
1 If you are in need of help, you need but ask...
2 ************************* INSTALLED: 30 MAR 85 *********************
3 Welcome to BWMS (BackWater Message System)  Mike Day System operator
4 ************************************************************
5 GENERAL DISCLAIMER: BWMS IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INFORMATION
6                     PLACED ON THIS SYSTEM.
7 BWMS was created as an electronic bill board. BWMS is a privately owned
8 and operated system which is currently open for use by the general public.
9 No restrictions are placed on the use of the system. As the system is
10 privately owned, I retain the right to remove any and all messages which
11 I may find offensive. Because of the limited size of the system, it will be
12 periodically purged of messages. (only 629 lines of data can be saved)
13 To leave a message, type 'ENTER' and use ctrl/C or break to get out of the
14 ENTER mode. The message is automatically stored. If after entering the
15 message you find you made a mistake, use the replace command to replace
16 the line. To exit from the system, type 'OFF' then hang up.
17 Type 'HELP' to see other commands that are available on the system.
18  ***********************************************************
19 
20 ********************************************************************
21 Pro: In rereading my scathing remark, perhaps I was just a bit harsh.
22 I tend to get just a bit irate when someone looks down their nose at
23 other people. 
24      As for the writings, you seem to have the misconception that
25 everyone here is attempting to be a master at the writting craft.  This
26 is hardly the case.  Most of the people are here for the enjoyment. 
27 This is a social gathering, where people can talk and discuse things of
28 enjoyment.  As is case with most amateur activities, writing the
29 'perfect' short story or novel is not the prime reason for the activity
30 here.  Writing for the pure enjoyment is. 
31      As for your Quote in regard to programmers/engineers, I don't see
32 how that fits into the argument at all.  What have they got to do with
33 the argument about the writing here?  You're not assuming that everyone
34 here is a programmer here are you?  Let me assure that few of them are.
35 They are by the large a cross section of people who enjoy socializing.
36 Admitedly there is a greater interest in computers then in the general
37 populance, but that hardly gives them the title of'programmer'. 
38      As far as good or bad is concerned, it is all relative.  You don't
39 help someone expand and grow by telling them that everything they do
40 is garbage.  Instead, a proper teacher helps through encouragement when
41 progress is made.  Sure it may not be up to what you define as good,
42 but when compared to what came before, it might be a thousand fold
43 improvment.  To say that it is garbage without realizing the
44 comparision does not show a great amount of concern for the person.  It
45 instead only shows a desire to prove yourself better. 
46      A true professional does not need to prove anything.  The need to
47 prove something only shows that you feel threatened, and that you must
48 put down the other person for fear that they will somehow bring to
49 light your own failures.  I feel that it is the job of a professional
50 to help others to understand their field, and help when asked. 
51 Helping does not consist of telling them that it is all garbage.
52 Helping is showing where they are doing things right, and where they
53 can be improved. Encouragement is important. Sure it may not be
54 perfect, but if it is better then before, then it is better, and that
55 means in relation to what was before; GOOD.
56      I myself have never indicated that anything put here is perfect. 
57 Indeed, I generally indicate the opposite, but I also realize WHY it is
58 that way.  Let's not mistake amateur night as a fully rehearsed show 
59 of professonals.  Certainly I have and do indicate when I enjoy a
60 writers story, but I also indicate why I like it.  I also realize that
61 just because I like it doesn't mean that everyone else has to, nor
62 that those things I don't like are necessarily 'bad'.
63      I also disagree with the concept of the quote, that enginners are
64 somehow perfect, and programmers are scum.  It simply is not the truth.
65 It again shows your narrow vision and lack of exposure to the real
66 world.  While an engineer will spend a lot of time to make sure that a
67 multi million dollar project is done correctly, he is not perfect.
68 There are news stories almost everyday relating to the failure of a
69 structure because of improper design, or a flaw (bug).  On the same
70 token, there are many programs written that are very solid. 
71      I remember reading about a freeway overpass that collapsed because
72 of a very poor expansion joint design that was unable to take the
73 stress.  Then of course there is the infamous Tacoma narrows bridge
74 that tore itself apart because the engineers failed to account for the
75 possiblity of wind resonance.  That isn't counting all the normal
76 bridges that you drive on every day that look perfectly safe and sound.
77 Talk to a bridge maintaince person sometime if you want to feel unsafe
78 about every driving over a bridge again.
79      I could go on, but I've babbled on too long already. 
80 *************************** CISTOP MIKEY *****************************
81 P.S. Why would I care who anybody is?  None of this would even be
82 talked about if we were all known. Everybody would be afraid of
83 letting their feelings known, and possibly make an ass of themselves!
84 This is all for FUN, so don't get so serious about it all!
85 **********************************************************************
86 
87 {*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}!!!isis!!!{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}
88 Piper: Nice story.  How do you explain snow, though?  No ICBM's, please!
89 Cistop Mikey: I know it's your system, but, gee whiz, you can have the top
90 anytime you want.  Let us mere mortals have a chance!  Heavy sigh.
91 All: There's more Arthur coming, I've just been lazy lately.  Maybe someday
92 I'll get ahead of it!
93 {*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}!!!isis!!!{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*{*}{*}{*}{*}
94 Oops, I forgot.  Luingil:  Are you the same displaced SCA-type that was on
95 long ago?  I am a displaced Val-ey girl myself.  If you are, then give my
96 greetngs to the Graf and Grafina (sp?) and all of them.  To them, I am Anna
97 Volkova.  Oh, Dart Noir says hi!, too.
98 {*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}!!!isis!!!{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}
99 .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .
100     T. Schmidt: I think, perhaps, I was one who you spoke of. Just saying,
101 I took what you said into account, thought about it abit. Okay, so I have
102 a few quirks to iron out. But, I never had anything against constructive
103 critism. And, if you recall, this all start because some joe-blow was bored
104 and decided to hurt another's feelings.
105     Pro: I use my own identity for just about everything because I have faith
106 in the detective service that will uncover anyone. You mentioned that you
107 would be happy to talk on another board for some reason, but knew not who we
108 were. Well, I am Tanya Barfield. If you every decide to, you may drop me a
109 note. You may just want to remamin unknown or whatever, but anyways I 
110 thought I would mention that just incase. -Tanya
111 .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .
112 oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
113 Milchar:  While we would consider it a privilege to read your contest entry, be
114 warned that to put substantial portions of it here might conceivably affect its
115 eligibility for competition.  Legally, the distribution of a work to the public
116 (as opposed to a private group of friends) makes it ineligible for later
117 copyright, and publishers take a dim view of that situation.  As a practical
118 matter, the issue would be unlikely to arise.  Still, there is more than one
119 species of twit in this world, and the scenarios one can imagine involving some
120 of them should perhaps not be spelled out....
121 oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
122      To this Observer, it seems that much of the wrangling seen here of late has
123 been based on mutual misunderstanding.  On one hand, there is a Pro who--
124 although right in his/her beliefs about the importance of correct use of the
125 English language--has totally misunderstood the purpose of this Inn.  It is not
126 a training ground for professional writers.  It is a place where non-
127 professionals (and, I am happy to learn, some published authors like myself) are
128 free to relax and share ideas expressed in imaginative ways.  It is a forum for
129 vision, not language.  Furthermore, the Pro has attempted to make points
130 through the use of false analogy.  Yes, indeed, if engineers used the same
131 techniques programmers do, civilization would fall (and in fact there would
132 never have been any computers for programmers to run their code on). 
133 Nevertheless, a great many programs are still running, for the very good reason
134 that programming is not the same kind of task as engineering.  And to a still
135 greater extent, writing is an activity of an entirely different nature.  It is
136 demonstrably untrue that no one would read anything if writers paid less heed to
137 technical perfection--although whether or not the writing is of the imaginative
138 sort does have a bearing on this case.  The examples given by the Pro are
139 revealing.  Is he/she a journalist or tech writer, perhaps?  In those fields,
140 his/her points would be well taken.  But as to reading imperfect stories, the
141 Pro evidently enjoys doing so, else why come here?
142      On the other hand, there are a number of writers who feel personally
143 insulted by the remarks of the Pro; and this too is unwarranted.  The opinions
144 expressed by the Pro appear to be honest ones, meant not as criticism of
145 individuals but as an attempt to make this Inn into something it was never
146 intended to be.  Yet there have been more *personal* attacks on the Pro than on
147 any other individual; has he/she not the same right to free expression as those
148 who happen to be unable to spell?  The suggestion that if the Pro returns he/she
149 should introduce errors to conceal identity makes me uneasy.  Is it to be
150 assumed that *all* creative writers have difficulty with spelling?  I can spell;
151 yet I am aware that many people lack this particular talent (just as I lack many
152 talents they possess) and I do not feel they should spend their limited time in
153 this establishment worrying about what does not come naturally.  Why have the
154 Patrons been so quick to take a defensive stance?  Do they feel *guilty* about
155 technical failings of which they are aware?--but no, for then it would be
156 hypocrisy to say those skills don't matter.  It's better, I think, to view it as
157 a question of priorities.  The Pro's priorities are different from those of
158 most Patrons; can we not simply acknowledge that, and go on following our own?
159 ooooooooooooooooooooooo OBSERVER FROM ANOTHER GALAXY ooooooooooooooooooooooo
160 
161 [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/]
162   I looked forward to visiting here very much, when I left there was mush to 
163 read.  When I come back, most of what is here is endless debate over what is
164 axceptable and what is not.  
165   I hope this proofreading debate is soon over.  My visits are very few, I hope
166 to see the creative side of BackWater, the side I miss more than I can say.
167   I will drink of the waters as much as I can, I can only hope that the taste
168 is the clean taste of the spring thaw, not the sterile taste of the treatment
169 plant.
170                                      THE TIN MAN
171 [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/]
172 
173 1 12 123 12345 1234567 12345678901 1 12 123 12345 1234567 12345678901 1 12
174 
175    It came to life.  What triggered its life it could not tell, but one thing
176 was certain -- it was a legacy of the fallen McKane empire.  As it rose to its
177 feet it could see the smashed computers and mangled wreckage of what must have
178 once been an advanced scientific facility.  The riots and destruction which
179 followed the collaps of the evil corporation had rendered most of the machines
180 useless.  
181    On the floor, partially obscured by dust was a document stamped TOP SECRET.
182 
183    To: L. McKane
184  From: Dr. Fu Man Masticate
185 Sbjct: Robot
186 
187    As you well know, sir, our adversary, Ian MacHinery, is prone to using 
188 duplicates of himself to elude would-be assassins.  This tradition has become
189 an obsession--complete with a ritual speech which goes something like this:
190 "There, you see, it was only a robot, I'm in perfect condition!"  
191    I have come to the conclusion that this tendency can be used against him. 
192 The robot before you (who I have named Ian MecHanism) is an exact duplicate of
193 Ian MacHinery, with one exception.  The robot has an explosive charge planted
194 just behind his breastplate.  The robot, which will be substituted for one of
195 Mchinery's robot's, is programmed to act and react just as MacHinery would.  
196 Our android will kill the Net leader and take his place.  Were he to fail, he
197 would self destruct on the keywords "deus ex machina" destroying everything
198 within a three block radius.
199    Considering the current unrest within your administration and the various 
200 religious groups beginning to act against you, I recommend that the robot be
201 activated immediately.  The future of mcKane Industries could depend on it.
202 
203    The robot climbed the elevator shaft, its destiny awaited -- somewhere,
204 somewhere out there...
205 
206 1 12 123 12345 1234567 12345678901 1 12 123 12345 1234567 12345678901 1 12 123
207 [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/]
208 Pardon me - that was "much to read" not "mush to read".  Blame ENTER ONLY.
209 [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] [/] THE TIN MAN [/] [/]
210 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PaPa
211 Well, well, well.  This Pro guy seems to be in the thick of things
212 right now.  My, my, what some people will do to put their foots into
213 their mouth.
214 ISIS:  Cistop Mikey does not count as being on the top.  As you put it,
215 he can have it anytime that he wants, and somtimes that is the only
216 place you will find him, because before he gets a chance to look at the
217 system again, its full.  YOU WERE AT THE TOP, ISIS.
218 JUPITER RISK:  It was a Jeff/Scott tie last night with each owning the
219 entire board of their own side.  What a site it was.  This was my first
220 game of JUPITER RISK and it was very interesting.  TOTAL TIME: 7 1/2 hours.
221 Well I must be off to go pick up Zippy for a RISK game this evening
222 and then to check on MiG and see if he can to.  Hope everything stays
223 cool here at my favorite Inn and I hope to be spending a little more time
224 here once I get my new house in order.
225 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PaPa Smurf   20:17  30 March
226      As some of you may have guessed, I have taught writing courses before, 
227 and I am perhaps a little more interested in proper English than the rest of
228 you.  I also work as a volunteer English tutor in one of the local high 
229 schools, thus my interest in remaining anonymous.  I have been accused, 
230 unfairly I believe, of attacking others for their "bad" or "good" stories.
231 As I think Thor was trying to say on drive B, ta story may be told without 
232 proper grammar or spelling, and indeed some do dictate novels without ever
233 setting pen to paper.  However, a spoken story allows for a great deal more 
234 flexibility, since gestures and body language let one understand what is going
235 on without proper use of the language.  How many have tried to read 
236 Shakespeare, failed to decipher the plot due to differences in wording, only 
237 to finally understand the play when a old re-run of Hamlet, or Romeo and 
238 Juliet is shown on late-night television?  The written language can be 
239 extremely difficult to interpret correctly, and proper usage aids the reader
240 tremendously.   My point about the engineer vs programmer method of doing 
241 things was not made to glorify engineers, nor to denigrate programmers, 
242 Cistop, but simply to point out that proper care must be taken with the tools
243 of the trade.  I am not a programmer, nor an engineer, and have no bias in
244 favor of either of them.  Words are the primary tool of my trade ("wordsmith")
245 and I wish to see every one use them properly.  
246       I am glad that some of you (Tanya, Observer) at least do me the credit
247 of attempting to understand my point of view.  Thank you for your comments.  
248 I have noticed that visitors to this boardd don't seem to discuss so much as 
249 to argue.  I don't want to sound judgmental, but I think Thor's entry is a
250 perfect example of that.  I do not know who you are, and you need not take
251 things so personally, Thor.  Comparing you to my infant son serve as little
252 purpose as your comparing me to your baby girls, although it is tempting.  I 
253 also find your comment about "mangling" people disturbing.  I have not 
254 threatened anyone, so why do you bring the matter up?  I'd discuss the merits
255 of obeying your conscience rather than the government in 1968, but I'm afraid
256 we're both convinced of our own points of view.  
257       Some of my colleagues believe that word-processors are an evil thing, 
258 bsince it becomes so easy to check for spelling and grammar errors, to move
259 words, sentences, even paragraphs around in the story, etc.. They believe that
260 the resulting words are indeed "processed"--lacking any individuality in thme
261 whatsoever.  I disagree, and I think most of you do too.  Why not use these
262 aids if they are available?  Why not sit down with your computer, and think
263 through your story?  You may come up with a twist that will delight you, and
264 startle the rest of us.  In the Net stories, for example, the action is non-
265 stop, but I've often had to pause and puzzle out a word or sentence and then 
266 go on.  You don't want your reader to pause--you want him/her to be swept up
267 into the story and carried along by the smooth flow of your words. (I pick the
268 Net story simply because there are so many contributors that I hope no one 
269 will feel singled out or attacked).
270      I have seen a message or two about people stealing ideas.  That happens
271 rarely, if ever.  Most writers have problems forcing themselves to write, not
272 with coming up with things to write about.  Don't worry about "idea-theft," 
273 because it almost certainly won't happen.  Take as an example, instead, the
274 Sanctuary series by Robert Lynn Asprin--by sharing his ideas, he gained much
275 support from his fellow writers, and made a dollar or two besides.
276     Having taken up this much space, I would like to leave you with the 
277 following quotation by Theodore Roosevelt.  If I scared some of you off, then
278 maybe this will help you get the guts to enter your story anyway:
279      The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is
280 marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes
281 short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, 
282 and spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the
283 triumph of high achievement; and, who, at the worst, if he fails, at least 
284 fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold
285 and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.
286 -------------------"Pro"----------------------------
287 Pro: many of the 'writers' here do not have machines capable of word
288 processing. And many others (such as myself) do not have terminal software
289 capable of uploading to this system. Thus, our works MUST bw composed
290 'on-line' and much of the time editing is not possible. So consider that
291 the stories on here are' 'first drafts' or even 'rough drafts'. This makes
292 quite a difference!
293 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~BARD~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
294 
295 .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .    .
296         Tin Man: Why, I am so glad to see of your return. You mention, though,
297 that this will not be frequent. Is it only luck that you were at somebody
298 elses phone line and you will not be here regularily? Most unfortunate, to
299 say the least. Had I only abit more money than I do, I would buy you a 
300 phone line with no hesitation. You also say you wish the words would turn
301 to that of more creative nature. Well then, write, for God's sake!
302     Observer: I advised Pro hide his/her identity so the writing by him/her
303 would not be misjudged. I have no negative feelings towards Pro. But, some,
304 I think do. To me, this is understandable even though I do not. However, if
305 I did hold some resentment, I would certainly be much harsher in my reading
306 of Pro's if I knew the writing was his/hers. I certainly am not proud of
307 this prejudice, but pretending otherwise is useless. Perhaps, you would not
308 be this way, I am glad for that. But, I admit, I am not.
309     Pro: It may seem as if I do hold some resentment for you. Even though 
310 I have different opinion than you (perhaps because I am a terrible speller
311 and can not use a dictionary and have no spell check or means of download-
312 ing) I do not want you feel hated by me. I might add, some may feel so by 
313 you. For as it has been stated many times before, many are sharing what is
314 very personal to them. They are not English majors but enjoy writing. Or
315 need to. And to have someone cut down what they have wrote, what they are
316 sensative about, because of grammar or anything else, is very dismaying.
317 Yes, I realize it was constructive critism. But, one must remember how
318 irrational we can get. I admit thinking, "Well, damn, does all Pro pay
319 attention to is spelling? Doesn't he/she care about the rest?" I know this
320 is not true. But, even so, it crosses my mind. And, to have someone to
321 constuctively critize my writing is far better than my spelling. My writing
322 is something I can control. It is something I can grow from. *I* do not
323 grow from my ability to spell a word. True, I do from grammar. But, it is
324 not nearly as valuable to me than the other things I receive when entering
325 the Inn's doorway. -Tanya
326 .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .
327 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
328 Observer: Hum, I hadn't thought of that.  Perhaps only selected parts...
329 Oh well, I shan't worry about it now, I've only got the first third of the
330 plot outline finished as of yet.
331 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Milchar ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
332 #$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$an;
333 (here goes nothing...)
334 Upon our return to HQ somewhere in Ione Plaza, Ian reassigned us to find 
335 KOSTA.  He also mumbled something about an assassination attempt, but I didn't
336 catch all of it.
337 "Well," I said, "How do we start?"
338 Ian waved us out of his office, and L'homme waited until we were out before
339 beginning.
340 "KOSTA was a NET agent, Farley.  No matter how astray he's gone, his training
341 affects how he makes decisions.  All we have to do is guess where he'd go,
342 then make plans to bring him back."
343 "His training?  How can you trust THAT after he kidnapped Gaudy?"
344 "His training is what helped him to capture Gaudy in the first place."
345 "Okay, okay.  So how do we guess where he's gone?  Spin a Coke bottle and
346 walk in that direction?"
347 At this point, Fellows came into view from around a corner in the corridor.
348 "Gee, fellas," he said, "I thought Spin the Bottle was..."
349 "Enough!" L'homme said.  "Come on, Fellows, we've work to do."
350 "All right, all right.  I hear that the EMIL7000 unit in RUR404 is giving out
351 good advice nowadays... How about we ask it's opinion?"
352 "I said, enough.  I'd like to look at KOSTA's file once more.  Perhaps then
353 we can come to an INTELLIGENT decision about where he might have gone."
354 "And then can we ask the EMIL?" Fellows asked.
355 "Doesn't he ever quit?" I asked.
356 "I'm afraid not." L'homme sighed.
357 #$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$##$# Farley #$##$##$# 00:41 - 03/31/85 #$##$#
358 ...........................................................................
359 Ah, the bliss of hearing the burr of a free line instead of the busy signal!
360 Pro:  Is it possible to reach you on some other board?  If you frequent
361 Tanis, please leave me a message.  Thanks.
362 ...........................................Entropy.........................
363 Entropy: I ndeed it is possible to reach me there.  Because it is a story board
364   and only runs at 300 baud, you can choose a different board than Tanis if you
365   would like.
366 Bard:  I mmust confess that you have a valid point.  While my system is hardly
367   on the "leading edge of technology," it does many things quite nicely.
368 Tanya: Message for you on Aloha
369 Farley: *Applause*
370 ^^^^^^^^^^          (someone forgot their "-----" boarder?)     ^^^^^^^^^^
371 Ah, to see the name of a familiar 'voice'...
372 Bard:  Might I be able to see you at the upcoming gathering of spirits at that
373        place of many spirits (i.e.  bottled ones)?  There is a tune that has 
374        been stuck in the foreground of my mind for the past several weeks that
375        is just *begging* for the words to come forth.  I hope that you will be
376        able to fulfill this petty need.  Thank you for your time...
377 THOR:  Very soon may we again join in a toast at The INN?  I believe that the
378        current 'discussion' has cooled down from its having been 'red hot'.
379        I will be trying with great vigilance to trample a path back to that
380        homestead through the forest- only one thing may get in my way...
381        the ones that boarder the village...
382 Red Velvet Ribbons:  When soon we shall see your words, I will be a happy man.
383        They need not be attached to the arrows that would normally send them,
384        although if done so, I will come running.  Seeing as you will be a 'new
385        user' here I will be patient.  I know that this is not exactly a 'user
386        friendly' system by *any* of the most convenient definitions...
387 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^     --->the melodic Guardian     90:03
388 
389 @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
390 GUARDIAN:  A MAJOR REBUILD IS IN PROCESS NOW. I WILL
391            WAIT.   
392 R.V.R.
393 ((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((
394 a cool night, the stars are showing us their playground
395 we watch 
396 and wish...
397 the noise of the engine could be the rockets of our
398 spaceship. 
399 our eyes meet...
400 no words pass the lips
401 we know the thoughts
402 and wish...
403 
404 )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
405 pppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp
406   After the happy group wended their way back to the tables, the night had
407 undergone a subtle change.  Some members of the group had left to speak with
408 others, most of the group seemed to have paired off.  To his delight (although
409 not entirely surprised) the piper found himself sitting near the hearth with
410 Rainbow.  The hum of conversations had dropped, and it seemed somehow that
411 his arm was around her waist and her head was on his shoulder.
412   Good taste demands that we leave the piper to his private communications, and
413 speak only of those activities that are public.  In the street outside, the
414 pegasus had located a patch of forage that proved both plentiful and palatable.
415 Comforted by the fact that the piper was near, she was contentedly cropping
416 when sounds of laughter drifted out of the opening door.  Suddenly alert,
417 she looked for the piper in the press of bodies flooding through the door.
418 At last she saw him!  Concern rose up in her heart, for he seemed to be
419 supported by another human, walking unsteadily, holding his pipes carelessly
420 in one hand and the waist of the other human with the other.
421   When the odor of the ale reached the pegasus, she snorted in derision.  As
422 the other human helped the piper to her side, the pegasus attempted to insert
423 her head between the two.  In vain she nuged, the two humans seemed to cling
424 tightly together, and after a particularly violent nudge, the piper slipped his
425 pipes over her head and held the other with both arms.
426   Concern had given way to irritation by now.  The pegasus watched with jaundiced
427 eyes as the piper and his slim companion walked slowly off.  A shake of her
428 head clattered the drones of the pipes as the pegasus bent her head to crop
429 again at the cool forage.  
430   Suddenly the door to the great room was flung open and a dark figure
431 filled the doorway, cutting the great rectangular beam into myriads of smaller
432 shards that pierced the night.
433   "Where is she!?" thundered out through the night.  "Where is that stranger!?"
434 "Where is Rainbow!?"  He scanned the night landscape, eyes slowly adjusting
435 to the dark.  The pegasus moved nervously, immediately attracting his attention.
436   "What's this... So you helped him to get here!"  The dark form moved closer,
437 causing the pegasus to unfurl her wings in alarm.  The grumblings and
438 mutterings seemed to come from deep within as he moved closer.  Suddenly a
439 bright flash of rage seemed to permeate him and he glared at peg.
440   "How would that stranger like to fly down without benifit of a steed!"
441   Peg pranced several steps back, cocking her wings to unleash a blow if
442 necessary.
443  "No, my quarrel is not with this one, best find that piper."  The huge bulk
444 shadowed the pegasus for a moment, blotting out the moon and then was gone
445 with mutters and grumbles.
446 pppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp
447 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< * >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
448      Obviously, indicated by the words presently scrolling and scrawling across
449 your screen, my recent short absence/silence has come to an end. One of my own
450 teachers once said, "The writer must remember that the major responsibility for
451 clarity rests on the author's shoulders. The reader, has the luxury of having
452 the thoughts brought to their mind's door." I shall try to keep this in mind as
453 I continue.
454 
455      We should all try and remember that although the Inn Image is an artificial
456 construction the feelings we all have here are very real. In past communications
457 some of my thoughts did not get clearly transferred. In retrospect, I feel that
458 one way to ultimately accomplish clear communication is to continue until the
459 thought is understood. A friendly environment makes such interchanges possible.
460 My feelings about this were what prompted me to promote the idea of `friendly
461 encounter month'. It would seem that there are plenty of opportunities to get
462 into confrontational situations without seeking them in alternate environments.
463 My opinion is that sum-zero games (one where there is a winner and a looser---
464 with the win usually at the expense of the looser) are a rather poor forum for
465 personal communication. I would rather seek the situation where everyone has an
466 opportunity to win. To paraphrase another Inn Patron, `When one person wins, we
467 all win. When one person loses we are all diminished.'
468 
469      The person writing as "Pro" had some interesting points. It would be too
470 bad if they are ignored or obscured by the heavy focus on the emotional issues.
471 Please understand, I do think the things people expressed were appropriate. All
472 of the interchanges can serve as a lesson; they certainly did for me. I suspect
473 that the use of the pseudonym "Pro" created some of the strong feelings. I'm
474 not sure what you intended by using it, but the results spoke for themselves.
475 
476      Kathy, I sincerely hope that the interchanges I've read above and on the
477 `B' disk won't put you off. Take the good advise for what it is and file the
478 rest in its appropriate place. (You may place this in either category-after
479 all you are the one that makes the ultimate choice of acceptance or rejection.)
480 You have a beautiful imagination, an essential quality for a good writer. Any
481 craft worth pursueing requires both creativity and proficiency in the tools of
482 that craft. If you do aspire to be a writer, as it would seem, you might wish
483 give this thought some consideration.
484 
485      I hope this didn't sound too much like a sermon. I wish merely to express
486 some of the ideas that are in my mind. I don't purport them to be any great
487 truths. They are simply the distillation of my experiences, expressed as best
488 I can, using what writing and communication skills I've acquired.
489 <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< capt'n barefoot >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
490 QWERTYQWERTYQWERTYQWERTYQWERTYQWERTYQWERTYQWERTYQWERTYQWERTYQWERTYQWERTYQWERTY
491 
492      Bard:  You may not have a word processor or even upload capabilities, but
493 have you ever heard of pencil and paper?
494      Don't get me wrong, I enjoy your entries, edited or not.  I find them to
495 be superior--It's best that you don't change your style.  There are, however,
496 individuals on this board whose stories would be better understood if the reader
497 didn't have to reread lines or stumble over poor grammar/spelling--then the more
498 important IDEAS would be conveyed.
499 
500      Piper:  Very good entry, nice to see the pendulum swing back towards
501 fiction.
502 
503      Farley:  Same, it's good to see the Net active after all these debates.
504 
505 QWERTYQWERTYQWERTYQWERTYQWERTYQWERTYQWERTYQWERTYQWERTYQWERTYQWERTYQWERTYQWERTY
506 /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
507      isis:I am the displaced SCA'er, but I haven't found the financial status
508 yet to join (I'm broke again).  When I do, it will probably be in Corvallis,
509 where all my friends are presently mucking around.
510      Silver Dragon: Doctor Where???? I would love to read these stories of 
511 yours.  I have been dubbed "Doctor Why" by a couple of my friends, and they 
512 want to do a parody screenplay...any extra ideas are welcome, and so is another
513 point of parody view...
514      Pro:  Sorry.  I have a tendency to over react.  And I wasn't mad at you,
515 but what I misunderstood as your point of view.  Anyone who enjoys the Thieves'
516 World series gains a Character Point with me...
517 
518     Well, the local bus is loading up to head back to Cow Town, and I have to
519 get on it...Fare Thee All Well, and Any Other Good Stuff that You Wish For
520 Yourselves....
521 /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/Luingil/\/\/\/\/\/(Onemoreterm!!)/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
522 
523 .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .  
524     Capt'n Barefoot: You certainly have aquired exellent communication skills.
525 Your words were very clear to me. So, you were the one that started the nice
526 month? I had forgotten who it was. Yes, I would say you certainly have a 
527 good technique for giving advice/compliments/critism.
528     Now, enough of this debating for me! Hopefully, I can turn my thoughts
529 to a creaitve side.
530     Kathyd: Shadows?     -Tanya
531 .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .   .
532 oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
533    Pro:  It's true that the stealing of *ideas* hardly ever happens.  But with
534 electronic communications, we have a whole new ball game.  It is possible for
535 actual text to be downloaded to disk, and once that text has been made public by
536 its author, even common-law copyright does not protect it.  This is not a
537 concern here at present, since the work entered is not intended for publication
538 and is not in publishable form; my fear was that someone might not realize that
539 to place a whole *publishable* story on a bulletin board is not the equivalent
540 of letting it be read privately by friends or classmates.  (Soooner or later, I
541 suspect, this issue will be considered by a court, not necessarily when someone
542 steals another's work, but when some publisher refuses to accept a work on the
543 grounds that it is ineligible for copyright and therefore could be freely
544 reprinted *after* publication.  The copyright laws may need yet another
545 modification brought on by the electronic revolution.)  But of course, this
546 applies only to complete works--it certainly shouldn't discourage anyone from
547 sharing ideas and/or short fragments.
548    Please do heed the comment of Bard, who points out that many writers here do
549 not have the capability to upload.  I'd hate to see this system restricted to
550 users who can afford software to do that and the machines that will run it,
551 and/or to programmers who can write their own.  I can't imagine that anyone with
552 the capability to upload would make entries such as many that are seen here; the
553 difficulties imposed by on-line composition plus the infamous ENTER ONLY mode
554 are very obvious, and due allowance must be made for them--especially if we
555 don't want the line tied up for hours by typists aiming for perfection.
556    Tanya:  I agree, the Pro will receive a more objective reading of future work
557 if he signs a different name to it.  What dismayed me was the idea that he
558 should throw in spelling and grammar errors so people wouldn't "suspect".  This
559 implies that if I sign a different name to some of my entries, you might suspect
560 *me* of being the Pro, merely on the grounds that my spelling is accurate!  It
561 would be a sad state of affairs if the rest of us felt we might be downgraded
562 for the *absence* of errors.
563 oooooooooooooooooooo OBSERVER FROM ANOTHER GALAXY ooooooooooooooooooooooooo
564 
565 ######################################################################
566      The heavy oaken door of the Inn slowly creaks open unheard by the
567 patrons in their heated verbal battle.  Not until a massive booming
568 voice rang forth the single word; "Silence!", did the startled group
569 turn to see the bearded figure standing in the doorway.  
570      A ripple of murmers ran around the room.  "Whaa?", "Who's that?",
571 "Capt'n!", "Is it really him?", "Where did he come from?"  Some of  
572 the patrons recognizing this lone figure, and others needing an
573 explaination. 
574      Behind the bar the Innkeeper relaxed, smiled, and commented;
575 "What's this? A cool head when all else are in flame?  Ha!  Welcome
576 Capt'n!  Sit down, have an ale on the house.  Perhaps now we can get on
577 to things other then puffed up ego's and bruised emotions."
578 ########################### The Innkeeper #############################
579 
580 ***********************************************************************
581 Pro: Perhaps an explaination of sorts is in order.  You indicated that
582 you feel unjustly accused of attacking the other users.  And in
583 particular, Kathy.  I'm sure you didn't feel that you were.  But, you
584 must realize that jumping into a social group and negativly commenting
585 about the work of a respected member of that group without preamble or
586 explaination, is going to be construed as an attack on the group.  
587      You should learn the social mores and gain the respect of the
588 group before rushing ahead and negativly commenting about the
589 activities of the group.  If you haven't learned that from this
590 experience, then I'm afraid that you will experience the same 'problem'
591 again in the future.
592      As you have found from the comments made, not everyone here is as
593 concerned about perfect grammer and spelling as you are.  This isn't
594 because we are all a bunch of low brow, slack jawed, slobbering
595 Neanderthals, (Thank you Pam!) but rather because of the nature of the
596 medium.  There is little desire to spend an enormous amount of effort
597 to place something here when it will be gone in only a day or two.
598      Also, I think you have a slight misconception of the structure of
599 the system and the group.  Think of it being an 'on-line' social
600 gathering.  The people here 'converse' with each other, not see how
601 perfect a story they can write.  Stories told here are like stories
602 told at any watering hole. The tellers are not expecting someone to be
603 heckling them from the crowd, they only expect you to either like it or
604 dislike it.  This is for fun and enjoyment. As has been said before,
605 "If I'm going to put that much work and effort into it, I'll do it for
606 something I can sell!"
607      I think that you probably also picked a rather inopertune time to
608 let fly with your remarks.  Things were getting just a bit boring
609 here, and I think that many of the people who responded did so simply
610 because it was something to get excited about (even if it was
611 negative).  That's the other thing about the 'Inn', it isn't just a
612 'story board'.  As I said, it is a social gathering and while because
613 of the medium it tends to gather people who like to write things, they
614 also get tired of that, and look for other forms of entertainment, and
615 a good (bad?) argument often is the result. 
616      It is very difficult to put aside our own prejudices and see
617 things as others do, but I hope that maybe this has given you at least
618 a small glimpse into the workings and social mores of this particular
619 group of misfits.
620 ************************* CISTOP MIKEY *******************************
621 P.S. Thanks for the cool headed entry Capt'n Barefoot. Everybody needs
622 to get slapped on the wrist now and then to wake them up.
623 **********************************************************************
624 
625 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
626   TOP TO BOTTOM IN ONE WEEK---- SUCH ARE THE EDDIES OF THE BACKWATER
627 
628 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
629 

TOTAL NUMBER OF LINES = 629 
