BTN: Birmingham Telecommunications News COPYRIGHT 1989 May 1989 Volume 2, Issue 5 Table Of Contents ----------------- Article Title Author Policy Statement and Disclaimer................Mark Maisel Editorial Column...............................Randy Hilliard File Transfer Protocols........................Tom Egan Profile........................................Chris Mohney Our Local BBS Systems..........................Mark Maisel Nine Days After................................Tyros Thrifty Household Hints........................Michele Cahoon From The Kitchen...............................Chez Stephan Message Board..................................Barry Bowden Known BBS Numbers..............................Mark Maisel ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer and Statement of Policy for BTN We at BTN try our best to assure the accuracy of articles and information in our publication. We assume no responsibility for damage due to errors, omissions, etc. The liability,if any for BTN, its editors and writers, for damages relating to any errors or omissions, etc., shall be limited to the cost of a one year subscription to BTN, even if BTN, its editors or writers have been advised of the likelihood of such damages occurring. With the conclusion of that nasty business, we can get on with our policy for publication and reproduction of BTN articles. We publish monthly with a deadline of the fifteenth of the month prior to publication. If you wish to submit an article, you may do so at any time but bear in mind the deadline if you wish for your work to appear in a particular issue. It is not our purpose to slander or otherwise harm a person or reputation and we accept no responsibility for the content of the articles prepared by our writers. Our writers own their work and it is protected by copyright. We allow reprinting of articles from BTN with only a few restrictions. The author may object to a reprint, in which case he will specify in the content of his article. Otherwise, please feel free to reproduce any article from BTN as long as the source, BTN, is specified, and as long as the author's name and the article's original title are retained. If you use one of our articles, please forward a copy of your publication to: Mark Maisel Editor, BTN 221 Chestnut St. BHM, AL 35210-3219 We thank you for taking the time to read our offering and we hope that you like it. We also reserve the right to have a good time while doing all of this and not get too serious about it. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Editorial by Randy Hilliard It seems as if the time for the next BTN issue has come again. As a matter of fact, again we are late with this issue. I don't suppose many of you are surprised to see my name on the editorial byline again and for various reasons (which I will go into later) neither am I. This issue should prove be a fairly interesting one; Tom Egan shows up 2 1/2 times in this issue. The first time is with an article on transfer protocols and the other 1 1/2 times, well... just read on. Mark Maisel shows up with his regular article on our local BBS systems. This one is on The Islands BBS. Tyros, who has been noticeably absent from the BBS community due to hardware problems is both back on the BBS's and in the BTN with an article on free form thought. Welcome back to the real world Tyros! Barry Bowden's regular Message Board article is here as well as Mark Maisel's up-to-the-last-minute-updated list of known BBS numbers. We have a new feature from Michele Cahoon with some very helpful household hints. Chez Stephan gives us a terrific sounding quick meal that I am sure you will want to try. Last month Ed O'Neill notified everyone that he had a working version of the EzNet code for PC Board 14.X. The same weekend, those of us who had been holding back from upgrading from 12.1 to 14.0 converted. EzNet now comprises 11 nodes, one of which is the local WWIV BBS network. In the last few days Ed and another local Sysop managed to link the PC Board oriented EzNet code with the WWIV message base at the Byte Me BBS thus increasing the versatility of EzNet and enlarging the number of boards that contribute messages. Users can file this under the "delete from the dialing directory" header: Due to monetary problems (phone line expenses) Smitty's BBS will go down on May the 14th. Outdialers can expect to get a "that number is out of service" for their dialing efforts. It would be a nice gesture for those users who frequented Smitty's to take a moment to express their appreciation in his message base before he takes the board down for good. Sysop's can file this under the "worth remembering" header: Joe Kearley (Joker's Castle) has opened up a new conference on his board (#6) for System Operators. His idea for the conference is to provide an atmosphere in the conference where a Sysop can "kick up his feet, drink a beer, and chat with other Sysops about the problems associated with running a BBS". Also worth mentioning is the fact that it will give Sysops a chance to get to know each other a little better and possibly foster better relations among the local area Sysops. Messages and files are conference protected so this may be the place to look over new Door and Board software and chat with those who are using it already. You can file these under the "worth mentioning" header: Our Idiot-in-Chief was asked by the local chapter of the IEEE to address their computer sub-group on both BBS's in general and the BTN. With his usual grace, flair, and style Mark showed up in sandals, slacks, and a Union T-shirt. Considering that all of the audience were dressed in suits, I can imagine they were impressed albeit I wouldn't wager on how favorably. They were impressed (or amused) enough to allow him to speak to them for a little over two hours (which is more than most of us would do). I hope that not withstanding the impression that Mark made on them we will see some participation by some of the IEEE on the local BBS's and possibly in BTN. Since I am on the subject of Mark, I will explain why I am not surprised to be editing this column; despite all of the objections that you (as readers) and I (as victim) have made, Mark has insisted that I continue to pump out this drivel. After long and hard deliberation I have come to the conclusion that I am stuck with it and that I will probably never get Mark to understand my unsuitability for the position. This brings to mind something I was told a long, long, time ago... "Never attempt to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and it annoys the pig." Enjoy the issue folks... ----------------------------------------------------------------------- FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOLS by Tom Egan, Remote Sysop of America Online Several times a week, I get mail, talk to, or see people who are not aware of how the various File Transfer protocols operate. I plan to give a brief, (well, maybe brief), outline of what each one is, how it works, and how to use it on your favorite Bulletin Board system. The old original type of transfer is known as ASCII. This is not actually a FILE transfer protocol, as it will not send machine language files at all. It is STRICTLY for use in transferring TEXT from one machine to another, not FILES. ASCII ASCII has NO ERROR checking or correction built in, so if an error occurs due to noise or whatever, it WILL show up on your screen or in your file. The only exception to this is if you happen to have a MNP modem on BOTH computers. That type of modem WILL correct errors in ASCII transmissions, but even so, ASCII is almost totally unused at this time, at least on any IBM compatible computers. This is also the way your computer speaks to another computer during Bulletin Board sessions when you are not Uploading or Downloading files. XMODEM Xmodem is the old, original 8-bit File Transfer protocol written by Ward Christiansen. Although it is old, at least 1977 or before,and came out long before IBM built the first PC, it works very well most of the time. It WILL transfer machine language files, and it has ERROR CORRECTION built in. That is, if an error occurs during transmission, it will tell you about it, but then it will automatically re-transmit the data that was defective, until it gets it right (or up to 10 tries, and then aborts, this depends on the program using it). MOST transfers (probably 99 percent of them) using XMODEM end up being error free after they are received. The only real problem with Xmodem is that the data is transmitted in 128 byte blocks at a time, and each one has to pass the error tests before the next block is sent, making it somewhat slower than the newer protocols. 1K-XMODEM (also known as YMODEM in some programs) 1k-Xmodem is basically the XMODEM protocol, with a few changes. Instead of the slower 128 byte blocks, 1K-XMODEM transmits 1024 bytes at a time, and then does the error detection and correction. This means it spends more time sending the files, and less time checking for accuracy. It DOES NOT mean the files are more likely to have errors, just that it will be longer before they are corrected. On most phone lines, 1K-XMODEM is quite a bit faster than plain XMODEM, but on noisy lines, it can wind up being slower, because it has to re-transmit 1024 bytes when an error is detected rather than the shorter 128 bytes that XMODEM has to resend. 1K-XMODEM is VERY popular, and is probably the most often used protocol at this time. TRUE YMODEM (or just YMODEM) The real YMODEM has a few differences from 1K-XMODEM. It will automatically send the name of the file to the receiving computer. That means YOU don't have to enter a RECEIVE filename using Ymodem. True Ymodem uses the same error correction techniques as XMODEM and 1K-XMODEM, and is fairly reliable, although it is not as popular as either XMODEM or 1K-XMODEM. It is NOT 100 percent compatible with 1K- Xmodem though, because it DOES expect to receive the filename as part of the preamble data, and will hang if it does not receive this data. ZMODEM ZMODEM is a relatively new protocol. It is usually used from DSZ, a program by DSZ Associates, but not always. Zmodem has the ability to vary the size of the blocks it sends, and can AUTOMATICALLY go to a smaller number of bytes if the error detection rate is high. Zmodem also uses a 32 bit error detection code (at least in DSZ) rather than the 8 bit code used by Xmodem and Ymodem, which makes a case for better reliability of the received files. They ARE checked more thoroughly than XMODEM, 1K-XMODEM, or YMODEM transmissions, but I personally have not found undetected errors to be much of a problem in most file transfers. Once in a great while an error will get past the error detection and correction, but it is VERY seldom, at least in my experience. BUT, Zmodem is capable of catching more of them than Xmodem, 1K-Xmodem, or Ymodem. Due to the variable size of blocks (number of bytes), it is also FASTER than the previous protocols in almost all situations, whether you get noise or not. YMODEM-G Ymodem-G is for use ONLY with MNP type error correcting modems, (You will Know if you have one of these, THEY ARE EXPENSIVE, and usually are 9600 baud Modems, with some exceptions) because the program does absolutely ZERO, NONE, ZILCH, error detection or correction on it's own. It depends on the modem to do that task for it, and why duplicate the time and effort? In MOST cases, but not all, your modem has MNP only if it is a 9600 baud modem. There are some 2400 baud MNP modems (I own one), but they are rare. Ymodem-G transmits 1K byte blocks, and waits on an ACKNOWLEDGE signal, before sending the next block, but does NO error correcting in the process. UNLESS you have an MNP modem, do NOT try to use this protocol. If you do have an MNP modem, this protocol is GREAT (fast and efficient). 1K-XMODEM BATCH, YMODEM BATCH, YMODEM-G BATCH, ZMODEM BATCH These are the same protocols as described above, but have the feature of sending or receiving a number of files, one after the other, automatically (that's what BATCH means). WXMODEM Wxmodem is short for Windowed-Xmodem. This is a variation of XMODEM that is VERY useful if your phone call is being routed via satellite to the other computer (automatically done by the phone company on some long distance calls). Without getting too technical, Windowed Xmodem is the same as Xmodem, same 128 byte blocks and error checking code, BUT, it doesn't have to test each block immediately when it's received. Error checking is still done, but it is allowed to SLIDE ( this is the WINDOW part ) a little, usually up to 4 blocks. This gives the computers 2 to 8 seconds, depending on baud rate, to verify the data without having to wait each time a block comes in. It still takes the same total time to do the error checking, but you don't have to wait on the delay caused by the signal going out into space and returning. The other protocols get VERY inefficient when having to wait for the satellite delays, and the smaller the block size, the worse it gets. By the Way, you MUST set up both the sending and receiving computers to use the SAME protocol!!!! In the next issue, or as soon as I get time to finish the article, we'll talk about IMODEM, SEALINK, TELELINK, MEGALINK, KERMIT (ALSO KNOWN AS PCKERMIT), and RELAXED XMODEM, along with any other protocols I happen to think of, or that you ask about. If you know of any I haven't mentioned above, feel free to leave me mail on America Online (205-324-0193), and I'll try to include them in the next article. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- PROFILE by Chris Mohney The Pro File is a short, half-serious biographical sketch given to various computer telecommunications personalities around Birmingham. Victims are selected randomly from a group of names put into the notorious Hat. Anyone who thinks himself brave or witty enough may petition for admittance to the Hat by leaving E-Mail to me (Chris Mohney, most boards around town) to that effect. Anyone who wishes to suggest more questions or sneakily nominate someone without their knowledge may take the same route .... --------- Pro File on TOM EGAN --------- Age: It's hard to say. I'm pretty sure it's around 50, though it could be closer to 60. Birthplace: A rubbish-strewn gutter in the south of Namibia, outside a porn bookstore. Occupation: I attach those little plastic cylinders to the ends of shoelaces; you know, the things that keep the ends from fraying? My hobbies include: Deleting users, living high on the hog from all the cash that comes in from the suckers who subscribe to America OnLine. It's great! I even get a tax write-off. Years telecomputing: Uh ... I don't know. I don't have my slide rule handy and my fingers are in a cast. Sysop, past/present/future of: The Crummy Stupid Board with No Doors or Files (1983-1986) The Gdansk Numismatic Review (A few drunken days in 1987) America OnLine (Not sure; in late 1987 Rocky Rawlins absorbed my personality for his "bad guy" jobs) My oddest habit is: All my habits are odd, and most are illegal in this state. My greatest ambition is: To finish this stupid form so I can go back to watching "Joanie Loves Chachi" reruns. The single accomplishment of which am most proud is: Winning the Pulitzer. My favorite performers are: Tiny Tim, Pee-Wee Herman, Joe Franklin, Mortimer the Flying Opossum The last good movie I saw was: I've never seen a good movie. The last good book I read was: "Cooking with Linoleum Made Easy" If they were making a movie of my life, I'd like to see my part played by: Somebody good-looking. Rich and good-looking, the kind who gets the girls with a glance, cause that's the kind a guy I am, get it? My pet peeves are: Too numerous to list. When nobody's looking, I like to: Look at them. (Belated April Fool's, Tom. I told you you'd be sorry.) ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?? ?? ?? I had nothing to do with this Tom, trust me. MM ?? ?? ?? ??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? (Okay, okay ... just a joke, folks, here's the real thing.) PROFILE by Chris Mohney The Pro File is a short, half-serious biographical sketch given to various computer telecommunications personalities around Birmingham. Victims are selected randomly from a group of names put into the notorious Hat. Anyone who thinks himself brave or witty enough may petition for admittance to the Hat by leaving E-Mail to me (Chris Mohney, most boards around town) to that effect. Anyone who wishes to suggest more questions or sneakily nominate someone without their knowledge may take the same route .... --------- Pro File on TOM EGAN --------- Age: A most depressing 37. I didn't realize I was the same age as Rocky. That's even MORE depressing. Oh well, 38 comes up in May. Birthplace: To my vast surprise, I was born in East St. Louis, Illinois. (Actually Fairview, Ill., but the closest hospital was in E. St. Louis, so therefore reads the birth certificate). I quickly made plans to remedy that situation, and moved at the age of 7. ( another mistake though, moved north, but that's another story) ( lived in Birmingham area for 28 years now ) Occupation: District Engineer, Nuclear Products ( that should read Electronics Engineer, which is my profession, BUT, that's my present job title ( by the way, that's NOT power plants, it's NUCLEAR MEDICINE ) My hobbies include: Computing, electronics design and building, woodworking, flying ( licensed private pilot ), water-skiing, sports car racing ( driving, not watching ), beer-drinking, sex, gardening, more sex. The above list is NOT necessarily in my preferred order. Years telecomputing: Around 14 to 15 years. Designed and built my first computer in 1975. Since then I've gotten smarter and bought them, either assembled or such as "put it together yourself" systems. My first "REAL" computer was an IMSAI 8080. No keyboard or monitor, just switches and lights, and a 2k program took about 3 evenings to load in. Sysop, past/present/future of: Past: CoSysop - The Towne Crier (1.5 years) CoSysop - Birmingham BBS (2 years) Sysop - G.E. WINS (Worldwide Information Network)(4yrs) (This one is still active, but not public) Present: Sysop (remote) - America OnLine (2 years) My oddest habit is: Playing opera arias on trumpet while naked on the couch at midnight being caressed by a dozen naked slave girls imported from Nome, Alaska. I SORTA LIKED THIS ONE, EVEN THOUGH I DID STEAL IT FROM ROCKY. P.S. Don't tell my wife. Good thing she sleeps soundly!!!! My greatest ambition is: Hurry up and get the new house built that I'm working on, and partially designed. At least that's my PRESENT greatest ambition, new one next year, I hope. The single accomplishment of which am most proud is: Just being me. My favorite performers are: Alan Alda, Clint Eastwood, etc. The last good movie I saw was: I like the older spaghetti westerns, such as those by Clint Eastwood. Also M*A*S*H, and AIRPORT. There have been many others, but these I REMEMBER. Nothing lately ( 2 or 3 years ) has really impressed me. The last good book I read was: I am ALWAYS reading, but I guess if I had pick a few, they would be The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley, The Sisters by Robert Littell, or maybe The Dreamstone by C.J. Cherryh If they were making a movie of my life, I'd like to see my part played by: Probably Alan Alda, since a lot of it is almost a comedy anyway, although it didn't seem that way at the time. My pet peeves are: Airline Companies, ALL fanatics, people who ask for PROFILES, people who want BTN Magazine Articles, deadlines, NOISE !!!, and a WHOLE BUNCH of other things. When nobody's looking, I like to: After my hectic job, and when the board is running good, just sitting around drinking a cold beer and watching the grass and trees grow. QUIETLY!!!! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Our Local Bulletin Board Systems Number Four In A Series by Mark Maisel Name: The Islands BBS Sysop: Dean Adams aka Captain Jack Co-Sysop: Barry Bowden (could not do it without him) Software: PC Board 14.0/D Been Around: 5 months Baud Rates: 300-1200 Bulletins: General System Information Conferences: Tarot - featuring the Realm of Tarot online fantasy war game Reviews - Science fiction and music is discussed Games - Turbo-Chess and Black Jack doors are available Computers Supported: no system particularly supported and no files are available Files Available: no file transfers available Doors Available: ProDoor, Turbo-Chess 3.0, Paz 21(Black Jack), Realm of Tarot Special Information: the board is completely free and all are welcome as long as you abide by my simple rules. The only board in the country that features The Realm of Tarot game Q. Why did you start your BBS? A. I enjoy calling bulletin boards and I want to promote gaming, especially strategy games such as The Realm of Tarot. Q. What has been your greatest reward from running your BBS? A. Knowing that my users enjoy the board. Q. What are your greatest regrets and annoyance associated with running a BBS? A. That I cannot afford better equipment. Q. What are your future plans for the BBS? A. Immediately, I intend to increase storage capacity so I can add more games, upgrade modem to 2400 baud. Hopefully, before the end of the year, I would like to move up to an AT compatible system and ad at least one more node to the system. Q. What is the funniest thing that has happened on your BBS? A. Almost deleting the entire Tarot conference while shuffling files to make Tarot work as a door. It appeared that all the files had disappeared but I recovered after a brief panic. Q. What is your favorite hobby/pastime outside of your BBS and computers in general? A. Billiards and reading fantasy literature are favorites in the precious little time that medical school allows. Q. What do you think your system offers that might cause someone to prefer your board over others? A. The Realm of Tarot is really the only unique feature I can think of that might entice a caller to use my system over another. Q. Why? A. The Realm of Tarot game is now unique to this system. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- NINE DAYS AFTER by Tyros The last thing I consciously remember is sitting in a chair, staring at a computer screen, wondering why a terminal program is sitting ready, its host mode flickering gold and black, almost in eerie invitation. The screen goes blank. Mists seep from the corners of the monitor and envelope my immediate surroundings. I feel nauseatingly faint from the fumes, when I voice calls... "Scott?" This is not my name, I tell myself. "Scott?" Who is calling? A figure emerges from the mists and stands in front of me. "Got any ideas?" "C'mon, I know you have to have one or two..." I stare blankly. "What about writing about how many 300 baud users are still calling the boards?" "You can call around, I'm sure most of the sysops around here would be happy to help.." "Scott?" "Fine then, it's all yours." The edges of my irises seem to scream out in a painful cacophony of colors. That may or may not be a mixed metaphor. The figure waves jovially. "You take care now." I stare madly at the shape, receding into the thick velvet fog. "Take care." "Take care...." "Take care you don't support a certain POSITION in your story." "Remain consistent. Even if you don't think your story is AP-styled, stay with a consistent format." "Remember, never reveal the names of minors in the custody of police." I blink, and this time it is the mist that recedes. I am sitting in a journalism class. In journalism class, they tell you how to formulate the lead of a story. They tell you what to capitalize, what to numeralize. They don't tell you what do to when a CRT-monitor is challenging you, making your very neurons wince at the heat, DARING you to create something substantial. Then I answer back. I am a storyteller. Mine is a long honored profession. Today's storytellers, though no longer so called, flourish still. I am a Reporter. I will do what it takes. I will do this and more. I will type out a piece of prose, so lurid and confusing, it will stand out amid written schematics and lists and charts and series. I will throw format to the winds. I will vary the number of lines between paragraphs, to suit my mood at that precise second. This many confuse and constern, and so be it. I will allow my indentations to vary likewise. The beginnings of my sentences will float, left and right, so that men may KNOW of what I speak from. The divine dance of sweet random nature is my guide. I will compose and contain, these thoughts which some will forever wonder at. They will stare at each other in daze and befuddlement. They will say, Are these thoughts his own? Did they spring forth from his soul, uncalled for and unrealized, like new life wishing itself to be known? Or did they rise, from somber plan and prior mediation, like number problems needing to be solved, dominated by cynicism and worldliness, and the knowledge of what is needed to nudge the souls of men. I will bare my deepest thoughts, and yet my most frivolous fancies - and they will wonder. This I will do. This I have done. And now, nine days after, we have come full circle. I am TYROS! I sing the thoughts of men and the tremors of matter. I am Tyros, the scriptor. This is my script. And I am finished. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Thrifty Household Hints by Michele Cahoon If the soles on your terry cloth slippers wear out long before the slippers, then get some iron on patches, cut them to the right size and iron them on. The slippers will last twice as long. To make a broom last much longer, take an old nylon stocking, cut off the foot, double the leg section and pull it over the straws, leaving just a few inches of the broom for sweeping. This not only keeps the straws from falling out but keeps the broom in perfect shape. To keep those scouring pads from rusting, instead of dipping the scouring pad into the water, dip the article to be cleaned into the water and then use the dry pad to clean it. By using this method you are able to use the pads until all the soap is gone. Don't throw away used aluminum foil. When wadded and crushed together, it makes a very effective scouring pad for pans and casseroles. With a little soap and a wad of aluminum foil it works very well. Cut the cuffs of worn out rubber gloves into narrow strips and this will give you rubber bands that will last for quite some time. To prevent hard boiled eggs from cracking, take a needle and poke a hole in the end of it. The air which normally is trapped causes the egg to crack, this way it can get out and not crack the egg. For perfect garlic oil, buy some dried garlic. Break all the buds apart. Cut off the end and top of each bud. Then peel with your paring knife. Cut each little bud in half, drop them all in a bottle, cover them with oil. Within one day the oil is so terrifically "garlicked" that you will only need a few drops for your recipe. To have yourself, your very own fresh garlic. Just put an unpeeled bud of garlic, root end down, in a glass with a bit of water, leave it for about three days until the root appears; then plant it in a small pot of soil. Empty condiment shakers are good for this. The garlic will grow about a foot high, and as you need it just break off a piece (looks like chives)! If you would like a splatter proof method of frying hamburgers....Form the patties in any way, shape or form you like, then flour them on both sides before frying them. Not only will this prevent splattering, but the flour seals in the meats juices and gives the patties a thin, crispy crust. To preserve metal finish on such things as earrings, purse clasps, belt buckles,etc.. before using them, apply one or two coats of clear nail polish. If this is repeated every six months, they will look like new for ages. If you would like to have some of your windows with the frosted look but don't want it to be permanent. Dissolve one tablespoon of Epsom salts in a small amount of beer and apply the mixture with a brush to the inside of the window panes. The best result I found to do the trick was one cup of beer and 4 tablespoons of Epsom salts. A raw onion cut up and left in a room while painting makes the paint odor less potent, yet the onion odor disappears too. To repair a broken China figurine, use clear nail polish to stick the pieces together. You can use nail polish remover to get off the excess polish. Creative gift giving: In a newly established household there are always numerous tasks ahead so you can give them a starter-kit containing the following: A medium-weight claw hammer A pair of pliers A medium-size screwdriver A small versatile saw A good variety of screws,bolts,nails,brads and tacks A variety of accessory hardware- hooks, hanging aids,etc. Well folks that's it for this issue of Household tips and hints... hope they help!! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- From The Kitchen by Chez Stephan This is going to be short and sweet this month. It seems that Father Time never gives us enough. Try this recipe over pasta . If you decide to use pasta then make sure that you peel the shrimp before you serve them. It is great either alone or served as a side dish. Prawns with Chilies and Garlic: 20 to 30 Large Prawns Shells On (these are shrimp to us folks here in Dixie) 10 cloves of garlic 6 oz. fresh red chilies 1/2 cup peanut oil 1 1/2 teaspoons salt Trim prawns and slit along back with a pair of kitchen shears. Remove vein. Wash, pat dry and set aside. Peel garlic and cut stalks of chilies. For chilies to be less hot, remove seeds. The seeds are where most of the heat comes from in chilies. Process garlic and chilies together to form a semi-fine paste. Place wok or iron skillet over high heat and when very hot add the oil. When oil is starting to smoke add chili-garlic paste and fry over medium heat until it is fragrant and the oil turns slightly red. Please be extremely careful when you use a wok or any high heat the oil will sometimes flame up. Add prawns and stir fry again until they change color. Add salt and fry until sauce coats prawns. Serve individual portions or peel shrimp and chop and add to pasta. This dish is HOT so consider yourself forewarned! P. S. This dish is originally from Violet Oon's Kitchen in Singapore. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- MESSAGE BOARD by Barry Bowden M A Y 1 9 8 9 S M T W T F S +----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+---------+ ¡ ¡1 ¡2 !3 !4 !5 !6 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡BIPCUG ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! +----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+---------+ !7 !8 !9 !10 !11 !12 !13 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ¡BAC ¡ ¡CCS ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ! ! ! ! (64/128) ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! +----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+---------+ !14 !15 !16 !17 !18 !19 !20 ! !Mother's ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ¡ Day ! ¡CCS ¡ ¡ ¡BEPCUG ¡ ! ! ! ! (Amiga) ! ! ! ! ! !BCCC ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! +----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+---------+ !21 !22 !23 !24 !25 !26 !27 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ¡ ¡ ¡CCS ¡ ¡ ¡ ¡ ! ! ! ! (64/128) ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! +----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+---------+ !28 !29 !30 !31 ! ! ! ! ! !Memorial !Memorial ! ! ! ! ! !BCCC ! Day ! Day ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Observed! Traditional ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! +----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+----------+---------+ BEPCUG CCS Birmingham East PC Users Group Commodore Club South Jefferson State Jr. College Springville Road Library RUBY Carson Hall 114 (Meeting) Huffman, Alabama 3rd Friday of Every Month 2nd and 4th Tuesday (C64/C128) 7:00PM to 9:00PM 3rd Monday (Amiga) Paula Ballard 853-1200,ext 1463 (Work) 7:30 PM to 10:00 PM 251-6058 (Home) Maurice Lovelady 684-6843 BCCC BAC Birmingham Commodore Computer Club Birmingham Apple Corps P. O. Box 59564 POB 5542 Birmingham, Alabama 35259 Birmingham, Alabama 32555 UAB School of Ed. Bldg. Room 153 Regular meetings - 1st Sunday 2nd and 4th Sundays UAB Building #2, Rm 115 at 2PM Starts at 2:00 PM Rusty Hargett 854-5172 Informal get-together every Saturday morning at 8:30AM at the Kopper Kettle in the Brookwood annex next to AC3 BIPCUG Birmingham IBM-PC USER's Group Room 535/541 UAB Nutrition Science Bldg First Sunday 3:00 PM (Delayed one week if meeting weekend is a holiday) Marty Schulman 967-5883 Jim Caldwell 870-4729 Carolyn Daffron 969-1748 If you belong to or know of a user group that is not listed, please let us know by sending E-Mail to me, Barry Bowden, on EzNet. Please leave the following information : User Group Name Meeting Place Meeting Time(Day/date,Time) Contact Person Any Other Important Information ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Known BBS Numbers For The Birmingham Area **** The local EzNet nodes are marked with an asterisk **** NAME NUMBER BAUD RATES SUPPORTED MODEM TYPE 68FREE 933-7518 300, 1200 America Online Nodes 1-3 324-0193 300, 1200, 2400 America Online Node 4 251-2344 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 HST American BBS 674-1851 300, 1200, 2400 Amiga Alliance 631-8367 300, 1200, 2400 *Bus System BBS 595-1627 300, 1200, 2400 *Byte Me BBS 979-2983 1200, 2400 *Channel 8250 744-8546 300, 1200, 2400 Club Phoenix 942-0252 300, 1200, 2400 *Crunchy Frog 956-1755 300, 1200, 2400 D3 Systems BBS 663-2759 300, 1200, 2400 Duck Pond BBS 822-0956 300, 1200, 2400 Fortress BBS 664-9040 300, 1200 I.S.A. BBS 995-6590 300, 1200, 2400 Jim's Place 787-5512 300, 1200, 2400 *Joker's Castle 744-6120 300, 1200, 2400 LZ Birmingham 870-7770 300, 1200, 2400 *Magnolia BBS 854-6407 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 HST *Pinson Valley BBS 854-9662 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 HST ProSoft Systems BBS 853-8718 300, 1200, 2400 Psycho's Den 592-2545 300, 1200 *Role Player's Paradise 631-7654 300, 1200, 2400 Sparta PCBoard Nodes 1-5 979-0193 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 HST Sparta PCBoard Node 6 979-0196 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 Hayes Sperry BBS 853-6144 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 Hayes *ST BBS 836-9311 300, 1200, 2400 *The Connection Node 1 854-9074 1200, 2400 *The Connection Node 2 854-2308 1200, 2400 The Outer Limits 969-3262 1200, 2400, 9600 HST The Islands BBS 870-7776 300, 1200 *The Professional's Board 856-0679 300, 1200, 2400 Twilight Zone 856-3783 300, 1200 Willie's DYM Node 1 979-1629 300, 1200, 2400 Willie's DYM Node 2 979-7739 300, 1200, 2400 Willie's RBBS 979-7743 300, 1200, 2400 Ziggy Unaxess 991-5696 300, 1200