Thanks to rc3, I found Danny O'Brien's Oblomovka, and its observations on “registers of conversations”. Which explains why rc3 is a good thing to read — it taps into pools I don't. Except that now I guess I'll be reading Danny O'Brien too…
Incidentally, Danny O'Brien appears to be connected to my old fave NTK, but that's surely an obsurantist taste if there ever was one….
Welcome to the world of blogs, Michael. Rc3 is indeed an excellent old-school weblog. For a list of some other weblogs started before the hypemachine began in 2000, check out: http://www.jjg.net/portal/tpoowl.html.