
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

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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.

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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

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**********************************************************************
* 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                                                            *
**********************************************************************

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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

