In our history and in other places, you might
have seen references that you may not have understood, so here's a small
dictionary to try to help.
BBS:
A computer that runs a 'Bulletin Board System' (BBS) program
allows people to 'dial into' it using a modem. While 'online' to
the BBS system a person can chat with others online,
read/send/reply to messages in message boards, play online games
and upload and download files.
ECHO:
A Bulletin Board 'Message Base' that is shared between
multiple BBS systems. Several 'Networks' of BBS systems exist that
share hundreds or thousands of 'Echos' on all sorts of subjects.
By far, the largest of the BBS networks that share Echos in this
format is 'FidoNet.'
FidoNet:
consists of approximately 30,000 systems world-wide which comprise
a network which exchanges mail and files via Modems using a
proprietary protocol. They are connected for the purposes of
exchanging E-Mail to the Internet thru a series of gateway systems
which interact with the Internet via UUCP with cooperating UNIX-based
smart-hosts which act as their MX-receivers.
Newbari Wars:
When TEWSNBN was taken over by 'hard core' and 'technical trek' people
and from the subsuquent break, THF (Trek_Humor_Filk) was started.
TEWSNBN:
The Echo Which Shall Not Be Named aka Fido echo DSN
Volehunters:
the Rock and Roll band made up of the Filkers of Terok Nor. A "Volehunter is
a member of the band.
Filk:
a popular song 'rewritten' with different lyrics - usually in a humerous or
suggestive vein.
Taglines:
Many of the programs used by people to send/receive FidoNet messages have the
capability to add random (or..in some cases 'not random') Quotations, witticisms
or short anectdotes at the end of a message. These short text additions are
typically preceeded by an ellipsis " ... ". These short bits of text are called
'taglines'.
One of the traditions of TREK_HUMOR_FILK echo, and later the TerokNor maillist
has been to 'tag' some witty or 'suggestive' remark and make a tagline out of
it to be randomly (or again, not randomly) added to a future message. It is
considered great comedy to 'tag' a message 'out of context' so it appears to
mean something that was not the original intention.
Below is an example of a tagline:
... 'OK, expect inbound...' -- Joost to Syndi
Taganimals:
For several years Norians had been 'tagging' each other to take their witty
or 'suggestive' comments and turn them into taglines. Just before Easter,
1996 Kevin van Houten (K'vin or Qe'van on TerokNor) posted a message as a
character called 'tagbunny' who 'hopped along the message - tagging comments
'out of context'. Shortly thereafter other TerokNor denziens started creating
'taganimals' of their own to be their 'tagging ID'. Todd Sullivan created
his Tagaroo. Rodney Foremski had his TagTortoise. Garry Stahl has Edgar,
the TagEagle. A whole menagerie of taganimals has sprung into existance and
increased the complexity of NorLore.
Pipes Thread:
One time Kevin Van Houten replied to a message from Tammy Potash to Anna
Steven that ended up containing the following 'header' at the beginning of
the message:
"The three great scientists of our age: Tammy Potash, Bill Nye and Anna
Steven puff their pipes and discuss..."
Anna Steven replied to that message. She quoted that header and included a
single word below it:
> "The three great scientists of our age: Tammy Potash, Bill Nye and Anna
> Steven puff their pipes and discuss..."
bubble pipe
Kevin Van Houten replied back, quoting the header again, quoted Anna's one
line reply and included his own one line reply
> > "The three great scientists of our age: Tammy Potash, Bill Nye and Anna
> > Steven puff their pipes and discuss..."
> bubble pipe
Peace Pipe.
Somebody else replied with another kind of pipe...and the "Pipes Thread" was
born. Over the next year or so it would constantly be added to..keeping all
the former replies. It became a 'string of consciousness' thread that
evolved far beyond types of pipes...somebody replying with a one-word reply
that was somehow related to the one or the few just above it.
From time to time a one-word reply will kick off another such 'string of
consciousness' type message thread..but they are always called 'Pipes Thread'
in reverence to the original thread on TREK_HUMOR_FILK that stayed alive for
over a year.
EDC/LDC/CDC:
There is a place on TerokNor that is famous and infamous. The
EchoDarkCorner/ListDarkCorner/ChannelDarkCorner. The name used depends on
whether you are talking about it in the Fidonet Echo, the MailList or the
IRC Channel. The EDC/LDC/CDC is a corner of TerokNor that is impossible to
see into if you are outside of it. Those outside the EDC/LDC/CDC can hear
what goes on inside though. What usually happens is one character or another
'drags' another into the EDC/LDC/CDC and whatever happens in there cannot be
proved or disproved...but can be guessed about. By convention no one talks
about what happens between each other within the EDC/LDC/CDC...except in the
most 'veiled' of terms and suggestive comments. Whatever happens in the
*DC is not held against anyone..as everyone drags..or is dragged to...the
*DC at one time or another.
If multiple couples/groupings are in the *DC simultaneously..they can see
only their coupling/grouping...anonimity is paramount.
ETOJ/LTOJ/CTOJ:
he *TOJ `is a 'swimming pool sized' tub of warm semi-congealed Jello(tm) that
exists in the Echo, the List and the Channel. In contrast to the *DC -
whatever couplings/groupings that occur in the *TOJ are visible to all..and
available for comment and/or critique. The Jello(tm) contained in the *TOJ
is usually Lime flavoured..but has been anything from Peach to Chocolate
Pudding also.
In the summer of 1999 Syndi Rose brought into existance "Sebastian" - an
octaphin (half dolphin, half octapus) that lives in the CTOJ and whose job it
is to keep the Channel cleaned up. Sometime in early 2000 David Masters was
playing with one of Syndi's wands and when it started sputtering and sparking
he threw it in the CTOJ. Suddenly...Sebastian had company. "Lola" the
mermaid came into existance. (Lola, she is a mermaid. With greenish seaweed
in her hair and some scaley fins down there)
Lola and Sebastian it it off immediatly..and they are very enthusiastic about
'helping' any couplings or groupings in the CTOJ. Lola and Sebastian HIT it
off immediatly. At one time there were several domesticated 'channel trout'
that lived in the CTOJ - but they disappeared shortly after Sebastian
appeared.
Evil Twin/Evil Twin Week:
The TREK_HUMOR_FILK Echo was founded shortly before Halloween. Dexter
Fernandez, the echo founder declared that the one-year anniversary of the
Echo would be celebrated with an "Evil Twin Week" during the week of
Halloween that year. All Norians were encouraged to let their 'dark sides'
hang out that week and do all the things they have always wanted to..but were
'held back from doing' by their sense of decency.
Now..there were several Norians who claimed they *WERE* the evil twin..and
they adopted the persona of their 'Good Twin' for that week. Since then,
ETW has been the norm in TerokNor around Halloween...though the ETs have been
known to pop out and make themselves known time and again at other times of
the year.
Newbari:
The 'boofheads' who were causing all the bad feelings in TEWSHBN were dubbed
"Newbari" by those who wanted to have filk and fun. "Newbari" is a
combination of the words 'Newbie' (a new person on an echo or maillist or
chat room) and 'Mimbari' (the primary alien race on 'Babylon 5') The strife
between the Filkers (also known as 'Volehunters') and the Newbari was called
the "Vole/Newbari War" (named after the 'Earth/Mimbari War' on Babylon 5)
Headers:
Most email and FidoNet mail programs have the ability to create a custom text
string to be inserted at the beginning of a reply message. Listed in this
'header' could be the 'from' and 'to' names, the 'subject' of the message and
the 'date/time'. The purpose of these headers was supposed to be to remind
everyone what message thread this message belongs to..but it became a real
contest to attempt to make little 'stories' out of the headers
themselves...and hopefully to embarass someone in the process.
Special Thanks to Kevin (K'vin or Qe'van - The one-eyed Klingon Bard) For ALL
of the definitions....and for putting up with my inpatience. {{:-)
