BTN: Birmingham Telecommunications News COPYRIGHT 1988 January 1989 Volume 2, Issue 2 Table Of Contents ----------------- Article Title Author Policy Statement and Disclaimer................Mark Maisel Editorial Column...............................Randy Hilliard Our Local Bulletin Board Systems...............Mark Maisel Profile........................................Chris Mohney From The Kitchen...............................Chez Stephan Message Board..................................Barry Bowden Known BBS Numbers..............................Mark Maisel ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 Editor, BTN 221 Chestnut St. BHM, AL 35210-3219 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Guest Editorial By Randy Hilliard When Mark offered (requested) that I write the editorial for this issue I agreed before finding out that I really had to do something like write an editorial (I should have known better; I've dealt with this scoundrel before.) I always thought that editors were these highly paid, under worked leaches with a severe god complex who sat around having flunkies (and writers) do everything for them while they took the credit. After I learned of my duties Mark told me "Be very careful on your delivery." O.K. How about this: Hyuk! Hyuk! Hyuk! Well hullo kids.... Nah, I can do better than that: Hello boys and girls. Welcome to Mr. Rogers neighborhood! Can you say "Neato?" I didn't think so. I wouldn't have said it either. Hmmm... Maybe I can't do better. This issue of BTN has followed the standards that the staff of the BTN have tried so hard to maintain in our previous issues. In short it is well written (nah, we ain't prejudiced in our favor), interesting (we hope), varied (you find a relationship between burgers & BBS's), late (as always), and best of all; CHEAP! In this issue Mark has started his sojourn into our local Bulletin Boards by visiting The Bus BBS, Chris Mohney has provided an interesting profile on a local legend (Rocky Rawlins), Chez Stephan has brought his 'Kitchen' article back with advice on burgers, Barry Bowden has given us the February calender of local events, and Mark appears again with his local BBS numbers list. I had a very informative 30 meg article I was going to add to it but I figured that I'd let this editorial take its place instead (could you imagine 30 megs of this drivel?). Evidently Mark caught some flack from one of the articles in the last issue of BTN. As you read this issue (or any of the others) please remember that as fledgling writers we are prone to use very tongue-in-cheek humor; It is not our intent to maliciously offend anyone. Please take and read these articles in the spirit in which they were written. Even the articles written by Michele Cahoon and Bubba Flavel were in jest albeit we found later that some had taken them seriously. With this in mind enjoy this issue! If you have questions or comments about this or any other issue then leave a message to the author of the article or to Mark Maisel by way of EZNET. Randy Hilliard ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ********************************************************************** * From the desk of Mark Maisel * * * * PLEASE READ * * * * BEFORE WE EVEN GET STARTED THIS MONTH, I WOULD LIKE FOR EVERYONE * * TO STOP AND READ THIS AS THERE HAS BEEN SOME CONFUSION AMONG OUR * * READERS! * * * * Last month, we published "Styles Of Sysoping, etc" and apparently * * some people got the wrong idea. This article was intended * * strictly as humor and there was no intent to harm anyone's * * character or feelings. If there is some doubt about this, please * * feel free to read the editorial included in BTN9. From time to * * time, we will make fun of each other and for that reason, we must * * all keep an open mind and eye. Thank you for your time and now * * back to BTN10! * * Maisel * ********************************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Local Bulletin Board Systems Number One In A Series by Mark Maisel Name: The Bus System Sysop: Tim Straughn Software: PC Board 12.1/D (going to 14.0/D as soon as EZNET is ready) Been Around: 14 months Baud Rates: 300-2400 Bulletins: Programmer Humor, General System Information Conferences: 2 freelance discussion conferences - Immortals & Reviews EZNET - local PC Board network mail Writers' Conference for BTN - the newsletter you are now reading Computers Supported: IBM & Assorted Clones Files Available: variety of shareware and public domain offerings transfers are disabled from 6 pm until midnight Doors Available: Card Guppies, Bay Street Bulls, PKX Door, ProDoor Special Information: Host and co-author of EZNET Q. Why did you start your BBS? A. Curiosity. Q. What has been your greatest reward from running your BBS? A. The learning experience dealing with PCs, telecommunications, and communications in general. Q. What are your greatest regrets and annoyance associated with running a BBS? A. Maintaining file libraries is the biggest annoyance in running a BBS. Another bad one is users who call me with questions on my voice line. Q. What are your future plans for the BBS? A. I plan to get EZNET upgraded to handle all versions of PC Board message bases and get PC Board 14.0/D running right after that. Q. What is the funniest thing that has happened on your BBS? A. I had a new user call in while I was watching. They followed my procedure for online validation and I decided to upgrade them while they were online. They got either scared or confused when the BBS, appeared to them, to be running automatically without their input and they hung up. Q. What is your favorite hobby/pastime outside of your BBS and computers in general? A. CB radio and playing with my VW rate pretty highly. Q. What do you think your system offers that might cause someone to prefer your board over others? A. It used to be easy access. I can't really think of any particulars but board traffic has increased steadily anyway. Q. Why? A. At one time, the registered users numbered less than 250. Therefore, it was easy to log onto my system at almost any time. Within the last three months, the number of users has doubled. With only one system at home and me tying it up working on EZNET has also made it more difficult to get on. My method of running the board, shutting down transfers during peak hours, has caused some ruffled feathers but for the most part, it gives users who use the message bases a chance to reach an outlet and an EZNET node. It also increases overall activity on the system by doing this. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- PRO FILE by Chris Mohney The Pro File is a short, half-serious biographical sketch given to various computer telecommunications personalities around Birmingham. Victims are selected randomly from a group of names put into the Notorious Hat. Anyone who thinks himself brave or witty enough may petition for admittance to the Hat by leaving E-Mail to me (Chris Mohney, most boards around town) to that effect. Anyone who wishes to suggest more questions or sneakily nominate someone without their knowledge may take the same route .... --------- Pro File on Rocky Rawlins --------- Age: 37 most of the time, but it depends on the day of the week and can range from 10 to 90 Birthplace: Ft. Sill, Oklahoma during a sandstorm in the little stone house between the two buildings of the Army Artillery Museum Occupation: Technical Analyst (Mainframe Babysitter) and Micro Consultant My hobbies include: Reading, backpacking, canoeing, models, computers, ships in bottles (building), restoring my house, writing, woodworking, sex, religious history, wargaming, Chaos Theory, and discovering and mastering new hobbies Years telecomputing: 15 years Sysop, past/present/future of: Protective BBS (3 yrs), B'ham BBS(2 yrs), America OnLine (2 yrs) My oddest habit is: Playing opera arias on the guitar naked on the couch at midnight while being caressed by a dozen naked slave girls imported from Nome, Alaska. (It really drives my fiance crazy.) My greatest ambition is: Build computer centers in every neighborhood in the city where anyone under 18 would have access to unlimited computer support. The single accomplishment of which am most proud is: Michael (13 yrs old) Nicholas (10 yrs old) My favorite performers are: Placido Domingo, Leontyne Price, Luciano Pavaroti (Opera Singers) The last good movie I saw was: Aria The last good book I read was: Chaos - The Making of a New Science If they were making a movie of my life, I'd like to see my part played by: Woody Allen My pet peeves are: Bigots and Fanatics of any kind When nobody's looking, I like to: Watch everyone else ----------------------------------------------------------------------- From The Kitchen by Chez Stephan Hey Guys and Gals: Miss me? I know you did. Anyway, this warm weather we have been having has caused me to pull the old grill out and do a little outdoor culinary experimenting. As I was doing this I thought to myself, " Gee, I bet the boys and girls would sure enjoy this." So here are some burger recipes for you. Oh yeah, if you don't want to pull the grill out these will work on the stove. Burger number one sign in please: Beer Burgers: 1 1/2 lbs. Ground Chuck 1 tsp. Salt 2 tbs. Minced Onion 3 tbs. Steak Sauce (I prefer Lea & Pearins) 1/3 cup catsup 1 tbs. Prepared Mustard 1/2 tsp. Accent 1 tbs. Sugar 1 can of your favorite beer (1/2 can is for the recipe the other half is for you) Combine first 3 ingredients and shape into patties. Heat remaining ingredients in a saucepan until mixture thickens. Grill patties 4 to 6 minutes over a hot fire. Serve on grilled English muffins and top with beer sauce. Burger number two sign in please: Onion Burgers: 2 lbs. Ground Chuck 1 envelope dry onion soup mix 2 tbs. Water 3 tbs. Worchestershire Sauce 1 egg 8 slices of smoked Cheddar cheese (optional) Combine all ingredients except cheese. Shape into 1/2 inch thick patties. Grill over medium-hot fire. Top with cheese slices about 4 minutes before done. Serve on onion rolls. Burger number three sign in please: Sweet and Tangy Burgers: 2 lbs. Ground Chuck 1/4 cup catsup 3 tbs. Molasses 2 tbs. Worchestershire Sauce 1/2 onion, coarsely chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1/4 tsp. Ground Ginger 1 tsp. Salt 1/2 tsp. Black Pepper 1/4 tsp. Cayenne Pepper 1/4 tsp. Ground Nutmeg Combine all ingredients except ground chuck in a blender. Blend well. Add to ground chuck mixing well. Shape into 8 patties about 1/2 inch thick. Grill patties over medium fire for 4 to 7 minutes on each side. I think if you will try these that you will enjoy so have at it and don't eat to much. You can serve fries or chips or potato salad with any of these along with some baked beans and PLENTY of cold beer. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- MESSAGE BOARD by Barry Bowden F E B R U A R Y 1 9 8 9 S M T W T F S +----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+---------+ ! ! ! !1 !2 !3 !4 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !Ground Hog! ! ! ! ! ! ! !Day ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! +----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+---------+ !5 !6 !7 !8 !9 !10 !11 ! !BAC ! ! !Ash ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !Wednesday ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! +----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+---------+ !12 !13 !14 !15 !16 !17 !18 ! !Lincoln's ! !Valentines! ! !BEPCUG ! ! !B-Day ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !CCS ! ! !BACE ! ! !BCCC ! ! (C64/128)! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! +----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+---------+ !19 !20 !21 !22 !23 !24 !25 ! ! !Presidents! !Wash.'s ! ! ! ! ! !Day ! !B-Day ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !CCS ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! (Amiga) ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! +----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+---------+ !26 !27 !28 ! ! ! ! ! !BCCC ! !CCS ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! (C64/128)! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! +----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+---------+ BEPCUG CCS Birmingham East PC Users Group Commodore Club South Jefferson State Jr. College Springville Road Library RUBY Carson Bldg. 1st Floor-Computer Lab Huffman, Alabama 3rd Friday of Every Month 2nd and 4th Tuesday (C64/C128) 5:30PM to 9:00PM 3rd Monday (Amiga) Paula Ballard 853-1200,ext 1463 (Days) 7:30 PM to 10:00 PM Maurice Lovelady 684-6843 BCCC BAC Birmingham Commodore Computer Club Birmingham Apple Corp P. O. Box 59564 POB 5542 Birmingham, Alabama 35259 Birmingham, Alabama 32555 UAB School of Ed. Bldg. Room 153 Regular meetings - 1st Sunday 2nd and 4th Sundays UAB Building #2, Rm 115 at 2PM Starts at 2:00 PM Informal get-every Saturday Emmett Ferretti 823-3987 morning at 8:30AM at the Rusty Hargett 854-5172 Kopper Kettle in the Brookwood annex next to AC3 BACE Birmingham Atari Computer Enthusiasts 3rd Friday 7:00 PM Vestavia Hills Library If you belong to or know of a user group that is not listed, please let us know by sending E-Mail to me, Barry Bowden, on EzNet. Please leave the following information : User Group Name Meeting Place Meeting Time(Day/date,Time) Contact Person Any Other Important Information ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Known BBS Numbers For The Birmingham Area NAME NUMBER BAUD RATES SUPPORTED 68FREE 933-7518 300, 1200 America Online Nodes 1-3 324-0193 300, 1200, 2400 America Online Node 4 251-2344 300, 1200, 2400 American BBS 674-1851 300, 1200, 2400 Bus System BBS 595-1627 300, 1200, 2400 Channel 8250 785-7417 300, 1200, 2400 Club Phoenix 942-0252 300, 1200, 2400 Crunchy Frog 956-1755 300, 1200, 2400 D3 Systems BBS 663-2759 300, 1200, 2400 Duck Pond BBS 822-0956 300, 1200, 2400 Fortress BBS 664-9040 300, 1200 Joker's Castle 744-6120 300, 1200, 2400 LZ Birmingham 870-7770 300, 1200, 2400 Magnolia BBS 854-6407 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 Pinson Valley Node 1 854-9661 300, 1200, 2400 Pinson Valley Node 2 854-9662 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 Primary One 853-1175 300, 1200 ProSoft Systems BBS 853-8718 300, 1200, 2400 Role Player's Paradise 631-7654 300, 1200, 2400 Smitty's BBS 849-7349 300, 1200 ST BBS 836-9311 300, 1200, 2400 Sperry BBS 853-6144 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 The Connection Node 1 854-9074 1200, 2400 The Connection Node 2 854-2308 1200, 2400 The Outer Limits 969-3262 300, 1200, 2400 The Professional's Board 856-0679 300, 1200, 2400 The Realm Of Tarot BBS 870-7776 300, 1200 Twilight Zone 856-3783 300, 1200 Willie's DYM Node 1 979-1629 300, 1200, 2400 Willie's DYM Node 2 979-7739 300, 1200, 2400 Willie's RBBS 979-7743 300, 1200, 2400 Ziggy Unaxess 991-5696 300, 1200