The best things in life are Fritos

[gurdonark]

I enjoy Nervousness.org, the free website that facilitated various mail art related projects. The site featured two main vehicles, the Land Mail Art Object (LMAO) and the exchange. I did not sign up for many of the LMAOs, because my personal cynicism says that 7 people cannot collaborate in a mass mailing project without somebody forgetting to mail on the works to the other folks. Instead, I focused on one to one exchanging--I have always found the faithlessness of the one less likely than the faithlessness of the many. Nervousness.org was free, and its software was pretty cool to facilitate the mail art stuff. It even had a fair bit of useless whimsy and silliness, which wins it many extra points in my book.

Last weekend it was apparent that nervousness.org was having difficulties of one sort or another--it had an announcement that it was closed to new members. Last night, its server administrator had a curt note (proving once again my theory that server admins probably are not natural public speakers) about the site being too busy and the like, and thus being closed. This morning I read a much nicer note from the fellow kind enough to
run the site all this time, essentially saying the same thing with pleasantries included. I was struck by his comment to the effect of what a novel thing it is to "run" a site after one has lost the zeal to run it.

Here on LJ and on postcardx.net, I see many dismayed comments. Some adopt an angry tone. There is some justice in this, because people had their art projects interrupted in mid-stream.
But in some cases, the reactions seem to display a sense of "entitlement". I find this sense of "entitlement" odd. In the early days of the internet, one marketing idea was that the internet was going to be based on a free content plus advertising
model. All sorts of cool content appeared for free. Soon people got addicted to the idea of never paying for anything on line, other than pornography. For those of us who do not purchase pornography, this gave rise to the pleasing illusion that the internet was free.

There's certainly nothing wrong with taking advantage of free resources. I thank God and google.com every day for free things for which I use the internet. For example, I will never buy a set of Encyclopedia Brittanica, because the rough approximations of fact I get on the net are more than adequate to my roughly approximate needs. But I'm puzzled when people get some mental "ownership" in something cool, but free.

I am a big believer in public libraries, public education, and
public parks. But none of these things are truly "free". All of these things are situations in which a great mass of folks (government, sometimes patrons) agree that some folks will pay for things that others use. I am all for this, but I never confuse it with being something for nothing. A whole infrastructure supports these things.

Yet I see people, often twentysomethings, who express an entitlement to things that they simply have no ownership in.
To me, the best things in life are Fritos, and they cost some number of dimes just short of a dollar for a bag.

I don't want to criticize anyone righteously frustrated about a rather graceless development. But I do wonder if righteous indignation is appropriate. Surely it was inevitable that a free website with complex webmastering needs would someday become defunct. One could figure out how to convert it to a subscription service (in which case people would no doubt post about the gross inequity of having to pay) or one could give a bit more warning about its demise (in which case people could get their content,but still bewail the manifest injustice that somebody else no longer wants to give them a free ride). But free things are like butterflies, they flitter into our lives, and then flitter out.
Sure, the best things in life are free. But that doesn't mean that we are entitled to perpetual free things, just because we enjoy them.

I spent some time last night on ebay.com, where I have sold my book of bad poetry, and am now finally beginning the process of selling my many excess chess books off. I found a really cool site
for sales on ebay by "self-representing artists". All these cool kitchen table artists were selling their works by auction. Many of the prices were pleasingly inexpensive--but nothing was free.
Ebay charges fees to post an ad, and takes a tiny cut of the sales price. The artists charge for their work, and charge for shipping and handling. I like the whole idea--and if ever I get my digicam set up, I will post fingerpainted work on sale, or some such, just for the sheer fun.

You see, mail art and money don't mix, and that's a really good "rule", in a genre which is very resistant to rules. Mail art should be free, on some level. Don't ask me why--maybe honoriartist, who is writing a dissertation on mail art, knows.
But although that is a great rule for mail art, it doesn't mean that every service we use must be free. We need not depend on the kindness of strangers for everything in our lives.

I love that many internet things, including LJ, are free to people. But I know that things have a cost, too, and when I can, I try to pay. But wouldn't it be great, to change the topic, if Doritos were free?

Comments

funny signs

[marstokyo.livejournal.com]

I'm going to be offering the theaters for purchase from my website. Payment can be made through PayPal. Of course, no one will be able to afford them-- but this will lay to rest the whole sale issue. I would never in a million years put them on E-bay.

Re: funny signs

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I think that's great. But if you ever reconsider about selling your theaters on ebay, I'd be happy to
assist you with ad copy, an account with good feedback from which to sell, and all the other accoutrements of selling. I won't even charge a 50 percent gallery commission--I'll do it for free :).

I like the national yardsale which is ebay, but I'd never try to argue you into liking it. In differences are virtue, n'est ce pas?

[akhliber.livejournal.com]

i agree with you completely. it can be quite frustrating when resources we've become used to having are suddenly either removed completely or start costing money with little or no warning, especially when you live paycheck to paycheck.
we barely make rent each month, and when a site i've always loved and always had access to free of charge announces that it will no longer be a free site (or that it will no longer be a site at all), i get upset about it, but i understand that the reason i'm upset is because i've completely taken something for granted. i'm not being stripped of some right, i'm really just being reminded that i should really appreciate these resources while they're around, and shouldn't expect them to be there forever.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I think you've hit the nail. As I live neither paycheck to paycheck nor in great wealth, I also try to remember to support this sort of thing when I can.
I rather wish, now, I had paypalled a little cash to nervousness while it was up. I tried to make sure I paid at LJ as soon as I understood the concept--I was a paid account from day one. Of course, that may have just been a desire not to have to meet somebody to get a code, but we can pretend it was noble support.

Boy oh boy oh boy

[gregwest98.livejournal.com]

I really should pay for LJ. I keep thinking of it but only when it's not convenient to do so.

I do so like those little emails when comments are made.

Gotta do that. It's only $25. Gotta do that...

(repeating to myself)

Re: Boy oh boy oh boy

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

A permanent membership is only 100, and if I remember right, the window to buy them was recently opened again. You might check that out.

Re: Boy oh boy oh boy

[holyoutlaw.livejournal.com]

Alas, the permanent account sale is closed already.

Re: Boy oh boy oh boy

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

That's too bad. I like the idea of "permanent", whatever that means.

RAIN RIEN NEVERMIND OBJECTS

[(Anonymous)]

RAIN RIEN NEVERMIND FOUND YOUR COMMENTS: spent some time last night on ebay.com, where I have sold my book of bad poetry, and am now finally beginning the process of selling my many excess chess books off. I found a really cool site
for sales on ebay by "self-representing artists". All these cool kitchen table artists were selling their works by auction. Many of the prices were pleasingly inexpensive--but nothing was free.
Ebay charges fees to post an ad, and takes a tiny cut of the sales price. The artists charge for their work, and charge for shipping and handling. I like the whole idea--and if ever I get my digicam set up, I will post fingerpainted work on sale, or some such, just for the sheer fun.
RAIN RIEN NEVERMIND CHEW CHEW COMING: MAIL ART SHOULD NEVER BE FREE! IN FACT IT SHOULD COST THE MAIL ARTIST DEARLY! THIS SUMMER I SOLD $300.00 worth of eBay mix and spent over $300.00 in production cost alone and eBay is still demanding another $300.00 and refusing to let me sell or bye bye ! SEW...go look at AMAZON dot Calm and you will find a NEW rain rien for NEGATIVE 13 Sense! RAY JOHNSON NEVER BOUGHT A FREE POSTAGE STAMP and he is still my FUNNY VALENTINE !

Rain Rien Nevermind is always welcome here

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much for posting. This is valuable input.

I have followed your ebay sales progress with some interest, and am interested to hear that you are now on amazon.com. Of course, similar sales efforts of conceptual products predate your efforts, I believe, but you do have a mail art history that makes your effort particularly interesting. The
"problem" with mail art in cyberspace (by which I ironically mean its virtue), of course, is that the various mail artists who work that genre independent of any networks, Eternal or ethereal or postage-driven, have done fun stuff since the invention of the internet, oblivious of art, history, and "higher purpose". Routine google searching turns up tons of electronic net artists, who operate without having heard of Ray Johnson or the many other worthy luminaries of the Craft.

I remember some years ago someone pulled a particularly vicious on line prank upon me, and then described it to me as "conceptual performance art". I hated to disappoint the artist involved, but it was actually an old internet trick, a faux accusation, later recanted, that nobody would call art so much as "something 15 year old hackers do" :). But maybe true art is the thing that nobody calls art, but evokes reaction. That's not my area at all. I like to staple photos or use crayons to make artistic postcards. I don't know what art is--I just try to make it sometimes.

I love your construct--mail art should cost the artist dearly. Very well put, very good to "think on". I heartily and without rancour admit that your own conceptual effort has been anything but "free".
I've always been a bit troubled, by the way, by the old effort to trick the postal service with artistamps as "postage" (as opposed to artistamps as just damn well cool) because it seems to me a needless ruse in pursuit of a less worthy goal. But again, I can claim no particular judgment in my lack of judgment.

My best wishes to you as you pursue your muse, and may all your costs be redeemed in a higher calling.

[sortofkindof.livejournal.com]

You were smart not to sign up for too many LMAOs (except mine of course!). I've been systematically removing myself from the ones I'm signed up for. Then again, I had about 5 exchanges where I did not receive anything back.

I felt really bad reading that letter of Erik's: it's like nervousness is this awful burden. I can't blame him though. Sometimes I'd go to the forums and want to run away. Some people seem to have made nervousness the sum total of their lives. I started to take it too seriously at one point and feel like I may have upset a person I thought was becoming a "mailart" buddy. Oh well. I'm just rambling.

But I see what you're saying. It's like people were just out to get as much as they could without putting any effort in. Same thing with postcardx. I stopped doing anything there too because it was just not satisfying. Ugh. By the way, I totally plan on sending you something someday (in thanks for the dental tool and in general), but it's taking me a while to find the appropriate item. Stay tuned.

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

Thanks for commenting. I don't know Erik, but I thought his letter was frank, comforting, likable disquieting and "he who sows the wind"-ish all at the same time. I wish him well, and I am grateful to him for this phase of nervousness, even if it be the last.

I am beginning to think that everything should cost something, even if something is nominal. That's because people expect to pay something for anything of value, whatever that something might be. I know with legal services, a client who pays a deeply discounted rate is almost always less demanding than one for whom the work is done free. Don't ask me why, for my theories, though vivid, would not be more insightful than yours.

Yours is one of but 2 I signed up for--the other one "disappeared" on its way to me, which seemed to be a common LMAO phenom, from what I read about things.

I can't knock anyone for being "into" nervousness,
it's only that sense of proprietary rights in a free service about which I am commenting here.

As far as you sending me something, never feel under any obligation. As I recall, I saw your call and said "I know a way, without undue expenditure, I can find something really cool she may never think of".
So I did. It was fun for me to do that, even though I know if I were "good", I'd have instead made a plaster of Paris set of dental fangs or something. But sometimes lack of art is art, I'll hastily say, as if it were profound.

I still like postcardx, but I must say I see it as "quirky acts of gentle kindness" more than "art".
I don't know why I make thi distinction, but I do.

I always worry when I take any internet exchange seriously, because of the problem of filing an on line buddy to which you allude. That usually leaves me, though, in the odd place of apologizing when I haven't done anything, which is just as odd, I suppose.

I'd still love to invent music for your LMAO, whether it is nervous or just fun :)

[lonestarslp.livejournal.com]

Some 8 year old students of mine riffed on that very topic today."Wouldn't it be great if there was no money and you just took whatever you wanted? Yeah, you could get dirtbikes!"

[gurdonark.livejournal.com]

I want a dirt bike, too :)