ͻ
                            RANDOM THOUGHTS                                 
                    (C) 1993  AmeriBoard Enterprises                        
͹
 IN THIS MONTH'S ISSUE OF RANDOM THOUGHTS...                                
 (1) AmeriBoard unleashes two children onto the BBS World...                
 (2) Who is an African-American... and who isn't?                           
 (3) Really Random Thoughts - Names I will never give my children.          
 (4) The great BBS Crash of '93:  AmeriBoard bites the dust.                
 (5) First I'm tagged as the Rush Limbaugh of BBS... now a new title falls. 
 (6) Gee, a short issue... How 'bout that!                                  
ͼ
ͻ
 Issue IX - November, 1993                                 by D.P. McIntire 
͹
 RANDOM THOUGHTS is an electronic publication distributed via the shareware 
 concept of marketing.  If you find it worthy, please send a registration   
 of $ 3.00 to:  AmeriBoard Enterprises, P.O. Box 445, Penn Run PA  15765.   
͹
 RANDOM THOUGHTS may be distributed freely via computerized bulletin board  
 systems.  It may be placed on-line as a bulletin, door, or by any other    
 means available.  Such distribution will not be considered as a violation  
 of the existing copyright.  RANDOM THOUGHTS may also be distributed via CD 
 ROM diskette without copyright violation.                                  
͹
 RANDOM THOUGHTS may not be distributed on 5.25" or 3.5" diskette, nor may  
 it be copied onto 5.25" or 3.5" diskettes.  Such copying or distribution   
 will be considered a violation of copyright law, and violators will be     
 prosecuted under United States Copyright Law, or International Copyright   
 Law, whichever is applicable.                                              
ͼ
ͻ
 AMERIBOARD UNLEASHES TWO CHILDREN ONTO THE BBS WORLD...                    
ͼ
AmeriBoard Enterprises, the company which makes the monthly publication of RT
possible, has tripled its size almost overnight.

On November 1st, AmeriBoard Enterprises announced the launch of two new BBS'es
to serve as specialized versions of the popular AmeriBoard.  These services,
EAGLE and SPIRIT, have separate drives behind them.

THE EAGLE, the family-oriented BBS, is owned and operated by Victoria R.
Benamati of Homer City, Pennsylvania.  The primary focus of the Eagle is to
give subscribers various services related to the family - from Dad trying to
balance the family's checkbook to Junior getting the latest shareware from
such designers as Apogee.  Recipes are a part of the mix as well, and the BBS
may be starting up small, but plans for its future are pretty big.

SPIRIT is the sports-oriented arm of AmeriBoard.  Operated by Theodore J. Amick
of Indiana, Pennsylvania, SPIRIT's focus is, obviously, sports.  Subscribers to
Spirit will receive sports news and information, coupled with all sorts of 
commentary and analysis on the sports world.  Popular sports game shareware is
also to be available shortly after its start-up.

The Eagle can be reached 24-hours daily at 412-479-0548, while Spirit can be
accessed at 412-465-8861.  Spirit accepts bauds up to 14,400 BPS, while Eagle
goes up to 9,600 BPS.  AmeriBoard itself has also joined the ranks of the 14.4
crowd at 412-349-6862.

ͻ
 WHO IS AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN... AND WHO ISN'T?                               
ͼ
Teresa Heinz is an interesting woman.  She is the widow of Pennsylvania Senator
John Heinz, and most people in our state believe that she will be a candidate
to succeed him in the upcoming 1994 senatorial election.  Teresa Heinz speaks
with an accent, primarily due to her background as a European raised in the
African nation of Mozambique.  Teresa has caused a mini fire storm, however,
and it raises a curious question:  Who is African American, and who isn't?

By my personal definition, an African American is a person who has relocated
to the United States from the continent of Africa, or possibly, POSSIBLY a
second-generation American from the continent.  Teresa Heinz fits the bill on
this one... and she said so herself.  Upon accepting an award recently she
stated that she was probably the first ever African American to win that
particular award.

This comment sparked somewhat of a minor controversy, as blacks (a/k/a African-
Americans) had won the award several times prior to Mrs. Heinz.  So, I ask,
"Who is an African-American, and who isn't?"

I've already stated my position on the question, but I can see a case where
those not of direct African heritage (i.e. the eighth generation American whose
great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather was brought over in chains as
part of the despicable African slave trade) could classify themselves as
"African-American."  However, where do we draw that line?

I for instance, have never consciously referred to myself by my ethnic heritage
as an "Irish-American".  My fiancee has never been a "Eurasian-American", and
my brother in law has never referred to himself as an "Irish-German-Italian-
Slovakian-American."  Why is it that the black culture has to create a new
name for itself each generation or so just to give itself an identity?  

When I was a young lad, the modern-day "African-American" was a "negro", which
isn't really a slur, but I could see where it could offend.  After all, if you
are white, could you see yourself being called a "Cauco" for your Caucasian
pigmentation?  Then, as I entered schooling, "negroes" became "blacks", which
today is still used by a large percentage of the black population itself.  In
1990 (no one is exactly certain of the origins, but it caught like wildfire 
around '90), someone developed the term "Afro-American", which has naturally
evolved into "African-American."  

About one-third of the people who classify themselves as "African-American"
probably couldn't name ten major cities in the entire continent.  Before you
start writing me hate mail, however, consider that an equal portion of whites
(or higher) couldn't accomplish that one either.  Most people can't trace
their family trees back far enough to ascertain for certain that they are
from Africa, or Europe, or Asia, or Central America, or wherever.  Most go
about as far back as the American Revolution and leave it at that.  African
American?  I think that phrase should be used for those who relocate here from
Africa, be they black, white, or any other nationality, not those who are 
seventh, eighth, and ninth generation Americans.

I never have understood that when a child asks of his ancestry in America, his
parents always refer to him as "Dutch-Irish" or "Scottish-Welsh" or "German-
Irish" or something of that nature.  Where was the child born?  More often than
not he was born right here in the good ol' U.S.A.  What does that make the kid?
Geeeez... this one isn't hard to figure out:  AMERICAN!

ͻ
 REALLY RANDOM THOUGHTS - NAMES I WILL NEVER GIVE MY CHILDREN.              
ͼ
Digressing a little bit since I brought up the subject of children, here is a
list of names I will never give my children, and the reasons for my decision:

BOYS NAMES:

DONALD - simply because there have already been two in the family, of which I
         was born one.  (I changed my name legally to D.P. when I was 18).

EMMET - reminds me too much of Emmet, that old codger who ran the fix-it shop
        in Mayberry.  He complained about Mount Pilot too much anyway.

RALPH - my maternal grandfathers name.  Sounds more like something you'd prefer
        to lose rather than to keep forever.

ALISTAIR - simply too bloody pompous.

REGINALD - see "Alistair".

DWIGHT - I never could find an accurate assessment of where the name "Dwight"
         came from... believe it or not, I've also seen it misspelled.

ARLO - reminds me too much of hippy singers and Alice's Restaurant.

BARRY - ranks up there with Dwight.  What could Barry be short for?  Barrister?
        Bert for instance is short for Bertram, but Barry?

MICHAEL - there's just too damned many of them now.

RYAN - this is a LAST name.  Pregnant women who are planning to name their boys
       by this name should be sedated immediately after the birth so the father
       can rush to the proper office and have his birth certificate drawn up 
       with an actual, honest-to-god first name.

TYLER - similar to Ryan.  Do you want to name your son after our 10th 
        President's LAST name?

MILLARD - while attacking Presidents, who would name their child after our 13th
          chief executive, the forgettable Millard Fillmore?

CASEY - my nephew's name.  Now at age 19, the kid is stuck with a childish name
        for the rest of his life.  I pity him on that aspect.


GIRLS NAMES:

HILARY - and no, not because of Hilary Clinton (okay, you women's libbers,
         Hilary Rodham Clinton).  Actually, this one makes the list due to
         Hilary Banks, a character on the popular teen TV show "Fresh Prince
         of Bel Air".  The character (not the actress) is about as ditzy as 
         they come.

MARIEL - I will not, no matter how much I enjoy them, name my daughter after
         a cigar... or anything close to it for that matter.

RACQUEL - this name has the stigma of Racquel Welch attached to it, which isn't
          bad if the girl is stunningly beautiful at age 20.  But if she could
          wet a fire hydrant (and in my case if she looks like her dear old Dad
          she will), the name doesn't fit at all.

NANCY - ranks up there with boy's name Casey.  Nice at age 3, lousy at 53.

MARTHA - my paternal grandmother's name.  The name Martha for some reason has
         come to personify the term "old maid".  FACT:  I've never met a Martha
         I didn't like, but I never met a Martha below age 55, either.

GLADYS - my mother's name.  Pretty much in the same boat as Martha.


"UNISEX" NAMES:
The following names I would never give my child simply because without a photo
or other I.D., no one could tell if they were male or female:  Stacy, Tracy,
Glenn, D.P. (I had to get that one in there), Beavis (okay, it's a gag one),
or Chris.  And of course, let's not forget the ultimate androgony:  Pat.

ͻ
 THE GREAT BBS CRASH OF '93:  AMERIBOARD BITES THE DUST.                    
ͼ
A strong suggestion to those of you out there who operate BBS'es using Spitfire
BBS software:  read this next article.

I had operated AmeriBoard as a Spitfire BBS for the past two and a half years
or so.  On Sunday morning, October 24th, I woke up at about 7 a.m. in order to
get each team's IFFL lineup for that day's games, when POOF!  My entire group
of message areas was completely wiped out.  Over 300 messages gone!  I didn't
panic, as this has happened before.

I attempted a recovery, but it failed miserably.  Having lost the messages, I
opted to try to merely re-create the message areas, but that didn't work
either.  Basically, my Spitfire software finally told me that it had run out
of gas, and that it was time to look elsewhere.

I found, merely out of whim, Wildcat software.  I've had a registered version
of it for about a year now, but never had bothered to even take it out of its
package until the Spitfire crash.  Now I had a problem:  I needed to set up
AmeriBoard all over again, using software that was completely foreign to me -
without documentation! (I had pitched the printed docs months ago, thinking,
silly me, I'd never need them since I had Spitfire).

So, I began to rework the entire workings of my BBS.  I lost 300 messages and
over 2,200 users from all over the globe.  Couldn't be recovered, couldn't be
transferred.  Gone.  However, I got Wildcat up in about five and a half hours
start-to-finish, EXCEPT for one of the most important pieces in the puzzle of
any bulletin board:  the modem initialization string.
   
I recently purchased a Sportster (U.S. Robotics) 14,400 BPS Modem.  Well, it
caused problems because the initialization string used by Wildcat for the
Sportster apparently was set up for 9600 baud configuration.  It took six
hours a night for four nights (actually, it was closer to 27 hours total) in
tinkering between myself, my Technical Op Scott Bender, Spirit System Operator
Ted Amick, and about 7 packs of Marlboro's to get the job done.

So, if you use AmeriBoard, expect there to be a few changes in the system over
the next few weeks and months as we get acquainted with the new software.  But
so far it appears as if Wildcat is going to be around for a long, long time.

ͻ
 FIRST I'M TAGGED AS THE RUSH LIMBAUGH OF BBS... NOW A NEW TITLE FALLS.     
ͼ
About six months ago I mentioned the fact that certain people were referring to
me as "The Rush Limbaugh of BBS" because of my outspoken nature.  Well, a new
title has fallen upon me... I'm actually embarrassed to say it.  There are a
couple of people out there who have scrapped that title for a more simple, yet
not at all accurate one:  God.

This came to my attention during October, shortly before my system's crash,
and I was quite puzzled about it.  I'm not sure of the origin of it (perhaps I
won't be since I can no longer find the message where it originated), but let
me set the record straight:  I'm not God.  I'm not anywhere close.  I'm going
to rot in hell just like most people when I die.  So, if you're reading this,
whomever you are that referred to me as God, please, get a life and wake up!

ͻ
 GEE, A SHORT ISSUE... HOW 'BOUT THAT.                                      
ͼ
My mind is in sort of a "mental pause" right now, so I don't have that much
more to write about this month.  Everyone draws blanks now and then, but mine
have been becoming more and more frequent, which sort of bothers me a little.
Good Lord willin', however, there will be another issue of Random Thoughts
come December 1st, and hopefully it will be better than this one was.

- end -

