On the Advantages of Distributed versus Centralised Networks

Surfing the promo site of the Chinese discovered America book, I did come up with an interesting piece of information: in the first weeks after setting up the site they received 16,000 message posts. Result: their system collapsed and they closed the message board. Obviously somewhere in all those mails there may be some interesting material, the problem will be finding it. In this sense I feel the weblog system of steady on-going message circulation represents a huge leap forward for the knowledge development and R&D process. Less 'spikes' and less collapses. Weblogging seems to be an example of what Max Weber called 'elective affinities', people with common interests finding each other. Not like the case of our stalwart naval investigator, who suddenly finds his 'surly crew' want to take over the ship. Not at all to his liking. On the mail front, I get two or three a day, and have trouble answering them seriously, but still, please keep 'em coming they really are useful.

Since ‘1421’ was published in the U.K. last November, more than 200,000 hardback copies have been sold. This has resulted in a flood of new evidence: over 16, 000 messages have been received by Gavin Menzies and his team. Most come via the website contact form. This new evidence will require the book to be expanded and corrected in time for the paperback launch in October 2003. Preparing the paperback will be very time consuming: the team will have to cut down on all extraneous activities, and sadly this includes the monitoring and recording of the message board, which has developed into a talking shop, doubtless of interest to the participants but not in the majority to the author. As a result, it is with regret that we inform you that we will be closing the message board until further notice. We do however still encourage you to please keep your comments, suggestions and in particular new evidence, coming in via the contact board. We will endeavour to answer every one of these and acknowledge the contribution.In future, after Synopsis number 10, new evidence will not be placed on the website, but e-mailed monthly on a confidential basis to those who continue to help. A message board with restricted access will also be established to function as before, but a limited and more focussed forum base will hopefully entail more relevant and productive discussion.
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