Stamp Column Archives

The Glassine Surfer Column Archive

This column originally appeared in the American Philatelic Society's monthly magazine, "The American Philatelist." Since then some of the information may be out-of-date depending on how far back you're reading.

January 2000

Rule Britannia

I'm not sure where all that leaves philately.  Though I think we'll probably enjoy the ride, the future may not be in the constant flurry of new issues for nothing deflates a collector's spirit more than reams of ersatz, neither germane to the country nor postally necessary.

No, the future of stamps may be in it's past, those tried-and-true stamp issues that nostalgically echo people, places, times and achievements, such as those of Great Britain.

Great Britain is a great stamp collecting country.  Not only were they the first to issue stamps, but they still rank among the very best, spanning from the 1840's Penny Black to 1999's Machin issues.

So while looking at the horizons ahead, it's worthwhile to remember one of the best chapters of stamp collecting by visiting some of better sites on the subject.

Penny Black and Tuppence Blue
http://www.kernunnos.com/Philately/GBQVLE.html

Monarchy and Stamps Official FAQ
http://www.royal.gov.uk/faq/stamps.htm

The Postage Stamps of Great Britain
http://www.home.earthlink.net/~pennyred/

Before the Penny Black by E and R Shanahan
http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~awoodley/Letter2.html

The Stamps of George VI
http://www.members.linkopp.com/dkstudd/

John A. McCulloch's Great Britain Philately
http://philately.8m.com/gb/gb01001.html

British Domestic Rates 1966-1999
http://www.gbstamps.com/gbcc/gbcc_rates1.html

Tony Clayton's Stamps of the UK and Italy
http://www.tclayton.demon.co.uk/stamps/machin.html

The Mystery Box (story)
http://themysterybox.com/Features/rv/31p.html

Royal Mail Screensaver
http://www.royalmail.co.uk/screensaver/start.htm

The Stamp Show 2000
http://www.stamp2000.co.uk/index.html

True, I could have chosen a great American chapter of philately, but remember it was a Brit, Rowland Hill, who gave us stamps, and a Brit, Tim Berners-Lee who gave us the Web, so in this case Britain provides symmetry.

Robot Thinks?

Could I have found wisdom on the Web.  Could a machine have had a synaptic thought?  

Go to the Google search engine and search for the phrase "more evil than satan" without the quotes.  You'll fing the answer interesting. If not amusing, it'll at least be thought-provoking.

Google
http://www.google.com

The phrase is part of the riddle, "I am greater than God.  More Evil than satan. Rich men don't want me.  Poor men have me.  What am I?"

The answer can be found with a simple search at AltaVista.

AltaVista
http://www.altavista.com

Roaring Downloads

Last month I mentioned using a program that would help you when downloading large files, like those in the 64Mb range.  One such tool is  Go!zilla.  Though I caution you, it really thinks it's "Godzilla," especially when its .wav files start roaring.

It's a browser-style interface with lots of options and icons, split into two main sections.  One is for maximizing the downloading of files, and the other is for grabbing files from the Go!zilla site.

With both Go!zilla and Web browser open, drag the file you want from the browser to Go!zilla.  It then checks the connection and checks for other download locations.  Start the download and it goes to the fastest connection and starts.  It will also pick up the download from another server if the original download stalls or gets sluggish.  It can also resume broken downloads if both the server and your connection support it.  

The other section is a connection to their web site, which has arranged downloads by type, in effect making them a good source for new programs and packages.  

This section is geared for Gen-X and younger and has some really flashy wares on tap.  And one hint. Turn down your speaker volume as the download nears completion, especially if you're at work.  

Go!zilla
http://www.gozilla.com/

The Bulletin

The USPS Web site is a complex of services and links, and squirrled away at the very bottom is the bi-weekly "Postal Bulletin."  This is the USPS' instructions to your neighborhood post office and includes advance notices, time-sensitive news and business information.  

The obvious sections of interest to collectors are the philately and special cancellations sections, though I find tidbits scattered throughout the bulletins.