NavList:

Bill, yes, there is an easy way, but it's not obvious that it's so easy, so I'm glad you asked. There are two sequences of post numbers. Post IDs from 1996 through the middle of 2006 start with w. Then posts from mid-2006 (with some overlap with the w series) through the present begin with g. You'll notice that when you read any current post, it has the post ID, beginning with g, at the end of the URL in the browser's address bar. For example, your post, which I am replying to right now, has this "readable" URL: http://fer3.com/arc/m2.aspx/Directly-accessing-post-ID-number-BillB-apr-2015-g31170 which tells us the subject, author, and date information right in the address. The code on the server is written to handle a shortened version of the URL with only the post ID. You can access this same post with a short URL:
http://fer3.com/arc/m2.aspx/g31170. You'll notice that when you visit that short URL, the server automatically re-directs you to the complete URL. So pick a number, any number, and edit the end of the post you're reading to include that number.

Frank Reed