<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 6.00.6000.16681" name=GENERATOR> <STYLE></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Kendall-</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>1) <A href="mailto:Pianotech@ptg.org">Pianotech@ptg.org</A> was originally created by the College and University Technicians group as a way to discuss their issues and problems.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>It became very popular and heavily used, so the CAUTs decided to give Pianotech to the world at large, and to move their discussions to a new list serve, CAUT. When people cross-post every thought to both lists, it defeats the purpose of CAUT, which is to serve a dedicated community in a concise manner.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>2) As you know, piano technology is not a regulated profession in the USA, and many people take advantage of this to cheat the public with lousy work. PTG is based on the premise that we can become a voluntary self-regulating profession. Our most difficult problem is motivating less accomplished technicians to attain and demonstrate basic skills. "Why should I when all my customers know I'm competent?" "Why should I bother when somebody as great as So-and-So (everybody knows he's great) doesn't bother?</FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2>" </FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>By demonstrating willingness to be tested for basic competency, you motivate your younger colleagues to take competency seriously.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>3) Jumping through hoops? Do you think the exam skills are hoop jumping? They look to me like the basic skills we use every day to do professional work. Did your dentist jump through hoops...or perhaps take some exams to show basic knowledge of dentistry?</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I hope you'll join us and contribute some of your skills and knowledge to the work of building and maintaining this wonderful craft.</FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2></DIV></FONT> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Ed Sutton (RPT)</FONT></DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV> <DIV style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=kenbean@pacbell.net href="mailto:kenbean@pacbell.net">Kendall Ross Bean</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=caut@ptg.org href="mailto:caut@ptg.org">'College and University Technicians'</A> </DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, July 10, 2008 8:18 PM</DIV> <DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [CAUT] Requirements for contributing/posting</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=901592123-10072008><FONT face=Arial size=2>Dear Chris:</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=901592123-10072008><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=901592123-10072008><FONT face=Arial size=2>(Sigh.) </FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=901592123-10072008><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=901592123-10072008><FONT face=Arial size=2>Must I join your club, and jump through all the hoops (RPT requalification), and become a bona fide CAUT, (and stay away from purely technical discussions!) in order to have anything of value to contribute?</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=901592123-10072008><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=901592123-10072008><FONT face=Arial size=2>Or can I by this point be considered to have achieved some degree of stature in the technical and musical communities, in spite of the apparent absence of such prima facie endorsements?  </FONT></SPAN><SPAN class=901592123-10072008><FONT face=Arial size=2>(i.e. - haven't I done enough already?)</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=901592123-10072008><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=901592123-10072008><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=2>(On the CAUT info page it says that CAUT is a "community service", and also that it is an "open list, allowing anyone to subscribe or submit posts." Did I somehow misunderstand?)</FONT></FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=901592123-10072008><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=901592123-10072008><FONT face=Arial size=2>Can't I just be a guest for now?</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=901592123-10072008><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=901592123-10072008><FONT face=Arial size=2>(It's okay, if my contributions are not pleasing or wanted I can go somewhere else... ...sniff... ;-)  )</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=901592123-10072008><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=901592123-10072008><FONT face=Arial size=2>~Kendall Ross Bean</FONT></SPAN></DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=901592123-10072008><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV> <DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=901592123-10072008> <DIV align=left> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=533361603-16112007>PianoFinders</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=533361603-16112007><A title=http://www.pianofinders.com href="http://www.pianofinders.com/">www.pianofinders.com</A></SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=533361603-16112007>e-mail: <A title=mailto:kenbean@pianofinders.com href="mailto:kenbean@pianofinders.com">kenbean@pianofinders.com</A></SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=533361603-16112007></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN class=533361603-16112007><EM>Connecting Pianos and People</EM></SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN class=533361603-16112007><EM></EM></SPAN></FONT> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN class=533361603-16112007><SPAN class=901592123-10072008><EM>"The reward for jumping through hoops is... ...more hoops".</EM></SPAN></SPAN></FONT></DIV></DIV></SPAN></DIV><BR></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>