Category: Internet

I’m thinking of dumping one of my older email addresses due to the fact that about 90% of my spam goes to that address. And I might like to finally check out GMail. Does anyone have a spare invite?

I’ve just finished adding a number of wine news RSS feeds to the weblog I created for our company (sorry, the weblog itself is private), and I’ve begun to wonder about the legal issues involved. What’s the general opinion of adding RSS feeds from other sources? On our weblog, they’re properly attributed. I just wondered if there were any ethical grey areas that I haven’t thought of.

My first exposure to the online community was back in the ’80s, using my 1200 baud modem to dial into the many local BBSes (bulletin board systems). It was great to discover that a fellow named Jason Scott is not only compiling a master list of BBSes; he’s actually making a documentary about them.

There’s even a list of Toronto-area BBSes from the 1980s, and I remember several of these. The one I was most active on, though, isn’t listed. The Powder Keg was focussed on creative writing, and a bunch of us actually got together a few times for parties and readings, probably around 1990-1991. I’d be interested to know if there was anyone out there who remembers this community? I’d like to add it to the list, but I don’t think I have enough details. I recall a couple of people who were active on the board (Ian Firla, Darren Wershler-Henry), but don’t know who the sysadmin was, the years of operation, or even the dialup number.

Hopefully, this entry will serve as Google bait for anyone interested.

I’ve decided to try out a new spam-filtering service called KnowSpam, so if you try to send me a message and get a “prove you’re a human” response, please don’t be offended. It will only happen once. The service has been recommended by a few people I respect, and if you sign up before July 15, it’s free until the beginning of next year.

I have two short articles posted today on Canada Computes. I’ll hopefully be doing some more writing for them now. Send your story ideas my way, please!