Volume 7, Number 19 7 May 1990 +---------------------------------------------------------------+ | _ | | / \ | | /|oo \ | | - FidoNews - (_| /_) | | _`@/_ \ _ | | FidoNet (r) | | \ \\ | | International BBS Network | (*) | \ )) | | Newsletter ______ |__U__| / \// | | / FIDO \ _//|| _\ / | | (________) (_/(_|(____/ | | (jm) | +---------------------------------------------------------------+ Editor in Chief: Vince Perriello Editors Emeritii: Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell Chief Procrastinator Emeritus: Tom Jennings Copyright 1990, Fido Software. All rights reserved. Duplication and/or distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes only. For use in other circumstances, please contact Fido Software. FidoNews is published weekly by the System Operators of the FidoNet (r) International BBS Network. It is a compilation of individual articles contributed by their authors or authorized agents of the authors. The contribution of articles to this compilation does not diminish the rights of the authors. You are encouraged to submit articles for publication in FidoNews. Article submission standards are contained in the file ARTSPEC.DOC, available from node 1:1/1. 1:1/1 is a Continuous Mail system, available for network mail 24 hours a day. Fido and FidoNet are registered trademarks of Tom Jennings of Fido Software, Box 77731, San Francisco CA 94107, USA and are used with permission. Opinions expressed in FidoNews articles are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Editor or of Fido Software. Most articles are unsolicited. Our policy is to publish every responsible submission received. Table of Contents 1. ARTICLES ................................................. 1 Region 17 FidoNet Convention ............................. 1 Region17 FidoCon Registration Form ....................... 2 FIDOCON 1990 REGISTRATION FORM ........................... 5 2. COLUMNS .................................................. 8 Talk Me Through It, Honey ................................ 8 3. NOTICES .................................................. 10 The Interrupt Stack ...................................... 10 FidoNews 7-19 Page 1 7 May 1990 ================================================================= ARTICLES ================================================================= Janet Murray Fido 1:105/23 WHY ATTEND THE REGION 17 FIDO CONVENTION? Because . . . * the traditional "Curmudgeon tossing" event has been replaced this year with "Curmudgeon bungee diving" - an event more suited to the unique natural setting of the Menucha Retreat and Conference Center, high on a bluff overlooking the Columbia River Gorge. Your early registration (before May 15th) entitles you to vote on which brand of shoes he will wear. (The folks in Region 17 are already debating the length of the rope.) * it will be the only FidoNet convention on the West Coast this summer. Although it's officially a "Region 17" convention, sysops and their guests from other regions are welcome to join in the usual exchange of banter, tall tales, and technical support typical of any FidoNet gathering. * it's incredibly cheap! For a mere $70.50, adult Sysops can spend two days and nights (food and lodging included) on the 98 acres of lawns, woodlands and gardens which comprise the Menucha Retreat and Conference Center. Reduced prices are available for children and students. * Oregon also offers: * * * * NO SALES TAX! * * * * - - and an active market for hardware and software in Portland - - Have you sent your registration yet? ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 7-19 Page 2 7 May 1990 Janet Murray 1:105/23 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * FIDONET REGION 17 CONVENTION * * OFFICIAL REGISTRATION FORM * * July 27-29, 1990 * * Menucha Camp and Conference Grounds * * Corbett, Oregon * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Name _____________________________ FidoNet Address _________ SnailMail Address ___________________________________________ ___________________________________________ Date Sent ______ Voice phone (in case of questions): ________________________ Please indicate for each person attending, the option selected, and fill in the appropriate charges: _Number_ _Name(s)_ _Subtotals_ Registration fee @ $5 _____ (FidoNet Sysops ONLY) $ _____ OPTION A: Friday 5 p.m. to Sunday 11 a.m. DORM _____ Adult(s) __________________________ $ 65.50 _____ _____ Student(s) ________________________ 56.50 _____ (Age 12 to 18 OR Full-time student) _____ Child(ren) ________________________ 36.25 _____ (Age 11 and under) _____ Supply bedding @ $6 per person _____ SEMI-PRIVATE _____ Adult(s) __________________________ 83.50 _____ _____ Student(s) ________________________ 56.50 _____ (in parents' room) _____ Child(ren) ________________________ 36.25 _____ (in parents' room) PRIVATE _____ Adult(s) __________________________ 102.50 _____ OPTION B: Saturday 8 a.m. to Sunday 11 a.m. DORM _____ Adult(s) __________________________ 48.00 _____ FidoNews 7-19 Page 3 7 May 1990 _____ Student(s) ________________________ 42.50 _____ (Age 12 to 18 OR Full-time Student) _____ Child(ren) ________________________ 29.50 _____ (Age 11 and under) _____ Supply bedding @ $6 per person _____ SEMI-PRIVATE _____ Adult(s) ___________________________ 59.00 _____ _____ Student(s) _________________________ 42.50 _____ (in parents' room) _____ Child(ren) _________________________ 29.50 _____ (in parents' room) PRIVATE _____ Adult(s) ___________________________ 72.50 _____ OPTION C: Saturday 8 a.m. to Saturday 10 p.m. (Meals only, no accommodations) _____ Adult(s) ___________________________ 37.00 _____ _____ Student(s) _________________________ 32.00 _____ _____ Child(ren) _________________________ 21.00 _____ SUBTOTAL $ _____ LATE REGISTRATION FEES (_after_ May 15th): ================================================================ | IMPORTANT NOTE: Since we must estimate _and pay for_ | | the number who will be attending by mid-May, there | | will be a limited number of places for late registrants! | ================================================================ Paid by June 15th: _____ Number of reservations @ $10 _____ Paid by July 15th _____ Number of reservations @ $20 _____ Paid after July 15th _____ Number of reservations @ $30 _____ TOTAL ADDITIONS $ _____ TOTAL PAYMENT ENCLOSED: $ _____ Make checks payable (in U.S. Funds) to: Net 105 Treasury / REG17CON FidoNews 7-19 Page 4 7 May 1990 Send registration to: Region 17 Convention c/o Ken Zwaschka Ken Zwaschka & Associates P.O. Box 2226 Portland, Oregon, U.S.A. 97208-2226 Reservations and room assignments will be confirmed via NetMail within 48 hours of receipt. Registration packets with a map to Menucha and information about Portland metropolitan area shopping and recreational faciltities will be mailed to all registrants on July 1st. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 7-19 Page 5 7 May 1990 The Secret Sysop Society presents __ *** Conclave '90 *** / \ The SYSOPS Convention /|oo \ Home of FidoCon 1990 (_| /_) Lyndhurst, New Jersey _`@/_ \ _ August 1-5, 1990 | | \ \\ | (*) | \ )) ______ |__U__| / \// / Fido \ _//|| _\ / (________) (_/(_|(____/ (tm) Rate Plan Schedule: Before 6/1/90: Before 5/1/90: -------------- -------------- A. Single Occupancy.......$595.00 $545.00 $495.00 B. Double Occupancy.......$450.00 $400.00 $350.00 C. Conference w/ meals....$300.00 $250.00 $200.00 D. Conference w/ Banquet..$205.00 $155.00 $105.00 E. Conference only........$175.00 $125.00 $ 75.00 F. Banquet only...........$130.00 $80.00 $ 30.00 G. Registrant & Spouse....$720.00 $670.00 $620.00 (All rate plans except plan F include all conference and hotel fees. Those registering before 5/1/90 get a $100.00 discount, those registering before 6/1/90 get a $50.00 discount.) You must pay by Check, Money Order, or Credit Card. Please send no cash. All monies must be in U.S. Funds. Checks should be made out to: "Conclave '90" The following registration form must be completed and mailed to: PO Box 12 Lyndhurst, NJ 07071 You may register by Netmailing this completed form to 1:1/90 for processing. Rename it to ZNNNXXXX.REG where Z is your Zone number, N is your Net number, and X is your Node number. US Mail confirmation is required within 72 hours of electronic filing. If you are paying by credit card, please include the required information. For your own security, do not route any message with your credit card number on it. Crash it directly to 1:1/90. The official Conclave '90 airline is American Airlines. American offers a 5% discount the lowest applicable round-trip fare, including 1st class travel, subject to availability of inventory. All fare rules and restrictions apply. In addition, American offers 40% off their round trip unrestricted day coach fare. International travelers qualify for special benefits, including complimentary admittance to the Admiral's Club Lounge at any American Airlines terminal. Newark is an American Air- lines city with direct flights to most major cities. When making reservations, you must call American's Toll-free reservation number at 800-433-1790, and reference Star number 13704F. FidoNews 7-19 Page 6 7 May 1990 C O N C L A V E '90 R E G I S T R A T I O N F O R M Name: __________________________________________________________ Address: _____________________________ Apt. or Suite: _________ City: _________________________ State or Province: ____________ Postal Code: __________________ Country: ______________________ Voice Phone: ______________________ Data: _____________________ Zone:Net/Node.Point@Domain: ____________________________________ Special requirements: __________________________________________ +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+ | Option | Full | | Pricing | Line | |(Choose 1: A-G)| Name | Qty | Thru 5/1 | Total | +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+ | PLAN A* | | | $495.00 | | +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+ | PLAN B* | | | $350.00 | | +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+ | PLAN C* | | | $200.00 | | +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+ | PLAN D* | | | $105.00 | | +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+ | PLAN E* | | | $ 75.00 | | +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+ | PLAN F | | | $ 30.00 | | +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+ | PLAN G* | | | $620.00 | | +===============+=====================+=====+==========+=======+ | NJ Beach Trip | | | $ 24.50 | | +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+ | Eve. NYC Tour | | | $ 37.50 | | +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+ | Broadway Show | | | $ 75.00 | | +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+ | NYC Shop Tour | | | $ 36.50 | | +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+ | Costume Ball* | | | $ 50.00 | | +---------------+---------------------+-----+----------+-------+ * includes all conference fees & Hotel | Total $ | | ** includes dinner, show, and costume +==========+=======+ MC _____ Visa _____ Card Number: _____________________________ Expiration: ___________ Signature _____________________________ ( Credit card registrations require valid signature ) FidoNews 7-19 Page 7 7 May 1990 ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 7-19 Page 8 7 May 1990 ================================================================= COLUMNS ================================================================= Henry Clark 124/6120 Giant Lake Party Issue -- All is well in the Hill Country. We were blessed with outstanding weather ( perhaps not for hammock users ), and the fabulous Net 106 sponsors did the region proud. Well over 2000 people showed up ( including drive throughs ) and I can't begin to name everyone who made this a wonderful affair. As promised, the juicy stuff first. Sarah and Kevin hit it off real well. They spent a lot of time playing in the tent ! John took a chapter from my book, 'The Phantom City', and routed himself into a couple of bucks. Sell your Rent-a-car stock, I forecast a big second quarter earnings dip. With so many people, food was in short supply. I believe I only had about 28 helpings of brisket and ribs; just enough to keep the hunger pangs away. Since I'm not a beer drinker I couldn't report on the supply, well except that $1425 worth of aluminum cans is probably a lot. Instead of kegs, people brought 'Breeding Ice Chests', inside of which a six-pack will multiple to a case in under an hour. Dewey brought his sailboat, and invited Kevin and I on a little excursion which turned into the 'big wind' deal. We got his cat up on one pontoon which was exciting for us non sailer types. When it went over and my son almost drowned... ( oh, oops, that was my tent nightmare, sorry ). Rumors and Other Reports -- Michael's Laser Pistol is so useful. Flashlight, 'Hey you' attention getter, lazy evening technical discussion topic, 'Hey you' sighting device. This is a major upgrade from electric water guns, can't wait to see next year's toys... "Ray really cooks up a mean brisket." Quite a few folks said this. He also took charge of the campfire... well I hoped so as I stood there with an old piece of aluminum, and he was shoveling hot coals into it with a machete ?!?! You just had to be there. FidoNews 7-19 Page 9 7 May 1990 Why does it take 9 Sysops to set up Tony's hammock ? One to watch for Dewey's truck, one to hold the tree... Tony and Kevin won the biker awards. Dewey and Ron, well, sorry... Wynn and Jeff, alias Mr. Opus and Mr. Echo... Dean's vicious guard dog next door... Ron's register swap, the lack of a ZEC... Boy the topics of conversation; a more powerful heap of thought provoking concepts could not be imagined ! An Army Corps of Engineers representative dropped in to tell us of complains by some locals. Seems that some people didn't understand the meaning of 'Sysop', and so, didn't know what the warning signs were about. What has a keyboard, display, digital circuitry and is programmable. Why Mark's synth, of course. Round that out with a recorder, two guitars and a dozen singers. Sort of a Lake-Aid concert; puts 4 year olds to sleep instantly ! I especially want to thank : Merrilyn "Get off my hook, stupid" Vaughan, June "Pick up your feet" Parchman, Ray "Mr. Hot Coals" Byrd and Paul "Ginseng Guru" Sittler for the organization and support of this affair. Serious Mode On -- It's nearly a cold day in hell when my son and I can get away from the daily grind and really have a good time together. There is a combination of adventure and leisure at the Lake Party which let's us totally forget the humdrum of our normal everyday world. The last trip to the toilet before hitting the sack is usually a big hassle at our house. But you do it outside, with a flashlight, and your bed is in a tent next to a lake, and it's the most fun thing going ( at least until morning ). This is what it's all about. ----------------------------------------------------------------- FidoNews 7-19 Page 10 7 May 1990 ================================================================= NOTICES ================================================================= The Interrupt Stack 26 May 1990 First anniversary of Net 269, Northern New Jersey 3 Jun 1990 Comdex/Spring, which will run from June 3-6 in Atlanta, will be held at the World Congress Center and other locations. 5 Jun 1990 David Dodell's 33rd Birthday 12 Jun 1990 Fifth anniversary of FidoNet's switch to multiple nets. 14 Jul 1990 Start of Eurocon / Techcon conference in Antwerp, Belgium. Please note that the date has changed: The conferences are one day later than originally planned ! 27 Jul 1990 The beginning of the REGION 17 Convention at Menucha Resort in the Columbia Gorge, Oregon. For details contact Ken Zwaschka, 1:105/54. 1 Aug 1990 Start of FidoCon '90. Contact Bill Vanglahn at 1:1/90 for details. 5 Oct 1990 21st Anniversary of "Monty Python's Flying Circus" 6 Nov 1990 First anniversary of Van Diepen Automatiseert, 2:500/28 14 Nov 1990 Marco Maccaferri's 21rd Birthday. Send greetings to him at 2:332/16.0 1 Jan 1991 Implementation of 7% Goods and Services Tax in Canada. Contact Joe Lindstrom at 1:134/55 for a more colorful description. 16 Feb 1991 Fifth anniversary of the introduction of Echomail, by Jeff Rush. FidoNews 7-19 Page 11 7 May 1990 7 Oct 1991 Area code 415 fragments. Alameda and Contra Costa Counties will begin using area code 510. This includes Oakland, Concord, Berkeley and Hayward. San Francisco, San Mateo, Marin, parts of Santa Clara County, and the San Francisco Bay Islands will retain area code 415. 1 Feb 1992 Area code 213 fragments. Western, coastal, southern and eastern portions of Los Angeles County will begin using area code 310. This includes Los Angeles International Airport, West Los Angeles, San Pedro and Whittier. Downtown Los Angeles and surrounding communities (such as Hollywood and Montebello) will retain area code 213. If you have something which you would like to see on this calendar, please send a message to FidoNet node 1:1/1. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Status of Zone Coordinator Election As I've previously announced, I'll be stepping down as Zone 1 Coordinator on June 1. Here's an update on the ZC election to help you provide input into your RC, if you're interested in doing that. Although there is no formal ballot, the following are the persons who have indicated a serious interest in the ZC job (alpha order): Tony Davis Ben Mann George Peace Bob Satti John Summers There are exactly ten voters in this election (the zone-1 RC's, with John Summers casting region 11's vote). The deadline for the first round of votes is May 17. If no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast, a runoff will be held between the top two candidates (or more, if there's a tie for second place), with the second deadline being May 24. The official announcement of the new ZC will be in the nodediff. Steve Bonine, 115/777 Z1C -----------------------------------------------------------------