The Cuttest Critter

James recently asked me:

Just wondering what type of animal you think it is eating what is believed to be a Woad Plant on f25v

referring to this cute little critter.

I don’t think it’s supposed to be a real animal. My guess is it’s a little dragon; the scaly back, the comparatively short legs, the ears and comb on the neck, and the fact that it may only have two legs seem to be a good match for me. Compare here for the idea of a 15th century painter (Uccello) what a dragon is supposed to look like.

“Censorship”

Lately, I received a brief message —

Censorship should be consistent

which I feel deserves a bit of comment because it represents a widespread, but false notion from the web. (I presume the missive didn’t allude to the general state of international politics, but referred to my decision to block some user comments on my blog.)

First of all, “censorship” means the suppression of information or opinion, usually through a public body. This is definitely not the same thing as deciding to ignore a contribution.

But, secondly and more importantly, you seem to feel you are entitled to using my blog for your messages. This is simply wrong, contribution here is a priviledge I grant (or withhold), as is the case with any private web page. My blog is not a public place to which anyone should have access, but a private BBQ I hold in my backyard. You are invited to drop by and share the party, but if you act inappropriately, I’ll kick you out, and, as the digital landlord, here I’m the sole arbiter to what constitutes appropriate behaviour. Simple as that. Play somewhere else.

Considering that I work for the maintenance of this site, that I’m legally responsible for the contents and that finally I’ll also be judged on the merits of the contributions here, I feel this is only fair. You’re free to go any other place, and party and voice your opinion there, and you will find I do nothing to hinder your free speech there. (That would be censorship.)

So while you’d be able to publicize on your own, you prefer to parasite from the infrastructure provided by me, insulting me with claims of “censorship” when I refuse to comply. This in itself should justify blocking your access.

“This conversation can serve no further purpose.”

A Plea to all Voynicheros

If you pursue a theory, please keep your website up-to-date.

As happened several times on the Voynich list during the last weeks, readers were encouraged to test other’s deciphering schemes based on publications on certain websites, but ran into dead ends or couldn’t arrive at the same results as the original poster. Only later or after complaining about this were they told that the information on the website was outdated.

This is impolite, cause it’s a waste of time on your readers’ part, it will make them irritated and discourage them to get seriously engaged with your theory, it will make them miss the point (of testing your theory), and it will do your reputation in general no good. So, it’s a win-win if you first update your website and then publicize it.

Thanks!