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Red Rock Eater News Service — FAQwriting

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Source

  • Live URL: https://pages.gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/agre/rre-faq.html
  • Wayback URL: https://web.archive.org/web/2009/https://pages.gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/agre/rre-faq.html
  • Fetched: 2026-03-03

    • Content

    What is RRE?

    The Red Rock Eater News Service is a mailing list curated by Phil Agre featuring approximately five messages weekly, primarily discussing social and political dimensions of computing and networking.

    Subscription and Management

    Subscribers can join by emailing requests@lists.gseis.ucla.edu with "subscribe rre" in the subject line. The unsubscribe process mirrors this format. The list accommodates roughly 6,000 direct subscribers, with additional readership through local redistribution channels.

    Technical Operations

    Agre manages the list using Berkeley mailx on a Unix system with Emacs for composition and formatting to 70-column width. The underlying infrastructure runs on Apple-based LetterRip software, though migration to more robust systems is planned.

    Content Philosophy

    RRE functions as a curated feed rather than discussion forum -- only Agre can post messages. He processes submissions at pagre@ucla.edu and estimates distributing approximately one-third of received items. The editor acknowledges most submissions briefly, even if not selected for distribution.

    Notable Policies

  • Agre strongly discourages using email "redirect" functions, citing technical problems with reply routing and message attribution confusion.
  • Commercial press releases are unwelcome and treated as spam.
  • Conference announcements are included to highlight speaker names, trending issues, and industry terminology, even for non-attending subscribers.
  • Subscriber identities remain confidential.

    • Name Origins

    The title derives from a children's riddle: "What is big and red and eats rocks? A big red rock eater." Agre intentionally chose deliberately non-technological language.