---

	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
		Digest Janitor: pbabcock at hbd.org


***************************************************************
        TODAY'S HOME BREW DIGEST BROUGHT TO YOU BY: 

        Logic, Inc. - Makers of Straight A Cleanser
		   www.ecologiccleansers.com

    Support those who support you! Visit our sponsor's site!
********** Also visit http://hbd.org/hbdsponsors.html *********

DONATE to the Home Brew Digest. Home Brew Digest, Inc. is a 
501(c)3 not-for-profit organization under IRS rules (see the
FAQ at http://hbd.org for details of this status). Donations
can be made by check to Home Brew Digest mailed to:

HBD Server Fund
PO Box 871309
Canton Township, MI 48187-6309

or by paypal to address serverfund@hbd.org. DONATIONS of $250 
or more will be provided with receipts. SPONSORSHIPS of any 
amount are considered paid advertisement, and may be deductible
under IRS rules as a business expense. Please consult with your 
tax professional, then see http://hbd.org for available 
sponsorship opportunities.
***************************************************************


Contents:
  HBD Format ("David Houseman")
  All In One HERMS System Control ("Eric \"Rick\" Theiner")
  Of wheels and other such inventions... ("Pat Babcock")


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
*   Beer is our obsession and we're late for therapy!   *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

NOTE: With the economy as it is, the HBD is struggling to 
meet its meager operating expenses of approximately $3500
per year. If less than half of those currently directly
subscribed to the HBD sent in a mere $5.00, the HBD would
be able to easily meet its annual expenses, with room to 
spare for next year. Please consider it.

Financial Projection As of 28 Mar 2011
***      Condition:  Green & Healthy      ***
              501(c)3 at risk
       Projected 2011 Budget  $3671.04
 Expended against projection  $1180.53
Projected Excess/(Shortfall)  $1899.30

As always, donors and donations are publicly acknowledged
and accounted for on the HBD web page. Thank you


Send articles for __publication_only__ to post@hbd.org

If your e-mail account is being deleted, please unsubscribe first!!

To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE send an e-mail message with the word
  "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" to request@hbd.org FROM THE E-MAIL
  ACCOUNT YOU WISH TO HAVE SUBSCRIBED OR UNSUBSCRIBED!!!**
IF YOU HAVE SPAM-PROOFED your e-mail address, you cannot subscribe to
  the digest as we cannot reach you. We will not correct your address
  for the automation - that's your job.

HAVING TROUBLE posting, subscribing or unsusubscribing? See the HBD FAQ at
http://hbd.org.

LOOKING TO BUY OR SELL USED EQUIPMENT? Please do not post about it here. Go
instead to http://homebrewfleamarket.com and post a free ad there.

The HBD is a copyrighted document. The compilation is copyright 
  HBD.ORG. Individual postings are copyright by their authors. ASK 
  before reproducing and you'll rarely have trouble. Digest content 
  cannot be reproduced by any means for sale or profit.

More information is available by sending the word "info" to 
req@hbd.org or read the HBD FAQ at http://hbd.org.

JANITORs on duty: Pat Babcock (pbabcock at hbd dot org), Jason Henning,
                  Spencer Thomas, and Bill Pierce



----------------------------------------------------------------------


Date: Wed, 13 Apr 2011 07:13:35 -0400
From: "David Houseman" <david.houseman at verizon.net>
Subject: HBD Format

Pat et al,

I'm sorry but I just don't get it.   HBD is certainly not the only 
discussion digest, I know I'm on a number.   And this issue of formatting 
seems to only be an issue here on HBD.   There are a number of softwares 
that would serve this purpose.    Having Pat write a word-wrapper is 
re-inventing the wheel.  Why do that?  HBD is the people, the participation 
and the knowledge, not specific software.   Can't an off-the-shelf forum 
software be used?    I know I can post from my laptop (MS Mail deals with 
the right line lengths) but I can't from my Verizon on-line mail client.

Dave Houseman



Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 13 Apr 2011 08:45:02 -0400
From: "Eric \"Rick\" Theiner" <rick at ecologiccleansers.com>
Subject: All In One HERMS System Control

I don't have time to craft the post I was going to,
but I'm looking for an easy option for HERMS control;
inputs of temp and possibly levels and outputs
for relays for heaters (I'm electric) and pumps.

Without skewing the results by talking about what
I've found, what ideas do you guys have?

I can do my own plumbing and wiring (yes, I now
have someone doublechecking my house current
stuff) but programming is beyond me, nor do I want
to take the time to learn.

I'll be starting from the ground up in terms of the
control, so any thoughts on sensors, boxes,
interfaces, etc, are encouraged.

Rick

P.S. I love the digest format, but doing away with the
80 character thing would be the best thing I could
imagine happening here!<g>  Thanks for working
on it, Pat.


Return to table of contents


Date: Wed, 13 Apr 2011 09:07:26 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Pat Babcock" <pbabcock at hbd.org>
Subject: Of wheels and other such inventions...

Greeting, Beerlings! Take me to your circular frame of hard material that
may be solid, partly solid, or spoked that is capable of turning on an
axle and which reduces the effort required to move an object placed atop
it or upon a central axle connected therein...

Dave Houseman writes:
"I'm sorry but I just don't get it. HBD is certainly not the only
discussion digest, I know I'm on a number. And this issue of formatting
seems to only be an issue here on HBD. There are a number of softwares
that would serve this purpose. Having Pat write a word-wrapper is
re-inventing the wheel.  Why do that?  HBD is the people, the
participation and the knowledge, not specific software.   Can't an
off-the-shelf forum software be used?"

Use your memory to guide you, Dave. When the AHA took the HBD on, they did
precisely what you suggest, and the result killed the Digest. The
resulting meteoric rise in mail volume coupled with a precipitous fall in
signal:noise drove many quality posters away. The majority: permanently.

Yss, the Digest is it's posters; however, the OTHER part of what makes it
the HBD - the part you seem to be forgetting - is the Digest's unique
capability to allow the poster to recall/cancel their posting before the
next publication time. This allows the poster the ability to reconsider
the content of their post should they suffer from "send button remorse"
and/or a need to cancel and revise/repost for added clarity. I believe
even you have made use of this feature over the years. Are you aware of
any "off the shelf" package incorporating this? Neither am I.

Also, there's the Digests moderation policy and method - the part none of
you can see (ignore the men behind the curtains...). The Digest is set up 
such that if a travesty of nature were to wipe out the pool of Janitors,
the Digest will still publish (assuming that same travesty didn't wipe out
all the posters...). The moderation schemes I've encountered in "off the
shelf" packages are all or nothing: either content is moderated or it is
not. If moderated, the inability of the moderator(s) to reach the queue
and pass the mail through prevents publication of the mailing. Yes, many
of these packages allow you to turn on and off a "moderation bit" for
individual posters, but for this to work, a  poster must be on the
subscription list. Not so on the Digest - where the majority of readers
pick it off the web, anyway. One of those "off the shelf systems" would, 
at worst, preclude web-readers' abililty to post or, at best, make the
subscription list nighmarish to maintain. (I'm speaking from experience - 
I run several of these "off the shelf" lists...)

Modernizing the HBD is not a bad thing. It's feature set remains pretty
much unique among mailing lists, and that alone makes it worthy of effort.
Being about the oldest email digest script out on the 'net still running
pretty much in its original form is another. But my long ago promise to
keep it thus is the the most compelling of them all - rather than renege,
I am happy to reinvent the wheel; of course, given the time and reference
material, suitable boulder, chisel, and striker...

- -- 
See ya!

Pat Babcock in SE Michigan
Chief of HBD Janitorial Services
http://hbd.org
pbabcock at hbd.org




Return to table of contents

---