I have been spending about two hours per month actively maintaining 
the site. With clever automation (in other words, programming) it 
should be possible to reduce the time spent to almost none at all. 
Alas, my programming skills are minimal and so I've been stuck with 
those two hours each month when I check and format, upload and 
index the month's worth of digests which I've been steadily receiving 
as email. That's all. 

If someone were enthusiastic they could add features and pizzazz to 
the site and thus possibly attract more users, although it's always 
been my idea to keep it simple and fast (less work, too). 
Nevertheless, I'm quite certain there remains plenty of room for 
improvement.

Perhaps this could become the project of a local chapter or student 
group? This could be the opportunity of a lifetime. Perhaps even a 
piano related company or two might be interested in sponsoring the 
Searcher?

In any event my part in keeping this website online will have to end 
soon. If no recourse is forthcoming I will need to close it down. Should 
this be the case it would be sad as I know it has been both a valuable 
service and an educative tool. Gabby piano technicians...gotta love'm.

For the curious let me explain my reasons for bowing out. I have 
decided, after 19 years of computing, to divest myself of all my 
computers (I have seven) and thereby regain a huge amount of time 
and resources with which to Do Other Things such as spend time 
with real people, work on pianos, invent things, read books, bicycle 
and perfect a sunny disposition. Practically all my friends have 
computers, often more than one, so I'm hoping to keep up an email 
presence by occasionally using their machines; this should have an 
indulging and a limiting effect on any residual computer addiction that 
may linger. 

I find I'm looking forward to this as a wonderful change in my life and 
hope our piano community can produce the support that will enable 
the Searcher website to continue and even improve.

If you've never even known about the website until now, please check 
it out.
    http://www.webcom.com/wind/ptsearch.html


Yours truly, 

David Parkhurst
wind@crl.com