BTN:  Birmingham Telecommunications News

COPYRIGHT 1993           ISSN 1055-4548

August 1993    Volume 6, Issue 8
               Edition 1

Table Of Contents
-----------------
Article Title                                  Author
Policy Statement and Disclaimer................Staff
From The Editor................................Scott Hollifield
The Last Hegemony..............................Christopher Mohney
Review: Pirate's Gold..........................Richard DeVaney
Local Music in August..........................Judy Ranelli
BBS Spotlight: Metromac BBS....................Eric Hunt
BTN ProFile: Scott Kelley......................The Bishop
Welcome To Dark Sun............................Jeff Vaughn
Special Interest Groups (SIGs).................Eric Hunt
Known BBS Numbers..............................James Minton

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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 last day 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.

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         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              The Castle              Channel 8250
C.A.B.                  The Comfy Chair!        Crunchy Frog
DC Info Exchange        Final Frontier          Hardware Hotline
Homewood's Hell Hole    Joker's Castle          Lemon Grove
Lion's Den              Martyrdom Again?!       The MATRIX
Milliways BBS           The Outer Limits        Owlabama BBS
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.

NOTE: Boards on this list get favored status when it comes to
distributing BTN every month!

NOTE (x2): I get the feeling I've left someone off this list that
requested they be added, but I forget who, and I can't seem to find any
record of the request.  If you've asked to be included and weren't, my
apologies--please leave me another note on the Matrix and I'll make
sure you're listed next month.

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                           N E W S  F L A S H



                            ANSI AD CONTEST!
                      Do our work for us!  Got any
                     flashy graphic ideas as to how
                       we could promote BTN more
                      effectively?  Stay tuned...
                          DETAILS NEXT MONTH!




                             YOU CAN WRITE!
            Become a published writer by submitting to BTN.
        Scribble out a message's worth of thoughts, upload them
            to The MATRIX or Crunchy Frog as a private file,
        , and bingo--you've got something to add to your resume!
         Leave a message to SCOTT HOLLIFIELD to close the deal,
                          or for more details.



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From The Editor
    by Scott Hollifield


    Well, try as I might, there's not much to say this month.  I'm kind
of pressed for time seeing as how this issue is already a few days late
(again).
    A cursory glance at the table of contents will reveal that this
issue is a little skimpy, even when compared to our usual shameless
skimpery.  Submissions were a bit scarce this month, and I'm not sure
who to blame for that, but the fact was that I got pretty busy in
handling personal stuff the last couple of weeks, and didn't have time
to crack the whip too much.
    However, there are a couple of bright spots this month.  One is the
first in a three-part series by Chris Mohney.  Back when he lived in
Birmingham, when peace and harmony ruled the land and all was right with
the world, Chris helmed the BTN ProFile, and wrote the odd article as
well.  Now he's gone off to one of them university things, and gotten
his head full of ideas, some of which he spills out in this issue.  His
article should be considered required reading, in my opinion; present
are some very interesting thoughts concerning these things you and I use
called bulletin boards.
    Also, we'd like to clasp a big, furry, lemon-scented paw in
handshake to welcome Richard DeVaney to this forum.  Richard was a
seminal force on the Birmingham BBS scene, lo these many years ago.  He
ran a board called The Holt, which was hands-down one of the coolest
boards I remember from my feckless youth.  Richard was the first sysop I
ever left a message to, although both he and I--and wisely, history
itself--have forgotten its content.  I think I've successfully snagged
Richard for a new game review column, and if things work out, we'll be
reviving the old "Gamer's Corner" title just for him.
    That plus the usual suspects comprise this month's lean, mean issue.
I do admit that I have long-term plans for BTN that involve the "bigger
and better" principle, and are contigent upon expanding our staff...
look for these plans to come to fruition in the coming year.  In the
meantime, consider this a "summer vacation" issue, and enjoy the
weather.  Sayonara.

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========================================================================
The Last Hegemony:  An Information Age Cosmology
========================================================================
by Christopher Mohney

-------------------
Author's Preface
-------------------

"The Last Hegemony" is an essay in three parts.  I started writing it
when I began to feel like I needed to write about what's happening to
our society as electronic links become more and more commonplace and
vital.  That sounds droll and probably doesn't really explain what I set
out to do; originally I started composing the kind of article that I
mention in Part 1, a kind of "here's what I saw" thing that has been
done a million times before to no real purpose.  I thought that might
help me figure out what I was trying to say. However, once I began, I
saw how banal and foolish it all sounded, and after a few cognitive
flashes I decided to leap right into what I really wanted to talk about.
Without jumping into the essay itself, the subject I'm looking into is
not really anything to do with "our society" as much as the new parallel
society created by the information age.  I'll be using an informal first
person perspective as I'll occasionally delve off into personal
recollections and the like.  In brief, Part 1 will be concerned with the
general propositions, Part 2 with applying those propositions to the
Birmingham, Alabama BBS scene, and Part 3 with the Internet and related
issues.  I don't think there's any real need for me to supply a long
list of my qualifications to write this sort of piece.  As a rule of
thumb, though, when it comes to computers and computer-age society, if I
didn't do it myself I probably know someone who did.  I make no claims
that I have discovered any absolute truths, and I welcome any comments
or criticism on these essays.  I can be reached over the Internet at
cmohney1@ua1vm.ua.edu, or through the editorship of Birmingham
Telecommunications Newsletter.  Lastly, I release these essays into the
public domain; they can be reproduced and republished freely as long as
they are reproduced completely and without alteration. [Editor's note:
Please see Statement of Policy in this month's issue for other notes on
reproduction of articles.]

Let's begin.

-----------------------------
Part 1:  A BOY AND HIS DOG
-----------------------------

              That corpse you planted last year in your garden,
              Has it begun to sprout?  Will it bloom this year?
              Or has the sudden frost disturbed its bed?
              O keep the Dog far hence, that's friend to men,
              Or with his nails he'll dig it up again!

                                           - T.S. Eliot

    Junior really wanted a puppy.  His birthday was coming up, and he
pleaded and pleaded with his parents to buy him one.  He promised to
take care of it completely and love it without reservation, but he had
made similar promises about the goldfish his mother once bought him and
his parents were no longer so easily fooled (the goldfish had been
dropped into Junior's toilet bowl after said toilet had been utilized;
Junior claimed ignorance as to the identity of the felon).  So, instead,
his parents bought him a computer and a modem, which he named Spot.

    Spot was a sturdy beast and served Junior like a true friend.  He
fetched like no dog his master had ever heard of, retrieving reams and
reams of data and files at a simple, concise command.  Spot was always
willing to play, and required little maintenance and virtually no
housebreaking.  Soon enough, Junior and Spot were playing almost all the
time, cavorting about in places Junior had never dreamed existed.  There
were thousands of other boys and girls out there, and they were playing
with their dogs and each other, and Junior and Spot joined in with a
joyful screech of parity.  With Spot's sensitive nose, there was almost
nothing that Junior couldn't sniff out if he was willing to go far
enough.  See Spot run.

    What is a bulletin board system, a BBS?  Ask a dedicated BBSer:
"It's a computer set up to receive phone calls, where you can call in
and leave messages and get files and stuff.  And chat." Look at a BBS's
introductory bulletins and you will get much the same thing.  The
mainstream media usually regurgitates up the old-line answer "It's a
place where people can use computers and phones to `talk' to each other"
(the quotes around "talk" are very important and illuminating here).

    But none of these answers really mean anything, deeply.  It's like
some alien visitor asking "What is abortion?" or "What is AIDS?" You can
give them a straightforward, substantive answer: "It is when a human
fetus is surgically removed before birth" or "Acquired Immunodeficiency
Syndrome, a usually fatal condition believed to be largely caused by the
virus HIV" but unless you give them a substantial further context, the
alien will not have anywhere near the reaction a human would to these
terms.  In the case of BBS's, indeed in the case of most aspects of
information age culture, we have created a substance before a context.
More clearly put, the question is not "What is a BBS?" but "What does a
BBS mean?"

    A BBS means information, pure and simple.  The advent of the
telelectronic community has birthed an information cloudburst so
gargantuan that it dwarfs every previous human achievement.  Not a
single facet of life on this planet has escaped its influence.  Is this
good or bad?  Both, of course.  Asking that question is like asking is
science good or bad, or is sex good or bad.  Depending on the
circumstances, the entire spectrum of goodness or badness can be found,
usually in equal quantities.

    Most people concur that BBSes are about disseminating information;
they might even go so far as to say they're about freedom of
information. "Information wants to be free," as the old hacker adage
goes.  A simplification, of course; what that saying really means is
"People want information.  Information should not be controlled, not
being a material good.  Information should be free, as in free of
charge." Perhaps, in the limited sense of hard information implied in
that first saying, this might be true ...  if we lived in Paradise.  The
sad fact is that information is a commodity like anything else, and
always has been.  The reason we have trouble dealing with this is that
we abruptly have a a brutally efficient way to transfer this commodity
long before an economy has evolved around it to regulate its fair
exchange.  Technology has far outstripped both government and industry,
as was bound to happen - technology evolves geometrically, while
societies tend to evolve fairly linearly.

    But that is changing.  In response to the demand for a market, the
BBS community has materialized.  What you must understand is that BBS's
are not about freedom of information.  They are about compressing,
limiting, enslaving and channeling information, minting it like
kruggerands to be jealously guarded by those who control it: its high
priests, tyrants and sovereigns. BBS's are not gilded pathways into a
virtual world, they are fortified installations used to parcel out
information to whomever their masters decide are worthy, or more
importantly, whomever can pay.  Just like any commodity is gradually
co-opted by larger cooperative organizations (Mom & Pop's Grocery bought
out by the multi-state foodservice conglomerate), BBS's are being forced
to realize that the more information they can control and channel the
more powerful they can become.  Already there is the threat of being
consumed or eclipsed by one of the large commercial info-nets like
Compuserve, or of fighting the phone companies (who are belatedly
realizing that they are being relegated to little more than a palace
adviser to a monarch they thought they controlled).  Certainly, there
will always be the swarms of hobbyists who run BBS's as an avocation
rather than a vocation, living their boy-and-his-dog lives amongst the
telelectronic roads, but they have no more impact on the larger
information market than garage sales do on the furniture industry.  In
fact, they are the most likely customer demographic for the commercial
information services to target.

    A typical example of how the system of simultaneously "freeing" and
limiting information works is the chat function.  Here is an
opportunity for one to meet hundreds of people one would otherwise have
no contact with, in a safe and perhaps even anonymous environment.  But
in the same way that the larger BBS scene is really about refining
information, online chat functions are really about suppressing
information, squeezing it down such that all you know about them is what
they tell you - a perfectly anonymous method of communication.  At
least, if you talk to someone on the phone, you hear a voice; from the
way a person speaks, one can deduce things like accent, articulation,
and in some cases how successful a liar the other party appears to be.
However, such things do not obtain in an online chat; a superbly
educated person may type text slowly and full of errors because they
are a bad typist, while your average neo-teen turbohormonal computer
geek may type at 80 wpm with minimal errors, simply because that's how
he spends all his time. Here, as in the larger BBS scene, information is
widely disseminated but thinly distributed; width with little depth, as
it were.

    Some might deny that information can be a true commodity, because
when you sell it you still have it.  In the issue of value, this is
irrelevant. Value is determined by how easy something is to sell.  In
this case, information is not only a true commodity, but probably the
most quickly depreciable commodity there is, since anyone you sell to
can just as quickly give that information to an almost unlimited number
of people if they know which paths to tread, for free if they choose.
The great majority of the debate over software copyrights and/or phone
hacking has this issue at its root.  Every time you sell information,
that is at least one less person you can sell it to, and the value of
the information decreases.

    Claims might also be made that people who pay for a BBS
subscription are paying for access, not the information itself.  This is
no more true than saying that when you buy something at Wal Mart, you
are paying for just access to the store as opposed to that wheelbarrow
you purchased.  Information can be bought and sold, and that undeniable
state of affairs proves it to be a real commodity, albeit an abstract
one.

    But there is precedent for the abstract commodity.  The science of
economics was revolutionized when it was realized that the movement of
capital, a completely abstract force, determined the movement of goods
(as opposed to vice versa) and concurrently heavily influenced the
actions of politics, social reaction, etc.  Now, in the information age,
it is becoming apparent that there is yet another level to this
equation, even more intangible: information determines the movement of
capital.

    Every BBS is a storefront in a global information marketplace, a net
thrown over a commodity so vast we are only seeing its true shape now
that the net settles over it.  What these stores sell is information,
which can be most generally measured in "bandwidth" - how much of the
BBS's information exchange capacity is used to transfer a particular
chunk of data.  Information's value is not always based on its sheer
quantity, as opposed to how fast it can be exchanged.  Of two separate
BBS's with the same information, the one with the faster transfer rates
will do better business because its information is a better "value."

    The parallel society called the telelectronic community has a
radically different structure than its standard human counterpart.  It
can be most easily understood as an almost feudal arrangement of
competing fiefdoms vying for informational dominance; in fact, the
telelectronic community even interacts with standard society along these
lines.  This analogy will be explored in depth in Part 2 of this essay.

---------------------------
Next: KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOR
---------------------------

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Pirate's Gold
    reviewed by Richard DeVaney


    Well well.... I made it.  I didn't realize how easy it is to become a
BTN writer.  (To editor: I have no firstborn to give you yet but me and
my wife will get to work on it right away.)  Seriously though, I have a
confession to make.  Ladies and gentlemen, I am a hopeless PC game
addict.  I take comfort in the knowledge that I am not the only one.
While staring glassy-eyed at another cinematic scene from Wing Commander
II, it occurred to me that the world just hasn't heard my opinion of
things.  So this article, and hopefully the others that follow, is my
humble review of current games available for the PC.  The review this
month is for Microprose's re-make of a classic IBM/Commodore64 favorite
of mine: Pirates Gold.

I, like so many others, have been looking forward to the release of this
game for some time.  It was a favorite of mine back in my Commodore 64
days. (64k of memory...gawd...) Concerning remakes, it is my hope that
Electronic Arts will follow Microprose's idea and release an old EA
favorite of mine, M.U.L.E.  Alas, nothing has been said on the subject.

Now back to our review already in progress.  I can't help comparing this
version with the old version to see what has gotten better or worse.
Here are some of the comparisons I have made.

1. Gameplay : Old version vs. New Version
    Practically identical. If you knew how to play the old version, you
will have no problems with the new version. This is a little
disappointing to me.  Surely there were some new ideas to try with the
game.  The interface is essentially the same. A player interacts with
the game by choosing options, typically yes or no style answers.  Ship
combat is identical to the old version, if somewhat more pleasing to
the eye. Duels with evil pirate Whats-his-name seemed just a little too
easy to me.  Admittedly I have only played this up to the Adventurer
level so higher levels may be harder.  Most of my duels I spent turning
my opponent's leg into hamburger meat and the fight was over quickly.
Invading cities guarded by forts is just a tad harder than the old
version.  Try to take a fort with anything larger than a barque and you
had best hope that the gods of the sea take favor upon you and give you
a stiff wind to get there quickly.  This, in my opinion, makes planning
to take a town more interesting than just blindly sailing in and
dropping anchor.

2. Graphics : Old vs. New
    Untouchable.  The quality of the graphics has grown
(understandably) from the old version.  I have not seen the VGA-16color
version of the game to judge it but the 256color SVGA version is
outstanding.  The aquamarine color of the water in the town scenery
makes me want to jump right in. The ships are rendered nicely as is the
backdrops where various actions take place.  The price for all this eye
candy is steep.  Pirate's Gold will plunder approximately twenty meg of
hard drive space.  Of course this is typical of your modern PC game. One
year from now 40 megs will be the norm. (For non CD-ROM games that is.)

Well, there is my comparison.  Now on to the official GRIPE LIST(TM):

1.    For goodness sakes, DO NOT under any circumstances sail your ship
into a narrow channel.  The second your ship touches land, you are
booted off your ship.  Just try to get back onboard. Your ship sails
away and hits the opposite shore.  Get back on your ship and it....
...well you get the idea...continue ad infinitum.  It took me close to
10 minutes to get myself out of a channel. (Anyone else had this
problem?)

2.    Here's what I call the Odo-ship (ST:DS9 reference) syndrome.  Ok,
sample fleet: 1 - Barque, 1 - Frigate, 1- Merchantman.  Well, my sailing
ship (the one used to navigate across the Carib) changes every time I
change the ship I take into battle.  Now you are probably saying that
this is a "Gee Whiz" complaint but from what I understood, the
navigation ship is based on your slowest and/or largest ship.  Minor
gripe.

3.    Lastly is my unending complaint about Microprose software.  The
games they release do what they should, they are entertaining.  However,
every time I open the shrink wrap on a MPS product, I cringe.  I can
practically SEE the virtual cockroaches crawling out of the box.
Pirate's Gold didn't disappoint me in that respect. Again, here I am
enjoying myself, soon to defeat the person who knows where my sister
is..... Here's the scenario: It is an empty street in Tortuga. Just me
and Evil Spaniard Baron Whats-his-face.  Before I can even get my sword
out of it's scabbard.  ZAP! I had just gotten sucker punched by another
Microprose product.  Thankfully a patch exists now.  Almost every
Microprose product I have ever bought (no I don't have all of them) came
to me with a ticking bomb courtesy of MPS inside that innocent looking
3.5" disk. I say almost because F-15III and Gunship 2000 have yet to
give me any problems whatsoever.  Darklands, Pirates Gold, Mantis, B-17
however, were extremely buggy right out of the box.

Ladies and Gentlemen...survey says!:
        +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +   +
        0                         ^         10
                                 7.5

Recommendation: If you enjoyed the old one version and aren't looking
for much in the way of new gameplay, you'll enjoy Pirates Gold. Just
make sure you get the patch from your local BBS or from Microprose's
BBS (don't have the number handy).

Questions or suggestions for a game YOU would like me to review can
be sent to the following places:
The Matrix
The Outer Limits
Crunchy Frog
Internet:richard.devaney@the-matrix.com

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Local Music In August
    by Judy Ranelli


Mondays in August
    GLEN AND LAINE an The Nick
    Glen Tolbert, veteran picker of The Country Boy Eddie Show and
bluegrass man, is my hero.  Laine, skinny and earnest with the mandolin,
is his prophet.  Each Monday in August--and ya'll come back now, y'hear?

Tues. 3
    ITCHY WIGS at The Nick
    Mystery of the Month: Is Mark Kimbrall just here for the summer or
has he moved permanently from New York to exciting Birmingham, Alabama,
which he left two years ago?  I hope so, for me; I hope not, for him.
Cool band, by the way.

Thurs. 5
    CACTUS PIE/SHAME IDOLS at The Nick
    Shame Idols is Tim Boykin's new band, so it's bound to be good.
Cactus Pie is an unknown.

Sat. 7
    THE BISQIUTS at Zydeco
    Featuring Will Kimbrough (of the Bushmen)--remember them?  I want
to confess something.  I have never seen this band.  But I can guess
that they're poppy and happy and very good at being poppy and happy.
'Nuff said.

Sun. 8
    WALT MINK/SHALLOW at The Nick
    Ears go pop!  Soupy, not like Soupy Sales but like melted ice cream.

Thurs. 12
    FUZZY SUNS at The Nick
    If you thought that last review was weird, don't go see this band;
you'd never recover.  Beautiful silly string entanglements.

Fri. 13
    TOPPER PRICE AND THE UPSETTERS at The Back Alley
    What?  In that tiny room?  Or the (tiny for a loud, raucous bar
band) back porch?  Go shake the timbers off the roof with a truely
maniacal man.

Sat. 14
    SPUNKADILLY at Louie Louie
    Ok, this guy that looks like a sort of anorexic harlequin twists and
sings like tight pants Bowie while rest of band plays strange melodies.

Thurs. 19
    SPACE CAMP at The Back Alley
    Don Tinsley, talented though he is, once predicted that I'd be an
herb doctor.  Good good good band.

Fri. 20
    THE TICKS at The Nick
    I'll be at the Nick; where will you be?

Sat. 21
    ERIC ESSEX AND MODERN MAN at On The Avenue
    This guy could take all us guitarists for a lesson in style.
Another national recording artist from Birmingham that the city is
barely aware of.  (The other one I know is in Fuzzy Suns.)

Sun. 22
    NAIL/LOCK BODY at The Nick
    Different, I promise you.  Children of the '80s who would be
pissed at me if they read this review.

Thurs. 26
    BIG DIXIE at Zydeco
    Hear Rockabilly reverberate off the hard surfaced Zydeco dining room
and beg for Sukiyaki by Sakamoto.


The former Club 312 is now the NEW Club 312, and I wish I had a schedule
from them to give them a push; we need MORE venues in Birmingham.  Maybe
next month.

The former Crazy Cafe is now the new Mr. Hyde's, courtesy of Jeff who
owned Dr. Jeckell's on Morris Avenue years ago...it's a metal showcase.
I guess that's a way to put it.  See tattooed men play LOUD.  I think
they should post that over the door, a sort of mutated strip joint
advertisement.  Count on some hardcore there too, boys and girls.

ALL DATES AND ACTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE


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Bulletin Board Spotlight
    by Eric Hunt

This Month:  METROMAC BBS

1) Name of the BBS:
        MetroMac BBS

2) Name of the sysop:
        Steve Creel

3) BBS software used:
        TeleFinder Group Edition Host 3.1

4) How long have you been sysoping:
        Going on 4 years now.

5) Are you a subscription only / completely free / hybrid of the
two BBS?
        MetroMac's currently completely free, but time limits and some
        restrictions are imposed. Unlimited access is provided by our
        sponsors to qualified users, ie: clients of Communication Arts
        and members of the Birmingham Apple Core.

6) How many incoming phone lines and approximate disk space? Do
you support high speed modems?
        If so, what type(s)? MetroMac currently has two incoming high
        speed lines with Hayes 144 modems. The BBS is running on a
        Macintosh IIFX with 180 megabytes of disk space and an on-line
        CD-ROM.

7) Is your BBS primarily a files BBS, primarily a message based
BBS, or a combination of the two?
        MetroMac is both a message and files BBS, but file transfers
        easily make up 90% of BBS activity.

8) If you've sysop'd more than just this BBS, briefly list previous
endeavours and their lifespans.
        MetroMac's an only child, so to speak, although it has evolved
        from earlier incarnations. The BBS started out as MacPro BBS,
        running on a Mac Plus at 2400 bps, using Hermes BBS software,
        and tailored strictly to desktop publishing professionals. As
        the board and our user base expanded, it became MetroMac and now
        easily has something for everyone.

9) What made you decide to take the masochistic plunge and become a
sysop:
        I thought Birmingham needed a Macintosh BBS, and nobody else
        stepped forward. There have been a few others over the years,
        but no one else has had our staying power without either closing
        up or shutting out the public.

10) What is the general 'thrust' or area of specialty for your BBS:
        Anything and everything to do with Mac computing and desktop
        publishing.

11) (optional) What is your regular job/career to support this
leeching hobby of sysoping?
        I've been lucky to have the sponsorship and support of
        Communication Arts, a local pre-press service bureau, without
        whom this BBS would not be possible.

12) What are your plans for the coming year?
        Before the end of the year, I hope to see a Window's version of
        TeleFinder, and I plan to setup a Window's area tailored
        specifically to desktop publishing with Windows and surviving in
        a multi-platform environment.

13) Where would you like your BBS to go over the next 5 years?
        I'd like to see every Mac user in Birmingham online with us, and
        be able to expand the BBS to accommodate them all. I also hope
        to see some standards evolve to allow data and mail exchange
        with Internet and many of the PC networks. Of course, I'd also
        like to see a stack of gig drives and on-line video, too. ;-)

14) What do you feel the highlights of your BBS are?
        Ease of use. If you've mastered clicking and dragging in the
        Mac's Finder, then you know all you need to know to use
        MetroMac's TeleFinder software. Of course, it helps that the
        interface is pretty, with full-color icons, messages, and online
        sound and graphics.

15) What is your personal vision of the 'ideal user?'
        Hmmm. Maybe a lonely Cindy Crawford? Or a close second would be
        users who participate, whether by uploading or posting messages,
        jokes, questions or whatever. I've tried to create the feeling
        of an online community instead of a BBS for access by a mass
        audience, so I really appreciate users who contribute to the
        whole in whatever capacity.

16) What is the thing you've enjoyed most about providing your BBS?
        Having access to all these wonderful toys, and meeting (or at
        least chatting with) lots of interesting people.

17) What is the thing you've enjoyed least about providing your BBS?
        Having to start from scratch in learning how to do all this.
        There's a wealth of information out there about running a BBS on
        a PC, but hardly anything on trying to accomplish the same
        things on a Mac. It's all been trial and error so far, mostly
        error of course.

Here's a space to write a paragraph or two to cover any
points/details/questions I missed, yet you feel should be addressed.

        For those of you unfamiliar with MetroMac BBS or TeleFinder, the
        BBS is accessed with it's own user software that emulates the
        Mac's icon- & mouse-driven interface. Libraries, conferences and
        other areas appear as icons on your computer's desktop, and you
        open these icons and folders by simply double-clicking with the
        mouse. Downloading files is as simple as dragging the file's
        icon to your hard disk. The interface works in full color or
        black & white; features on-line sound (muck like America
        Online); lets you customize messages with multiple fonts,
        styles, sizes and colors; lets you preview graphics files and
        movies before downloading them; allows display of file libraries
        by icon, name, or date; and features a fast Find File function
        and the new multiline Chat Rooms and instant messages. Access is
        available after 5 pm at 323-6306, or 24-hours daily at 252-0582
        to members of the Birmingham Apple Core.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

BTN ProFile
    by The Bishop

-----------
   The ProFile is a light-hearted attempt at allowing the BBS community
to get to know the selected user or sysop better.  The harassees...er...
candidates for the ProFile are selected purely by random(or maybe not -
read up on 'chaos').  If anyone has any suggestions for questions to be
included in the ProFile or for users to be harassed by the ProFile, then
feel free to E-Mail them to me(The Bishop on Crunchy Frog, or Aaron Dees
on most other boards in town)...
-----------


PRO FILE: Scott Kelley, author of several small programming utilites
          and YAMR.



Age: 22, or thereabouts.  It depends on when you read this.

Birthplace: Your typical boring hospital room, in Mobile, AL.

Occupation: Grad. Student / Computer Consultant / Programmer / Network
            Installer

My hobbies include: Sleeping, eating -- no, those aren't hobbies.  Hmm.
                    Can I include programming here, too?  Doesn't
                    matter, I'll include it here anyway.  I like writing
                    programs which never get released.  :)  Not to mention
                    playing pinball.  I also like roller coasters.  One
                    summer, I'm going to go to all of the classic roller
                    coasters in the US.

Years telecomputing: Close to 5 years.

Sysop, past/present/future of: Not a sysop, never a sysop.  Perhaps, one
                               day, I will open a hobby shop system,
                               with a SLIP connection to the Internet, a
                               UseNet interface, a MUD client, and make
                               it private use only.  It just depends.

My oddest habit is: Writing alpha-test programs that never make it to
                    beta.

My greatest unfulfilled ambition is: To be a sucessful software writer,
                                     with several large packages on the
                                     market.  Or just moderately
                                     successful, living comfortably.
                                     However, I'll probably end up poor
                                     and discontent, like the rest of
                                     the masses. And that's being
                                     optimistic.  :)

The single accomplishment of
   which I am most proud is: Graduating from college. And getting into
                             the Master's degree program at UAB.

My favorite performers are: Martin Kolbe, Ralf Illenberger, Michael
                            Hedges

The last good movie I saw was: I don't watch many movies; however, I
                               recently went to the opening of _Jurassic
                               Park_. Great movie, but don't sit too
                               close to the speakers.

The last good book I read was: I've read several books, but none were
                               great. Terry Brooks is now a hack writer,
                               so I stick to old SF. Jet Thomas had
                               several good SF books I read, of which
                               all the titles escape me.

If they were making a movie of my life,
     I'd like to see my part played by: So, who does dry wit well?  One
                                        of the Monty Python brothers,
                                        because my life should have been
                                        a comedy.

My pet peeves are: Wot's a pet peeve?  Ah.  People who act like complete
                   fools, just to get the attention.  Microsoft
                   software.  Buggy programs.  Unstable system
                   configurations.  Crashed hard drives, mine
                   especially.  Flaky motherboards.  I'll stop.

When nobody's looking, I like to: Do the exact same thing I would do
                                  when they were looking, but pretend
                                  I'm doing something horrible.


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

"Welcome to Dark Sun"
    by Jeff Vaughn

    Hello gaming types.  I hate to blow the top of your minds on this
one, but it's not a RPG article.  Nope, I'm concentrating on the novels.
Sorry people, maybe next time.

    Okay, let's get a firm grip on what we're dealing with here.  Dark
Sun is a TSR "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons" world.  It's basically a
planet that's mostly been used to waste by sorceror-kings, and it's
prime arts are sorcerory and psionics.  Believe it or not, it makes for
good reading.

   Let's focus on some of the book's main characters so we can an idea
on where this will be going.

   Kalak: The sorceror-king of the city of Tyr.  Kalak is one old and
ruthless guy who rules with an iron hand and a deadly mind.  He's one
powerful hombre in sorcery and "The Way".  The Way is the name for the
psionic arts on the world of Athas.  Kalak intends to partially rule
this world by becoming a dragon.  Kalak is also immortal to top it all
off.

    Borys: Borys is Athas' ONLY dragon.  I know that's a little unusual
for AD&D to come up with a world with only one dragon, but someone had
to think up the idea sooner or later.  He was transformed into a dragon
by use of the Dark Lense (which is the main subject in the 4th novel).

    Agis of Asticles: Every book has it's hero, but this book had to
make room for a few of them.  Agis is the hero type who's always in
control.  Agis is a noble on Athas.  He started out as a senator until
he ran into some people from an underground orgaization called "The
Veiled Alliance", more good guys.  Agis is also a master of psionics as
well and nothing to be sneezed at with a sword either.

    Rikus: Rikus is a "mul", a cross between a dwarf and a human.  In
layman's terms, he gets the best of both worlds.  Rikus has one stout
bod and he's a cunning warrior.  Rikus is also one of the many slave
population.  The only problem is, slavers know his kind are the best for
the gladiatorial games, so he is constantly pushed on to push it to the
limit.  He wants to be free very badly, and beat the sense out of Kalak
as well.

    Sardia: A beautiful half-elvin slave girl.  Yes, every book's gotta
have one.  Sardia is a sorceroress and a member of The Veiled Alliance
as well. She's walking on the edge of using forbidden sorcerory. There
are two types of sorcery as well.  She's got a thing for Rikus.  The
only problem is, he and Agis don't get started out to well.  There are
jealousy problems with Rikus when she gets around Agis.

    Tithian: Tithian is a templar, and one who rose up in the ranks
quickly due to his deceptive ways and a lot of murdering along the way.
Kalak likes that in a templar.  Tithian is also Agis' childhood friend.
This also causes a lot of problems, but Tithian is mostly looking out
for number one.

    Neeva: Neeva is another slave who fights in the gladatorial games.
She's a human and has gone a few rounds in the sack with Rikus.  She's
just a little pissed at the fact that Rikus has decided to go for Sardia
and it causes personal conflicts along the way with the trio.  Neverthe-
less, she still fights for the same freedom.

   *
    Now that we've got the names out of the way, let's get down to the
meat of the matter.  Athas is pretty much a barren wasteland type planet
that's been almost used to it's end.  It hasn't always been this way.
Once there was green and oceans.  The sorceror-kings ended all that REAL
quick.  The big problem with sorcery on Athas is that most of the power
comes from its plant life.  The sorceror-kings sucked the planet dry of
it's plant life to around the 90% mark.  People like sorceror-kings are
called 'defilers' because they abuse the land.

   The Veiled Alliance is an underground organization that's determined
to bring the sorceror-kings to their knees.  They've got their
resources, but they are somewhat limited.  The Veiled Alliance also
wants to brings slavery to an ABRUPT halt.  The best I can define it is,
they're working on it.

   The basic concept of all four books is about this small group
fighting to free Athas' slave population.  There's also that little
thing about killing the dragon and ending his reign of terror on Athas.
Athas has its secret history about how the dragon was created and all
the races that WERE once in existance, but were targeted for
termination. Only a few basic races remain and a place called The
Pristine Tower has transformed some of the previous races and made new
ones as well.

   Athas has its quirks, like all planets do.  There's slave labor, lack
of water, very thin plant life, very little metal, and obsidian is the
big mineral on the plant.  Obsidian is what the majority of the weapons
are made of and obsidian is used to harness the power of The Way and
sorceries as well.  There's gold and silver, but only in small
proportions.

   One point i must press about some Advanced Dungeons & Dragons novels
is that IT'S NOT ALL FIGHTING DRAGONS and stuff.  There are actual plots
to these books, and some darn good ones.  "Dragonlance Chronicles" was
one of the best I've ever read in all the series.  I am also one picky
dude when it comes to AD&D and the books relating to the games.  I've
gamed for several years and hate it when a novelist writes something
like "vampires are more powerful than death knights".  That's a little
personal bit i have aginst author James Lowder of "Vampires in the
Mist".  Fortunately, Troy Denning, the author of all the Dark Sun
novels, doesn't have this problem.

   My point to this article is, IF you read fantasy, check out the AD&D
"Dark Sun" series. I think you will be quite satisfied.

   The Dark Sun novels are as follows:

   The Verdant Passage    - Book 1
   The Crimson Legion     - Book 2
   The Amber Enchantress  - Book 3
   The Obsidian Oracle    - Book 4
   The Cerulean Storm     - Book 5 (coming in September 1993)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SIG's (Special Interest Groups), Computer Related
-------------------------------------------------

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

Sysops, PLEASE check your listing to make sure everything is correct,
especially the networks.  Corrections should be mailed on the Matrix to
James Minton or in a Sysop Comment on Outer Limits.

Starting in the September edition of the BBS list, I'll be making a note
in the list as to which BBS's support RIP graphics.  If your BBS does,
please let me know as soon as possible.

Also, if anyone has any information about networks listed at the bottom
with "uncertain at press time", let me know.



NAME                    NUMBER     BAUD RATES   MODEM    BBS SOFTWARE
                                   SUPPORTED    TYPE

ADAnet One (Nodes 1-3)  854-9074   1200-2400             PCBoard 14.5
    [ez, fi, ad]
ADAnet One (Node 4)     854-5863   2400-14400   USR DS   PCBoard 14.5
    [ez, fi, ad]
Alcatraz BBS            608-0880    300-9600             VBBS 6.0
    [he, vi]
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)      980-1089    300-2400             Major BBS 6.10
    [none]
Baudville (Node 2)      991-2095   300-14400             Major BBS 6.10
    [none]
Baudville (Node 3)      991-9144    300-2400             Major BBS 6.10
    [none]
Baudville (Node 4)      995-0013    300-2400             Major BBS 6.10
    [none]
Bone Yard, The          631-6023    300-9600    USR HST  PCBoard 14.5
    [fi, ez]
Boy's Room              674-8117    300-2400             Wildcat! 3.55
    [none]
Bus System              987-5419    300-2400             PCBoard 14.2
    [none]
Byte Me!                979-BYTE!  2400-14400   USR HST  WWIV 4.12
    [ez, th, al]
Castle, The             841-7618    300-2400             Image 1.2
    [none]
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  1200-14400    V.32bis  Wildcat! 3.55
    [ez, wi, bc, ru]
Confederates BBS        967-2626  1200-14400    V.32bis  ???
    [none]
Crocodile Country BBS   477-6283  1200-16800    USR DS   Searchlight 3.0
    [sl]
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]
Den, The                933-8744    300-9600    USR HST  ProLogon/ProDoor
    [ez, mn, il]
Digital Publishing      854-1660    300-9600    V.32     Wildcat! 3.01
    [pl]
Electro-BBS             491-8402   300-14400    V.32/42  ??
    [fi]
Family Smorgas-Board    744-0943    300-2400             PCBoard 14.5
    [ez, fi, mj, bc, fa, ic, cf, cd, np, ag, ve, ad]
Final Frontier          838-5634   300-14400             VBBS 6.10
    [al, he, re, fn]
Flip Side               798-3961    300-2400             Renegade 8.27
    [none]
Genesis Online(Nodes 1-6) 620-4150 300-14400   V.32bis   Major BBS 6.11
    [mr]
Guardian, The           425-1951  1200-14400   V.42bis   VBBS 6.0
    [vi]
Hardeman's BBS          640-6436  1200-14400             Wildcat! 3.51
    [wi, di, bc]
Hardware Hotline        631-6629   300-14400   V.32/42   PCBoard 14.5
    [mn, fi, ca]
The Holodeck BBS        663-7229   1200-9600    V.32     TriBBS 4.02
    [cc]
Homewood's Hell Hole    870-9067  2400-14440    V.32bis  VBBS 5.6
    [he]
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 6.0
    [he]
Last Word               663-4721    300-2400             VBBS 6.0
    [sn]
Lemon Grove             836-1184   300-12000    V.42bis  SLBBS 3.0
    [fi, sl]
Lions Den               969-5733   300-14400    USR DS   Wildcat! 3.60
    [none]
Lumby's Palace          520-0041   300-14400             VBBS 6.0
    [he]
Magic City              664-9883   300-14400    USR DS   Wildcat! 3.55
    [cc, di, tr, wi]
Magnolia BBS            854-6407   300-14400    USR HST  PCBoard 14.5
    [ez, mn]
MATRIX, The (Nodes 1-10)  323-2016 300-2400              PCBoard 15.0
    [ez, mn, th, il, in, al, sh, sc, gl, ic, ri, fr]
MATRIX, The (Nodes 11-20) 323-6016 9600-14400            PCBoard 15.0
    [ez, mn, th, il, in, al, sh, sc, gl, ic, ri, fr]
MetaBoard               854-4814   300-14400    USR DS   Opus CBCS 1.73
    [fi, ad]
MetroMac BBS            323-6306    300-2400             TeleFinder 3.0
    [none]
Milliways BBS (Node 1)  956-3177   1200-2400             Major BBS 6.11
    [none]
Milliways BBS(Nodes 2-6)956-2731   1200-2400             Major BBS 6.11
    [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
    [dx]
Nirvana                 942-6702   300-14400    V.32bis  VBBS 6.0
    [al, vi, at, rp]
Optical Illusion        995-9145  1200-14400    V.32bis  VBBS 6.0
    [al]
Outer Limits (Node 1)   426-5611   1200-2400             Wildcat! 3.90
    [fi, do, er, er, pn]
Outer Limits (Node 2)   425-5871  1200-14400    USR HST  Wildcat! 3.90
    [fi, do, ec, er, pn]
Outer Limits (Node 3)   426-2939  1200-16800     ZyXEL   Wildcat! 3.90
    [fi, do, ec, er, pn]                           (V.32/42b)
Owlabama BBS            856-2521  1200-14400             GTPower 17.06
    [gt, ez, mn, cc, tr, sc, ab]
Owl's Nest              680-0851   300-14400    USR DS   PCBoard 14.5
    [ez, mn]
Party Line              856-1336   300-14000    V.32bis  TriBBS 4.0
    [cc, tr, di]
Penny Arcade            699-4625    300-2400             Running Force! 3.75
    [none]
Playground              681-5070  2400-14000    V.32     TriBBS 4.0
    [tr, di, cc, ez, al, fr]
Posys BBS               854-5131    300-9600    V.32     PCBoard
    [none]
Programmer's Shack      988-4695   1200-9600    HST DS   Renegade
    [fi, it]
Quiet Zone              833-2066    300-2400             ExpressNet
    [none]
Razor's Edge            995-0412   1200-2400             VBBS 5.6
    [he, al]
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]
Sam's Domain            956-2757  1200-14400             VBBS 6.0
    [da, he]
Safety BBS              581-2866    300-2400             RBBS-PC 17.4
    [none]
Southern Stallion       322-3816   300-16800    ZyXEL    PCBoard 15.0
    [an, ez, lu, pr, th]                           (V.32/42b)
Sperry BBS              853-6144    300-2400    V.32/42b PCBoard 14.5
    [none]
ST BBS                  836-9311    300-2400             PCBoard 14.2
    [ez]
StarBase 12             647-7184    300-2400             TriBBS 4.0
    [ez, mn, cc]
The Light               979-0368   300-14400    V.32bis  PCBoard 15.0
    [none]
Thy Master's Dungeon    940-2116   300-57600    V.32/42b PCBoard 14.5
    [fr]
Torch Song              328-1517    300-9600    V.32     Wildcat 3.6
    [pr, se, st, do]
Venus BBS               424-2872    300-2400             WWIV 4.22
    [cy, te, al]
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]

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
ag = AgapeNet, a national Christian network, multi-topic
al = AlaNet, a local network, multi-topic
an = AnnexNet, 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
ca = CafeNet, a local network, restaurant/dining, recipes, etc.
cc = City2City, a national network, multi-topic
cd = CDN, a national Christian network for file distribution
cf = CFN, a national Christian network, multi-topic
cl = CLink, uncertain at press time
cn = CNet, multi-topic
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
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, uncertain at press time
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
ie = Intelec, a national network, multi-topic
il = ILink, an international network, multi-topic
in = InterNet, an international network, linking businesses,
     universities, and bbs', multi-topic
it = ITCNet, uncertain at press time
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
np = NPN, a national network for new parents
or = OraNet, a national E-mail network
pl = PlanoNet, a national network, multi-topic
pn = PoliceNet, an international network, law-enforcement only
pr = PrideNet, a local homosexually oriented network
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 oriented
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
st = StudsNet, a national network, homosexually oriented
te = TECHnet, a local network, hardware and utility oriented
th = ThrobNet, an international network, adult oriented
tr = TTN, a national network, multi-topic
un = U'NI-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

There were a WHOLE lot of changes made to the list this month, so if I left
anything out, please forgive me. If you notice any mistakes or items that
need to be updated/changed, please let me know.  -James

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

