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?
ND: Peet's Sumatra, pour-over in a SOMA FM mug
ND: Peet's Sumatra, pour-over in a SOMA FM mug
I love SOMA FM
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?
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?
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?
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.
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.
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)
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.
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.'
If someone wants to reach me by voice they have my landline.
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.
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.
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 ...
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.
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.
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.
Ref: https://blackberrymobile.com/us/product/blackberry-keyone/
Ref: https://www.punkt.ch/en/products/mp02-4g-mobile-phone/
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
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.
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?
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. :)
There's a weekly BBS gettogether on MRC on wednesdays that's pretty fun.
Who hosts it? I don't see the adverts
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.
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?
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.
I don't use google services on it.
My last smartphone was the blackberry Key One..
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 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/
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.
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! :)
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.
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.
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.
...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.
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
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
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.
...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.
I'm about ready to go back to a land line as well.
Why?
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.
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.
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.
Put out posters in your community at places like grocery stores, laundromats, post offices.
Your "Breaking News" write-up at telentbbsguide.com is very good!
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 :)
Are you hooked up with HOME-n-GRDN yet? I posted something in there,
but maybe the intermediate hubs have long gone dropped it?
Is there an inexpensive way to get rid of the grass and weeds once and
for all? And don't say Roundup. :/
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.
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.
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 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.
...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.
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.
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, 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. [[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
..."
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! :)
Glad I finally got the rescan on this echo ... love these types of conversations!
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
Sysop: | Zazz |
---|---|
Location: | Mesquite, Tx |
Users: | 7 |
Nodes: | 4 (0 / 4) |
Uptime: | 24:01:01 |
Calls: | 157 |
Files: | 2,092 |
Messages: | 144,237 |