And in the End...

[Bruce Roe]

 Gentle Readers,

 	As we progress deeper and deeper into the unknown,
 pushing back the frontiers of knowledge, learning more about
 ourselves, our environment and how the physical, chemical
 and biological world works, we push ourselves to the limits
 of our capabilities and beyond.  We succeed in some efforts
 and fail in others, but we keep on pushing forward until we
 reach our breaking point, and then we quit when the light at
 the end of the tunnel is no longer visible.
 
 	Such has just happenned with the resignation of
 Rob "pushing back the frontiers" Harper in his position with
 IRLEARN.  Rob's contributions, along with Dave and others,
 have allowed many of us who use BIOSCI as a tool for our
 research to get about our business, while they help us
 communicate with others and teach us how to broaden our
 horrizons and look towards the future where we all will
 communicate easily via computers.  We sometimes forget that
 their work is research too, as they also are pushing back
 frontiers of knowledge and doing experiments to improve
 our abilities to communicate, discuss, educate and grow.

	Some experiments succeed while some almost succeed
 and yet others fail miserably.  Such is life and life goes
 on.  When our experiments fail or even when they succeed,
 we re-adjust our priorities and we push forward in a new
 direction.  We make our contribution in one area and then
 move on to new areas.  Some of my collegues have left the
 bench for administration, full-time classroom teaching, or
 selling insurance.  All continue to make a contribution,
 some more visible than others, but a contribution none the
 less.

	To Rob, good luck, hug your kids for me, continue to
 be yourself, thanks for your efforts in helping us communicate
 and keep pushing back those frontiers.

	To Dave and others who are "working behind the scenes",
 you have our support and go-for-it.

	To those of us who are users of the network, let us
 remember the 11th commandment:

	"Thou Shalt Not Take Thyself To Seriously"

	Life is too short to get all bent out of shape when
 someone doesn't use the network correctly or equipment or
 human made programs don't work properly.  The novice user
 eventually will learn the correct proceedure, the engineers
 will fix the equipment and the programmers will eliminate the
 bug.  People are killing each other over oil, children are
 starving to death in under developed countries, the AIDs 
 crisis is upon us, drugs are taking over the lives of other
 wise productive people, and some of us are upset because of
 bounced mail messages.  As my teenage daughter would say.
 "Get real and get a life".

 I'm not sorry for this long message and just hope it doesn't
 fall on blind eyes.

 Best to one and all,

        Bruce A. Roe
        Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry
        INTERNET: BROE at aardvark.ucs.uoknor.edu
        BITNET:   BROE at uokucsvx
        AT&TNET:  405-325-4912 or 405-325-7610
        SnailNet: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
                  University of Oklahoma
                  620 Parrington Oval, Rm 208
                  Norman, Oklahoma 73019
        FAXnet:   405-325-6111
        ICBMnet:  35 deg 14 min North, 97 deg 27 min West