NUMBER OF LINES: 999
001=Usr:0 Null User         06/30/87 20:34  Msg:0 Call:0 Lines:19
  1$If you are in need of help, you need but ask...
  2$************************* 06 APR 90 **************************************
  3$Welcome to BWMS II (BackWater Message System II)  Mike Day System operator
  4$**************************************************************************
  5$GENERAL DISCLAIMER: BWMS II IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INFORMATION
  6$                    PLACED ON THIS SYSTEM.
  7$BWMS II was created as an electronic bill board. BWMS II is a privately 
  8$owned and operated system which is currently open for use by the general
  9$public.  No restrictions are placed on the use of the system.  As the
 10$system is privately owned, I retain the right to remove any and all
 11$messages which I may find offensive.  Because of the limited size of the
 12$system, it will be periodically purged of messages (only 999 lines of data
 13$can be saved).  To leave a message, type 'ENTER'.  Use ctrl/C to get out
 14$the ENTER mode.  The message is automatically stored.  If after entering
 15$the message you find you made a mistake, use the replace command to
 16$replace the line.  To exit from the system, type 'BYE' then hang up.
 17$Type 'HELP' to see other commands that are available on the system.
 18$**************************************************************************
 19$ 
002=Usr:1 CISTOP MIKEY      04/05/90 23:43  Msg:5110 Call:28404 Lines:3
 20 You never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough.
 21 -- William Blake
 22 *********************************************************************
003=Usr:286 Jeff Marten       04/06/90 04:16  Msg:5111 Call:28406 Lines:22
 23  
 24  
 25 Sorry, KURFUR, neither luck nor call waiting nor dark of knight...
 26 My God, the air is thin up here, but nothing a brace of sherpas and big tanks
 27 of oxygen can't fix.....let's start off the disk with a little slice from the 
 28 URBAN SKETCHBOOK :
 29  
 30 The man is dressed pretty sharp, nice suit, nice shoes, briefcase...he's stand-
 31 ing at the corner waiting for the WALK signal with a distracted, preoccupied
 32 air about him. The panhandler shuffles up...asks for a quarter. "I haven't got
 33 a quarter" the man says, a look of bemused honesty covering his face. "C'mon,
 34 doc, one quarter..." says the panhandler. The man in the suit pulls the pockets
 35 out of his trousers, they flap in the breeze like penguin wings. The man smiles
 36 The panhandler shuffles away, muttering "Why's a dude like you gots no money?"
 37 The man in the suit gets his WALK signal. "I'm not sure" he says to himself
 38 as he steps off the curb, "I think it has something to do with lawyers".
 39  
 40                         -+|[ ThingFish ]|+-
 41                       The Dawn Of A New Disk
 42  
 43 {+}{+}{+}{+}
 44  
004=Usr:165 Bart Simpson      04/06/90 12:21  Msg:5112 Call:28411 Lines:105
 45 696969696969
 46 part 4b
 47 First of all, there is nothing mysterious about state diagrams.  If you
 48 saw them, you would see a bunch of circles connected together with arcs.
 49 The arcs would have arrows which point in one or both directions.  
 50  
 51 Let's say you are in the state "brush your teeth".  So, you have a
 52 circle with the words, "brush your teeth", inside of it.  Now, let's say
 53 the event "Done brushing teeth" occurs.  That would form an arc which
 54 leads to another circle.  In that circle, you might have, "take your
 55 morning dump".  Then some event would lead from that circle to another,
 56 and so on.  So, we can use states and state transitions to describe what
 57 we do in every day life.
 58  
 59 You remember, I hope, that Dr. S relied on such principles for the
 60 portion of the TOI equations which I reviewed.  The circles were
 61 memories and the transitions, or events, were things which could happen
 62 to those memories.  Some of those things generated new memories, some of
 63 those things altered old memories (is there any difference?).
 64  
 65 How these memories could or were manipulated determined whether or not
 66 intelligence existed.  After identifying and validating a set of
 67 memories, the subject under study would be examined for transitions.  If
 68 certain transitions occurred, then intelligence was said to exist.
 69  
 70 That appears to be the essence of what Dr. Samatsi had to say.  Okay,
 71 Howy, are you happy?  Oh yes, Howy also said that I tend to believe that
 72 everyone automatically understands what I REALLY mean.  In other words,
 73 if you can't read my mind, we might have some trouble communicating.
 74  
 75 To quick off the whole process, you need a base for memories, a
 76 mechanism for transitions, and a seed (which was described with some
 77 very complicated sounding physics term-I like 'seed' better).  Since
 78 reading the papers, I have built some simple models based on my one
 79 night scan of his theories.  I wrote these in C, which is a most
 80 wonderful programming language, and ran them, complete with graphics, on
 81 some 386 machine with the graphics that look like photographs.  That
 82 detail of resolution in the graphics was not necessary because all that
 83 was displayed were the little circles around some identifier and the
 84 arcs for the state transitions.  My little intelligences grew and died
 85 somewhat like the dots in game of Life, though in a much more dispersed
 86 manner.  It was fascinating.
 87  
 88 A psychologist once told me that we never forget anything.  Everything
 89 we have ever seen or experienced is somewhere tucked away in our grey
 90 matter.  We are awash in memories.  
 91  
 92 That may or may not be true, I really don't even know how a person could
 93 begin to prove such a thing.  Nonetheless, a persistent memory is not a
 94 requirement for the equations to work.  Some memories might only have a
 95 fleeting lifetime before they are transformed into some unrecognizable
 96 form or obliterated altogether.  What is necessary is for a certain
 97 number of memories to stick around long enough for the intelligence
 98 process to occur.  Once it has occurred, other memories must continue to
 99 persist for sufficient time to sustain the process.  Once the memories
100 drop below a certain threshold, the process stops completely.
101  
102 Off on a tangent again, I see!  What I meant to say was that the good
103 Dr. had no intention whatsoever of modeling human intelligence.  He was
104 attempting to model some effect of which human intelligence was a
105 specific example.  So, whether our memories last forever or we really do
106 forget is irrelevant.  The point is, they last long enough for us to
107 qualify as intelligent.
108  
109 Now, Herman's memories last quite long, too, so it could be argued that
110 he is extremely intelligent, that is, if you hadn't followed what we've
111 discussed to date.  The point is, good ol' Herman's memories do not
112 exhibit the transitions necessary to say he is even remotely
113 intelligent.  Herman is a rock.
114  
115 So, that is how our night went.  Bob murmuring little gems while in a
116 trance, Prissy exhibiting motherly love to a child which wasn't even
117 her own, me looking through the TOI equations, and Howy taking it all in. 
118  
119 Now I wonder, do the TOI equations describe where intelligence ends and
120 where it starts?  I'll never know until Dr. Chen lets me see the rest of
121 the papers.  It appears from what I saw that night, that the equations
122 could be applied to any set of memories and the transitions studied for
123 any particular subject.  At first, though, I could not see how you could
124 get a transition between a memory between, say, Prissy and Bob.  Then I
125 realized I had made a severe error.  External stimuli is not ruled out
126 as an event which can cause a transition.  If that stimuli originates
127 from another intelligence and causes a transition in your own memories,
128 then the two intelligences have really formed an intelligent system.  At
129 one end of the scale you could have billions of intelligences
130 interacting with each other, exhibiting the intelligence of a single
131 subject, at the other you could have a single intelligence interacting
132 with nothing, perhaps drifting through the ocean all alone.  The equations
133 did not seem to rule out any of these possibilities, though these
134 conclusions are completely my own-they are not from the TOI papers.
135  
136 --------------
137  
138 Yes, I've been delaying going back to the office for obvious reasons. 
139 You'll see what happened when I got back in the next episode.  In the
140 meantime, Howy asked me to include a quote this time around which showed
141 him as more human than I've led you to believe.  This is the best I
142 could come up with:
143  
144       "Stay away from the humanoid bitch with the big knockers."
145           -Howy, to some other life form, at Frizby's Outpost 9
146 ========================================================================
147 (...to be continued...)
148 696969696969696969                                                           
149                                                                               
005=Usr:219 Friar Mossback    04/06/90 14:18  Msg:5113 Call:28413 Lines:16
150 [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
151 Posting this for a friend, so please respond directly to him, not here.
152 Thanks,  Friar
153  
154 Wanted: Parts for an AT&T 6300 computer with a color monitor.  I am
155 looking for a power supply and a color monitor card.  Both these
156 parts are fried in my machine.  If anyone can help, please call at
157 503-464-6521 during the day (7:30 AM to 4:30 PM) an s o yo
158  
159                                            Thanks!
160 [][][][][][][][][][][][][]   Friar    [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
161 THe previous upload got nailed, somehow.  The friend's name is Wylo
162 Schwartz (WHY-LOW)  And his PC is "really most sincerely dead"
163 TNX
164 DJJ
165 [][][][][]
006=Usr:368 Nemesis Warlock   04/07/90 17:45  Msg:5114 Call:28424 Lines:6
166 :::::=====::::=====:::::=====:::::=====::::::=====::::=====:::::=====:::::=====
167 Friar: Glad to see you back among the   land of the living!  Any chance that
168 we can finally end our little story?    Michael's been brewing up a storm in
169 his trans-dimensional asteroid waiting  for a signal from the Quantier to
170 reappear... and for that evil menace    Friar to rear his head again!
171 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::==Zephyr::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
007=Usr:368 Nemesis Warlock   04/08/90 14:28  Msg:5115 Call:28438 Lines:4
172  
173  
174 Then again.....
175  
008=Usr:180 Wesley Smith      04/08/90 18:33  Msg:5116 Call:28439 Lines:4
176 I am interested in other blind computer users, I have only been able to get up 
177 bulletin boards for a short time thanks to my good friends Gorge and CArolyn.
178 I really have had fun experamenting with them.  My name is Wesley Smith.  If i 
179 be of help to any other blind users please leave me a message up hear.  TNX for
009=Usr:181 Sudden Death      04/09/90 00:08  Msg:5117 Call:28445 Lines:10
180 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
181 Here's an interesting outlook on life... tell me what you think of it:
182 "Nothing we do matters. Noting we achieve or destroy matters. Love, friendship,
183 family, honor, wisdom, knowledge, power--noe of it realy mtters, because none o
184 of it lasts.  It's all mortal--every endeavor, every accomplishment. Even our 
185 gods become food for worms. Some day even the worms will end, and there shall
186 be nothing. From the moment we're born, we're touched with rot and decay. A
187 seed of barkness festers in our souls and grow. Eventually, it ruptures the
188 surface of our flesh, withering both body and soul--and we die."
189 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
010=Usr:84 Michael Miller j  04/09/90 07:40  Msg:5118 Call:28448 Lines:19
190 &*&*&*&*'s
191 The problem with that philosophy is it fails to take into account the dynamic
192 and fractal nature of society and culture.  Every action we take has some
193 sort of long range effect.  Our very existence assures our immortality.  If
194 we are born we will shape the world.  We can not help it.  It WILL happen.  
195 Some of us shape it in very large and obvious ways, while others shape it in
196 smaller or less obvious ways.
197  
198 As long as mankind and his descendents exist you and I will live on in some 
199 small way.  And if we meet extraterestrial intelligences we will live on in
200 some small way in them as well.  The evil we do today has the potential to
201 last for a very long time.  To say that it does not is repugnant and untrue.
202  
203 Oh, a final note.  Why is it that people who are self destructive seem to have
204 this desire to take the rest of the world with them?
205  
206 An Astral Dreamer
207 &*&*&*&*'s
208  
011=Usr:368 Nemesis Warlock   04/09/90 14:22  Msg:5119 Call:28464 Lines:17
209 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
210 Self destructive types attempt to take  the world with them because, as you
211 said, every single individual is tied   to the Earth in some way, large or
212 small.  To fully destroy oneself means  to break that tie, and to do so also
213 requires that the other half othe link  be obliterated.
214  
215 Oh, and about that philosophy, Milch... I believe it's called
216 existentialism...  "Nothing matters,    none of our accomplishments mean
217 anything..." etc.
218  
219 Why do you ask?  Just curious?  I mean, after all, it isn't important!  
220 Nothing you could tell me is in any way significant!  Nothing this BOARD
221 could tell me is significant!  NOTHING  MATTERS!!!
222  
223 And now, easy listening...
224  
225 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::==Zephyr::(Suppport Twin Peaks)====:::::====
012=Usr:286 Jeff Marten       04/10/90 01:34  Msg:5120 Call:28478 Lines:22
226  
227  
228 {+}{+}{+}{+}
229  
230     AAh! A very interesting aside, Senor Zephyr. Might there be some
231       Backwater Feedback on Twin Peaks ?  Is it me, or was that the
232    strangest two hours of Network Televised Entertainment Broadcasting
233     I've ever seen. If you're looking for just what it is the show's
234    about, you'd find yourself looking at a Murder She Wrote, or even a
235     Quincy script. It's not the plot, that's for sure. Wouldn't it be
236   something if really horrible crimes were presented in such a way that
237 people who saw them dramatised on TV would feel like maybe pretty people
238  and fast cars have got nothing to do with it; and the real horror would
239  become real and people wouldn't confuse murder and rape with entertain-
240  ment any more ? Wouldn't that be interesting ?  David Lynch (director)
241         has definately got a line on it. Let's see what happens.
242  
243                            -+|[ ThingFish ]|+-
244                             Support Twin Peaks
245  
246 {+}{+}{+}{+}
247  
013=Usr:186 Wesley Smith      04/10/90 16:23  Msg:5121 Call:28483 Lines:4
248 I am interested in chatting with other blind users on this board.
249 my name is Wesley Smith, I am interested in the ways they use there computers f
250 telecommunications.
251  
014=Usr:368 Nemesis Warlock   04/11/90 14:00  Msg:5122 Call:28500 Lines:28
252 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
253 Well, we'd darned BETTER support it,    because ABC doesn't seem to care.
254 They've scheduled Twin Peaks opposite   Cheers (Ha, ha ha!), and I seriously
255 doubt that Twin Peaks is close enough   to pabalum to be digestible for the    
256 average viewer's tastes.
257  
258 Then again, maybe Dave'll surprise us   all.  I'd really LIKE to see the
259 series continue, if for no other reason than to figure out just WHAT the heck
260 is going ON there!  
261  
262 On a more positive note, roughly 1/3 of the viewing audience present that
263 night was watching Twin Peaks, which    means that, even if the series dies in 
264 its presently scheduled time slot, odds are good that ABC will move them to an 
265 area on the schedule where the series   can flourish.
266  
267 It's interesting to listen to everyone  talking about "that new show Twin
268 Peaks, created by that Lynch guy...
269 Didn't he do DUNE and BLUE VELVET?"     Obviously, it's tres chic now to be a  
270 Lynch fan, and yet I've not heard ANY   of these Nuveau Noire types mention    
271 ERASERHEAD...  Guess that one is for    those of us who've been into the scene 
272 since the beginning...
273  
274 Ask me why I'm on a bulletin board.
275  
276 It's the only thing to do in a town     where a yellow light means you should
277 try to hit the pedestrians.
278  
279 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::==Zephyr::==(Support Twin Peaks)===:::::====
015=Usr:219 Friar Mossback    04/12/90 06:10  Msg:5124 Call:28513 Lines:5
280 [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
281 Senor Zephyr- I support twin peaks on whomever I find them.  Yes, the 
282 Quantier is still in my posession.  And I have fully recovered from my 
283 wounds.  It must be time to make way to the pool.
284 [][][][][][][][][][][][][][]   Friar    [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
016=Usr:165 Bart Simpson      04/12/90 09:55  Msg:5125 Call:28520 Lines:123
285 696969696969
286 ========================================================================
287  5a of many 
288                         The Little UFO that Could 
289                         ************************* 
290                         *       TOP SECRET      * 
291                         ************************* 
292                              GAMMA SIGMA PHI 
293                            FOR YOUR EYES ONLY 
294                                   by 
295                             Benjamim Jamen 
296  
297               "If you had the opportunity to kill your worst
298               enemy in such a way that no one could ever know,
299               would you do it?", asked Yuan Ping.
300  
301               "Am I no one?", Dr. Samatsi replied.
302            ----------
303               "Our leaders lied to us and we are now pissed..."
304                    -Yuan Ping, student, explaining the philosophical
305               basis for the recent demonstrations.
306            -----------
307               "And now we toss young Ping's ashes with the thousand
308               others.  A sky yet dark with ashes, so we may see
309               the sun again someday."
310                    -Buddhist Monk, rough translation.
311  
312 The wind played the chimes in the backyard.  It made me think of Bob. 
313 His "Mom" had said that, at the ripe age of two, he had asked why the
314 wind played such music.  Then, I saw a brittle leaf caught in the
315 breeze.  Up, across, down, up, stall, down again.  As I watched the
316 motion, the coolness brushed against my arms.  The wind was at all
317 places at once, playing the music, toying with the leaf, touching
318 my arms.
319  
320 Suddenly, an idea intruded: Did the wind blow because the chimes were
321 ringing or vica versa? To me it is obvious: the wind blows (cause) and
322 the chimes resonate (effect).  I wonder how Dr.  Samatsi sees it.  For
323 that matter, I wonder if I could even comprehend his perception of it.
324  
325 Some wierdo somewhere is staring at the same sky, waiting for a UFO to
326 fly by.  Perhaps he has some hand held gadget he dreamed up to get
327 the UFO's attention.  By the way, if you haven't heard, UFO no longer
328 means what it stands for.  If you see a curious phenomenon which refuses
329 to be identifed, it is not a UFO by today's standard unless it can be
330 characterized as an unidentifiable machine.  If it swoops down and takes
331 you to Vega, you have a definitive reason to refer to it as a UFO: it is
332 a machine and you were inside.  
333  
334 There were no UFO's today, though, just airplanes and stuff like that
335 from Dulles roaring in the distant background.  And the chimes playing. 
336 And the sky turning bluer and bluer.  I couldn't take my eyes off of it,
337 the blue was so dark now.  Is the sun setting? I tried to look, but it
338 turned black before I could turn around and then a voice started
339 booming,
340  
341        You will watch your planet become a dead, wind swept rock,
342        like mine.  You will watch your planet become a dead, wind 
343        swept rock, like mine.  You will watch your planet become a 
344        dead, wind swept rock, like mine...
345  
346 And then, I woke up.  This is not a cheap Hollywood trick.  I did wake up, 
347 I was covered with sweat, and the wind chimes were ringing with the June
348 wind just outside of my window.  My body was shaking from the dream.  The clock
349 read 2am.  Probably too much sun from the day before.  I was playing
350 happy homeowner then and resealed the driveway.  The net effect was
351 radiation poisoning (aka, sunburn) and, now, bad dreams.  Damn.
352  
353 I went downstairs to the kitchen and made a cup of golden Oolong.  How
354 can green tea be golden, you ask?  I let it sit in the refrigerator for
355 a few days, pour off whatever is on top, and stick the result in the
356 microwave.  The result is a gold/amber liquid of the sort that nations
357 have fought wars over.  It's amazing you can still buy it legally in
358 this country.
359  
360 While the tea was brewing, I must have drifted off again.  This time
361 Howy and I were driving down the highway.  A black Ford pickup passed us
362 in the left lane.  Howy said, "That truck has no driver!", so I stepped
363 on the gas and started a chase.  As we got close to the truck, it became
364 clear to both of us what had happened.  The next morning, we were
365 sitting in a meeting in our Reston office with the boss and a bunch of
366 government people, telling them we could build a machine to prove this
367 works in just two weeks.  Some fat guy in the back, I think his name was
368 John Alderleigh, said, "You guys are always promising to deliver stuff in
369 two weeks.  Why don't you give us a realistic schedule for a change?". 
370 Howy explained that this was really simple, it COULD be done in two
371 weeks.  Some time later (probably more that two weeks, knowing us...),
372 we had it.  'It' was a box about the size of a 10 inch TV, in fact, it
373 looked quite a bit like a little TV.  The boss said he wasn't convinced
374 it would work.  I switched it on for a demo, explaining, "It would take
375 an infinite amount of energy to recreate the specific universe with
376 which we are concerned.  Since an infinite amount of energy is not 
377 available in this universe, it would, at first, seem impossible to create
378 the target universe.  However, it turns out that by perfectly
379 replicating one element of the target universe, the rest of that
380 universe follows.".  I switched on the TV for the demo.  The boss looked
381 skeptical.  Some element of the alternate universe appeared.  I would
382 like to say it was a vase, but realized it was not anything to which I
383 could appropriately relate.  But, my mind liked to think of it as a
384 vase.  So, let's call it a vase.  I stuck my hand THROUGH the screen,
385 and looked up at the boss.  It was written all over his face: still not
386 convinced.  I said, "You have to do this very slowly, with a steady
387 motion, or you will lose your hand.".  When I pulled my hand out, it was
388 beautiful, glistening with a predominately blue iridescence, glowing so
389 brightly that it was not longer recognizable as a hand.  Eventually, it
390 cooled down and became a hand again.  The boss was still not convinced. 
391 So, I said, "Okay, we're going in.  Go in head first.  Don't back out
392 unless you want to leave your head behind.".  Before he had a chance to
393 say anything, I was inside.  Then, I was on the other side.  Howy popped
394 out next.  Then came the boss.  The look on his face was that he was
395 still not convinced, as he sarcastically said, "This is great-how do we
396 get back?".  Now we were standing in the middle of a street of a very
397 clean city.  The TV was nowhere to be seen.  Hence, to the unanointed,
398 the way back was not obvious.  "Just deactivate the energy source to the
399 original image we produced.  The whole universe will collapse and we'll
400 be back where we started.".  That was me.  We wandered around the city
401 for some time.  Then, someone was chasing us, as they do in dreams at
402 times.  Howy and the boss got worried and jumped into a Tbird to get
403 away, but I said don't worry, as I placed my finger over the energy
404 source. 
405 (...to be continued...)
406 696969696969696969
407                                                                                
017=Usr:368 Nemesis Warlock   04/12/90 15:35  Msg:5126 Call:28528 Lines:37
408 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
409      The air below thee Stone Triangle   wavered for a few scant moments, as
410 rippling beams of green darted across a thickening cloud of acrid smoke.  As   
411 the moments ticked by, forms began to   become visible amidst the swirlings of 
412 the haze.
413      "Are you sure that this is the     place, Mukluk?" Michael queried, 
414 stepping beyond the thin boundary of    the cloud to survey the ramshackle 
415 huts scattered hither and yon across    the technorganic landscape.
416      *Apparently, as distasteful as     the notion sounds.*  Mukluk lifted a   
417 massive paw almost daintily, frowning   at the thick orange mud that clung to  
418 the pads.  *Very distasteful...* he     mused, sending thoughts of crashing    
419 waves to Michael through the husky's    telepathic link.
420      "And our surroundings?"
421      Mukluk's inaudible voice dripped   with psychic sarcasm.  *And here we
422 have a classic Pyrrixian slum... more   likely than not housing fugitives who  
423 couldn't even make it in the Networks... too unskilled to even be petty
424 thieves.*  He raised a paw and pointed  towards a massive complex spewing smoke
425 in the distance.  *Most of them probably work at that factory... our present   
426 destination.  It supplies power to the  recharging batteries of the Patriots.*
427      Michael winced.  "Terrific.  We're on our way to the main storehouse for
428 Pyrrix's police force...  Simply topper planning, my lad."
429      All around them as they walked, the desolation grew more and more
430 pronounced.  *Most of these slums, or   Alleys, to use the vernacular, are here
431 because the Technarchy couldn't find a  useful manner in which to plot them    
432 into the Design yet.*  His eyes scanned the ground, only faintly marred by     
433 the computer chips imbedded into the    surface that usually coated the        
434 landscape, often taking on mutagenic    forms resembling wheat fields.  *See?  
435 Barren.  Give 'em time, though.  I'm  sure that they'll eventually exhaust 
436 the current fuel resources and end up   just bulldozing the whole place to make
437 way for some Grand Industrial Complex.*
438      "Just what the world needs."
439      Mukluk froze without warning,      staring straight ahead.  *Good lord.*
440      Michael wasn't pleased.
441      The canine looked up into the      night sky, grimacing as a large shadow 
442 began a rapid descent.  *Patriots...*
443  
444 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::==Zephyr::=====(Support Twin Peaks):::::====
018=Usr:31 The Doctor        04/12/90 16:13  Msg:5128 Call:28529 Lines:1
445 ?????????????????????????????????????????????? Psuedo-Lurk ????????? Doc
019=Usr:4 Milchar           04/13/90 00:12  Msg:5129 Call:28534 Lines:6
446 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
447 Zephyr: I'm not the author of the writings above.  I have been in rather
448 severe lurk mode as my computer has been dead for about a week.  I believe
449 it is someone using the '+++++' border that did not know this might cause
450 confusion with my own border.
451 +++++++++++++++++++++++++ Milch ++++ Hey, CM, it works!  :-) ++++++++++++
020=Usr:84 Michael Miller j  04/13/90 06:44  Msg:5130 Call:28536 Lines:11
452 &*&*&*&*'s
453 (Remember that story I was doing a while back?  Heres an attempt at another
454 entry.)
455  
456 	I'd always wanted to be in a band, but the I'd never pictured myself as
457 being chained to the stage during performances.  Even my new found talent didn'
458 t offset the downside of the situation very much.  
459  
460 An Astral Dreamer
461 &*&*&*&*'s
462  
021=Usr:368 Nemesis Warlock   04/13/90 14:17  Msg:5131 Call:28541 Lines:89
463 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
464 (We don't LIKE having to come up with a cliffhanger because our time is almost
465 up...)
466  
467      Michael withdrew his phase pistol. "Just what are we dealing with anyway?
468 Quick run-down."
469      Mukluk paused for a moment as he   accessed PRISM'S bio-link.  *Fully
470 automated.  Primary frame is laced with highly resistant metallic substance.
471 Practically inescapable... highly       acute artificial senses, almost 
472 animalistic in their tanacity...*
473      The shadow dropped from the sky    like a stone.  "Fight or flight?"
474      *Ahem!* Mukluk coughed.  *I DO     believe I said 'inescapable' some time
475 ago...*
476      "Fight." Michael groaned.
477      The Patriot landed at the opposite end of the corridor of hovels.  
478      It was huge, much larger than      Mukluk had anticipated from the reports
479 sent down by PRISM...  Much larger.     And PRISM hadn't said anything about   
480 the huge vibro-knife that the Patriot   was weilding in its vast, red, metallic
481 hands.  And PRISM definitey hadn't      mentioned the autorifles running along 
482 the creature's shoulders.  PRISM's      report seemed, in fact, to be
483 distinctly tinted with a color of the   spectrum resembling that of a rose as  
484 seen through a prismatic lens, judging  from the massive arsenal that seemed to
485 be sprouting from every concievable     nook and cranny of the Patriot's       
486 candy-crimson structure.  #Cease and    desist, Urbanite.# the Patriot hissed, 
487 steam issuing forth from the massive,   saber toothed steel clamps that
488 composed the monster's jaws.
489      "THIS is the police force?"
490      *Things get rough here.  Remember  the Keeper incident?  Or Zod, for that
491 matter?*
492      "I read the reports."
493      #Psychobabble.# the Patriot leveled the point of the vibro-knife at 
494 Michael.  #Irredeemable tripe.#   Black steel kneeboots clomped against the
495 ground as the beast approached, the     steady hiss of the hydraulic fluids    
496 keeping rhythm with its stride, and with the twitching of the  metal hoses that
497 erupted from the back of its neck to    snake out across its massive form.     
498 #Definite twit.#
499      "What's he talking about?"
500      *Don't ask.*
501      #What we have here is a failure to communicate.#  
502      "Boy, I'll say, big fella.  Look,  my dog and I were JUST on our way to
503 the factories.  Honest."  The truth     hurts.
504      The Patriot tapped Michael on the  head with the flat of the vibro-knife,
505 knocking him o his knees.  Mukluk      regarded him slit-eyed. *Your dog?*
506      #Commie punk.# growled the Patriot as its burning LED eyes narrowed.  
507 #The moment has arrived to venerate     your pitiful musings from the master   
508 disk.#
509      Michael's eyes narrowed, anda     moment later five gaping holes 
510 erupted from the Patriot's chest.       Michael watched as the Patriot 
511 staggered back, regaining its footing   by placing its weight on a nearby      
512 automobile, whichmoments later became  a fuel injected steel mass.  #Nice
513 flame, punk.# it gasped.
514      Michael heard the phase pistol     hum, and pulled the trigger five times
515 before returning  the weapon, now        exhausted, to its holster.  *Some day 
516 you're going to have to tell me where   you got that.* Mukluk muttered.
517      "When I got it." Michael corrected as Mukluk's eyes widened.
518      The Patriot had regained some      small degree of the menace it had
519 possessed upon its entry, but the      battery and hydraulic fluids spilling
520 down across its triangular chest emblem detracted, as the black, viscous       
521 substances clashed with hot pink.       Yet it pressed on with no observable   
522 loss of enthusiasm.  #If you are in     need of help, you need but ask.#
523 However, the snap of its electronic     voice led the two adventurers to the   
524 general conclusion that here was an     offer for a type of help that was      
525 both determental and unnecessary.
526      *Michael...  what else are you     carrying?*
527      The Patriot began bridging the     gap between itself and the pair.
528 "A stiletto?"
529      *Not the most brilliant of         moves.*
530      "When was the last time five       shots didn't take something down?"
531      *True.*
532      Suddenly, the Patriot stopped in   its tracks, looking skyward, as if
533 listening to some voice inaudible to    the observers.  #General disclaimer.#  
534 it finally snarled in their general     direction.  #This isn't over yet, but  
535 we're trying to raise the system.       Just wait.  Have a Mike Day.#  The     
536 twin rocket pods on its back sprang     to life and it soared skyward as if    
537 the encounter and probable ensuing      bloodshed paled before another matter  
538 of utmost importance to its scrambled   circuits.
539      Michael and Mukluk were silent     for a few moments.  Nothing moved.
540 Finally, the canine looked up into the  eyes of its master.  *Well, that's     
541 cast a bit of a gloom over the          evening...*
542  
543  
544      Meanwhile, the Patriot rejoinned    the squadron it had left behind to
545 deal with the unknown users on the      ground below.  Across its LED eyes,    
546 as well as those of its brothers,       a message began flashing.  -Abort      
547 Present Orders.-  -Quantier has been    sighted.-  -Friar in vicinity.-   The
548 robots complied, homing in on the       Quantier's unique energy pattern.      
549 Before long, the air above a tiny       hovel was thick with retrosmoke...
550  
551 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::==Zephyr::(Support Twin Peaks:=====:::::====
022=Usr:189 Smiling Sandi     04/13/90 22:32  Msg:5134 Call:28546 Lines:6
552 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
553 NEW USER
554 What are we to enter on the board?  Is this just a general open forum?
555 Thanks.
556  
557 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Smiling Sandi !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
023=Usr:1 CISTOP MIKEY      04/14/90 20:58  Msg:5135 Call:28559 Lines:4
558 Sandi,
559   You can enter pretty much anything you want here. The format is whatever you
560 make of it. Welcome to the system by the way. Hope you find it enjoyable
561 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
024=Usr:84 Michael Miller j  04/15/90 00:07  Msg:5136 Call:28564 Lines:5
562 &*&*&*&*'s
563 Mind Blank.
564 An Astral Dreamer
565 &*&*&*&*'s
566  
025=Usr:70 Kurfur Redlig     04/15/90 12:53  Msg:5137 Call:28568 Lines:14
567 KKKKKKKKKKKurfur Redlig |
Hoppy Easter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
568  
569 I went to see The Gods Must Be Crazy II yesterday, and I wholeheartedly
570 reccommend this film to everyone out there.  It takes a bit of 
571 intelligence to understand all of the humor (although there is enough
572 slapstick for children to enjoy), but is still incredibly funny.  Not
573 only that but it has a good message thrown in as well.
574  
575 I heard that one of the characters in Twin Peaks is an actor from around
576 Portland.  He plays the bad guy that occasionally pops up with the scar
577 on his face.  From what I hear, he's also missing an arm.  Is he really
578 from around these parts?
579  
580 KKKKKKKKKKKKKurfur Redlig | No More Coloured Eggs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
026=Usr:368 Nemesis Warlock   04/15/90 16:11  Msg:5138 Call:28570 Lines:9
581 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
582 Kurfur:  Nope, no 'One Armed Man' roaming around Twin Peaks.  Are you, perhaps,
583 thinking of The Fugitive?
584  
585 Happy Easter Everyone!  I oughtta know! (Sorry, folks, couldn't resist... old
586 rabbits die hard, I guess...)
587  
588 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::==Zephyr::(Support Twin Peaks)=====:::::====
589  
027=Usr:186 Wesley Smith      04/15/90 17:01  Msg:5139 Call:28572 Lines:1
590 Computer for sale.
028=Usr:189 Smiling Sandi     04/15/90 19:49  Msg:5140 Call:28575 Lines:9
591 !@#$%^&*(---------------------------------------------------------------------
592 Thanks for the welcome Astral Dreamer.  If anyone has a mouse for sale (cheap),
593 please let me know.  I need one for my IBM XT.  
594 I hope everyone who wanted to had a nice Easter.  I spent the wee hours of te
595 morning in the hospital (zzzzzzz).  My sister had a baby.  Congratulations, Sis
596 I have a neat story to share with everyone sometime when I have more time to
597 type it in.  (It's shore, don't worry!)  Bye for now.
598 *^*^*^Smiling Sandi*^*^*^
599 !@#$%^&*(----------------------------------------------------------------------
029=Usr:219 Friar Mossback    01/01/80 01:47  Msg:5141 Call:28581 Lines:29
600 [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
601 Sandi-
602 Call 777-xxxx and leave a private message for Friar.  I have a mouse for you
603 that is both new and cheap.  
604  
605 I woke up after a long sleep.  I needed refreshment, having been completely
606 healed by the rest, but left very very hungry.  I reached for my pouch, hoping
607 to grab one of those thick ham sandwiches.  Instead I pulled out that damned
608 goblet.  I set it on the table, then reached in again.  Ahhh, there it was, the
609 ham sandwich.  Magical pouches are handy things to have around.
610  
611 I chewed on the sandwich, wondering what the strange noise was buzzing around
612 overhead.  Loudest damned mosquitoes I had ever heard.  Then the goblet, what
613 was it that man had called it, Quantier?  It began to buzz as well.  
614  
615 Suddenly, it shot blue fire from it's bowl, arcing only upward, in an inverted
616 cone.  The roof of the hovel I was in vanished in fire, and I looked up, and 
617 in terror saw metallic men in hot pink starting to rain down on me.  With 
618 only an instant to spare the table I was on, myself and a barmaid, and that
619 damned goblet, were in the middle of a meadow.  A strange twin sun in the east.
620  
621 The barmaid fainted.
622  
623 "Damn!  Now where am I?"  I decided just to eat the sandwich and wait.  If only
624 the owner of the "Quantier" would ask me for it, I would give it to him.  But
625 then how would I know who the owner was?  Would the thing itself tell me?
626  
627 [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]   Friar    [][][]][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
628  
030=Usr:11 L'homme sans Par  01/01/80 04:24  Msg:5143 Call:28582 Lines:11
629 %*@#%(_#(%_)#*%#%_)(_$@$(_!+@)$+!_@%(_)*%_(!_@(%_@)(+!$)~+_$)!_+%)%*_!%*_!(!_@
630 Mil *char: So, why don't we hear from you anymore on this system?
631 AD: How goes the BBS? How goes the hard disk?
632 Voyer: Is the supermachine still being super?
633 CisternOp: Sorry, could not make the Thursday meeting - school is just
634 taking too much time.
635  
636 Well, that about catches me up here. No word from either alex1 or alex2
637 on trips to Hawaii, as if I could take advantage of it anyway! :-(
638 *$@#_%*_#%(_)@#(%_@#*%@#% L'homme sans Parity %*(_@%_@#(%_)@#%*@#_%@%#%(@_#(%
639  
031=Usr:1 CISTOP MIKEY      01/01/80 05:21  Msg:5144 Call:28584 Lines:17
640 If we were on the old system this disk would be full.....
641 -----------------------------------------------------------------------
642 Joke time:
643  
644 Three generals were arguing to each other about what real courage was.
645 Finally the Navy General got feed up and said, "you want to see courage?
646 I'll show you courage! Sailor! Catch that anchour!" His aid rushed over and
647 stood under the anchor which smashed him to a pulp as it fell. "That
648 gentlemen" said the navy general, "is courage!" The army general responded,
649 "You call that courage? Watch this! Soldier! Stop that tank!" The army
650 general's aid rushed over to stand in front of the tank and was squashed
651 flat without a peep as the tank ran over him. The Air Force general laughed
652 at this and said, "Ho! You call that courage? I'll show you real courage!
653 Airman! Stop that F14!" The airman looked over at the general and said
654 "Screw you sir!" "Now that gentlemen," said the Air Force general, "Is real
655 courage!"
656 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
032=Usr:4 Milchar           01/01/80 06:13  Msg:5145 Call:28586 Lines:37
657 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
658 L'homme:  Well, it goes something like this.  My machine was in Limbo for
659 a week or two, and now... TA-DA!  386sx land!  Celene is now what you might
660 call a bit zippier at what it does.  Now, if I can get uupc and the MNP modem
661 talking to one another, I might even poll qiclab once in a while.  :-)
662 I also seem to have come into the possession of a dual 10 meg Bernoulli, as in
663 one of those 8-inch-cartrige suckers.  Which is fine, 'cause 16 or so carts
664 came with it.  I've got around 300 meg of ALL REMOVEABLE storage now.  Who
665 needs floppies?
666 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
667     A fresh breeze stirred the mirror surface of the river, causing the
668 sunlight to dance on the waves.  The only sounds were caused by the wind,
669 which carried a scent of pine and stirred the boughs of the trees.
670     A peaceful scene, you will admit.  Man had not yet left his mark on
671 this land, far from his cities and roads.
672     A pair of eyes scanned the scene.  Their owner, a small mouse, spied a
673 tiny seed near a large circle of mushrooms.  It nervously darted forward,
674 keeping hidden as much as possible, and anxiously awaited the prize before
675 it.  The mouse smelled no predator, but... something felt wrong.
676     Bright light flooded the small clearing, startling the mouse and
677 causing it to run away.  A thin line of dazzling blue light marked the
678 edge of the mushroom ring.  A high piercing scrape clove the air, and when
679 it was done, the line had grown into a small door, complete with knocker
680 and brass doorknob.
681     The doorknob turned, and was followed by a sharp *click*.  The door
682 opened outward a few inches.  Shiny brown eyes looked out into the forest
683 clearing.  "Ahh...err...ahhh...I don't see anything that looks dangerous.
684 Wait a moment."  Thin, nimble fingers made odd gestures in the air,
685 seeming to trace intricate designs.  A warm, amber glow illuminated the
686 dark shadow beneath the door.  A small, brown-skinned humanoid figure
687 garbed in dark green garments was lit by the strong golden aura that
688 flowed from the designs in the air.
689     The small head dropped out of sight, and the door slammed closed.
690 There was a voice behind the door- "Can't be anything dangerous out there,
691 fellows-- I've never seen so much mana floating free in a world!  I can't
692 imagine why that is. . .but it looks like we found a new home!"
693 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Milchar
033=Usr:368 Nemesis Warlock   01/01/80 21:13  Msg:5147 Call:28597 Lines:60
694 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
695      "Damn!" Standor hissed as he       fluttered helplessly about the
696 sprawling array of video monitors.      The rhythmic clicking and clacking of  
697 thin steel wings careened about the     huge chamber.  "PRISM!" the falcon     
698 muttered, distractedly, his amber eyes  still fixed on the images flickering 
699 on the screen before him.  "Just WHAT   is the meaning of this?"
700      #Unknown#, the calming voice       whispered from throughout the cavern.
701 #However, energy fluctuations would     seem to indicate that the Quantier is  
702 no longer present in Techopolis.   For  that matter, I can't seem to locate it 
703 anywhere near Pyrrix A'aaal.#
704      "Cross-reference nearby ambient    dimensional links..." 
705      #I did that already.  The results  are not promising.  It dooesn't appear
706 as though any sort of dimensional jump  was made.  At least, there aren't any  
707 indications of it.  When you're dealing with a time displacement like this,
708 though, such readings are almost        meaningless.#
709      "Don't I know it..." Standor let   the images of the SINAT Bar & Grill
710 trail off...
711      The birdflapped over to one of    the control panels designed for 
712 physical interaction.  "Concentrate     on reading any fluctuations in the     
713 null environment..."  The two wire-thin "hands", miniaturized servo-units      
714 that served in place of real ones,      below Standor's wings punched a few    
715 stray keys across the board, accessing  some of the more mundane facets of     
716 PRISM's psyche.  The computer may have  been amazingly quick to respond and    
717 solve problems, but its artificial      intelligence kept its mind limited to  
718 concentration on a single task. 
719      Within moments, Standor had        accessed the transporter and returned  
720 Michael and Mukluk to the asteroid.     "I trust you had a pleasant trip."     
721 teased the avian.
722      "Nothing we couldn't handle."
723      "Looked like it." Standor, now     perched on a computer bank, waved a 
724 wing towards the video monitors.  "Now  you only have the entire Pyrrixian     
725 police force e after you for a minor      violation."
726      *Couldn't be helped, amigo.*       Mukluk interrupted.  *The Patriots
727 aren't known for their understanding,   and I'm afraid that a Time Loop 
728 outweighs honorable time served.*
729      "Nevertheless," replied Standor,   "we still have the little matter of
730 the goblet to deal with."  The amber    eyes within Standor's metallic skull   
731 gleamed in the dim lighting.  "And      I'm afraid the news isn't good."
732      *Dimensional displacement?*
733      "Time jump?"
734      #Worse,# PRISM replied.  #We       don't know.#
735      Michael looked down at the clip    on his phase pistol, which read that
736 the weapon had been recharged during    transit.  "We can't waste any time with
737 looking.  PRISM, have you accessed      every area sensors could detect?"
738      #Every one.#
739      "Run a check for extreme energy    discharges, possibly related to some
740 sort of cloaking shield."
741      #Already done.  Nada.#
742      "Any minor points of mention?"
743      #Just one.  I notice that I'm      getting a negative reading from the
744 various Stone Triangles.#
745      "What's so odd about that?  The    energy around them fluctuates with the
746 tides.  You know that as well as I do,  probably moreso."
747      #True.  That's just my point.  I   measured the pattern, and there
748 should be a positive reading right      about now.#
749      "Glitch?"
750      #Unlikely.  Impossible.#
751      "Check it again."
752      #Still negative.# PRISM replied    instantly, his voice ringing with 
753 resounding satisfaction.
034=Usr:368 Nemesis Warlock   01/01/80 21:39  Msg:5148 Call:28598 Lines:53
754      "Any theories?"
755      #Just one.  Whatever Friar and     the Quantier did in the hut to escape
756 the Patriots shifted the polarity on    about 53 Stone Triangles.#
757      Michael paused.  "Incalculable     energy would be needed for something   
758 like that.  Most scientific probes      on Pyrrix A'aaal can't even seem to    
759 get through the first layer of energy   shielding on a single Triangle, much   
760 less alter the structure of all 53..."
761      *So where is he?* Mukluk broke     their musings.
762      "Just a thought..." Michael began. "PRISM, you've been running general
763 life readings on the planet for Friar,  haven't you?"
764@     "At present, anyway.  Until I can  narrow the range, that's all I can do.
765      #Until I narrow down the range,    that's all I can do.  Worse, my sensor
766 bands are STILL limited to their fixed  efficiency.  Spreading them out just   
767 makes them work less accurately.#
768      "I want you to scan the Triangles  for life readings."
769      #I already did, Michael.  Friar    isn't near any of them...#
770      "Scan the TRIANGLES!" Michael      corrected.  
771      Mukluk and Standor looked on,      quizically.
772      #Don't you remember?# PRISM's      voice suddenly changed into Michael's.
773 #'Incalculable energy would be needed   for something like that'...  Um-Hmm??#
774      "Right then.  Guess we're just     going to have to keep the whole field  
775 in stasis and wai-"
776      The room wavered around them,      spinning into a central point of
777 unimaginable brightness.
778  
779       Michael, Mukluk, and Standor      suddenly found themselves on a huge,
780 grassy plain.  Twin suns blazed, yet    the light from them seemed to cool     
781 the burning ground rather than heating  it.  "Any thoughts?" he asked the      
782 avian science officer.
783      "Welcome to the inside of a Stone  Triangle, my friends..."
784  
785 * * *
786  
787      Elsewhere, thin, black-gloved      fingers slid away from a green, oozing 
788 control panel.  "Perfect." a whispered  voice sounded.  "Just perfect."
789  
790 * * *
791  
792      Elsewhere, two kangaroo rats were  surprised to find that the ground
793 beneath their feet had suddenly erupted into a giant white tower.  They
794 fell to their deaths on the desert      floor.
795  
796 * * *
797  
798      Elsewhere, PRISM wondered about    the sudden disappearance of his
799 comerades.  #Oh, this is going to end   in tears, I just know it...#
800  
801 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
802 HA!  Deal with THAT, Friar!
803 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::==Zephyr::(Support Twin Peaks:=====:::::====
804 Minor data correction...  There IS a    'One Armed Man' in TWIN PEAKS, played 
805 by actor Al Slocum.  Sorry.
806 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::==Zephyr::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
035=Usr:84 Michael Miller j  01/02/80 13:08  Msg:5150 Call:28604 Lines:8
807 &*&*&*&*'s
808  
809 The drive is fine, the bbs is doing great.  Now, if I could only get some of 
810 you people to call my bbs...
811  
812 An Astral Dreamer
813 &*&*&*&*'s
814  
036=Usr:31 The Doctor        01/03/80 04:59  Msg:5153 Call:28620 Lines:1
815 ??????????????????????????????? Kinda Lurk Mode ??????????????????? Doc
037=Usr:4 Milchar           01/03/80 06:56  Msg:5154 Call:28621 Lines:31
816 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
817     Deep below the ring of fungus, a most peculiar meeting was beginning.
818 It began something like-
819     "Silence, Qinmers.  The time has come to seal the gathering."
820     Quiet fell over the humanoids.  Each turned to face away from the
821 others, his or her back to the center of the meeting.  Each stared outwards
822 toward the perimeter of the group, concentrating.  Instantly, a visible
823 barrier came into being, created and shaped by the desire of the humanoids.
824 The barrier whitened, lighting the interior of their meeting-place and
825 obscuring the outside world.
826     The task done, all of the humanoids turned to the center of the
827 newly formed barrier, sat down, and listened to First Qinmer Dun.
828     "It is well done, fellow Qinmers.   The gathering is sealed.  Now,
829 what news have we of this world?  Will you speak, Qinmer Lihn?"
830     A hairless humanoid stood.  "The breach to this world was difficult,
831 First Qinmer.  The potential mana difference was enormous.  The breach
832 is stable, however, and should remain so for at least three days.  As for
833 the conditions in the world itself, allow my assistant to repeat his
834 findings here.  Rew?"
835     Rew stood.  His dark green cloak stirred a little, seemingly of its
836 own accord.  His sea green eyes stared out of his coffee-hued face.
837 "Qinmers, I have not found any intelligent beings within the range of
838 my far-sight.  The mana level of this world is some millons of kynon."
839     These revelations drew excited whispers from the gathering.
840     "All the evidence we have at this time tells us that this world could
841 be a perfect home."
842     Several Qinmer echoed "..home..", as if trying to remember how the
843 word tasted on their lips.
844     Home.  Just a word?  Not if you haven't had a home in centuries...
845 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Milchar
846  
038=Usr:219 Friar Mossback    01/03/80 13:09  Msg:5155 Call:28622 Lines:5
847 [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
848 Inside the stone triangle?!?  Good grief.  This will take some doing, give 
849 me a day or so.
850 [][][][][][][][][][][][][][]   Friar    [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][]
851  
039=Usr:165 Bart Simpson      01/03/80 19:38  Msg:5156 Call:28632 Lines:84
852             696969696969 part 5b 
853 Then I woke up again.  What was amazing was not the realism of the dream, but 
854 the fact it had all taken place in less than two minutes. Weeks had passed in 
855 my mind while just 120 seconds passed outside the mind.  Amazing. 
856  
857 I looked through some old mail while sipping the Ooolong.  It was already 3am. 
858 My first day back at work was just a few hours away.  My brain was scared, no 
859 wonder all these dreams were being generated. I dozed off with my head on the 
860 kitchen table and woke to the rising sun.  After shaving and grabbing my 
861 briefcase, I was headed off to the worst day of my life at work. To make a 
862 long story short, the boss and I went into an available conference room around 
863 9am.  He shut the door behind us.  That meant trouble. 
864  
865 "Ben, we've decided to give you some time off-with pay.  How does three
866 months sound?"
867 Me, "THREE MONTHS!?!?!?  What would I do with three months off?  I'd go
868 bananas.  I haven't had more than a week off straight in three years!"
869 "Let me level with you.  The shrink says you need three months off, then
870 a few minor tests to see if you've gotten all the nasty drug out of your
871 system.  Your area is sanitized, in case you haven't noticed, you will
872 not be allowed near or around sensitive material for at least three
873 months.  So, why not take a nice little vacation and relax a while?"
874 "What the hell am I supposed to do with three months?"
875 "Look, it's with pay.  Go somewhere.  ENJOY YOURSELF FOR A CHANGE.  Do
876 something..."
877 "I'm a mathematician, we don't like to enjoy ourselves."  Okay, so I was 
878 pouting.
879 "Fine, then, if you want to enjoy yourself, go prove Fermat's Theorum
880 during your vacation."
881 "Ha Ha.  Very funny."  I paused for a second, and then had an idea. 
882 "Look, I'll agree to this if you'll give Howy 3 months off, too."
883 "That is absolutely not possible and you know that.  Howy is working on
884 too many critical projects."
885 "Sounds like nothing I'm doing at the moment is of any value."
886 The boss replied, "You seem to be forgetting one minor detail.  Howy didn't
887 ingest an unknown quantity of hallucinogenic drugs.".
888 "The jury is still out on whether I injested anything, either."
889 "You are finally catching on, Einstein.", the boss was getting hot.  "If you 
890 are going wacko, then you've got three months to come back to reality.  
891 Whether it was drugs or wacko, you'd better have it out of your system by 
892 then.  WE are doing YOU a favor.  Is that clear enough for you?". Damn, I'd 
893 never seen him get that hot before.  Even when I dropped my milkshake down the 
894 bra of our receptionist in Rosslyn and directed her to go upstairs to the 
895 'Insurance Office' and change (of course, three people where standing around 
896 at the time who had no idea what we really do in that building until I let the 
897 cat out of the bag when, in a totally confused state of mind after seeing one 
898 of her brown spots come exploding out of the one size too small cup due to the 
899 chocolate milkshake catalyst, I mentioned that the folks upstairs could take 
900 care of her while I played the Agency receptionist downstairs), he wasn't this 
901 hot. 
902 I dropped my head and said, "Okay.".  
903 He replied, "Fine.  You have two hours to clear out.  An escort must be with 
904 you at all times.  As of this moment, all clearances and associated privileges 
905 are suspended.  You are not to return to any of our facilities FOR ANY REASON 
906 for three months after you leave today.  Do you understand, Mr. Jamen?" 
907 "What if a paycheck is late?"
908 "Talk to Howy.  Let him take care of all interactions with the staff. Consider 
909 yourself terminated if you do not follow these instructions.". This time he 
910 didn't wait to see if I understood.  He just left.  Right on cue, one of the 
911 male secretaries came in through the door to stand bodyguard.  I was so shaken 
912 that I wasn't sure what to do for the next two hours.  I stood there and 
913 looked down at the rug.  A tear dropped on the rug, leaving a round wet 
914 splatter.  It was over for me. --------------
915  It has been just a month since the first basic principles of TOI were 
916 released.  In that time, a country's cities burned, its civilians massacred, 
917 and chaos reigned.  Why am I telling you what you already know? Because, what 
918 you don't know is that Dr.  Chen has refused to release any more of the TOI 
919 papers due to the chaos in China.  He is now frightened that what we've seen 
920 over the past few weeks is sample of the society wide insanity which might be 
921 induced through the misuse of the equations. 
922 Have you ever heard such superstitious tripe in your life?  First of all, at 
923 this point, it appears that Dr. Samatsi's papers are nothing more than a 
924 fascinating mathematical exercise.  Yes, the good doctor did supposedly 
925 withdraw permission to publish the papers after determining that much damage 
926 could be incurred through a misapplication, but, what are you damaging?  Some 
927 models of intelligence which float across your computer screen?  What 
928 bullshit! 
929 What happened in China was destined to happend even if Dr. Samatsi never 
930 existed.  I want to make that clear here, for the record. 
931 ========================================================================== 
932 (...to be contined...)
933 696969696969696969 
934  
935                                                                                
040=Usr:368 Nemesis Warlock   01/03/80 21:50  Msg:5159 Call:28633 Lines:3
936 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
937 Friar: We aim to tease.
938 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::==Zephyr::(Support Twin Peaks)=====:::::====
041=Usr:186 Wesley Smith      01/03/80 23:06  Msg:5160 Call:28637 Lines:1
939 c
042=Usr:84 Michael Miller j  01/04/80 13:14  Msg:5161 Call:28643 Lines:6
940 &*&*&*&*'s
941 Not exactly a lurk, but close.
942  
943 An Astral Dreamer
944 &*&*&*&*'s
945  
043=Usr:1 CISTOP MIKEY      01/05/80 02:41  Msg:5162 Call:28655 Lines:2
946 sort of a non-lurk lurk?
947 -------------------------
044=Usr:4 Milchar           01/05/80 03:28  Msg:5163 Call:28656 Lines:2
948 Get your official "I Lurked On Backwater And All I Got Was This Lousy
949 Message" T-shirts right here!  Get them while they're hot!  :-)
045=Usr:137 The Professor     01/05/80 05:42  Msg:5164 Call:28657 Lines:12
950 ????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
951  
952 This is all impressively eclectic - but it makes me feel old......
953 'course - I'm getting that way (long time it is since I saw the inner halls
954 of a school.....).  I think for the time being I shall just continue to
955 "lurk" in the shadows for a while.
956  
957                                         The Shadow Lurking Professor
958 ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
959 (can't help the border - to late to make up something resembling good)
960        and what happened to the dates?  Somebody need a new clock battery?
961 g'night, all
046=Usr:31 The Doctor        01/05/80 22:32  Msg:5166 Call:28664 Lines:1
962 ??????????????????????????????? Lurk Mode ?????????????????????????? Doc
047=Usr:368 Nemesis Warlock   01/05/80 23:19  Msg:5167 Call:28665 Lines:7
963 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::====
964 Hmmm... only 37 lines to go!  At the    current rate, why, we'll be on to the
965 next disk in a week!
966  
967 Oh well, at least never let it be said  that everyone's favorite non-lagomorph
968 didn't contribute SOMETHING to fill     space (DON'T SAY A WORD, MIKEY!).
969 :::::=====:::::=====:::::=====:::::==Zephyr::(Support... you get the idea):====
048=Usr:13 voyeur            04/22/90 01:54  Msg:5169 Call:28678 Lines:19
970 ::::::::O O::::::04/22/90::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::01:53:12::::O O:::::::
971 L'homme: the supermachine is running adequately (although those 33 Mhz '486s
972          for not much more than I paid for my 386/33 4 months ago sure are
973          appealing... know anybody that wants an obsolete Northgate? <g>
974          I finally found out the real meaning of a suppressed immune system -
975          I got a rather minor infection in my arm, went to see the doctor when
976          my temperature hit 102 (I thought it was just the flu), and he nearly
977          threw me in the hospital to feed me I.V. antibiotics.  Geez, the way
978          some people react to the simplest things...
979          Speaking of fever dreams, you may recall I was interested in a
980          Telebit T2500?  I recently noticed in Lisa's BBS list that Forsbergs
981          TeleGodzilla is running a vanilla V.32 modem now, no longer the PEP.
982          What is the significance of this vis-a`-vis PEP & Telebit?  Is the
983          *nix world going mainstream a la V.32, or is Chuck using his PEP
984          solely for UUCP? Inquiring minds (and potential buyers) want to know!
985          Did you know that if you rotate clockwise the first two letters of
986          UUCP you get CCCP?   Ah HA!  Unix is a Communist Plot!
987          Sorry 'bout that; must be a relapse.
988  ::::::::O O::::::::::::::::::::::::::voyeur::::::::::::::::::::::::::O O::::::
049=Usr:84 Michael Miller j  04/22/90 08:17  Msg:5170 Call:28681 Lines:11
989 &*&*&*&*'s
990 Well, looks like it time to fill the disk.  I guess I'll do it by explaining
991 my latest theory on why the world is the way it is.  
992  
993 1.  People react rather then thinking.  This one leads to nasty things like war
994 and any other number of stupidities.
995  
996 2.  People hate to admit they are wrong.  Combine this with one and what do you
997 get?  The world the way it is today.
998 An Astral Dreamer (Leaving the implications as an excercise.)
999 &*&*&*&*'s
