Ways that this BBS has changed your life
or
Adventures of randomly clicking through the Internet

How has this BBS changed your life? No, not the BBS directly changing your life (ie: making me somewhat broke from buttons), but more indirectly. Has the BBS introduced you to something which led you down a new path?

Ok, I'll go first:
A post I read in 2002 led me to my first online serial, Homestar Runner, which I've religiously watched for 3 years (and one day).

Clicking through the site 6 months later led me to its fast-paced forum and a random webgame Shade.

I posted for help with the game and was quickly and briefly sucked into the H*R community and its random AIM chats.

The AIM profile of the most active member (Carter, you rock) contained a link prefaced by the innocent words (paraphrased), "Start at the begining and read through; it's really funny." The link was to Sluggy Freelance, which introduced me to the vast world of web comics.

A message on the comic page two months later introduced me to the Sluggy IRC community, which I promised to only chat on for that weekend.

By Monday, I was entrenched, and for the next 5 difficult months, the Sluggy IRC community was the comforting social life that fit my only free time: midnight and later.

Through the Sluggy IRC community, I had a bi-weekly internet radio show for the majority of 12 months, deftly avoided the comics thrown at me, and generally delved into the psychology of Internet socialization.

This path faded away during mide 2004 as I was introduced to rock climbing, took a random undergraduate class, and started working more (including late nights on the button project). That's the story of how one empegBBS post led me through an entire social shift and into some deep cavernous expanses of Internet subcultures for almost two years.

So, what paths have the BBS led you on?

God, where would I start?

The beginning would be the logical place.

20/12/1999 at 15:36, would seem to be as good place as any!

Good question!

I think this BBS has brought me quite a lot, not least being my (current ) girlfriend Nicola, whom I met at the Euro Meet in 2004. Now I know she lurks here on occasion so that's all I can say without getting in trouble, but we are very happy, ahhh

Apart from love, the BBS has changed my whole out look on spending money, when I am looking at the latest £200 gadget I always think there will be someone else here who has already bought 2, so I'm not that bad really and I should get it. Pinball table is a perfect example!

Lastly it brings to my attention all manor of interesting ways to waste my spare time, a MAME cabinet being the latest. This not only impacts on my wallet, but also the ability to get up in the morning due to the avid research session that went on the night before

So yes, I would sqay this BBS has had quite an impact on my life.

Cheers

Cris.

Oh - And I now can't listen to a whole song in the car, as I am so used to skipping through 1000's of tracks, OK when you have remembered the empeg, but not so good with a 12 track CD

Off the top of my head . . .

-I think the biggest influence has just been all of the wonderful people here. It's been so great to meet people with such different ideas who are willing to discuss things openly and honestly without being nasty to one another about it. I find this to be one of the most truly tolerent groups of people I've ever met. It says a lot when two people like Doug and myself with such totally different wordviews hope to someday meet in person as friends. I know this isn't exactly what you meant, but I'd be remise not to say it.

-Introduction to Steve McConnell's books by one of the empeg developers- I don't remember which one. McConnell's books have made made me such a better software developer and I've been foisting them anyone who will let me.

-The Horror Of Blimps, which is perhaps the funniest thing I've ever read on the web.

-Alias, Lost, & Firefly- all shows my wife and I love that I wouldn't have seen without this board

-Garageband, which I found in an article linked by someone a long time ago. I've used it to both reach fans and find new music, some of which has made its way into my most listened to tracks.

-The Rio Karmoa, which my wife and I still love and think is a great product.

I'm certain there is more, but that's a good start.

If the only thing that it had brought me was the Amersfoort meets, it would have all been well worth it (Rob, stand up and take a bow!).
But it's also brought an encyclopaedia of knowledge on things technical and not, from people whom I can trust to be authoritative, and given me a small degree of PC literacy which I would have otherwise missed out on by this time in life.

Changed my life? Can't say it has, but I'm glad that I eventually got involved via my Karma, I'd been following Empeg since before the MkI, I had my name down for one but never took the plunge.

Very happy that I actually got my Karma fixed for free by Hugo when I broke it, I always knew they were a great bunch of people

I was introduced to a sport called Geocaching. Something I would have never gotten into if it wasn't for Mark Lord and Mark Cushman at the Cincy Empeg meet.

Ways that this BBS has changed your life


First and foremost, and this may summarize it all: Through this bbs I have been able to associate with the most amazing group of people it has ever been my privilege to know. I am vain about my intelligence -- I truly believe(perhaps mistakenly!) that I am smarter than most people I know. But you folks on the bbs put me to shame. I feel like an imposter here, pretending to be smart in order to impress you.

Second, my life has been completely and I believe permanently changed as an indirect result of this bbs. Without going into details, I have gone from being a solitary widowed hermit living a life of celibacy, looking forward to the day they carry me out of my office feet first, to sharing my life with a partner and contemplating a much richer, more interesting future than I had ever imagined.

Third, this bbs has become an immensely valuable support net for me whenever I have a technical question on just about any issue imaginable. Only once has the group failed to come up with an answer for me (anybody remember the question? Rob S. knows...)

The 5--10 hours a week I spend on this bbs have given me returns out of all proportion to the "investment". I regret having met so few of you in person.

tanstaafl.

Due to this board, I got into Sudoko, and sucked back into R/C models...But this time I'm now trying to fly Helicopters and planes instead of cars...So far, lost one small foam R/C plane on a roof, and several crash landings with the Sabre I just picked up, that heli is tough. Oh, here's a question for the board, There's an interface port on the back of the transmitter, and in the manual it says it's for interfacing to a computer for using it with a flight sim, but no info on the pinouts, nor do they sell a cable for it. The FMS fourms doesn't have anything about how to do it either.

I know there are a few R/C flight sims out there, specifically designed to interface wtih R/C controllers. Perhaps googling for the *software* will net you links to the interface cable. Maybe when you buy the software, it comes with the cable.

Not sure if this helps or not.

Your local Model Shop / Hobby Store will sell the correct cable for your tranny.

I use Real Flight myself a\s Tony suggested, but most people at the club I used to hang out at used CSM. I'm sure it used to be free, have a hunt around you may get lucky.

I have a copy of Real Flight G2 which is going on eBay soon, it coms with all the cables for a Futaba tranny like mine (rectangle connector FF9) Let me know if you are interested it it, but they have moved onto G3 now.

Cheers

Cris.