1849 lines
88 KiB
Plaintext
1849 lines
88 KiB
Plaintext
BTN: Birmingham Telecommunications News
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COPYRIGHT 1993 ISSN 1055-4548
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September 1993 Volume 6, Issue 9
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Edition 4
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Table Of Contents
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-----------------
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Article Title Author
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Policy Statement and Disclaimer................Staff
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From The Editor................................Scott Hollifield
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Letters to BTN.................................BTN Readers
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The Last Hegemony, Part 2......................Christopher Mohney
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Compact Disc Clubs.............................Jeff Vaughn
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A Conservative Estimate........................Bernie Starchaser
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Con Report: ONE BBSCON.........................James Minton
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Gamer's Corner: Syndicate; Buyer's Survey......Richard DeVaney
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Local Music In September.......................Judy Ranelli
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Cafe Spotlight: Mancha's.......................David Moss
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Electronic Frontier Foundation.................EFF press release
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Japanimation In Birmingham.....................Jeff Vaughn
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Special Interest Groups (SIGs).................Eric Hunt
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Known BBS Numbers..............................James Minton
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Disclaimer and Statement of Policy for BTN
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We at BTN try our best to assure the accuracy of articles and
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information in our publication. We assume no responsibility for damage
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due to errors, omissions, etc. The liability, if any for BTN, its
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editors and writers, for damages relating to any errors or omissions,
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etc., shall be limited to the cost of a one year subscription to BTN,
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even if BTN, its editors or writers have been advised of the likelihood
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of such damages occurring.
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With the conclusion of that nasty business, we can get on with our
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policy for publication and reproduction of BTN articles. We publish
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monthly with a deadline of the fifteenth of the month prior to
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publication. If you wish to submit an article, you may do so at any
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time but bear in mind the deadline if you wish for your work to appear
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in a particular issue. It is not our purpose to slander or otherwise
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harm a person or reputation and we accept no responsibility for the
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content of the articles prepared by our writers. Our writers own their
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work and it is protected by copyright. We allow reprinting of articles
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from BTN with only a few restrictions. The author may object to a
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reprint, in which case he will specify in the content of his article.
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Otherwise, please feel free to reproduce any article from BTN as long as
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the source, BTN, is specified, and as long as the author's name and the
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article's original title are retained. If you use one of our articles,
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please forward a copy of your publication to:
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Mark Maisel
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Publisher, BTN
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606 Twin Branch Terrace
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BHAM, AL 35216
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(205) 823-3956
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We thank you for taking the time to read our offering and we hope that
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you like it. We also reserve the right to have a good time while doing
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all of this and not get too serious about it.
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F R E E B I E : G E T I T W H I L E I T S H O T !
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The following boards allow BTN to be downloaded freely, that is with no
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charge to any existing upload/download ratios.
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ADAnet One Alter-Ego Bus System
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The Castle Channel 8250 C.A.B.
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The Comfy Chair! Crunchy Frog DC Info Exchange
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Hardware Hotline The Holodeck Homewood's Hell Hole
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Joker's Castle Lemon Grove Lion's Den
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Martyrdom Again?! The MATRIX Milliways BBS
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The Outer Limits Owlabama BBS Owl's Nest
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Playground Safe Harbor Southern Stallion
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Starbase 12 Thy Master's Dungeon Weekends BBS
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(This list includes some systems which are not local to Birmingham and
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therefore not included on our BBS Numbers list.)
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If you are a sysop and you allow BTN to be downloaded freely, please let
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me know via The Matrix or Crunchy Frog so that I can post your board as
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a free BTN distributor. Thanks.
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*IMPORTANT!* Beginning this month, BTN is adopting an official "favored
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distribution policy" in regards to this list. Bulletin boards who offer
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BTN as a free download, with no file penalties, are listed here and
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receive each issue of BTN as soon after it goes to press as I can
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possibly upload it. I will *NOT* be uploading BTN personally to systems
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who are NOT on this list--instead, I now have a small staff of helpers
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to do that for me, and they will likely not upload BTN as fast as I
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will. We try to get BTN to all the systems we can, but if you would
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like to receive BTN and you are not getting it, please leave me mail on
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THE MATRIX or CRUNCHY FROG and let me know.
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Back issues of BTN are available on those boards as well.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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N E W S F L A S H
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ANSI AD CONTEST DELAYED
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YET ANOTHER MONTH!
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See "From the Editor" column.
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ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION
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PRESS RELEASE IN THIS
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ISSUE OF BTN!
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Everyone be sure to read this!
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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From the Editor
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by Scott Hollifield
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It's a gorgeous Sunday afternoon and I'm stuck in here doing *this*
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again.
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It's not just a nice day. It's one of those days where the very
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blueness of the sky comes filtering through your window along with the
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sunshine. It's the kind of day where you can only truly notice how nice
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it is from inside the house. Outside, people tend to take that kind of
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thing for granted.
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Not that I'm complaining. I'm an indoors-type person for the most
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part, so I can appreciate the situation from both sides. And it's a
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holiday weekend, so I can take my time to appreciate stuff like this.
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Some cynical people gripe that we spend too much time admiring the nice
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days of life and not enough time worrying about the really important bad
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things that are going wrong in the world.
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I think that the problems of the world will definitely take a back
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seat to me enjoying my nice today, though.
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Well, that's my excuse for an editoral, and I have little else to
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say other than that the "a" key on my keyboard won't shift properly,
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that I like the new David Letterman show, and that things are getting
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better every day despite what some people say.
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I'm proud to say that we have a fairly hefty little issue this
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month, one that's sure to tease 'n' please.
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Christopher Mohney continues his controversial three-part article on
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telecommunications and who really controls it; this month, he tackles
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some people you probably know. Hide the kids.
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If you've been paying attention to the news lately (or to The Matrix
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for that matter), you've probably heard about how the media has been
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paying more and more attention to BBSs and telecommunications,
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particularly about how bulletin boards have come under scrutiny of the
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law. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is a group working to
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make sure that we get to keep our rights as BBS users and
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telecommunications users; they're doing some interesting stuff, so be
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especially sure to peruse their press release in this issue.
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We officially recognize Richard DeVaney as a new regular contributor
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this month by resurrecting the "Gamer's Corner" column title begun by
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Osman Guner some years ago. I only hope he can handle the
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responsibility.
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David Moss also begins what may be a regular feature here in BTN
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(and, as we all know, regular features means regular writers!): it's a
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restaraunt column called Cafe Review, and we look forward to our article
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pile growing well-fed as David himself does.
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In addition to all that, we have an exclusive report from ONE BBSCON
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in Colorado from our BBS Man Himself, James Minton. Jeff Vaughn has two
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articles this month, at least one of which will hopefully be of interest
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to everyone. Our old friend Bernie Starchaser is back with some
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opinions about the national economy. And our resident guitar-playin'
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fool Judy Ranelli is here to tell you club types exactly where to go and
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what to hear for maximum music moxie.
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As the News Flash for this month says, our ANSI BBS ad contest is
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still stuck in the larval stage; hopefully, it will be nurtured and grow
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into a presentable pup by next month and we'll be able to show it off to
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everyone. Until then, read this issue, then go away and live a fruitful
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life for about 30 days before coming back.
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Letters to the Editor
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[Ha! An actual letter this month. Granted, it was sent in by someone
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who's written for us before, but I'll take what I can get. - Ed.]
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FROM: Damion Furi
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Scott:
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I don't remember the issue number, but one or two issues before I
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started writing for BTN I sent you a short note of congratulations for
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assuming the editorial helm with style.
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BTN #61 impressed me again. Chris Mohney did an excellent job of
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addressing a number of issues that have been nagging me off and on
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since I installed a modem in this blasted machine. I don't think he's
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right, but I thoroughly enjoyed the article and look forward to BTN #62
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and 63.
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The majority of BBS users are casual users and enthusiastic
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hobbyists. No doubt it is easy for them to forget those of us that rely
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heavily on information exchange in order to make a living. And it is
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easy enough to forget or ignore most of the time. I think the only time
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it really hits them, and that only lightly, is when it's time to renew
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their subscription to The Matrix or one of the national services. To
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this extent, I think Chris has the issue in perspective.
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Beyond that point, I have a few problems with the article. For one
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thing, Chris seems to think that information packaging is a new thing.
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It isn't. We've had it since the first neanderthal tattletale received
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an extra helping of roast dinosaur haunch for his trouble.
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Furthermore, telecommunications has more than 150 years of history
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behind it; the modem was really nothing more than a minor exercise in
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cryptology after Alexander Graham Bell finished tying the wires together
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for his telephone. Telephone lines use an analog signal; all a modem
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does is translate digital to analog and back again. Modulation and
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demodulation.
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The technological explosion Chris refers to actually began in 1837
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when Samuel Morse patented a functional telegraph system. In 1876 Bell
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filed patent on his voice transmission system. After that, there is a
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long list of patents filed for communications breakthroughs. The United
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States's launch of Telstar in 1962 was the last major contribution to
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the communications industry until microcomputers hit the scene. After
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that, there are no surprises. Forever after, the masses have the
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ability to be free *because* of the availablity of information available
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in channels that are going to be hellishly difficult--if not impossible
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--to regulate in any manner useful to governments.
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The hacker ethic notwithstanding, information has never been free.
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The price has simply increased with our ability to gather it, package
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it, distribute it, and apply it. "Information wants to be free" is a
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hacker delusion. Boiled down to basics, information has always had
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survival value and always will. Remember, knowledge is power. The more
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you know, the more power you have. Among the power brokers, even
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knowing a thing isn't enough; who knows it first knows the score - and
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wins the game. Chris analyzed this part correctly. But feeling sad
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about it strikes me as both pointless and contra-survival.
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There's a theory that says the primary difference between Man and
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his closest cousins is the ability to use tools. Well, a chimpanzee
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can be taught to use a monkey wrench and dolphins use what amounts to a
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typewriter. But monkeys eat bananas, and people eat information--
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measured in wordage and bytes rather than calories.
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I think his comparison of information distribution to economics was
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right on the money, so to speak, and I'm looking forward to his analysis
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of the telecommunications community's impact on "normal" society.
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But can we drop the non-word "telelectronic" in favor of a real word
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such as "telecommunications"?
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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========================================================================
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The Last Hegemony: An Information Age Cosmology
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========================================================================
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by Christopher Mohney
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--------------------
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Preface to Part 2
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--------------------
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In this section, I will be naming names. The sole purpose for this is
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to provide support for the extended analogy used in this essay. No
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slanderous or libelous intent, no insidious agenda of character
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assassination motivates these words. Admittedly, some portion of the
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effectiveness of this section will be lost on those individuals who do
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not know of the names I'll be using. That's too bad, but I find the
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subject interesting enough that I'm willing to take that risk. Again,
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anyone who wishes to discuss this with me or send me legal notices of
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intent to sue may contact me at cmohney1@ua1vm.ua.edu.
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------------------------------
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Part 2: KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOR
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------------------------------
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For everything to be consummated, for me to feel
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less alone, I had only to wish that there be a
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large crowd of spectators the day of my execution
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and that they greet me with cries of hate.
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- Albert Camus
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When people get together in groups, certain dynamics begin to
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evidence themselves. Among the most basic of these are the competing
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dynamics of conflict and consensus. Under the watchful eyes of Father
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Chance and Mother Choice, something like social evolution takes place,
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assuming the society survives. The telelectronic community has evolved
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particularly fast, because by its very nature the "rate of mutation" is
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geometrically faster than in its biological counterpart. This is
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because instead of biological reproduction, the genetic coin of the
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realm in the BBS world is of course information, interacting only with
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capital as various systems reproduce and evolve. When one looks at the
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various persona who've percolated around in the Birmingham BBS scene
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over the years, there are essentially three types of people.
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The vast majority are peasants, the support base for the community,
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the patrons of equipment dealers, subscription services and other
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species of information merchants. The second type are priests, who are
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often as not running boards themselves but are always concerned with the
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running of boards in general. The third and most recent type is the
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king, for whom a BBS is like as not a means to an end; yet, kings are
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much more likely to be running boards than priests. In fact, they may
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insist on it.
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There are, of course, exceptions. Some people do not fit this
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analogy exactly, tending to have considerable influence but fitting
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several of the three molds, or none of them. If nothing else, most
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everyone was at one time a peasant; it just comes with the territory.
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Some kings were formerly priests, and some priests were once kings or
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had aspirations in that direction. Still, discussion of overlapping can
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be safely delayed pending more thorough examination of the three primary
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types, via example. Of the peasant, there are too many to name and
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probably just as many subtypes. The peasant is the taxpayer, the
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junkie, the voter, the spear- carrier, the John Q. Public of the
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telelectronic community. There are many spokespeasants of note, but the
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peasantry is usually treated with as a dialectic force rather than a
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collection of individuals, as is any subject population. Typically,
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they are simply called the "users." The greatest principle of the dogma
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of virtuality implies an almost Platonic disconnection from the world of
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physicality - and since information, the currency of the virtual world,
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"wants to be free," there is no place for private ownership BY THE USER.
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The user simply "uses," and in return provides capital to whatever
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priests or kings supplies his local markets. Priests spend their time
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thinking about how to influence the mass of users, while kings attempt
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to discern how best to take advantage of current user society.
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Priests are many and varied. Examples of characters local to
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Birmingham (past and present) who fit this archetype are Ed O'Neill, Tim
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Straughn, Kathy Maisel, Tom Egan, Maggie Harden, Joe Kearley, Bill
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Freeman, Willie Moore ... the list could go on. There's probably a
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whole posse of them out there these days that I'm unaware of since I'm
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relatively removed from the nitty gritty of Birmingham. The priest is
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roughly equivalent to the itinerant sysop, cosysop, or high-profile user
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-- an example of the latter might be someone like Brett Thorn, myself,
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or the recently vanished Jet Thomas. However, plain vanilla priests are
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more equivalent to ascetic monks; a true priest is deeply concerned with
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the dual movement of capital and information as it affects his stake in
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the industry. As in Part 1, a brief tip of the hat to the pure
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hobbyist, however acknowledging that they affect the larger situation
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only in the capacity of additional peasantry. A priest must deal with a
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large base of peasants on a regular basis, in order to be as informed as
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possible and (eventually) to extract capital from them. A priest often
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is a sysop, or at least heavily associated with one and the operation of
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his or her BBS. A priest may run a free-access BBS, but that is a
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vanishing breed. The moment the priest begins to request a tithe, his
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or her niche in a functioning process of economic competition is
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assured. Success is not assured, though. Many priests fall back into
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the ranks of peasantry or convert to kings, for personal reasons as
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often as economic. The telelectronic priesthood is a harsh and
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demanding order.
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Of course, the priest par excellance could be none other than Rocky
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Rawlins, the Virtual Bishop of Birmingham. Given the rampant network
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interconnection that the Matrix is currently undergoing, Rawlins is
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probably responsible for more data flow than everyone else in the local
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telelectronic community combined. He is the Magic City's pre-eminent
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information merchant. America Online was one of the first boards to go
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subscription, despite a sentimental nostalgia that until only recently
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prevented the Matrix from becoming all-subscription. Rawlins now
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controls a thriving data business, and has expanded his personal diocese
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from just his old compatriot Tom Egan to a small army of underpriests
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such as Eric Hunt. As a whole, the Matrix is a dynamic locomotive of
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the virtual religion, with Rawlins as its methodical conductor.
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Kings are more uncommon than priests, being the most recent
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development in the evolution of the telelectronic community. There are
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a few good examples, but most likely the first king to appear in
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Birmingham would have to be Mark Maisel. While priests such as Rawlins
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have influenced the peasantry, Maisel has quite likely had the greatest
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influence of any one single person on the BBS's themselves. Maisel has
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previously spent time as both peasant and priest, in both cases being
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one of the first. It would be a mistake to assume that the relationship
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between king and priest is the same as priest and peasant; there is no
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vertical hierarchy that places a king like Maisel over a priest like
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Rawlins. They are simply two different animals, Rawlins and Maisel
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being the most accomplished local example of each.
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The goals and methodology of a king are quite different from that
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of a priest. While a king is more likely to run or have run a BBS, he
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possesses more of a user mentality. The king is less interested with
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influencing the peasantry for direct extraction of resources or capital
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than with utilizing the entire telelectronic community as a tool for
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personal ends. The king is a user on a grand scale. Hence Maisel's
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establishment of BTN, an attempt to carve out a personal niche that had
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nothing to do, directly, with gain of lucre or information. Scott
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Hollifield, the current editor, has inherited a bit of this and its
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attendant noblesse oblige, which amounts to a minor kingship of his own.
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Maisel has since turned his attentions in other directions and has done
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admirably well by using the experience gained both as a priest and a
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larval king to further his personal ends. Another note about another
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king, mostly because of the interesting repercussions he created. Bob
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Crawford was probably the second legitimate king that Birmingham has
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seen. Note that a king is merely a name assigned to this type; no
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assumption should be made that a region can have only one "king" any
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more than it can have only one priest. Crawford managed to attract a
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clique of a stripe that had failed to gel around Maisel, yet quite
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similar in structure to the "court" that was often joked about
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concerning Maisel's circle of intimates. People like Lurch Henson and
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Douglas Griffin ended up gravitating more to Crawford than to Maisel.
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Interestingly, Crawford and Griffin soon had an apocalyptic falling out
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over various matters both personal and economic - one might conjecture
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that Griffin longed for the role of Chief rather than that of Indian
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(Crawford even circulated a simplistic parody to explain his side of the
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situation, characterizing the telelectronic community as a medieval
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fairy tale--the feudal model seems to have a wide appeal). Much like
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Maisel occasionally did, Crawford frequently stages or participates in
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various events that increase his standing and reach. Like Maisel, he
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appears to be doing quite well; however, a certain abrasive cockiness in
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his character has prevented him from assembling a court to match the
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sheer size of Maisel's at its heyday. This is largely immaterial for
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his apparent aims at present, though.
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Given these three types, a final illustration of them all
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interacting is in order. No better example can be found than the
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recent furor over a Channel 13 television news story about digital
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pornography. When the story was being shot, Bob Crawford was named as a
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personable spokesperson. I have not seen the segment, but claims have
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been made that certain of Crawford's remarks were taken out of context
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or somesuch, and BBS's were represented in a less than positive light as
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purveyors of filth. Ignoring for the moment the empirical truth of that
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claim, an analysis of various reaction in the light of the above
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arguments proves quite diverting.
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First, consider what motivates Channel 13. They, too, are
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information merchants, but they have slightly different concerns than
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those of their virtual counterparts. A TV station has a set bandwidth;
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they can only cram a certain, fixed amount of information into their
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allotted time slots. Their goal is to sell advertising, and to get
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people to watch that advertising. To do this the information they
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broadcast between ads must be attractive and interesting. Some would
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even say sensational, as the Channel 13 story was often characterized;
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an interpretive distinction at best. In any event, the story was
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presented in such a way as to be most effective for the station's
|
|
purpose, while functioning within the bounds of legality.
|
|
|
|
So there we have it. The reaction from the peasantry comes
|
|
quickly; some are outraged, some offended, some begin to pick at the
|
|
factuality of the reporting or even its ethicality. The peasantry, as a
|
|
whole, know when their borders are being threatened. Debates begin, get
|
|
sidetracked, get censored by topic cops, all the usual furniture of a
|
|
BBS debate. A few sporadic vows about letter writing or phone calls are
|
|
made. Ultimately, sound and fury, signifying nothing. It's just the
|
|
telelectronic community, talking to itself. Neither is there any
|
|
reaction from the kings. Mark Maisel, by all reports, evinces only a
|
|
clinical interest--at best, detached amusement. Bob Crawford is
|
|
hip-deep in one of his own projects and does nothing more than voice
|
|
some vicarious support. Where, then, does the real action come from?
|
|
|
|
The priests, of course. From out of nowhere, almost everyone who
|
|
ever even thought about being a sysop begins swearing mighty oaths about
|
|
their pornography-clean systems. Some say little, but many admit that
|
|
they will correct any problem that might exist. From the priests come
|
|
the most virulent diatribes against Channel 13, for they recognize that
|
|
television is in many ways a competing priesthood. And naturally
|
|
enough, Rocky Rawlins is the prime instigator of the protest against
|
|
Channel 13. He knows that his method of extracting capital from the
|
|
peasantry is threatened by the accusations made in the news story.
|
|
Caught in the unfortunate position of being in a business evolutionally
|
|
too advanced for local ethics, Rawlins organizes the protest, thus
|
|
presenting the telelectronic community as a united entity ready to
|
|
tussle rather than just another information bank that competing
|
|
information priesthoods can raid for raw material. Those who were
|
|
morally outraged by the injustice of the story are rigorously toeing
|
|
Rawlins' party line; moral outrage always originates in the dictates of
|
|
a priest.
|
|
|
|
As said previously, there are those who exist outside of this little
|
|
analogy-set. Dean Costello is probably the most notorious; he might be
|
|
analogous to a court jester in this scheme of things (a
|
|
characterization that would please him, whether he admits it or not),
|
|
but only in the truest sense in the function of the Fool. There are
|
|
others, but for the most part, they have as little impact as pure
|
|
hobbyists on the larger arrangement of things. So, there it is: a little
|
|
bit of home flipped around and dressed up in new clothes. Too few
|
|
people in the telelectronic community are willing to think in terms like
|
|
these (in the larger sociological sense, not just this limited feudal
|
|
model); too many are just willing to accept their roles as peasants. Be
|
|
aware of who is doing what and consider what could really motivate such
|
|
people as you know to act as they do. This virtual world will
|
|
ultimately result in more than just a social revolution and the
|
|
catapulting of the race into the Information Age. It will cause the
|
|
birth of a new society altogether.
|
|
|
|
The best place to watch this process gestate is, of course, the
|
|
Internet.
|
|
|
|
--------------------
|
|
Next: THE ANT FARM
|
|
--------------------
|
|
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
Compact Disc Clubs: A Comparison and a Word of Warning
|
|
by Jeff Vaughn
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hello again. By now, any of you who've read my articles know that
|
|
I'm really deep into music and music-related facts about bands and
|
|
things. Well, here's a little something that's a bit different but also
|
|
has something in common. Let's talk about compact disc clubs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
BMG Music Service
|
|
-----------------
|
|
|
|
In early 1990, I joined the ranks of a well-known CD club called BMG
|
|
Music Service. This was probably one of the biggest mistakes of my
|
|
life. It at least ranked in the top twenty.
|
|
|
|
When I signed up, they offered eight tapes for a penny and allowed
|
|
you to order two more at a really cut price. Okay, cool, I signed up.
|
|
Within six months time, I must have ordered at least a hundred or more
|
|
tapes from them. It lapsed on into 1991, and every month I would order
|
|
two or three tapes from the club. Let's say that I had a rather large
|
|
collection (and that's being modest).
|
|
|
|
In September 1991, I moved into my first apartment and
|
|
expeienced the wonderment of the compact disc player in my own abode.
|
|
My roommate Glen had one. Well, after that, I was in gridlock and
|
|
bought nothing but CDs. This is when the major trouble started.
|
|
|
|
Glen and I ordered nine CDs in one month. It took over six weeks
|
|
for the first CD to appear. Up until that time, BMG had been billing us
|
|
and sending threats about collection agencies. We let it pass and paid
|
|
the bill for the CDs. It was a disgrace. One of the CDs were cracked
|
|
and the others looked almost as if another person had owned them for
|
|
over a year. We were frustrated, but we're decently easy-going, so we
|
|
let it pass again. The CDs worked, so, no big deal. Then it happened.
|
|
|
|
We started getting bills about some CDs I ordered over three months
|
|
prior and had sent them back to the company. Threats again about the
|
|
bill collectors. I sent them back a letter explaining that we had
|
|
returned the CDs over three months ago and that they must be out of
|
|
their minds if they thought I was going to pay for them. Somewhere in
|
|
the midst of it all, a package of tapes I had previously ordered showed
|
|
up, or at least SOME of them. BMG wanted the entire bill paid before
|
|
they would send the rest of the order. This was not the agreement or
|
|
service I had signed up for.
|
|
|
|
In that order, they sent me a tape (and this had happened before)
|
|
that I didn't order. I sent it back to them explaining that I didn't
|
|
order it and to clear it from my record. They sent me an outrageous
|
|
letter saying, "WE DID NOT SEND THIS TAPE TO YOU! IT WAS NOT ON YOUR
|
|
ORDER FORM! THIS TAPE ISN'T ONE OF OURS!" ("No kidding, Sherlock!" I
|
|
thought.) Then someone with a scrap of intelligence must have decided
|
|
to read the label on the tape that said "Manufactured BMG Music Service"
|
|
because a letter came back that said, "our mistake". Not even an
|
|
apology for their pompous attitude. Geez, what jerks!
|
|
|
|
Well, I finally got fed up and just packed my last order back up
|
|
and sent it back to them. You see, after I completed the introductory
|
|
orders (6 tapes in 3 years), they were supposed to send me a "Valued
|
|
Member" prize (like a Walkman or something) and give me discounts. It
|
|
never happened. I also explained that to them in SEVERAL letter. It
|
|
was pointless; the only valid view was theirs as far as they were
|
|
concerned. The fact that they never came through on their part of the
|
|
deal was of no interest to them.
|
|
|
|
My final word to you is DO NOT order from "BMG Music Service". It
|
|
is a bad experience that you don't need and the servies is terrible
|
|
(that's being VERY nice on my part). I had thoughts of writing to the
|
|
Better Business Bureau, but I figured there was no point to it. I had
|
|
written them before and got no results.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Columbia House
|
|
--------------
|
|
|
|
In August of 1992, I joined the ranks of Columbia House. I was a
|
|
little weary about them because of all the stories and rumors floating
|
|
around about how Columbia House "screws" people. Much to my surprise, I
|
|
found this was not the case.
|
|
|
|
I got the first order back in two weeks. I finished my intrductory
|
|
order and Columbia sent me my "Valued Member" card and I have used it
|
|
ever since. The deliveries are quick, the staff is very nice if you are
|
|
late on a CD payment, and the CDs are always in excellent shape. All my
|
|
fear about Columbia House had been wiped away in less than a month.
|
|
|
|
Since then, I have signed up six people to the service and none of
|
|
them (that are fairly responsible about their billing) have had a single
|
|
complaint about any of their orders. This is the kind of service I've
|
|
come to expect since I've joined up with them. It is no less than any
|
|
customer deserves.
|
|
|
|
Now, I will say that all departments of Columbia House are not as
|
|
reliable as they should be. I was given the offer to join their video
|
|
club as well. I did so and ordered SEVERAL movies within two months.
|
|
But, that old problem about sending the wrong movie showed up and I
|
|
said, "No, not again". So I packed them all up and sent them back.
|
|
|
|
Again, much to my surprise, Columbia House was very courteous about
|
|
the whole thing and even sent me a free movie for being such a valued CD
|
|
customer. I got my choice from about fifty movies for the freebie.
|
|
Not a bad deal in the long run. I highly recommend Columbia House in
|
|
any department over any other company because of the main fact that they
|
|
are willing to admit mistakes and they treat you decently in the long run.
|
|
They are very concerned about their reputation, it seems, because they
|
|
have never given me a raw deal.
|
|
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
A Conservative Estimate
|
|
by Bernie Starchaser
|
|
|
|
Greetings, all! This is my first of what will hopefully be many
|
|
articles here in BTN. Finally back after a long Hiatus. Before I begin,
|
|
I would just like to announce to everyone that I am now married (no
|
|
groans!) to a lovely lady who says hello. Now on with the show.
|
|
|
|
Understandably, there is a lot of talk roaring through the nets
|
|
regarding Slick Willie and his "Income Reduction Plan". Now, you'll
|
|
pardon my facetiousness for a moment while I tell you all just what I
|
|
think of it. Any of you who are die hard liberals: I intend to pull no
|
|
punches here. If you are a supporter of our current regime... uh, I
|
|
mean administration, and you are offended by criticism of her... uh, I
|
|
mean him, then I suggest you move on to the next article.
|
|
|
|
That said, here goes...
|
|
|
|
There are only a few main points about the Deficit Reduction Plan
|
|
about which the public has been made aware. One of the most hotly
|
|
debated of these is the income tax rate increase on persons making more
|
|
than a certain amount per year. Now, at the time of this writing I do
|
|
not have the exact dollar figure, but what it amounts to is that the
|
|
already unfairly biased tax system is going to slap another disincentive
|
|
on the successful. Many people no doubt think that this is just what
|
|
needs to be done, although their personal principles to one side, I do
|
|
not think they would be playing the same song if THEY were in the
|
|
bracket getting soaked. Anyhow, here's a scenario for you to think
|
|
about.
|
|
|
|
It costs an employer, on average, about one-and-one-half times as
|
|
much as an employee is paid, before taxes, to have that employee. This
|
|
takes into account the employer portions of FICA and Medicare, benefits
|
|
like insurance, administrative costs, State Unemployment Insurance, etc.
|
|
Let's assume that we are talking about an employee who makes minimum
|
|
wage. A full-timer would make 40 hours times $4.25 = 170.00 per week,
|
|
or $8,840.00 per year. Tax increase isn't going to affect them, is it?
|
|
No? WRONG! Because one of the major groups falling into the income
|
|
category being increased are Small Business owners. Non-incorporated
|
|
business owners must report their business earnings as PERSONAL INCOME,
|
|
even though a relatively small portion of this would be considered
|
|
discretionary. So back to our full time employee. It's going to cost
|
|
that employer $13,260.00 to have that employee. That means, given a
|
|
certain level of profit as a goal, every $13k more in taxes a small
|
|
businessman must pay as a result of this plan is ONE JOB GONE! Whoops!
|
|
Tax increase DID affect our little minimum-wage guy, didn't it?
|
|
|
|
Let's assume our small businessman is a good guy, and he doesn't
|
|
want to just drop the employee like a stone. So his other alternative
|
|
is to increase his profit margin. This means cutting expenses and or
|
|
raising prices. Both of THESE will also affect lower wage-earners,
|
|
won't they? Not only that, but if he wasn't careful, either of these
|
|
options COULD reduce his sales so that he must fire the employee anyway,
|
|
or lay him off. In that case, the only ones who win are those who
|
|
recieve the government benefits that the majority of the new taxes will
|
|
be used for. And if prices increase enough, even THEIR money won't go
|
|
much further than it did.
|
|
|
|
It's simple enough for even the weakest mathematical mind that
|
|
growth in the economy is the result of profitable business taking place.
|
|
Equally simple, increased expenses in the form of more taxes = lower
|
|
profits = no economic growth, and there's no two ways around it.
|
|
|
|
(Any comments or inquiries are welcomed, and may be addressed
|
|
to me on The Crunchy Frog BBS in the argument conference or
|
|
sent via the internet to chris.phillips@the-matrix.com.)
|
|
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
My Trip To ONE BBSCON
|
|
(or How I Spent My Summer Vacation)
|
|
by James Minton
|
|
|
|
About a year ago I saw a review/ad in Boardwatch magazine talking
|
|
about a BBSCON. I thought to myself, "Hmmm... Wonder what that could be
|
|
about?" Once I read about it, I was hooked. I decided that I would
|
|
have to attend the next one that would be held in August of 1993. I
|
|
started scraping together my meager pennies and soon had enough money.
|
|
|
|
For those that don't know what the ONE BBSCON is, here's a bit of
|
|
background information. ONE BBSCON was started by ONE, Inc. founded by
|
|
Phil Becker and Jack Rickard, both heavyweights in the BBS industry.
|
|
ONE BBSCON was held in Colorado Springs, CO from August 25-29, 1993.
|
|
There were over 137 educational sessions and over 100 vendor exhibits.
|
|
|
|
The big day finally arrived. I, my wife, my mother-in-law and my
|
|
wife's aunt loaded in the car and set off. Being that my wife has
|
|
family in the Colorado Springs area, it was a good way for her to stay
|
|
occupied while I entered BBS heaven. The trip took a little over 24
|
|
hours, mostly due to the fact that I'd never been any further west than
|
|
the Mississippi River and wanted to look around a bit.
|
|
|
|
We arrived August 23rd, just a little frazzled from the drive with
|
|
no sleep, so the first item on the agenda was a nice long nap. On the
|
|
24th we did a little sight seeing. A ride to the top of Pike's Peak is
|
|
a MUST if you ever get to Colorado Springs. Being born and raised in
|
|
Alabama, I had never seen a REAL mountain. The city and the state are
|
|
both very beautiful places. I got signed in and registered at the
|
|
Broadmoor Hotel where the conference was held, picked up my compli-
|
|
mentary tote bag (which would come in VERY handy in the next few days),
|
|
BBSCON program guide, etc. At this point I was almost quivering with
|
|
anticipation.
|
|
|
|
Thursday, the 25th, finally came, and I hopped on the shuttle bus
|
|
for the trip to the Broadmoor. The first session I attended was on
|
|
CDROMS & BBS's, a pretty good seminar, gave me some good information on
|
|
networking and CDROMS with a BBS. Next came the BBSing for Profit I &
|
|
II sessions. By far these two had the highest attendance of any of the
|
|
sessions given. Those sessions marked the end of the first day.
|
|
|
|
I won't continue with a day by day listing of everything I did
|
|
because it would take up a whole lot of space and there was actually
|
|
way to much to remember! On Friday the Vendor Exhibits opened at 9 a.m.
|
|
I was standing at the door at 8:45 in eager anticipation. I got to
|
|
meet/talk to someone from all of the major BBS software companies.
|
|
PCBoard, Wildcat!, Major BBS, Searchlight, Synchronet, and TBBS all were
|
|
there with displays set up. By far the friendliest group was the
|
|
Searchlight and Major BBS folks. The people from Zoom Telephonics held
|
|
a party the night before and hinted at a BIG suprise to be announced
|
|
today. I went over to their booth to see what they meant. Well, it was
|
|
a big suprise: Internal Zoom modems 24.4k(v.fast) 14400 v.32bis with
|
|
14400 fax for only $99. No, that is not a misprint, $99. The external
|
|
model was $119. Needless to say, I ordered two. I saw some people
|
|
ordering in excess of 10-15. Across the aisle, not to be totally
|
|
shut-out, the ZyXEL modem people had knocked a big chunk off their
|
|
prices as well. Their U1496E external modem was dropped to $199 from
|
|
the regular Sysop price of $299. I already owned one of their modems
|
|
and really liked it so I bought two more of them. The other modem
|
|
makers were present but I really didn't stop and look. Call me a modem
|
|
bigot if you must.
|
|
|
|
Now for a bit of a summary, for those that hate long articles, I'll
|
|
rate how each company I talked to came across to me.
|
|
|
|
PCBoard : Nice sales/support people, not many people around the
|
|
booth most of the time. Most people I guess were still
|
|
hanging around the Zoom booth ordering modems. No new
|
|
features I hadn't already heard about.
|
|
|
|
Wildcat!: I run Wildcat! BBS software and have been a loyal
|
|
customer for a few years now. I was really
|
|
disappointed at the way I was treated by the MSI staff.
|
|
They were bowing and scraping to the people who hadn't
|
|
bought anything yet, but to the people who owned their
|
|
stuff already they acted kind of cold and aloof. All I
|
|
wanted was a stinking t-shirt, to which they replied,
|
|
"We can't give you one unless you buy something." Oh
|
|
well... Nothing new from them.
|
|
|
|
Searchlight : Definitely one of the nicest people I spoke to. I
|
|
talked with the author of the software and he answered
|
|
all my questions and even took the time to sit down and
|
|
show me a demo. Their RIP graphics support is truly
|
|
the best I have seen. RIP Menus on the fly, which
|
|
means no more need for RIPaint unless you want it.
|
|
|
|
Synchronet : Talked to their people for a few minutes just asking
|
|
them about general features, etc. Very friendly and
|
|
helpful. I think this software has a lot of potential
|
|
and is growing better by the minute. Will be releasing
|
|
a full blown OS/2 version in the fall.
|
|
|
|
Major BBS : The folks were also very friendly and helpful. They
|
|
also threw a really nice party which could have biased
|
|
my opinion a little. I've always been impressed with
|
|
how versatile this software is, if you have the cash.
|
|
Lots of nice games coming out for their software from
|
|
third party vendors. They were giving away t-shirts
|
|
like crazy. I ended up with two.
|
|
|
|
Telegrafix: Another friendly and helpful group. Their booth was
|
|
crowded ALL the time. I went to their session on
|
|
RIPaint and RIPGraphics and as soon as it was over, I
|
|
bought a copy of RIPaint. Very nice software, even if
|
|
it is a bit pricey.
|
|
|
|
TBBS : I'm really not all that familiar with their software.
|
|
Their booth was pretty crowded most of them time so I
|
|
didn't get a chance to really examine their software.
|
|
They were selling a demo copy of it for $10. Talk
|
|
about money grubbing! Yet another vendor that threw a
|
|
good party.
|
|
|
|
IBM : They were GIVING AWAY copies of OS/2 v2.1 to everyone to
|
|
try out. You have 3 months to evaluate it, and if you
|
|
like it, you are supposed to make a note on your
|
|
opening screen that you are running it. If you don't,
|
|
it's a "shelf copy". It's free, so, what the heck, I
|
|
got one myself.
|
|
|
|
ZyXEL Modems : Threw a real nice party. Gave away a few modems and
|
|
lots of tote bags. Very helpful and friendly. I still
|
|
haven't been able to duplicate the 6000+ cps they were
|
|
getting with the modems. They announced a new
|
|
ZyCellular modem that looked really nice.
|
|
|
|
Zoom Telephonics : They also threw a nice party. Got the most
|
|
attention of anyone opening day with their modem
|
|
specials. I heard a lot of people talking bad about
|
|
their modems, but for that price with a seven-year
|
|
warranty, how can you lose?
|
|
|
|
I tried to go by just about every booth in the place. Some of them
|
|
I just kept on walking by after picking up some literature. Others I
|
|
stopped by and pestered with questions. USRobotics was there but hadn't
|
|
marked down anything for the show. $1000+ for a modem?!? Please...
|
|
|
|
The trip home was sheer torture. I had a trunk full of new toys and
|
|
couldn't play with any of them.
|
|
|
|
Overall, I would say the show was a definite pleasure to attend. I
|
|
was hoping it would be worth the long drive, it was, and then some. I'm
|
|
going to start saving for next year's. Maybe it'll be somewhere not so
|
|
far away. I had hoped to find someone else there from Birmingham or
|
|
even Alabama but couldn't find anybody. Were you there and I just
|
|
missed you? If you are a Sysop and enjoy running a BBS, this is THE
|
|
show to see. You won't be disappointed.
|
|
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
Gamer's Corner
|
|
by Richard DeVaney
|
|
|
|
This month: Syndicate by Bullfrog Productions
|
|
Distributed by Electronic Arts
|
|
(Demo available but not easy to find)
|
|
|
|
I've got many things to cover this month so this review will not be as
|
|
long as last month's article. Simply put, this is a great game.
|
|
Cyberpunk at some of it's finest. Here is a summary.
|
|
|
|
The time is somewhere in the near future. Governments have
|
|
gradually lost power and corporations have taken over the world.
|
|
Street warfare is a daily occurrence between rival corporations.
|
|
A new device known as the CHIP (ooohh, original) has given these
|
|
corporations (or should I say syndicates) the ability to control
|
|
their forces by artificially stimulating their Intelligence,
|
|
Perception, and Adrenaline by drug injections through the CHIP.
|
|
You are an agent of a European Syndicate whose job is to remove
|
|
the world of your rivals and truly have a global corporation.
|
|
|
|
Folks, this is NOT a nice game. Those with a hyper-sensitivity
|
|
disposition will find this game a little too violent. While hovering
|
|
in your blimp, you control your four agents from an overhead view. This
|
|
is not new to the gaming world and it does have one drawback. You
|
|
cannot see into buildings that you might send your agents through and if
|
|
you send your agents behind a building you cannot see them there either.
|
|
They can still be tracked on your scanner but if an enemy agent is
|
|
lurking behind there, it can be very difficult to hit him. Speaking of
|
|
Hitting, Id made a warning for Wolfenstein called PC-13 for Profound
|
|
Carnage. Such a warning should be used for this game. Enemy agents,
|
|
police, and civilians die quite nastily in this game. This is not a
|
|
game that glorifies death. Anybody that you, or an enemy agent hits
|
|
falls over and proceeds to bleed on the pavement. If you happen to
|
|
catch them with a flamer, they proceed to dance around while screaming
|
|
before collapsing into a heap of ashes. Your agents are usually free to
|
|
kill anyone they want, no matter if it's civilians or police. Despite
|
|
that fact that you DO play a bad guy, I found this game to be extremely
|
|
entertaining. The opening has some of the best graphics I have seen in
|
|
a long time. The sound and music work to convey a very dark atmosphere.
|
|
Another aspect to this game I forgot to mention is that you have to
|
|
learn to control the taxes of your population or they will rebel. Your
|
|
revenue is spent on research and with purchasing weapons. You start
|
|
with simple weapons (shotguns, pistols and the favorite Persuadotron).
|
|
Spending money on research will give you weapons like Uzi's, Mini-Guns,
|
|
Lasers, Flamers and my favorite, the Gauss Gun. The Gauss Gun will
|
|
is very good at blowing up things and killing people and later on in the
|
|
game you will need it. In fact, later in the game you will wish you had
|
|
even more powerful weapons because the game starts fairly easy but
|
|
quickly becomes very hard. The last mission still thwarts me. However,
|
|
when you finally conquer a territory, the game gives you a nice parade
|
|
to watch with everyone 'celebrating' your victory (even though in the
|
|
course of the mission you probably killed several civilians and law
|
|
enforcement officers. Well with that out of the way it's time for the
|
|
Official Gripe List(tm).
|
|
|
|
1. I mentioned this one earlier. The inability to see your agents when
|
|
they are behind a building or inside a building. This can make
|
|
things somewhat confusing if there is a firefight going on.
|
|
|
|
2. Perhaps I practice bad economics but it seems my territories aren't
|
|
very happy with my tax rates no matter where I set them. (I yelled
|
|
"I feel your pain" at my screen but that didn't help any.)
|
|
|
|
3. The computer voice that speaks when you choose an item or a agent.
|
|
It took me about 20 games to figure out what he is saying. At first
|
|
I thought he said "Syndicate" but turns out he is saying "Selected".
|
|
Not much of a gripe but considering the detail of the rest of the
|
|
game, Bullfrog could have done better on the voice.
|
|
|
|
To the big board:
|
|
+ + + + + + + + + +
|
|
0 ^ 10
|
|
9.0
|
|
|
|
Summary: If you are looking for a game with excitement and a good dose
|
|
of violence with a dark theme, then this is the game for you.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Now on to my next subject:
|
|
|
|
I have seen poll after poll after survey after survey of the best games
|
|
to own but I don't ever remember a survey of WHERE to get those games.
|
|
This is a survey to remedy this. You may reply in several ways.
|
|
Cut ,snip, paste this section and send your reply in.
|
|
Snail-mail them to:
|
|
Game Survey
|
|
c/o Richard DeVaney
|
|
3033D Panorama East
|
|
Birmingham, AL 35215
|
|
|
|
or send them private Email to any of the addresses listed after the
|
|
survey (preferably The Matrix). Answers will be posted in the October
|
|
issue of BTN (or November if responses are slow)
|
|
|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
PC Game Buyer's Survey
|
|
|
|
1. Where do you purchase most of your PC game software?
|
|
|
|
________________________________________________________________
|
|
|
|
2. How would you rate the game software selection at the location you
|
|
gave in question #1? (Scale 1 to 5, 1 poor - 5 excellent)
|
|
|
|
_________
|
|
|
|
3. How would you rate the service at the location you gave to question
|
|
#1? (Scale 1 to 5, 1 poor service - 5 excellent service)
|
|
|
|
_________
|
|
|
|
4. How would you rate current PC game software prices:
|
|
[ ] Unjustifiably high
|
|
|
|
[ ] High, but justified due to pirating
|
|
|
|
[ ] Fair, I don't object to prices
|
|
|
|
[ ] Low, They could charge more but thankfully they don't.
|
|
|
|
5. Who is your favorite shareware game software distributor?
|
|
|
|
________________________________________________________
|
|
|
|
6. If you are a member of an on-line service (CIS, America Online,
|
|
Prodigy, etc.) and play their games, which is your favorite? (Please
|
|
give on-line service name and game name.)
|
|
|
|
On-line Service:________________________________________
|
|
|
|
Game Name:______________________________________________
|
|
|
|
7. What is your favorite Bulletin Board System Door Game and where do
|
|
you play it the most? (Please give BBS name and Game name.)
|
|
|
|
BBS:_____________________________________________________
|
|
|
|
Game Name:_______________________________________________
|
|
|
|
Send your responses either to the snail-mail address above or private
|
|
e-mail to any of the systems/addresses below. Thank you for
|
|
participating.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Coming Next Month: Cheat Codes for your favorite games.
|
|
(Sneak preview: Make your corporation's name 'COOPER TEAM' and you get
|
|
all the weapons and mega $$$....have fun)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Questions or suggestions for a game YOU would like me to review can
|
|
be sent to the following places:
|
|
This is also the pickup places for survey answers.
|
|
The Matrix
|
|
The Outer Limits
|
|
Crunchy Frog
|
|
Internet:richard.devaney@the-matrix.com
|
|
Fido Netmail:Richard DeVaney [1:3602/12]
|
|
America Online: Htseeker
|
|
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
Local Music in September
|
|
by Judy Ranelli
|
|
|
|
|
|
Wed. 8
|
|
NRBQ at Zydeco
|
|
The happiest band on the planet. Everyone who loves them has a
|
|
favorite member of the band. Come pick out yours.
|
|
|
|
Thurs. 9
|
|
FUZZY SONS/50 POUND HEAD at The Nick
|
|
Well, have you seen a stranger looking marquis than these guys/gals
|
|
will have? Twirly musings with short skirts.
|
|
|
|
Mon. 13
|
|
BIG DIXIE at The Nick
|
|
I heckled them so badly that Don Tinsley leaned over to the mike to
|
|
tell me to shut up. Well, the Helen Reddy songs weren't forthcoming,
|
|
but if you have true rockabilly requests...
|
|
|
|
Wed. 15
|
|
TUMBLING DICE at The Endzone (Tuscaloosa)
|
|
Ex-Rolling STone and Friends. No dinosaurs here, though, just lots
|
|
of gin and dirt under the fingernails.
|
|
|
|
Thurs. 16
|
|
FREE BEER AND CHICKEN BAND at Dugan's
|
|
Gets dumbest band name award. Worse than "Subject To Change" but if
|
|
"Wise Owl" had made it out of the practice room they would win. Don't
|
|
view this as a recommendation, by the way; I have no idea what they're
|
|
like.
|
|
|
|
A Week to Go to the Movies: Fri. 17-Wed. 22
|
|
|
|
Thurs. 23
|
|
MARCIA BALL at Louie Louie (new owners)
|
|
Big, as in very tall, New Orleans lady will undoubtedly shake the
|
|
walls to a packed house.
|
|
|
|
Fri. 24
|
|
MR. BUBBLE/SHAME IDOLS at The Nick
|
|
Well, everyone else will be there. Mr. Bubble is a reunion of
|
|
original members. Shame Idols are Tim Boykin songs ver. 4.
|
|
|
|
Friday Oct. 1
|
|
Here's a tough decision for you! We have MYSTIC WARRIOR at the
|
|
Caribbean Cookhouse or SUGAR SMACK/MAN OR ASTROMAN at The Nick. You
|
|
tell me. (For the uninitiated, Sugar Smack is the former Fetchin'
|
|
Bones. Coool.)
|
|
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
Cafe Spotlight
|
|
by David Moss
|
|
|
|
THIS MONTH:
|
|
Mancha's
|
|
1207 20th. Street So.
|
|
939-3304
|
|
|
|
Hours: 11 am - 11pm, Monday thru Saturday
|
|
|
|
If you are ever in the mood for Mexican food, I have the place for
|
|
you. Mancha's!
|
|
|
|
You won't find "Atmosphere" at Mancha's. It is located in an old
|
|
building on the Southside, which appears to have the same interior since
|
|
it's beginning. You won't find a lavish amount of room at Mancha's; in
|
|
fact, you may bump into the pool table as you walk in the door. The
|
|
place could easily qualify as "a hole in the wall".
|
|
|
|
You won't be greeted by a host or hostess. You won't find fancy
|
|
linens on the tables. You won't see any fancy crystal glasses, or
|
|
china that has been imported from England. You won't be waited on by a
|
|
waiter in a tuxedo, in fact, you won't be waited on by a waiter at all.
|
|
You have to get up and order your dinner from the counter. They will,
|
|
however, bring it to you when it is ready. You won't hear any fancy
|
|
music playing in the background, they play the "oldies."
|
|
|
|
What you will find is some of the best Mexican food available
|
|
anywhere. Like their Killer Whale; a Burrito Supreme smothered with
|
|
homemade chili, cheese sauce, grated cheddar cheese and topped with
|
|
sliced jalapeno peppers. ($5.09)
|
|
|
|
Or their Nacho Supreme, fresh fried tortilla chips covered with
|
|
chili, cheese sauce, grated cheddar cheese, lettuce, onions, sour cream,
|
|
sliced jalapeno peppers and a corn shuck tamale. ($5.09)
|
|
|
|
If you're in the mood for tamales, Mancha's has the best. Hand
|
|
rolled and wrapped in corn shucks, a tradition at Mancha's for 60 years.
|
|
The tamales are $ 1.25 each or $11.00 for a dozen.
|
|
|
|
If you are the type that has a hearty appetite, then there's the
|
|
Mexican Platter, included is a Burrito Supreme, Taco, Tamale, Nachos and
|
|
refried beans. ($7.29)
|
|
|
|
I've personally had the Tacos, and I easily consider them to be the
|
|
best I've ever had. At $1.99 each, you could make a meal of them by
|
|
their selves.
|
|
|
|
Mancha's has a variety on the menu, including imported beers, as
|
|
well as domestic (which goes very well with Mexican food).
|
|
|
|
Mancha's is home to some of the best Mexican food anywhere. You
|
|
don't have to get dressed up to dine there. Feel free to bring your
|
|
cigarettes, because it is a smoking environment (rare these days).
|
|
Overall, I enjoyed the experience very much. And I will be going back
|
|
again, soon.
|
|
|
|
Oh yeah, I forgot something. Mancha's makes a sauce named "Agent
|
|
Orange", that is the absolute HOTTEST sauce you will ever try. I tried
|
|
this sauce, and liked it so well that I bought two bottles ($3.00 each)
|
|
to bring home with me. After I got home, I read the label, and it
|
|
states the following: "Warning: Do Not Spill On Clothing, Cars and
|
|
Floors, Can Be Used For Cleaning Coins or Removing Old Paint."
|
|
|
|
If you find this sauce too hot to your liking, then they also make a
|
|
hot sauce named "Nuclear" that is not as hot as "Agent Orange." For the
|
|
person that can't tolerate any hot sauce, they also make a "Wimp" sauce.
|
|
(You may want to start with the "Wimp" sauce and work your way up.)
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
************************************************************************
|
|
General Information About the Electronic Frontier Foundation
|
|
************************************************************************
|
|
|
|
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) was founded in July of 1990
|
|
to ensure that the principles embodied in the Constitution and the
|
|
Bill of Rights are protected as new communications technologies
|
|
emerge.
|
|
|
|
From the beginning, EFF has worked to shape our nation's
|
|
communications infrastructure and the policies that govern it in
|
|
order to maintain and enhance First Amendment, privacy and other
|
|
democratic values. We believe that our overriding public goal must
|
|
be the creation of Electronic Democracy, so our work focuses on the
|
|
establishment of:
|
|
|
|
* new laws that protect citizens' basic Constitutional rights as they
|
|
use new communications technologies,
|
|
|
|
* a policy of common carriage requirements for all network
|
|
providers so that all speech, no matter how controversial, will be
|
|
carried without discrimination,
|
|
|
|
* a National Public Network where voice, data and video services are
|
|
accessible to all citizens on an equitable and affordable basis, and
|
|
|
|
* a diversity of communities that enable all citizens to have a voice in
|
|
the information age.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Legal Services
|
|
|
|
EFF sponsors legal cases where users' online civil liberties have been
|
|
violated. The Steve Jackson Games case, decided in March of 1993,
|
|
established privacy protections for electronic mail and publications
|
|
that are kept online. We continue to monitor the online community
|
|
for legal actions that merit EFF support.
|
|
|
|
EFF provides a free telephone hotline for members of the online
|
|
community who have questions regarding their legal rights.
|
|
|
|
Members of EFF's staff and board speak to law enforcement
|
|
organizations, state attorney bar associations and university classes
|
|
on the work that we do and how these groups can get involved.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Civil Liberties
|
|
|
|
EFF has been working to make sure that common carrier principles
|
|
are upheld in the information age. Common carrier principles require
|
|
that network providers carry all speech, regardless of its
|
|
controversial content. Common carriers must also provide all
|
|
speakers and information providers with equal, nondiscriminatory
|
|
access to the network.
|
|
|
|
Last year, the FBI introduced legislation to require communications
|
|
technologies to be certified as open to lawful government
|
|
surveillance before those technologies can be deployed. EFF
|
|
organized a broad coalition of 39 computer, telephone and public
|
|
interest groups to oppose this measure.
|
|
|
|
EFF is working to convince Congress that all measures that support
|
|
broader public access to information should be enacted into law. For
|
|
example, the law that establishes citizen access to information, the
|
|
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), does not require government
|
|
agencies to turn over the electronic version of information, which is
|
|
often the most useful version. EFF supports an Electronic Freedom of
|
|
Information Act and other legislation to make information more
|
|
accessible to citizens.
|
|
|
|
EFF supports both legal and technical means to enhance privacy in
|
|
communications. We, therefore, advocate all measures that ensure
|
|
the public's right to use the most effective encryption technologies
|
|
available.
|
|
|
|
|
|
National Network
|
|
|
|
EFF has been working with policymakers to establish a national
|
|
network, or network of networks, capable of transporting video
|
|
images and data, as well as voice. Our "Open Platform Proposal"
|
|
advocates a network that is accessible to all citizens at an affordable
|
|
price. For the near-term, EFF supports the implementation of ISDN
|
|
(Integrated Services Digital Network) technology. ISDN makes it
|
|
possible for the current telephone network to be used to send voice,
|
|
video and data at a low cost to consumers.
|
|
|
|
EFF has written a white paper that describes ISDN applications that
|
|
are currently available for use at home, school, the workplace and
|
|
beyond.
|
|
|
|
EFF has been working with policymakers on legislation that
|
|
encourages individuals and organizations to create tools that make
|
|
the Internet and the National Research and Education Network
|
|
(NREN) easier to access and use.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Community Building
|
|
|
|
EFF, in conjunction with the Consumer Federation of America and the
|
|
American Civil Liberties Union, coordinates and sponsors the
|
|
Communications Policy Forum (CPF). CPF enables nonprofit
|
|
organizations, computer and communications firms, and government
|
|
policymakers to come together in a nonpartisan setting to discuss
|
|
communications policy goals and strategies.
|
|
|
|
In order to foster community and openness, EFF works with local
|
|
organizations that support online communications issues. In January
|
|
of 1993, EFF sponsored a summit of groups from around the country
|
|
to discuss common goals. We also participate in an online mailing list
|
|
for organizations that share our interests.
|
|
|
|
EFF is a funder and organizer of the annual Computers, Freedom and
|
|
Privacy conference, where academics, civil libertarians, law
|
|
enforcement officials and computer users all meet to discuss the
|
|
privacy implications of communicating online. Each year at the
|
|
conference, EFF presents its Pioneer awards to individuals who have
|
|
made significant contributions to computer communications.
|
|
|
|
EFF publishes a biweekly electronic newsletter, EFFector Online, that
|
|
is sent to subscribers at their e-mail addresses. We also publish a
|
|
quarterly hardcopy newsletter entitled Networks & Policy.
|
|
|
|
EFF maintains several communications forums on the Internet. We
|
|
have our own Internet node, eff.org, which houses our ftp and
|
|
gopher sites, as well as our discussion areas, comp.org.eff.talk and
|
|
comp.org.eff.news. EFF also maintains a conference on the Whole
|
|
Earth 'Lectronic Link (WELL).
|
|
|
|
|
|
HOW TO CONNECT TO EFF
|
|
|
|
Internet and USENET:
|
|
|
|
General information requests, including requests to be added to the
|
|
EFFector Online mailing list, can be sent to eff@eff.org.
|
|
|
|
If you receive any USENET newsgroups, your site may carry the
|
|
newsgroups comp.org.eff.news and comp.org.eff.talk. The former is a
|
|
moderated newsgroup for announcements, newsletters, and other
|
|
information; the latter is an unmoderated discussion group for
|
|
discussing EFF and issues relating to the electronic frontier.
|
|
|
|
For those unable to read the newsgroups, there are redistributions
|
|
via electronic mail. Send requests to be added to or dropped from the
|
|
comp.org.eff.news mailing list to eff-request@eff.org. For the
|
|
comp.org.eff.talk mailing list, send a note to eff-talk-request@eff.org.
|
|
Please note that eff.talk can be extremely high-volume at times.
|
|
|
|
A document library containing all EFF news releases and other
|
|
publications of interest, including John Perry Barlow's history of EFF,
|
|
"Crime and Puzzlement," is available via anonymous FTP from
|
|
ftp.eff.org. Send a note to ftphelp@eff.org if you have questions or
|
|
are unable to use FTP.
|
|
|
|
To be added to a mailing list specifically discussing technical and
|
|
policy issues, send a note to pub-infra-request@eff.org.
|
|
|
|
|
|
The WELL:
|
|
|
|
The WELL is host to an active EFF conference, as well as many other
|
|
related conferences of interest to EFF supporters. Access to the WELL
|
|
is $15/month plus $2/hour. Telecom access is available through the
|
|
CompuServe Packet Network for an additional $4.50/hour. If you
|
|
have an Internet connection, you can reach the WELL via telnet at
|
|
well.sf.ca.us; otherwise, dial +1 415 332 6106 (data). The WELL's
|
|
voice number is +1 415 332 4335.
|
|
|
|
|
|
CompuServe:
|
|
|
|
Our forum on CompuServe is also open. GO EFFSIG to join. Many of
|
|
the files on ftp.eff.org, as well as other items of interest, are mirrored
|
|
in the EFFSIG Libraries.
|
|
|
|
|
|
America Online:
|
|
|
|
EFF has just opened up a Special Interest Group on America Online as
|
|
part of the Macintosh Communications Forum (MCM). GOTO Keyword
|
|
EFF to join. Many of the files on ftp.eff.org, as well as other items of
|
|
interest, are mirrored in this forum. In addition, EFF sponsors an
|
|
interactive discussion on this forum every Saturday night at 9:00
|
|
p.m. ET.
|
|
|
|
|
|
OUR ADDRESSES
|
|
|
|
Electronic Frontier Foundation
|
|
666 Pennsylvania Avenue, S.E., Suite 303 Washington, DC 20003
|
|
+1 202 544 9237
|
|
+1 202 547 5481 FAX
|
|
Internet: eff@eff.org
|
|
|
|
Until June 1, 1993, we also have an office at:
|
|
|
|
Electronic Frontier Foundation
|
|
238 Main St.
|
|
Cambridge, MA 02142
|
|
+1 617 576 4500
|
|
+1 617 576 4520 FAX
|
|
Internet: eff@eff.org
|
|
|
|
MEMBERSHIP IN THE ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION
|
|
=============================================================
|
|
Print out and mail to:
|
|
Membership Coordinator
|
|
Electronic Frontier Foundation
|
|
666 Pennsylvania Avenue, S.E., Suite 303 Washington, DC 20003
|
|
|
|
|
|
I wish to become a member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. I
|
|
enclose:
|
|
|
|
$__________ Regular membership -- $40
|
|
$__________ Student membership -- $20
|
|
|
|
|
|
Special Contribution
|
|
|
|
I wish to make a tax-deductible donation in the amount of
|
|
$__________ to further support the activities of EFF and to broaden
|
|
participation in the organization.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Documents Available in Hard Copy Form
|
|
|
|
The following documents are available free of charge from the
|
|
Electronic Frontier Foundation. Please indicate any of the documents
|
|
you wish to receive.
|
|
|
|
___ Open Platform Proposal - EFF's proposal for a national
|
|
telecommunications infrastructure. 12 pages. July, 1992
|
|
|
|
___ An Analysis of the FBI Digital Telephony Proposal - Response of
|
|
EFF-organized coalition to the FBI's digital telephony proposal of Fall,
|
|
1992. 8 pages. September, 1992.
|
|
|
|
___ Building the Open Road: The NREN and the National Public
|
|
Network - A discussion of the National Research and Education
|
|
Network as a prototype for a National Public Network. 20 pages. May,
|
|
1992.
|
|
|
|
___ Innovative Services Delivered Now: ISDN Applications at Home,
|
|
School, the Workplace and Beyond - A compilation of ISDN
|
|
applications currently in use. 29 pages. January, 1993.
|
|
|
|
___ Decrypting the Puzzle Palace - John Perry Barlow's argument for
|
|
strong encryption and the need for an end to U.S. policies preventing
|
|
its development and use. 13 pages. May, 1992.
|
|
|
|
___ Crime and Puzzlement - John Perry Barlow's piece on the
|
|
founding of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the world of
|
|
hackers, crackers and those accused of computer crimes. 24 pages.
|
|
June, 1990.
|
|
|
|
___ Networks & Policy - A quarterly newsletter detailing EFF's
|
|
activities and achievements.
|
|
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|
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Your Contact Information:
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__________________________________________________
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Address:
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_______________________________________________________
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_______________________________________________________
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Phone: (____) _______________ FAX: (____) _______________
|
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(optional)
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E-mail address:
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___________________________________________________
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Expiration Date: _______________________________________
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Signature: _____________________________________________
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Privacy Policy
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|
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EFF occasionally shares our mailing list with other organizations
|
|
promoting similar goals. However, we respect an individual's right to
|
|
privacy and will not distribute your name without explicit
|
|
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|
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|
|
___ I grant permission for the EFF to distribute my name and contact
|
|
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The Electronic Frontier Foundation is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3)
|
|
organization supported by contributions from individual members,
|
|
corporations and private foundations. Donations are tax-deductible.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
Japanimation in Birmingham
|
|
by Jeff Vaughn
|
|
|
|
[Editor's Note: The following article reveals a number of plot
|
|
details about the animated movie "Fist of the North Star". Skip this
|
|
article if you don't want the story revealed to you!]
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recently, a friend of mine who I used to work with happened to drop
|
|
a copy of a video in front of me and told me to take a look at it. He
|
|
said it was a "Japanimation" video.
|
|
|
|
Now, I had heard of Japanimation, but really never seen anything
|
|
more than cable flicks like RoboTech, Racer X, or Voltron when I was a
|
|
kid. I am not sure if "Transformers: The Movie" was Japanimation or
|
|
not, but there were a ton of Asian names in the credits of the movie.
|
|
|
|
Anyway, getting back to the original idea I was working on. The
|
|
flick was called "Fist of the North Star" and I LOVED it. I have to
|
|
admit, it was on the unbelievable level, but that's what movies are for.
|
|
|
|
"Fist of the North Star" is basically a post-Armageddon scene and
|
|
features big time martial arts. There are three brothers involved in
|
|
the movie among other main characters.
|
|
|
|
* Ken, the Fist of the North Star. Ken is the one who holds the true
|
|
title and is the main "good guy" of the movie. Ken was trained by
|
|
an old man that taught him his martial arts skills and entitled
|
|
him to be "Fist of the North Star". Ken seems to be the only one
|
|
of the three brothers who holds any true values.
|
|
|
|
* Jeckie, the younger brother. Jeckie is, of course, a bad guy but
|
|
he's also the schemester who gets all the problems started and
|
|
causes all the conflict in the movie. He's also is skilled in
|
|
martial arts and has the inherent powers, but is nowhere near as
|
|
powerful as Ken. Jeckie makes an attempt to kill Ken by tossing
|
|
him off a cliff and cutting off a piece of the cliff to flatten
|
|
Ken on the way down. Yeah, I said "a piece of the cliff". These
|
|
are some mondo-powerful dudes.
|
|
|
|
* Raal, the third and apparently oldest brother. Raal is the
|
|
ultra-evil guy and he turns out to be the most powerful character
|
|
in the movie. He almost kills Ken in the end, but some little girl
|
|
with telepathic powers persuades him to let Ken live. Raal killed
|
|
the teacher of the three and claimed himself Fist of the North Star.
|
|
|
|
On the side of other characters, there are a few in name that have
|
|
some signifigance. I don't recall all the character names. The funny
|
|
thing is, when you see this flick, you'll swear you've seen the
|
|
characters before. Japanimation has a habit of sticking with faces.
|
|
|
|
* Ray, the one independant martial artist of the group. Ray has the
|
|
unusual ability that his hands virtually slice through almost
|
|
anything and they leave blue trace lines behind as he fights. It
|
|
makes for cool special effects. Ray is looking for his sister who
|
|
is kidnapped by one of the evil armies.
|
|
|
|
* Shen, on time friend of Ken's. Shen is now convinced that only the
|
|
strong survive and renders Ken pretty helpless in the very
|
|
beginning of the movie. Apparently, he and Ken studied under the
|
|
same teacher. I don't know if Shen claims the title "Fist of the
|
|
South Star" or what, but he takes Ken's girl after seriously
|
|
messing Ken up.
|
|
|
|
Early in the movie, you come to find out that Ken did not die in the
|
|
little cliff incident. Like I said, these are TOUGH dudes. The little
|
|
girl appears and some of the bad guys try and kill her. She makes an
|
|
empathic call to Ken (which she's not even met him yet--go figure). Ken
|
|
walks out of the dust, chops a skyscraper, and as it falls, it breaks in
|
|
half when hitting him on the head. I ended up laughing for ten minutes
|
|
on that one. Ken just kinda keeps walking like nothing ever happened.
|
|
He kacks the bad guys and saves the little girl and her young male
|
|
buddy.
|
|
|
|
Ray and Ken meet halfway through the movie and it turns out that
|
|
Jeckie kidnapped Ray's sister. To make a long scene short, Ken and
|
|
Jeckie have it out. Jeckie gets kacked. Ray ends up slicing and dicing
|
|
Jeckie's personal little army and he and Ken walk out leaving the place
|
|
in smoulders. The saying, "We came, we saw, we kicked arse" DEFINITELY
|
|
applies there.
|
|
|
|
Ken and Ray eventually split up. All the armies that Shen, Raal, and
|
|
other independant lords of the land duke it out. Shen and Raal meet for
|
|
a showdown. The last part I saw of it was Shen saying, "Alright. Let's
|
|
get this over with". One thing I know is that Shen's army get totally
|
|
wasted.
|
|
|
|
Ken finally finds Shen's ruins of a city and walks right in.
|
|
There's nobody to stop him cause the entire army got wiped out. SOMEHOW
|
|
Shen lived and he's sitting on his throne when Ken walks in. Well, they
|
|
get down to a VERY short confrontation and Ken kacks Shen. Shen sorta
|
|
clears the air before dying to Ken.
|
|
|
|
There's a few minutes of Raal and his army slaughtering a few other
|
|
armies and Raal running into this giant who can turn himself to steel
|
|
(look out Colossus). Without me telling you, you can probably figure
|
|
that Raal wastes this guy without breaking a sweat. It just seems there
|
|
is nothing that can take more than two punches from the Fist of the
|
|
North Star.
|
|
|
|
Raal ends up trying to crucify Ken's girlfriend for some reason or
|
|
another and Ray walks in. They get into a small battle and the little
|
|
girl does another empathic scream to Ken because she knows Ray isn't
|
|
going to last ten minutes aginst Raal. Yep, Raal wastes Ray. Ken
|
|
manages to get there and a few friendly words are said and Ray dies in
|
|
Ken's hands.
|
|
|
|
In the end, Ken and Raal finally duke it out. As I said in the
|
|
begining, Ken loses. I must say that it was the longest lasting fight
|
|
in the whole movie and they level the entire city in the process of it
|
|
all. Not too bad.
|
|
|
|
Now, I've done a little research into it all and come up with a few
|
|
answers. If you want to buy any Japanimation titles, go to Lion and the
|
|
Unicorn. L&U has about fifty titles to choose from (there Hunter, i
|
|
finally gave you a good rating on something). If you want to just rent
|
|
some of the Japanimation, go to Prime Time video in Hoover. I got the
|
|
scoop from an Inverness Prime Time employee that the Hoover store is the
|
|
only location you can find them at. [Editor's note: the Cobb Prime Time
|
|
location in Homewood has a fairly extensive Japanimation section.] She
|
|
explained to me that Prime Time was putting the titles up as an
|
|
experiment and if all goes well, all the stoes will carry them. No
|
|
other well known video stores really carry good Japanimation.
|
|
|
|
Enjoy.
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
SIG's (Special Interest Groups), Computer Related
|
|
-------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
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 to
|
|
James Minton or in a Sysop Comment on Outer Limits.
|
|
|
|
*IMPORTANT* Starting this month a new BBS must be up and running for 60
|
|
days before being included in the list. I'll still take the information
|
|
and verify the board as usual.
|
|
|
|
Also, if anyone has any information about networks listed at the bottom
|
|
with "uncertain at press time", let me know.
|
|
|
|
|
|
NAME NUMBER BAUD RATES MODEM BBS SOFTWARE
|
|
SUPPORTED TYPE
|
|
|
|
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]
|
|
Alcatraz BBS 608-0880 300-9600 VBBS 6.0
|
|
[he, vi]
|
|
Alter-Ego BBS 925-5099 1200-9600 USR HST PCBoard 14.5
|
|
[ez, mn]
|
|
Baudville (Node 1) 980-1089 300-2400 Major BBS 6.10
|
|
[none]
|
|
Baudville (Node 2) 991-2095 300-14400 Major BBS 6.10
|
|
[none]
|
|
Baudville (Node 3) 991-9144 300-2400 Major BBS 6.10
|
|
[none]
|
|
Baudville (Node 4) 995-0013 300-2400 Major BBS 6.10
|
|
[none]
|
|
Bus System 987-5419 300-2400 PCBoard 14.2
|
|
[none]
|
|
Byte Me! 979-BYTE! 2400-14400 USR HST WWIV 4.12
|
|
[ez, th, al]
|
|
Castle, The 841-7618 300-2400 Image 1.2
|
|
[none]
|
|
Channel 8250 (Node 1) 744-8546 300-14400 USR DS PCBoard 14.5
|
|
[ez, un]
|
|
Channel 8250 (Node 2) 744-5166 300-14400 USR DS PCBoard 14.5
|
|
[ez, un]
|
|
Cherry Tree 681-1710 1200-14400 TriBBS 4.01
|
|
[none]
|
|
Christian Apologetic 808-0763 1200-14400 V.32bis Wildcat! 3.55
|
|
[ez, wi, bc, ru]
|
|
Crocodile Country BBS 477-6283 1200-16800 USR DS Searchlight 3.0 *RIP*
|
|
[sl]
|
|
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 ???
|
|
[none]
|
|
Den, The 933-8744 300-9600 USR HST ProLogon/ProDoor
|
|
[ez, mn, il]
|
|
Digital Publishing 854-1660 300-9600 V.32 Wildcat! 3.01
|
|
[pl]
|
|
Electro-BBS 491-8402 300-14400 V.32/42 ??
|
|
[fi]
|
|
Family Smorgas-Board 744-0943 300-2400 PCBoard 14.5
|
|
[ez, fi, mj, bc, fa, ic, cf, cd, np, ag, ve, ad]
|
|
Final Frontier 838-5634 300-14400 VBBS 6.10
|
|
[al, he, re, fn]
|
|
Flip Side, The 798-3961 300-2400 Renegade 8.27
|
|
[none]
|
|
Genesis Online(Nodes 1-6) 620-4150 300-14400 V.32bis Major BBS 6.11
|
|
[mr]
|
|
Guardian, The 425-1951 1200-14400 V.42bis VBBS 6.0
|
|
[vi]
|
|
Hardeman's BBS 640-6436 1200-14400 Wildcat! 3.51
|
|
[wi, di, bc]
|
|
Hardware Hotline 631-6629 300-14400 V.32/42 PCBoard 14.5
|
|
[mn, fi, ca]
|
|
The Holodeck BBS 663-7229 1200-9600 V.32 TriBBS 4.02
|
|
[cc]
|
|
Intruder Enterprizes 969-0870 300-9600 V.32 VBBS 5.6
|
|
[vi, al]
|
|
Joker's Castle 664-5589 300-14400 USR DS PCBoard 14.5
|
|
[ez, mn, un]
|
|
KickAxis BBS 733-0253 1200-14400 USR DS VBBS 6.0
|
|
[he]
|
|
Lions Den 969-5733 300-14400 USR DS Wildcat! 3.60
|
|
[none]
|
|
Lumby's Palace 520-0041 300-14400 VBBS 6.0
|
|
[he]
|
|
Magic City 664-9883 300-14400 USR DS Wildcat! 3.55
|
|
[cc, di, tr, wi]
|
|
Magnolia BBS 854-6407 300-14400 USR HST PCBoard 14.5
|
|
[ez, mn]
|
|
MATRIX, The (Nodes 1-14) 323-2016 300-2400 PCBoard 15.0 *RIP*
|
|
[ez, mn, th, il, in, al, sh, sc, gl, ic, ri, fr]
|
|
MATRIX, The (Nodes 20-23) 323-6016 9600-14400 USR DS PCBoard 15.0 *RIP*
|
|
[ez, mn, th, il, in, al, sh, sc, gl, ic, ri, fr]
|
|
MATRIX, The (Node 25-26) 458-3449 9600-14400 V.32bis PCBoard 15.0 *RIP*
|
|
[ez, mn, th, il, in, 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 1200-14400 V.32bis TeleFinder 3.1
|
|
[none]
|
|
MetroMac BBS (Node 2) 252-0582 1200-14400 V.32bis TeleFinder 3.1
|
|
[none]
|
|
Milliways BBS (Node 1) 956-3177 1200-2400 Major BBS 6.11 *RIP*
|
|
[none]
|
|
Milliways BBS(Nodes 2-6)956-2731 1200-2400 Major BBS 6.11 *RIP*
|
|
[none]
|
|
Missing Link 853-1257 300-16800 USR DS C-Net Amiga 2.63
|
|
[cl, cn]
|
|
Neon Moon 477-5894 300-14400 TriBBS 4.0
|
|
[dx]
|
|
Optical Illusion 995-9145 1200-14400 V.32bis VBBS 6.0
|
|
[al]
|
|
Outer Limits (Node 1) 426-5611 1200-16800 ZyXEL Wildcat! 3.90 *RIP*
|
|
[fi, do, ec, er, pn]
|
|
Outer Limits (Node 2) 425-5871 1200-16800 ZyXEL Wildcat! 3.90 *RIP*
|
|
[fi, do, ec, er, pn]
|
|
Outer Limits (Node 3) 426-2939 1200-16800 ZyXEL Wildcat! 3.90 *RIP*
|
|
[fi, do, ec, er, pn]
|
|
Owlabama BBS 856-2521 1200-14400 GTPower 17.06
|
|
[gt, ez, mn, cc, tr, sc, ab]
|
|
Owl's Nest 680-0851 300-14400 USR DS PCBoard 14.5
|
|
[ez, mn]
|
|
Party Line 856-1336 300-14000 V.32bis TriBBS 4.0
|
|
[cc, tr, di]
|
|
Penny Arcade 699-4625 300-2400 Running Force! 3.75
|
|
[none]
|
|
Playground 681-5070 2400-14000 V.32 TriBBS 4.0
|
|
[tr, di, cc, ez, al, fr]
|
|
Posys BBS 854-5131 300-9600 V.32 PCBoard
|
|
[none]
|
|
Programmer's Shack 988-4695 1200-9600 HST DS Renegade
|
|
[ae, di, ws, fi, it]
|
|
Quiet Zone 833-2066 300-2400 ExpressNet
|
|
[none]
|
|
Razor's Edge 995-0412 1200-2400 VBBS 5.6
|
|
[he, al]
|
|
Safe Harbor (Node 1) 665-4332 300-2400 GTPower 17.06
|
|
[gt, ez, mn, il]
|
|
Safe Harbor (Node 2) 665-4355 300-14400 USR DS GTPower 17.06
|
|
[gt, ez, mn, il]
|
|
Sam's Domain 956-2757 1200-14400 VBBS 6.0
|
|
[da, he]
|
|
Safety BBS 581-2866 300-2400 RBBS-PC 17.4
|
|
[none]
|
|
Southern Stallion 322-3816 300-16800 ZyXEL PCBoard 15.0
|
|
[an, ez, lu, pr, th]
|
|
Sperry BBS 853-6144 300-2400 V.32/42b PCBoard 14.5
|
|
[none]
|
|
ST BBS 836-9311 300-2400 PCBoard 14.2
|
|
[ez]
|
|
StarBase 12 647-7184 300-2400 TriBBS 4.0
|
|
[ez, mn, cc]
|
|
The Light 979-0368 300-14400 V.32bis PCBoard 15.0
|
|
[ch, nl]
|
|
Thy Master's Dungeon 940-2116 300-57600 V.32/42b PCBoard 14.5
|
|
[fr]
|
|
Torch Song 328-1517 300-9600 V.32 Wildcat 3.6
|
|
[pr, se, st, do]
|
|
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 = ANet, uncertain at press time
|
|
ag = AgapeNet, a national Christian network, multi-topic
|
|
al = AlaNet, a local network, multi-topic
|
|
an = AnnexNet, 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
|
|
ca = CafeNet, a local network, restaurant/dining, recipes, etc.
|
|
cc = City2City, 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
|
|
cn = CNet, multi-topic
|
|
cy = Cybernet, uncertain at press time
|
|
da = DateNet, 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
|
|
ec = EchoNet, an international network, multi-topic
|
|
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, uncertain at press time
|
|
fr = FredNet, a regional network, political discussion
|
|
ga = GameNet, a local network, uncertain at press time
|
|
gl = GlobalLink, an international network, multi-topic
|
|
gt = GTNet, an international network, multi-topic
|
|
he = HellNet, a local network, multi-topic
|
|
ic = ICDM, an international Christian network, multi-topic
|
|
ie = Intelec, a national network, multi-topic
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|
il = ILink, an international network, multi-topic
|
|
in = InterNet, an international network, linking businesses,
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|
universities, and bbs', multi-topic
|
|
it = ITCNet, uncertain at press time
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|
ll = LlamaNet, a national network, freeform correspondence
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|
lo = LocalNet, uncertain at press time
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|
lu = LuciferNet, an international network, adult oriented
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|
ma = MAXnet, a local network, connecting WWIV and VBBS systems
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|
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
|
|
nl = NewLife, uncertain at press time
|
|
np = NPN, a national network for new parents
|
|
or = OraNet, a national E-mail network
|
|
pl = PlanoNet, a national network, multi-topic
|
|
pn = PoliceNet, an international network, law-enforcement only
|
|
pr = PrideNet, a local homosexually oriented network
|
|
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 oriented
|
|
ru = RushNet, a national network for Rush Limbaugh fans
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|
sc = Science Factor Net, a national network, science and technology
|
|
oriented
|
|
se = SEC, a regional network, homosexually oriented geared toward the
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|
southeastern United States
|
|
sh = Shades N Shadows Net, a national network for role-playing games
|
|
sl = SearchlightNet, a national network, multi-topic
|
|
sm = SmartNet, a national network, multi-topic
|
|
sn = ShadowNet, a national network for role-playing games
|
|
st = StudsNet, a national network, homosexually oriented
|
|
te = TECHnet, a local network, hardware and utility oriented
|
|
th = ThrobNet, an international network, adult oriented
|
|
tr = TTN, a national network, multi-topic
|
|
un = U'NI-Net, an international network, multi-topic
|
|
ve = VETLink, a national network for military veterans
|
|
vi = VirtualNet, an international network, multi-topic
|
|
wi = WildNet, a national network, multi-topic
|
|
ws = WishNet, uncertain at press time
|
|
ww = WWIV-Net, an international network, multi-topic
|
|
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The following boards were unable to be verified and were dropped from
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the list:
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Asgard The Bone Yard Boy's Room
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Homewood's Hell Hole Lemon Grove Nirvana
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Venus BBS
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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