• Hello, welcome, and welcome back

    From Kurt Weiske@1:218/700 to All on Saturday, May 16, 2020 15:42:06

    I hope this email finds everyone well, and that we have some linked BBSes with lurkers floating around.

    There are several Fido echoes where we can talk about Zone politics, World politics, global warming, global corruption, last night's recipe and every flavor of BBS left standing. How about a place for talk that avoids all that?

    Let's find out how you're holding up, what you're doing to cope with the current situation, what your favorite coffee blend is, what you're reading, what new show has you binge watching, and maybe go down the french press versus pour-over debate?

    --kW


    ND: Peet's Sumatra, pour-over in a SOMA FM mug
    --- SBBSecho 3.10-Win32
    * Origin: http://realitycheckbbs.org | tomorrow's retro tech (1:218/700)
  • From Daniel@1:340/7 to Kurt Weiske on Sunday, May 17, 2020 02:36:00
    Kurt Weiske wrote to All <=-


    I hope this email finds everyone well, and that we have some linked
    BBSes with lurkers floating around.

    There are several Fido echoes where we can talk about Zone politics,
    World politics, global warming, global corruption, last night's recipe
    and every flavor of BBS left standing. How about a place for talk that avoids all that?

    Let's find out how you're holding up, what you're doing to cope with
    the current situation, what your favorite coffee blend is, what you're reading, what new show has you binge watching, and maybe go down the french press versus pour-over debate?

    Good to meet you.

    ND: Peet's Sumatra, pour-over in a SOMA FM mug

    I love SOMA FM

    ... Visit me at gopher://gcpp.world
    --- MultiMail/Linux v0.49
    * Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (1:340/7)
  • From August Abolins@2:221/1.58 to Daniel on Sunday, May 17, 2020 01:12:00
    Hello Daniel!

    ** On Sunday 17.05.20 - 02:36, Daniel wrote to Kurt Weiske:


    ND: Peet's Sumatra, pour-over in a SOMA FM mug

    I love SOMA FM

    Never heard of SomaFM before. Checked it out. Nice concept, but it's up
    to something even when not being used. I loaded the main page, picked a channel to listen to, sounded great, but the stream was data-heavy at
    about 1MB every 15-20 seconds! Killing the player did not stop the
    download data activity. Closing the website did not stop the download activity either! What is it doing even when the player and the site are closed?


    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.43
    * Origin: [special text for this echo only via oxp's /S edit] (2:221/1.58)
  • From Daniel@1:340/7 to August Abolins on Sunday, May 17, 2020 06:41:00
    August Abolins wrote to Daniel <=-

    Hello Daniel!

    ** On Sunday 17.05.20 - 02:36, Daniel wrote to Kurt Weiske:


    ND: Peet's Sumatra, pour-over in a SOMA FM mug

    I love SOMA FM

    Never heard of SomaFM before. Checked it out. Nice concept, but it's
    up to something even when not being used. I loaded the main page,
    picked a channel to listen to, sounded great, but the stream was data-heavy at about 1MB every 15-20 seconds! Killing the player did not stop the download data activity. Closing the website did not stop the download activity either! What is it doing even when the player and the site are closed?

    No idea. I stream it off my media server.

    ... Visit me at gopher://gcpp.world
    --- MultiMail/Linux v0.49
    * Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (1:340/7)
  • From Kurt Weiske@1:218/700 to August Abolins on Sunday, May 17, 2020 10:59:00
    August Abolins wrote to Daniel <=-

    picked a channel to listen to, sounded great, but the stream was data-heavy at about 1MB every 15-20 seconds! Killing the player did not stop the download data activity. Closing the website did not stop the download activity either! What is it doing even when the player and the site are closed?

    I don't use the player - you can download a M3u file that opens up in
    Winamp.


    ... I'll be unstoppable when I get started.
    --- MultiMail/DOS v0.52
    * Origin: http://realitycheckbbs.org | tomorrow's retro tech (1:218/700)
  • From Doug Cooper@1:227/702 to Daniel on Sunday, May 17, 2020 19:53:05
    Excellent idea! Nothing worse during a pandemic then adding a heated
    political debate into the stress. Frankly, I've had zero interest in the TV, facebook, nor twitter or text messaging. I've stayed in touch with my family via Marco Polo, because I can see and hear their voices, without having to schedule a time to join a zoom call. And my passion outside of tech, is landscaping, turf managment, flowers, shrubs, trees, ponds, pergolas,
    gardening ... I like building and caring for the aforementioned. So from a coping prospective a good 6 hour day in the sun, with nothing but the sounds
    of birds and lawn mowers .. sandwiched between some BBS time ..has been very healthy for my blood pressure.

    Yourself Daniel?

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A45 2020/02/18 (Windows/32)
    * Origin: The Underground BBS (1:227/702)
  • From Daniel@1:340/7 to Doug Cooper on Monday, May 18, 2020 05:58:00
    Doug Cooper wrote to Daniel <=-


    Excellent idea! Nothing worse during a pandemic then adding a heated political debate into the stress. Frankly, I've had zero interest in
    the TV, facebook, nor twitter or text messaging. I've stayed in touch with my family via Marco Polo, because I can see and hear their voices, without having to schedule a time to join a zoom call. And my passion outside of tech, is landscaping, turf managment, flowers, shrubs,
    trees, ponds, pergolas, gardening ... I like building and caring for
    the aforementioned. So from a coping prospective a good 6 hour day in
    the sun, with nothing but the sounds of birds and lawn mowers .. sandwiched between some BBS time ..has been very healthy for my blood pressure.

    Yourself Daniel?

    Restoration of my C64 breadbin has been fun. Got my plane ready for annual inspection. Restored a dead headset.

    My spouse and I are closer now than ever, so that's great. I don't know.

    You know, I find it really difficult to keep contact with my friends. They're hard to have a sustained conversation with on text message and forget the notion of talking on the phone. I have one friend who'll call to talk for any period of time. The rest, nah.

    It was like that before, but the lockdown made it worse.

    Daniel Traechin

    ... Visit me at gopher://gcpp.world
    --- MultiMail/Linux v0.49
    * Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (1:340/7)
  • From August Abolins@2:221/360 to Doug Cooper on Monday, May 18, 2020 18:01:07
    On 5/17/2020 7:53 PM, between "Doug Cooper : Daniel":

    Excellent idea! Nothing worse during a pandemic then adding
    a heated political debate into the stress. Frankly, I've had
    zero interest in the TV, facebook, nor twitter or text
    messaging. I've stayed in touch with my family via Marco
    Polo, because I can see and hear their voices, without
    having to schedule a time to join a zoom call.

    PMFJI, but I've never heard of the app called Marco Polo. I was doing a little reading up on it, but it sounds a lot like the other video chat programs. Is MC a kind of store-n-forward video chat system akin to leaving a voice message on someone's phone, but with video?

    For an app that is completely free, and ad-free, there are sure a lot of people behind it based on the company group picture! How do they finance MC with so many salaries to pay for?

    --- Thunderbird 2.0.0.24 (Windows/20100228)
    * Origin: nntp://rbb.fidonet.fi - Lake Ylo - Finland (2:221/360.0)
  • From Doug Cooper@1:227/702 to Daniel on Monday, May 18, 2020 12:56:20
    Daniel,

    You know, I find it really difficult to keep contact with my friends. They're hard to have a sustained conversation with on text message and forget the notion of talking on the phone. I have one friend who'll call to talk for any period of time. The rest, nah.

    It was like that before, but the lockdown made it worse.

    I discovered that owning my own business. People use text as a form of ToDo list. I would get random texts as late as midnight on weekend, with clients making requests. that I used to think I had to reply to right away. Most requests or concerns required a phone conversation for clarity and or explanation. They would refuse to talk on the phone and I'd spend hours scripting a carefully worded email. My friends, same way. They'll send a brief text or facebook message, but it's a short conversation that fizzles
    out due to lack of substance. I've really enjoyed the Marco Polo Ap for
    smart phones ... it's allowed each friend/family member to actually speak and reply to questions. For the current circumstances, it's been the only format I've found that has allowed me to stay connected to those I'd normally see. You download the ap and invite them .. then text and call them until they download it (takes persistance lol) but once they do, it becomes viral. It's like text, but you have to do so via video. Friends and family can reply
    with a video only, when they have time (or look presentable) to so. It's replaced any other form of communication other then the telephone I choose to reply to. If I get a messanger or text, I tell them to marco polo me, and don't answer their questions.

    Doug

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A45 2020/02/18 (Windows/32)
    * Origin: The Underground BBS (1:227/702)
  • From Doug Cooper@1:227/702 to August Abolins on Monday, May 18, 2020 13:01:37
    PMFJI, but I've never heard of the app called Marco Polo. I was doing a little reading up on it, but it sounds a lot like the other video chat programs. Is MC a kind of store-n-forward video chat system akin to leaving a voice message on someone's phone, but with video?

    For an app that is completely free, and ad-free, there are sure a lot of people behind it based on the company group picture! How do they
    finance MC with so many salaries to pay for?

    --- Thunderbird 2.0.0.24 (Windows/20100228)

    August,

    Think of it like texting. You make a video to a specific person or group
    that you creaete (so for example I have a group called "Family," but also
    have individuals (including those within my family group) where we have more private conversations. The Ap notifies the person they have a video. When they have time and look presentable, they can watch the video and reply by simply clicking record, speaking, then hitting send. You can also upload videos from your camera roll. I made a video to walk my family through Busy Kid, an allowance ap for kids, and uploaded that to the Family group so they could see how it works, as they were interested. So it's like TEXTING, but with video. The great thing about it are two fold: 1. you don't have to schedule a time for a facetime party or zoom call 2. its 100% free. It's a very fun platform and very easy to use.

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A45 2020/02/18 (Windows/32)
    * Origin: The Underground BBS (1:227/702)
  • From Daniel@1:340/7 to Doug Cooper on Monday, May 18, 2020 23:32:00
    Doug Cooper wrote to Daniel <=-

    Daniel,

    You know, I find it really difficult to keep contact with my friends. They're hard to have a sustained conversation with on text message and forget the notion of talking on the phone. I have one friend who'll call to talk for any period of time. The rest, nah.

    It was like that before, but the lockdown made it worse.

    I discovered that owning my own business. People use text as a form of ToDo list. I would get random texts as late as midnight on weekend,
    with clients making requests. that I used to think I had to reply to right away. Most requests or concerns required a phone conversation
    for clarity and or explanation. They would refuse to talk on the phone and I'd spend hours scripting a carefully worded email. My friends,
    same way. They'll send a brief text or facebook message, but it's a
    short conversation that fizzles out due to lack of substance. I've
    really enjoyed the Marco Polo Ap for smart phones ... it's allowed each friend/family member to actually speak and reply to questions. For the current circumstances, it's been the only format I've found that has allowed me to stay connected to those I'd normally see. You download
    the ap and invite them .. then text and call them until they download
    it (takes persistance lol) but once they do, it becomes viral. It's
    like text, but you have to do so via video. Friends and family can
    reply with a video only, when they have time (or look presentable) to
    so. It's replaced any other form of communication other then the telephone I choose to reply to. If I get a messanger or text, I tell
    them to marco polo me, and don't answer their questions.

    Yeah smartphones. I transitioned from a cell to satellite phone over two years ago. I sms/mms with a mobile PDA called 'Gemini.'

    If someone wants to reach me by voice they have my landline. This seems to have been a major success with this lockdown adn work from home (which is now permanent with my agency).

    Daniel Traechin

    ... Visit me at gopher://gcpp.world
    --- MultiMail/Linux v0.49
    * Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (1:340/7)
  • From August Abolins@2:221/1.58 to Daniel on Monday, May 18, 2020 22:35:00
    Hello Daniel!

    ** On Monday 18.05.20 - 23:32, Daniel wrote to Doug Cooper:

    really enjoyed the Marco Polo Ap for smart phones ...
    ... It's replaced any other form of communication other then the
    telephone I choose to reply to. If I get a messanger or text, I tell
    them to marco polo me, and don't answer their questions.

    Yeah smartphones. I transitioned from a cell to satellite phone over two years ago. I sms/mms with a mobile PDA called 'Gemini.'

    I did not realize that the Gemini is so recent! That one is a nice combination smartphone+keyboard. I like it.

    But I can't think of such spending right now.

    Which model do you have? Did you order yours from the UK, or did you find
    a domestic seller in your USA?

    Their top model with the extensive network features looks to be designed
    for the frequent glob-trotter. Probably overkill for a domestic like me.


    If someone wants to reach me by voice they have my landline.

    Same here. My Blackberry is activated as a phone primarily because I only use it to access internet via the data services, but no one knows the
    phone number.

    I only "open" my landline to calls from 7p-9p only. Ringer is off the rest
    of the time. I just grew tired of picking up the phone for the bogus spam calls and surveys.


    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.43
    * Origin: [special text for this echo only via oxp's /S edit] (2:221/1.58)
  • From Daniel@1:340/7 to August Abolins on Tuesday, May 19, 2020 06:16:00
    August Abolins wrote to Daniel <=-

    Hello Daniel!

    ** On Monday 18.05.20 - 23:32, Daniel wrote to Doug Cooper:

    really enjoyed the Marco Polo Ap for smart phones ...
    ... It's replaced any other form of communication other then the
    telephone I choose to reply to. If I get a messanger or text, I tell
    them to marco polo me, and don't answer their questions.

    Yeah smartphones. I transitioned from a cell to satellite phone over two years ago. I sms/mms with a mobile PDA called 'Gemini.'

    I did not realize that the Gemini is so recent! That one is a nice combination smartphone+keyboard. I like it.

    That was the selling point. I hate virtual keyboard and this clamshell guarantees no breakage of screen. It can be a phone too and is built to be one as well.

    But I can't think of such spending right now.

    I bought mine last year and is the same model as the one linked. They have a phone and another one being kickstarted at the moment that is more slider.

    Which model do you have? Did you order yours from the UK, or did you
    find a domestic seller in your USA?

    I have the gemini PDA

    https://www.www3.planetcom.co.uk/gemini-pda

    I ordered it out of the UK during a black friday sale. It was 25% off + free shipping. Couldn't pass that up. I retired my trusty Palm Pilot Tungsten T5 for good when it came in. I just now wiped off a layer of dust as it sits on one
    of my network switches.

    Their top model with the extensive network features looks to be
    designed for the frequent glob-trotter. Probably overkill for a
    domestic like me.

    I use it for SMS and to ssh into my home network. Occasionally I'll fire up my irc client. I have keepass and my two factor auth. Then, naturally email.

    I don't use google services on it.

    If someone wants to reach me by voice they have my landline.

    Same here. My Blackberry is activated as a phone primarily because I
    only use it to access internet via the data services, but no one knows
    the phone number.

    My last smartphone was the blackberry Key One before my obese manager sat on it and bent the frame. Out went the battery with the onion-skin thin battery cable as it scampered on the floor. I reactivated my old smartphone in the meantime and filed an insurance claim about a month later due to a travel schedule and insurance wouldn't cover it since the damage was too old. I vowed never pay for phone insurance again. But I miss that sexy ass blackberry. What a great keyboard.

    If I were to ever get a smartphone again it would be a blackberry. Have you seen the blackberry phone made by Punkt? That would be it for me. Second link below.

    I'm a real fan of minimalism and that takes the cake.

    I only "open" my landline to calls from 7p-9p only. Ringer is off the
    rest of the time. I just grew tired of picking up the phone for the
    bogus spam calls and surveys.

    I used to have that problem. My phone's a POTS only within the house. Otherwise, it's a digital line. I setup my call rules to block all calls but those whitelisted. So anyone who knows me can call. And my bank plus few other debtors can call me if needed. So when my phone rings, it's only those who I intend to call me. Any other business needing to reach me can do so via email, which they prefer to do anyway.

    For five years now I've been paying my bills via mailed envelopes and checks. Doing so cut credit card fraud alerts by 100%. Seeing my mail-lady is a highlight of my day too.

    Ref: https://blackberrymobile.com/us/product/blackberry-keyone/
    Ref: https://www.punkt.ch/en/products/mp02-4g-mobile-phone/

    ... Visit me at gopher://gcpp.world
    --- MultiMail/Linux v0.49
    * Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (1:340/7)
  • From Shawn Highfield@1:229/452 to Kurt Weiske on Tuesday, May 19, 2020 11:49:26
    Quoting Kurt Weiske to All <=-

    the current situation, what your favorite coffee blend is, what you're reading, what new show has you binge watching, and maybe go down the french press versus pour-over debate?

    Favorite blend is from my friends farm in Cuba. Has no name, he just
    brings me some everytime he comes back to Canada and we go through it
    in days. LOL

    I use a drip machine for the most part (lazy) and I do have a high
    quality espresso machine that I use for the above coffee. Day to day
    is whatever is on sale.

    Shawn

    ... Yeah, I fired a warning shot... Into his chest.

    --- EzyBlueWave V3.00 01FB001F
    * Origin: Tiny's BBS - telnet://tinysbbs.com:3023 (1:229/452)
  • From Kurt Weiske@1:218/700 to Doug Cooper on Monday, May 18, 2020 05:00:00
    Doug Cooper wrote to Daniel <=-

    without having to schedule a time to join a zoom call. And my passion outside of tech, is landscaping, turf managment, flowers, shrubs,
    trees, ponds, pergolas, gardening ...

    Weeding, painting, planting, sweeping, fixing ourdoor furniture, building
    new shelving...seen a lot of people buying home projects at local hardware stores. We just planted a tone of new plants, and had an odd off-season winter-like storm passing through - watering everything nicely.

    --kW



    ... The most easily forgotten thing is the most important
    --- MultiMail/XT v0.52
    * Origin: http://realitycheckbbs.org | tomorrow's retro tech (1:218/700)
  • From Kurt Weiske@1:218/700 to Daniel on Monday, May 18, 2020 05:03:00
    Daniel wrote to Doug Cooper <=-

    You know, I find it really difficult to keep contact with my friends. They're hard to have a sustained conversation with on text message and forget the notion of talking on the phone. I have one friend who'll
    call to talk for any period of time. The rest, nah.

    I've had a weekly zoom drinking call with some old BBS friends of mine from the Dial-up days - we had 9-10 people filling the screen at one point. Get- togethers were a rarity as we've all moved out of the SF bay area, but it's nice to meet up by video again.

    I don't think we would have done this if the SIP hadn't happened.

    There's a weekly BBS gettogether on MRC on wednesdays that's pretty fun.

    --kW


    ... The most easily forgotten thing is the most important
    --- MultiMail/XT v0.52
    * Origin: http://realitycheckbbs.org | tomorrow's retro tech (1:218/700)
  • From Kurt Weiske@1:218/700 to Daniel on Tuesday, May 19, 2020 08:13:00
    Daniel wrote to August Abolins <=-


    https://www.www3.planetcom.co.uk/gemini-pda

    I ordered it out of the UK during a black friday sale. It was 25% off + free shipping. Couldn't pass that up. I retired my trusty Palm Pilot Tungsten T5 for good when it came in. I just now wiped off a layer of
    dust as it sits on one of my network switches.

    That does look awesome. How's the battery life?

    I've wanted to make a phone into a laptop replacement, with some of the new cloud apps and a Bluetooth keyboard it's almost possible. A clamshell
    palmtop with bluetooth and a cellular radio would be killer.

    I was smitten with the IBM Palmtop from Japan, the Toshiba Libretto, and to
    a lesser extent the Atari Portfolios and HP 95/100/200lx designs.

    smartphone in the meantime and filed an insurance claim about a month later due to a travel schedule and insurance wouldn't cover it since
    the damage was too old. I vowed never pay for phone insurance again.
    But I miss that sexy ass blackberry. What a great keyboard.

    I remember those Blackberry years - I spent years with the model with the 7290, then the Pearl, then a Curve, then one of the newer touchpad models. loved the keyboard, but I borrowed a iPhone 3GS from work and never looked back.

    Loved the Blackberry Enterprise Server - I could tell it *only* to notify me if certain people emailed. Saved on a lot of distraction. Getting android to do the same is tricky; the Samsung app has a feature to accomplish this but Gmail doesn't.

    Ref: https://blackberrymobile.com/us/product/blackberry-keyone/
    Ref: https://www.punkt.ch/en/products/mp02-4g-mobile-phone/

    There are a handful of similar sized phones on Amazon, not sure which ones support 3G networks, but I've always had a thought of going with a feature phone and cutting out all of the apps. Use the phone just to communicate.

    I used to have an old Nokia 3100 Classic I'd keep around to try out - the Punkt is a hell of a lot cooler looking. I'd need a Montblanc pen and a leather journal to go with it. :)


    ... Emphasize the flaws
    --- MultiMail/XT v0.52
    * Origin: http://realitycheckbbs.org | tomorrow's retro tech (1:218/700)
  • From Richard Miles@1:3634/24 to Kurt Weiske on Tuesday, May 19, 2020 20:55:33
    On 16 May 2020, Kurt Weiske said the following...

    Let's find out how you're holding up, what you're doing to cope with the current situation, what your favorite coffee blend is, what you're reading, what new show has you binge watching, and maybe go down the french press versus

    First two days off in a row from work I've had since February as I am "essential". Has been awesome and I've had way too much coffee sitting here at home.

    Very little TV lately in the house, at least for me, due to work. I'm sure my wife and girls have been binging though.

    I have a press as well as a plain old Mr Coffee but I have to say I enjoy the guilty pleasure of preferring my Keurig with a nice dark roast.

    -=>Richard Miles<=-
    -=>Captain Obvious<=-
    -=>bbs.shadowscope.com<=-

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/05/17 (Windows/32)
    * Origin: Shadowscope BBS | bbs.shadowscope.com | Temple, GA (1:3634/24)
  • From Daniel@1:340/7 to Kurt Weiske on Tuesday, May 19, 2020 18:21:00
    Kurt Weiske wrote to Daniel <=-

    Daniel wrote to Doug Cooper <=-

    You know, I find it really difficult to keep contact with my friends. They're hard to have a sustained conversation with on text message and forget the notion of talking on the phone. I have one friend who'll
    call to talk for any period of time. The rest, nah.

    I've had a weekly zoom drinking call with some old BBS friends of mine from the Dial-up days - we had 9-10 people filling the screen at one point. Get- togethers were a rarity as we've all moved out of the SF
    bay area, but it's nice to meet up by video again.

    I don't think we would have done this if the SIP hadn't happened.

    There's a weekly BBS gettogether on MRC on wednesdays that's pretty
    fun.

    Who hosts it? I don't see the adverts

    ... Visit me at gopher://gcpp.world
    --- MultiMail/Linux v0.49
    * Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (1:340/7)
  • From Daniel@1:340/7 to Kurt Weiske on Tuesday, May 19, 2020 18:27:00
    Kurt Weiske wrote to Daniel <=-

    Daniel wrote to August Abolins <=-


    https://www.www3.planetcom.co.uk/gemini-pda

    I ordered it out of the UK during a black friday sale. It was 25% off + free shipping. Couldn't pass that up. I retired my trusty Palm Pilot Tungsten T5 for good when it came in. I just now wiped off a layer of
    dust as it sits on one of my network switches.

    That does look awesome. How's the battery life?

    Not too sure man.

    I've wanted to make a phone into a laptop replacement, with some of the new cloud apps and a Bluetooth keyboard it's almost possible. A
    clamshell palmtop with bluetooth and a cellular radio would be killer.

    They have a USB -> HDMI that does that very thing. Keyboard/mouse on bluetooth and you're set. The gemini has two type C connectors. One for charging, the other for video output so you can charge while it is on display. It's hella.

    I was smitten with the IBM Palmtop from Japan, the Toshiba Libretto,
    and to a lesser extent the Atari Portfolios and HP 95/100/200lx
    designs.

    smartphone in the meantime and filed an insurance claim about a month later due to a travel schedule and insurance wouldn't cover it since
    the damage was too old. I vowed never pay for phone insurance again.
    But I miss that sexy ass blackberry. What a great keyboard.

    I remember those Blackberry years - I spent years with the model with
    the 7290, then the Pearl, then a Curve, then one of the newer touchpad models. loved the keyboard, but I borrowed a iPhone 3GS from work and never looked back.

    Loved the Blackberry Enterprise Server - I could tell it *only* to
    notify me if certain people emailed. Saved on a lot of distraction. Getting android to do the same is tricky; the Samsung app has a feature
    to accomplish this but Gmail doesn't.

    That's gone now. Blackberry is now a cybersecurity outfit.

    Ref: https://blackberrymobile.com/us/product/blackberry-keyone/
    Ref: https://www.punkt.ch/en/products/mp02-4g-mobile-phone/

    There are a handful of similar sized phones on Amazon, not sure which
    ones support 3G networks, but I've always had a thought of going with a feature phone and cutting out all of the apps. Use the phone just to communicate.

    The current blackberry models are modern smartphones. They do 3g, 4g/lte, etc. The one i had was a sprint LTE model.

    I used to have an old Nokia 3100 Classic I'd keep around to try out -
    the Punkt is a hell of a lot cooler looking. I'd need a Montblanc pen
    and a leather journal to go with it. :)

    The punkt also has a lte connection that allows hotspotting.

    Daniel Traechin

    ... Visit me at gopher://gcpp.world
    --- MultiMail/Linux v0.49
    * Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (1:340/7)
  • From Richard Miles@1:3634/24 to Daniel on Wednesday, May 20, 2020 17:50:27
    On 19 May 2020, Daniel said the following...

    There's a weekly BBS gettogether on MRC on wednesdays that's pretty fun.

    Who hosts it? I don't see the adverts

    Don't remember if it's Hawk or who but I see them all the time. Hop on if
    you get the chance. I am normally working unfortunately and can't join in but most of the boards running MRC you should be able to join in.

    -=>Richard Miles<=-
    -=>Captain Obvious<=-
    -=>bbs.shadowscope.com<=-

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/05/17 (Windows/32)
    * Origin: Shadowscope BBS | bbs.shadowscope.com | Temple, GA (1:3634/24)
  • From Daniel@1:340/7 to Richard Miles on Wednesday, May 20, 2020 22:28:00
    Richard Miles wrote to Daniel <=-

    On 19 May 2020, Daniel said the following...

    There's a weekly BBS gettogether on MRC on wednesdays that's pretty fun.

    Who hosts it? I don't see the adverts

    Don't remember if it's Hawk or who but I see them all the time. Hop on
    if you get the chance. I am normally working unfortunately and can't
    join in but most of the boards running MRC you should be able to join
    in.

    I just got out of a day of meetings. Working at home still, and likely will from now on.

    I'll check and see if MRC has any action going on. Going to log in thru bottomlessabyss.

    Daniel Traechin

    ... Visit me at gopher://gcpp.world
    --- MultiMail/Linux v0.49
    * Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (1:340/7)
  • From August Abolins@2:221/1.58 to Daniel on Saturday, May 23, 2020 22:51:00
    Hello Daniel!

    ** On Tuesday 19.05.20 - 06:16, Daniel wrote to August Abolins:

    I have the gemini PDA

    https://www.www3.planetcom.co.uk/gemini-pda

    I ordered it out of the UK during a black friday sale. It was 25% off
    + free shipping. Couldn't pass that up. I retired my trusty Palm Pilot Tungsten T5 for good when it came in. I just now wiped off a layer of
    dust as it sits on one of my network switches.

    Yes.. at the current advertised price, it would have to be a significant "sale" before I make a serious consideration.

    Based on the models holding the unit to their heads, it seems borderline larger than I would like a phone to my head.

    I thought my Blackberry Q10 was heavy at 135g (majority of the weight is
    the 2100mAh battery), but the gemini is a bit more than twice as heavy.
    Not sure if I would want to carry that in a suit pocket.

    Is the battery of the gemini removable?


    I don't use google services on it.

    You are very disciplined! :)


    My last smartphone was the blackberry Key One..
    But I miss that sexy ass blackberry. What a great keyboard.

    I warmed up the to Q10 keyboard very quickly. VERY smart idea to have the little raised corners on the keys.


    If I were to ever get a smartphone again it would be a blackberry.
    Have you seen the blackberry phone made by Punkt? That would be it for
    me. Second link below.

    I'm a real fan of minimalism and that takes the cake.

    Never heard of that one. It *is* nice and small. But the price isn't! LOL

    How would you do texting with it? C = 3 presses on 2? F = 3 presses on
    3? No thanks.

    I am finding that the Q10 is a fine temporary phone when I need to call my office to check messages or to have on hand for emergency when travelling.
    I ordered a genuine belt holster for it. I really can't complain since
    the phone was practically just given to me when the previous owner damaged the usb charging port. Instead, I just have two extra batteries and one
    of them is in an external charger at the ready.


    I used to have that problem. My phone's a POTS only within the house. Otherwise, it's a digital line. I setup my call rules to block all
    calls but those whitelisted. So anyone who knows me can call. And my
    bank plus few other debtors can call me if needed. So when my phone
    rings, it's only those who I intend to call me. Any other business
    needing to reach me can do so via email, which they prefer to do
    anyway.

    I could do something similar, but I refuse to subscribe to caller-id
    features on my POTS phone. The base price would be over $100/yr. I don't care about receiving calls that much to justify that.


    For five years now I've been paying my bills via mailed envelopes and checks. Doing so cut credit card fraud alerts by 100%. Seeing my mail-
    lady is a highlight of my day too.

    You're a flirt! LOL.

    I don't have the dicipline to write cheques, stuff envelopes and mail them out in time before the due dates anymore.


    Ref: https://blackberrymobile.com/us/product/blackberry-keyone/
    Ref: https://www.punkt.ch/en/products/mp02-4g-mobile-phone/

    Thanks for the links. They were an interesting visit.

    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.43
    * Origin: [special text for this echo only via oxp's /S edit] (2:221/1.58)
  • From Daniel@1:340/7 to August Abolins on Sunday, May 24, 2020 08:23:00
    August Abolins wrote to Daniel <=-

    Yes.. at the current advertised price, it would have to be a
    significant "sale" before I make a serious consideration.

    Mhm

    Based on the models holding the unit to their heads, it seems
    borderline larger than I would like a phone to my head.

    I use it as it is designed for, a PDA.

    I thought my Blackberry Q10 was heavy at 135g (majority of the weight
    is the 2100mAh battery), but the gemini is a bit more than twice as
    heavy. Not sure if I would want to carry that in a suit pocket.

    It's basically two 'phones' in one that folds into a clamshell. like a mini-laptop with aluminum. It's heavy but it suits my purposes. It's definitely not for everyone.

    Is the battery of the gemini removable?

    No.

    I don't use google services on it.

    You are very disciplined! :)

    No, it just isn't necessary for my uses. I have a few apps that are available on f-droid that don't require google services and, well, Google doesn't even know my android install exists.

    Never heard of that one. It *is* nice and small. But the price isn't!
    LOL

    Yeah, I know. It's pricey.

    How would you do texting with it? C = 3 presses on 2? F = 3 presses
    on 3? No thanks.

    No idea. If so that would be a stunning no from me. But then, my PDA is there for texting.

    For five years now I've been paying my bills via mailed envelopes and checks. Doing so cut credit card fraud alerts by 100%. Seeing my mail-
    lady is a highlight of my day too.

    You're a flirt! LOL.

    shhh

    I don't have the dicipline to write cheques, stuff envelopes and mail
    them out in time before the due dates anymore.

    Yeah, not for everyone surely.

    ... Visit me at gopher://gcpp.world
    --- MultiMail/Linux v0.49
    * Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (1:340/7)
  • From Doug Cooper@1:227/702 to Kurt Weiske on Monday, May 25, 2020 01:41:24
    Weeding, painting, planting, sweeping, fixing ourdoor furniture,
    building new shelving...seen a lot of people buying home projects at
    local hardware stores. We just planted a tone of new plants, and had an odd off-season winter-like storm passing through - watering everything nicely.


    NICE!!! Those are all my expertise and passions. I just built a 12x12ft garden, with fence and and built a nice arbor entrance with gate. I have two climbing roses to wrap the arbor entrance. I've planted tons of vegies ...
    In addition planted a few strategic sections of my yard with wild flowers to attract bees, butterflys, and humming birds, built a pergola, cleaned my
    pond, and tilled my 20 yards of flower beds to help newer shrubs establish
    and have "leg groom" to grow. I wish I could post pictures. I'm quite proud of the work I've done. It's a great experience being able to enjoy the outdoors. It was 85 today! Will be in the 90's tomorrow so my New Mexico Hatch Chilis are being hardened to be planted in 9 days. Jalapeno, and bell peppers also going into the ground soon.

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A45 2020/02/18 (Windows/32)
    * Origin: The Underground [@] theunderground.us:10023 <-port (1:227/702)
  • From Doug Cooper@1:227/702 to Daniel on Monday, May 25, 2020 01:54:47
    Yeah smartphones. I transitioned from a cell to satellite phone over two years ago. I sms/mms with a mobile PDA called 'Gemini.'

    If someone wants to reach me by voice they have my landline. This seems
    to have been a major success with this lockdown adn work from home
    (which is now permanent with my agency).

    Daniel Traechin


    Where do you get a sat phone? I'm about ready to go back to a land line as well. I keep Facebook because my family is on there and I don't even read
    what they say. My dad, at 74 is posting his daily schedule and expects the family to read it. If I dare call during that time, he gets pretty
    irritated. So I've explained to him that I have my own schedule, do not use social media to post my schedule, and that if he's engaged in some church event, going out of town, or whatever, to simply email me or call. He has
    yet to comply, and I'm not sifthing through 10,000 cat meme's to get to his schedule update posted within my newsfeed. So, we're in a pickle. But I
    only use facebook to post photos of my kids to the family, and have my
    facebook locked down to family. Use twitter with TOR and VPN, fake email,
    and user name, to Poke at people when in the mood. Other then that, I'm done with the over stimulation to politics and the COVID19 crisis "we're in it together" campaigns -- and -- non stop ads and politician updates. I watch
    the local news in the AM for the weather, get the basic headlines from them. If a topic of value comes up, I read it online. I pray for a day that we get back to WORLD news. I remember when it used to consist of wars, human right violations, planes being lost in the sea, etc... As opposed to 24x7 "hate trump" or "love trump" media (at least here in the states). It's been a very very long and mentally taxing 5+ years. So my hobbies keep me sane.

    One wish ... on my list .. is a network with no more then 20 GENERAL TOPIC discussion areas that are more user focused, active, and non SysOp or Tech related to enjoy. During times like we are in right now, a break for WORK, Politics, and this virus are of value. But I'm finding many networks, even Fido, only have active echos within HAM Radio, politics, BBS related topics. I'm not sure how we attract new and or past BBS USERS (not current SysOps)
    when focused so internally .... but ... if I must discuss Licensed Turf Management here ... feel free to ask about crap grass, grubs, proper fertilization timing, etc.... I have a bit of experience witin it.

    Thanks for th welcome and the echo. This should be a good break for me. And if anyone desires ... give my BBS a connect .... It's, like any, a work in development, but I'm commited to daily changes to keep it fresh, configured, funcitonal, and relevant. And it's inception was April 2020. So ... your feedback in email would be awesome! Good or bad.

    www.theunderground.us:10023

    Thanks,

    Doug

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A45 2020/02/18 (Windows/32)
    * Origin: The Underground [@] theunderground.us:10023 <-port (1:227/702)
  • From August Abolins@2:221/1.58 to Doug Cooper on Monday, May 25, 2020 11:31:00
    Hello Doug!

    ** On Monday 25.05.20 - 01:54, Doug Cooper wrote to Daniel:

    I'm about ready to go back to a land line as well.

    Why?

    I keep Facebook because my family is on there and I don't even read
    what they say. My dad, at 74 is posting his daily schedule and
    expects the family to read it.

    He's found a purposeful activity. Keep encouraging it. FB is fairly
    simple. I steered my mom to FTN echomail in the pre-FB days. She
    mastered the quoting and cleaning up of wrapped lines very nicely. She participated in a few online forums too.


    ...and I'm not sifthing through 10,000 cat meme's to get to his
    schedule update posted within my newsfeed. So, we're in a pickle.

    That is one of the annoyances of FB for me.. lack of proper S)earch in a regular personal account. Otherwise, FB resembles one long continuous toilet-paper roll of meaningless crap: photos of food, stupid shared memes/jokes, etc.

    But I found out that a Group account does allow S)earches. Maybe have a group account for your dad.


    One wish ... on my list .. is a network with no more then 20 GENERAL
    TOPIC discussion areas that are more user focused, active, and non
    SysOp or Tech related to enjoy. During times like we are in right
    now, a break for WORK, Politics, and this virus are of value. But
    I'm finding many networks, even Fido, only have active echos within
    HAM Radio, politics, BBS related topics.

    This echo, COFFEE_KLATSCH, is a good home-base to start from. Then, find another echo that might interest you, and try to steer people to that to continue those specific topics.

    I'm hovering in MOVIES, INTERNET, CATS_MEOW (pets), FILM. The top non-
    tech echos are:

    COOKING 8.87%
    WEATHER 6.46%
    HOME_COOKING 5.96%
    RECIPES 5.75%
    NHL 2.30%
    MEMORIES 1.54%
    POLITICS 1.11%
    DADS 0.57%
    ENGLISH_TUTOR 0.22%


    I'm not sure how we attract new and or past BBS USERS (not current
    SysOps) when focused so internally

    Put out posters in your community at places like grocery stores,
    laundromats, post offices.


    .... but ... if I must discuss Licensed Turf Management here ... feel
    free to ask about crap grass, grubs, proper fertilization timing,
    etc.... I have a bit of experience witin it.

    There's a fido echo HOME_N_GRDN for that. Start posting and let people
    here know that you're writing there.


    Thanks for th welcome and the echo. This should be a good break for me. And if anyone desires ... give my BBS a connect .... It's, like any, a work in development, but I'm commited to daily changes to keep it fresh, configured, funcitonal, and relevant. And it's inception was April 2020.
    So ... your feedback in email would be awesome! Good or bad.

    www.theunderground.us:10023


    Your "Breaking News" write-up at telentbbsguide.com is very good! Produce
    a condensed version of that and get it posted at physical bulletin boards
    or produce a pamphlet (3-fold version) that can be placed with retailers
    in your community. Maybe even a local bookstore would welcome to have it!



    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.43
    * Origin: [special text for this echo only via oxp's /S edit] (2:221/1.58)
  • From Doug Cooper@1:227/702 to August Abolins on Monday, June 01, 2020 23:28:07
    I'm about ready to go back to a land line as well.

    Why?


    August,

    We both kind of prefer the written word then Tick Tock right? I think I've read you discuss that. We are to a point in society where people look at
    their phones in the middle of a conversation with you and never look up. My wife texts me from the other room. My Dad facebook messages me a quick
    update on his schedule rather then calling. Customers use text as a day planner, invasivly texting on weekends in the late evening hours, or during a family movie night. It's getting to the point where when people need to
    solve a problem they email, or text. But dare ask them to pick up the phone and they act afraid and or inconvenienced. My wife, and I love my wife,
    don't get me wrong, it's just easier to use real reference then point fingers .. her dad wants to buy us a chest freezer for her past birthday. She'll get online and see that it says "call store for details, no online orders," and she'll call her dad and simply say "They don't have any." Instead of simply calling the store and inquiring. Or If there is a problem with an inaccurate charge to her account from a retailer, she'll send a quick email, forget
    about it, and never get it resolved. Or, my past clients, would ask "why do
    I have weeds?" Well .. that requires a lot of questions, a lot of
    explanation to type within email. So I'd try to call -- they won't answer.
    So I used to spend over an hour compiling an email explaining their
    situation, after reviewing their home, and it would go unread. I'm to a
    point, until I own another business (Learning HTML right now ..) that if someone wants to talk to me they can call. I don't reply to texts from
    family or friends, other then BBS friends. But not those that I've known for years. I don't reply to their emails either. They wanna talk -- call.
    There is no substitute then hearing my dads voice, or seeing him face to
    face. Not to mention that if not careful, people read tone into written communication, most of the time inaccurately. I literally could have taken a lot out of context to my newbie questions on FSXnet, but has not trained themselves to read with postive intent, they usually read tone into messages incorrectly. So, while I'm joking about a land line .. albeit their dang
    cheap right now ... I treat my cellpone as one while unemployeed. Oh, and younger generations want to do a job interview via text too .. I never hired those that did.

    Now smart phones have their place. I love the instant access to stocks, or weather, or my schedule, alarms, etc.... but not a replacement for human interaction, nor a rude distraction to someone who is genuinly trying to communicate with me.

    He's found a purposeful activity. Keep encouraging it. FB is fairly simple. I steered my mom to FTN echomail in the pre-FB days. She mastered the quoting and cleaning up of wrapped lines very nicely. She participated in a few online forums too.


    Yeah ..... Oddly he did not find a purposeful activity .. he grudgenly
    adopted it and now uses it annoyingly, assuming everyone is able to see his messages. When I try to show him stuff like that .. he becomes a grump.
    lol! He's a "self sustained living, retired minister" who lives in a town of no more than 50 people. He's funny, but when my children tried to connect
    with him via the "Child Safe Facebook Messenger" feature .. he immediatly assumed it a scan and scalded us for having enough technology to deal with
    and how it was likely a scan to steal his credit card information. lol! God love him ...

    That is one of the annoyances of FB for me.. lack of proper S)earch in
    a regular personal account. Otherwise, FB resembles one long continuous toilet-paper roll of meaningless crap: photos of food, stupid shared memes/jokes, etc.

    But I found out that a Group account does allow S)earches. Maybe have a group account for your dad.


    See my FSXnet reply to the above, however a quick add .. I started a facebook group to do videos and text on all things turf care. I have tons of videos
    to edit and upload. And they are much more user friendly then the general
    news feed.

    This echo, COFFEE_KLATSCH, is a good home-base to start from. Then,
    find another echo that might interest you, and try to steer people to
    that to continue those specific topics.


    Took your advice -- the DAD echo. I'm starting a FidoNet All Pro Dad group,
    so any dads reading, go check it out. It's an excellent program that I'll be coordinating the material of for you to enjoy with your kids. It was onlyh
    $50 for the year to be a "Captain," but was able to establish it as a FidoNet All Pro Dad Chapter .. and allows me access to all of the Family first
    content. Next up August -- Lawn Care. But my HTML online class has consumed my time to write the material in text for a BBS format.

    Put out posters in your community at places like grocery stores, laundromats, post offices.


    Thats a cool concept I had not thought of. My sister, Mary, is a 40 year old Hippie stil hanging out at the Festivals with the 20 somethings. However, she's an incredible artist, very well known in her scene, and is at those to either display her paintings, or kinda odd to me, but paints on stage with
    the bands playing .. Apparently it's a thing and she's requested every
    weekend year round. I'll speak to her regarding that. She'd have the hook ups. But I do feel that the Millenials are very into Retro / Nostalgia, and have more in common with us GenX / Boomers that BBS then we think -- they too value their privacy, want annonymity, like to speak their minds, enjoy retro stuff, and prefer local community feel. And they too hate facebook ;)

    You, I'm sure very much rember, the day of each SysOp sending $5-$10 a month
    to the hub to make the long distance call out of state for networking? What
    if we did that for facebook, snap chat, or other ads? I've also noticed that
    a lot of BBS pages are set up as archive/historical purposes, and/or are not clean and user friendly; beit in UI or or in the nomenclature used to
    describe what a BBS is. While it's silly to think we can reinvent acronymns, when hitting a landing page, maybe using the word "Apps" instead of "Files,"
    or "Games" instead of "Doors," or "Blogs" instead of "Echos" would be
    examples of ways to modernize the URL facing marketing toward BBS's. In addition, to your point, there are grass roots marketing that is simple and free, and could collect a few users. However, as a busines owner, you know, frequency and debth witin marketing is what creates the most clicks and traffic. Which also leads me to whether or not we are utilizing google (is
    it called ad words?) correctly? I think, totally unrelated words: COVID, TRUMP, etc... included within our text can surely draw more clicks then "founded in 1989, My BBS was ..." Being strategic in how URL's are created, with click tracking tools can assist greatly. Lastly, I know two guys that
    can redirect web traffic (albeit not always for long) to their website as opposed to another ... I don't like those dirty tactics. However, I think we have an excellent, relevant, and very much alive format of "Social Media"
    that people crave from the mainstream tech companies out there; without the flaws .. however minus the photos ... which some just won't ever get or understand.

    Your "Breaking News" write-up at telentbbsguide.com is very good!


    Thank you! Can't wait till you call! :) I'll work on being less wordy. I free write. I don't have the patience to sentence combine, and reduction lol!

    Glad I finally got the rescan on this echo ... love these types of conversations!

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A45 2020/02/18 (Windows/32)
    * Origin: The Underground [@] theunderground.us:10023 <-port (1:227/702)
  • From August Abolins@2:221/1.58 to Doug Cooper on Friday, June 05, 2020 23:27:00
    Hello Doug!

    ** On Monday 25.05.20 - 01:54, Doug Cooper wrote to Daniel:

    ...I'm not sure how we attract new and or past BBS USERS
    (not current SysOps) when focused so internally .... but ... if I must discuss Licensed Turf Management here ... feel free to ask about crap grass, grubs, proper fertilization timing, etc.... I have a bit of experience witin it.

    Are you hooked up with HOME-n-GRDN yet? I posted something in there, but maybe the intermediate hubs have long gone dropped it?

    MEANWHILE, I've got a turf question for you.

    My shop shares a little laneway with a neighbor:

    http://pics.rsh.ru/img/grassIMG_20200605_140456_v8fump0a.png

    Neighbour is on the left, I'm in the right. BUT, legally the whole
    laneway belongs on the neighbour's property line.

    I use it to park my vehicle there for the day and to access my back door beside the propane tanks.

    For several years, I've been mowing down the grass and weeds with a
    portable (electric) weed wacker. I used an electric mower once as well.
    But quite frankly I'm getting quite tired of the whole process. Except
    for repairing and repainting their exterior wall on the left, they don't
    do anything about the weeds that crop up. Apparently, I'm the only one
    using the laneway to access my back door on occassion. But they blocked
    off their door (the black one at the very end) and never use it. So, why would they even care about the grass/weeds, right?

    Is there an inexpensive way to get rid of the grass and weeds once and for all? And don't say Roundup. :/


    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.44
    * Origin: (2:221/1.58)
  • From Doug Cooper@1:227/702 to August Abolins on Monday, June 08, 2020 08:38:59
    Are you hooked up with HOME-n-GRDN yet? I posted something in there,
    but maybe the intermediate hubs have long gone dropped it?


    I received a "rules" auto-bot but thats about it. I'll double check today, maybe post a quick test message and I'll reply if I get it :)

    Is there an inexpensive way to get rid of the grass and weeds once and
    for all? And don't say Roundup. :/


    No weed spray is permanent .. you CAN use round up and enjoy the dirt for
    good majority of the year, however dirt and sun is present, weeds will always grow. There are millions of weed seeds that live in the soil, blow through
    the air, and that birds and other wildlife "dispense of." The lowest maintenance solution is gravel; and to help ensure weeds don't grow from the soil through the gravel would be a good landscape fabric and /or plastic.
    It's not the "most affordable" solution, but the lowest maintenance. Many times a gravel yard will bring it out and relatively level it for nothing
    more than the delivery fee. And gravels is rather cheap per the ton.
    However, that would require the owners permission of course.

    The other alternative to weed control is to get grass growing well. The best time to plant seed is in fall when temperatures are cooler. A good overseeding, starter fertilizer (If you can get it where you live, it has potash in it ..) lightly blanketed with loose straw, and lightly watered to keep the seed moist until it sprouts, will get the grass up and growing
    better then in temperatures over 80 degrees. The obvious challenge is that
    any grass wil not handle the heavy traffic of vehicles, which is why I'd lean more toward gravel for the area pictured. I would think the owner should own or split the expense which can help.

    Otherwise, I'm afraid your only option to killing off grass AND weeds is roundup. That or diesel fuel I hear does the trick :) I can't imagine that smelling well, nor be safe to "apply' during the heat.

    Vinegar does NOT work, so regardless of what you read, Vinegar would be considered a contact herbicide if used for this purpose, and at best just temporarly injurs the leaves of the plant, small ones will die, but not most
    of what I see in the picture. To kill off thistle and any root spreading
    weed, a systemic herbicide is necessary -- gets into the plant and blocks a function of photosynthesis, causing the plant to fail, down to the root.
    Most systemic herbicides are designed not to kill grass, other then the
    "grass and weed killers" which all share the same basic chemical as round-up, just under a different label.

    Hope this helps...

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A45 2020/02/18 (Windows/32)
    * Origin: The Underground [@] theunderground.us:10023 <-port (1:227/702)
  • From August Abolins@2:221/1.58 to Doug Cooper on Monday, June 08, 2020 12:20:00
    Hello Doug!

    ** On Monday 08.06.20 - 08:38, Doug Cooper wrote to August Abolins:

    Are you hooked up with HOME-n-GRDN yet? I posted something in there,
    but maybe the intermediate hubs have long gone dropped it?


    I received a "rules" auto-bot but thats about it. I'll double check today, maybe post a quick test message and I'll reply if I get it :)

    Excellent. The updated/correct tagname is HOME_N_GRDN (with underscores).

    I've "posted" a copy of your original message there. If that works, I'll reply to this message over there. See ya!


    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.44
    * Origin: (2:221/1.58)
  • From Charles Stephenson@1:226/16 to All on Wednesday, June 10, 2020 00:33:46
    Hello all,

    Just wanted to drop a message saying hello! :)





    --- ENiGMA 1/2 v0.0.12-beta (linux; x64; 10.16.3)
    * Origin: The Amiga Frontier BBS |frontierbbs.net:8888| OH (1:226/16)
  • From August Abolins@2:221/1.58 to Charles Stephenson on Wednesday, June 10, 2020 08:54:00
    Hello Charles!

    ** On Wednesday 10.06.20 - 00:33, Charles Stephenson wrote to All:

    Just wanted to drop a message saying hello! :)


    And.. now, you must drop more messages and stir up the conversation as we stir up our coffee!



    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.44
    * Origin: (2:221/1.58)
  • From Kurt Weiske@1:218/700 to August Abolins on Wednesday, June 10, 2020 10:14:00
    August Abolins wrote to Charles Stephenson <=-

    Hello Charles!

    ** On Wednesday 10.06.20 - 00:33, Charles Stephenson wrote to All:

    Just wanted to drop a message saying hello! :)

    And.. now, you must drop more messages and stir up the conversation as
    we stir up our coffee!

    ND: Peets Brazilian ground, pour-over. Black, a little too strong. A nice morning pick-me-up.


    ... "We can't stop here, this is bat country."
    --- MultiMail/XT v0.52
    * Origin: http://realitycheckbbs.org | tomorrow's retro tech (1:218/700)
  • From Rick Smith@1:340/202.1 to Kurt Weiske on Wednesday, June 10, 2020 20:26:28
    Greetings Kurt!

    10 Jun 20 10:14, you wrote to August Abolins about an urgent matter!:

    August Abolins wrote to Charles Stephenson <=-

    Hello Charles!

    ** On Wednesday 10.06.20 - 00:33, Charles Stephenson wrote to
    All:

    Just wanted to drop a message saying hello! :)

    And.. now, you must drop more messages and stir up the
    conversation as we stir up our coffee!

    ND: Peets Brazilian ground, pour-over. Black, a little too strong. A
    nice morning pick-me-up.


    I have been doing cold brew lately, and It is very good..



    ----
    Rick Smith (Nitro)

    ... YKYHW: You consider BBSing better than sex.
    --- GoldED+/LNX 1.1.5-b20180707
    * Origin: ----> Abacus Sysop Point --->>>>bbs.abon.us:2323 (1:340/202.1)
  • From Marc Lewis@1:396/45 to Charles Stephenson on Thursday, June 11, 2020 20:42:31
    Hello Charles.

    <On 10Jun2020 00:33 Charles Stephenson (1:226/16) wrote a message to All regarding Hi! >


    Just wanted to drop a message saying hello! :)

    Glad you're here, Charles!

    Best regards,
    Marc

    ... If at first you do succeed, you misunderstood the problem.
    --- timEd/2 1.10.y2k+
    * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS-Huntsville,AL-bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)
  • From Richard Menedetter@2:310/31 to Charles Stephenson on Friday, June 12, 2020 16:30:20
    Hi Charles!

    10 Jun 2020 00:33, from Charles Stephenson -> All:

    Just wanted to drop a message saying hello! :)

    Hello ;)

    CU, Ricsi

    ... Incredible as it seems, my life is based on a true story.
    --- GoldED+/LNX
    * Origin: Excuse me. Your ignorance is showing. (2:310/31)
  • From Daniel@1:340/7 to Charles Stephenson on Friday, June 12, 2020 09:08:00
    Charles Stephenson wrote to All <=-

    Hello all,

    Just wanted to drop a message saying hello! :)

    Greetings.

    Daniel Traechin

    ... Visit me at gopher://gcpp.world
    --- MultiMail/Linux v0.49
    * Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (1:340/7)
  • From Charles Stephenson@1:226/16 to August Abolins on Thursday, June 18, 2020 06:19:49
    On Jun 11th 5:00 pm August Abolins said...
    And.. now, you must drop more messages and stir up the conversation as we
    stir up our coffee!


    I KNEW there was a catch! :)

    I've been waiting for this summer to be over, I hate the high temps!



    --- ENiGMA 1/2 v0.0.12-beta (linux; x64; 10.16.3)
    * Origin: The Amiga Frontier BBS |frontierbbs.net:8888| OH (1:226/16)
  • From Charles Stephenson@1:226/16 to Marc Lewis on Thursday, June 18, 2020 06:20:23
    On Jun 14th 3:00 pm Marc Lewis said...
    Just wanted to drop a message saying hello! :)

    Glad you're here, Charles!


    Thank you! Happy to be here!



    --- ENiGMA 1/2 v0.0.12-beta (linux; x64; 10.16.3)
    * Origin: The Amiga Frontier BBS |frontierbbs.net:8888| OH (1:226/16)
  • From Charles Stephenson@1:226/16 to Daniel on Thursday, June 18, 2020 06:20:53
    On Jun 14th 3:00 pm Daniel said...
    Hello all,

    Just wanted to drop a message saying hello! :)

    Greetings.



    Howdy! :)



    --- ENiGMA 1/2 v0.0.12-beta (linux; x64; 10.16.3)
    * Origin: The Amiga Frontier BBS |frontierbbs.net:8888| OH (1:226/16)
  • From Shawn Highfield@1:229/452 to Charles Stephenson on Thursday, June 18, 2020 11:25:38
    Quoting Charles Stephenson to August Abolins <=-

    I've been waiting for this summer to be over, I hate the high temps!

    I dislike the humid days we get here, but I love the heat. When it's
    hot with low humidity (almost never here in Ontario) it's the only
    time I don't have constant pain. I wish we had a province in Canada
    like the state of Arizona, I'd move in a second.

    Shawn

    ... TV Truth: All alien races look like deformed humans.

    --- EzyBlueWave V3.00 01FB001F
    * Origin: Tiny's BBS - telnet://tinysbbs.com:3023 (1:229/452)
  • From August Abolins@2:221/360 to Charles Stephenson on Saturday, June 20, 2020 18:21:02
    On 18/06/2020 6:19 a.m., Charles Stephenson : August Abolins wrote:

    I've been waiting for this summer to be over, I hate the high
    temps!
    * Origin: The Amiga Frontier BBS |frontierbbs.net: 8888| OH

    I don't think we (southern ontario) have seen uncomfortable summer temps for more than a week yet. I didn't think ohio was that bad yet. Sounds like you have a low tolerance threshold! :) Technically, only today is the 1st day of summer. Sheeesh.



    --
    Kad esat sagriezis maizi, to vairs nevarat salikt.

    --- TB(Stealth)/Win7
    * Origin: nntp://rbb.fidonet.fi - Lake Ylo - Finland (2:221/360.0)
  • From Rick Smith@1:340/202.1 to August Abolins on Saturday, June 20, 2020 11:40:36
    Greetings August!

    20 Jun 20 18:21, you wrote to Charles Stephenson about an urgent matter!:

    On 18/06/2020 6:19 a.m., Charles Stephenson : August Abolins wrote:

    I've been waiting for this summer to be over, I hate the high
    temps!
    * Origin: The Amiga Frontier BBS |frontierbbs.net: 8888| OH

    I don't think we (southern ontario) have seen uncomfortable summer
    temps for more than a week yet. I didn't think ohio was that bad yet. Sounds like you have a low tolerance threshold! :) Technically,
    only today is the 1st day of summer. Sheeesh.

    We have had a couple of 90's but its far less humid here than ohio!



    ----
    Rick Smith (Nitro)

    ... Life is too short _NOT_ to take BBSing seriously
    --- GoldED+/LNX 1.1.5-b20180707
    * Origin: ----> Abacus Sysop Point --->>>>bbs.abon.us:2323 (1:340/202.1)
  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to AUGUST ABOLINS on Saturday, June 20, 2020 19:47:00
    I don't think we (southern ontario) have seen uncomfortable summer temps for >more than a week yet. I didn't think ohio was that bad yet. Sounds like you >have a low tolerance threshold! :) Technically, only today is the 1st day of
    summer. Sheeesh.

    First day of Astronomical Summer. Meteorlogical Summer started June 1. We have had hot days here, just South of Ohio, but the heat has yet to set in
    and last more than a few days in a row.

    Mike


    * SLMR 2.1a * - FOR SYSOP USE ONLY - Do not write below this line.
    --- SBBSecho 3.11-Linux
    * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)
  • From Shawn Highfield@1:229/452 to Doug Cooper on Saturday, June 20, 2020 10:33:20
    Quoting Doug Cooper to Shawn Highfield <=-

    been a while. But such a cool little town. I keep telling my wife I'm retiring there with or without her. The climate was perfect. New
    Mexico is another place you'd enjoy if you like that type of climate
    (but not quite as hot).

    Very nice. It's currently 30c here in Ontario with high humidity so
    you have to chew the air when you breath. I don't care though as I
    hate the cold even more then the heat. LOL Grandson's 4'th birthday
    party so I'll just live in the pool with him. LOL

    Shawn

    ... If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

    --- EzyBlueWave V3.00 01FB001F
    * Origin: Tiny's BBS - telnet://tinysbbs.com:3023 (1:229/452)
  • From Charles Stephenson@1:226/16 to Shawn Highfield on Saturday, June 20, 2020 07:37:57

    On Jun 18th 9:00 am Shawn Highfield said...
    I dislike the humid days we get here, but I love the heat. When it's hot with low humidity (almost never here in Ontario) it's the only time I don't have constant pain. I wish we had a province in Canada like the state of Arizona, I'd move in a second.


    I agree with you about low humidity helping my health too. I've never really liked any temps over 70 no matter what size I've been. Skinny or fat. I sleep better when it's cold. It's a lot easier to get warm in the cold, than cool in the heat! I think I'm one of the few people that do MORE during a snow storm! :)

    I'm KINDA close to you, Northeast Ohio. Lately we've been having VERY mild winters. I can count the snow days on one hand this year. :(



    --- ENiGMA 1/2 v0.0.12-beta (linux; x64; 10.16.3)
    * Origin: The Amiga Frontier BBS |frontierbbs.net:8888| OH (1:226/16)
  • From Charles Stephenson@1:226/16 to Doug Cooper on Saturday, June 20, 2020 07:38:46

    On Jun 20th 2:00 am Doug Cooper said...
    Charles, don't believe August, he's perfectly capable of stirring up conversation! But welcome! Now pick a topic. (Smile).



    Hehe! Thanks for the heads up! >:)

    Thanks for the welcome!



    --- ENiGMA 1/2 v0.0.12-beta (linux; x64; 10.16.3)
    * Origin: The Amiga Frontier BBS |frontierbbs.net:8888| OH (1:226/16)
  • From Doug Cooper@1:227/702 to Shawn Highfield on Saturday, June 20, 2020 01:23:51
    I dislike the humid days we get here, but I love the heat. When it's
    hot with low humidity (almost never here in Ontario) it's the only
    time I don't have constant pain. I wish we had a province in Canada
    like the state of Arizona, I'd move in a second.

    I lived in Arizona for a couple years. Sedona is beautiful! I lived in Phoenix, it was a bit too hot for me. It would push 120 degrees for a couple of weeks within moments of the june-august months. I always describe it
    those who havent been there, the only way I can ... Opening the door to my apartment felt very similar to opening an oven door and reaching in to grab something. It was a pretty intense heat. But Sedona is slightly higher altitude and if I remember right, it begins the Rocky mountains. Many John Wayne films were made there. It has the beauty of the Red desert rocks and cactus, while just a short drive away pine trees and forest. I think it was called "Flagstaff?" It's been a while. But such a cool little town. I keep telling my wife I'm retiring there with or without her. The climate was perfect. New Mexico is another place you'd enjoy if you like that type of climate (but not quite as hot).

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A45 2020/02/18 (Windows/32)
    * Origin: The Underground [@] theunderground.us:10023 <-port (1:227/702)
  • From Doug Cooper@1:227/702 to Charles Stephenson on Saturday, June 20, 2020 01:17:19
    And.. now, you must drop more messages and stir up the conversation a
    stir up our coffee!



    Charles, don't believe August, he's perfectly capable of stirring up conversation! But welcome! Now pick a topic. (Smile).

    =Doug

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A45 2020/02/18 (Windows/32)
    * Origin: The Underground [@] theunderground.us:10023 <-port (1:227/702)
  • From Daryl Stout@1:19/33 to Mike Powell on Sunday, June 21, 2020 09:18:00
    Mike,

    First day of Astronomical Summer. Meteorlogical Summer started June 1.
    We have had hot days here, just South of Ohio, but the heat has yet to set in and last more than a few days in a row.

    Reminds me of the joke on the first day of winter (it's that now in the Southern Hemisphere), where the blonde in a class/job where she didn't
    want to be, was first elated when told it was "the shortest day of the year"...but was then crushed when told "that was for daylight hours". <G>

    * SLMR 2.1a * - FOR SYSOP USE ONLY - Do not write below this line.

    Ok, then I'm in the clear. <G>

    Daryl
    ... If I got the wrong number, why did you answer the phone?
    === MultiMail/Win32 v0.50
    --- SBBSecho 3.11-Win32
    * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (1:19/33)
  • From Daniel@1:340/7 to Charles Stephenson on Monday, June 22, 2020 21:50:00
    Charles Stephenson wrote to August Abolins <=-

    On Jun 11th 5:00 pm August Abolins said...
    And.. now, you must drop more messages and stir up the conversation as we
    stir up our coffee!


    I KNEW there was a catch! :)

    I've been waiting for this summer to be over, I hate the high temps!

    Are you on the southern hemisphere?

    --- ENiGMA 1/2 v0.0.12-beta (linux; x64; 10.16.3)
    * Origin: The Amiga Frontier BBS |frontierbbs.net:8888| OH (1:226/16)

    ... Visit me at gopher://gcpp.world
    --- MultiMail/Linux v0.49
    * Origin: Digital Distortion: digdist.synchro.net (1:340/7)
  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to CHARLES STEPHENSON on Monday, June 22, 2020 19:29:00
    I agree with you about low humidity helping my health too. I've never really liked any temps over 70 no matter what size I've been. Skinny or fat. I sleep
    better when it's cold. It's a lot easier to get warm in the cold, than cool in
    the heat!

    YES, that is right! You cannot explain that to someone who thinks anything below 80F is "cold," though. :)

    I'm KINDA close to you, Northeast Ohio. Lately we've been having VERY mild winters. I can count the snow days on one hand this year. :(

    I am a few hours south, in Kentucky. In this area, it did snow some, but I
    do not remember it ever covering the ground. Wait... there was one day it
    did cover the parking lot at work, early in the morning when I get there,
    but it did not stick around.

    The school kids had more "extreme cold" and "flu" days off than snow days
    this year.


    * SLMR 2.1a * Do device drivers need a chauffeur's license?
    --- SBBSecho 3.11-Linux
    * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)
  • From Mike Powell@1:2320/105 to DARYL STOUT on Monday, June 22, 2020 19:31:00
    Reminds me of the joke on the first day of winter (it's that now in the Southern Hemisphere), where the blonde in a class/job where she didn't
    want to be, was first elated when told it was "the shortest day of the year"...but was then crushed when told "that was for daylight hours". <G>

    That poor blonde lady, she can never catch a break. :)

    Mike


    * SLMR 2.1a * Make like smoke and dissipate.
    --- SBBSecho 3.11-Linux
    * Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (1:2320/105)
  • From Kurt Weiske@1:218/700 to Shawn Highfield on Monday, June 22, 2020 07:41:00
    Shawn Highfield wrote to Doug Cooper <=-

    Quoting Doug Cooper to Shawn Highfield <=-

    Very nice. It's currently 30c here in Ontario with high humidity so
    you have to chew the air when you breath. '

    I had a friend who joined the US Army after high school. Spent his
    summer goofing off, and reported for boot camp in August. At Fort
    Benning, GA. 30c temps, 90 percent humidity, and this was back when
    they ran in combat boots!



    ... Would you like to wake up from this dream?
    --- MultiMail/XT v0.52
    * Origin: http://realitycheckbbs.org | tomorrow's retro tech (1:218/700)
  • From Kurt Weiske@1:218/700 to Charles Stephenson on Monday, June 22, 2020 07:42:00
    Charles Stephenson wrote to August Abolins <=-

    I've been waiting for this summer to be over, I hate the high temps!

    I'm loving it. I'm out on the California coast, working from home.
    When we go back into the office, I'll have a tan for the first time
    in a while.

    ND: Peets Sumatra, pour-over.



    ... Into the impossible
    --- MultiMail/XT v0.52
    * Origin: http://realitycheckbbs.org | tomorrow's retro tech (1:218/700)
  • From Daryl Stout@1:19/33 to Charles Stephenson on Monday, June 22, 2020 11:45:00
    Charles,

    mild winters. I can count the snow days on one hand this year. :(

    Same in Arkansas...the snow lovers are furious. <G>

    Daryl

    ... DOSSHELL -- Where you go when DOSMOBIL is closed.
    === MultiMail/Win32 v0.50
    --- SBBSecho 3.11-Win32
    * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (1:19/33)
  • From Daryl Stout@1:19/33 to Charles Stephenson on Monday, June 22, 2020 11:47:00
    Charles,

    I've been waiting for this summer to be over, I hate the high temps!

    Even though the winter cold makes the arthritis hurt more, it means
    no insects, no heat illness, and no tornadoes.

    Plus, in the winter, you can put on clothes to keep warm. In the
    summer, there's a limit to what you can remove, before it's illegal
    (unless you're in a nudist colony...but, even there, once you get to
    butt naked, you can't go any further...whether Ethel is looking or
    not <G>).

    Daryl

    ... WARNING!! I'm naked under these clothes!!
    === MultiMail/Win32 v0.50
    --- SBBSecho 3.11-Win32
    * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (1:19/33)
  • From Daryl Stout@1:19/33 to Mike Powell on Wednesday, June 24, 2020 13:51:00
    Mike,

    YES, that is right! You cannot explain that to someone who thinks anything below 80F is "cold," though. :)

    Sounds like the folks in South Florida. When it dipped below 70, the
    winter clothes came out!! <G>

    I am a few hours south, in Kentucky. In this area, it did snow some,
    but I do not remember it ever covering the ground. Wait... there was
    one day it did cover the parking lot at work, early in the morning when
    I get there, but it did not stick around.

    There has been so little snow in central Arkansas the last 3 winters,
    that the snow lovers are just furious.

    The school kids had more "extreme cold" and "flu" days off than snow
    days this year.

    Not sure if they have those here, but there'll probably be COVID-19
    days next.

    Daryl

    ... Goverment Version: Pentago, Pentagoing, Pentagon.
    === MultiMail/Win32 v0.50
    --- SBBSecho 3.11-Win32
    * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (1:19/33)
  • From Daryl Stout@1:19/33 to Mike Powell on Wednesday, June 24, 2020 14:43:00
    Mike,

    Reminds me of the joke on the first day of winter (it's that now in the Southern Hemisphere), where the blonde in a class/job where she didn't
    want to be, was first elated when told it was "the shortest day of the year"...but was then crushed when told "that was for daylight hours". <G>

    That poor blonde lady, she can never catch a break. :)

    Well, there was one case where the blonde got the upper hand.

    This blonde was working at a truck stop restaurant, and the customer
    said he wanted 2 white sidewall tires, 2 running boards, and 2 headlights.

    Confused, the blonde went the chef, who told her that the guy wanted
    2 eggs (sunny side up), 2 bacon strips, and 2 sausage patties.

    So, she prepares a bowl of baked beans, and takes it to the customer.
    He asked "What is this for??"...and the blonde replied, "Well, since
    you wanted that other stuff, I figured you might as well gas up"!! <BG>

    Daryl

    ... Windbreaker: A Poot Suit.
    === MultiMail/Win32 v0.50
    --- SBBSecho 3.11-Win32
    * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (1:19/33)
  • From August Abolins@2:221/1.58 to Daryl Stout on Thursday, June 25, 2020 16:57:00
    Hello Daryl!

    ** On Wednesday 24.06.20 - 14:43, Daryl Stout wrote to Mike Powell:

    This blonde was working at a truck stop restaurant, and the customer said he wanted 2 white sidewall tires, 2 running boards, and 2
    headlights.

    Confused, the blonde went the chef, who told her that the guy wanted
    2 eggs (sunny side up), 2 bacon strips, and 2 sausage patties.

    So, she prepares a bowl of baked beans, and takes it to the customer.
    He asked "What is this for??"...and the blonde replied, "Well, since
    you wanted that other stuff, I figured you might as well gas up"!! <BG>


    Reminds me of:

    Blonde with Sand = Coffee with cream and sugar.
    Chicks on a raft = Eggs on toast
    Coffee dry = coffee with sugar only
    Coffee high and dry = coffee with no cream or sugar or black

    I don't know if today's diners continue to use terms like that (I haven't been out to one in years). Bud sadly, the Tim Horton's here is pretty boring... if you order just a coffee by saying "coffee", it is assumed to
    be (no cream, no sugar), but if you say "double" or "double double", it is assumed be 1 cream and 1 sugar for the former, and twice that for the
    latter.


    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.45
    * Origin: (2:221/1.58)
  • From Daryl Stout@1:19/33 to August Abolins on Friday, June 26, 2020 09:52:00
    August,

    Reminds me of:

    Blonde with Sand = Coffee with cream and sugar.
    Chicks on a raft = Eggs on toast
    Coffee dry = coffee with sugar only
    Coffee high and dry = coffee with no cream or sugar or black

    The late Red Skelton had a similar deal in one of his routines,
    but I'd have to search for it on YouTube.

    I don't know if today's diners continue to use terms like that (I
    haven't been out to one in years). Bud sadly, the Tim Horton's here is pretty boring... if you order just a coffee by saying "coffee", it is assumed to be (no cream, no sugar), but if you say "double" or "double double", it is assumed be 1 cream and 1 sugar for the former, and twice that for the latter.

    That won't ever apply to me...I never acquired a taste for coffee.

    Daryl

    ... Error 63 - Can't locate coffee!! Operator Halted.
    === MultiMail/Win32 v0.50
    --- SBBSecho 3.11-Win32
    * Origin: The Thunderbolt BBS - tbolt.synchro.net (1:19/33)
  • From Shawn Highfield@1:229/452 to Kurt Weiske on Sunday, June 28, 2020 21:35:46
    Quoting Kurt Weiske to Shawn Highfield <=-

    I had a friend who joined the US Army after high school. Spent his
    summer goofing off, and reported for boot camp in August. At Fort
    Benning, GA. 30c temps, 90 percent humidity, and this was back when
    they ran in combat boots!

    That's how they made sure you were serious about joining. If you made
    it though that boot camp without dropping dead you were a solder! I
    wasn't able to serve in the Canadian Army due to health issues, but I
    support the troops 100%

    Shawn

    ... Friends may come and friends may go, but enemies accumulate.

    --- EzyBlueWave V3.00 01FB001F
    * Origin: Tiny's BBS - telnet://tinysbbs.com:3023 (1:229/452)
  • From Charles Stephenson@1:226/16 to Daniel on Saturday, July 25, 2020 04:08:48
    On Jun 28th 8:18 pm Daniel said...
    I KNEW there was a catch! :)

    I've been waiting for this summer to be over, I hate the high
    temps!

    Are you on the southern hemisphere?


    I'm in Ohio. :)

    ...and it's STILL hot as Hades! Not as Humid, but hot here. It's finaly a little cooler here (low 80's)

    Come on fall!!



    --- ENiGMA 1/2 v0.0.12-beta (linux; x64; 10.16.3)
    * Origin: The Amiga Frontier BBS |frontierbbs.net:8888| OH (1:226/16)
  • From Charles Stephenson@1:226/16 to Mike Powell on Saturday, July 25, 2020 04:12:11
    On Jun 28th 8:18 pm Mike Powell said...
    YES, that is right! You cannot explain that to someone who thinks anything below 80F is "cold," though. :)

    I'm KINDA close to you, Northeast Ohio. Lately we've been having VERY
    mild > winters. I can count the snow days on one hand this year. :(



    I am a few hours south, in Kentucky. In this area, it did snow some, but I do not remember it ever covering the ground. Wait... there was one day it did cover the parking lot at work, early in the morning when I get there, but it did not stick around.


    It snowed here like it seemed for like a hr, and it disappeared before it hit the ground. Back when I was a kid we had actual SNOW days, with FEET of slow when they would close schools
    The school kids had more "extreme cold" and "flu" days off than snow days this year.



    With this COVID stuff and kids already been out of school, its going to be interesting this fall for kids



    --- ENiGMA 1/2 v0.0.12-beta (linux; x64; 10.16.3)
    * Origin: The Amiga Frontier BBS |frontierbbs.net:8888| OH (1:226/16)
  • From Charles Stephenson@1:226/16 to Kurt Weiske on Saturday, July 25, 2020 04:14:48
    On Jun 28th 8:18 pm Kurt Weiske said...
    I've been waiting for this summer to be over, I hate the high
    temps!

    I'm loving it. I'm out on the California coast, working from home. When we go back into the office, I'll have a tan for the first time in a while.


    My brother moved to N. Hollywood 3 years ago, his first month there he experienved a earthquake! He's never lived outside of Ohio in his 28 years of life. He called me and had quite a explaination of it!

    He's since moved BACK to Ohio a few months ago, but now he's in Columbus. He said the weather was nice there.

    BTW, I'm 'tanned' all the time! :D



    --- ENiGMA 1/2 v0.0.12-beta (linux; x64; 10.16.3)
    * Origin: The Amiga Frontier BBS |frontierbbs.net:8888| OH (1:226/16)
  • From Charles Stephenson@1:226/16 to Daryl Stout on Saturday, July 25, 2020 04:17:12
    On Jun 28th 8:18 pm Daryl Stout said...
    Even though the winter cold makes the arthritis hurt more, it means no insects, no heat illness, and no tornadoes.


    Yeah, seems like the heat does help more of my health issues, but I'd STILL rather deal with the cold.


    Plus, in the winter, you can put on clothes to keep warm. In the summer, there's a limit to what you can remove, before it's illegal (unless you're in a nudist colony...but, even there, once you get to butt naked, you can't go any further...whether Ethel is looking or not <G>).


    Exactly! That has been my argument since day 1! You can't peel off skin to get cooler!




    --- ENiGMA 1/2 v0.0.12-beta (linux; x64; 10.16.3)
    * Origin: The Amiga Frontier BBS |frontierbbs.net:8888| OH (1:226/16)
  • From Charles Stephenson@1:226/16 to August Abolins on Saturday, July 25, 2020 04:02:17
    On Jun 22nd 2:00 am August Abolins said...
    I don't think we (southern ontario) have seen uncomfortable summer temps for more than a week yet. I didn't think ohio was that bad yet. Sounds like you have a low tolerance threshold! :) Technically, only today is the 1st day of summer. Sheeesh.




    This reply is over a month old, and it's STILL been hot here in Ohio! We've had a steady temp in the high 80's now 90's here for almost a month now with little rain. See, I STILL hate summer! :(



    --- ENiGMA 1/2 v0.0.12-beta (linux; x64; 10.16.3)
    * Origin: The Amiga Frontier BBS |frontierbbs.net:8888| OH (1:226/16)
  • From August Abolins@2:221/1.58 to Charles Stephenson on Saturday, July 25, 2020 20:15:00
    Hello Charles!

    ** On Saturday 25.07.20 - 04:02, Charles Stephenson wrote to August Abolins:

    On Jun 22nd 2:00 am August Abolins said...
    I don't think we (southern ontario) have seen uncomfortable summer temps [...]

    This reply is over a month old, and it's STILL been hot here in Ohio! We've had a steady temp in the high 80's now 90's here for almost a month now with little rain. See, I STILL hate summer! :(

    No problem with this exchange being over a month old. I'll wait a few
    days or weeks before I reply to some messages.

    It *has* turned out to be a rather warm + dry (with a couple of flash rain episodes) summer so far.

    I've rigged a couple of simple fans that draw the much cooler air from the lower level of my split-level home to my higher living space. During the worst of it when the temperature outside is above 30øC, this hack keeps
    the temp at 25øC or less.

    Other than that, I find it hard to hate summer outright. It's a very nice pleasure to see very lightly clad young ladies walking around, especially when they take care of their bodies.


    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.45
    * Origin: (2:221/1.58)
  • From Charles Stephenson@1:226/17 to August Abolins on Tuesday, July 28, 2020 03:52:24
    Re: waiting for this summer to be over
    By: August Abolins to Charles Stephenson on Sat Jun 20 2020 06:21 pm

    I don't think we (southern ontario) have seen uncomfortable summer temps for more than a week yet. I didn't think ohio was that bad yet. Sounds like you have a low tolerance threshold! :) Technically, only today is the 1st day of summer. Sheeesh.

    I'm curious, what city are you from in Ontario?
    --- SBBSecho 3.11-Linux
    * Origin: The New Frontier ][ BBS [frontierbbs.net:23] - OH (1:226/17)
  • From August Abolins@2:221/1.58 to Charles Stephenson on Wednesday, July 29, 2020 23:47:00
    Hello Charles!

    ** On Tuesday 28.07.20 - 03:52, Charles Stephenson wrote to August Abolins:

    I'm curious, what city are you from in Ontario?

    I am not far from the town of Bancroft.

    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.45
    * Origin: (2:221/1.58)
  • From August Abolins@2:221/1.58 to Doug Cooper on Saturday, August 01, 2020 22:38:00
    Hello Doug!

    ** On Monday 01.06.20 - 23:28, Doug Cooper wrote to August Abolins:

    I'm about ready to go back to a land line as well.

    Why?


    ....It's getting to the point where when people need to solve a
    problem they email, or text. But dare ask them to pick up the phone
    and they act afraid and or inconvenienced.

    Some of my suppliers have a totally annoying customer-care process over
    the phone. Too many sub menus to pick. Then, often the only option
    provided is to leave a message. They migh call back, but then I might be occupied with something else in the store and can't really pick up.

    Other suppliers just instruct the caller to file a grievance or concern
    via email.


    My wife, and I love my wife, don't get me wrong.. [[..]] Or If there
    is a problem with an inaccurate charge to her account from a
    retailer, she'll send a quick email, forget about it, and never get
    it resolved.

    Then that would tell me that the money is not significant or not
    important. ;) BUT.. the email can be good paper-trail or proof of activity.


    Or, my past clients, would ask "why do I have weeds?" Well .. that requires a lot of questions, a lot of explanation to type within
    email. So I'd try to call -- they won't answer. So I used to spend
    over an hour compiling an email explaining their situation, after reviewing their home, and it would go unread.

    In my biz, it's easier to use email for describing book details and
    prices. Your gardening/landscaping biz had many more elements to deal
    with. I too could spend an hour or so doing research and compiling a message. But then, it serves as a fine copy and a record of my work. If
    I did it just over the phone, the work is simply ephemeral and can
    disappear into forgetfulness.


    ..I don't reply to texts from family or friends, other then BBS
    friends. But not those that I've known for years. I don't reply to
    their emails either. They wanna talk -- call.

    My landline phone is only "on" between 7p-9p, and the answering machine is OFF. Sometimes I forget to disable the "Do Not Disturb" mode on the
    phone! LOL


    There is no substitute then hearing my dads voice, or seeing him face
    to face. Not to mention that if not careful, people read tone into written communication, most of the time inaccurately.

    That reminds me of an incident when my mom who was quite confident and proficient in using email entered into a 4-way conversation with her
    sisters who were using their sons or daughters as proxy and the
    conversation just went off the rails for no reason. The tone of a written phrase or two was misinterpreted. A conference call would have been a
    good solution, but it was hard to coordinate everyone available at the
    same time.


    ...So, while I'm joking about a land line .. albeit their dang cheap
    right now ... I treat my cellpone as one while unemployeed.

    Are you getting spam calls on the cell? I'm afraid to disclose my number
    for fear that I would end up with a neverending stream of unsolicited
    calls triggered by someone's compromised cell phone.


    Oh, and younger generations want to do a job interview via
    text too .. I never hired those that did.

    I have never encountered that! I would discredit a person who inquired or applied for a job that way.


    Now smart phones have their place. I love the instant access to
    stocks, or weather, or my schedule, alarms, etc.... but not a
    replacement for human interaction, nor a rude distraction to someone
    who is genuinly trying to communicate with me.

    It can be a real challenge to juggle a live customer who is standing right
    in front of me and deal with the phone when it rings. I hate those incidents. But, most of the time I can pick up the phone and ask the
    caller if I can call back or if they can wait until I finish a current
    sale.

    I'd also rather like to have a phone that I could cradle between my
    shoulder and my head. Today's cordless phones are totally useless in an environment where I need to be on the phone while completing a cash
    register transaction and taking notes!


    But I found out that a Group account does allow S)earches. Maybe
    have a group account for your dad.

    See my FSXnet reply to the above, however a quick add .. I started a facebook group to do videos and text on all things turf care. I have
    tons of videos to edit and upload. And they are much more user
    friendly then the general news feed.

    FB makes it pretty easy to build a page with content like that. Hope the result is satisfactory for you. Is it getting interest?


    Took your advice -- the DAD echo. I'm starting a FidoNet All Pro Dad group... [[snip]] ..Next up August -- Lawn Care. But my HTML
    online class has consumed my time to write the material in text for a
    BBS format.

    You are juggling a lot of things!


    You, I'm sure very much rember, the day of each SysOp sending $5-$10
    a month to the hub to make the long distance call out of state for networking?

    Yes.. I remember something like that was suggested when I joined Fidonet
    and a few other nets. But in my case the main hubs that were making the
    LD calls had good paying jobs and did not mind doing it out of pocket.
    The occassional meet-up was encouraged where people could buy a dinner or
    a beer.


    What if we did that for facebook, snap chat, or other ads?

    That could be a nightmare to maintain. Who would do it? Fidonet has the site fidonet.org. It's not very modern or interesting though. It seems to
    be under tight control and there is not much passion or interest to
    leverage it to be something more exciting.


    I've also noticed that a lot of BBS pages are set up as archive/ historical purposes, and/or are not clean and user friendly; beit in
    UI or or in the nomenclature used to describe what a BBS is.

    I see that too. However, there are a handful of sysops who have rather
    fine web calling cards for their BBSes. I posted a modest list of the
    ones I thought were rather cool - but that was over a year ago. I'll try
    to revisit the ones I can remember and let you know.


    While it's silly to think we can reinvent acronymns, when hitting a landing page, maybe using the word "Apps" instead of "Files," or
    "Games" instead of "Doors," or "Blogs" instead of "Echos" would be examples of ways to modernize the URL facing marketing toward BBS's.

    OR.. use BOTH terms side-by-side like this: Apps/Files, Games/Doors Blogs/Echos/Forums.

    Only the latter one bothers me. I always wondered how the heck did the
    term blog ever arise to represent an online list of posts. A blog sounds like something that one would pick out of their nose! LOL

    A blog is generally a continuous list of posts by one person. The blog
    system has "comments" that serve as feedback, but that's about it. An
    echo is entirely different and encourages dialog.


    In addition, to your point, there are grass roots marketing that is
    simple and free, and could collect a few users. [[snip]] .. I think, totally unrelated words: COVID, TRUMP, etc... included within our
    text can surely draw more clicks then "founded in 1989, My BBS was
    ..."

    I'm not fond of trick words to steer traffic. Instead, I think just something like "alternative , efficient, no-ads.." would be better.


    Being strategic in how URL's are created, with click tracking
    tools can assist greatly.

    Even my openxp.kolico.ca page could use better words so that google could hopefully list it in the first page of results.



    Lastly, I know two guys that can redirect web traffic (albeit not
    always for long) to their website as opposed to another ... I don't
    like those dirty tactics. However, I think we have an excellent,
    relevant, and very much alive format of "Social Media" that people
    crave from the mainstream tech companies out there; without the flaws
    .. however minus the photos ... which some just won't ever get or understand.

    Your words "alternative, relevant, alive, social media" + "no ads, no tracking" would be fine terms to use to help highlight WHY echomail might
    be exactly what many people might prefer. The trick is to get the word
    out there!


    Your "Breaking News" write-up at telentbbsguide.com is very good!

    Thank you! Can't wait till you call! :)

    OMG. Something has always seemed to pull me in another direction and I
    would forget. About a year ago I was on a mission to find specific BBSes that offered Bluewave. From that, I settled with less than a hand full as regular destinations. Now, I'm even weeding off calling those BBSes directly; I prefer using my OpenXP system. ;)


    Glad I finally got the rescan on this echo ... love these types of conversations!

    This is a l-o-n-g multi-screen one! Maybe we need to break it up into separate topics?


    ../|ug

    --- OpenXP 5.0.45
    * Origin: (2:221/1.58)
  • From Richard Miles@1:3634/24 to August Abolins on Sunday, August 02, 2020 17:36:05
    On 01 Aug 2020, August Abolins said the following...

    Only the latter one bothers me. I always wondered how the heck did the term blog ever arise to represent an online list of posts. A blog
    sounds like something that one would pick out of their nose! LOL

    It's short for Weblog, which was originally Web Log. Been around a lot longer than the software which is mostly used for them now (Wordpress). I hand coded mine originally, then moved to a php based software called Movabletype, then finally Wordpress.

    -=>Richard Miles<=-
    -=>Captain Obvious<=-
    -=>bbs.shadowscope.com<=-

    --- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/05/17 (Windows/32)
    * Origin: Shadowscope BBS | bbs.shadowscope.com | Temple, GA (1:3634/24)
  • From Nick Andre@1:229/426 to Kurt Weiske on Sunday, August 09, 2020 21:15:50
    On 17 May 20 02:36:00, Daniel said the following to Kurt Weiske:

    Let's find out how you're holding up, what you're doing to cope with
    the current situation, what your favorite coffee blend is, what you're reading, what new show has you binge watching, and maybe go down the
    french press versus pour-over debate?

    I really enjoy Maxwell house in my Hamilton Beach coffee maker. A bit of table cream and brown sugar. Not really finding much on TV or streaming thats
    really of any interest to me... I have many thousands of DVD's and Blurays of movies and TV shows so no need for a Netflix subscription here.

    Nick

    --- Renegade vY2Ka2
    * Origin: Joey, do you like movies about gladiators? (1:229/426)