I just wanted ya'll to know that I am expecting a new little bundle of joy to be delivered down to the bayou cabin in the next couple of days. I know it's a boy, 'cause it's baby blue. And it has the cutest little 15" face, a great memory, and I'm told it runs real fast, too.

That's right! I'll be the proud new papa of a new iMac. (may the Great Gates forgive me) I've had Macs for twelve years now, and just couldn't see myself changing at such an extreme age. Anyway, it comes with a scanner, so maybe I can put up some pictures of Iggie, for the ladies here to peruse. Hopefully, it will also have a spell checker, although, the way I talk and type, it probably won't help none.(you think I can get a Cajun dictionary for it?)

Well, I can see you are all suitably impressed, and probably just a tad worried that after I get this wonderful new thing, that maybe I'll get to thinking I'm too good to hang out in a cyber-joint like this. But not to worry, you all know that I love you, even if I do have to slum a little bit to be with you. (Maybe if you would call me Mr. Frank, or even something like "Old Lon the Magnifcent", or something like that, it would help.)

Anyway, I just thought I'd warn you to tighten up security, or I just might infiltrate your chat rooms and such. I'm still not too sure I can do that, in fact I'm not too sure I will be able to turn the dang thing on.

Ya, know, the first Mac I bought in 1987 cost eight grand, and the laser printer cost another four. It was the single largest investment for my little business, back then. And today, this little iMac will do things I never dreamed of, faster than I ever imagined, and take me to places (and people) I never thought I would know. And it cost less than one thousand dollars! With a printer for another hundred and fifty, that out performs the old huge monster printer in ever way, and in color to boot! All in just over a decade. How do our kids keep up? Technology defines their world, and that world is changing every morning they wake up.

When I went to college thirty years ago, we had A computer on campus, and it was in a building of it's own. Now, I have to sons in college, and every day I tell them how much I'd like to be in their shoes. But, then again, it's pretty nice to be an old geezer with a fishing dock and a corgi dog that speaks Cajun.

-- Lon Frank (lgal@exp.net), April 07, 2000

Answers

I just read my posting above, and I wondered to myself, as I'm sure many of you are wondering to yourselfs, now just why did I post such a dumb thing?

Well, there's a simple answer. Unfortunately, I don't know what it is. May, I just wanted to be able to get into that smiley-face site that Gayla told us about (I mean THAT would be worth the whole thousand dollars, by itself, no?) Or maybe, since I become so close to all of you over the past two years, and I've grown so fond of you all, and hold you each in such utmost respect and admiration, that I just wanted to say:

I got a new computer!

na, nana, na na!

-- Lon Frank (lgal@exp.net), April 07, 2000.

Sorry about that, my evil twin, Lon Frankenstien, started to surface at the end of that last post.

My wife says that I talk to myself nowadays. Have any of you noticed such a thing? Nah, me neither.

Huh, wha..., well, I do answer myself sometime, but that's different. I mean, now take just the other day...........

-- Lon Frank (lgal@exp.net), April 07, 2000.

I got a new computer too, just last month, and my computer can beat up your computer, and it's not some stupid boy color either! Double nany nany poo-poohs!! Oh, and I get the front seat...I called it first!

-- kritter (kritter@adelphia.net), April 07, 2000.

Children!! CHILDREN!

Now be polite. This is supposed to be a nice playground. And it's unkind to make others turn green!

:-)

(I'm so glad for you both, now you have no excuse not to post LOTS)

-- Tricia the Canuck (jayles@telusplanet.net), April 07, 2000.

Lon!
OOOooooooo, congratulations!
We've never been the same since bringing our bondi blue bundle of joy home.
(Ppsst, make space in your schedule for iMacs Anon)

Unfortunately, Billy Goats has MSN.chat rigged to not accept any Mac OS :_(
So we can't get into FRLchat, as Diane, who has just had a major Mac upgrade, found out. Ditto Michael Taylor, & Ed Yourdon, and various other old friends.

BUT we *can* most definitely type at each other using IRCle, the best chat software on the Net.

You'll love it!
This actually may inspire us to open a channel on IRC for all the tinfoils ...

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), April 07, 2000.

Congratulations, Mr. Frank! Although I'm not sure seeing the smiley face site is worth $1,000! :-) It's not THAT great!

Ashton and Leska, what is an IRC channel?

-- Gayla (privacy@please.com), April 07, 2000.

Gayla, the "Mr." was definately a nice touch, but I doubt if I can get used to it, afterall.

And you know I was just kidding about the smiley-face site. I really like it.

No, really, I do.

Really.

-- Lon Frank (lgal@exp.net), April 07, 2000.

Hi Gayla,

The IRC Prelude

"1. What is IRC, and how does it work?

IRC (Internet Relay Chat) provides a way of communicating in real time with people from all over the world. It consists of various separate networks (or "nets") of IRC servers, machines that allow users to connect to IRC.
The largest nets are
EFnet (the original IRC net, often having more than 32,000 people at once),
Undernet, IRCnet, DALnet, and NewNet.

Generally, the user (such as you) runs a program (called a "client") to connect to a server on one of the IRC nets. The server relays information to and from other servers on the same net. Recommended clients:

* UNIX/shell: ircII * Windows: mIRC or PIRCH * Macintosh: Ircle

Be sure to read the documentation for your client!

Once connected to an IRC server on an IRC network, you will usually join one or more "channels" and converse with others there. On EFnet, there often are more than 12,000 channels, each devoted to a different topic. Conversations may be public (where everyone in a channel can see what you type) or private (messages between only two people, who may or may not be on the same channel).

2. Some details

Channel names usually begin with a #, as in #irchelp . The same channels are shared among all IRC servers on the same net, so you do not have to be on the same IRC server as your friends. (There are also channels with names beginning with a & instead of a #. These channels are not shared by all servers on the net but exist locally on that server only.)

Each user is known on IRC by a "nick", such as smartgal or FunGuy. To avoid conflicts with other users, it is best to use a nick that is not too common, e.g., "john" is a poor choice. On some nets, nicks do not belong to anyone, nor do channels. This can lead to conflict, so, if you feel strongly about ownership of such things, you may prefer networks with "services" like Undernet, DALnet, or other smaller networks.

Channels are run by channel operators, or just "ops" for short, who can control the channel by choosing who may join (by "banning" some users), who must leave (by "kicking" them out), and even who may speak (by making the channel "moderated")! Channel ops have complete control over their channel ... (etc)

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), April 08, 2000.

Anywayz, we've experimented with all sorts of chat software, and IRC is by far the best and easiest.

For PC users, go to:

Read about & download mIRC

Download (easy), and try!
Ooooo la la, it's really fun :-)

Mac users, go to:

IRCle Homepage

Gotta do it to experience the rush, the zing, the euphoria, and then the absolutely disgust with any other type of chat ... ;^)

-- Ashton & Leska in Cascadia (allaha@earthlink.net), April 08, 2000.

Now wait a minute!!

Ain't dis dat lazie cajoan (probably a redundancy) who won't shovel elefant doo when wez up to our neks in it?

De vera sam one of dem Boudereaux boyz who was allas wanderin on and off de scene, never roun when de serius work happon?

Now, why fo, we gotta be done did callin hem Sir, and allo dem odder fancie thinks.

Be sounin to me lik he don gone and did got hisself a case o de Texan big haid. An fo nuttin els but one dem smacks.

You gotts ta watch dem Cajoan boyz, reel close some.

-Greybear

--Got Old Friends ?

-- Greybear (greybear@home.com), April 11, 2000.

AHEM

To whom it may concern:

The new computer has been delivered as promised, and has been already pressed into service. I shall now, at will, access other fora, chat rooms and such with impunity.

It is my sincere wish that this auspicious turn of events on my behalf does not plunge those less fortunate of you into fits of dispair and envy. It would cause me somewhat extreme distress to think that all of you poor, unwashed degenerates of society might be wallowing in self-pity and jealousy.

If fact, as a gesture of good will, I have decided to continue conversing with each of you, regardless of your particular status in the cyber-strata of life. Even if you are, in fact, like the poor unfortunate above, obviously suffering from a blow-out along the informtion superhighway, I am sure I can find time in my now-busy life to continue to correspond and just perhaps, to imstill some sense of value to your dispicable sit

-- Lon Frankenstien (evil@twinsR.us), April 11, 2000.

-uation.

what do you know, it cuts of the end of the last word. and it don't spell check, neither.

It is faster than the old wood-burner I had, which probbly means i can make a fool of myself just that much quicker.

Anybody know, can I get rid of this "Internet Explorer", and load my old faithfull "Netscape Navagator"?

PS -Greybear, what didya think of the last Circus saga? I thought you had a real good part. (maybe type-cast?)

-- Lon Frank (lgal@exp.net), April 11, 2000.

Must be a hamburger problem in that there computator....

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Marietta, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), April 16, 2000.

Naw, ya see, what it is is that them cajoans goes down to Bubba Rays Used Appliances and Komputer Store.

Lon do gone and got his self a good electric food chopper to process dem urds with.

And it'll be whachin up words from now on.

-- Greybear (greybear@home.com), April 17, 2000.