Many Topics are Appropriate for Discussion Here

[Futplex]

Perry writes:
> I don't care about quantity. Steve Bellovin is worth 500 subscribers
> -- maybe 1000. I'd rather hear his or Phil's off the cuff remarks on a
> lot of this stuff than most of what passes for careful thought from
> the average person here.

I have some not-so-hypothetical questions: 

Suppose I have serious and plausibly realistic aspirations to become an 
authority in some subtopic of cryptography, network security, etc. (sometime 
well into the next millenium). Am I more likely to learn and hone my skills
by actively participating (sticking my neck out) or merely lurking
indefinitely ?  Regardless of the answer to the previous question, should
the list suffer me my missteps and naivete ?

I do not consider these questions rhetorical, and the answers are very
important to me on a personal level.

And now I believe I'll shut up for a while.

-Futplex <futplex at pseudonym.com>