The Existential Email Dilemma

You know it exists. I know it exists. And there are several hundred in my in-tray. What to do? There's nothing to be done:

Correct emailing practice does not exist. The true mood of the form is spontaneity, alacritythe right time to reply to a message is right away. But do that and your life is gone. So you reject the spontaneous spirit of email; you hold off replying for hours, days, even weeks. By then the initiatory email has gone stale, and your reply is bound to be labored. You compensate for the offense with a needlessly elaborate message. You ask polite questions to which you pray there will never come an answer. Oh, but there will.

The full anti-email screed is here.