Hi Canie,

The present EarthWaves board is somewhat unique as it is the only bulletin board that I am aware of that lets scientists post notes without excessive interference by amateurs. The amateurs might mean well. But they can make posting impossible for scientists etc. by constantly asking them questions that have been repeatedly answered or have been answered at various Web sites. The scientists simply don’t have time to answer endless numbers of questions.

I could run a bulletin board that is a more sophisticated version of the EarthWaves board on one of my Web sites and have already designed such a board. This is an indirect address for what the latest version that I created looks like.

http://www.freewebs.com/eq-forecasting/bbs.html

It uses the same Matt Wright CGI program as the EarthWaves board. But I have already added some additional features. And I know a lot more about Perl language programming now then when I first started the work and plan to add quite a few more features. But doing that and running the board takes time that I don’t have.

Additional Features -

* The ability to store graphics files along with the text file

* More than one Web page for board postings that can display postings arranged by the time a note was posted or by the poster’s name

* Features that let the board poster specify who can or cannot post responses such as the following:

- Responses can be posted by anyone. People do not need to have board posting privileges.

- Responses can be posted only by people who have board posting privileges

- No responses can be posted by anyone except the board poster

- Responses have to be sent by E-mail to the board poster for approval

- Responses can be posted only by people who are on the board poster’s preapproved list

- Responses cannot be posted by people who are on the board poster’s no response list

If you turn control of the EarthWaves board over to a member of the geology community or one of the geology community’s major supporters then it is likely that no earthquake forecasting researchers will ever again post any more notes to this board. And that might make some people happy. But the board will likely become just like any number of other bulletin boards that have totally failed in the past. No one was interested in them.

As I said, I could easily host a version this board at my Web sites. And the only reason I have never done that is because I don’t have time to do everything. And hosting a board takes time.

Here again is a proposed list of humanity’s three most important projects.

1. Stopping or slowing the development and proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction

2. Developing a nonprofit foundation that can show governments around the world what they should actually be doing to move our world forward

3. Getting new sources of environmentally safe, affordable energy developed

At the present time, as far as I can tell I appear to be the only scientist who is working on that second project and one of the relative few who is making a concerted effort to get governments to work on that third, energy related project.

Here are some of the other projects that are on my list of “to do” things.

PET ANIMAL PROJECT

The development of 2 very distinct projects that would make it easier or even possible for us to interact with at least some other members of the animal kingdom such as pet dogs, cats, farm animals, zoo animals, and even wild animals.

One of those projects was discussed in detail a while ago with one of our world’s leading wildlife researchers. And he gave it his full approval.

I have already done some of the important research on the other human – animal communications project.

One of the highly important goals of those efforts is to dramatically improve interactions between blind people and their seeing eye dogs.

Another application would simply make it easier for people to understand what their pet dog, for example, wanted when it stood in front of them and wagged its tail.

Is it hungry? (Is there ever a time when a healthy dog is not hungry?)

Does it want to go out and attend to nature’s calling?

Does it want to go for a walk?

Does it just want some attention?

Is it is staring at you in an attempt to hypnotize you so that in the future you will feed it whatever and whenever it wants?

Just what does a pet dog (or cat) want when it is staring at you? (An unsolved mystery since the earliest days of human – canine interactions)

EDUCATION PROJECT

The development of procedures that would enable us to much more rapidly improve schools and at-home learning tools such as procedures for learning new languages.

TRAVEL PROJECT

The development of 22nd century airports that could have been built in the 20th century along with the aircraft that would go with them.

The airports would be extremely safe compared with present airports.

Planes could take off and land in weather conditions short of just about anything except a tornado coming down the runway.

The airports would cost far less to build and run and require less land.

Present airports could be retrofitted with these new facilities.

They would be much, much more passenger friendly. No more sitting on the airplane for hours on the runway waiting to get approval to take off. You could even wait in your car until the last minute before the plane took off.

Aircraft would also be much safer to fly and perhaps even less expensive for the airlines to operate and upgrade with new safety and economy features.

TRAVEL PROJECT

The development of car - train transportation systems that could revolutionize both the automobile and transportation industries and also radically change how and when people are able to work.

OTHER PROJECTS

I have a list of about 2 dozen of those projects. Another involves developing procedures etc. that would help keep sharks from biting surfboard riders and people swimming in the ocean.

I can’t actively work on 2 dozen projects at the same time and have only limited amounts of time to even do earthquake and earthquake forecasting research. Your bulletin board saves me some time because it makes it easier to post information regarding earthquake research updates in a protected environment. Then I have more time (in theory anyway) to work on the dog, cat, and wild human - animal interactions projects.