Petra, in my case what you said is not true...I post at the beginning of threads all the time. But, yes, having more people post would be a good idea, and I would be interested in what John (and others) are up to. I almost never go in the field anymore...although had another hike part way up Little Pine Mountain, this time with 2 grad students...so I don't think people really want me to discuss sitting in front of my computer in my home office.....
One thing I have to be a little careful about...not posting other people's unpublished ideas...and a lot of what I do I do as part of a group.
Chris