Prelude to our final report

[Peggy Wilkins]

I haven't said much here lately, but that doesn't mean I have been
inactive: I have undertaken a review of all that has been said here
over the past year.  Part of this review for me has been recasting my
past beliefs: having new realizations and further reactions to what we
have talked about.  I have also been continuing to take in the new
issues of PLAYBOY, and to react to those.

I am working very hard to construct a conceptual framework in which to
present the final report of this project.  My hope is to present
PLAYBOY with a useful way of thinking about their current situation,
how they got there, and where they're going.  I have found this to be
an extremely challenging and exciting task.

I have also continued to participate in discussion forums about
PLAYBOY such as the PML and the message boards at the Cyber Club.
Occasionally some very interesting topics have come up, and my
participation there has led to (I hope...) more insights and more
progress.  A recent thread on the CC message boards led someone to ask
me what I would do as editor of PLAYBOY.  I couldn't resist such a
challenging and provocative question, so as a kind of warmup exercise
to writing our report, I have undertaken an answer.  I have found this
exercise to be quite useful in forcing me to clarify and express the
concepts needed.  I welcome any commentary on what I have written so
far.  You can read it here:

    http://mozart.lib.uchicago.edu/mozart/editorial.html

(Note it is as of yet incomplete, and also that it is not intended to
be our report, but rather a working out of stating the ideas.)

If anyone wants to follow the entire message board thread, which is
much longer than my single response above and includes much commentary
from others, it is available here:

    http://boards.playboy.com//showflat.php?Cat=&Board=lounge&Number=67697&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=&fpart=1

(I believe that registration with the message boards is required for
viewing.)

I am waiting with as much anticipation as anyone to see how this all
turns out.  It's most definitely a work in progress.


Peggy Wilkins
mozart@lib.uchicago.edu