"Distributed" (don't mind my buzzword mangling) reference works have a respectable lineage dating back decades prior to the first mention of the great publishing houses of Megadodo; the first edition of the Oxford English dictionary (whose assembly is lovingly described by Simon Winchester in his book The Professor and the Madman) was replete with phrases describing the proper and first use of words, the vast majority of which were sent in by volunteer readers across the English-speaking world.
So you see - we're not/just/ ripping off DNA at Everything2.com - we're merely the most recent manifestation of a phenomenon he described, not invented.
Re:This may get moderated, but...
on
New iCE Web Site
·
· Score: 1
Perhaps the computer-owning demographic varied from area code to area code. In my neck of the woods (Vancouver, BC) computers were brought home by clueless fathers with a zest for overpriced toys and once the joys of Word 1 and Windows 2.0 were exhausted, the discards were turned over to bored, disenfranchised proto-geeks just about tiring of AD&D 2nd Edition and ready for a new obsession.
Don't forget also that while anybody's dog can wander into a cafe now, click a mouse and send a piece of e-mail, this was back in the time of strictly command-line software where using a computer entailed actually needing a clue about what you were doing (time investment) for minimal rewards (naked lady ansimations, if you were lucky! woo doggie...) In my experience the only idlers with the time available to pick it up (not needing to enter into an early form of wage slavery) were those well-off kids who for whatever reason didn't take a shining to the athletic or band cliques and didn't need to work.
I will admit that my experience is not necessarily universal, relevant or even interesting. $.02 and all that.
Re:This may get moderated, but...
on
New iCE Web Site
·
· Score: 1
You do have to realize that in the golden age of the scene ('92-'94) the scene was populated by, essentially, a bunch of rich (or at least able to afford computer/modem/phoneline/ISP time if they were really lucky) 13-year-old nerds. Having suffered discrimination in the real world due to their morbid fascinations with the C64s in the computer labs this new technology allowed them to enact power fantasies and turn the tables on 'lamers' in this warped reality where computer knowledge allowed them to wield power over others.
Back when there were legitimate connections to illegal scenes (warez, phreaking) the eliteness was also, at least superficially, a security precaution.
If the inhabitants of the scene then seemed immature, that is probably because they were. It seems unfair to necessarily expect rational conduct of 13-year-olds 8) Just think of Lord of the Flies and the whole eliteness thing doesn't sound quite so bad after all...
Why is it that "elite" groups of modemmers, and "elite" pirate/ art groups always make the vowels in their names small, while the rest of the alphabet is in capital letter? I have often asked myself this.. example..
MiST, ACiD, iCE
Some groups make all the vowels small, while some only make a few.. example..
STRiKE, RAiD, SUiCiDE
I find this phenomenon quite interesting.. Are these pirates and "artists" typing on broken keyboards? Is it some ploy to boost egos? "Ha ha I have small i's and you don't!"? What? What drives these people to neglect the rights of vowels?
I am going to start a group...
The International Vowel Liberation Front..
not [TiVLF]
but
[tIvlf]
Vowels have equal rights in this world just like everyone else.. So why push them down and make them small? What is the point? Please, if you see this happening, inform the person.. that vowels too can be capitalized. drongo
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"Distributed" (don't mind my buzzword mangling) reference works have a respectable lineage dating back decades prior to the first mention of the great publishing houses of Megadodo; the first edition of the Oxford English dictionary (whose assembly is lovingly described by Simon Winchester in his book The Professor and the Madman) was replete with phrases describing the proper and first use of words, the vast majority of which were sent in by volunteer readers across the English-speaking world.
/just/ ripping off DNA at Everything2.com - we're merely the most recent manifestation of a phenomenon he described, not invented.
So you see - we're not
Perhaps the computer-owning demographic varied from area code to area code. In my neck of the woods (Vancouver, BC) computers were brought home by clueless fathers with a zest for overpriced toys and once the joys of Word 1 and Windows 2.0 were exhausted, the discards were turned over to bored, disenfranchised proto-geeks just about tiring of AD&D 2nd Edition and ready for a new obsession.
Don't forget also that while anybody's dog can wander into a cafe now, click a mouse and send a piece of e-mail, this was back in the time of strictly command-line software where using a computer entailed actually needing a clue about what you were doing (time investment) for minimal rewards (naked lady ansimations, if you were lucky! woo doggie...) In my experience the only idlers with the time available to pick it up (not needing to enter into an early form of wage slavery) were those well-off kids who for whatever reason didn't take a shining to the athletic or band cliques and didn't need to work.
I will admit that my experience is not necessarily universal, relevant or even interesting. $.02 and all that.
You do have to realize that in the golden age of the scene ('92-'94) the scene was populated by, essentially, a bunch of rich (or at least able to afford computer/modem/phoneline/ISP time if they were really lucky) 13-year-old nerds. Having suffered discrimination in the real world due to their morbid fascinations with the C64s in the computer labs this new technology allowed them to enact power fantasies and turn the tables on 'lamers' in this warped reality where computer knowledge allowed them to wield power over others.
Back when there were legitimate connections to illegal scenes (warez, phreaking) the eliteness was also, at least superficially, a security precaution.
If the inhabitants of the scene then seemed immature, that is probably because they were. It seems unfair to necessarily expect rational conduct of 13-year-olds 8) Just think of Lord of the Flies and the whole eliteness thing doesn't sound quite so bad after all...
oh jeez, I really should get rid of this sig.
* vOwEls hAvE rIghts tOO!
* by drongo
Why is it that "elite" groups of modemmers, and "elite" pirate/ art groups always make the vowels in their names small, while the
rest of the alphabet is in capital letter? I have often asked myself this.. example..
MiST, ACiD, iCE
Some groups make all the vowels small, while some only make a few.. example..
STRiKE, RAiD, SUiCiDE
I find this phenomenon quite interesting..
Are these pirates and "artists" typing on broken keyboards? Is it some ploy to boost egos? "Ha ha I have small i's and you don't!"? What? What drives these people to neglect the rights of vowels?
I am going to start a group...
The International Vowel Liberation Front..
not [TiVLF]
but
[tIvlf]
Vowels have equal rights in this world just like everyone else..
So why push them down and make them small? What is the point?
Please, if you see this happening, inform the person.. that vowels too can be capitalized.
drongo
...from Kithe E-Mag Issue Three, December 1994