################################################################ # # # BTN: Birmingham Telecommunications News # # # ################################################################ ---------------------------------------------------------------- COPYRIGHT 1993 ISSN 1055-4548 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Volume 7, Issue 5 Issue #69 June 1994 ---------------------------------------------------------------- TABLE OF CONTENTS ----------------- article title author ---------------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer/Statement of Policy.............................Staff From The Editor.................................Scott Hollifield Notes From the Trenches............................Dean Costello Youth Speaks Out!........................A BTN Instant Talk Show Local Music In June.................................Judy Ranelli Special Interest Groups (SIGs).........................Eric Hunt Known BBS Numbers...................................Luke Whitley ---------------------------------------------------------------- -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ################################################################ 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 Birmingham, 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. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ################################################################ FREEBIE!!! GET IT WHILE IT'S HOT! Systems That Offer Free BTN ################################################################ 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 The Castle Channel 8250 C.A.B. The Comfy Chair! Crunchy Frog DC Info Exchange Final Frontier The Guardian Hardware Hotline Homewood's Hell Hole Joker's Castle Leaping's Lounge Lemon Grove Lion's Den Martyrdom Again?! The MATRIX Milliways BBS The Outer Limits Owl's Nest Playground Safe Harbor Southern Stallion Starbase 12 Thy Master's Dungeon Weekends BBS (This list includes some systems which are not local to Birmingham and therefore not included on our BBS Numbers list.) 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. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ################################################################ NEWSFLASH! NEWSFLASH! NEWSFLASH! ################################################################ BTN CONTRIBUTOR IS PLAYING AT ** CityStages '94 ** !! Catch Judy Ranelli's band, The Ticks Sunday the 19th at 12:15pm on the Honda Stage (I think) See this month's LOCAL MUSIC column for more details. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ################################################################ FROM THE EDITOR Scott Hollifield ################################################################ Welcome to this month's ultra-slim issue, in the spirit of summer fitness. Of course, since you shouldn't be paying for this (and if you are, I want to know who's making the money), you can't complain. Less is more, these days, or so I hear. If you do, however, happen to have an interest in maintaining a fat and happy BTN from month to month, we're still looking for new writers! Drop me a note on Crunchy Frog, the Matrix or Alter Ego, and read the submission guidelines included in this issue. That's it! I'm keeping my own column short this month, to be consistent... hope you enjoy our downsizing, because next month, don't expect it to last. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ################################################################ NOTES FROM THE TRENCHES Dean Costello ################################################################ This Makes a Difference? Whom Am I Trying To Kid? Gosh, its been awhile since I last wrote freestyle. Writing the way I do for this column is pretty easy for me. Unfortunately, most of the writing that I have to do on a daily basis is not as freestyle as this. Anyway, this is a fun way of expressing oneself. There are a lot of things that need to be addressed, given things that have been happening: Is it appropriate to mock the person who is suing Bill Clinton for sexual harrassment that occurred three years ago for using the 700 Club, et al, for legal fees? Is medical reform dead since Rostenkowski is about to hit the mats? Will any changes occur in Northern Ireland since Sinn Fein has been included in negotiations between Ireland and England? What are the chances of a solar system- wide catastrophe occurring when that comet hits Jupiter in July? Should I be concerned with the test that shows glucose and albumin in my urine? Will I ever be able to work on a different project? All kinds of questions, just begging to be thought about. It is currently Tuesday, May 31, 1994. I am trying to convince myself that what I am doing right now is not a waste of time. I am currently (well, in another window of my word processor) writing summaries for the BRAC project. Oh? Never heard of BRAC? If you are in the military, you have definitely heard of BRAC. BRAC is the acronym for Base Re-Alignment and Closure. It is a committee that was set up by Congress in, ummm, I believe 1989 in response to the lessening of outside threats to the United States. It all started when the Soviet Union ceased to exist. You see, since approximately 1963, the United States has been based on a wartime footing (check the economics during WWII and the Reagan Years. They're damned close), and unfortunately the Bad Guys apparently melted away. So, we then have a whole lot of people, a whole lot of B-52s, and a whole lot of bases that don't have anything to do anymore. Now, I can be sure to hear the counterstatements of those that look at DoD as being the entitlement program of the Right. Something along the lines of, "We had to gear up the way we did. It forced the Soviets into countering our every move, which drove them into dissolution", or words to that effect I would imagine. Hell, even Reagan realized that there were too many military bases floating about the countryside. A bipartisan committee was created by Congress, the BRAC committee, to determine which bases are to be shut down. The idea is that if no one person is accountable in Congress, than something can be accomplished. Look at it from your point of view. You (the average reader in Alabama) probably don't mind if Fort Dix (New Jersey) or The Presidio (California) are shut down. But I imagine that you have very strong feelings about say, the Anniston Army Depot or Fort Rucker being closed. Congress is not stupid. Your representatives, Shelby and Hefflin, would stand up in front of Congress and make the most impassioned speech available to describe to their colleagues about how necessary it is to a Free America to keep Anniston open, even though the effort at Anniston is replicated in many different bases all over the country. With the BRAC committee, he has a nice out, and you (the teeming masses) won't be upset with him. Let's face it, your average military base contributes a lot to a community in terms of economic resources; and your average community that has depended on your average military base for the last forty years or so is not going to be doing very well after the base packs up shop. And thus the necessity for a BRAC committee. Anyway, a lot of bases are being shut down (well, not really "a lot" as I think of it. I believe that in this second round of BRAC actions, a total of 24 bases are being closed). The next question that comes up is what to do with the property after the government abandons it. Sometimes it is easy. For instance in San Francisco, many people are chomping at the bit to get a part of the Presidio. Nice location, close to a lot of attractions. Should make a lovely housing development. Some are a little tougher in that they are in a fairly remote area or in an area that cannot support development, but most are in a position to be useful for civilian applications of one sort or another. And this is where I (and the Superfund process) come in. There is a small part of the CERCLA/SARA (Comprehensive Environmental Responsibility, Compensation, and Liability Act/Superfund Act Reauthorization Amendment) legislation that states that if you own a property you are responsible for any contamination that has occurred at the property at any point in the past. Spooky sounding, isn't it? It should be. The idea of it (in my opinion) is to keep large companies from buying a piece of land somewhere, dumping toxic materials on it, and transfering the land to a holding company and saying, "Hey, the contamination was here when we got the land. We aren't responsible for it." On the other hand, some people will get burned since they didn't know the land that they had bought had 10,000 buried drums. To solve this, EPA added what is called "De Minimus" to SARA. What that means is that if you, the landowner, can prove that you did not contribute to the contamination at the property, than you will not be held responsible for the entire cost of cleanup. This also goes along with a legal phrase called "Joint and Several Liability". I'm not precisely sure what it entails, but I believe it is something along the lines that if you (a company) can be linked to contamination at the site, then you may be responsible for either the entire cost of cleanup, or just a portion of the cost. (Also, for the legal freaks out there, if you (a bank) loan a considerable amount of money to a company, to the point that you are on the company's board of directors, and the company gets busted under CERCLA/SARA, then your bank can be held responsible under joint and several liability since you had a say in the management practices of the company. Think about it for a minute...) Okay, how do you get around this? Tricky. More times than not there is absolutely no problem with hazardous materials being on private property (except in New Jersey [rim shot]), and chances are very low that the Superfund monster will have to eat you. Take a chance. Live life to its fullest. Or you can partake of a burgeoning industry: The Site Assessment (SA). The purpose of an SA is to examine the property that is about to be purchased and make a decision based on the examination as to whether it contains or contained hazardous materials. This usually entails performing a deed search (which should have been done before you bought the land anyway), conducting a site reconnaissance which means that someone who knows what they are doing takes a walk around the site and examines it for icky things, such as drums, underground storage tanks, lead-based paint, stressed vegetation, etc. Ideally, the firm that performs the SA has what is called E&O insurance (errors and omissions), which means when they screw up, someone can cover the cost of the screwup. And the SA is what I am doing for the company. You see, a naval base in Florida has been scheduled for closing in about another year or so. Our job was to go to every building on the facility (approximately 600 or so) and perform a site reconnaisance. My job at this moment is to write a one-page summary of the reconnaissance checklist. It isn't much fun. There is only so much I can write on a warehouse or a BEQ, or whatever. It is ugly-tedious and I am very frustrated. I guess that I can see the need for what I am doing, but that doesn't get me though the problems of Doing It Now. When I first started into the environmental business I was very idealistic. Something along the lines of, "Hey, everyone, lets go save the wilderness!" It was a good feeling to get something done. I compare it to when a carpenter takes his/her child to a house and says, "Look, I built this with my hands". As a result of the projects I have worked on in the past three years, I can go to a number of places and say, "Look. I cleaned this site so that it couldn't hurt anyone anymore". But I can't get that kind of spirit going on this BRAC project. Unfortunately, I have to go to the college I graduated from in Pennsylvania on Monday and give a seminar on the wonders of the environmental field. It is a bad time to try and convince people that this is the Best and Greatest Thing To Do With Your Life, You Betcha. The BRAC project is almost done, and I can be free of it soon. It has been long, and it has tried my soul. It has taught me that I need not do environmental consulting for the rest of my life. However, I don't know if I trust others to do the job correctly. I am very good at what I do, but I have found that many people in this industry are either mercenary (anything for a buck) or don't have the background to perform well. The above doesn't sound quite right, but it does serve to represent what I mean fairly well. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ################################################################ YOUTH SPEAKS OUT! A BTN "Instant Talk Show" ################################################################ Item! The Matrix dumps longtime-favorite traditional software PCBoard for the far more expensive and controversial MajorBBS! Is this a good move for the Matrix? And what do the users of a young turk BBS called "Milliways" think about it? Welcome to the first installment of a new feature in BTN, wherein we take the pulse of the local BBS scene (or a part of it anyway) and splash it up on your screen for all to see. The basic idea here is a combination of the ever-popular TV roundtable talk show, a la the McLaughlin Group or Meet the Press, but done up in true '90s infobahn fashion. Each month, "Instant Talk Show" will pop up, unnanounced, on a local BBS that features multi-user live chatting. A topic will be announced, and we're on our way! (I also considered calling this column "Easy Article- Writing From The Lazy Editor".) This month, I showed my face and cyber-microphone in Milliways, one of the boards in town that runs MajorBBS, which callers of the Matrix will recognize as that board's newly adopted facelift. In fact, that's exactly what we talked about. By the very nature of the Instant Talk Show, panel members go in and out all the time, so the panel for our discussion will change names once in a while. For the purposes of preserving the "style" of the conversation (and saving me a lot of work), only a minimal amount of editing was done, as far as punctuation, syntax, etc. goes. Two names you should be familiar with, however, are: BTN: That's me, your humble editor (and moderator). and Zaphod: The sysop of Milliways himself. This month's Instant Talk Show was so long, I had to divide it up into two parts. Part two will be featured next month. And away we go! BTN: What do you guys think about the "new" Matrix? Die Hard: I don't like The Matrix set-up. I have met Rocky, and don't like him...can't afford a dollar an hour....chat section sucks... Buster: The Matrix does echo a lot of national conferences I believe..... Zaphod: No fun in the teleconference.. confused people everywhere... The Master: someone has GOTTA tell rocky that he can't run that many high speed lines off of his hardware... Buster: Seriously MY problem is Matrix seems to be pricing themselves out of the market..... Zaphod: Outgoing Internet newsgroup postings are lame.. only a portion of the inbound trafic makes it.. Buster: They are $1.00 an hour. Full InterNet access thru Delphi would be $1.80 BTN: But Zaphod, don't you think you should allow him time to get things settled? It is a new experience for everyone, you know. Zaphod: Yes, but the Matrix is still COLD man.. unfriendly... BTN: Why do you suppose that is? The Master: they dont know your name. Milliways is like cheers...where everybody knows your name.. Zaphod: Jan is interesting, but Rocky is never around, Tom is never around.. no one to help you, *I* had to help Jan the other day... Frog: Jan is all right. She Been real nice. Zaphod: Everyone wanders around the Matrix dazed it seems... The Master: its just plain silly...most of the users there know more about running a MBBS [Major BBS] than the people running The Matrix. Frog: There is just so much stuff. There are some things I would like to down load. But who can find anything? BTN: Your complaint seems to stem primarily from the fact that the Matrix simply has many many more uses than Milliways. About no one knowing your name, I mean. The Master: Partly...but people there are mainly..well...unfriendly... BTN: Have you had personal experiences like that? The Master: on The Matrix? Well, yeah....half of the people in the teleconference don't even say "hi" when you go in.. Zaphod: I think it is that there is no personal attention, and if you are gonna ASK for a buck an hour, there damn well better be friendly people there to help you., Buster: Have you checked the AGE of some of their files? OLD! Zaphod: Try this for fun, go to the CD-ROM library, and do a key word search based on ZIP.. ahahahah.. system crawls for DAYS BTN: Of course, some people need files that have been around for a while. Buster: true but they ARE hard to find...... The Master: i call only if i need a file...and that only if i cant get it anywhere else... Sniper: well, they have run a bbs for a long time, maybe they are a bit jaded... running a bbs can do that to you BTN: So you would advise Rocky to take on additional help staff? Zaphod: no, I think Rocky and Tom, and Jan, and whoever else is on staff should be more aware of their users, and be more open, and communicative, and FRIENDLY The Master: they should be available, and Rocky needs to mingle with his users... Buster: What does Matrix say they offer over and above the other boards in town? Zaphod: Files, INternet... The Master: i have NEVER seen Rocky online there...even when it was PCBoard. Frog: I have never seen Rocky on line on matrix. Bad Girl: I got started on Matrix...before I knew about Milliways...have an account getting shorted time...just waiting on it to run out. Zaphod: Earlier, Bad Girl said it best... WE ARE MORE FUN. We are the Cheers of Cyberspace. BTN: Of course, as cyberspace gets bigger and more crowded, it'll be harder to find places like "Cheers". Do you think it was a mistake for the Matrix to ditch PCBoard? Sniper: that cannot be a mistake, Scott The Master: actually, i think it was Zaphod: I think so, if Rocky and Co. are not going to utilize the potentials of the MBBS interface... BTN: And how would you suggest they do that? Zaphod: Like I said, be on line, and available more, respond to E-Mail in a not so curt fashion.. tell Jan to lose the "We are huge and getting bigger attitude" The Master: PCBoard handeled everything but the teleconference better than MBBS Sniper: they must have wanted it just for the chat Frog: Mbbs proves that chat is where its at. Buster: Was TBBS considered? Zaphod: But MBBS, REQUIRES a fast machine... Does Milliways jerk and hop? BTN: I'm sure a lot of options were considered... I wasn't in on the sessions. The Master: i recomended he go with Snet...he coulda run all that stuff on 2 or 3 machines...and had everything but a better teleconference to boot.. BTN: That's another thing... you really thing that MBBS is worth the exorbitant price a sysop pays for it? Zaphod: YES! BTN: Do you guys foresee or detect the potential for a rivalry between Milliways and the Matrix since the switch? The Master: HELL YEAH! Zaphod: Yes. The Master: ...we will bury them. BTN: How come? Zaphod: We get HORDES of new users every day.. and most of them FROM the Matrix.. The Master: Milliways is wehre the chat is at Zaphod: Like Bad Girl for instance... BTN: Really? You get a lot of disillusioned Matrix users? The Master: we have had close to 20 in the last week or two.. Zaphod: They LIKE the interface, but they like the way we implement it better... Gradstud: and chat is the main fucnction of MBBS . and Rocky has changed nothing... and ours is not as taxed as Rocky The Master: actually, for chat, the only 2 BBSs that really compete at all are Genesis and milliways, and we have a better user/sub ratio Zaphod: We get lot's of Matrix refugees, that are dazzled by MBBS, but bored by the Matrix version of it.. BTN: Why do you suppose that is? Zaphod: we get 350 + calls per day, averaging at LEAST 10 minutes per call.. for CHAT not files, not internet, but CHAT The Master: we have had...er...over 70,000 calls in under a year BTN: Do you think it's possible for a BBS to work towards making a profit? Gradstud: we hope so... several already do BTN: I've heard from Rocky and every other established sysop in town that it won't happen... that you're always putting your own money into it. Zaphod: *WE* make a profit, as small as we are.. BUT, the money is ineffectively managed due to circumstances temporarily beyond my control... Zaphod: If we, with 12 lines, and 350 users, can make a profit, why the hell can Rocky not? Bad Girl: because Rocky doesn't know how to run a bbs. Zaphod: In a way he does not.. He is resting on his laurels... Buster: Wouldn't satelite feeds and uunet newsgroups cost MAJOR bucks? Die Hard: Because Rocky doesn't/won't know how to run a BBS if it walks up and bites him on the ASS... BTN: He's been doing so successfully for a decade or so, wouldn't you say? Zaphod: The new face of BBSing demands friendly, competent people around... BTN: How would you characterize the "new face" as opposed to an old one? Zaphod: Easy, Multi line systems are easily accesible now with changes in telco tarriffs, no more single line, chat when the sysop wants to. People EXPECT others online, and LIKE it when it happens... socializing, and talking.. not cold anymore.. The Master: thats why the multinode systems get so many bloody calls...and the little one line deals are losing callers.. BTN: Cinnamon, do you or have you ever called the Matrix? We're sort of discussing it. Cinnamon: i have called there...it is not what i look for in a bbs... Zaphod: people want to talk, to communicate, to know, to reach others... not be lost and stuck in an alien cyberspace. ... with no one to turn to.. NEXT MONTH: Part 2. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ################################################################ LOCAL MUSIC IN JUNE Judy Ranelli ################################################################ Here it is several days into June, and I have misplaced my glasses. This is gonna be tough, and doubtless short. Oh well... Fri. 6/10 CYNICS/9 LB. HAMMER at The Nick If I'm not mistaken, the Cynics have put out beaucoup albums, which is kind of disheartening if you're in this buisness: I've never heard of them. 9 Lb. Hammer is a punkish loud fast fun thing from another state. I never claimed to be well-informed, or if I did, I lied. Sat. 6/11 FUZZY SUNS/TECHNO-SQUID EATS PARLIAMENT at The Nick GLEN TOLBERT with LANE POOLE at Otey's Lotsastuff: Either feel sort of sonically disembowled at the Nick thanks to weirdos Fuzzy Suns and poorly named mystery band Techno-Squid Eats Parliament, or tell Deliverance jokes and enjoy great guitarist Glen Tolbert with Lane Poole at Otey's (bluegrass, you dolt!). Tues. 6/14 KILLDOZER/STEEL POLE BATHTUB at The Nick I hate you if you get to see this show because I have to work and can't spare the vacation day. Needless to say Killdozer has produced the finest version of "Sweet Home Alabama" in existence, while Steel Pole Bathtub will be outstanding and is one of the few bands I would allow to make my fillings ache with such volume and high frequency. Fri.-Sun. 6/17-6/19 **** CITY STAGES!!! **** at Linn Park *If* you aren't a total moron, *if* you are someone who can brave Port-a-Lets and warm beer, *if* you don't want to make me disgusted with you, I am asssuming that you'll be at City Stages. For one thing I'm FINALLY PLAYING IN IT: that's the Ticks on Sunday, in blazing heat with hangovers. For another thing, it's one of the biggest music festivals in the country, and enduring the crowds is sort of like Kane lifting the vat of coals to get those cool dragon scars. Besides which, spending the afternoon listening to the folk acts and lounging on the park grass is one of the best concert experiences anyone could have anywhere. Now, I must confess that I'm not overwhelmed with the lineup this year, but they don't ask me who to book, and there's plenty for people with different tastes. Recommendations: Wear a hat. See: the Fleshtones (whose new album rocks), Space Camp, Shallow, George Clinton and the P-Funk All Stars, any Zydeco-ish acts when you're snockered, Shining Time Station-Live! (this is an example of why City Stages is really a great event. Where else are you gonna see Shining Time Station-Live!?), every weird dance act you can cram into your schedule (Pacific Island Dancers, Gandy Dancers, Nigerian Traditional Folk Dance (!?), the choir of Christ Temple Deliverance Church, The Ticks naturally, THE NEVILLE BROTHERS, Roomful of Blues, B.B. KING, Katheryn Tucker Windham (ghost stories), and Wiregrass Sacred Harp Singers. Think of creative ways to sneak liquor into the event; have a contest. Wear comfortable shoes. What I will avoid (which means nothing to you but I have to fill a column with good sense): Indigo Girls, Widespread Panic, the Band, The Pointer Sisters, and Locust Fork (sorry guys). What I will regret missing becuase I have to play during it: "Hispanic Dance 'Ole". Scariest sounding event that I might muster up the nerve to attend: The ubiquitous and secret "Nabisco Activities" which hopefully isn't painful and which probably involves a book of mysteries which participants can't divulge. But if you get fezzes.... AFTER City Stages, once you've recovered, there is still the rest of June, which consists of: Fri. 6/24 GRAVY at Dugan's Very rocking blues thing gaining in popularity and expertise. The drummer used to work with me at EWTN. Sat. 6/25 SCRUDGE/SOUL COW at The Nick Good gawsh, it's punk rock: Scrudge with lovely Chris Hendrix, and Soul Cow which is neat-o weirdness (becoming habit in Birmingham to be in a weird band with complicated music), but don't get me wrong, I like them! That's all till July! -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ################################################################ SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS (SIG's) [COMPUTER RELATED] compiled by Eric Hunt ################################################################ BIPUG Alabama UniForum Birmingham IBM-PC Users Group Homewood Public Library UAB Nutrition Science Blg 1st Tuesday RM 535/541 Shawn Cleary 870-6130 1st Sunday (delayed one week if meeting is a holiday) Marty Schulman 967-5883 Birmingham Apple Core Informal breakfast meeting every Saturday, 9am - 11am @ Kopper Kettle, lower level Brookwood Village Mall Formal meeting held second Saturday of each month, location variable (to be announced at breakfast meetings and in the user group's newsletter "The PEEL".) President: Sam Johnston - 322-5379 Vice-Prez: Marie Prater - 822-8135 The SIG listing is being re-verified. If you know of an active Computer Related user's group, please let me know. I can be reached via Internet email at eric.hunt@the-matrix.com or drop me a note directly on the MATRIX. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ################################################################ KNOWN BBS NUMBERS FOR THE BIRMINGHAM AREA compiled by James Minton ################################################################ Sysops, PLEASE check your listing to make sure everything is correct, especially the networks. Corrections should be mailed to either Luke Whitley or Scott Hollifield on The Matrix, Crunchy Frog, or Southern Stallion. ADAnet One (Nodes 1-3) 250-0013 1200-2400 PCBoard 14.5 [ez, fi, ad] ADAnet One (Node 4) 254-6050 2400-14400 USR DS PCBoard 14.5 [ez, fi, ad] Alcatraz BBS 608-0880 300-9600 PCBoard 15.0 [he, vi] Alter-Ego BBS 925-5099 1200-9600 USR HST PCBoard 14.5 [alt, ez, mn] Baudville (Nodes 1-7) 995-0013 300-2400 Major BBS 6.12 [none] Bloom County 985-4335 300-28800 VFC 28.8 PCBoard 15.1 [in,fr] BulletProof 668-1624 300-19200 ZyXEL Wildcat 3.90 *RIP* [none] Bus System 987-5419 300-2400 PCBoard 14.2 [none] Byte Me! 979-BYTE! 2400-14400 V.32 WWIV 4.12 [none] Castle, The 841-7618 300-2400 Image 1.2 [none] Cherry Tree 681-1710 1200-14400 TriBBS 4.01 [wm, ca] Christian Apologetic 808-0763 1200-14400 V.32bis Wildcat! 3.90 [ez, cp] Crocodile Country BBS 477-6283 1200-16800 USR DS Searchlight 3.5 *RIP* [sl, fi] Crunchy Frog (Node 1) 823-3957 300-14400 USR DS PCBoard 14.5 [ez, mn, lu, ll] Crunchy Frog (Node 2) 823-3958 300-14400 USR DS PCBoard 14.5 [ez, mn, lu, ll] Crystal Village 856-3749 1200-2400 VBBS 6.10 [cr, cs, al, ho, co, fn, vi] Den, The 933-8744 300-14400 USR DS PCBoard 15.1 [ez, mn, il] Digital Publishing 854-1660 300-9600 V.32 Wildcat! 3.60 [pl] Dogpatch BBS 669-1705 300-38400 PCBoard 15.1 [none] Drawing Room, The 951-2391 300-14400 V.32/42 Wildcat! 3.90 [none] Electro-BBS 491-8402 300-14400 V.32/42 Maximus 2.01 [fi] Family Smorgas-Board 744-0943 300-2400 PCBoard 14.5 [ez, fi, mj, bc, fa, ic, cf, cd, ve, ad, wg, pt, ed, gn] Final Frontier 838-5634 300-14400 VBBS 6.11 *RIP* [al, he, re, fn] Free Enterprise 856-9809 300-14400 V.32/42 Remote Access 2.01 [fi,it,sz,br] Genesis Online (1-8) 620-4150 300-2400 V.32bis Major BBS 6.11 *RIP* [mr] Genesis Online (9-16) 620-4379 2400-14400 V.32bis Major BBS 6.11 *RIP* [mr] Gone Fishin' 733-0860 1200-14400 V.42bis Searchlight 3.5a *RIP* [do, sl] Guardian, The (Node 1) 425-1951 1200-14400 V.42bis VBBS 6.11 [vi] Guardian, The (Node 2) 425-1956 1200-14400 V.42bis VBBS 6.11 [vi] Joker's Castle 664-5589 300-14400 USR DS PCBoard 14.5 [ez, mn, un] KickAxis BBS (Node 1) 733-0253 1200-14400 USR DS PCBoard 15.0 [he] KickAxis BBS (Node 2) 733-0299 1200-14400 USR DS PCBoard 15.0 [he] Knight's Castle 631-6668 300-14400 WWIV 4.23 [ce, bi, fn] Leaping's Lounge 856-2521 1200-14400 GTPower 18.00 [gt, ez, mn, wm, di] Lions Den 871-9688 300-14400 USR DS Wildcat! 3.90 [wi, fi] Lumby's Palace 520-0041 300-14400 VBBS 6.0 [he] Magic City (Node 1) 664-9883 300-14400 USR DS Wildcat! 3.90 [di, wm, wi, ca, cm, pe] Magic City (Node 2) 664-0435 300-2400 Wildcat! 3.90 [di, wm, wi, ca, cm, pe] Magnolia BBS 854-6407 300-14400 USR HST PCBoard 14.5 [ez, mn] MATRIX, The (Nodes 1-14) 323-2016 300-2400 Major BBS *RIP* [ez, mn, th, il, in, us, al, sh, sc, gl, ic, ri, fr] MATRIX, The (Nodes 20-23) 323-6016 9600-14400 USR DS Major BBS *RIP* [ez, mn, th, il, in, us, al, sh, sc, gl, ic, ri, fr] MATRIX, The (Node 25-26) 458-3449 9600-14400 V.32bis Major BBS *RIP* [ez, mn, th, il, in, us, al, sh, sc, gl, ic, ri, fr] MetaBoard 854-4814 300-14400 USR DS Opus CBCS 1.73 [fi, ad] MetroMac BBS (Node 1) 323-6306 1200-28800 V.FC TeleFinder 3.1 [none] MetroMac BBS (Node 2) 252-0582 1200-28800 V.FC TeleFinder 3.1 [none] Milliways BBS (Node 1) 956-3177 1200-2400 Major BBS 6.11 *RIP* [none] Milliways BBS(Nodes 2-6)956-2731 1200-2400 Major BBS 6.11 *RIP* [none] Missing Link 853-1257 300-16800 USR DS C-Net Amiga 2.63 [cl, cn] Neon Moon 477-5894 300-14400 TriBBS 4.0 [none] Party Line 856-1336 300-14000 V.32bis TriBBS 4.0 [cc, wm, di] Playground 681-5070 1200-14000 V.32 TriBBS 5.0 [wm, di, al, ez] Posys BBS 854-5131 300-9600 V.32 PCBoard [none] Programmer's Shack 988-4695 2400-14400 HST DS Renegade [ws, fi, it] Quiet Zone 833-2066 300-2400 ExpressNet [none] Safe Harbor (Node 1) 665-4332 300-2400 GTPower 18.00 [gt, ez, mn, lg, ae, fr] Safe Harbor (Node 2) 665-4355 300-14400 USR DS GTPower 18.00 [gt, ez, mn, lg, ae, fr] Sam's Domain 956-2757 1200-14400 SL. 3.50 [da, he] Safety BBS 581-2866 300-2400 RBBS-PC 17.4 [none] Southern Stallion 322-3816 300-16800 ZyXEL PCBoard 15.1 *RIP* [alt, ez, lu, th, rs, un] Sperry BBS 853-6144 300-2400 V.32/42b PCBoard 15.0 [none] ST BBS 836-9311 300-14400 HST PCBoard 14.2 [ez] StarBase 12 647-7184 1200-14000 TriBBS 4.0 [ez, mn, wm] Thy Master's Dungeon 940-2116 300-57600 V.32/42b PCBoard 14.5 [fr] Torch Song 328-1517 1200-14000 V.32/42b Wildcat 3.90 [pr, st, gn] Weekends BBS 841-8583 2400-16800 USR DS Wildcat! 3.9 [ca] Willie's DYM (Node 1) 664-9902 300-2400 Oracomm Plus [or] Willie's DYM (Node 2) 664-9903 300-2400 Oracomm Plus [or] Willie's DYM (Node 3) 664-9895 300-2400 Oracomm Plus [or] Willie's DYM (Node 4) 664-9896 300-2400 Oracomm Plus [or] Ziggy Unix BBS 991-5696 300-1200 UNaXess [none] *RIP* = BBS Software is RIP Graphics capable. You must be using a RIP compatible term software to view them. RIPTerm or QmodemPro v1.50 are the only two I know of that support it at this time. RIPTerm is shareware and can be downloaded from most BBS's. QmodemPro is a commercial product. The two-letter abbreviations you see on the line below the names of many of the bbs' in the list signify that they are members of one or more networks that exchange or echo mail to each other in some organized fashion. ad = ADAnet, an international network dedicated to the handicapped ae = Arts & Entertainment, a national network, multi-topic ag = AgapeNet, a national Christian network, multi-topic al = AlaNet, a local network, multi-topic alt = AlterNet, a local network, multi-topic an = The Annex, an international network, multi-topic at = AdultNet, a national network, adult-oriented bc = BCBNet, a local network, religion-oriented bh = BhamTalk, a local network, multi-topic bi = BitchNet, a national network, uncertain at press time br = BreezeNet, National network, multitopic ca = CafeNet, a local network, restaurant/dining, recipes, etc. cc = Coast2Coast, a national network, multi-topic cd = CDN, a national Christian network for file distribution ce = CheeseNet, a local role-playing game network cf = CFN, a national Christian network, multi-topic ch = ChristNet, a national Christian network cl = CLink, uncertain at press time cm = CompuLink, a national network, multi-topic cn = CNet, multi-topic co = ComicNet, a local net for comic book readers cp = CAPNet, a national Christian network, multi-topic cr = CrystalNet, uncertain at press time cs = ChaosNet, uncertain at press time cy = Cybernet, uncertain at press time da = DateNet, uncertain at press time de = DevNet, an international network for programmers and developers di = Dixie Net, a regional network, multi-topic geared toward the south eastern United States do = DoorNet, a national network for the distribution of BBS doors ec = EchoNet, an international network, multi-topic ed = EduNet, a national network devoted to homeschooling and Christian education er = ErosNet, an international network, adult oriented, files & messages ez = EzNet, a local IBM compatible network fa = FamilyNet, an international network, multi-topic fi = FidoNet, an international network, multi-topic fn = FrontierNet, a local network, multi-topic fr = FredNet, a regional network, political discussion fs = FSNet, uncertain at press time ga = GameNet, a local network, uncertain at press time gl = GlobalLink, an international network, multi-topic gm = GayCom, an international network, homosexually oriented gn = GlobeNet, an international network, multi-topic gt = GTNet, an international network, multi-topic gy = GayNet, a national network, homosexually oriented he = HellNet, a local network, multi-topic ho = HobbyNet, a local network for hobbyists ic = ICDM, an international Christian network, multi-topic ie = Intelec, a national network, multi-topic il = ILink, an international network, multi-topic in = InterNet, an international network of mail, linking businesses, universities, and bbs', multi-topic it = ITCNet, a national network, multi-topic lg = Local GT Net, a local network, connecting GT Power systems ll = LlamaNet, a national network, freeform correspondence 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 nl = NewLife, uncertain at press time np = NPN, a national network for new parents or = OraNet, a national E-mail network pe = Planet Earth Network, a national network, multi-topic pl = PlanoNet, a national network, multi-topic pn = PoliceNet, an international network, law-enforcement only pr = PrideNet, a national homosexually oriented network pt = PRNet, a national network devoted to 2nd amendment rights rf = RF Net, a national network for ham radio users and hobbyists ri = RIME, an international network, multi-topic rb = RoboLink, a national network, multi-topic re = RealityNet, uncertain at press time rp = RPGnet, a local network for role-playing games rs = RoseNet, a national network, technically orient*ed ru = RushNet, a national network for Rush Limbaugh fans 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 sm = SmartNet, a national network, multi-topic sn = ShadowNet, a national network for role-playing games ss = SexSations!, a national network, adult-oriented st = StudsNet, a national network, homosexually oriented sz = SCN-Net, uncertain at press time te = TECHnet, a local network, hardware and utility oriented th = ThrobNet, an international network, adult oriented un = U'NI-Net, an international network, multi-topic us = Usenet, an international network existing on the Internet, multi- topic ve = VETLink, a national network for military veterans vi = VirtualNet, an international network, multi-topic wg = WGA, an international network devoted to genealogy research wi = WildNet, a national network, multi-topic wm = World Message Exchange, an international network, multi-topic ws = WishNet, uncertain at press time ww = WWIV-Net, an international network, multi-topic