The Online World by Odd de Presno (find a book to read txt) 📕

Band Simulator (GO CB) is an electronic version of the hams' short-wave radio. It has 72 CB Simulator channels. You can chat with anonymous members, have fun and find new keypals. On EXEC-PC's Chat and Entertainment System up to 64 users can talk simultaneously. GEnie calls their service Livewire CB. On BIX, look for CBIX. Some users are serious about chatting. Several large companies are heavy users. Although this kind of talking is a slow process, it has advantages. It is easy to document the discussion. People from places geographically far apart can meet at a low cost to discuss. Some online services charge less for chats than for other services.

My hobby

There are online forums for most hobbies: collection of stamps and coins, genealogy, music, holiday travels, skiing, purchase of consumer electronics, video, filming, and more.

Those you meet in the clubs share your interests. They come to exchange information and experiences, to listen, swap stamps or coins, participate in club auctions, and exploit favorable group discounts when buying things for their hobby. In these clubs, the main attraction is the open messages that people write to each other. Many clubs also have libraries filled with special software (like data base programs for collectors) and information files. Coins (on [email protected]) is a forum for discussion of Numismatics, the study of coins, American and International. Paper currency is also a welcome topic, but trading is not allowed. To subscribe, send a message to [email protected] .

Music

ILINK, an international exchange of conferences between bulletin boards, has a forum for country music lovers. It presents itself in these words:

COUNTRY MUSIC Country & Western music including bluegrass and other related forms. Discussion of artists, techniques, instruments & musicians. Host: John Stewart One oasis of civility in the BBS maelstrom is the 150-board ILINK network -- recently renamed from InterLink. Unlike most BBS networks, ILINK carefully evaluates each board before permitting membership. "We are very selective -- some say overly selective," says ILINK's international host Andy Keeves. Choosiness keeps ILINK small but upholds the decorum of its message bases.

Usenet has rec.music.country.western . FidoNet has 60S_70S_PROGROCK about the progressive rock music of the 60's and 70's, gospel music in CHR_GSPL_MUSIC, a club for selling and buying between musicians (MUSICIAN'S_SERVICES), and (MUSIC_COMP_101) for aspiring composers.

CompuServe has a bunch of forums. Check out the Music/MIDI sections in the Amiga and Atari ST Arts forums. The latter is a full Music/MIDI forum. The Coin/Stamp/Collectibles Forum has a section for music collectors. CompuServe's RockNet forum has the following structure: Available message sections: Available file libraries: 0 General/Misc. 0 General Misc 1 Rock Music 1 Rock Music 2 Rock Radio 2 Rock Radio 3 Reviews/LK 3 Reviews 4 Q&A/Help 4 Q&A/Help 5 Rock Film & Video 5 Rock Film & Video 6 RockLetters 6 RockLetters 7 Trends 7 Trends 8 Heavy Metal 8 Heavy Metal 9 Old Wave 9 Old Wave 10 New Music 10 New Music 11 CD Hotline 11 Compact Discs 12 Green, Village 12 Graphics/Programs

You can tailor your visits to RockNet to your personal interests. If you're into Heavy Metal, limit your readings of messages to those in section 8, and possibly 3 and 7.

The Music and Performing Arts Forum (GO MUSICARTS) is another interesting place on CompuServe. Converse with fellow music fans about on topics like classical, jazz/blues, Big Band, country/folk and religious music, ballet/dance, drama and more. MIDI is discussed on several bulletin boards, including in conferences distributed by RelayNet. Classical music forums can be found on most larger services. Try CLASSM-L on [email protected]. For jazz, try the ILINK conference JAZZ, rec.music.bluenote on Usenet, MILES on [email protected] (about Miles Davis), or BLUES-L at [email protected] . Another jazz oriented list, SATURN on [email protected], is for discussing the free-jazz big band leader, Sun Ra. Network-Audio-Bits is an electronic magazine bringing reviews and information about rock, pop, new age, jazz, funk, folk music and other genres. (Write [email protected] to join.) The Music Newsletter offers reviews and interviews. Subscribe by email to [email protected] using the command "SUBSCRIBE UPNEWS Your-full-name."

| On BITNET mailing lists, you subscribe by using the command |

| "SUB Your-full-name" in the body of your |

| email. |

| |

| There are also mailing lists on Unix workstations, PCs, and |

| microVaxen. These may require that you write the subscribe |

| command in full ('SUBSCRIBE'), or use other commands. |

To get the "Music List of Lists," an overview of music oriented mailing lists, send email to [email protected] .

GRIND (write [email protected]) focuses on discussions about grindcore/death metal/heavy thrash music. PRIMUS is about the funk/rock band Primus (write to [email protected]). KLARINET (on [email protected]) is a network bringing news, information, research and teaching items of interest, and other related information for clarinet players, teachers, students, and enthusiasts. "Backstreets" on UUCP is for those who love the music of Bruce Springsteen ([email protected]). "Eclipse" (eclipse- [email protected]) focuses on Pink Floyd and his music. If a fan of Jimi Hendrix, join "hey-joe" ([email protected]). In "brass," the topic is brass band music (write to brass- [email protected] for access). "J-Pop" ([email protected] via UUCP) has discussions about Japanese pop/rock of today.

Wine and food

Some people would rather fill their stomachs than their ears. They call CompuServe for the Cooks Online forum (for gourmets) and the Bacchus Wine Forum (for their throats).

BITNET has the mailing list "Eat" (EAT-L@VTVM2), a club for FoodLore/Recipe Exchange. In J-FOOD-L (J-FOOD-L@JPNKNU10 on BITNET) they discuss Japanese food and culture. If your interest is more academic, subscribe to FOODWINE (on [email protected]). It is for those seriously interested in the academic study of food and its accompaniments in the 1990's, including a variety of disciplines, such as marketing, communications, hospitality, consumer affairs, hotel and catering management. Usenet has rec.food.cooking, rec.food.recipes, rec.food.drink, rec.food.restaurants, and rec.food.veg for vegetarians. On FidoNet, check out INTERCOOK for words of wisdom on International Cooking. On ILINK and RelayNet, look for CUISINE. That is where we found the following recipe for Mexican Meatloaf: 2 lb Ground Beef 1 ea Bell Pepper, Diced 10 1/2 oz Cream Chicken Soup 10 oz Cheddar Cheese 4 oz Green Chilies, Diced 1 ea Onion, Chopped 8 oz Taco Sauce 1 pk Tortillas 4 oz Mushrooms (fresh optional) 2 ea Jalapen"'s (to taste)

Brown ground beef and drain. 2. Mix onions, green peppers, mushrooms, green CHILIES, taco

sauce, jalapen"'s and cream chicken soup into skillet with

ground beef. 3. Simmer until vegetables are soft. 4. Shred cheddar cheese. 5. In crock pot or dish, layer meat mixture, cheese, and

tortillas; heat until cheese melts.

Bon apetit!

Outdoor life

CompuServe's Great Outdoors SIG is for those preferring nature for the computer screen. Its sections are called:

General/Photography, Scouting, Power Boating, TROUT UNLIMITED, Fishing, Hunting, Cycling, AUDUBON/Birding, Canoe/Kayak/Raft, Camp/Hike/Walk/RV, Snow Sports/Climb, OWAA, CIS/Computers, Firearms, NRA, Environmnt/Wildlife, OUTDOOR LIFE mag.

If you dream of visiting Alaska to hunt, fish and explore the wilderness by canoe, then this is the place. Add the Outdoor Cooking section of the Cooks Online Forum to make it perfect.

Scandinavian bulletin boards exchange the "JAKT_FRILUFT" conference (Through MIX). ILINK offers OUTDOORS, which focuses on outdoor hobbies. As usual, Usenet has a lot. These are some examples:

rec.aviation Aviation rules, means, and methods. rec.backcountry Activities in the Great Outdoors. rec.bicycles Bicycles, related products and laws. rec.birds Hobbyists interested in bird watching. rec.boats Hobbyists interested in boating. rec.boats.paddle Talk about any boats with oars, paddles,

etc. rec.climbing Climbing techniques, competition announcements, etc.

Scouts participate in SCOUTER on FidoNet (International SCOUTING Conference) and SCOUTS-L (SCOUTS-L@NDSUVM1) on BITNET. Golfers meet in GOLF-L (on [email protected]). Photo enthusiasts will track down [email protected], CompuServe's Photography Forum and its SCUBA Forum's sections for underwater photography. For more, there's "Photography" on EXEC-PC and The Well, PHOTO on RelayNet, PHOTOSIG on ILINK and rec.photo on Usenet.

If you're into 3-d (stereo) photography, enroll in "3d" on UUCP: Contact: [email protected] (Tom Neff) Purpose: Discussion of 3-D (stereo)