It’s time again for your comments on any topic – civilised discussion and no coarse language please.

Access to the site has been intermittent for the last couple of weeks and comments have been correspondingly scanty. But everything seems to be working now, and I’m hoping discussion will resume here. Meanwhile, it’s been a bit lonely. So please post your comments on any topic or even just a note to say you’ve been to visit the site (as always, civilised discussion and no coarse language, please).

It’s the first of Spring* and time once again for your comments on any topic (civilised discussion and no coarse language please).

* There are more assumptions in here than I have space to unpack, but I’d be interested in people’s views on whether a four-season division makes sense where they live. It certainly doesn’t in Northern Australia, where there are really three seasons – the Dry, the Buildup and the Wet. In Brisbane, as far as I’ve experienced it, the seasons are Summer and Not Summer – there aren’t enough deciduous trees for an autumn/fall and there’s nothing that could be called a winter.

Another Monday, another message board. Post on any topic, civilised discussion and no coarse language please.

Regular reader Observa suggests the topic ‘Is the patenting of living organisms the new face of slavery?’

I’d be interested in comments the more general question of whether the patent system has overreached itself and whether patents now do more harm than good (leading questions, I know).

It’s time once again for your comments on any topic (civilised discussion and no coarse language please).

Suggested discussion starter: Is there an optimum population for Australia, and if so, what is it?

There’s been lots of lively discussion on a range of topics during the week. I’m particularly pleased to see old posts like the one on economic rationalism being opened up to new debate.

Now it’s time for your comments on any topic (civilised discussion and no coarse language, please).

If I can overcome the jet lag that’s causing me to scramble names in my posts, and generally to operate in something of a fog, I’ll be back to normal blogging this week. To start the week off in the traditional fashion, it’s time for Monday Message Board, where you can post your comments on any topic (civilised discussion and no coarse language, please).

I’m on the move again, to Montreal, so I don’t know when I’ll next be able to post. In the meantime, there’s the home-made fun and entertainment of the Monday Message Board. Post your views on any topic (civilised discussion and no coarse language, please!).

Suggested discussion starter: Collective blogs – is the whole more than the sum of its parts?

I’m not sure if it’s time for Monday Message Board, as it’s still Sunday in Maryland. But I guess blogging has its own time, and this is an Australian blog. So open up with your comments on any topic (civilised discussion and no coarse language, please).

Roll up yet again for the Monday Message Board. All topics welcome, civilised discussion, no coarse language please.

Suggested discussion starter 1: Why do the great majority of visitors read blogs, but never comment?

Suggested discussion starter 2: What’s your favorite self-referential paradox?

Update Although others came close, Chris Sheil gets the prize for recognising the subtle link between my two topics. Anyone who comments on topic 1 instantly disqualifies themselves, since I want to find out what motivates non-commenters.

Further update Controversy rages in the comments thread, with some participants maintaining the c8to should have been given the prize, and others rejecting the identity politics inherent in my supposition that commenters are not qualified to comment on the motivations of noncommenters. All this makes James Russell’s head explode. Read, enjoy, and comment!