################################################################ # # # BTN: Birmingham Telecommunications News # # # ################################################################ ---------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1994 ISSN 1055-4548 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 7, Issue 9 Issue #73 December 1994 ---------------------------------------------------------------- TABLE OF CONTENTS ----------------- article title author ---------------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer/Statement of Policy.............................Staff From The Editor.................................Scott Hollifield Notes From The Trenches............................Dean Costello A Lurker's View of the BBS World................James Viikinsalo Is A CD-ROM Really Worth It?.........................Mark Maisel Local Music in December.............................Judy Ranelli Special Interest Groups (SIGs).........................Eric Hunt Known BBS Numbers..........................................Staff ---------------------------------------------------------------- -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ################################################################ DISCLAIMER AND STATEMENT OF POLICY FOR BTN ################################################################ We at BTN try our best to assure the accuracy of articles and information in our publication. We assume no responsibility for damage due to errors, omissions, etc. The liability, if any for BTN, its *editors and writers, for damages relating to any errors or omissions, etc., shall be limited to the cost of a one year subscription to BTN, even if BTN, its editors or writers have been advised of the likelihood of such damages occurring. With the conclusion of that nasty business, we can get on with our policy for publication and reproduction of BTN articles. We publish monthly with a deadline of the fifteenth of the month prior to publication. If you wish to submit an article, you may do so at any time but bear in mind the deadline if you wish for your work to appear in a particular issue. It is not our purpose to slander or otherwise harm a person or reputation and we accept no responsibility for the content of the articles prepared by our writers. Our writers own their work and it is protected by copyright. We allow reprinting of articles from BTN with only a few restrictions. The author may object to a reprint, in which case he will specify in the content of his article. Otherwise, please feel free to reproduce any article from BTN as long as the source, BTN, is specified, and as long as the author's name and the article's original title are retained. If you use one of our articles, please forward a copy of your publication to: Mark Maisel Publisher, BTN 606 Twin Branch Terrace Birmingham, AL 35216 (205) 823-3956 We thank you for taking the time to read our offering and we hope that you like it. We also reserve the right to have a good time while doing all of this and not get too serious about it. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ################################################################ FREEBIE!!! GET IT WHILE IT'S HOT! Systems That Offer Free BTN ################################################################ The following boards allow BTN to be downloaded freely, that is with no charge to any existing upload/download ratios. ADAnet One Alter-Ego Bone Yard Bus System The Castle Channel 8250 C.A.B. The Comfy Chair! Crunchy Frog DC Info Exchange Final Frontier The Guardian Hardware Hotline Homewood's Hell Hole Joker's Castle Leaping's Lounge Lemon Grove Lion's Den Martyrdom Again?! The MATRIX Milliways BBS The Outer Limits Owl's Nest Playground Safe Harbor Southern Stallion Starbase 12 Thy Master's Dungeon Weekends BBS (This list includes some systems which are not local to Birmingham and therefore not included on our BBS Numbers list.) If you are a sysop and you allow BTN to be downloaded freely, please let me know via The Matrix or Crunchy Frog so that I can post your board as free BTN distributor. Thanks. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ################################################################ NEWSFLASH! NEWSFLASH! NEWSFLASH! ################################################################ IS THIS MY LAST ISSUE AS EDITOR? Yes. IS THIS THE LAST ISSUE OF BTN? Maybe. See From The Editor for details. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ################################################################ FROM THE EDITOR Scott Hollifield ################################################################ I've already announced this publicly on some BBS systems in town, but in case you haven't heard... yes, I'm stepping down as editor of BTN. The reasons are several, and I don't feel like going into them in any detail. Suffice it to say that I just felt I wasn't getting enough yang for my yin. If anyone's interested, I can send you a copy of the original annoucement which may make things a little more plain. In any case, I've had fun editing BTN, even if those moments of fun alternated with times of unwelcome chore-dom, and I hope that at least a few of you have enjoyed reading it. The future of BTN is uncertain (at least to me), and rests entirely in the hands of our esteemed publisher and former editor, Mark Maisel. If you want to make your feelings known about the continuation of BTN, I suggest you leave him e-mail on Crunchy Frog or The Matrix. Thanks to Mark and to all our contributors: Dean, Damion, Judy, Tim, Luke, James Minton, Gary, Eric, and the rest whose names are known to those who matter. A special thanks to BTN first-timer James Vikiinsalo, who was inspired by my resignation announcement to write for BTN. If BTN continues under someone else's yoke, I hope James will continue to write and help herd BTN along on its way to Avalon. As for myself, I intend to keep writing for BTN as a semi-regular contributor, if Mark keeps the magazine going. If not, perhaps you'll see my writing turn up elsewhere. That's it! Term is over, classes have ended. See you next semester. Scott Hollifield December 8, 1994 "ALL WE WANT IS EVERYTHING." -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ################################################################ (NO MORE) NOTES FROM THE TRENCHES Dean Costello ################################################################ "To sleep, perchance to dream, kinda." or What's Next? On Thanksgiving, 1994, I was at Mark and Kathy Maisel's for dinner. I have been assigned a nasty long-term field project in Tennessee and I discovered early on that it was more of a strain to fly to Virginia (my current home) on the weekend as opposed to just driving to Birmingham to see friends. Mark promised me fireworks from family interaction, so between the strain of flight, the promise of relatively free food, and the sociology experiment, I couldn't resist the invitation. No fireworks occurred, much to my and another's chagrin. The other's name was Michelle, who was invited to the dinner under similar circumstances as I. Well, kind of. She is a student at UAB getting her master's degree, and she is apparently in a similar situation as I was when I first got to Alabama in 1988. So it was kindred spirits who lamented the fact that there was no catfights between Mark's family members. She was pretty quick on her feet when it came to kibbitzing, and I slowly realized that she may be the replacement I have been looking for for several years. Look, when I left Birmingham in early 1991, one of my bigger regrets was that there was nobody who could assume my position as Mark's bestest buddy (see "How To Be Mark's Bestest Buddy", BTN, #36, May, 1991). Mark felt that my replacement was going to be Bob Crawford. I never met the person until Christmas 1991, and when I did, I thought to myself, "You son-of-a-bitch. That's all the more you think of me?!?" My personal choice was a person who went by the name of Tagyn Garnet. A cute enough little person, she apparently was a transplant from the D.C. area, and had many of my own idiosyncracies. Unfortunately, soon after the party I met her at (December 1991, or so), she dropped away, not to be heard from again until sometime earlier this year (ie. she lost the initiative, to use a "Dungeons & Dragons" term). Since then, nobody has really raised their head up into the rarified strata of the Bestest Buddy. Jeff Russell took a swing at it; a stealthy swing and a miss, strike one. I'm fairly sure Scott Kelly stepped up to the plate also; caught the outside corner, strike two. Ray Hugh, an auschlander, also took a turn at bat and admitted failure in BTN #38 or so. But Michelle has potential (according to the aforementioned article on become a Bestest Buddy). Unfortunately, the opportunity I had to get to know her was pretty much torpedoed by a Buddy Emeritus by the name of Dave Stanton (Dave predates BBSs, and is therefore given the title of Buddy Emeritus) who decided to Get Me Drunk on Thanksgiving Eve (well, Mark just stated that "What are you doing using some kind of modern trendy 'I'm a victim' bullshit?" Okay, granting Mark's point, I got drunk with the encouragement of Dave Stanton; even though after about 1.5 hours I had no real conscious control over much of anything; after all I am still responsible for myself, you know). Actually, I would say that "drunk" is an understatment. Being drunk implies memory, of which I had no. Mark's diagnosis was acute alcohol poisoning; which may or may not be real. I woke the next morning feeling kind of okay, albeit confused as to how I got undressed and into bed. The first thought that crossed my mind is that I passed out somewhere and They (Mark and Dave's wife Shelly) did something to me. The second thought that occurred to me was, "Where were my clothes", which I discovered were at the foot of the bed, intertwined with Sarah's, Mark's 12-year-old daughter. Scenes of the evening were started to return to me. I vaguely remember wandering upstairs sometime during the evening naked, getting to the bathroom and noting, consciously, that I was naked, and thinking I had better cover myself, the only thing to cover myself being the shower curtain which I subsequently tore down. I got myself squared away and wandered upstairs to see what was going on. Other people were awake by this point, and giggled as I entered the room. I was a tad concerned by this. Apparently, over the course of the prior evening, I had (crudely) sexually propositioned everyone at the party, including Kathy (Mark's wife), Shelly (Dave's wife), Dave, Michelle, Scott Hollifield, and Chris Mohney. It was a subtle approach, something along the lines of "I must fuck X", with X being one of the aforementioned objects of my at least temporary desire. A lovely night, as can be well imagined (I just asked Mark if I tried him. He stated no; I guess I just don't find him attractive). I have to admit that I was a bit concerned about this blackout business. You see, I had never blacked out, even when I was in training for the Olympic drinking team back in college (Those were the days: A bottle of Andre' pink to get the evening going, followed by a liter or so of Popov vodka to keep the edge. If I were to try that regime' now, I would implode). As a result, I wasn't sure what else I may have done, above and beyond the shower curtain; and would Mark and Kathy come down the stairs, frown at me (as if to say, "What audacity he has to still be in our home"), and ask me in no uncertain terms to return the house key, leave now, and don't return. And I wouldn't have blamed them. I understood at a very visceral level what was meant in the Jonathan Edwards sermon "Sinners at the Hand of an Angry God". I was a sinner, I drank so much I couldn't even remember what happened the night before, and I expected to still be offered hospitality? Yeah right. I was a drunken wretch, deserving nothing more than scorn and derision (Mark: We are gods, GODS, DAMMIT. On your knees before our holy tolerance). I have to admit that I felt better when Kathy came down, sat on the sofa near me, looked sadly at me and said, "I feel awful". No scorn. No derision. Well, some derision from Mark, but that is best left silent. In a land of less tolerant individuals, I would have been skinned for what I attempted with their daughter. But no, I was not. I did pay for lunch, though, and I feel I got off light. Mark was kind of curious as to why the theme I had for the night was "I must fuck X". I admit I was kind of stumped. The only thing that I could think of is that a joke I made before blacking out ("Dave, I must fuck you!") kind of stuck in my brain long after upper-level mental abilities called it a night, so it became a recurring topic of discussion, or at least interrogation by me. šEn Tequila Verdad? The thought frightens me. Mark seems to feel that it is best to let ones demons out to play every so often. I am a bit more sanguine about it, and I just as soon bury the bitches as deep as possible and take my changes. I talked to Scott a couple of days after the Night of Evil. He stated that it looks like I will never get a change to date Michelle. I replied its not as bad as it looked since a couple of days later Mark, Kathy, Michelle, and myself went on a long drive (prerequisite for being a Bestest Buddy is the ability to go on long drives for no good reason). He was suprised, and agreed that Michelle may be the new Bestest Buddy. To be fair, though, the position of Bestest Buddy may already have been rendered superfluous. Mark gave up BTN about 2 years ago or so because (he says) he didn't have enough time to complete it. I kind of frown at the thought, since I believe in my heart of hearts that saying, "I don't have enough time" is very similar to saying, "I don't feel like it". I lead a fairly busy life, yet I can still find enough time to do various random things, but I can kind of see it at some level with Mark. But Scott? In which lies my confusion. When I read magazines or newspapers, watch television, or otherwise input data, and things are not making sense, or the conclusions are off-the-wall, or whatever, I have a built-in "Bullshit Meter" that starts to go off. As I read Scott's 'resignation' messages a couple of days ago, I noted the meters were going off. Not enough time? His protestations to the contrary, I cannot see how Scott cannot have enough time to do BTN. As I was typing in some ideas for this piece, I have here a description of Scott: "Scott's a dink who has no apparent time management skills and less of an ability to determine priorities." The half-dozen or so Star Trek feeds he reads on a daily basis is Very Important. [Editor's Note: As has been noted before, replace "half-dozen" with "one".] Proofreading an issue of "BTN" apparently ranks below clipping finger nails. If he would have said, "Look, I'm tired of doing this, its a chore, its annoying, and I am not getting dick out of it, therefore I ain't gonna edit no more" I don't think that I would have thought too much about it. Probably a quick "Bloody about time", since I have been annoyed that the editorial changes he claimed he was going to make never really were made. But is Scott sincere about his reasoning? I don't think so, and I don't like the smoke-and-mirrors "There are so many demands on my time that..." explanation. But, to be fair, its a done deal, Bubba. It's all over except for the posing. And there you have it. Is there going to be anymore? Maybe, maybe not. Should there be anymore? I can't answer that question. I like the idea for the very selfish position that I like to get my polemics into print/type/whatever. My real job as an environmental scientist really doesn't lend itself to creative writing as this level, so I take what media that I can. Res ipsa loquitor. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ################################################################ A LURKER'S VIEW OF THE BBS WORLD James Viikinsalo ################################################################ Okay, the first question I have to ask myself is "Why in the world did I jump out of my comfortable lurking mode, into the spotlight, to submit this article?" The reasons for a lurker (such as myself) for performing this madcap feat may be quite complex. To explain this bizarre phenomenon, let me try to illustrate why lurking has such appeal to so many. I will then attempt to explain how the BBS world looks, as seen from the eyes of a lurker. What is a lurker? To me, a lurker is a BBS user who generally (if not always) prefers to remain in the background. Lurkers always use an off-line mail reader (OLR), so they can browse the message bases without being "bothered" by terrifying chat requests. A typical lurker will pull a fair amount of mail from several different boards, but never participate in discussions on any of them. He or she may be very much aware of what is happening on the local BBS scene, participating vicariously through the actions of others. I suspect that a good many lurkers also read BTN. By keeping up with the message bases, most lurkers are probably quite PC-literate, and thus are able to offer technical help to those in need (although most lurkers must suspect that the person asking for help is a desperate lurker themself). A lurker of this variety may have other friends who are fellow lurkers as well. This type of lurker is generally a nice person, just a little bit shy. They may actually turn off their "lurking mode" (a switch, which can be toggled on or off as needed) if a discussion really piques their interest. Most sysops tolerate this type of lurker quite well, as they may occasionally contribute to the activity of the board. A different type of lurker is the file scavenger. He or she has absolutely no interest in the message base (might not even know one exists, or if so they have no intention of reading it). Their sole purpose for BBSing is to add to their ever-expanding file collection (utilities, games, whatever). Most lurkers of this type have an average of 200 downloads and 0 uploads for every board on which they still have an account. I believe that this type of lurker is often times new to the fascinating world of BBSing, and just doesn't know any better. If this is the case, they may also believe that every other modem user out there is a psychopath, just waiting for them to make the wrong move. They think that every shareware file out there is great stuff, and they've "just gotta have it". Since they may be just starting out, they don't have any new files to upload in return. Otherwise, they may be malicious leeches simply for the thrill of it (I suspect this type would tend to be younger, and they'll simply outgrow this phase). Either way, most sysops generally don't tolerate the file-scavenger variety of lurkers very well. Penalties for this sort of behavior (from mildest to most severe) may include nagging comments from the sysop, restrictions on daily time limits based on upload/download ratios, or expulsion from the board. My experience as a lurker has evolved from the innocent file-scavenger to the background message browser. As this transition takes place, the file-downloading activity slows down considerably (often times dictated by hard drive space). Amazingly enough, the thoughts occasionally turn to something like "What interesting thing can I upload here?" By nature, most lurkers are probably quite shy among strangers. The faceless anonymity provided by their computer and modem allows them to eventually get up the nerve to participate on-line, but you will seldom (if ever) see them at one of the infamous BTN parties, or any other function initiated by an electronic invitation. I have not yet been to any of these functions, and I don't see myself attending one anytime soon. (I did attend the demonstration against Channel 13's negative BBS report some time back, but in the true lurker tradition I did not introduce myself by name to anyone unless I was "forced" to do so. By the way, I did have a good time, and talked to some interesting people. Also, I soothed my conscience by participating, to make up for my otherwise apathetic BBS past; I figure that move was good for another two year's worth of lurking at least.) What it boils down to is this: lurking can be caused by many factors. Whatever the cause, I believe most lurkers think that the active users are very outgoing, and generally enjoy being in the spotlight. They may be afflicted by apathy, and figure that other users will take the time and effort to let the sysop know of any problems the BBS software may have. Most lurkers are quite content to let others have their fun, and only participate if something affects them in a profound way. Given all that, what in the world possessed a lurker such as myself to actually even attempt to submit an article to BTN? Could it be that I am breaking out of the shackles, undergoing a major personality change? Absolutely not! Lurkers, like everyone else out there, secretly crave their brief moment of glory. Scott Hollifield's ingenious ploy to draw some lurkers out of the shadows, cleverly disguised as "I'm quitting, this could be your last chance for fame, to be published in what could be the very last issue of BTN" (paraphrased) did the trick. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll go back to the shadows for a while; it's kinda bright out here and my eyes hurt (most lurkers also like dimly-lit rooms). -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ################################################################ IS A CD-ROM REALLY WORTH IT? Mark Maisel ################################################################ This is a question I've been asked by clients, friends, and folks online. My answer has almost always been questions of specific purpose, goals, etc. Without pinpointing specific intentions for a peripheral device, it is impossible for me to give either yay or nay to its purchase. Lets look at this device and its utility. We'll also take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of the medium. Ultimately, do you need one? First, what is it? CD-ROM is a compact disc player for reading compact discs containing information or programs. There is little difference between this device and the CD player attached to your stereo receiver, or part of your "boom box". They attach to your computer in one of several flavors. The first is SCSI, which is something of a standard for attaching peripheral devices. Next are a host of proprietary schemes from the manufacturers of the players and/or sound cards to which many of these players are attached. Lastly, and fairly new to the scene, is IDE, a simple and straightforward interface that has been very popular for connecting hard disk drives to MS-DOS based systems. The advantages of this medium over floppy diskettes and hard disk drives are many. The capacity of of CD-ROM discs is very high relative to the other commonly used storage media. The highest capacity standard for floppy diskettes, under MS-DOS, is 2.88 megabytes. The hard disk drive, until very recently, was limited to smaller capacities than CD-ROM discs. The cost per megabyte for CD-ROM discs is much lower than either floppies or hard disks. This high capacity and low cost per megabyte has made the CD-ROM disc an excellent delivery system for large software packages, ie, Corel Draw, NextStep, OS/2, huge games, and various flavors of UNIX. It also serves well for storing data that is needed both regularly and infrequently. Into this second category fall such things as clip art and font collections, statistical data, transaction records, and other similar information. The medium features a faster seek time and higher data transfer rate than floppy diskette drives. It also can make software piracy much more difficult to achieve, though this is changing as the price of CD mastering machines drops. The CD is typically much tougher in resisting environmental challenges than are floppy diskettes. The advantages are attractive but let us continue. There are also disadvantages of this medium. CD-ROM, being a read- only medium, does not lend itself to changing or adding data to a set or collection. It is significanly slower in both seek time and data transfer rate to a hard disk drive. As such, large sets of data will give you pause as you wait for them to be read into your computer. This is the nature of current optical technology and we must await some breakthrough before this improves significantly. Is this technology something that should be in your arsenal? It depends on what you want to do with your computer. There are those who have approached me to purchase a computer and walked away convinced that they didn't really need it. The same holds true for CD-ROM. Is there a software package that you require that is available only in this medium? If so, perhaps you should make the investment. Do you require access to large collections of clip art, fonts, or other data conveniently collected on CD? If so, perhaps you should make the investment. The distinction between what is required and what is desired should be clearly understood by you. If you do not, you may get caught up in the same marketing machine that has been working to place computers in every home and office. Despite my being in the business of selling computer hardware, these machines and specific peripheral devices are not needed by everyone, at least not yet. There may come a day when they are, but until then, honesty and determination of customer need are my guide. There are some dandy titles out on CD. Most of them are games or data such as that from the 1990 U.S. Census. The only CD I've seen that I've any real desire for is the Oxford English Dictionary. Notice that it is a desire. So long as it sells for $800-900, it will most likely remain an unfulfilled desire. If you desire or think you require this technology, study reviews and, when possible, get hands on experience with the software in this medium. There are thousands of titles, most of them mediocre at best. The drives themselves are fairly safe technology and differ little in their performance. There are varying speeds and your consideration of speed should be based on intended use. If you are simply querying data, a single or double speed unit should suffice. Don't bother with triple speed drives as the quad speed drives cost nearly the same. These faster drives are great if you want to play games or fiddle with interactive programs featuring animation and sound. With the slower drives, you will experience problems with jumpy animation and synchronization problems with the video and audio portions of an animation sequence. Think carefully before you purchase, and be certain that you really want it. It can be fun to play with, damned useful to those who need it, and it can also become another, albeit, small drain on the power grid. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ################################################################ LOCAL MUSIC IN DECEMBER Judy Ranelli ################################################################ First I must say goodbye to our dear editor, and hope he goes on to write plenty. Thur. 8 BONE PONY/A'BEN at The Nick Bone Pony is probably from out of town; I've never heard of them. I want to mention that A'ben is a creative band that gets my vote for best new band in months. Myriad melodies, Lester Nubie's fine guitar and his sister Leslie's singing. Cool. Fri. 9 HEAVENLY BANGING CANNON/SAWS TO STILL/LOCKBODY at The Nick It's what I would call a nose-breaker. Lotsa hardcore, lotsa slam. FunFunFun. Sat. 10 SLOBBER at The Nick GRAVY at Flamingo's CLEVE EATON at 22nd St. Jazz Cafe Sigh... doesn't look that exciting. Groove to the theoretically gross band Slobber at the Nick, or wallow in the blues genre with Gravy at Flamingo's. Wait a minute: get inebriated to some cool jazz with Cleve Eaton at 22nd St. Jazz Cafe (good draft beer). Sun. 11 MC 900 FOOT JESUS/SHALLOW at Louie Louie (all ages welcome) Center Stage Productions, that powerhouse I worked with for many years, is rumored to have put on this show; and glad I am of it. Should attract an audience full of everyone that matters. Thur. 15 SPACE CAMP at Oasis I keep telling you... Fri. 16 BACK DOORS at Louie Louie LABREA STOMPERS/DONKEY at The Nick Avoid Back Doors. Maybe go to Nick for Labrea Stompers/Donkey. Will be good and crowded. Sat. 17 Sometimes even I don't go see bands on Saturday. Go bowling. Sun. 18 Elvis Night at Oasis Always fun, and you can get a decent Bourbon and Coke there on a Sunday evening (or Garages, as well). "Burning Love" is good, but request "In The Ghetto". Thurs. 22 MAYONNAISE FARMERS/LOVE BUCKET/SLAP HAPPY SUPERFLY at Drown I don't know anything about the bands again (damn, happens too much) but Drown used to be O3, and I never stepped foot in O3. So maybe I'll check this out. It's billed as a 'new alternative dance club experience' which explains my absence thus far. Sat. 24 SHALLOW/LIP LOCK ALARM CLOCK at The Nick Not too exciting, folks. Birmingham needs more clubs (am I telling you something?). Still, Saturday will be Christmas Eve and Shallow's at the Nick with Lip Lock Alarm CLock. I probably will end up there anyway. Sun. 25 THE TICKS at The Nick Our annual party for people far from family and people who've been too close to family all weekend. Last year was great, this year I shall give out candy. The Shame Idols may be present as well. Fri. 30 (there's a jump) HEAVENLY BANGING CANNON/M.O.G./G.N.P. Jeez, the only thing saving this month's music calendar, aside from myself, is the hardcore shows. GNP has learned the Grouch song and will continue their revue of hits like "Rabid Lassie", "***king ***t", and "C'mon Big Money" (with Jeopardy theme in the middle). I love them. Sat. 31 TOPPER PRICE at Zydeco AUTUMN LORDS at The Nick VELCRO PYGMYS at Five Pts. South Music Hall I HOPE you're staggering around some party, but should you be on the lookout for somewhere to abuse your body, Zydeco has Topper Price (King of Body Abusers), Nick has the Autumn Lords (yes, those embarrasingly staged named cocktail guzzling non-bathing boys. Chris..ahem, DD Starshaker their singer recently guest-bartended at the Nick (I want to) and was jealous because no one threw up at his stint.) Oh yeah, 5 Pts. Music Hall, though a disappointment to me for their disco nights and such, has the Velcro Pygmies. Drive carefully. Well, I was going to include some long winded thing about Scott quitting as editor, but I can't think of anything to say at the moment. I do hope BTN continues to exist (and Scott returns as a columnist) and otherwise, happy holidays to you all. Bleah. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ################################################################ ANNOUNCEMENT ################################################################ Freelance personnel/small companies wanted for sub-contracting work. Programmers, hardware technicians, network technicians, application specialists, technical writers, and graphic artists. PROGRAMMERS: Xbase (all flavors), C/C++, Turbo Pascal, assembly: MS-DOS 5.x & higher, Windows 3.x & higher, OS/2 2.x & higher, SCO-Unix 3.2.4 & higher Intel and compatible processor HW TECHS : IBM compatible architecture NW TECHS : NetWare, LANtastic, Desk-to-Desk, others APP SPECS : MS-DOS 5.x & higher, Windows 3.x & higher, OS/2 2.x & higher, SCO-Unix 3.2.4 & higher Specialists in all business-use applications on the above platforms. No teaching degree required, but must have at least some verifiable experience in instructing groups. Communications application specialists must be familiar with major modem brands, command sets, and a variety of terminal apps and OLRs, etc. TECH WRTRS: Experience and samples required. ARTISTS : Cross-platform commercial experience required. Samples. Commission-only sales positions also available. NOTE: This is for sub-contract work only. Applicants are applying as self-employed Independent Contractors or independent service agencies. Preference will be given to incorporated agencies, and potential Independent Contractors will be strongly encouraged to incorporate. The amount of work you will be eligible to receive will be influenced by this factor. If interested, reply to Damion Furi in a private post on Crunchy Frog or The Matrix. Leave your name, company name (if applicable), title (if applicable), and a number or numbers at which you may be reached and times when you are normally available. ========= -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ################################################################ SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS (SIG's) [COMPUTER RELATED] compiled by Eric Hunt ################################################################ BIPUG Alabama UniForum Birmingham IBM-PC Users Group Homewood Public Library UAB Nutrition Science Blg 1st Tuesday RM 535/541 Shawn Cleary 870-6130 1st Sunday (delayed one week if meeting is a holiday) Marty Schulman 967-5883 Birmingham Apple Core Informal breakfast meeting every Saturday, 9am - 11am @ Kopper Kettle, lower level Brookwood Village Mall Formal meeting held second Saturday of each month, location variable (to be announced at breakfast meetings and in the user group's newsletter "The PEEL".) President: Sam Johnston - 322-5379 Vice-Prez: Marie Prater - 822-8135 The SIG listing is being re-verified. If you know of an active Computer Related user's group, please let me know. I can be reached via Internet email at eric.hunt@the-matrix.com or drop me a note directly on the MATRIX. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ################################################################ KNOWN BBS NUMBERS FOR THE BIRMINGHAM AREA ################################################################ Sysops, PLEASE check your listing to make sure everything is correct, especially the networks. Corrections should be mailed on the Matrix or Crunchy Frog to Mark Maisel. 4 and 1/2 Dimension 853-4485 2400-14400 VBBS 6.1 [vi] ADAnet One (Nodes 1-3) 250-0013 1200-2400 PCBoard 14.5 [ez, fi, ad] ADAnet One (Node 4) 254-6050 2400-14400 USR DS PCBoard 14.5 [ez, fi, ad] Alter-Ego BBS 925-5099 1200-9600 USR HST PCBoard 14.5 [alt, ez, mn] Auto Tech BBS 956-3902 300-2400 PCBoard 15.2 [none] Batcave, The 744-0134 2400-14400 VBBS 6.14 [am, co, cr, fn, ho, hu, vi] Baudville (Nodes 1-7) 995-0013 300-2400 Major BBS 6.12 [none] Birmingham Online 870-0305 300-2400 Major BBS 6.2 [none] Birmingham Online 870-5400 300-19200 Major BBS 6.2 [none] Bus System 987-5419 300-2400 PCBoard 14.2 [none] Byte Me! 979-BYTE! 2400-14400 V.32 WWIV 4.12 [none] Castle, The 841-7618 300-2400 Image 1.2 [none] Cherry Tree 681-1710 1200-14400 TriBBS 4.01 [wm, ca] Christian Apologetic 808-0763 1200-14400 V.32bis Wildcat! 4.00 [ez, cp] CompuNet 833-3335 2400-14400 Major BBS 6.2 [none] CompuNet (new users) 833-6221 2400-14400 Major BBS 6.2 [none] Computer Addicts BBS 933-5360 300-14400 RoboBoard 1.04 [none] Crunchy Frog (Node 1) 823-3957 300-14400 USR DS PCBoard 14.5 [ez, mn, lu, ll] Crunchy Frog (Node 2) 823-3958 300-14400 USR DS PCBoard 14.5 [ez, mn, lu, ll] Crystal Village 856-3749 1200-2400 VBBS 6.10 [cr, cs, al, ho, fn, vi] Den, The 833-6796 300-14400 USR DS PCBoard 15.1 [ez, mn, il] Digital Publishing 854-1660 300-9600 V.32 Wildcat! 3.60 [pl] Dog Patch BBS 669-1705 300-38400 USR DS PCBoard 15.5 [none] Drawing Room, The 951-2391 300=14400 V.32/42 Wildcat! 3.90 [none] Electro-BBS 491-8402 300-14400 V.32/42 Maximus 2.01 [fi] Enigma 678-6367 300-28800 VBBS/2 6.14 [br, cr, fi, fn, ho, vi] Family Smorgas-Board 744-0943 300-2400 PCBoard 14.5 [ez, fi, mj, bc, fa, ic, cf, cd, ve, ad, wg, pt, ed, gn] Final Frontier 838-5634 300-14400 VBBS 6.11 *RIP* [co, hu, ho, fn, vi] Free Enterprise 856-9809 300-14400 V.32/42 Synchronet [fi, sz, br, tr, dv] GenesisOnline (sign-up) 620-9076 300-14400 V.32bis Major BBS 6.11 [mr] GenesisOnline (Nds 1-8) 620-4150 300-2400 V.32bis Major BBS 6.11 [mr] GenesisOnline (Nds 9-16) 620-9076 300-14400 V.32bis Major BBS 6.11 [mr] Guardian, The (Node 1) 425-1951 1200-14400 V.42bis Synchronet 2.0 [dv, sp] Guardian, The (Node 2) 425-1956 1200-14400 V.42bis Synchronet 2.0 [dv, sp] Guardian, The (Node 3) 424-8273 1200-14400 V.42bis Synchronet 2.0 [dv, sp] Guardian, The (Node 4) 428-0805 1200-14400 V.42bis Synchronet 2.0 [dv, sp] Hump Files, The 987-0235 2400-14400 VBBS 6.14 [co, fn, ho, hu, vi] Island BBS, The 631-0184 300-2400 WWIV 4.23 [none] KickAxis BBS (Node 1) 733-0253 1200-14400 USR DS PCBoard 15.0 [he] KickAxis BBS (Node 2) 733-0299 1200-14400 USR DS PCBoard 15.0 [he] Knight's Castle 631-6668 300-14400 WWIV 4.23 [qu, dd] Leaping's Lounge 856-2521 1200-14400 GTPower 18.00 [gt, ez, mn, wm, di] Lions Den 871-9668 300-14400 USR DS Wildcat! 3.90 [wi, fi] Lumby's Palace 520-0041 300-14400 VBBS 6.12 [he] Magic City (Node 1) 664-9883 300-14400 USR DS Wildcat! 4.0 [di, wm, wi, ca, cm] Magic City (Node 2) 664-0435 300-1400 Wildcat! 4.0 [di, wm, wi, ca, sk, yr, ms] MATRIX, The (Nodes 1-10) 252-9888 300-2400 Major BBS *RIP* [ez, mn, th, il, in, us, al, sh, sc, gl, ic, ri, fr] MATRIX, The (Nodes 11-25) 252-5566 9600-14400 USR DS Major BBS *RIP* [ez, mn, th, il, in, us, al, sh, sc, gl, ic, ri, fr] MetaBoard 854-4814 300-14400 USR DS Opus CBCS 1.73 [fi, ad] MetroMac BBS (Node 1) 323-6306 1200-28800 V.FC TeleFinder 3.1 [none] MetroMac BBS (Node 2) 252-0582 1200-28800 V.FC TeleFinder 3.1 [none] Missing Link 853-1257 300-16800 USR DS C-Net Amiga 2.63 [cl, cn] Neon Moon (Node 1) 477-9352 2400 TriBBS 4.0 [none] Neon Moon (Node 2) 477-5894 2400-14400 TriBBS 4.0 [none] Outer Limits (Node 1) 970-0649 1200-16800 Wildcat 4.0 *RIP!* [fi, pn, it] Outer Limits (Node 2) 970-0710 1200-19200 Wildcat 4.0 *RIP!* [fi, pn, it] Outer Limits (Node 3) 970-0333 1200-14400 Wildcat 4.0 *RIP!* [fi, pn, it] Owl's Nest, The 854-4852 300-38400 PCBoard 14.5 [ez, mn] Parthenon, The 678-9676 1200-28800 Wildcat 3.9 [fi, un, wi, ru, me] Party Line 856-1336 300-14000 V.32bis TriBBS 4.0 [cc, wm, di] Pirate's Cove 665-7924 300-14000 PowerBBS [us] Playground 681-5070 1200-14000 V.32 TriBBS 5.0 [wm, di, al, ez] Posys BBS 854-5131 300-9600 V.32 PCBoard [none] Programmer's Shack 988-4695 2400-14400 HST DS Renegade [ws, fi, it] Quiet Zone 833-2066 300-2400 ExpressNet [none] Safe Harbor (Node 1) 665-4332 300-2400 GTPower 18.00 [gt, ez, mn, lg, ae, fr] Safe Harbor (Node 2) 665-4355 300-14400 USR DS GTPower 18.00 [gt, ez, mn, lg, ae, fr] Sam's Domain 956-2757 1200-14400 SL. 3.50 [da, he] Safety BBS 581-2866 300-2400 RBBS-PC 17.4 [none] Southern Stallion (1) 322-3816 300-16800 ZyXEL PCBoard 15.1 *RIP* [alt, ez, lu, th, rs, un] Southern Stallion (2) 324-6924 300-16800 ZyXEL PCBoard 15.1 *RIP* [alt, ez, lu, th, rs, un] Sperry BBS 853-6144 300-2400 V.32/42b PCBoard 15.0 [none] StarBase 12 647-7184 1200-14400 TriBBS 5.02 *RIP* [ez, mn, wm, sx] Torch Song 328-1517 1200-14400 V.32/42b Wildcat 3.90 [pr, st, gn] Travelog BBS 491-3898 2400-14400 Wildcat 3.90 [none] Unknown World, The 853-9359 2400-14400 Renegade [it, ws] Virtual Football 823-2029 300-2400 Hermes II v.3.0.2 [none] Weekends BBS 841-8583 2400-16800 USR DS Wildcat! 3.9 [ca] Willie's DYM (Node 1) 664-9902 300-2400 Oracomm Plus [or] Willie's DYM (Node 2) 664-9903 300-2400 Oracomm Plus [or] Willie's DYM (Node 3) 664-9895 300-2400 Oracomm Plus [or] Willie's DYM (Node 4) 664-9896 300-2400 Oracomm Plus [or] Ziggy Unix BBS 991-5696 300-1200 UNaXess [none] *RIP* = BBS Software is RIP Graphics capable. You must be using a RIP compatible term software to view them. RIPTerm or QmodemPro v1.50 are the only two I know of that support it at this time. RIPTerm is shareware and can be downloaded from most BBS's. QmodemPro is a commercial product. The two-letter abbreviations you see on the line below the names of many of the bbs' in the list signify that they are members of one or more networks that exchange or echo mail to each other in some organized fashion. ad = ADAnet, an international network dedicated to the handicapped ae = Arts & Entertainment, a national network, multi-topic ag = AgapeNet, a national Christian network, multi-topic al = AlaNet, a local network, multi-topic alt = AlterNet, a local network, multi-topic am = AmateurNet, a local network dedicated to HAM operators an = The Annex, an international network, multi-topic at = AdultNet, a national network, adult-oriented bc = BCBNet, a local network, religion-oriented bh = BhamTalk, a local network, multi-topic bi = BitchNet, uncertain at press time br = BreezeNet, National network, multitopic ca = CafeNet, a local network, restaurant/dining, recipes, etc. cc = Coast2Coast, a national network, multi-topic cd = CDN, a national Christian network for file distribution cf = CFN, a national Christian network, multi-topic ch = ChristNet, a national Christian network cl = CLink, uncertain at press time cm = CompuLink, a national network, multi-topic cn = CNet, multi-topic co = Collective,a national network, multi-topic cp = CAPNet, a national Christian network, multi-topic cr = CrystalNet, uncertain at press time cs = ChaosNet, uncertain at press time cy = Cybernet, uncertain at press time da = DateNet, uncertain at press time dd = DeadNet, uncertain at press time de = DevNet, an international network for programmers and developers di = Dixie Net, a regional network, multi-topic geared toward the south eastern United States do = DoorNet, a national network for the distribution of BBS doors dv = DoveNet, uncertain at press time ec = EchoNet, an international network, multi-topic ed = EduNet, a national network devoted to homeschooling and Christian education er = ErosNet, an international network, adult oriented, files & messages ez = EzNet, a local IBM compatible network fa = FamilyNet, an international network, multi-topic fi = FidoNet, an international network, multi-topic fn = FrontierNet, a local network, multi-topic fr = FredNet, a regional network, political discussion fs = FSNet, uncertain at press time ga = GameNet, a local network, uncertain at press time gl = GlobalLink, an international network, multi-topic gm = GayCom, an international network, homosexually oriented gn = GlobeNet, an international network, multi-topic gt = GTNet, an international network, multi-topic gy = GayNet, a national network, homosexually oriented he = HellNet, a local network, multi-topic ho = HobbyNet, a local network for hobbyists hu = HumpNet, a local network, multi-topic ic = ICDM, an international Christian network, multi-topic ie = Intelec, a national network, multi-topic il = ILink, an international network, multi-topic in = InterNet, an international network of mail, linking businesses, universities, and bbs', multi-topic it = ITCNet, a national network, multi-topic lg = Local GT Net, a local network, connecting GT Power systems ll = LlamaNet, a national network, freeform correspondence lo = LocalNet, uncertain at press time lu = LuciferNet, an international network, adult oriented ma = MAXnet, a local network, connecting WWIV and VBBS systems me = Medieval-Net, uncertain at press time mj = MJCN, an international network for Messianic Jews mn = Metronet, an international network which echoes RIME, multi-topic mr = MajorNet, an international network, multi-topic ms = MSI SupportNet nl = NewLife, uncertain at press time np = NPN, a national network for new parents or = OraNet, a national E-mail network pe = Planet Earth Network, a national network, multi-topic pl = PlanoNet, a national network, multi-topic pn = PoliceNet, an international network, law-enforcement only pr = PrideNet, a national homosexually oriented network pt = PRNet, a national network devoted to 2nd amendment rights qu = QuadNet, uncertain at press time rf = RF Net, a national network for ham radio users and hobbyists ri = RIME, an international network, multi-topic rb = RoboLink, a national network, multi-topic re = RealityNet, uncertain at press time rp = RPGnet, a local network for role-playing games rs = RoseNet, a national network, technically orient*ed ru = RushNet, a national network for Rush Limbaugh fans sc = Science Factor Net, a national network, science and technology oriented se = SEC, a regional network, homosexually oriented geared toward the southeastern United States sh = Shades N Shadows Net, a national network for role-playing games sk = SeekNet, uncertain at press time sl = SearchlightNet, a national network, multi-topic sm = SmartNet, a national network, multi-topic sn = ShadowNet, a national network for role-playing games sp = Sub-SpaceNet, uncertain at press time ss = SexSations!, a national network, adult-oriented sx = SeXXXnet, an national network, adult-oriented st = StudsNet, a national network, homosexually oriented sz = SCN-Net, uncertain at press time te = TECHnet, a local network, hardware and utility oriented th = ThrobNet, an international network, adult oriented tr = TrekNet, a national network for Star Trek fans un = U'NI-Net, an international network, multi-topic us = Usenet, an international network existing on the Internet, multi- topic ve = VETLink, a national network for military veterans vi = VirtualNet, an international network, multi-topic wg = WGA, an international network devoted to genealogy research wi = WildNet, a national network, multi-topic wm = World Message Exchange, an international network, multi-topic ws = WishNet, uncertain at press time ww = WWIV-Net, an international network, multi-topic yr = YourNet, uncertain at press time