_ _ _ _ _ ____ ____ ____
_ __ ___ __ _| (_) |_ _ _ ___| |__ ___ ___| | _| __ )| __ ) ___|
| '__/ _ \/ _` | | | __| | | |/ __| '_ \ / _ \/ __| |/ / _ \| _ \___ \
| | | __/ (_| | | | |_| |_| | (__| | | | __/ (__| <| |_) | |_) |__) |
|_| \___|\__,_|_|_|\__|\__, |\___|_| |_|\___|\___|_|\_\____/|____/____/
|___/
http://realitycheckbbs.org
http://radio.realitycheckbbs.org
via telnet/web/ftp/gopher
vintage h/p/a/c text files
local/bbslink/coa online games
agoranet/fsxnet/dovenet/fidonet/araknet/usenet/spooknet/survnet
realitycheckRADIO /dark/ambient/lo-fi music streams 24/7
[eom]
June, 1991:
I inherited a 6 MHZ AT clone
with 1 megabyte (!) of RAM and 2 20 meg hard drives from my
current employer. I started the BBS off as Left Field BBS running
on Opus software. I changed the name to "realitycheckBBS" and
moved to Telegard 2.4 BBS software and FrontDoor mailer,
connecting through an Anchor Signalman 2400 baud modem.
July 1991:
realitycheckBBS joins NIRVANAnet(tm)
as node 9:900/7. NIRVANAnet was a free speech network started by
Ratsnatcher, Dr. Strangelove, and Jeff Hunter to network messages
between BBSes that valued anonymity and appreciated the power of
information.
1992:
RealitycheckBBS joined FidoNet as 1:125/57.
1993:
realitycheckBBS moves to Albany, CA and switches to Fidonet
1:161/418. I upgrade the BBS to a 386SX. Cast-off Lantastic
hardware becomes realitycheckBBS' first network. I upgrade to a
Telebit T3000 modem and enter the high-speed realm. The number is
(510) 527-1662.
I've added close to 3000 text files at this point.
NIRVANAnet(tm) undergoes a renumbering, and realitycheckBBS
becomes a hub for peninsula and east bay nodes The Stage and Lies
Unlimited. realitycheckBBS joins GaSPNet, a local telegard support
network, and upgrades to Telegard 2.7.
1994:
Michael Liedtke blows the lid off of the BBS information.scene
with a scathing article titled "Modem Operandi: Tips on Crime Go
Online". RealitycheckBBS is implicated for having the same
information available as most public libraries or the Library of
Congress. The article elevates the Contra Costa Times to the
pinnacle of journalistic excellence. Article is later reprinted in
the National Enquirer. If you have back copies, look for the issue
with Fabio and Rosanne Barr in bed together on the cover.
NIRVANAnet(tm) has 3-4 get-togethers a year at this point.
1995:
RealitycheckBBS moves back to San Francisco, but remains in net
161. I upgrade to a USR Sportster 14.4 modem.
realitycheckBBS has over 5000 files at this point, and
participates in CCinet, XpresitNet, and JustaXnet.
1996:
BBS moves to an EISA bus 486/66 castoff machine the size of an
end-table with 16 megabytes of RAM and 2 320 MB drives, I switch
the BBS to OS/2 Warp and Maximus CBCS. The BBS number is (415)
666-0709.
1997:
Another hardware switch, this time to a Pentium 166 with 48 megs
of RAM running Windows95. realitycheckBBS moves to Oakland, and I
move the BBS to Windows 95 and the 32-bit DOS version of Maximus.
1998:
High tech comes to realitycheckBBS. realitycheckBBS is now running
on an ISDN line - one telephone line handles incoming calls
fulltime, the other line connects to internet-based message feeds
using an application called Internet Rex. Fidonet feeds without
relying on local networks, toll recovery programs (aka shakedowns)
and polling multiple times a day changes the look and feel of
Fidonet.
1999:
A slow decline for realitycheckBBS. realitycheckBBS drops out of
nirvanaNET after as long struggle with content quality. About this
time, nirvanaNET atrophies, is completely taken over by trolls and
eventually has the plug pulled. realitycheckBBS re-invents itself
briefly as Channel Z, then returns as realitycheckBBS with a
variety of othernets including XpresitNet, JustaXnet and InfiNet.
2000:
realitycheckBBS migrates to a single analog line with DSL. The BBS
is now running on a P233MMX with 128 MB of RAM. The BBS has 5-10
calls per day, which isn't bad considering the state of BBSing.
May, 2001:
The BBS goes private in order to re-use the modem line as an office
line. At this point, I had 1-2 calls a day, consistently.
Jan, 2004:
I've got a garage full of hardware and no use for it. Firing up a
Windows98 desktop system I inherited from a client, I loaded
Synchronet on it and started playing around. realitycheckBBS soon
comes back to life as an internet-only BBS, with telnet, web, FTP,
Gopher, NNTP and mailing list access. Synchronet has become a
one-stop shop for communication across several media.
realitycheckBBS rejoins Fidonet as 1:161/418.
2006:
There's a resurgence in BBSing, with a couple of othernets showing
promise and Fidonet Not Dead Yet. Synchronet allows for
communication via the web, NNTP, plain ol' telnet, and via email.
I register realitycheckbbs.org and start streaming music through
the BBS via radio.kataan.org. The BBS moves to a 1.4 Ghz P4 system
donated by Dr. Strangelove of "Just SaY Yes"/NirvanaNet fame.
2007:
The BBS is down for a move, comes back up in Redwood City, CA,
sharing my desktop box.
2009:
The BBS moves to Belmont, and email services go away. Comcast
blocks SMTP traffic, and while it's nice to provide email
notification of messages, it's not critical.
2010:
Still going strong - looking for new message networks. The BBS is
running via wireless link from a cast-off HP Pavilion running XP,
SBBS 3.14, and Radius for mailer duties. I find a way to provide
email services and continue offering @realitycheckbbs.org email
addresses to users.
2012:
I take over as RC10 for Fidonet, and add Agoranet, a thriving
art/BBS othernet to realitycheckBBS.
2014:
The BBS is hummng along; I add more file echoes and join
Survnet, a survival/prep network, and Center of Awareness, a group
of BBSes taking Synchronet in a new direction.
2015:
The BBS moves back to hardware from this century, with the
addition of games via bbslink.net,
Center of awareness games, and local games. Physically, the BBS
moved as well, to Aptos on the California Pacific Coast.
2016:
The last old desktop dies when I turned the power off. The
BBS moves to a solid old laptop - built in battery backup to
combat the sometimes dodgy power that comes with living in a
wooded area.
2018:
Still running on the laptop I set up in 2016; the battery
is still holding enough of a charge to keep the BBS going through
power outages, and things have been stable for some time. I've
upgraded the web interface to ecweb v4, which has a decent web
forum feature, and have started to see people registering via the
web instead of telnet!
2020:
BBSing is continuing to flourish, despite all indications to
the contrary. realitycheckBBS is now a part of the following
networks, each with their own following, member boards, and areas
of interest:
Agoranet
ArakNet
DOVEnet
Fidonet
FSXNet
Micronet
Spooknet
SurvivalNet
realitycheckBBS includes irc (internet relay chat) on the
synchro.net irc network, and Mystic Relay Chat. MRC has started
weekly chat meetups on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, bringing
back memories of drinkalong chat sessions in the 1990s. We start
earlier nowadays, because we're much older. :)
