The Case of the Unwilling Teacart

The universe, as Sherlock Holmes once observed, is rational, elegant and based on mathematical equations. People are not. When the universe and people come into conflict, the universe always wins.

Take "The Case of the Unwilling Teacart."  It posits a simple algorithm: the fewer people that have access to the management of archives, mailing lists, websites, or LJ communities, the greater the likelihood that they will be run over by a  teacart. And all the data, stories, vids, emails will be lost. Oh, and they'll be dead.

I can name several archives of podfic, vids, fan fic, and dozens of mailing lists where the moderators/owners have wandered off and left the community hanging without anyone else having the ability to continue maintaining or accessing the files.

Typically, the universe does not pay attention if a single fan wanders off and abandons their fan fic in an archive, allows their website registration to lapse or deletes their blog.  It most likely has something to do with mass or gravity - or the lack thereof. A single person simply lacks sufficient significance to attract the universe's attention.

But if you're a moderator, an archive maintainer, a mailing list owner, beware. The universe has a teacart aimed right at you. Your best (and only defense) against being run over is to make certain at least one  other fan has password access to your archive/mailing list/community. Even better if there is more than one body to help spread the risk.


Don't do it for fandom. Do it for yourself. And the tea-carts who find themselves unwillingly pressed into the service of the universe.