BTN: Birmingham Telecommunications News COPYRIGHT 1990 March 1990 Volume 3, Issue 3 Table Of Contents ----------------- Article Title Author Policy Statement and Disclaimer.................Staff Editorial Column................................Dean Costello What Is The SDN?................................Howard Duck A Review Of Norton Commander 3.0................Mike Tyner Review & Overview of ProDoor 3.1................Ricky Morgan Profile: Eric Hunt.............................Chris Mohney Book Review.....................................Karsten Propper From The Kitchen................................Chez Stephan Known BBS Numbers...............................Staff EzNet Multiple Echo List........................Staff ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 WHITHER BTN? by Dean Costello It occurred to me one fine evening when I was parasitizing off of dear Mark; what would the Birmingham telecomputing scene be like without Mark Maisel. I don't know. Let us take a look at the occurrence. It is 1992. Mark has surrendered the collating of BTN to a consortium of people who decided that they could take over the reins for a while. It prospered for a couple of months, and then died a thankful death. Why? Because Mark was not involved in it, that's why. It is his heart and soul that keeps BTN in production. It is his ceaseless whining that makes people write articles for him. It is his (and Kathy's) pizza that keep people happy. Consider a BTN party that Mark does not have a large hand in preparing. Would people still come to them? Undoubtedly, but that begs the question of how many people would still come to them if he was not involved with BTN anymore. For example, let us say that Mark has dropped out of BTN, and a given sysop hosts a BTN party. I would assume that a pretty good percentage of people would still come. Then about 2 months later, another sysop gives a party. I would say that with each succeeding party less and less people would attend. Why? Because Mark is not involved anymore, that's why. And I feel confident that most of you will agree to that assessment. So, the upshot of this? Without Mark Maisel involved with the telecommunications systems of Birmingham, we would be much the poorer... MY GOD! What have I written? Jesus, my pancreas is starting to hurt, this is so sicky-sweet. More importantly, why have I written this drivel? Oh yes, now I remember. OK Mark, are you satisfied? I humiliated myself in front of thousands (or at least tens) of computer users all over the city, and even in Torino, Italy. I trust the debt is paid off, right? I feel like I have been raped... at least metaphorically. Forced to give up something (my dignity) against ones will is always a traumatic experience. This is the kind of thing that happens whenever it is close to deadline, and there is no editorial written, and Mark has the ability to hold something over my head. Be fair, picture the situation. We go out to lunch, and he offers to pay. Good enough, in and of itself, right? WRONG! Since as a result of that, he then has a stick to use whenever the mood strikes. And apparently the mood has struck this fine day. ARGGGHH! I hate doing things against my will. Do you know how this all started? One fine day I was on Crunchy Frog, (where he was visiting, and that spineless sysop, Monty let him near the keyboard) and he popped in and said, "Hey Dean why don't you drop by so we can meet each other>" I said okay, and wandered over. He seemed nice enough, and so did his wife, Kathy, for that matter. And do you know what I do now? He calls me up and says that he is too 'busy', and he wants me to do the shopping for him. Ch-rist, this is too much! Way too damn much! The conclusion to be drawn? Hell if I know. He seems to have made a difference in the local computer scene. Would someone else have filled his position if he weren't around? Got me. All told, probably a net gain for Birmingham. For me, it is a different story, but I do know this much, I am not convinced that I have gotten the good end of this relationship, the way he takes advantage of me all of the time. But maybe, just maybe, before I leave, it will all even out. Oh yeah, another thing, my folks came down about 3 weeks ago or so. Guess who made a good impression on them? You guessed it. And people wonder why I want to leave the South. Oh, by the way, I am down here against my will since my GPA was so low out of college that UAB was the only school in the entire U.S. that would accept me to their program. My last day down here cannot come to soon. And you know all the articles in this issue? I couldn't care less about any of them. So read them for your own lazy-ass self. I don't give a damn anymore. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- What Is the SDN? by Howard Duck, Sysop of The DUCK Pond Late last year, I decided I was bored with seeing the same old IBM/MS-DOS files lying around here. Some had been here since 1985! I couldn't decide which ones to throw away (basically because I was too lazy to look at each and every one of them, one at a time). So... I threw them ALL away. Not really. I did decide to sort of start all over, though. You see there was this network that I had heard about some time ago, called the SDN. (Actually, the creators of SDN keep insisting that it should be called "SDNet/Works!" or something like that, but everyone I know just calls it SDN.) At any rate, it's an international network of bbses like Fidonet except instead of trading messages, these bbses trade files. I had looked into it before when it was just getting started, but now it had had time to grow and as I said earlier, I was feeling awfully bored with the same old filenames staring me in the face, and besides, my phone bill isn't big enough, so... I checked around, and I found there was no SDN source in the area, which meant I could apply to the gods of SDN for a node number and a pickup point. They were satisfied with my credentials (fooled them!) and sometime in December (I think, though my memory is notable only for its failures) I set-up to receive SDN files. I then threw away 90% of my MS-DOS software. Out went all the games, and gifs, and most of the utilities. I kept the archivers like ZIP, LHARC, ZOO, etc., and I kept some term programs like TELIX. (I figured this is the kind of stuff all bbses need for novices.) I also kept about a month's worth of recent local uploads. But all the rest I just junked, and now I had plenty of room for the files to come. (And boy, it really makes my backups go a lot faster!) So I began polling my pickup point in North Carolina. The bbs automatically calls there three times per week, on Saturday, Monday, and Wednesday mornings around 5 a.m. New arrivals are automatically posted to the SDN_NEW directory and retained there until early Saturday when they are tossed into appropriate directories. I seem to be getting about 1 MEG per week, though it fluctuates greatly from week to week. (Backups are starting to get a little longer... Hmmm, I wonder what I'll do when I've got as much SDN stuff as I had regular uploads? Well, that's a long way off.) But what are these SDN files? Well, SDN distributes shareware, "almost direct" from the author. The author sends his software to a central location and from there it is sent via phone to other bbses in the network. The idea being that users of these SDN points are thereby guaranteed virus-free software, and the authors are guaranteed a speedy distribution of their work, without tampering of any kind. I may be pressing my luck to say this, but I have yet to have any problems with viruses, so this aspect of the SDN doesn't seem all that big a deal to me. I did find it frustrating to get uploads from users who had taken it upon themselves to remove doc or in some other way alter the archive. It is nice to get software and be able to refer to doc files instead of curse the uploader for his oversight. Anyway, I have been receiving SDN shareware for several weeks now and am now a bit more familiar with the kind of thing one can expect from the network. Most of what comes through is business-oriented programming. Here's a sample of a recent week's worth of SDN transmissions (This is a copy of my files list from the SDN_NEW files area, including the header.): - THE FOLLOWING SDN FILES ARRIVED SINCE THE PREVIOUS FRIDAY - -(As with all SDN files, use PAK210 to extract individual files)- - (Use the OPUS T command to view the .SDA description files) - BLKBRD74.SDA Desc. of (BLKBRD74) excellent text editor BLKBRD74.SDN BlackBeard v7.4 the "programmers editor" CLEANZ12.SDA Desc. of (CLEANZ12) another Herron utility CLEANZ12.SDN Clean-Z removes the control-Z or EOF mark CLNOUT13.SDA Desc. of (CLNOUT13) file utility CLNOUT13.SDN CleanOut v1.3 update of Phil Herron utility DSKRAK2.SDA Desc. of (DSKRAK2) database your diskettes DSKRAK2.SDN DSKrak! v2.0 the diskette catalog database MULTRK.SDA Desc. of (MULTRK 1-2) from INTEGRA MULTRK1.SDN MultiTrack client/prospect/project planner MULTRK2.SDN MultiTrack disk PC_NAMES.SDA Desc. (PC_NAMES) the complete name manager PC_NAMES.SDN PC-Names - database, labels, addresses etc SALLOG10.SDA Desc. of (SALLOG10) initial release. SALLOG10.SDN Sales Log v1.0 tracks products, sales, more. SIGN33.SDA Desc. of (SIGN33) educational and unique. SIGN33.SDN Sign Friends! learn sign language! Needed! SPCI211.SDA Desc. of (SPCI211) by I.J. Smith SPCI211.SDN SPC-Inventory v2.11 for business and... The files with the .SDN extension are archives. The files ending in .SDA are ASCII text files that the user can read via the OPUS Type command while online. They contain brief descriptions of the associated .SDN files. As you can see, the files aren't all fun'n'games. In the past two or three months I don't think I've yet seen one game come through. Maybe someday. On The DUCK Pond, the SDN files are in the following areas: # 9 SDN: NEW ARRIVALS #10 SDN: Business and Financial #11 SDN: Communications #12 SDN: Databases and Spreadsheets #13 SDN: Graphics, CAD, Entertainment, Learning #14 SDN: Programming and Programming Languages #15 SDN: Miscellaneous Shareware #16 SDN: Utilities, File Management, etc. #17 SDN: Word Processing, Text Editors, Printer Utilities #18 SDN: Non-shareware Specialties & SDN HELP FILES Note, that unlike the other file areas on The DUCK Pond, users can't upload to SDN areas. That is part of the no-tampering/virus-free guarantee. Files in these ten areas are provided by the author, not uploaded by a local user. By now, most of these areas have something listed. One of the more useful ones appears to be AMTAX89.SDN, a rather full-featured tax program. It has the more common forms built-in, and can even print them ready for submission to the IRS. Probably not as good as the commercial programs like MACINTAX but it looked superior to anything I'd seen before in the shareware category. Here's the way the AMTAX89.SDA file described it: AM-Tax 1989 REGISTRATION $20-60 BUSI FEB90 AMTAX AM TAX 1040 IRS FEDERAL FILES: amtax89.sdn New to SDN AM-Tax is a software program designed to assist you in the preparation of your 1989 federal tax return. There are three versions of AM-Tax, a shareware program and two versions of the registered program. This is the shareware version of AM-Tax. It can prepare a complete tax return consisting of the Form 1040 and any of the Schedules (A, B, C, D, E, F, R, and SE). The printed copy of the Form 1040 cannot be filed (you'll need to transfer the figures to an official form). However, this program will print all of the Schedules in a format accepted by the IRS. For those with relatively simple tax situations, the shareware version may be all you need to use. You should find AM-Tax easy to learn since it's designed around the federal 1040. Supporting documents are accessed by pressing the F6 key when you're on a line calling for one of the schedules or forms included in the AM-Tax program. General-purpose worksheets are also available to enhance your record keeping. For instance, to keep a permanent tax record of your medical expenses, tell AM-Tax to itemize that line of the Schedule A. AM-Tax will add up the expenses, transfer the total to the line itemized, and print a detailed list for your records. Up to 50 lines of your tax return can be 'itemized' and up to 45 items can be listed on each worksheet. (SDA format Copyright 1990 SDN Project for SDNet/Works! (sm)) Sounds pretty good to me, but I'm too poor (sob) to have any use for a tax preparation program, so I've not used it. Maybe someone else out there will try it and give the rest of us a review. (Mark paid me to say that.) So that's it. SDN is here in Birmingham if anyone is interested. (It's even here if no one is interested.) So if you are paranoid about viruses, and especially if you are looking for productivity software for business, word processing, graphics or education, I think SDN is worth investigating. The phone number for The DUCK Pond is (205) 822-0956. First-time users are allotted 30 minutes and can download up to 300k. Registered users get 120 minutes and a 3 MEG download limit per day. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- A Review of Norton Commander 3.0 by Mike Tyner Every now and then, a piece of software comes along that makes itself indispensable. One such program is Norton Commander. NC is a directory program and application launcher which nearly eliminates the need to know DOS commands. NC version 3.0 is available mail-order for about $55, is not copy-protected, and works with DOS 2.0 and above. For the novice user, NC shortens the DOS learning curve immensely. After introducing several beginners to it, I find they need about two minutes to learn what directories are and how to navigate them. After 10 minutes, they can copy, move, delete, and edit files with ease. For advanced users, NC saves time and keystrokes. There are other shell programs and directory guides, with diehard user bases. And there are some users who will refuse to quit pounding out "CD \". This article is for the rest. It reviews the highlights of NC version 3.0, released in October, 1989. NC 3.0 occupies only 13008 bytes of main memory. It prefers to be the last file loaded by AUTOEXEC. When loaded, it displays two independent DOS directories in panels on each half of the screen. The familiar C: prompt remains at the bottom of the screen, ready for typed commands, which are seldom necessary. NC is designed to run full-time underneath other programs, and runs with no open files: it does not need to be exited before the computer is turned off. An integral screen-blanker (with a pleasant twist) can be set for different intervals or defeated. Parent directories are identified by ".." at the top of each listing, and subdirectories are capitalized. A cursor highlights one file or a group of files, and the file is launched by pressing on the highlighted file. Pressing on a parent or subdir entry displays the contents of that directory. A menu bar at the bottom of the screen labels the function keys, which NC uses heavily. If NC finds a mouse driver, the mouse can be used to highlight files and select functions. Applications can be started from either panel, and the TAB key or mouse will switch from panel to panel. When the application finishes, NC resumes at exactly the same point. Either or both panels can be switched off. Directories in either display can be sorted by name, size, time, or unsorted with simple commands. The displays can be brief, showing only filenames, or full, showing size, time, and date. In the brief display, the bottom line of each panel shows size, time, and date for the file under the cursor. One panel can be dedicated as a "Tree" display, showing the user exactly where the displayed directory is in the overall disk structure. Function keys F1-F10 are used to edit, view, move, copy, and delete files. F1 calls a hypertext help system. F3 safely displays the contents of ANY file, in ASCII or HEX, wrapped or unwrapped. The function keys are relabeled for search and display options. F4 similarly displays any file, with the added ability to edit the file. (This makes batch files and BBS messages a breeze!) Text and program files are viewed or edited by overlaying the included program WPVIEW.EXE. NC 3.0 also includes viewers for WordStar and other formats, selected at installation, or you can choose your own such as QEdit, E88, or Blackbeard. If F3 is pressed on a Lotus file, a different viewer is overlaid, displaying the file formatted and totalled as it would appear in Lotus. If the file is a .DBF file, the viewer DBFVIEW pages through the dBase file record by record. If the file has a .PCX extension, PCXVIEW will be called, displaying the graphic as PC Paintbrush would show it. Are you impressed yet? Wait... there's more... If the user presses on a non-executable file, NC politely does nothing. But NC accepts definitions in an "extension" log, which will run the application you choose based on the extension of the chosen file. I set up a definition for ZIP files, so that when I press on any zip file anywhere, NC runs PKUNZIP to unpack it into the directory C:\COMM\ARC\WORK. If I press on a Lotus worksheet, it runs 123 with that sheet loaded. If I press on a .FOX program, Foxbase runs that application. In this way, NC becomes a true "point-and- shoot" directory manager. F2 is a menu key. NC allows one or multiple "user menus" to be defined. For the absolute beginner, this menu system makes navigation foolproof. For the power user, it starts any application with one or two keys, from any directory. F5, F6, and F8 move, copy, and delete, either the single file under the cursor, or multiple files highlighted with the key or right mouse button. F7 creates a subdirectory (F8 will delete a highlighted directory if empty). NC asks for confirmation on all destructive operations and actions on multiple files. F9 is the configuration key, calling a pull-down menu system of general options and commands, or independent settings for each panel. F10 removes NC from memory completely. The key reassigns several function keys for miscellaneous tasks. -F7 performs a directory search. - F8 calls up a command history, where previous commands (typed or generated by NC) can be chosen with a menu bar. F10 generates a full-screen Tree display so directories can be chosen with the cursor. My favorite is -F9: it switches between 25- and 50-line VGA display. NC handles EGA and VGA nicely, and it's awesome to see nearly 300 files neatly sorted and organized every time I exit to DOS. I'll never "CD" again! ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ProDoor 3.1 of 10-08-89; Copyright (C) 1987, 1989 Samuel H. Smith by Ricky Morgan ProDoor Utilities I hope at this point that everyone who has had the perseverance to wade through all these articles has learned something about ProDoor. This is the last installment, I promise. There are just a few commands that I would like to cover and then I will return you to your regularly scheduled BTN. (H)otkeys! [on/off] This is a neat little command that allows instant response to your typing. You don't have to press ENTER after each command. When you select Hotkeys, you have block cursor pop up in place of the regular cursor. This is to remind you that you are in Hotkey mode. From this point on, ProDoor will respond to any letter you type. You will have to remember not to hit the space bar if you are stacking commands. The space bar will act just like pressing ENTER. To stack commands you would just use a semi-colon instead. F;1;ns To list file directory 1 in non stop mode. If you don't want to stack the commands, just type the letter of the command you want and press Enter, space or wait a second or two and ProDoor will automatically initiate the command for you. Hotkeys are good for people too lazy to hit enter. (M)ode [graphics] This mode should be fairly self explanatory. It turns the ANSI graphics capabilities of ProDoor (and PCBoard) on and off. If you have ANSI capabilities I recommend at least looking at the graphics of the board you are on from time to time. There are some talented people out there and some real great graphics. (X)pert [menu on/off] This turns the full screen menu on and off. With the menu on, after each command you get a full listing of the Main menu. Then, as you issue the commands, you will receive prompting for choices. In the Message section you will have a two line prompt to remind you of your choices: (?)help, (S)ince-last, (+)next, (-)prior, (J)oin-topic, (NS)non-stop, (N)o more, (Q)uick-scan, (RE)ply, (X)pert, (Z)ip-search, (H)otkeys! With Expert off, you are on your own and must rely on memory for the commands. You can toggle expert on and off at any main command prompt. How about ? This is for areas that are generally outside of ProDoor. (LIB)rary disks This is for the larger systems that have extra storage areas, (such as CD ROM disks), for storing files. If the system supports Library disk follow the prompts. If the system doesn't support the function you will be prompted: (LIB) Function is not supported. (OPEN) other doors This is how you got into ProDoor in the beginning. Some systems have all sorts of DOORS. Game doors, Caller Verification Doors, Mail Doors, the list goes on and on. This command simply allows you to move from one door to another without going back to PCBoard first. (QUIT) to BBS This returns you to PCBoard. (G)oodbye [logoff]: This command logs you out of ProDoor and off the system. You do not have to exit ProDoor to quit off the system. That about wraps it up people. I hope you have enjoyed these at least a little and that a few of you have learned something. Enjoy! G Thank you for using ProDoor, Ricky. Minutes Used: 37 Thanks for calling, Ricky! 9<=é&·¸– NO CARRIER ProDoor 3.1 Copyright (C) 1987,1989 Samuel H. Smith. PCBoard is a registered trademark of Clark Development Company. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ProFile by Chris Mohney ProFile 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 ERIC HUNT --------- Age: 18 Birthplace: Bangor, Maine Occupation: Full-Time student; Full-Time computer user My hobbies include: Choral Singing, church, telecomputing, reading, and helping others. Years telecomputing: 0.583 (Since July '89) Sysop, past/present/future of: NOTHING. Why would I want to kill myself like that? (Seriously, I hope to have a board up by fall '90) My oddest habit is: Constantly whistling Christmas tunes (I asked Matt Henderson what my oddest habit was and this was his reply) and making incoherent Donald Duck noises (ditto) My greatest unfulfilled ambition is: To bring the world together in total telecomputing harmony with a global BBS The single accomplishment of which I am most proud is: Getting thru High School and getting enough scholarships to carry me thru college. My favorite performers are: U2, Mr. Mister, The Independant Presbyterian Church Choir (NOTE: that is not my home church, I am Baptist) The last good movie I saw was: Parenthood The last good book I read was: Hmmmmm. I read The Satanic Verses for my English research paper in January, but I just finished reading Ringworld and The Ringworld Engineers by Larry Niven If they were making a movie of my life, I'd like to see my part played by: No one, they couldn't do a good job. My pet peeves are: Crazy drivers, and people who do not care when they should When nobody's looking, I like to: Pick my nose, eat pork Chitlin's and be a good ole' Southern boy (That was for you, Dean) [Really, I like a good nap as well as the next guy] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Book Review with Karsten Propper The book I shall be reviewing is called "Prince of Whales" by R.L. Fisher. The book is about, as you may have guessed from the title, whales. You find out that are different types of whales. There are regular whales and dream singers, whales that sing their song while asleep. Most dream singers are outcasts, as was young Toby. He was a dream singer, and all whales thought he would attract the iron beasts, or whaling ships, with his singing, or maybe even sharks. So, Toby was put on trial, whether to be forced to leave the herd, or stay with them. They could come to no decision, so Toby had to make it for himself. And he did just that, Toby decided to leave, to brave all the dangers of the mysterious sea and go out on his own. He would run into more interesting troubles than anyone could imagine. Before he left, he had a talk with his aunt, the head of the council, and she said that he must find his true voice. Only then could he come back to the herd. This begins a new era for Toby, as he meets many an interesting creature on his voyage. For instance, he meets a crab who is slowly dying from the pressure at that low a depth. He meets four killer whales who take him to a dance club. They ask him to work for them because of his beautiful voice. Through working at the club, he plays for prestigious people. He also finds out the origin of his dream singing. It is the dream master, a creature not really considered as anything. He's not a whale, a crab, an orka or anything, just his own species. He's very powerful, and he invades dreams, trying to suck the life out out of anything whose dreams he can invade. Well, the story goes into Toby's fight between the dream master, millions of people who want to kill the whales, and himself. It is a very emotional and touchy book at that stage, and was very enjoyable. I don't want to give it all away, so find out who wins. You really enjoy the book. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- From The Kitchen by Chez Stephan Well guys and Dolls I know you guys have really missed me so here we go again. This month we are going to feature some things from the Alabama Peanut Sampler. This is a recipe book that is available from the Alabama Peanut Producers Association. If you would like to obtain a copy of the booklet or more information about Alabama peanuts or peanuts in general then the address will follow. So let's get on with it. Alabama Cheese Ball 1 8 oz. package cream cheese, softened 1 5 oz. jar sharp cheddar spread 1 5 oz. jar smokey cheese spread ( smokey Swiss seems best ) 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese 1/4 cup chopped peanuts Combine all ingredients thoroughly. Chill 1 hour. Shape into a ball and roll in more chopped peanuts. Serve with an assortment of crackers. Southern Style Peanut BBQ Sauce 1 cup vinegar 1/3 cup peanut butter 1/3 cup mayonnaise 1/3 cup peanut oil 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce 1/4 cup mustard Juice of one lemon 1 tablespoon salt 1 tablespoon black pepper 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/4 teaspoon white pepper A few drops of Tabasco sauce Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir to mix well. Serve over grilled chicken or ribs. Homemade Reese Squares 1 cup butter 2 cups smooth peanut butter 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs 1 pound confectioners sugar 1 6oz. package chocolate morsels Melt butter and peanut butter. Add graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Mix well. Press into 13X9 inch pan. Melt chocolate morsels. Spread over mixture in pan. Cool, then cut into squares. Cream of Peanut Soup 1/4 cup butter 1 cup thinly sliced celery 1 medium onion, chopped fine 2 tablespoons all purpose flour 7 cups of chicken stock or broth 1 cup creamy peanut butter 1 cup of light cream (Half and Half will work ) Melt butter in large sauce pan over low heat and add celery and onion. Cook until tender, but NOT browned. Add flour and stir until mixture is smooth. Gradually add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Blend in peanut butter and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in cream just before serving. Yields 8 servings. All of these recipes have been tried by me and they are GREAT !!!!!!! If you like things with a nutty flavor then please send off for this booklet because it has some fantastic things in it. these address to send for the Sampler is: Alabama Peanut Producers Association P.O. Box 1282 Dothan, Alabama 36302 Telephone (205)792-6482 Good Eating, And Ciao for Now, Chez Stephan ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Known BBS Numbers For The Birmingham Area NAME NUMBER BAUD RATES SUPPORTED MODEM TYPE *American BBS 674-1851 300, 1200, 2400 *Bus System BBS 595-1627 300, 1200, 2400 *Byte Me 979-2983 1200, 2400 Cat House 854-5907 300, 1200, 2400 *Channel 8250 744-8546 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 HST, V.32 *Crunchy Frog 956-1755 300, 1200, 2400 D3 Systems BBS 663-2759 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 HST, V.32 +Duck Pond BBS 822-0956 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 HST, V.32 Eazy's Playhouse 870-0434 300, 1200, 2400 Elite Fleet 853-1257 300, 1200, 2400 EzNet Central 785-7417 1200, 2400, 9600 HST +I.S.A. BBS 995-6590 300, 1200, 2400 *Joker's Castle 744-6120 300, 1200, 2400 *Little Kingdom 823-9175 300, 1200, 2400 LZ Birmingham 870-7770 300, 1200, 2400 *Magnolia BBS 854-6407 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 HST Role Player's Paradise 631-7654 300, 1200, 2400 Shadetree BBS 787-6723 300, 1200, 2400 Sperry BBS 853-6144 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 Hayes *ST BBS 836-9311 300, 1200, 2400 Teletech BBS 674-0852 300, 1200, 2400 The Commodore Zone 856-3783 300, 1200, 2400 The Connection 854-9074 1200, 2400 The Islands BBS 870-7776 300, 1200, 2400 The Matrix Nodes 1-4 323-2016 300, 1200, 2400 The Matrix Node 5 251-2344 300, 1200, 2400, 9600 HST *The Professional's Board 856-0679 300, 1200, 2400 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 Boards with a "*" before their name are members of our local network, EzNet, and public messages left in the EzNet Conferences of any of these boards will be echoed to all members. Boards with a "+" before their name are members of FidoNet, an international network that provides a variety of public forums as well as private mail services all over the world. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- EzNet Multiple Echo List EzNet now supports multiple conference echoing but there are a few things you should be aware of regarding private mail. A. You have one 'address' for private mail. If you are registered for private mail on Channel 8250 and someone sends you a private message in the MS-DOS conference from Crunchy Frog it will wind up in the Hardware conference on Channel 8250 as it should. However, if you were registered for private mail on Magnolia and someone sends you a private message in a conference that Magnolia does not support (echo) then the message will wind up in the twilight zone. B. If you go by a handle on one BBS and your real name on another even if the private message goes where it is supposed to, you will not be able to read it because it is addressed to someone else as far as PC Board is concerned. PC Board has no way of knowing that Red Foxx and John Doe are the same person. No tickee, no washee. Advice on sending private mail: If you don't know if the person you are sending private mail to is registered for private mail then keep a copy of the message in case you have to find an alternate route. EzNet Central will delete your private, undelivered message and inform you that the user you attempted to reach is not registered for private mail on any EzNet Node. This is a list of the current echoes that I am aware of. More are in the making and will be posted in future issues. If you are a sysop and are running an echo not listed for your board, please make us aware of it so we may correct it next issue. Eznet Program IBM Adult Scitech BTNWA American BBS ........ * ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... .. Bus System BBS ...... * ..... * ..... * ..... ..... * ..... * .. Byte Me ............. * ..... * ..... * ..... * ..... ..... .. Channel 8250 ........ * ..... * ..... * ..... ..... * ..... .. Crunchy Frog ........ * ..... ..... * ..... * ..... ..... * .. Joker's Castle ...... * ..... ..... ..... * ..... ..... .. Little Kingdom ...... * ..... * ..... * ..... * ..... * ..... .. Magnolia BBS ........ * ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... .. Professional's Board * ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... .. ST BBS .............. * ..... ..... ..... ..... ..... ..