Drury:

I think you have put your finger on the Achilles Heel of Archipelago (THERE'S an odd image! ). As editor, I am able to interact at twice the speed of other members, and so perhaps I am not as sensitive to this problem as I could be.

But what can we do? Unless I am overlooking something, the only solution to this problem is to turn Archipelago into some kind of electronic bulletin board. I have recently started to play with some public boards (there are THOUSANDS!) and it is fun to ask and answer in days instead of months.

But the more I try these things, the more I appreciate the odd, ponderous pace of Archipelago. Again, I think it's like the difference between letters and phone calls. Each has its advantages. But phone calls can't be re-read and treasured. Letters can.

Ours is the first generation which expects instant communication. It wasn't so long ago that people put letters onto ships or into saddlebags and were astonished to receive a reply within the same YEAR.

Don't get me wrong. I'm eternally grateful for indoor plumbing and electricity (and Macintoshes!) but I also think that every cloud has its proverbial silver lining. The longer it takes, the more it matters.

So, until we can find a way to at least cut the waiting time in half (and I AM open to suggestions), I hope you will all continue to hurl your questions into the ether. If you can find questions that are, by their very nature, "timeless," so much the better!