[ATM] ATM: Error

["David Harbour" <stainless_steel@suddenlink.net>]

My Dear Fellow ATMs, one and all:

I have discovered, in the hardcopy of "Understanding Foucault", in the 
apendix entitled: "Appendix II: Figuring with the Area Formatted Ring Lap" a 
small, but not insignificant error which I cannot believe escaped my four 
proof readings; if the error is mine, it is further evidence of neurological 
deterioration, I am led to believe. But that is not important. What is 
important is that each one of you be properly satisfied with a correct and 
true dissertation of the tutorials I wrote over the years and issued over 
the internet to my students. Therefore, those of you who have already 
purchased "Understanding Foucault" will be provided with a printed "Errata" 
insert, which is the manner, or custom, of publishers when they have not 
(after all) thoroughly and correctly proofed and purged their book of 
errors. I was sure that I had.

Firstly, I ask your pardon (forgiveness) for this stupid mistake. Secondly, 
let me draw your attention to the "offending" passage (text only)- and then, 
let me suggest to you the nature of the mistake, and lastly, if I have all 
of your "snail mail" addresses (each of you who hqave purchased the little 
book) I can send you a formal "Errata" insert, properly printed (my old 
Lexmark melted down, as well as my last computer; however, I will have these 
inserts printed properly and mailed to each of you)-

The text error is on page 93, and is a simple textual error, as I said 
before (it is disturbing to me that I could miss this) each of you will 
receive an Errata insert to tape onto (as a suggestion) the inside of your 
end of the book cover. The mistaken text starts at the top of the page, and 
is in the first three lines on that page- it is a reference to the 
illustration opposite it on page 92 (these pages face each other, so you can 
see how glaring the error is).

The illustration, a hand drawn image (drew it many years ago) is Figure 23b, 
and as I have indicated, is on page 92. On page 93, the explanation reads:

"In figure 23b we have moved the KE slightly in, toward the mirror, and it 
now reveals the true location of the material we may remove to restore the 
mirror to its correct figure."

All of you mirror wizards will realize the obviousness of this mistake; it 
should read something along these lines, with the correct instruction typed 
in capital letters here, to be sure that you understand what was the matter 
with that text referring to figure 23b:

"In Figure 23b we have moved the KE SLIGHTLY AWAY FROM THE MIRROR, UNTIL IT 
reveals the true location of the material THAT we may MOST CONVENIENTLY 
remove to restore the mirror to its correct figure."

You see, the apparition in Figure 23b cannot possibly represent an 
apparition for a spherical mirror in which the KE is inside the radius of 
curvature of. This is immediately apparent to anyone; or it should be; it 
should have been to me, which causes me to worry, and I have already been 
worried, about my physical neurological integrity (neurological health).

Firstly, I make apology to each and everyone of you. Secondly, I promise to 
send you the formal Errata slip, and you may put it where you think it is 
located in a convenient, but not inappropriate place, in your book, each and 
everyone of you. I have owned a copy of Tex once, very long ago, with one of 
these Errata slips, that, oddly enough, came with the book; this was in the 
days, I guess, when books were printed "en masse" and were sold the same 
way, instead of being printed per order, which is how we do it nowadays, a 
far brighter way of publishing.

I will ask my editor/agent to compose a formally formatted Errata slip for 
all of you, and he can mail them to me, and it will be my responsibility to 
mail them to each of you. You may depend on me, I assure you, to make things 
right in this small matter, which to me, looms probably a little larger than 
is warranted. Lately, I worry much; I live in a place where my "society" is 
very short on "regular" people like my friends on this list, and after 
losing Theresa, and ending up over here, I simply have not adjusted very 
well to living alone (making excuses, I guess) and I believe that my 
isolation from kinsfolk, and friends that can visit me, or that I can visit, 
has affected me, psychologically, and in other ways. Also, I am developing 
my father's chronic physical problems, and having a little bit of a 
challenge in dealing with them, inasmuch as I no longer have access to the 
"privilege level" of health care, in our western allopathic medical system. 
Never mind the other troubles, such as the incredible rash of vandalism 
against automobiles in the parking lots of apartment complexes in Enid. I 
guess the police are busy with too much paperwork.

But enough of the excuses!!! I am falling apart on schedule; that is 
according to nature, according to one of my very favoritie authors, and he 
is repetitious about it (almost excessively so).

So I am going to make a new local folder, labeled "Errata", and each one of 
you who has already forked over his dreks for my book, please send me your 
snail mail address, and in due course, which I hope I can accomplish in as 
expeditiously a way as possible, I will send each and every one of you an 
Errata insert. In fact, each and every one of you may send me your book, if 
you want my autograph in it, addressed to you. I will have your snail mail 
address, and maybe I can manage something this simple!!! Inasmuch as I live 
on an income so low that I haven't had to file a return for nearly 20 years, 
I would ask for postage for those who want my autograph, and will be sending 
me their books for this (put a note in with your address that you also want 
the autograph, as well as the Errata insert)- I think something close to 
five dreks ($5.00) should cover both a new bubble wrap envelope, and return 
postage.

Again, my apologies for not having gotten this right, the first time. I do 
not believe there are any other errors of any real significance in any of 
the appendices, which were well done by my agent/editor. I want to tell you 
all that Lieutenant Colonel William Welker, U.S.A.F. (retired), who is my 
agent and editor, added one chapter to "Understanding Foucault", and it is 
his dissertation, with illustrations, about the arrangment of the KE and 
slit, and the short description of the physics of the phenomenon entailed in 
using the tester. I could not have written it better myself; that I did not 
write it at all is an indication of how easily fatigued, and incapacitated I 
find myself now (again: according to schedule, if we consult the long gone 
emperor, in his little book).

I am truly sorry to have missed this, and I want to make it as right as 
possible. So, right now, I am going to make that local folder, and all of 
you who have your copy now, please send me your regular postal address, with 
a note that you would like to receive the errata insert; and- in due course, 
you will.

In addition to my apology, you have my heartfelt thanks for buying my 
book!!!

R-101/
David/


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