Oh well if you're looking to debate them on "equal footing",
then yeah; the Journals are their Forums.
But, I've had a few questions or ideas. I usually get answered -
sometimes I don't. I was part of discussions with Douglas Adams
on the early Usenet before he passed on... and it's nice to have
had some contact.
It's sobering though. Wolfram was easy - I had about a dozen
questions and a few ideas; and he answered me with as much
seriousness as if I was "somebody important". I was satisfied.
His theories weren't for me entirely. I took what was good out
of it and moved on to my next thing to investigate.
As I'm writing them, looking up their email (and I've probably
done this only 6 or 7 times in my 25 year online career mind
you!) - I get a feeling of suddenly being very small... and a
fanboy/fangirl trying to catch Elvis' pantleg or whatever.
It's a good thing, in my opinion. I can be the big fish in the
small pond, but then there's a bigger pond out there, and yet a
bigger pond still, all the way to the history books. (and you
have to start a war to get in those, or get a fanbase either
while you're alive or after you're dead)
I think that's why I'm drawn to the ambiguous and the
awkwardness. To me, it goes beyond a level of
ideas/concepts/platonic solids and dichotomies and internet
discussions, but into our very moment-to-moment existence.
Oh wow - I gotta get off my soapbox - I'm the bum in Central
Park philosophizing aloud as if in ancient Greece
