February 22, 2003
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Ethereal Trades is an extension of a hobby that started out way back in 1985 or so... and I sponsored a BBS (Bulletin Board System) long before the Internet we know today existed. Times and technology have changed and I'm trying still trying to evolve and provide some entertainment and service with the passions that still burn in me today.
More about the history of ETC later, but I hope to bring some interesting comment to life and a small corner of the on-line experience... more of a personal look at my life's interests than is comfortable, and tilts towards extremely technical. (pun intended).
Life as a closet geek as it were!
........Get some coffee, and relax a while!
Features,
- Twisted Tech Humor
- Tech Support in Layman's terms
- Insight into tech News and Events
- Support for IRC, IM; Programs/Scripts
- Digital Photography and support
- Current Links to the Web's deepest realms
"Friends don't let friends use ***AOL"
This site is currently under construction. I do appreciate your patience while learning HTML and dinking with graphics, navigation, foreign hardware, and the idiosyncrasies in the execution of a dream... (and it just might be my execution :-)
Gallery
This had to be one of the first pictures in the gallery! Living in Louisiana I just didn't think I had a choice.
There will definitely be some fun here...
Remember... it takes a little longer for pictures to load, so be patient.
Family Gallery Pictures!
the Sun & Moon - Keely Dawn & Jennifer Burke
Wedding: Clyde & Lauren Hunt at Lackland AFB TX
Lauren's High School Graduation, Class of 2002
Keep an eye out for new additions to the Gallery. I've got some very special photos, poetry and artwork to share with everyone and I hope you are enjoying my passion as much as I am.
Virtually Yours,
Bobasaur
Forums
This is to be dedicated to iRC (Internet Chat Relay) and the rooms, sites, and programs used to communicate on the web. Your choice in software can have a big impact on the amount of pleasure you get from these sites, and we can help you with that too.
There is so much to offer out there, from sites where you can get help for specific illnesses, discuss your favorite hobbies, cooking, or learn how to do whatever it is you want to do. And you do it by talking to others with the same maladies, interests, or technical bent that is specific to yourself. Literally thousands of rooms around the world and in your own neighborhood exist on the Web today... you just have to know where and how to look for them.
Of course, there are some pitfalls for you if you have kids that randomly visit some of these sites, but I'll try to help you to help them do their chatting and web surfing in a safe and responsible manner. The majority of these sites have moderators that control the flow of the conversation, and the subject matter. Most have rules regarding foul language, sexual content, and are on guard for the predators that are highlighted in the tabloids and news today. Rest assured, the IRCops are in the channels and watching everything going on, and enforce rules and regulations by kicking offenders out of the channel and banning them from returning.
News and Links
HighLifter: This is a spirited room dedicated to ATV riding and hosts enthusiasts from the ArkLaTx and Nationally.
SBO: I believe this to be S'port/Bossier Online, but after monitoring for a few days the room stays empty.
International TechChat
Now here is a place you can go to as your technical questions. I've been a follower of this group long before Chris Pirillo joined TechTV's Call For Help segment.
You can also navigate to these sites by using an IRC Client like mIRC or Trillian. Make your connection to:
lockergnome.wyldryde.net on port 6667, connect, then enter /join #lockergnome. Using a chat client adds to the functionality and options in chat specific sites.
Gettin' Digital
Now this is a section I'll personally have a lot of fun with! I love photography and art and hope to shed some light on the digital world that looms before us... it'll go right along with the Gallery.
Ever wonder just what that salesperson was talking about when you were shopping for a digital camera? And just what is this stick memory he/she is talking about? Doesn't it come with a chip? How many megapixels are enough? And what the hell is MP3? Don't you guys have tapes or CD's anymore?
It can get real confusing, and I hope to alleviate some fear, answer some questions, and explain just what it is they're talking about. If you're anything like me, you have trouble keeping up with techno-speak!
Why ETC?
I was in the military, stationed in Germany, and needed a way to vent my frustrations at being so distant from the family, and I had more time on my hands than I needed. Besides, there were worse things to get into in downtown Nuremberg at the time, and I wasn't about to get caught up in anything that would jeopardize my marriage or military career. So I bought a computer...
As my interests grew in on-line communications, and being the closet geek that I was, I went a step further than just going on line and visiting other sites. I learned code, integration of multiple operating systems (os), and put up site of my own, resulting in a long-term investment of resources, telephone expenses, and expensive hardware.
Soon, people were calling from all over the world. It was amazing, and you have to understand, it wasn't like the Internet of today. Each call was to a specific terminal, using very slow modems, and unusually high long distance charges piled up... and since all of this was taking place in space, over phone lines and the air, the nickname em>Ethereal Trade Co. / ETC was born.
Enter Fidonet ... a group of hundreds put together a method of communicating en-masse, and combined resources behind "hubs" in cities all over the world, usually a co-op. Then there were satellite dish transmitters/receivers that circumvented using Ma Bell, and expenses began to fall. It was still another 3-5 years until the Internet would be available to the general public. Other networks sprung up; Nurses Net, MedNet, SafeNet, to name a few I was directly involved in. Here is an excerpt from a Google® search of the name:
ETC's MedNet -------- 1:387/801
Phone: --------- (210) 829-0346
SafeNet RC ------------- 44:500/0
For years ETC's MedNet has been one of the premiere medically specific bbs's in the nation, specializing in hard to find medical files, online CEU's (Continuing Education for professionals), and over 75 medically related echoes for nurses, physicians, and those whom may be afflicted with specific problems and needs.
SafeNet is a network linking EMT/Fire/Emergency Services in a nationally recognized public service network. Firefighters, Paramedics, and Emergency Room professionals.
Brought to you by Ethereal Trade Co., my dedication to profession education, and my wife's utter distress.
ETC's MedNet - SHREVEPORT, LA (1994)
ETC's MedNet, S'port/Bossier Net - SHREVEPORT, LA (1994-1997)
Ethereal Systems - SHREVEPORT, LA (1996)