There is a microfiche reader/printer for sale on EBAY at the moment. the description follows: "Bell & Howell ABR 2000 plain paper reader printer,zoom lens 18x to 36x,Curent model,plastic moulded.Full working condition and very little use and fully serviced before collection,Ideal for Company House and family history fiche.Prints from normal negative fiche.Cost new £3000.00 A new reader only,costs £330.00+ so this is a real bargin.Good luck. Collection prefered but delivery by arrangement." The item number is: Item # 1703103642 Keith Mosley

Keith Mosley wrote: > There is a <SNIP> Commercial spam abuse reported to ISP. Bob

Bummer. That's what I get waiting three days to check back in the newsgroups. Probably too late to try to get it now. I happen to have "Ancestors and Descendants of Henry Gregory" on fiche. I requested it on Inter Library Loan (ILL) one day some years ago and while they could not locate an available copy of the BOOK, they were able to locate a copy of it on FICHE. They asked if I still wanted them to request it and I said "sure." When it came, it was actually attached with a note saying that I could HAVE it. Blew me away. So here I sit with a copy of that book in my hands - on FICHE - and I have to drive all the way to the library if I want to read it. Not a problem. But it would be more convenient if I had a reader at home. I understand that one can also order/borrowed fiche sometimes, sent to your home in the mail. A fiche reader at home would be GREAT like that, then. As far as the gentleman (?) reporting this conversation as a "spam" abuse, 1) it's not gonna do much good with people like me who access this list from the newsgroup side, and not from the listgroup side. 2) Since this is soc.genealogy.MISC, I think this fits well in here, either way. 3) It could perhaps also fall into soc.genealogy.COMPUTING, I suppose - although, a fiche reader is not technically a "computer." Point is, who gives a damn? At least the arrow was rightly AIMED at the mark. If it missed just a little by accident...so "sue." And I think that's exactly how the list admins are going to look at this particular case. They'll ignore it because it's just a little too rediculous. In this particular case the "spam" definition is technically incorrect. It was NOT an e-mail totally off topic, using all sorts of fun HTML, script, and Active-X magic, which collected cookies and installed "spyware" surrepetiously on everyones machines, and asked everyone if they'd like to get 30 days free use of a sex site depicting live nude women performing [fill in the blank], for example. THAT ... IS, and would be worth a reporting of, "unwanted spam." Also, this person's response was in direct response to another genealogist's query over the existence of fiche readers for genealogical use. It's genealogy. It's miscellaneous genealogy. It fits in here just as easily. ...And the gentleman complaining is being annoyingly rediculous, himself, and worthy of it's own "reporting" in and of itself. The first complaint was far too much as it was, and served absolutely no purpose or point whatsoever. To Keith...thanks. And I appreciate people like you trying to be of real service and a real, kind, and legitimite HELP to other genealogists like that. Nobody asked you to keep an eye out for stuff like that for other people and you did it out of pure kindliness - with no recompense asked. You deserve KUDOS, not harrassments. I hope this negative experience does not cause you to stop doing just that all because of one negative person. Todd -------------------------------------------------------------- Todd L. Sherman/KB4MHH Gainesville, Alachua Co. FL E-mail: afn09444@afn.org Web: http://www.afn.org/~afn09444 --------------------------------------------------------------