From: trumpins@alexia.lis.uiuc.edu (Barbara Trumpinski)
Subject: (long) answer
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Sun, 12 Apr 1992 20:48:34 GMT

kitten sighs in frustration...."i sent this via e-mail to john cohen
and it bounced....so i am posting it...."


john asks the timeless question :)......

>     Pardon my lack of understanding, but I don't quite get what this
>newsgroup is all about.  Can someone explain this to me?
>     PLEASE no flames.....

>John cohen
>Surprise Lake Middle School
>Milton, Washington
>a


hi john....

if you want the whole story...email ge.ljb@forsythe.stanford.edu
a.k.a. nick chopper (louis j. bookbinder in RL (tm) ) and ask him for
the allabout...he and aahz both have history files and he and
lamplighter keep the birthday/drink list....

of course, that doesn't answer your question...i am a kitten and
kittens have VERY small brains and are easily ditracted...now for a
real explaination....alt.callahans was started in late 1989 by a guy
named chris davis, who is long gone....it is a VR (virtual reality)
bar based on the bar called Callahan's Place in a bunch of books by
spider robinson (_time travellers strictly cash, _callahans secret_, 
callahans crosstime saloon...there is a companion piece called
_callahans lady_, but that is about mike's wife, lady sally and her
house of joy which is located in brooklyn.)

that also doesn't answer your question.  the Place is home to a lot of
people...in the books it is written that mike callahan is a large
red-headed irishman who runs this bar on long island.  one of the rule
of the bar is -- every drink is 50 cents.  mike only accepts $1
bills...and mike can make any drink you can come up with...if he fails
you get your drinks free for the night.  you pay for your drink...when
you are done, you take your 50 cents change from the cigar box on the
end of the bar.  that is one option.  or you can exercize the other
option and walk up to the chalkline (see, over there by the
fireplace).  make a toast and throw your glass into the
fireplace...the crash sometimes help...you can toast anything...a joy,
a sorrow...a new baby, a new job...the loss of a love...doesn't matter
and (supposedly) nobody will pry...fast eddie the piano player keeps a
blackjack at the piano to discourage folx from prying. 

however, there is absolutely NOTHING to prevent you from telling the
story behind your post...in fact, that is the way many people
introduce themselves to callahans...

one of the key premises behind callahans place is "shared pain is
lessened, shared joy is increased.  thus do we refute entropy."  and
another is...we're just all friends who haven't met yet.  this
probably doesn't answer your question either...

what you have is a bunch of people having electronic discussions much
like the discussions found in any bar anywhere...about life, business,
abortion, issac asimov...who knows...we also get a little crazy at
times...see for example, the narnia and other chronicals 8 part post
which will introduce you to many of the current denizens of the
Place...didi-sprite planned this party for danger mouse...and i
planned a party for didi last month...

some other things that happened recently....mandlebear and pussycat
had a baby daughter in RL(tm)...her name is emerald.  toothpick got a
job.  we had a long and horrid :) (depending on your point of view)
pun fest with electricity as the topic...radio free colorado has
played a couple of requests...(you request something and you or
somebody else posts the lyrics)...we have discussed business, abortion
and rocky horror picture show....

there was a real life callahans party at kateri's at the university of
chicago... 20-30 people spent the weekend at kateri's...came from as
far away as iowa and ohio...crazyman made chili, we played encore..had
snow for toothpick...they gave me a surprise birthday party...

i still don't think i have explained it...you should hang around for
awhile...you can talk or not...and you will be welcome...i would say
that your next drink is on me...but i don't know what you are drinking
and the phrase "on me" is often taken literally...and i don't need a bath...

and i forgot about the hot tub...and the danger room...and vax...and
the firelizards...sigh...

btw...i notice that you are logged in from a middle school....are you
a student there...a teacher...an employee....

no matter...welcome,

hugs,

kitten
-- 


--
***************************************************************************
conan the librarian a.k.a. kitten           /\ /\  barbara ann 
"my life's a soap opera, isn't yours?"      {=.=}
                                              ~   trumpins@alexia.lis.uiuc.edu 

"kittens today are not properly trained--the way that they were when
victoria reigned." asparagus (gus: the theatre cat)
Newsgroups: alt.callahans