From: IN%"jms@tennis.opus1.com" 28-JAN-1997 21:21:19.25 To: IN%"Info-PMDF@INNOSOFT.COM" CC: Subj: Re: ALL-IN-1 and RFC822 Headers Return-path: Received: from THOR.INNOSOFT.COM (274002B6@THOR.INNOSOFT.COM) by spcvxa.spc.edu (PMDF V5.0-8 #19122) id <01IEREEIMCHS8XFOVZ@spcvxa.spc.edu> for TERRY@spcvxa.spc.edu; Tue, 28 Jan 1997 21:21:11 -0500 (EST) Received: from MVB.SAIC.COM by INNOSOFT.COM (PMDF V5.1-6 #8694) id <01IER7YM5ZTSAW231I@INNOSOFT.COM> (original mail from jms@tennis.opus1.com) for TERRY@SPCVXA.SPC.EDU; Tue, 28 Jan 1997 18:17:40 -0700 (PDT) Received: from MVB.SAIC.COM by INNOSOFT.COM (PMDF V5.1-6 #8694) with SMTP id <01IER7YLPHF8AW243W@INNOSOFT.COM> for info-pmdf-list3@REPROCESS; Tue, 28 Jan 1997 18:17:15 -0700 (PDT) Date: Tue, 28 Jan 1997 19:07:40 -0700 From: jms@tennis.opus1.com (Joel M Snyder) Subject: Re: ALL-IN-1 and RFC822 Headers To: Info-PMDF@INNOSOFT.COM Errors-to: epmdf@INNOSOFT.COM Message-id: <1997Jan28.190740.296@tennis.opus1.com> Organization: Opus One, Tucson, Arizona Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Lines: 59 X-Gateway-source-info: USENET X-Newsgroups: vmsnet.mail.pmdf In article <01IEK8TMJ7060001DW@mr.Goethe.de>, Bernd.Fischer@goethe.de writes: > before), thus producing an extra sheet of paper when printing the > message - and some users start complaining... You have to take a proactive stance with this. Those of us who remember the days when the VMS print queues could not be convinced to not put out an extra BLANK sheet of paper on laser printers have been through this a hundred times. If someone says "hey, I now get an extra sheet of paper out when I print," you should immediately step up to within 10 cm. of the person in question and say "WHY ARE YOU WASTING PAPER BY PRINTING EMAIL MESSAGES????!!!!???? HAVE YOU NO RESPECT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT???? WHY DO YOU THINK WE PUT THE EMAIL SYSTEM UP IN THE FIRST PLACE???? TO SAVE TREES, THAT'S WHY!!!" This will usually cause them to jump back between 1 and 5 meters, which will give you the chance to then attack on a different front by asking "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MUCH IT COSTS OUR COMPANY EACH YEAR TO KEEP THE PRINTERS RUNNING?????" (I put this in upper case so you'll understand the proper tone of voice to use. In German, I'm sure that this could be rather spectactular.) Now, it is possible that you may run into someone who is slicker and better at this than you are. Organizations tend to grow such bits of puffery who glory in complaining that their SMTP headers have suddenly appeared on a second piece of paper. In that case, they will probably look at you in a non-plussed way after your first statement about trees. They will then start whining about how there is this extra piece of paper, probably because they don't have anything useful to do with their lives besides make yours miserable. These people have to be handled differently. You need to let them whine for about 30 seconds, perhaps as long as a minute. Adopt a facial expression of defeat as if they are right and you are wrong. This will encourage them to say more stupid things, perhaps commenting on how the VT100 terminal beep just isn't the same as the VT52 one. When they have said their piece, pause. Look at them in the eye and nod a few times. Look down at your watch and study it carefully for 3 or 4 seconds of silence. Then look up and say, in a careful and measured voice, "Let me get this right. You just wasted 5 minutes of my time [exaggeration is important here] to complain about a few lousy sheets of paper? Are you kidding me? You just threw $900 worth of your time [remember: exaggeration] and my time in the toilet to talk about $2 worth of paper? " Now, get a little excited: "DO YOU HAVE ANY SENSE OF PERSPECTIVE??? THIS IS RIDICULOUS! FIND SOMETHING USEFUL AND IMPORTANT TO COMPLAIN ABOUT! ARE YOU A KNOWLEDGE WORKER OR A CIVIL SERVANT???" I find that using either of these two approaches, or perhaps both of them used on alternate days, will quiet people who complain about extra sheets of paper. It helps if you don't shave on the day you plan to use this technique, at least if you're a guy. jms Joel M Snyder, 1404 East Lind Road, Tucson, AZ, 85719 Phone: +1 520 324 0494 (voice) +1 520 324 0495 (FAX) jms@Opus1.COM http://www.opus1.com/jms Opus One