Voting starts Tuesday night (March 4, 2003) at midnight and closes Friday night (Mar. 7, 2003) at midnight (that would be "Board Time", i.e. EST)

I'm sorry, but I just encountered a problem I hadn't anticipated when volunteering to tally this ballot: I can't be here on most of the (USA) Friday and Saturday (the Jewish day of sabbath, Israel time). The earliest possible time I can post the total vote count is Saturday night (USA time). Obviously, I don't mind doing that, but I figured most of you would like to know the results as fast as possible, so an around 24-hours delay is not of the good. My apologies, and any better solutions are highly welcome.

BTW, 90 people have voted so far.

You mean you have a life outside of here Nilly, and a faith other than the cult of the Buffistas?

Burn the heretic!

BTW, 90 people have voted so far.

That's good news. I was worried too many people would be turned off.

Personally, I don't mind if results are delayed a day.

In fact, the longer the voting period, the longer it will be quiet in here...

Nilly, how about a year's holiday in England?

Sigh. Just caught up on this thread. It's now the second most active thread I subscribe to. And at times, to (highly conflict-avoidant) me, the discussion seemed rather unBuffista. Tempers were flaring. Fairly harsh things were said. Probably no personal attacks, but some things aimed at other people seemed not exactly courteous.

I have to agree with both of the following, and other things said in the same vein.

Inevitably perhaps, when we turned that million watt attention at our own collective navel things went kerblooey. There was a weird feedback loop, a mobius strip of some kind.

In fact, the longer the voting period, the longer it will be quiet in here...

The atmosphere didn't seem to spill over into other threads, and nobody seems to have walked away from the board permanently. This time. But I worry that debate over the next proposal could create more tension, especially if it happens right away.

May I toss out a bold, maybe even radical, suggestion? After the current vote, a temporary moratorium on setting up the new procedures. Say, a week. I don't know of any burning issues that have to be decided before then, and any residual feelings can be smoothed over in that time.

It might even be appropriate to shut down the Bureaucracy thread during that time. We could use, say, the BBaBB thread for routine items that have to be decided now (example: thread titles).

Or am I overreacting, seeing a problem that doesn't exist (or doesn't exist any longer)?

I would hope that an awareness that too much navel gazing isn't worthwhile will keep things calmer in here, but if there seems to be a flare-up of posts that are upsetting people when the vote ends, it may be worth doing some Doblerizing.

. We could use, say, the BBaBB thread for routine items that have to be decided now (example: thread titles).

Please, no. I'd like that to stay technical.

Fred, I think things have calmed down a bit. I think there is some recognition to move forward more slowly, and also just heed the people who are resisting a lot of governance. It's slowed down a lot in here. Maybe Nilly's extra day of vote counting will be just the necessary tonic.

OK. Sounds like I was overreacting (or at least reacting too late).