As both a former frequent poster (who always tried to hew to the three-posts-a-day limit) and a stalwart non-joiner of FB (I cannot conceive of how in-depth conversation can take place there, but admit this is my limitation), I still learn from lbo-talk (and owe my career in film criticism to having joined it), but feel less compelled to post since in almost all instances I lack anything new or worthwhile to say (being presumptuous in thinking that I ever did so).
But if I look at culture/society (in general), I see a lot of stagnation/repetition (in general): people have their ideas; continue to refine them overtime; but very little seems to happen in the realm of putting these ideas into action. The will seems to be there, but not the power (or the power resides in what I would regard as the wrong hands) -- or maybe Pynchonesque entropy has finally won out.
So Happy Birthday to Ivan and I will try to help make sure that 2014 in not displaced by 2015 as the lowest-posting year in LBO history.
Brian