634 lines
42 KiB
Plaintext
634 lines
42 KiB
Plaintext
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1 If you are in need of help, you need but ask....
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2 ********************** INSTALLED: 29 DEC 84 ************************
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3 Welcome to BWMS (BackWater Message System) Mike Day system operator
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4 ************************************************************
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5 GENERAL DISCLAIMER: BWMS IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INFORMATION
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6 PLACED ON THIS SYSTEM.
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7 BWMS was created as an electronic bill board. BWMS is a privately owned
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8 and operated system which is currently open for use by the general public.
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9 No restrictions are placed on the use of the system. As the system is
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10 privately owned, I retain the right to remove any and all messages which
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11 I may find offensive. Because of the limited size of the system, it will be
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12 periodically purged of messages. (only 629 lines of data can be saved)
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13 To leave a message, type 'ENTER' and use ctrl/C or break to get out of the
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14 ENTER mode. The message is automatically stored. If after entering the
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15 message you find you made a mistake, use the replace command to replace
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16 the line. To exit from the system, type 'OFF' then hang up.
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17 Type 'HELP' to see other commands that are available on the system.
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18 ************************************************************
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19
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20 Leonard: The disk in question is being removed from service, actually,
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21 it isn't 'old and worn out'. It was a generic. The best disks I've got
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22 are the 'old' disks. They just keep running forever. I did have to
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23 retire two old disks, but not because they were defective, instead
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24 it was because my CPM system uses 40 track double sided disks, and
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25 they were an old 35 track dysan, and a 35 track shugart disk. The CPM
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26 system puked its guts just looking at them.
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27 L'homme: What was the last Archive date? I've lost track. I forgot to
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28 mark them down last time.
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29 PAM: Is something wrong? We haven't heard a peep out of you since the 10th.
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30 ***************************** CISTOP MIKEY ********************************
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31 i am at the top...? gee, er well...? now what...? perhaps you get a free case of utter disbeleif with every visit to the top
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32 or so...? i expected fanfare... oh well, off to porsfis and pcs... see you all soon...
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33
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34 To Prometeus and Zippy:
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35
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36 ooo
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37 o o
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38 ooo
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39 o
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40 ooo o
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41 o o oo
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42 o o oo
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43 o oo o
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44 o
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45 oo
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46 o o
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47 o o o
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48 o o o
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49 o o
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50 o o
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51 o o
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52 o o
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53
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54 zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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55 3:38 P.M. Saturday December 29, 1984
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56
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57 zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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58 To prometheus:
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59
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60 Hey lets set the record strait, the slashman clan is not some mischievious
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61 Little group. True it is a newly formed group but has a large number of members
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62 none the less. We like to think of ourselves as a hacker's cooperative.
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63 Our members are mostly from the University of portland. And we meet once a
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64 month.
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65
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66 We are trully sorry if some of are members, like the one who entered the above
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67 message have created a problem, and if we dicover who they are they will be
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68 removed from our group.
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69
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70 Note: Please excuse the spelling!!!
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71
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72 THE SLASH CLAN
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73 zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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74 ....
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75 #$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$#
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76 Voyeur: Yes, I hate 80 columns. Most of my sentences run about 90 characters,
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77 and so I end up with a bunch of little
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78 short lines that could have been filled. This works better.
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79 About the Risk rules, hmmm... I don't think L'homme is coming down here anytime soon... by the looks of things I won't
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80 get to the next PorSFis meeting, either... I'll leave my address in level 1 code later tonight.
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81 Ian: Aloha is long distance for me. I'll call to get the message you left but don't count on my being able to get
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82 on there all the time. How about CBBS/NW?
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83 L'homme: No call?
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84 #$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$#
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85 The night passed uneventfully. I awoke fresh and ready to tackle the problems of the new day. I felt good enough
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86 to be able to hunt down Godzilla, much less Joshua.
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87 I dressed, and ate. I didn't trust the food served at the hotel, so I ate more of the rations. They somehow tasted
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88 better than they ever did before.
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89 My eyes scanned the room. The XD-40 lay on the table beside my bed, next to the .45 that had saved my life over and
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90 over again. I fell to cleaning it, whistling as I went along.
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91 The XD-40, as far as I could tell, was fine. Somehow I knew different. I wouldn't fire it until it was checked. In
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92 the meantime, it was back to Betsy here. Later, perhaps my cash would go so far as an UZI.
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93 The time quickly passed, and 2:00 rapidly approached. "Fred, link me through to the bug we planted. We'll start a
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94 little early."
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95 No reply from Fred this time, but I began to hear the mumblings of a group of people. Faint greetings. Names....
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96 Yes, NET agents were there! I heard "L'homme", "Ian", and perhaps a few other names. "Joshua" was mentioned
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97 frequently but I did not hear Joshua himself speak.
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98 The meeting was called to order. After a bunch of silly discussion was done with, the last phrase I was able to hear
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99 was "PC&S". Great, another cryptic remark.
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100 They left the building, or at least the room I had been listening to. I asked Fred to find out about PC&S and to
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101 keep working on the logbook. I laid comfortably on my bed, deep in thought.
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102 #$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$# Farley #$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$# 12/29/84 - 04:44 #$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$#
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103 P.S. Voyeur: I liked the phony NET idea better. I'm responsible for the UNDERGROUND entry... I know a better idea
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104 when I hear it (or read it, as the case may be).
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105
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106 ------------------------------------------------
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107 Well, Prometheus, it looks like you're right,
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108 the twits are back again. God I'll be glad
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109 when school starts again so they'll start
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110 thinking about something other then messing
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111 up BBS systems.
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112 ------------------ jeffrey
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113
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114 ***************************************************************
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115 Gee, nobody out there wants my cold? You try to be generous
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116 and give away something, and they ignore you. sigh...
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117 ********************* CISTOP MIKEY ******************************
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118 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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119 Gee, sorry to hear about your cold CISTOP MIKEY but that is what
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120 you get for living in this place. Now drink lots of liquids and . . .
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121
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Porsfis was interesting. A loud long AAHHHHHH filled the room
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122 when I announced myself. During Break, Cathy charged right over to say
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123 'HI', after talking a few minutes with her I joined Sondagaard and met
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124 MiG and Prometheus. All in all the day has been very rewarding.
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125 At the PC&S, the board was pulled forth and the score was ...
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126 Prometheus 2 ---- Cathy 0
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127 Prometheus 2 ---- PaPa 0
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128 Sondagaard 0 ---- PaPa 2 or was it only one?
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129 Then the board turned into a map, which Cathy had fun with.
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130 Well I really must be going now.... I hope you all had as great a
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131 time as I did. And the next time the street lights turn on,
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132 oh well, I did feel a little light would help right then.
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133 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PaPa Smurf ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 12-29 18:00
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134 :::::::::::::::O O::::::::18:46:::::::::::::12/29::::::::::::::O O:::::::::
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135 What? PaPa Smurf & Sondagaard were there? I must habve missed the introductions.
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136 Drat.
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137 Farley: *YOU* are responsible for the UNDERGROUND? Oh, if you could have heard
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138 the stir that created at PCS. 'Tis a good thing you were unable to attend.
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139 (well, not really, but it _was_ discussed with much vigor)
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140 (Hmmm... Leonard's *emphasis* _marks_ come in handy some times. Catchy, too).
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141 By the way, the meeting wasn't held in conference room A. It got bumped to
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142 that little room at the end of the hall. I would expect an entry detailing
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143 the feeding to false information to a discovered bug in the library.
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144 (just a warning so you know the reasons. No Deus Ex Machina HERE).
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145 ::::::::::::O O:::::::::::::::::::voyeur::::::::::::::::::O O:::::::::::
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146
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147 hi! my name is richard ness
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148 FARLEY! DO NOT BOTHER CALLING CBBS/ALOHA! THAT MSG IS INOPERATIVE.
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149 CBBS/NW DOESN'T SUPPORT PRIVATE MESSAGES, CBBS/PCS DOES BUT THEY CAN BE
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150 DIFFICULT TO LOG ON TO.
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151 ADA LOVELACE (FOR MR. MACHINERY)
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152 RYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRY
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153 Well, I see that Ian has delegated things to his secretary again...
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154 To the person on drive B: The NET has had some problems with people both
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155 insiders AND outsiders, who would drop in anachronistic storylines.
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156 (ie Farley being tracked with a crystal ball by a wizard... it just doesn't
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157 fit!) After some argument it was decided that people would be left to write
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158 themselves out of any problems they had gotten into.
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159 This allows interchanges to be restricted to only a few people at a
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160 time. We are actually trying to AVOID having the stories "written by
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161 committee". The references to checking things out was to allow you to find
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162 out if the person or persons involved that _particular_ sub-plot were
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163 willing to allow someone else to "muddy the waters".
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164 Think of the sub-plots as private duels of wit. Nobody likes a
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165 stranger who interferes in a duel!
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166 If a character is just wandering around or carrying out a routine
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167 survielance (sp?)
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168 then it's probably ok to "interact" with him. If he is ACTIVELY doing
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169 something with another character then it would be polite to ask if they
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170 mind before you go barging in on THEIR story.
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171 ___________________________________________________________________________
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172 WHY IS THE MESSAGE THAT I LEFT NOT HERE?
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173 I THOUGHT IT A FRIENDLY SORT OF 'FIRST TIME' MESSAGE.
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174 ANY WAY I'LL TRY AGAIN.
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175 I'M NEW AT THIS AND I'D LIKE TO MEET PEOPLE WHO HAVE THE SAME INTEREST
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176 AND SYSTEM AS I DO. SO I HOPE THIS MAKES IT ON THE BOARD.
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177 I'M ELLIOT AND I'M USING I.B.M. AND WOULD LIKE TO FIND USERS TO EXCHA
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178 NGE INFO ETC. ALSO WOULD LIKE TO MAKE NEW FRIENDS (M OR F)
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179 SO, PLEASE LEAVE MESS. AND I'LL BE ELATED
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180 I JUST GOT ON-LINE AND DON'T KNOW THE PROPER ETIQUITE SO SOMEWONE
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181 ENLIGHTEN ME
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182 THANX!
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183
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184 Elliot: there are only two real rules
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185 for this system other than the ones
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186 listed in the first 18 lines. They
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187 are: 1. Use CTRL-C to exit ENTER mode
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188 2. ALWAYS type "OFF" before you
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189 hang up your phone...
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190 ------------------------------Mad Max
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191 -==--==---==----==-----==------==-------==--------==---------==----------
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192 Hi all,
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193 What's new in game controlers? Paddles leave your wheels spinning?
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194 No _Joy_ (Gee, this is _fun_!) in joysticks? Face it, the only new
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195 concept in controllers has been Coleco's "Joy Knob". (I don't think it
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196 is an improvement, just about as original as taking the engine out of a car
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197 because it would be a lot quieter.) How about some new controllers?
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198 Here goes....
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199 Zap-Stick: This one really helps to learn a game. When you make a
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200 mistake, it lets loose with about 75 volts. Zap!
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201 FoneFun: Practice your phone dialling and play games too. For differnt
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202 commands, just press different sequences of numbers. Great for BBS sufflin
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203 -==--==---==----==-----==
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204 Elliot: I'm using an IBM. I think you'll like it here.
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205 Saturday, 21:38 - Friar Tuck -
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206 (A black jellybean in the candybowl of life.)
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207 ----------==---------==--------==-------==-------==-----==----==---==--==-
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208 DESPERATION AHAB'S THE NAME AND I'VE BEEN ON THIS ROAD A LONG TIME BUT
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209 NEVER ON THIS SIDE ROAD.WHERE IS THIS PLACE. I'VE GOT TO GO. I'LL CALL
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210
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211 ***************************************
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212 17
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213 16 :::
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214 15 : ::::
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215 14 :::::::::
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216 13 ::::::::: ::
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217 12 : : ::::::::: ::
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218 11 :: ::::::::::::::
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219 10 :: ::::::::::::::
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220 09 :::::::::::::::::
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221 08 ::::::::::::::::::
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222 07 ::::::::::::::::::
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223 06 :::::::::::::::::::
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224 05 ::::::::::::::::::::
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225 04 : ::::::::::::::::::::
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226 03 ::: ::::::::::::::::::::::
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227 02 : ::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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228 01 : : :: ::::::::::::::::::::::::::
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229 JFMAMJJASONDJFMAMJJASONDJFMAMJJASOND
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230 1982 1983 1984
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231
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232 Usage graph for BWMS. The numbers at
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233 the left are the number of disks used
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234 for the month indicated at the bottom
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235 December is current usage.
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236 *********** CISTOP MIKEY ************
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237 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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238 I see from Mickey's graph that the system has had a lot more use than
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239 was it currently has. I suppose that *NET* has bumped it up a bit.
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240 What's the average, a disk once every 2.5 days currently?
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241 ~~~~~~~~~~~
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242 Voyeur: Sorry to hear that you were not paying attention in class, you
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243 flunked your mid-term by-the-way.
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244 ~~~~~~~~~~~
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245 So, Farley is now being tracked by a crystal ball!??!... Boy this is
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246 getting interesting. Really folks, I do agree on keeping the SCI-FI
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247 *NET* stories and the Fantasy stories apart. Just think how wiered
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248 they could get ... Hummmmm! Jashua is helped by a Pegasus with a Piper
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249 on the back, then finds two magic-users to spell him a 3+ XP40 magic
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250 thingie.... Boy oh Boy .............. I don't think the INN could take it.
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251 This is for every BackWater person that ever was:
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252 "Imagination is more important than knowledge."
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253 - Einstein
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254 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PaPa Smurf ~~~~~ 12/29 23:00 ~~
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255 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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256 An open letter to the NET:
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257 Upon my recent return to the Backwater, I made a resolution not to antagonize any members of your organization.
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258 However, with the recent discussion of your guidelines and objectives, I feel the urge to speak out.
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259 I have no objection to your organization using a closed storyline. Your adventures are amusing and
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260 entertaining, but sometimes you carry your isolationism to the extreme. In the past, you have felt free to integrate
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261 plot devices and characters created by others into your stories, i.e. Leroy McKane, Petrov, and the Phoenix's Egg.
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262 I have no objection to this, but it is only natural that the creators of these ideas would like to join in the fun.
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263 Unfortunately, some of us were rebuffed harshly by a few members of your organization. If perhaps, someone had taken
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264 the time to explain your constraints a year ago--sharp words and ruffled feathers on several personna's parts may have
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265 been avoided.
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266 Also, I would like to speak about Leroy McKane. Although Leroy and I have only met at the Backwater, I consider
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267 him my friend. It seems Leroy has, in the past, been subjected to severe and unwarranted attacks not only against
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268 his personna, but against his real person. Leroy is a vital part of the Inn--too vital to be driven away as some
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269 seem to want. If you read the Archives closely, you will discover he did little to deserve the shabby treatment he has
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270 received. He may have spoken harshly to some, but only in rebuttal. I have been attacked also, but those attacks were
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271 probably warranted--I did tread on the NET storyline and put some personnas in difficult situations, but then I didn't
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272 know the rules of the game.
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273 On the positive side, I find most NET agents to be excellent writers, with good command of the language, and an
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274 ability to hold the reader's interest. I enjoy your plots and characters. If I didn't have a job that required me
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275 to work nights and weekends, I would have made an appearance at PorSFis meetings long ago. I hope your organization
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276 takes this letter, not as a putdown, but as an indication of where some of us stand.
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277 Mohammed Wassir
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278 <The Outspoken Albanian>
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279 P.S. Pam: First you invite me to return to the Inn... then disappear. What's a poor AlBanian to do?
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280 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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281
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282 #$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$#
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283 And just think, I've only been around for a very small portion of that graph...
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284 Voyeur: Well, I tried. Let's see *YOU* write about a meeting that you didn't attend. I wrote as I have always seen
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285 it. Ah, and here's a small message:
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286 NET level 1 (no Alex, no funny twists for you to puzzle over):
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287 CGDSE WTERL PNWIC ZNJNW UGQET PSTVR FGIGF DRXPN IUYRS JXJPW UCPMQ BGVTB CEECQ IOEWF XHNAE VPVZO UHVFG VTPPJ BTOEZ EREFI
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288 I just hope I got it typed right, and that you still have your program...
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289 NET: Well, you *SAID* that you'd welcome competition, so what's the matter with UNDERGROUND? Anyone who wants on the
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290 'bad' side has a fairly good basis to work from if he/she wants. I entered it because A) I was bored B) I was
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291 listening to Men at Work's song "Underground" C) $200 million is a little much to ask from someone you don't work for.
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292 I mean really, why don't you embezzle or spirit it away or cause it to 'disappear' mysteriously? D) All of the above
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293 E) None of the above F) Only D and E.
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294 Ian: I called Aloha, and got your message (a little late to do anything about it). I left one for you. CBBS/PCS
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295 is hard to get on, but I'm patient (and have an autodialer).
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296 NET debate, (good/bad rules, restrictions, etc.): As I see it, most of the NET knows each other. They know what is
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297 acceptable. Common sense dictates whether something would interfere with someone else's entry. The NET's "rules" are
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298 guides to help you along without the aid of common sense until you can sense by instinct what would be considered a
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299 great entry. How many of us here at BW were reading trash before coming, and now have a sense of what sharper wit
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300 may do if properly motivated? I, for one, consider myself lucky to have found BW. My writing has improved, and all
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301 because I gradually learned the nuances of the writing here, the unwritten rules whose results are seen but nature we
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302 cannot directly explain.
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303 I have seen a period or two of turmoil here. The NET survived both periods. As has been written before, it is a
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304 body of writers whose creativity has reached new heights because of the support and clashes of wit that have been
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305 exchanged. I wish it good luck, and long life. May it endure.
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306 #$##$##$##$##$##$#
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307 Perhaps I'll try to recover from my bugging mistake late tonight (now the 30th). Goodnight, all.
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308 #$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$# Farley #$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$# 12/30/84 - 12:14am #$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$#
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309
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310 It was a dark night, much to dangerous for a young man to be walking
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311 about by himself. There were many legions about the creatures that stired
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312 in the night. But he walked along, not caring what jumped out at him. He
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313 was finally going away, away from that place they called 'home'. We was
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314 going to walk until they were so far gone they could never congure him up
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315 and use his magic. He was tired of around the clock, suddenly popping up
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316 in the lab before all the elders to show hem what he could do. But he never
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317 showed them all he could do, he had to escape and that is what he is doing
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318 now. A small smile cracked the dim face as he walked on. It was getting
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319 darker, he had only been out a small while. Time went slow and each step
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320 became harder than the last. In his pack he took out his shinning gem he
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321 brewed a few days ago. It created enough light for him to see at least
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322 twenty five feet ahead. He walked on into the night, stopping now and
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323 then for a few barries on the trail. Each one was ripe and tasted fine.
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324 no more of that grub back 'home' he though eating another barry. He
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325 was on his way, he was going to make it all the way this time, they will
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326 never find him.
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327
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328 %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
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329
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330 WHO LEFT THAT?
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331
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332 I sit here and stare at a green glow in a dark room. A room full of
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333 love and hate. Mixed emotions float by as the small cursor creates a new line
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334 of text. Some of that text has feeling and meaning, others are as cold as ice.
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335 These emotions come here as a place of hope and a place for dispare. There is
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336 no emotions here, just words without feeling. The text rolls by and I wait,
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337 wait for something to happen. Then the cursor creates its last dance and the
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338 emotions continue to stir in this barren room. I try to speek but no sound
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339 is heard. No sound is here when no one listens. I sit here and think of the
|
||
340 times long since past, times that I wish were here but then I see that small
|
||
341 glowing cursor, sitting, waiting for something to happen. It doesn't know what
|
||
342 it is doing, what it once did. It doesn't know who it is hurting or who is
|
||
343 making something happen, it just moves along in it's continuing dance. The
|
||
344 dance that has a silent audience. It must get confused by the spectators,
|
||
345 they don't seem to act the way other spectators do, espeacialy the one who
|
||
346 wrote the dance. It sits in it's own cold room, it has no where to go and it
|
||
347 just watches the emotions that never were or will be.
|
||
348
|
||
349 %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|
||
350
|
||
351 @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
|
||
352 Nothing quite matches the sounds of a desperate man, running for his life,
|
||
353 from an enemy he only partly understands. The panting sounds from deep within
|
||
354 his chest, where the lungs labor to keep up with the demand the body makes
|
||
355 when in a flight-for-life situation, make for an eerie symphony indeed.
|
||
356 The unsteady footfalls, guided by the most basic of survival instincts,
|
||
357 continue to mark the passage of a man alone in the world, alone at a time
|
||
358 when sheer terror overwhelms the other emotions. The mind is on a different
|
||
359 level. The subconscious begins to exert its force; flex its hidden muscle. The
|
||
360 body is its kingdom, and if that kingdom is in danger, the subconscious mind
|
||
361 may be the last bastion of defense the man can offer.
|
||
362 His mind was like the outer fringes of a hurricane. Awash with the warning
|
||
363 signals from the rest of the body, warnings of lassitude and exhaustion. But
|
||
364 the complex organ of the brain was also controlling. Fellows ran by instinct.
|
||
365 The adrenaline pumping to the muscles; the lungs laboring with even more vigor,
|
||
366 all in order to save himself.
|
||
367 Fellows was too caught up in the immediacy of the situation to think much about
|
||
368 the bizzare trail of events that had lead to his desperate flight. It was enough
|
||
369 to know that the end was near, unless...
|
||
370 Years of training had inbred abilities to survive almost any situation. Top
|
||
371 physical and mental conditioning were elemental to his very existence. Yet
|
||
372 nothing had prepared him for the desperateness he now found himself in. NET
|
||
373 had taught him much, but not even the enlightened teachings he received there
|
||
374 could offer him a suggestion. He was completely on his own, and come what may,
|
||
375 it was on his shoulders the outcome rested on.
|
||
376 Finally the body could take no more. And as if the mind that before was
|
||
377 passing through the outer layers of a terrible storm, it now entered the
|
||
378 eye of that same storm. A strange sense of peace came over Fellows, and he
|
||
379 ceased his running. He lungs still hurried to catch up, even though the
|
||
380 rest of the body now stood in a relative stillness. It was here he would
|
||
381 make his stand, unprepared as he was. The terror of the run gripped him for
|
||
382 a moment, but then subsided as quickly as it came. NET was said to invest
|
||
383 nearly half-a-million dollars in every one of its top agents. It was time
|
||
384 to see if the money was well spent.
|
||
385 The sounds of the approaching pursuers met Fellows' ears like a hammer on
|
||
386 an anvil, but he did not flinch. Suddenly, for some strange reason, a
|
||
387 song popped into his mind. A song from his youth. The words flooded his mind,
|
||
388 as if it were trying to tell him something.
|
||
389 'It's now or never. Our day has come...'
|
||
390 A searchlight probed the darkened street. The song played on in his head. It
|
||
391 was high noon for NET agent Fellows.
|
||
392 Fellows
|
||
393 @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
|
||
394 JoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshua
|
||
395 My dear Mr. Wassir - I read your open letter to NET with much interest.
|
||
396 It prompted me to respond, hopefully without putting my foot into my mouth
|
||
397 (or elsewhere).
|
||
398 The use and misuse of characters/objects: I don't recall the Pheonix Egg,
|
||
399 so I won't comment on it. Petrov was taken by a newcomer to BackWater, who wanted
|
||
400 to get in on the story and thought the Petrov character sounded interesting.
|
||
401 He was totally unaware of any previous use of the character by Grand Dragonmaster.
|
||
402 (As was I, as it must have been more than a year ago {when I first began accessing
|
||
403 this board}).
|
||
404 McKane - that's a complicated subject. He had always appeared to be the
|
||
405 'bad guy', so when we were looking for a purpose for our stories, he was the
|
||
406 obvious choice. As you know, that didn't work out very well, so we dropped
|
||
407 the 'McKane' story and decided to tackle the totally fictional Rajneesh Dangerfield.
|
||
408 From the end of that episode last summer, to the present date, McKane has
|
||
409 not been given more than passing reference, and in those occasions, it has been
|
||
410 at least neutral, if not somewhat complimentary.
|
||
411 You must admit - it's somewhat of an honor to be the one against which all others
|
||
412 are measured. (you don't see IBM complaining, do you?)
|
||
413 Next, the NET itself, and its 'closed storyline'. When it started back in
|
||
414 July (or thereabouts), it was Ian, L'homme and myself. Gaudy Minsky joined
|
||
415 shortly thereafter. The Petrov character entered a little later, but he is not
|
||
416 an official NET agent. Now, we have Farley, who is also not a NET agent,
|
||
417 but meshes well with us. The major reason for what appears to be our snobishness
|
||
418 is that we seem to work together rather well. There is no doubt that your
|
||
419 and McKanes stories are very good, and you work together well. As you have seen,
|
||
420 though, your styles and ours are drastically out of sync . Ian, L'homme, Gaudy,
|
||
421 Petrov, Farley, and myself have similar styles, and we feel 'comfortable' with
|
||
422 each other's entries. We have 'found our niche', as you and Grand Dragonmaster
|
||
423 have found yours. I realize it's restrictive in that it can exclude talent,
|
||
424 but we are only human. I put a lot of work into my entries, and I have seen
|
||
425 Petrov spend even more on his. I hate to see it wasted by someones thoughtlessness.
|
||
426 (or ignorance).
|
||
427 I hope I have not offended you or anyone else, or given the impression that
|
||
428 we feel we are 'better' than you all. We are just a group of people who take
|
||
429 pleasure out of being creative on this bulletin board, and have found that we
|
||
430 can achieve this goal better together. (as most of us have multiple personas,
|
||
431 we can still play around in the rest of Inn, too).
|
||
432 I thank you for your comments on the quality of our writing. I know that I have
|
||
433 benefited greatly by practicing here.
|
||
434 I hope I addressed everything which should have been mentioned.
|
||
435 Ideally, all this hoopla about the NET membership will go away now and we can
|
||
436 get back to serious spying.
|
||
437 Until we meet again in some other reality..
|
||
438 JoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshuaJoshua
|
||
439 66 66 66
|
||
440 The communications between Portland and the rest of the state are pretty bad; the folks in Klamath Falls have a joke
|
||
441 about the Portlander's map with the southern border marked "Here there be Dragons". Nevertheless, in certain circles
|
||
442 information always travels quickly. The stories of seemingly random killings were correlated in the regular course
|
||
443 of things at several of the intelligence-gathering agencies operating from behind comfortable fronts in the north.
|
||
444 The information was not released to the news media. Officially, the killings were totally random, unconnected.
|
||
445 A farmer in the field. A travelling bible salesman. The head of the local D.A.R. chapter. Nothing in common other
|
||
446 than a gruesome common form of demise. Except. Except that behind closed doors in Portland and Salem men were sweating.
|
||
447 Men who worked for Agencies and Bureaus and orginizations known only by sets of initials, or not at all. They'd
|
||
448 worked out the connection. The farmer who brought home more than brochures from the goodwill tour of China, the bible
|
||
449 salesman who specialized in conversions of a strictly non-denominational sort, the matron who developed new codes
|
||
450 on the back of her shopping list... they and the others were all members of various espionage agencies. It looked
|
||
451 to those agencies like someone wanted them all out in no uncertain terms. Someone they'd never heard of, who seemes
|
||
452 able to tackle their toughest agents, who left no witnesses. They were scared.
|
||
453 It is a given in the espionage business that agencies don't share files, which is too bad. That one blind spot kept
|
||
454 them from spotting the other unifying factor behind the killings: the victims had all, at some time and in some way,
|
||
455 impersonated agents of the NET.
|
||
456
|
||
457 66 Gaius 66
|
||
458 mMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMm
|
||
459 There is a certian air to most job hunters. It's an air of desperation,
|
||
460 compounded of a little too much attention to grooming, a forced jauntiness, and
|
||
461 most of all, the haunted quality of the eyes. I think it's fear mostly.
|
||
462 Fear of failure, fear of not getting the job, and most of all fear of
|
||
463 starvation. Oh, yes, I realize that there is some help out there, but how much
|
||
464 chance do you have to improve yourself if your only meal each day comes from
|
||
465 Baloney Joe's, or one of the missions? I mean, it's a one-way street. If you
|
||
466 once lose a job and cannot land another before the buffer runs out, you're
|
||
467 lost, brother. Down for the count. Out, washed up -- finished.
|
||
468 Take this young fellow that just pushed his way in the door -- he's one of
|
||
469 the desparate ones. From the way he's clutching that paper, our ad is about
|
||
470 his last chance. Better polish up my "Big Sister" act for him. He might do.
|
||
471 ........................
|
||
472 The sign on the door read:
|
||
473 Machrioness Enterprises
|
||
474 in rather subdued type. Dan hesitated for a moment before pushing through the
|
||
475 door. He could see a woman seated at a desk leafing through a pile of papers,
|
||
476 examining some, setting some aside. "God," he thought to himself. "Don't let
|
||
477 me blow this one! Please!" Straightening his tie (it had taken several
|
||
478 careful evenings work to get the stains out of the fabric) he pushed open the
|
||
479 door, and walking with a false confidence, he strode in.
|
||
480 The woman at the desk looked up as he entered.
|
||
481 "Yes, can I help you?"
|
||
482 Dan found himself pierced by a direct gaze from two lovely hazel eyes.
|
||
483 Framed by dark curling lashes, he began to sink into their depths until:
|
||
484 "I said, can I help you?" The tone was slightly sharper now.
|
||
485 "Umm, oh!, yes, umm, mumble job" he mumbled, waving the paper he held.
|
||
486 "I'm sorry, sir, but our employment requires close contact with the public,
|
||
487 and a speech impediment would make you unfit for the position..." she began.
|
||
488 A bolt of panic shot through him. "No! Wait!" he said quickly. "I wanted
|
||
489 to apply for the position in your advertisement.. the one.."
|
||
490 She looked frostily at him. "I am perfectly aware of the contents of our
|
||
491 advertisements. We are looking for resourceful persons willing to undertake
|
||
492 rather dangerous assignments. You, sir, seem to have run out of resources."
|
||
493 Dan was close to panic now. "Please," he pleaded, "I didn't mean to make
|
||
494 a bad impression on you. It's only..." his sentence trailed off at her look.
|
||
495 "I don't do the hiring here," she said. "I only screen the applicants."
|
||
496 She pulled a keyboard closer and flipped up a portion of the desktop to reveal
|
||
497 a computer display. "Let's get this over with quickly, shall we? Name?"
|
||
498 "Spade, Daniel Spade," he replied with the growing feeling that he was
|
||
499 wasting his time. He gave the other answers with only part of his attention,
|
||
500 and was greatly surprised when she motioned him to a door in the back.
|
||
501 "But.. I ... Thank you!" he said starting to the door.
|
||
502 "Don't thank me, I only work here," she replied, but as soon as he was out of
|
||
503 sight she pressed a button on the keyboard. A female face appeared on the
|
||
504 display, a strikingly beautiful face, clearly used to obedience.
|
||
505 "One coming back we might use."
|
||
506 The face in the display allowed itself one slight smile, then faded out.
|
||
507 MmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMm The Machrioness MmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMmMm
|
||
508
|
||
509 @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
|
||
510 Bit Bucket BBS is now back in service
|
||
511 at it's new location. The new number
|
||
512 is 254-xxxx. It's running a new
|
||
513 version of the software with some
|
||
514 improvements and new features.
|
||
515 24 hours, 7 days a week, 300/1200 baud
|
||
516 Rick Bensene SYSOP-Bit Bucket
|
||
517 @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
|
||
518 pppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp
|
||
519 The piper was having trouble focusing on the world around him, and from
|
||
520 the tremors he felt, the pegasus wasn't doing too well either. He seemed to be
|
||
521 in the center of a circle of armed men, all dressed in black pants, white
|
||
522 shirts with a curious black blotch over the chest, and holding large and
|
||
523 exceedingly sharp spears pointed at him. A very striking young lady, in a
|
||
524 most unique costume (it seemed to consist mostly of jewelry and imagination)
|
||
525 seemed to be giving the orders.
|
||
526 "I don't think they're any danger." He heard her say. "They both look like
|
||
527 they've been through a lot. Give them both some medical attention, get them
|
||
528 fed and healed. We'll get their story later -- we may be able to use them."
|
||
529 The piper's protest that he did not care to be used slipped unspoken from his
|
||
530 lips as his conciousness slipped from his mind.
|
||
531 ppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp
|
||
532 <<:*********************************************************:>>
|
||
533 Joshua: Well said. I thought you clarified the misunderstanding
|
||
534 very well. By the way, Petrov was originally Mohammeds
|
||
535 character not mine.
|
||
536
|
||
537 Mohammed: I too consider you a friend...even though we've
|
||
538 never met. Too bad neither of us have time to bring our two
|
||
539 great organizations into conflict once again.
|
||
540
|
||
541 Grand D.
|
||
542 <<:********************************************************:>>
|
||
543 010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101
|
||
544 CPPAL PFXL[ ND_CR RDLAP DCZAL PE[MD _AEVA NFCRR UD[TV SCVX\ D_PTF EDFED
|
||
545 CDPAE PDXMD XGJDL ASDNF VTAJH BVRAC EADJA VXJPD JAGRP EHBPA EPFLZ DHB[W
|
||
546 SAJPU GFXVC ^HBMK TIKKZ KORKQ HB_WS AJPUG FXV[K HB_CE IZZTK OR[KE HB_Q]
|
||
547 N^YL\ [L\]Y NKHB_ ALIDX MDPJC LE\FE EFXLH BSDER
|
||
548 010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101010101
|
||
549 HAVE FUN ALEX....
|
||
550 ........................................................................
|
||
551 ALL AGENTS: COPY ABOVE TRANSMISSION. IF FOR SOME REASON YOU HAVE NOT
|
||
552 ECEIVED THE KEY YET, CONTACT YOUR LOCAL OFFICE.
|
||
553 RYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRYRY
|
||
554 ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
|
||
555 To the "SLASH CLAN": I'm sure I speak for everyone on this system when I ask you to please stop drawing pictures with
|
||
556 letters, as every line of text, be it 1 or 126 characters, is saved to one sector of the disk, and though you may
|
||
557 condider yourself an artist, the practice is extremely wasteful.
|
||
558 Next point: On this system, everyone has their own individual border, and I would appreciate it if you refrained from
|
||
559 using my Zs.
|
||
560 To Elliot: If you are new to modeming, you might want to call Le Nerd(283-2983), and read a message left there for
|
||
561 new modemers, for it tells about basic BBS ettiquite(II believe it's no.96). Now I must tell you that I am NOT implying
|
||
562 that you have no manners, the message is simply things you should know about what to do and what not to do.
|
||
563 Have Fun!!! Zippy
|
||
564 ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZip
|
||
565
|
||
566 KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKallistiKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK
|
||
567 I knotice that somebody is using 126 column format in their entries. Maybe
|
||
568 I am the only one with the problem, but there is no auto wrap and the last
|
||
569 40 letters are all flashed on top of each other and not saved. Their message
|
||
570 is virtually unreadable. I will see if my machine is at fault but if it isn't
|
||
571 then maybe the 126 line (or anything more than 80) is inoperable, not a good
|
||
572 idea, etc.
|
||
573 I will attempt to spend more time on the system, maybe even learning how
|
||
574 how to access the other disk.....what do you mean you go through a disk every
|
||
575 2 1/2 days? Are all these old messages stored and filed away for hackers'
|
||
576 posterity or are they actually worn out....maybe you should go over to Nickel
|
||
577 Ads and relieve them of their 1979 tech hard-disk washing machines. Primative,
|
||
578 but certainly lots of storage.
|
||
579 "It was a bright and crowded night. There was a knock on the phone. I
|
||
580 turned on the system and it sat up, spat a disc in my face and printed "ON
|
||
581 STRIKE" before shutting down in a puff of bold, magenta smoke. For this, I
|
||
582 hocked my aunt?....
|
||
583 tttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt
|
||
584
|
||
585 line lengths...
|
||
586 i am sorry if my line length caused too much trouble... i remember some people
|
||
587 remarking about using it once... and it always seemed inoffensive to me... so
|
||
588 after eight months of simply watching, for my first entry with a name i was
|
||
589 going to use again, it seemed the proper thing to do... in any case, i am now
|
||
590 typing in 80 columns... it now seems the proper thing to do...
|
||
591
|
||
592 gaudy minsky...
|
||
593 i was leafing through the pages of a particularly old set of Encyclopedia and
|
||
594 i came up with an odd reference to your name... is it intentional? if it is not,
|
||
595 i am sorry for making you get out the m volume... especially considering the
|
||
596 size of my edition... and the symphathetic size of yours... i digress...
|
||
597 intriguing delivery...
|
||
598 i intended the note to be delivered by a rather nice barkeep of pcs' employ...
|
||
599 in stead of this plan, i delivered it myself... i must remember to plan for all
|
||
600 contingencies... i wonder if i misspelled that...?
|
||
601
|
||
602 the existence of thrike...
|
||
603 i entered a segment of a story... quite possibly on the second disk by now...
|
||
604 it detailed the ideals of a fictional agency nemed thrike... and i was wondering
|
||
605 how the whole bit came off? allright i hope...
|
||
606
|
||
607 tttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt
|
||
608 ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
|
||
609 From Prometheus; Ammends
|
||
610 I made some comments in my last message, which probably sounded like an across
|
||
611 the board downmouthing of everyone who ever got confused after typing enter, or
|
||
612 who didn't know about the constraints of space, or any of the other pitfalls of
|
||
613 newness to modeming. Which are many, especially to someone new to adolescence.
|
||
614 And I speak from experience, on both accounts. It *is* easy to simply throw
|
||
615 courtesy to the wind, and do all sorts of twitfull things both courtious and not
|
||
616 at all.
|
||
617 But I also realize that there is little tolerance of their sort, people who
|
||
618 press return when they are confused, or even foul mouthed little scum like some.
|
||
619
|
||
620 I confess to showing this prejudice, and intolerance of these people. It is so
|
||
621 often the case, however that they do not and will not apologize, or stop doing
|
||
622 those things. It is so often the case, that I simply expect nothing better of
|
||
623 them, as a whole. I even make the desparaging comments about the twit burnings...
|
||
624
|
||
625 Instead of simply apolgizing here, I entered all of this to perhaps make some
|
||
626 people understand the actions of the other 'Group' if that is the right word. In
|
||
627 any case, one side has been *plagued* by people who make the wrong decision after
|
||
628 typing enter, and the other side, who usually lacks the sense, and knowledge of
|
||
629 this system, to do much else. I dislike eighty columns... End of disk.
|
||
|
||
TOTAL NUMBER OF LINES = 629
|