Spammed....

200 attendees out of a claimed 8,000 members means that only 2.5% of A I members attended. This whole "by head of population" thing can bite one in the ass, can it not!

200 attendees out of a claimed 8,000 members means that only 2.5% of A I members attended. This whole "by head of population" thing can bite one in the ass, can it not!

Hi all,

I hope this doesn't upset the applecart too much on the various topics surrounding AI, and please do not ask me to back up the paragraph below because I have quite forgotten where I got my information from...

AI actually has less than 400 paid members this year. The c.7000 members Mr. Moore advises Joe Public how AI is the largest per head society/club/company/organisation/profit-mongering-on-hobbies-and-hobbiests consortium is an inclusive number of EVERY subscrition since AI's inception in 1992. TAS could boast almost 1,400 members if we included the same kind of figures (since 1986), when in actual fact we have about 60 paid members, and many more novices this season.

I myself have NEVER believed the AI figure of 4, 5, 6, 7,000 members over the years, because, quite simply, It doesn't fit in Ireland.

In my opinion, who is going to pay the kind of prices AI charges just to crank the head skywards, when a pair of binoculars and a few books and magazine issues can do this for years, and still be enjoyable, cheap, and sometimes challenging... Thats how I remember starting out, and it worked for me.

Can everyone, including those who (respectfully) dislike what I have typed here, please bear in mind one thing? If we all (or most) agree on how AI has ruined some peoples' view on astronomy, use your own powers to help out your own locale. There is an extraordinary event in less than 4 weeks, and Albert White has been trying to get clubs on board to help themselves and each other, so perhaps the little amount of hypocrisy that reigns, in the sense of those who talk loudest but do nothing to calm their AI anger, can have their say, do their thing, and promote the recognition that REAL clubs and societies deserve.

I don't mind any rebukes some of you may have, this is freedom of opinion!

Regards,

Seanie.

Hi Brian,
you sound like you work in Dunsink (by your first post).
What do the rest of your workmates think of it ???
How did you find out about it ??

Hi Brian,
you sound like you work in Dunsink (by your first post).
What do the rest of your workmates think of it ???
How did you find out about it ??

Hi Dave.

Yeah, I do work at Dunsink - I'm a postdoc there. I double up as the sysadmin there at the moment, so I got a few complaints from those who were there on Friday. I did also complain to the person running the mailing list, but as yet have had no reply.....

Clear skies.

Brian