87Jun16 From BRIAN RICH
Are we done with this room for awhile? Is Twitdom dead?
87Jun16 From ROBERT BARBOT
Personally i would like to know who some of these main "twi" are. Somebody
please tell me!!!
87Jun16 From full name
i say take the "w" out of "Twits" and put it back in the alphabet where it
belongs.
87Jun17 From Max Headroom
Huh?
87Jun17 From Oreo Cat
Please excuse Max. He hasn't noticed those things yet.
87Jun19 From The Beaver
Max, I love your new "SuperMax" coke cans. And it is new coke, much better
than the old stuff, that's fer sure.
87Jun20 From THOMAS JAMES ALLEN
Instead of closing this room, the non-twits (if any) should write a history of
twit-dom. Who were the earliest southern calif twits? What did they do?
Reprints of their historically worst messages. How did BBSers and sysops react?
How were they finally disposed of? Etc. This would make for very unpleasant
but interesting reading! TJA
87Jun20 From Katlinel
Intersting = pleasant. Sorry.
87Jun20 From CHARLES HOBBS
Alright, twits 1 biff , rambo bludd, etc who destroy our message bases with the
same old message repeated over and over and over and over 2 Users who upl
without downloadoading
87Jun21 From Zepp Jamieson
Don't you mean downloading without uploading, Charles? I doubt Bob would stand
for the really foul messages, and most folks have seen enough of the boring
variety for a lifetime.
There are hallmarks of twitdom--upper case, absymal spelling (yes, worse than
mine!), incomplete sentances, and often, hostility or disparagement towards
other users, often without explanation. A twit message will often be in
response to something said a couple of days earlier, but with no indication of
which message it was--e.g. "Yeah. I agree".
Then there's the self-appointed intelligensia. They find us boring, in the
main, and are very quick to criticise views or expressions of all others. Biff
is believed to have been an off-shot of those.
Then there's the fake accounts that regular users like to indulge in. I'm
guilty of that one myself. A legend was "Alishya McFarral"--who had a lot of
us sucked in for quite a while...
87Jun21 From The Beaver
As I recall, the term "twit" was firt applied to these type of users (the ones
leaving stupid messages and such) by one Father John Higgins when this started
happening on his board. At this time, low status levels were developed and
implemented by one St. Michael ArchAngel. This allowed these "twits" to write
all they wanted, but the system wouldn't save any of their messages....
87Jun21 From Zepp Jamieson
Misha (St. Michael) claims to have actually coined the term, and the Padre is
in agreement (albeit vaguely) with that. Obviously, it caught on...
87Jun21 From Bob Blaylock
I first heard it applied to Robert Carr, John Estes, and the rest of the
Minas Tirith (Infinity's Edge) bunch, shortly after they broke into DOS through
Programmers' Shack, and trashed Joi's system.
87Jun21 From Zobian
Is it in any dictionary or is it purely a BBS word?
87Jun21 From The Beaver
Bob, that was never proved. Also, at that time, you were a part of the "Minas
Tirith bunch". Does that mean that you were involved too? I know I was a
member out there, and I had nothing to do with it. Ask Craig; I was busy
hacking his board. He knows it, and knows I was just having fun (also, finding
lots of back doors that Craig didn't know about in his own software...just
minor bugs, but enough to get it). I still don't think that Carr and Estes and
gang did all of that stuff that they are accused of.
87Jun21 From Barry Brown
What I consider interesting is how rapidly the term "twit" has spread. I've
seen national magazines mention "twit" in their articles. I'd like to know
where (geographically) the term got its origins.
87Jun21 From Phydeaux
I doubt seriously that it originated in good ol' SB.
87Jun21 From John Lulu
Yes, Barry I've seen the term "twit" in a number of places too, but I don't
knwo if you can say that its spread rapidly. You see, you haven't clairified
what "twit" means in those articles you've seen. If you do mean a BBS "twit"s,
then you may have a valid arguement. I remember a line from Neil Simon's
"California Suite" in which people are called twits, and twitettes. Maybe Neil
Simon was the originator. I doubt it.
87Jun21 From Bob Blaylock
By "Minas Tirith bunch", I did not mean all the people who called Minas
Tirith, just Estes, Carr, and Kubecka. BTW, as adolescent boys tend to do,
Carr BRAGGED about trashing Joi's system.
87Jun21 From Jeff Peterson
Yeah, didn't his parents take away his modem or something after you talked to
them, bob?
87Jun21 From Katlinel
Haven't you people ever heard of Monty Python? Try the 60's when the term was
originated... probably earlier...
87Jun21 From Bob Blaylock
I never talked to them.
87Jun22 From Zepp Jamieson
Oh--origionally, the term is hundreds of years old, and origionates in Britian.
A Twit was an idiot--but the term was mildly disparaging, rather than
insulting, and means roughly the same as "crackpot" does here.
87Jun22 From Katlinel
OK, I know the authority would speak eventually. Why didn't we just go to him
in the first place?
87Jun22 From Barry Brown
Yes, the articles I saw 'twit' in were in computer magazines and about
telecommunications. Close enough.
87Jun22 From Phydeaux
...the "resident-authority figure" hath spoken.
87Jun22 From Max Headroom
No I haven't.
87Jun22 From Zepp Jamieson
"Authourity", Kat. If you're going to call me that, at least humour me and
spell it my way. Or do I have to post that photo of you bowling at UCen? (I
work for a government: Blackmail is a normal method of expressing authority
there...).
87Jun22 From Phydeaux
Zepp! You omitted your precious 'u' in authority in that previous message!
:-)
87Jun23 From Katlinel
(snicker)
87Jun23 From Oreo Cat
(gurgle)
87Jun23 From Bob Blaylock
(gurgle)?
87Jun24 From Zepp Jamieson
Bob, will you PLEASE blow your nose before logging in? We don't like to have
to listen to that...
87Jun24 From The Shadowlord
Besides...the keyboard gets messy.
87Jun26 From Sick-O Pervert
Latest news of Biff comes from the user's list of Infinity's Edge, folks. I saw
an account there named "Big Biff".
87Jun26 From Jeff Peterson
What will they think of next?
87Jun27 From CHARLES HOBBS
Observations: 1. I did see the term "twit" used on a bbs in Quebec
2. I also noticed that "Josh", "Rich""Gary", and a certain KKK aficionado who
shall remain nameless, have not called in a *very* long time....Have they been
condemmed to a modemless future forever?
87Jun27 From Jeff Peterson
I shure hope so.
87Jun28 From Sick-O Pervert
I'm in the process of hunting down a twit calling ITself "Toad Stool". I've
chatted with few sysops to gather info. Anyone else that has info., leave me
mail.
87Jun28 From Bryant Pitts
Dude, count me in. I've got some secret info that just might help us track down
this weirdo. If we put our heads together we can do it! Leave me Email on this
board if interested.
87Jun29 From THOMAS JAMES ALLEN
Bryan and Sick-o, what do you plan to do about the Toad Stool when you find out
whatever you're trying to find out?? TJA
87Jun29 From Zepp Jamieson
Sysops who I know for a fact cannot be TS: Alan, Barry, Katlinel, myself, Oreo
Cat, Glen Heintz, Zobian and Speaker. I have been with them or in
communication during a TS log on at one time or another.
To repeat: TS is not part of the Biff crowd, most of whom are now known to
us. He has never harmed a board, and is widely regarded as harmless. He may
well have severe emotional problems, but I'm not about to run him off the
boards for that. Be charitable.
87Jun29 From Sick-O Pervert
My purpose in finding Toad Stool is relatively simple. Find out the reasons
behind it's unusual behaviorism and, if it really needs help, have you
philosophy students direct him. But if it's out to agitate computer users who
have better things to do than chance upon a deranged message describing it's
hideous body, yes,, I will do my best to twit the sucker off the boards I know.
You've got to remember, Toad Stool acts very unusual and is highly crafty. If
it wasn't out to agitate people or doesn't have a problem, it wouldn't act the
way it does.
87Jun29 From Katlinel
Bull. You're just opposed to any new thought, the effects of which can't be
duplicated in laboratories nationwide.
87Jun30 From Phydeaux
Damn conservatives!
87Jun30 From Jeff Peterson
He's probably on IE. Did he leave his phone number anywhere? I can get his
address if you have his phone #.
87Jun30 From Barry Brown
Whose? SOP or TS?
87Jul01 From Sick-O Pervert
Heh heh heh...Want my address do you? Well, most sysops have my number(?) or at
least one I give to all of them. Don't be surprised though, if you get nothing
or some poor fool on the other end. I'm untraceable incase you wondered.
87Jul01 From Derek Hamlet I
Well now this has become a real embarassment. You've really gone into the
deep waters off the sordid coast of absurd, half-rational thought.
Usingomeone's phone number to discover where they live without being in a
concerted effort with the police or the FBI is stepping (or falling in this
particular case) ot of your rightfull position in the BBS community. If you
people were to coerce TS, whoever she/he is to stop calling local systems, you
would be violating laws that would surely put you in a more unlawful position
than that which he/she is in. (Actually, all the sensible people here realize
that Toad Stool has done nothing that could be considered a disreputable act.)
For you sysLops armed with those lethal tracers, you would be breaching an
agreement with the telephone company you prescribe to if you gave the number to
this kid to find out the corresponding address. This would bespoil your
polished (by catering to Zepp, Barry, and the other people in your area who are
so firmly against overt creativity) reputation! Also (think about the moral
issue involved, twits...) this is, in its very essence, a vile, base thing to
do. If believe this woould bring some safety to the BBSs in your area, why
don't you ask yourselves what safety you lack? The Biff incident is Alan
Brierton's fault entirely. The commonly denounced (atypical) users on the
systems around S.B. are not at fault for dooing anything but bringing about a
popular subject of low-level conversations. You people are obviously delighted
with the presepresence of TS anad the other admirable and reative users in
S.B. Why do you make them feel persecuted? Without them, all you guys would
write about is Qs, the faults of new boards, and ']<00L Warez'. Please consider
your situations more carefully.... Perhaps you should listen to Katlinel more
attentively. *Derek*
87Jul01 From Sick-O Pervert
Good point Derek, yet the point of this investigation is not to harass TS in
any way. I do not intend to find ITs number or ITs residence. I merely want to
find out if any of the users or sysops have been assuming the role of TS. If
not, I must honestly say that TS is still a dangerous case of "neurotism" that
has obvously spread to other boards. Look at the^&^&(*^^$%% board of Bow Head,
Pure-tupidity of Sanc, of Absurdities in Enterprize etc. We are becoming more
and more "twitish because we accept people like TS.We in consequence, will have
to twit ourselves from the BBS.
87Jul01 From Katlinel
WE? I am definitely not in any "we" boat with YOU, pal. WE are becoming...? Who
is this we, anyway? If you consider the SB BBS community to be your we, then
you obviously have not been around long enough to realize that the phenomena
you cite have been around in various incarnations for months, even years now.
"Becoming"? Hardly. "Been"? Of course!
87Jul01 From Derek Hamlet I
Katlinel, you really are disagreeable. The phrase that has 'your we' in it is a
violation of basic grammar, and is by no means proper English. For someone who
spends such a good deal of time immersed in the boredom of his/her/its
dictionary, you have a very obvious lack of skill with using words. Now, you
complained of having other users in the BBSs you call who were unlike you?
Well, you must have annihilated them! (Congradulations, friend.) Sick-O, thank
Allah YOU are still rational, if your attempts to find out more about Toad
Stool are misconstrued as an outlash against unpopular users and other people
decide to follow your example and thus cause more disturbances, then clearly
what you are doing is wrong. (The wrongness is a result of the people being
bothered. Surely the naughty users could not have caused as much trouble as the
well equpped sysLops.) *Derek*
87Jul01 From Barry Brown
Kat's message made perfect sense to me (meaning-wise).
87Jul01 From Sick-O Pervert
Ok, let's hold a hearing with the cooperation of all the boards. The
prosecution and the defense shall be given opportunities to present their case
and the sysops will be the jury. The judge can be an impartial sysop like Bob,
who I've never saw mention anything about the issue. Both sides will prepare
evidence as well as provide witnesses. Let the trial beginn
87Jul02 From Zepp Jamieson
Let's see if I got it straight: I hate creativity and origional thought so
much that I don't want to see the Toad Stool account closed. Therefore, Barry,
Kat and I routinely annihilate accounts that are different from ours. And we
use a wide range of sysopean powers to track down these miscreants, and the
people who are opposed to the miscreatants. Do I have that right?
Derek, the accusations are flying thick and furious, but they aren't making
much sense. I honestly cannot tell what cause you were espousing. Could you
perhaps clarify things a bit?
One or two points you raised can be addressed. I mentioned on Digital
Dungeon that trying to figure out TS's Identity has been a favourate game among
sysops here for some time. Perhaps I should have capitalised the word
"game"--to the best of my knowledge, no sysop in town is "out to get" TS: A
couple want to keep him off their boards, although that is not an opinion
shared by myself, Kat or Barry. In those efforts to find out who TS is, no
vast (and largely mythical) "Sysopean powers" were employed. We have used no
tactics not available to any regular user. There is, after all, such a thing
as fair play.
As to our attitude toward creativity: We strongly encourage it. You might
recall a recent conversation we had in the poetry room on the same subject,
where in I pointed out the user's rights to express themselves freely without
harassment or "ambush shots".
Toad Stool began creatively, and is now in a rut. I have hopes that TS will
expand upon the initial premise, have established it repeatedly.
87Jul02 From Bryant Pitts
Derek, what point are you trying to make?
87Jul02 From Sick-O Pervert
I kinda think it's a game too. That's why I suggested the Toad Stool trials. We
should rake in pretty heavy thinking and examples from both sides. Any Lawso
majors should get a kick out of this. Besides that, TS is an issue we should
all discuss and resolve. Not everyone feels the same as you do, Zepp, and we
will, in an orderly and intellectual manner, resolve this problem. Interested?
87Jul02 From Lori's Barbecue
Why don't we have Sick-o trials instead?
87Jul02 From Katlinel
You assume that we think it's a problem, SO. Not so.
87Jul03 From Product 19
Maybe SO is Toad Stool?
87Jul03 From Zepp Jamieson
Congrats, Sick-O. In one week, you've entered more messages about TS than TS
has entered in a year! Speaking of disruptive...
87Jul03 From Barry Brown
Kat-
Rogozin said to me that he wishes he was TS, but that he isn't.
87Jul03 From Katlinel
Did I say he was? Show me where! (chuckle)
87Jul03 From Billy Bob
Greetings, all. I'm making the BBS rounds, and I thought it appropriate to
discuss the doings of one Couch Potato on Citadel. Spud's antics are not
appreciated by the vast majority of us. You gotta admire the guy's tenacity,
though -- It must have taken Spud at least an hour to put four or five "*"s in
every room. Whatever. Perhaps the almighty sysops can send him some personal
mail of an informative nature![
87Jul03 From Barry Brown
Yes you did, Kat, but apparently you killed the message in Ham Radio and SWL>
87Jul04 From Derek H.
Barry, Toad Stool has endured an extreordinary amount of
difficulty with her health in the past two years. She had a form of aphasia
which made learning well-nigh impossible for her at first. I know for a fact
that an extremely small number of people would have been able to live through
all that she has. Whay is even mre astonishing is that now she has a very
positive out-look on life (compared to most people). Having the strength to
maintain anything but utter hopelessness in her situation is almost
super-human. (In the lesser sense.) Her messages are simply normally (for
hypochondriacs) exaggerated expositions about herself in her old condition. (I
am surprised that so many of you want to believe that she really is a sort of
monster, and not the pleasant yong woman I have already said she was under my
Rogozhin account. [Indicates the effect of so many dead teenager movies,
kids.]) This does interest me a little...it seems the vast majority of BBSers
around here are the typical vile, base kids who spend their time reading (if
they even do at all) Stephen King trash and watching movies designed for the
uncouth and the emotionally disturbed to be able to empathize with.
87Jul04 From Katlinel
I know, Barry. Whaddayou think the chuckle was fer?
87Jul04 From Zepp Jamieson
Steven King is trash? You mean I've been reading all those books to impress
people and it isn't working? :-)
Actually, Derek, I've seen a total of two people who want to give TS a rough
time. So calling everyone "vile, base kids" is more than a bit unfair to
everyone else.
87Jul05 From PJ Wolf
Of course Steven King is trash! The man said it all--he's "the literary
equivalent of a burger and fries"! Love it!
Derek/Rogozhin/whover (if it's even all one person...) boy, you're sure an
interesting one. Saying some mighty familiar things, too. Hmm....
s
87Jul05 From Jeff Peterson
I think the major problem here with twits is open systems. Anyone can create an
account (I.E. "Couch Potato") and enter messages to destroy a board. If we were
to use some type of system such as calling all the new users, there wouldn't be
this problem. I've yet to see an oxgate crashed!
87Jul05 From The Beaver
Jeff, OxGate was crashed a few years ago. Having some past history of crashing
myself, I could tell you how to do it too. But, their system does seem to keep
out todays twits. Luckily (or unluckily if you look at the intelligence side
of things), the twits just aren't as smart as they used to be. Their system
works for keeping people out too well too; legitmate users don't want to waste
their time sending in post cards and waiting for a reply via US Snail with a
password so that they could log on. Open systems are necessary to invite new
legit users, even though they invite twits. Even with it's limitations, I
think Zepp's idea of "half-open" systems is best.
87Jul05 From Lori's Barbecue
Another problem is that some users at least don't seem to be able to
distinguish between eccentric users and destructive ones.
87Jul05 From Sick-O Pervert
DIstinction between "eccentricity" and "destruction" are about the same as
distinguishing a murder and involuntary manslaughter. We have the court system
to decide that, and I suggest Toad Stool be put to similar test.
87Jul05 From Phydeaux
Why don't you have your fun in private, SO? We have heard quite enough, thank
you, and you can run your kangaroo court off the public areas.
87Jul05 From The 0mega
Welp, Sick-O, you're slightly amiss. There is no one, nor has there been
anyone named 'Big Biff' on Infinity's Edge. I, and at least one other Sysop
know who Biff is, so it's pedestrian to claim Biff is someone in direct
association with our Board.
Secondly, At least 2 Oxgates have gone down at one time due to being
crashed.Most of the Oxgates in the US can be entered really easily, whether you
use the Mail-An-SASE method or not. Same goes for Fido-Nets and RBBSs, all of
which have been penetrated in the past.
87Jul06 From Katlinel
Oooooh, 0, you know who Biff is? Whaddyou think we did for our witch hunt
jollies before Sick-O?
87Jul06 From Jeff Peterson
Well, I don't think a trial type thing is really going to do any good. Mabye
just try to get in touch with this toad stool person and see if they really
exist, and if they do, ask why they did whatever they did?
87Jul06 From PJ Wolf
Why even do that? All Toad Stool has done is be eccentric, another fine old
tradition around here. Let's just drop the whole boring trip....
87Jul06 From The 0mega
I know who Biff from Enterprize was, yes. I have no idea what you did for
your witchhunt jollies before Sick-O; infact, I'm not even sure if the Biff you
identified is the same one...What did your inquisition finally come up with?
87Jul07 From Barry Brown
Well, by know I've forgotten what that deleted message contained, so I can't
comment on what you said, Derek.
However, I have known for quite a while that TS is a female and rather ill.
Several Sysops have chatted with TS and verified that. I don't deny it TS's
identity (unless someone other than SOP comes up with more conclusive evidence
that contradicts your description).
87Jul08 From Bryant Pitts
How can they verify that is a rather ill female from just chatting? Was it
sysops who entered chat mode or did they actually talk voice?
87Jul09 From Barry Brown
They just chatted. But as of yet, there's no evidence to the contrary, so
we'll just have to assume that what we know is true.
87Jul09 From CHARLES HOBBS
Well, here in the beautiful Inland Empire, this "twit" business is *absolutely*
unknown..... All our boards are 'strictly business' , we have a debate board
and even an Apple AE type board, but there are *no* twits....
87Jul10 From Glen Heinz
Charles: Are the boards there completely open like they are here, or do you
need any sort of registration/validation (even 24 hour call-back)? Are the
boards as active as the ones here (I heard average of 80 messages per day on
Heechee once), or are they more like Oxgate. Yes, Oxgate has no twits, but it
has no users either. (Well, a few, and the conversations are good, but rather
sparse).
Zepp, I must have missed the message where you described the 'half-open'
system that Barry just re-mentioned. Could you paraphrase the idea for me (in
Email perhaps, as not to bore the ones who already read it).
Thanks,
Glen Heinz.
87Jul10 From Barry Brown
I'll explain it:
A half-open system would give new users access to only a few of the message
bases, giving them a taste of the BBS. Once validated, they would have access
to all the boards. A closed system intimidates users and a completely open
system invites Biffs (destructive twits).
87Jul10 From Zepp Jamieson
Excellent, Barry. I could have said the same thing, and in only 5,000 words or
more...;-)
It has drawbacks. Because of the biffs, we don't want new users to have
E-mail access until validated. So that needs to be worked out. Also, regular
users should continue to have access to the "twit trap" room. Presumably, they
would know not to start any important discussions in there. It does mean that
the room might get occasionally obliverated, and other strange stuff might show
up, but the rest of the board would remain reasonably secure, while at the same
time, the system remains accessible.
87Jul11 From PJ Wolf
I like that idea, if you guys can figure out how to make the BBS do that...
87Jul11 From The Beaver
PJ, in a way, some boards are made to do that. Some boards have rooms that can
be entered via "access level". For instance, remember Minas Tirith/Infinitie's
Edge? It is an AppleNet board. AppleNet allows the sysop to assign access
levels for each room and then will check the users access level before letting
him/her enter that room. Stoner has it's hallways, and the sysop can make a
"party hallway" where you have to be given access to enter. As for Citadel,
well...I can't think of anything inherent in the software. Don't know about
the other boards either. But it probably wouldn't be that hard to implement as
long as the system has access levels for user accounts (validated/unvalidated
could possibly be enough).
87Jul11 From Barry Brown
Enterprize has its own form of access levels, too. Most people never notice it
because there are so many general rooms and so few higher-access room.
87Jul11 From Katlinel
Stonehenge also has groups, one of which I am 'running' here right now. I think
only about six people see the room, but to them it's just another public room.
87Jul12 From Jeff Peterson
Why don't you want new users to have E-Mail? They can't hurt anything there..
87Jul12 From Barry Brown
Because we had someone named "E-mail Terrorist" and O-cat had someone names
"Jimmy Jazz" leave obscene and disgusting mail to everyone.
87Jul12 From Katlinel
"The police walked in for Jimmy Jazz
I said, he ain't here, but he sure went past
Oh you're looking for Jimmy Jazz
Sattamassagana for Jimmy Dread
Cut off his ears and chop off his head
Police came looking for Jimmy Jazz"
-- Strummer/Jones
Anyone know any BBS'ing Clash fans?
87Jul12 From The Shadowlord
I think that a semi-closed system is best...also I think that the sysops
should chat with there users before they full validate the user...The 'new'
user should be allowed to post a limited number of messages on certain
bases...that way he/she can't trash the board and can still get a fell of the
bbs with-out full access...
87Jul13 From Glen Heinz
But it can be easy enough for a dedicated twit to post a few legitimate
messages so that it looks like he is for real, and then once he is validated he
can trash the place. Not as likely, but still possible. (Sorry for the
pessimism)..
87Jul13 From The 0mega
It's really easy, Glen. Better yet is to seize someone else's account without
them knowing it and let them do all the legitimate posting. Of course, there
are plenty of disadvantages to closed systems, including a sort of creeping
entropy sort of hacking which I perfected a while back.
87Jul13 From CHARLES HOBBS
Most of the boards are open....only one required that the sysop call me... and
about three required 24-hour validation.
87Aug01 From Ballistic
Ahhhh...I can't find any msgs here. Bob, what's this sub for? It said 'Hall of
twits' and as Many people consider me a Mega-twit I thought I should stop by
and say hello to the Fellow Twitians! [[sigh]] and I am aaallll allloooonneee!
maybe the Squid, who you must agree is a Twit, will post reply....
btcl
Ballistic
87Aug01 From Oreo Cat
Had some fried squid in China. Pretty good stuff!
87Aug02 From Ballistic
I had my fried Squid in Suwon city Korea. Good stuff eh?
87Aug02 From Sick-O Pervert
Have some live squid sometimes.
87Aug02 From Max Headroom
Gee, well I like fried dog-tails the bestAAADDDDDBBBBCCCCC....
87Aug02 From Bob Blaylock
Both of teh Crevier brothers claim that Couch Potato's real name is Brad
Gorbet. I've never heard of anyone by that name. has anyone else heard of
him, or heard anything to link him to CP? At one point yesterday, I thought I
was looking at something in my log file which proved Jeff Peterson to be the
culprit. Fortunately, my boss was looking over my shoulder, and noticed
something that I had somehow failed to see, which turned my absolute proof of
Jeff's guilt into a flimsy piece of circumstantial evidence. I say this is
fortunate, for if my boss had not pointed that out to me, I would have ended up
looking quite foolish when I publicly accused Jeff of being Couch Potato.
87Aug03 From Katlinel
Almost as foolish as... naw, let's not dredge that up again...
87Aug03 From Zepp Jamieson
You can get fried squid right here in town. La Plaka has such a dish, as does
Your Place (Greek and Thai, respectively). Tasty stuff. Had it at Panda's
once--I liked it.
Jeff's been around for a while, and doesn't seem to be carrying any large,
obsessive chips on his shoulders. Just as well your boss was watching, Bob.
So what about this other chap--Brad whatever?
87Aug03 From Bob Blaylock
Jeff has enough chips on his shoulder that during the moment that I was sure
he was Couch Potato, I wasn't too surprised.
87Aug03 From Barry Brown
Yes, I've heard of Brad Gorbet. I don't know if he owns a modem or even a
computer. I'll ask my sister...
She THINKS he has a computer, but knows nothing about a modem.
87Aug03 From Bob Blaylock
Dan and Tom, what evidence do you have that Brad Gorbet is Couch Potato?
87Aug03 From Lori's Barbecue
The sysop of Compucations supposedly somehow traced CP to Brad Gorbet.
87Aug03 From Katlinel
I would guess that if Craig knew the identity of CP he would advertise it
heavily enough that we would not be pondering the mystery that we are. After
hunting him down and castrating him with a rusty fork, of course.
87Aug04 From Zepp Jamieson
I think I know who to ask about this Brad Gorbet. I'll get back to you all. I
do notice that CP has been awfully quiet of late...
87Aug04 From Oreo Cat
Hey Zepp, remember how I said that Craig had traced CP to someone, but I
wouldn't say who? Well, guess what. It was Brad Gorbet.
87Aug04 From The Beaver
Actually, CP hasn't called since Craig had a little talk with Brad Corbet over
teh phone one day...and then met him not too long later.... As I understand
it, Brad said that he was CP, but that he wasn't trying to cause problems. He
was just getting a lot of static every time he logged in....
87Aug04 From Sick-O Pervert
Ha Ha Ha! That's a good one. Almost the same as Tehran's excuse I'd say.
87Aug04 From Glen Heinz
Yeah sure...
And if you believe that one.....
87Aug04 From Zepp Jamieson
Right. Adamas didn't leave threatening messages. He was just at the wrong
baud rate, is all...
87Aug05 From Max Headroom
Uh, well, I called him up on the phone and said, MH:Is this Brad Gorbet?
CP:Yes, it is... MH:This is the SysOp of the Sanctuary, are you the Couch
Potato? CP:Yes, I am... MH:Oh, OK..What other systems do you call? CP:So far
just Sanctuary and Compucation...(I asume he meant CompucationS)... MH:Ok,
adios...
87Aug05 From Product 19
Could one limit the number of messages to like 5 per base. This would prevent
a severe loss of the message base and would allow one a good amount of
information to type. I think that this could prevent boards from getting
damaged too much be twits.
87Aug07 From Derek H.
When I was using the Adamas account (onl the last few weeks of his Enterprize
acco existence) I purposefully tried to fit Zobian's description of him, which
was that of some young teenager who was taught how to load a term prog.
87Aug07 From Max Headroom
Well, Product 19, a twit protection system would be complex....Your idea is a
start, but the twit could just call back...A hidden twit protection system
would be more effective, because the twit would not know what measures to take
to defeat the system...
87Aug08 From Product 19
Assuming that other people will call when the twit hangs up, it would be
simple. Maybe one can't enter more than 5 consecutive messages. This should
give one plenty of space to enter what ever they wanted and twits could not do
much damage. Also if the twit called back, it still would not be able to enter
messages.
87Aug08 From Bob Blaylock
My thinking is that a good way for a BBS program to be written to defend
itself against Biff attacks would be for it at the beginning of each call to
make a backup of its message file. During the call, it would behave normally,
but every time a message is saved, it would check its length, and if the
message was shorter than a certain length, it would increment a tally. After
the call terminates, if there was more than a certain number of messages
entered that were shorter than a certain length, then it would restore the
message file from the backup.
The effect of this would be that a Biff could call a board, and trash it, and
if he went back and checked, he would even see to his satisfaction that he had
trashed it, but as soon as he hung up, the system would realize it had been the
target of a Biff attack, and would restore its message file from the backup, so
that by the next time someone called, the system would be as if the Biff had
never called.
87Aug08 From Katlinel
A person who would admit to being Adamas is also quite capable of claiming
credit for him undeservedly.
87Aug08 From Barry Brown
That's assuming the Couch Potato type of Biff. There could also be Biffs that
fill up the entire editor buffer, save the message, then continue.
87Aug08 From Product 19
Like Barry said there is nothing from stopping the twit from leaving long
messages. If one could not enter say more than 5 messages, then it would be
difficult to mess up a board like CP did. I think that five messages would be
more than enough for just about everyone. And if one called back, the BBS
program would still realize that the twit had written five consecutive messages
and not allow the twit to enter any more in that base. Then there should be a
control to adjust the number of consecutive messages a user could enter by the
sysop.
87Aug08 From Barry Brown
Calling back would so much of a pain for any CP that s/he probably wouldn't do
it. Just the 5 message limit would be sifficient to stop all but the
die-hards.
87Aug09 From Sick-O Pervert
Then there are others who would call back under different accounts over and
over again...
87Aug09 From Product 19
But if the bbs program can remember that the twit has already entered five
consecutive messages in the base, then even if the twit called back it would
not make a difference.
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