textfiles/bbs/MINDVOX/FAQ/system-status
2021-04-15 13:31:59 -05:00

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System Status: November 30, 1992
Amassed masses, I say onto thee:
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After a lotta work getting Vox to take off, thing's are finally happen-
ing, which is fuckin' wonderful. What this means is, when something is bro-
ken, instead of spending 3 weeks trying to hold it together with willpower,
tricks and a lotta solder; we can get a new thingamajig that does what we
need. It also means that a lot of dis-believers are getting off our backs,
since we've proven that MindVox IS a financially viable enterprise, and we
do not have to spend our time pursuing that all-so-seductive corporate mark-
et, and waste energy and effort selling SLIP feeds to Dog-Food manufactur-
ers.
Some things are not quite where we want them to be, and we suspect they
never will be, because constant enhancement is on the agenda. As of right
now, since our monthly bills are no longer coming out of our pockets, this
situation makes it possible for us to invest in additional hardware to add
to Vox, and continue to grow and support the increasingly large membership
-- all of this means even more work than before, so please have patience.
None of us are being paid anything, and aren't going to even see anything
back from what has been a considerable financial investment, for at least a
year and a half. Last but not least most of the people who work on Vox, are
doing other things like going to school, or working someplace less fun in
the hopes of turning MindVox into something which they can eventually devote
their complete attention to.
For all this, we are overwhelming happy, it means that we are succeed-
ing in doing something that we really want to be doing. The reason this is
possible, is because enough of us have belief in the possibilities that Cy-
berspace presents . . .
So we're here, and something really cool is happening -- we're get-
ting a lot of media attention, a huge influx of new members, and are becom-
ing established as one of THE places to be. While this is all very cool,
it's not really the point . . . MindVox presents one of the very few nexus
points within the Matrix where Cyberspace collides with The Real World, and
there is a transfer of energy; IN BOTH DIRECTIONS. There are reporters,
journalists, film makers, musicians, writers, editors, club owners, program-
mers, designers . . . people from every creative field imaginable here. And
they're here because they share an interest in what's happening.
What that "something" is, has yet to be defined, but it's going to be
the spark that weaves together all these talents and abilities and forms of
expression, into the virtual tapestry of cyberspace and defines the cultural
boundaries of an entire movement.
And it is taking form NOW . . . and HERE. And you know something,
*YOU* are here, and it's already NOW; and many of you ARE taking part.
But you know . . . this isn't Television, there aren't SOME OF US who
are the chosen few, while the rest of you sit around and either go "gee
that's neat," or "you assholes, I could do that better..." to cop a line:
JUST DO IT! Get up off your ass and take part, if you have something to
offer, something to say, abilities or talents that you want to express -- go
for it. Because if you don't, then someday in the not too distant future,
you're gonna be 40something or 50something, working in a grist-mill main-
taining Objective-COBOL programs, getting drunk someplace saying "Yeah, I
coulda done it much better than those guys" and instead of pushing back the
boundaries of what is possible, you're gonna be using Virtual Reality as an
escape for the life you never gave yourself the chance to live.
Look, whether you think that this is it, or you've lived a thousand
times, or the flying saucers erased your memory and set you down on Planet
Earth as an interstellar spy . . . you're here now, you are alive, so LIVE.
There are remarkably few repercussions here; you are as real or unreal as
you choose to be, you can only be judged by what you choose to present, and
you're gonna find that almost everyone will welcome you with open arms. If
someone feels compelled to treat you badly, it's a much greater reflection
on their own pain or fear, than it is on anything you've said or done.
In short, if ANYBODY puts you down, or has anything negative to say to
you; fuck 'em. Who are they anyway? If you've always wanted to write, then
don't waste 5 years in creative writing 1001, or submit to 50 different e-
zines and editors; give it to MONDO, or if you hate Mondo, send it to Wired
or bOING bOING; if you want to express yourself in any way imaginable: don't
spend your time thinking that you could do it better than whomever, DO IT!
There is absolutely no point in focusing on the short-comings of other
people, they're always gonna be there, so what -- focus on YOUR OWN talents
and abilities, and have faith in yourself. Entire movements are defined by
a handful of people, it takes no more than 80, 90 . . . 100 people to re-
define the very nature of reality. A sizeable percentage of those people
are making their home here; BE ONE OF THEM instead of watching it all hap-
pen.
TAKE PART, don't just watch the universe scroll by . . .
Peace, Light & "attitude problems" =)
Patrick / digital@phantom.com