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BTN: Birmingham Telecommunications News COPYRIGHT 1993 ISSN 1055-4548 February 1993 Volume 6, Issue 2 Edition 2 Table Of Contents ----------------- Article Title Author Policy Statement and Disclaimer................Staff From The Editor................................Scott Hollifield Letters to the Editor..........................BTN Readers American BBS Association.......................Rocky Rawlins Review of PKZIP 2.04e..........................Mark Maisel BBSing in the Real World.......................Damion Furi Our Wonderful State............................Lurch Henson U.S. Robotics V.FAST Announcement..............U.S. Robotics Local Music In February........................Judy Ranelli BBS Spotlight: Sperry..........................Eric Hunt Special Interest Groups (SIGs).................Barry Bowden Known BBS Numbers..............................Staff ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer and Statement of Policy for BTN We at BTN try our best to assure the accuracy of articles and information in our publication. We assume no responsibility for damage due to errors, omissions, etc. The liability, if any for BTN, its editors and writers, for damages relating to any errors or omissions, etc., shall be limited to the cost of a one year subscription to BTN, even if BTN, its editors or writers have been advised of the likelihood of such damages occurring. With the conclusion of that nasty business, we can get on with our policy for publication and reproduction of BTN articles. We publish monthly with a deadline of the fifteenth of the month prior to publication. If you wish to submit an article, you may do so at any time but bear in mind the deadline if you wish for your work to appear in a particular issue. It is not our purpose to slander or otherwise harm a person or reputation and we accept no responsibility for the content of the articles prepared by our writers. Our writers own their work and it is protected by copyright. We allow reprinting of articles from BTN with only a few restrictions. The author may object to a reprint, in which case he will specify in the content of his article. Otherwise, please feel free to reproduce any article from BTN as long as the source, BTN, is specified, and as long as the author's name and the article's original title are retained. If you use one of our articles, please forward a copy of your publication to: Mark Maisel Publisher, BTN 606 Twin Branch Terrace BHAM, AL 35216 (205) 823-3956 We thank you for taking the time to read our offering and we hope that you like it. We also reserve the right to have a good time while doing all of this and not get too serious about it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- F R E E B I E : G E T I T W H I L E I T S H O T ! The following boards allow BTN to be downloaded freely, that is with no charge to any existing upload/download ratios. ADAnet One Alter-Ego Bone Yard Bus System Channel 8250 Crunchy Frog DC Info Exchange F/X BBS Gateway BBS Homewood's Hell Hole Joker's Castle Lemon Grove Martyrdom Again?! The MATRIX Milliways BBS Neon Moon Night Watch The Outer Limits Owlabama BBS Owl's Nest Playground Safe Harbor Southern Stallion Starbase 12 Teasers BBS T.G.U.E. BBS Thy Master's Dungeon Weekends BBS (Please note that this list includes some systems which are not local to Birmingham and therefore not included on our BBS Numbers list.) I think I may have omitted a system or two this month, so pay attention to the list for a change. If you are a sysop and you allow BTN to be downloaded freely, please let me know via The Matrix or Crunchy Frog so that I can post your board as a free BTN distributor. Thanks. SH ----------------------------------------------------------------------- N E W S F L A S H ANNOUNCING THE FORMATION OF THE AMERICAN BBS ASSOCIATION! See article for details. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- From the Editor by Scott Hollifield To begin with this month, I have a public confession to make. It's something which I was hoping to hide from everyone, but recent events have come to light which make it impossible for me to continue to remain silent on this matter. I have a severe health problem which has only been recently diagnosed. The medical term for it is ranidaecrunchinumeronesia. It's a very rare, very particular disease - put simply, it is a neurological disorder which shuts down the pathways of the brain that allow people who are editors of BTN to remember and accurately record the correct phone numbers belonging to a BBS called the Crunchy Frog. Very serious. My family has not been informed, and I hope to keep them out of it, for obvious reasons, but I thought my friends should know. It's something which has chronically impaired my ability to function for the last two months, and the final blow came in last month's issue of BTN, where, thinking that I had conquered my problem, I proudly announced that the "correct" numbers for Crunchy Frog had been listed, finally. Sadly, such was not the case. However, there is hope on the horizon. With the support of friends and staff colleagues, great care has been taken to ensure that the Crunchy Frog's number has been accurately represented as of this issue. The disease is in remission, and although I know that it will be a long journey back to normality, I am confident that we can all get through this. Thank you all for everything. Now then, I feel I really should repeat something I said last issue, and that is that BTN needs articles, desperately, surely, madly. There's plenty to write about these days; I have a few ideas myself which, conveniently, are going to wait until next month. And everyone should also be aware that BTN's fifth anniversary is coming up in May. Why? Because it's important, damn it. This month, we are carrying a special feature which you may have already seen if you're a regular on The Matrix. Rocky Rawlins has recently formed the American BBS Association, a very good idea whose time has come, and something which BTN plans to support in anyway possible. In this issue, you'll find the purpose and background of the ABBSA, plus an application for any sysops who might want to join. Explicit instructions are given in the article for doing so. Also, regulars Lurch Henson and Damion Furi (how did I get stuck with these guys?) have a few things to say to you, and Judy Ranelli, our emissary from the local music scene, is quite prepared to tell you which bands you should go watch. And lest I forget, the new version of PKZip which has everyone in a dither lately is reviewed herein, by our esteemed publisher. That plus the usual odds and ends (er, pending publication at press time) make up this issue of BTN. See you next time. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Letters to the Editor From: Mark Shafer Dear Editor, I have a problem. I am engaged to a wonderful lady and am planning to finalize the wedding date with her. I come from a family of 4 brothers and herein lies the problem. My older brother Jeff is in prison for the rape of a 14 year old and will not be released for another 12 years. My next older brother Bob is gay and living with two other homosexuals. My younger brother is on the run from the police. It seems they want him for bank robbery and killing a bank guard. And my youngest brother is a computer programmer working for IBM... My problem is: Should I tell my fiance about my brother the computer programmer? [Ed.: Yes. If IBM keeps going the way it is, you may have to take care of him for a while.] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- THE AMERICAN BBS ASSOCIATION Rocky Rawlins I: PURPOSE The American BBS Association (ABBSA) exists to provide an umbrella advocacy organization for BBS operators. ABBSA is organized roughly on the model used by the Better Business Bureau. The ABBSA National Office is in Birmingham, Alabama based at The MATRIX BBS. The ABBSA National Support Conference is available for echo from The MATRIX at no cost other than normal Long Distance charges. The MATRIX BBS is accessible at 300-2400 baud at (205) 323-2016 and at 9600+ baud at (205) 323-6016. The MATRIX BBS is a subscription BBS however ABBSA Sysops will be given Visiting Sysop status (90 minutes a day and full access) at no charge. The National ABBSA Office can also be reached on the Internet as abbsa.nat@the-matrix.com and the Alabama Chapter as abbsa.al@the-matrix.com. The National and Alabama ABBSA voice number is (205) 251-9347. The ABBSA is organized on a State Basis. i.e. we are currently forming the Alabama Chapter of the ABBSA here in Alabama. The National Office of the ABBSA functions ONLY as an Advisory and Coordinating center for State Chapters and State Chapters retain complete independence. If you are interested in forming a State Chapter, please contact us through one of the above channels. There are no fees or costs required for formation of a State Chapter. The goals of the ABBSA are simple in conception though perhaps more difficult to carry out. American BBS Association Policy and Goals 1. Educate the public about the purposes, potential, and benefits of Electronic Communications. 2. Monitor the media for inaccurate and misleading information regarding BBS activity and take steps to correct such misinformation. 3. Regularly inform the media of significant events in the local BBS community. 4. Serve as a source of information for individuals or organizations seeking information about BBS. 5. Inform ABBSA member BBS of significant legislation or other actions which affect the BBS community. Membership in ABBSA requires only that a BBS Sysop agree to "support the Ethical Standards" of the ABBSA. No "enforcement" mechanism exists other than the right of the Chairman of a State Chapter to revoke the membership of a state BBS after consultation with other members. ABBSA Member Sysops may elect a new Chairman of a State Chapter at any time on a majority vote. NO DUES OR FEES ARE REQUIRED FOR MEMBERSHIP IN ABBSA. Every member of ABBSA may post on their BBS that they are a member of the ABBSA and all members are strongly encouraged to post the ABBSA Ethical Standards on their BBS as a bulletin or in some other accessible manner. II: BACKGROUND The American BBS Association was formed as a result of media activity in the Birmingham, Alabama area. A local station aired sensationalist stories about children accessing "dirty pictures" on local BBS. Local Sysops made numerous attempts to contact the management of the station to discuss the misperceptions being reinforced by such reporting. The reaction of the local station was to completely ignore the members of the local BBS community. This was particularly disturbing in light of the contributions of the BBS community to the state and city. Local BBS provided free Email to the Gulf states during the war for family members and friends to communicate with personnel assigned there. Local Sysops provided extensive forums for local and national candidates and campaigns to communicate with the public. Many local BBS provide a variety of free services in support of the local schools, charity organizations, Police Departments. The BBS community provides Internet and other International communications capability that is not available through any other channel in the state for individuals. Despite the more than a decade of service and support of the local community and business, local media completely ignores the benefits and contribution of the local BBS community in preference for stories that promulgate old stereotypes and sensational implications. With the growing visibility of BBS but a deep ignorance of what a BBS is, this trend is certain to grow unless we take positive action. While the efforts of individual Sysops can easily be ignored by a media organization, imagine the effects of phone calls and letters from hundreds of Sysops and Users across the State in conjunction with Press Releases and Press Conferences from the State ABBSA Chapter. The Electronic Frontier Foundation is doing a wonderful job on the National level to address many of the legislative, legal, and social issues that affect the Electronic Community. But they have neither the resouces nor the emphasis to address problems on the local level. The ABBSA is oriented to fill that vacuumn and to address the isssues that affect all of us on a local level. Past efforts to form a National level organization of BBS or Sysops have foundered on the rocks of "control" and "authority". Being Sysops ourselves we have the natural loathing for anyone telling us how to run our boards or to try to impose a set of rules on us. BBSing is a good example of "anarchy in action". But the vast majority of Sysops share common goals and standards. The intention of the ABBSA is to "codify" those common standards and goals in a written form with which we can all agree but which do not in any way interfere with our personal control of our individual BBS. We believe the Ethical Standards of the ABBSA are ones with which all Sysops can readily agree and support since they simply echo existing standards. The growth of the ABBSA provides every member BBS with a platform from which to communicate with the media, legislators, and the public. With a set of Public Ethical Standards and a formal organization, we can much more effectively combat the hysteria, stereotypes, and sensationalist image that is emerging more and more in the public eye. The continued growth of the local, national and world BBS community is dependent on an accurate public understanding of the potential and benefits of electronic communications. We encourage all Sysops to support the ABBSA by becoming a member and publically posting your support of the goals and Ethical Standards of the ABBSA. III: REQUIREMENTS FOR MEMBERSHIP 1. Operate an Electronic Bulletin Board System (BBS), Public or Private, Free or Subscription which is available 24 hours a day. 2. Sign and return your agreement with the ABBSA Ethical Standards to either your State ABBSA Chapter or the National ABBSA Office. American BBS Association Ethical Standards 1. I will not use or allow my BBS to be used for illegal activity. 2. I will not allow my BBS to be used to distribute Pirated or Copyrighted software except where software Copyright and\or License agreements specifically allow electronic distribution and if such software is uploaded to my board without my knowledge I will remove it when I am made aware of it. 3. I will restrict access to adult material by minors and I will make ALL REASONABLE EFFORTS to verify that a caller is 21 years of age before allowing that caller access to adult material. 4. If I run a Public BBS I will not refuse access to any individual on the basis of age, sex, religion, race, or ethnic origin except restrictions to specific conferences that are necessary to provide Private Conferences for particular age, sex, religious, racial or ethnic groups. 5. I will support and promote the Right of Freedom of Speech and the free exchange of ideas among individuals. I REQUEST MEMBERSHIP IN THE AMERICAN BBS ASSOCIATION. I OPERATE A FULL TIME BBS AND I SUPPORT THE ETHICAL STANDARDS OF THE AMERICAN BBS ASSOCIATION. I AGREE TO OPERATE MY BBS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THESE ETHICAL STANDARDS TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITY. Signature _____________________________________ Date ___________ BBS Name:______________________________________ BBS Phone Number(s) ___________________________ Sysop Name and Address:___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ Sysop Phone number: ( ) - Sysop Internet address:___________________________________ (if available) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ (end of ABBSA membership application) (The name and addresses of Member Sysops are considered Confidential and ) (will not be provided to others without explicit permission of the individual) (Sysop. BBS names and phone numbers are considered Public Information unless ) (you specfically request otherwise. ) If you wish to become a Member BBS of the American BBS Association, simply sign this statement and mail a copy to your State ABBSA Chapter or to the American BBS Association National Office at the addresses listed below. Upon signing and mailing this statement you are entitled to post a notice on your BBS for up to 90 days that you are a temporary: Member of the American BBS Association (your_state Chapter) [if desired] pending receipt of an acknowledgment from either your State or the National ABBSA office that your application has been received after which you are a permanent ABBSA member unless such membership is revoked by the State or National Office. You are also encouraged to post ABBSA.BLT as a public bulletin on your system. * NATIONAL ABBSA CONTACTS: ABBSA National Office (voice) (205) 251-9347 (Internet) abbsa.nat@the-matrix.com Mailing address: American BBS Association 1426 11th St. South Birmingham, AL 35205 * STATE ABBSA CONTACTS: Alabama ABBSA Chapter Office (voice) (205) 251-9347 (Internet) abbsa.al@the-matrix.com Mailing address: Alabama ABBSA Chapter 1426 11th St. South Birmingham, AL 35205 The ABBSA National Support Conference is accessible for messages or echoing on The MATRIX BBS in Birmingham, AL at: 300-2400 (205) 323-2016 9600+ (205) 323-6016 (American BBS Association and ABBSA are Service Marks of) ( the American BBS Association (1992) ) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Review & Comparison of PKZIP 2.04e versus PKZIP 1.10 by Mark Maisel With the long awaited release of the newest version of PKZIP for MS-DOS machines, I thought it would be a good idea to compare the new with the old as part of my evaluation. You'll first find a quick reference table below followed by summaries of each file type and how well the versions of PKZIP handled them. There were several bugs reported within days of the release of PKZIP 2.04c. The version I used for this review, 2.04e, is the release containing fixes for the problems first found in the new release. In my use of both 2.04c and 2.04e, I had no problems but there were enough users with problems to warrant a fix. DO NOT USE 2.04c, especially if you are running a machine with EMS, XMS, or any other memory above 640K. The following results were obtained from the use of the following machine: 486DX-33mhz computer with 256K static cache, 20 megabytes of memory (RAM), and 670 megabyte SCSI hard drive (15ms). On different machines, your results will vary, but should be consistent with the degree or percentage of change found with each sample. Filename Original Size PKZIP 1.10 PKZIP 2.04e ------------------------------------------------------- *.BAT 1,483 2,816 2,701 ->This is not an error A4.EXE 2,046,936 946,117 853,978 CALLER1 1,644,480 231,697 173,417 COMMAND.COM 47,845 30,086 28,967 ETUBE.FLI 1,281,254 763,747 703,908 GODPHONE.TIF 881,496 652,814 606,629 PSTYLER.EXE 1,007,824 507,924 462,349 ROBOCOMM.LOG 103,499 17,768 14,536 *.BAT: 18 very small batch files with sizes ranging from 14 to 331 bytes. Time Required Size in Bytes *.BAT 1483 ->This is not an error PKZIP 1.10 0 seconds 2816 PKZIP 2.04e 0 seconds 2701 Speed improvement is negligible on this system. Compression improvement is roughly 4%. The actual space required to store the file created by both versions of PKZIP exceeded the space, in bytes, used by the uncompressed files. As most hard drives use a 512 byte or larger sector size, the ZIP'ed file does use less room. I would not, however, recommend ZIP'ing your batch files if you use them regularly, except for purposes of backup. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> A4.EXE: The executable file for the database program, Alpha4, containing overlays. Time Required Size in Bytes A4.EXE 2,046,936 PKZIP 1.10 38 seconds 946,117 PKZIP 2.04e 32 seconds 853,978 Speed improvement is roughly 16%. Both versions did a pretty good job of compressing the file. The new version did a better job by roughly 10%. For purposes of saving space, PKZIP seems appropriate if you aren't going to be using this file often, or if you have the luxury of being able to decompress a program into a RAMDISK for execution. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> CALLER1: The caller log from a popular bbs. This ASCII text file contains much repetitive information and should compress well. Time Required Size in Bytes CALLER1 1,644,480 PKZIP 1.10 28 seconds 231,697 PKZIP 2.04e 13 seconds 173,417 Speed improvement is roughly 54%. Both versions did a pretty good job of compressing the file. The new version did a better job by roughly 25%. This is especially impressive since it took less than half the time of the old version. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> COMMAND.COM: This file is the command interpreter for MS-DOS 5.0. Time Required Size in Bytes COMMAND.COM 47,845 PKZIP 1.10 1 second 30,086 PKZIP 2.04e 1 second 28,967 Speed improvement is negligible on this system. Compression improvement is roughly 4%. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ETUBE.FLI: This file is a product of Autodesk Animator. It is graphics data sequenced for animation. Time Required Size in Bytes ETUBE.FLI 1,281,254 PKZIP 1.10 18 seconds 763,747 PKZIP 2.04e 25 seconds 703,908 Speed improvement is non-existent since none occurred. I attribute the slower time to PKZIP attempting to optimize its compression for graphics data. This is speculation. Compression improvement is roughly 8%. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> GODPHONE.TIF: This file is a 24 bit uncompressed TIFF, scanned from a color photograph of a friend. Time Required Size in Bytes GODPHONE.TIF 881,496 PKZIP 1.10 19 seconds 652,814 PKZIP 2.04e 22 seconds 606,629 Speed improvement is non-existent since none occurred. I attribute the slower time to PKZIP attempting to optimize its compression for graphics data. This is speculation. Compression improvement is roughly 7%. For data such as this, a good implementation of JPEG graphics compression would be far more suitable. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> PSTYLER.EXE: This file is the Windows executable for Photo Styler. Time Required Size in Bytes PSTYLER.EXE 1,007,824 PKZIP 1.10 17 seconds 507,924 PKZIP 2.04e 16 seconds 462,349 Speed improvement is roughly 6%. The new version compressed better by roughly 8%. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> ROBOCOMM.LOG: This file is a small log, generated by Robocomm. It is ASCII text and has many repetitive elements. Time Required Size in Bytes ROBOCOMM.LOG 103,499 PKZIP 1.10 1 second 17,768 PKZIP 2.04e 1 second 14,536 The speed improvement is negligible, but that is attributable in large part to my hardware/software configuration. The compression with the new version is roughly 18% better. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> All in all, I am very pleased with the latest release of PKZIP. I wish it had come out sooner as it had been advertised for well over a year prior to its arrival. I also found it curious that so many problems cropped up when it was released given the exhaustive incubation period it has had. I experienced no problems, but others did with 2.04c. Be sure to use 2.04e if you decide to try or use the new PKZIP. So far as I know, PKWARE has not released compatible versions for any other platforms. Be considerate of Amiga, OS/2, Atari, and others who use either PKWARE or other incarnations of a ZIP compression scheme. Perhaps if enough of you folks out there who are one of the above platforms let PKWARE know you want a new version, you'll get one. Good luck! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- BBSing In The Real World by Damion Furi I still haven't called CompuServe, GEnie, or any other LD BBS, in the seven or eight months that I've had my modem. Why not? Well, I understand that most BTN readers have been using modems longer than I've been interested in computers, but our local area BBSs are still so FULL of wonderful things that I've just never gotten around to calling long distance services. I think there are a lot of users that take our local area BBSs for granted. I KNOW I've caught myself thinking of The Matrix as a kind of extended personal hard drive - instead of telling Rocky, for example, "Hey, thanks! I appreciate all your hard work, of which I have been an occasional beneficiary!" For example, I D/Led IntelliComm from Owlabama Mensa News and BBSEE from The Matrix. I am currently in the process of setting up IntelliComm for automated mail and file runs. Intellicomm will be tied to my private BBS to run as an event at weird o'clock in the morning while I'm asleep. A separate event (if I can rig it) will run BBSEE, an offline file manager that can pull NEWFILES.DAT from .QWK packets and append the listing to the existing catalog for a specified board (I think; I'm still reading the docs). When I wake up in the morning, my mail will be waiting for me, and my file catalogs will be updated (I hope). I will have a complete list of all the files I have on- and offline, as well as a constantly updated file listing for the boards I use most often. Theoretically, I could find the files I want while offline, set up IntelliComm to leech `em while I'm innocently asleep, and have Christmas every day. If I could find a program to keep tabs on my UL/DL ratios, catalog which files I've sent where and when, and warn me before a sysop decides I'm a Grade A Leech, I think I would be set for life. Well, I would be happy for awhile, anyway. To me, all this is ultra cool! And I owe it all to our local boards! Sure, CompuServe probably has all this stuff, and more. But I got this locally, and I don't have to worry about any expenses except registration fees; as opposed to LD charges (or subscription fees) AND registration fees. Another reason I haven't called LD is due to the plethora of netted BBSs in and around Birmingham. I can call Owlabama Mensa News and talk to somebody in Australia or the U.K. (Or, I could call The Matrix and probably talk to Martians...! If Rocky adds another net to that board, I think it will either collapse or implode.) I am very heavily involved in several ALAnet subs, and I barely have time to keep up with that. If I called CompuServe, I think I would probably become One with my PC. A third reason I haven't called LD is lack of money. But I think that's beside the point... One of these days I will have enough "discretionary income" to subscribe to all of the boards I would like to support...Owlabama Mensa News, The Matrix, Nirvana, Teaser's, The Drawing Room, DiskTop Publishing, NightBreed, and half a dozen more. So far, the only board to which I've subscribed is Baudville. I suppose that it's just as well that I'm broke; with a list like mine, I would just be a broke subscriber. ------ Damion Furi owns Freelance Support Services, an administrative and computer support service primarily serving other freelancers, which he runs from home. Services include OCR & color scanning, desktop & disktop publishing (including AutoDesk animation), managerial, and administrative services. For a current list of services, E-Mail your request c/o Nirvana, Owlabama, Teaser's, The Matrix, or Baudville. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Wonderful State or Yet More Stupidity from on High by Lurch Henson Well, well, well.....I missed a month..... No one noticed, did they? I got swamped with work, and illness, but what happened to the rest of you? Poor little Scott having to go to archives to fill out the issue.... Well, with any luck that won't happen again. (Yeah, right.) One morning at work, not long after "Young and Elder" came on the radio, I heard them making some comment about a judge ruling that the Conferate flag couldn't be flown on state buildings anymore.... Jeez, don't courts have ANYTHING better to do? I don't know, something like getting rid of the backlog of cases about silly little things like rape, murder, arson, armed robbery, etc., etc., etc.? No, of course not. How silly of me to think so. I should know better by now, shouldn't I? I myself think this is a bunch of "hooey" anyway....the reasons they give for getting rid of the thing are all fine and good.....over 100 years ago. I myself know of very few people that fly, or display, the Rebel (no longer Confederate, just plain REBEL) flag that believe that "black people" should be put in chains and sold on an auction block. I've flown the flag myself, back when I was married, and living in Lower Alabama. Stuck a flagpole up in the front yard and hoisted that thing high and proud. I did this in protest, as at the time I was REBELling against something that was important to myself and my wife. To me, and most of the people I know that display this flag, it signifies a Rebel cause, not an opinion that someone should be a second, or lower, class citizen because of the color of their skin. Honestly and truthfully, skin color makes such a small amount of difference to me that, unless someone goes out of their way to show it, I frequently do not remember if a person is "black" or "white". And no, that ISN'T because my memory is bad (though may well be, I can't remember), but because it DOESN'T MAKE ANY DAMNED DIFFERENCE. Now, if a guy comes up to me, talking "jive" and making a point of proving to me that he's upset because his great-great-great-grandfather used to be a slave, then sure, I'll notice that his skin is darker than mine (but, as anyone that's met me will tell you, so is almost EVERYONE else's). Otherwise, who cares? Certainly not me. If I find a woman attractive, I don't look closely to see if she has any African-American blood, and then snub her if she does, if I find her attractive I tell her so, "black" or "white". The day I was hired at the job that's taking up all my time, another guy was in there getting hired as well, and his ride had to leave before he was finished with the paperwork, so I gave him a ride home. When I dropped him off, he tried to pay me for the lift, and I refused him. He thanked me again, and said it was real nice to see someone willing to help out, especially with the "race thing". That pissed me off. I almost snapped at him, but stopped myself and told him "No problem". It wasn't his fault, entirely, that he saw me as "white" and him as "black", but every time someone points out the difference I can't help but start to boil.... There IS no damned difference. No, wait, I AM SLIGHTLY wrong.....but the difference is ENTIRELY cultural. Until such time as people are TAUGHT the truth, that there is really no difference between humans with different colored skin, we will continue to have "racial (stupid word, everyone's still human, right?) problems". I myself advocate research into a virus that will cause people's skin to change color, randomly selected by some minor, non-important, variable in the human body, with shadings so widely varied that no two people have the exact same coloring..... Now, I don't mean make "blacks" "white", or vice versa, I mean colors like blue, pink, purple, green, yellow, red....you get the idea. Make sure no one is the same color as anyone else, and MAYBE people will begin to act with a little common sense...... (But trust me, I'm NOT holding my breath.....) 9301.17 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Local Music In February by Judy Ranelli Mon. 1 KENT DUCHAINE at The Nick He used to play with Johnny Shines, a legendary blues guitarist and car uphoslterer, but since Mr. Shines passed away, Mr. Duchaine continues to play classic blues and slide on a very cool dobro. Thur. 4 TONY LOMBARDO QUARTET at Dugan's SPACE CAMP at Otey's Happy birthday to miscreants all over the world; go to Dugan's at some point and drink a coffee cocktail to The Infamous Tony Lombardo quartet. Or go to Otey's and get your eardrums redecorated with Space Camp. Don Tinsley has become my new Favorite Birmingham Guitarist. Fri. 5 TOPPER PRICE AND THE UPSETTERS/THE DIGGERS at The Nick The Diggers are a lovely band from Atlanta that I highly recommend for very vague reasons which I won't go into here. Huh? Oh, and Topper Price & The Upsetters are especially good when Topper has had a few. They do stuff like "Route 66" and grungy blues with great harmonica, courtesy of Topper. I understand they even did "Poke Salad Annie" on request, but I shudder to think of that. Sat. 6 Go bowling. Mon. 8 Writer's Night at Otey's The Flamingo's Writers Night moved to Otey's. Now here goes my professional career, but I don't like Writers Night, at least this one. Why? Two reasons: they don't allow people to talk during the performances - hardly a friendly barroom atmosphere setting - and they take a collection after the patrons have already payed cover, never a successful tactic to use on skinflint musicians like me. Oh, they also have strict rules about who gets to play and who doesn't; it's not a democratic procedure, either. That's three reasons, isn't it? Mon. 8 JONATHAN RICHMAN at Zydeco See, you'd rather be here anyway! Jonathan Richman is a very funny, very witty popsongster... I've seen him before, you know... heh... it will be a jovial evening, to be sure. Tue. 9 ARC ANGELS at Louie Louie I don't know what they sound like, but they have lots of famous players in one band: Charlie Sexton, and a couple of guys that played with Stevie Ray Vaughn. Probably worth seeing. Wed. 10 REMY ZERO at The Nick In 1989, I heard about Remy Zero as a band that, without live performances, had managed to snag a major label contract. "I'll believe it when I see it," I stated. Here they are, finally. I still hold out belief in the album release until I see it in the CD bin, but otherwise, I intend to check this band out. Come see what Birmingham's up to. Thurs. 11 ALEX OGBURN at Burly Earl Alex is an excellent drummer who is playing guitar in a little local circuit. I haven't heard him do this so I am curious as to what it will be like. He's talented, that's for sure. Sat. 13 THE VILLAGE PEOPLE at Louie Louie I own a concert book from their tour in the late '70s signed by the Indian. How amusing to find this embarrassing item suddenly regarded as cool again. I think this show will be lots of fun even if they do lip sync. Mon. 15 PUNKINHEAD/A MET Z at The Nick Don't know about Punkinhead, but A Met Z are still one of the neater bands in Birmingham; I own and enjoy their tape. Wed. 17 Live Mariachi Band at Sol' Azteca I saw one of these in a restaurant in San Antonio. Pretty neat. I like those bass guitars. Wed. 25 BARKING TRIBE at The Nick They sound quite good with the horns and keyboards. It's brilliant because it's the last thing anyone would have predicted they would do after they lost their guitarist and druumer. Thurs. 25 MARCIA BALL at Louie Louie A New Orleans pianist, she looms tall over the audience and her gigantic hands scoop up keys and sling 'em back while one foot works the pedals and the other, her legs being crossed, kicks an invisible target in the air. Her backup band sweats and her audience sweats and we all have fun. Thurs. 25 PINKY THE STABBER at The Nick Bassist Chris Hendrix and I have talked for many years about forming a group that would, once, play 2112 live. I think I'll add a slow, solemn "Band on the Run" to the list. And you already know I like Pinky very very very much. Fri. 26 DAN BAIRD at The Nick You know, that gap in his teeth didn't hinder his success in the video circuit. Amazing. I bet this will be a good show, the Satellites always were. [Ed.: Dan Baird used to be the guy in the Georgia Satellites. Hey, I didn't know.] One last note: Did you catch the Shawn Ryan article on Center Stage Productions in the News? Well, I was a Center Stage member for six years. The reasons for its demise are complex, but one thing Shawn missed was that the chairperson was privy to unbelievable perks, which are now given to the UAB personnel that took power out of the chairperson's pocket. Well and good; the students pay for it all anyway. But the situation was driven by the fact stated above and having interviewed only former chairpersons, Ryan missed getting that fact stated. Actually, I could probably write a sordid book about why Center Stage has faded from its glory, but no one is really interested. Let sleeping dogs lie, the cliche' says. zzzzzzz. ---- Local musician Judy Ranelli, in case you missed the hint in the article, celebrates a birthday on February 4. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- BBS Spotlight by Eric Hunt This month: SPERRY BBS 1) Name of the BBS: SPERRY 2) Name of the sysop: Jack Efird 3) BBS software used: PCBoard 14.5a 4) How long have you been sysoping? Started playing with bbs in 1982. Had a full time on-line bbs in 1984. 5) Are you a subscription only / completely free / hybrid of the two BBS? There is NEVER a charge for the use of this bbs. 6) How many incoming phone lines and approximate disk space? Do you support high speed modems? If so, what type(s)? At present, there is one incomming line, supporting up to 14400 (v32bis/v42bis). The modem is a Practical Peripherals PM1440FXSA. Disk space (always a problem) is 285 megs. 7) Is your BBS primarily a files BBS, primarily a message based BBS, or a combination of the two? Files seem to be the winner here. There just has never been a large message base. I didn't plan it that way, it just is. 8) If you've sysop'd more than just this BBS, briefly list previous endeavours and their lifespans. This is the only one! 9) What made you decide to take the masochistic plunge and become a sysop? Crazy I guess. No, honestly, I enjoy running the bbs, even though it gets pretty hectic at times. It is rewarding to be able to provide a service for free. 10) What is the general 'thrust' or area of specialty for your BBS: Doesn't seem to have one does it? I am presently in the process of thinking out how I might change the bbs (for the better, I hope). 11) (optional) What is your regular job/career to support this leeching hobby of sysoping? I am a lead engineer with Unisys Corp. I have over 25 years with the combination of my time with Sperry, and the new Unisys (formed by the merger of Sperry & Burroughs). 12) What are your plans for the coming year? Immediate plans are to add a CD rom drive, in the hopes that it will free up some of the badly needed hard drive space. Only time will tell if another node can be justified. 13) Where would you like your BBS to go over the next 5 years? Of course I would like to see it grow. My time, job, and available finances will determine what happens. 14) What do you feel the highlights of your BBS are? General interest files, and game doors. 15) What is your personal vision of the 'ideal user?' One who is aware of others who would enjoy the same interests as him/herself. One who is aware that they are a "guest" in my home, and conducts themselves accordingly. 16) What is the thing you've enjoyed most about providing your BBS? The interesting people I meet, the vast file libraries that have been generated, and the knowledge that I have gained from it. 17) What is the thing you've enjoyed least about providing your BBS? The DAILY upkeep that MUST be done, and the constant battle for hard disk space. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SIG's (Special Interest Groups), Computer Related ------------------------------------------------- BEPCUG CCS Birmingham East PC Users Group Commodore Club South Jefferson Sate Jr. College Springville Road Library Ruby Carson Hall, Rm 114 2nd & 4th Tuesday (C64/C128) 3rd Friday, 7-9 PM 3rd Monday (Amiga) Paula Ballard 251-6058 (after 5PM) 7:30-10 PM BCCC BIPUG Birmingham Commodore Computer Club Birmingham IBM-PC Users Group POB 59564 UAB Nutrition Science Blg Birmingham, Al 35259 RM 535/541 UAB School of Education, Rm 153 1st Sunday (delayed one week 2nd and 4th Sundays, 2 PM if meeting is a holiday) Rusty Hargett 854-5172 Marty Schulman 967-5883 BACE FAOUG Birmingham Atari Computer First Alabama Osborne Users Enthusiast Group Vestavia Library, downstairs Homewood Library 2nd Monday, 7 PM 1st Saturday, 1PM Benny Brown 822-5059 Ed Purquez 669-5200 CADUB BGS/CIG CAD Users of Birmingham Birmingham Genealogical Society/ Homewood Library Computer Interest Group 3rd Tuesday, 6:30PM-8:30PM Birmingham Public Library Bobby Benson 791-0426 3rd Floor Auditorium 2rd Sunday, 2:30 PM Robert Matthews 631-9783 or Bone Yard BBS RAHSPCUG Ramsay Alternative High School PC Users Group Ramsay High School 1800 13th Avenue South last Wednesday of each month (September-April) from 3:02-3:35 Lee Nocella 581-5120 SIG's, Non-Computer Related --------------------------- BBC Birmingham Astronomy Club Blue Box Companions Subject: Astronomy Subject: Dr. Who Red Mountain Museum Annex Hoover Library 4th Tuesday, 7:30PM 1st Saturday, 2PM-5PM If you belong to or know of a user group that is not listed, please let us know by sending E-Mail to Barry Bowden on The Matrix BBS. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Known BBS Numbers For The Birmingham Area Again, sysops, pay careful attention to the line where your networks are listed, and let me know if I need to add or omit any. NAME NUMBER BAUD RATES MODEM BBS SOFTWARE SUPPORTED TYPE 221-B Baker Street 856-7034 1200-2400 VBBS 5.52 [none] ADAnet One (Nodes 1-3) 854-9074 1200-2400 PCBoard 14.5 [ez, fi, ad] ADAnet One (Node 4) 854-5863 9600-14400 USR DS PCBoard 14.5 [ez, fi, ad] Alter-Ego BBS 925-5099 1200-9600 USR HST PCBoard 14.5 [ez, mn] Asgard 663-9171 300-9600 V.32 WWIV 4.21a [ez, al, te] Baudville (Node 1) 640-4593 300-2400 Major BBS 6.02 [none] Baudville (Node 2) 640-4639 300-2400 Major BBS 6.02 [none] Baudville (Node 3) 640-7243 300-2400 Major BBS 6.02 [none] Baudville (Node 4) 640-7286 300-2400 Major BBS 6.02 [none] Bert's BBS 424-2872 300-2400 WWIV 4.21 [none] Bone Yard, The 631-6023 300-9600 USR HST PCBoard 14.5 [fi, ez] Bus System 987-5419 300-2400 PCBoard 14.2 [none] Byte Me! 979-BYTE! 2400-14400 USR HST WWIV 4.12 [ez, th, al] Cannibal Cafe 942-9576 300-2400 VBBS 5.52 [none] Castle, The 841-7618 300-2400 Image 1.2 [none] Castle Rock 995-9900 1200-19200 VBBS 5.52 [vi, al] 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] Christian Apologetic 808-0763 300-14400 V.32bis Wildcat! 3.55 [wi, bc] Cow's Head 856-2465 1200-2400 Hermes 1.7 [none] Crunchy Frog (Node 1) 823-3957 300-14400 USR DS PCBoard 14.5 [ez, mn, lu] Crunchy Frog (Node 2) 823-3958 300-14400 USR DS PCBoard 14.5 [ez, mn, lu] DataLynx 328-7688 300-2400 WWIV 4.21 [ez] Deep Space 9 980-1089 300-14400 Wildcat! 3.51 [di, fi] Den, The 933-8744 300-9600 USR HST ProLogon/ProDoor [ez, mn, il] Disktop Publishing 854-1660 300-9600 V.32 Wildcat! 3.01 [pl] Drawing Room 951-2391 300-2400 Wildcat! 3.02 [di] EcoBBS 933-2238 300-2400 WWIV 4.21 [al] Family Smorgas-Board 744-0943 300-2400 PCBoard 14.5 [ez, fi, mj, bc, fa, ic, cf, cd, np, ag, ve] Flip Side 798-3961 300-2400 Renegade 8.27 [none] Forest Palace 942-4581 300-57600 V.42bis VBBS 5.52 [none] Gateway BBS 425-8772 300-2400 Image 1.2 [none] Genesis Online (Nodes 1-4) 620-4144 300-14400 V.32bis Major BBS 5.3 [mr] Graphics Zone (Node 1) 870-5306 300-2400 MNP4 TBBS 2.1(16) [none] Graphics Zone (Node 2) 870-5329 300-2400 MNP4 TBBS 2.1(16) [none] Guardian, The 425-1951 1200-9600 V.32bis VBBS 5.6 [vi] Hacker's Corner 674-5449 1200-2400 MNP4 PCBoard 14.5 [none] Hardeman's BBS 640-6436 1200-14400 Wildcat! 3.51 [wi, di, bc] Hardware Hotline 631-6629 300-14400 V.32/42 VBBS 5.52 [none] Headland, The 991-0947 300-14400 VBBS 5.6 [he, vi] Homewood's Hell Hole 870-9067 2400-14440 V.32bis VBBS 5.52 [he] Hoots With Owls 520-9540 1200-14400 V.32bis TriBBS 3.3 [cc, tr] Illuminatus BBS 871-0489 1200-9600 VBBS 5.52 [vi, al] 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 5.52 [he] Last Word 663-4721 300-2400 VBBS 5.6 [he] Lemon Grove 836-1184 300-12000 V.32/42bis SLBBS 2.25 [fi, sl] Lion & The Unicorn 424-1599 1200-57600 VBBS 5.52 [ga, al, vi] Magic City 664-9883 300-14400 V.32bis Wildcat! 3.55 [cc, dx, tr] Magnolia BBS 854-6407 300-14400 USR HST PCBoard 14.5 [ez, mn] MATRIX, The (Nodes 1-13) 323-2016 300-2400 PCBoard 14.5 [ez, mn, th, il, in, al, sh, sc, gl, ic, ri, fr] MATRIX, The (Nodes 20-23) 323-6016 9600-14400 USR DS PCBoard 14.5 [ez, mn, th, il, in, al, sh, sc, gl, ic, ri, fr] MATRIX, The (Node 25) 458-3449 9600-14400 V.32 PCBoard 14.5 [ez, mn, th, il, in, al, sh, sc, gl, ic, ri, fr] MetaBoard 254-3344 300-14400 USR DS Opus [fi] Milliways BBS 956-3177 2400-14440 V.32 VBBS 5.6 [he] Missing Link 853-1257 300-16800 USR DS C-Net Amiga 2.31 [none] Neon Moon 477-5894 300-2400 TriBBS 3.1 [none] Night Watch 841-2790 1200-14400 USR DS TriBBS 3.3 [cc, tr, di, fi] Nirvana 942-6702 300-14400 V.32bis VBBS 5.52 [al, vi] Outer Limits (Node 1) 425-5871 1200-14400 USR HST Wildcat! 3.55 [fi] Outer Limits (Node 2) 426-2939 1200-9600 V.32bis Wildcat! 3.55 [fi] Owlabama BBS 856-2521 1200-14400 GTPower 17.06 [gt, ez, mn, cc] Owl's Nest 680-0851 300-14400 USR DS PCBoard 14.5 [ez, mn] Party Line 856-1336 300-14000 V.32bis TriBBS 3.3 [cc, tr, di] Penny Arcade 699-4625 300-2400 Running Force! 3.75 [none] Playground 836-4200 300-14000 V.32 TriBBS 3.3 [tr, di, cc, ez, al] Posys BBS 854-5131 300-9600 V.32 PCBoard [none] Quiet Zone 833-2066 300-2400 ExpressNet [none] Razor's Edge 995-0412 1200-2400 VBBS 5.6 [he] 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] Safety BBS 581-2866 300-2400 RBBS-PC 17.4 [none] Sleepy Hollow 970-0518 300-2400 VBBS 5.52 [none] Sperry BBS 853-6144 300-2400 V.32/42bis PCBoard 14.5 [none] ST BBS 836-9311 300-2400 PCBoard 14.2 [ez] StarBase 12 647-7184 300-2400 TriBBS 3.3 [ez, mn] Southern Stallion 699-4797 300-2400 PCBoard 14.5 [ez, th, lu, an] Teasers 987-0122 300-2400 WWIV 4.21 [al] T.G.U.E. BBS 681-0002 1200-2400 RoBoBBS [none] Thy Master's Dungeon 940-2116 300-57600 V.32/42bis PCBoard 14.5 [none] Torch Song 328-1517 300-9600 V.32 Wildcat 3.55 [pr, se, st, do] Trauma Room 823-9127 300-9600 VBBS 5.6 [vi, al, ww, lo, rp] Weekends BBS 841-8583 2400-16800 USR DS Wildcat! 3.50 [none] 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] Word, The 833-2831 300-2400 WWIV 4.12 [al, ez] Ziggy Unix BBS 991-5696 300-1200 UNaXess [none] The many symbols you see prior to 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 ag = AgapeNet, a national Christian network, multi-topic al = AlaNet, a local network, multi-topic an = Annex Network, uncertain at press time bc = BCBNet, a local network, religion-oriented bh = BhamTalk, a local network, multi-topic cc = City2City, a national network, multi-topic cd = CDN, a national Christian network for file distribution cf = CFN, a national Christian network, multi-topic di = Dixie Net, a regional network, multi-topic geared toward the south eastern United States do = DoorNet, uncertain at press time ez = EzNet, a local IBM compatible network fa = FamilyNet, an international network, multi-topic fi = FidoNet, an international network, multi-topic 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 il = ILink, an international network, multi-topic ic = Intelec, a national network, multi-topic in = InterNet, an international network, linking businesses, universities, and bbs', multi-topic lo = LocalNet, uncertain at press time lu = LuciferNet, an international network, adult oriented ma = MAXnet, a local network, connecting WWIV and VBBS systems 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 np = NPN, a national network for new parents or = OraNet, a national E-mail network pl = PlanoNet, a national network, multi-topic pr = PrideNet, a local homosexually oriented network ri = RIME, an international network, multi-topic rp = RPGnet, a local network for role-playing games sc = Science Factor Net, a national network, science and technology oriented se = SEC, a regional network, homosexually oriented geared toward the southeastern United States sh = Shades N Shadows Net, a national network for role-playing games sl = SearchlightNet, a national network, multi-topic st = StudsNet, a national network, homosexually oriented te = TECHnet, a local network, hardware and utility oriented th = ThrobNet, an international network, adult oriented tr = TriBBS Net, a national network, multi-topic un = Uni'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 ww = WWIV-Net, an international network, multi-topic If you have any corrections, additions, deletions, etc., please let me know via a message on the main board of The Matrix or Crunchy Frog. The following BBSs appeared to be down or malfunctioning the last time I tried to verify their existence. If you have any information on their status, please drop me a line. ADAnet One Forest Palace Sleepy Hollow -----------------------------------------------------------------------