Ê How it Came to Be. It's been about a half a year since I launched a BBS that I half jokingly called "The Familiar Spirit". For those of you who don't know much of theology or folklore, a Familiar Spirit (also known as Spiritus Familiaris, and Genius), is a kind of aide to a Witch. Before the fall of Rome, Familiars were most commonly thought to be the ghosts of ancestors, returning from the grave on some mission, or a nature spirit; but we know of the Familiar in modern days as the Witch's black cat. I had wanted to create a support BBS for Occultists and practitioners of Alternative Religion in Northern Jersey, and the title seemed nauseatingly cute, but appropriate. I also wanted to open areas for Gothic and Industrial music, because it's what most of my friends like. TFS was launched in July 1993 with a few of my computer literate friends and acquaintences calling it up for a month previous, testing it for obvious screwups. My ambitions were small; I felt that if someone like myself could run a BBS and seem like an authority, then I would have fooled everyone. It seemed extremely funny, and if the BBS had failed a month or two later, I would have congratulated myself for having given it a good shot, and moved on. On the other hand, I was sending my own self mixed signals. I purchased a four port expander and the same number of modems. I conned most of the BBS from my father, who didn't really have the computer knowledge to understand what I was doing. I set it up on my IIfx, and bought an external HD, and sacrificed my CD-ROM to the BBS. I expected that I'd be able to sell or salvage most of it when the BBS went down, but a part of me got excited and I wondered what would happen if it succeded. But since most of my hardest worked projects had flopped consistantly, I felt that I was in no danger of a success. The Beginning of it's Design I planned on the four lines because I as a BBS caller, could never stand busy signals. I didn't have a data line, so while I was waiting for whomever to disconnect, my social life was suffering. Why should anyone have to deal with that baloney? If it was affordable, no TFS user would have to deal with that. I resented BBSs that made me wait. I'm a very impatient person I guess, and I assumed everyone else was too. And that began a kind of ethic I've tried to apply to this BBS. On TFS today, I try to treat my users to luxury and respect, like old friends invited to a lavish party. I give them all the flexibility they can stand, give away things they otherwise would have to pay for, and only get upset when they harm the environment. FirstClass Sysops are called Administrators in the technical manuals- I call myself a Sysop or Host, because I'm not an overseer, a cop, or a bureaucrat. I'm the host, but I'm also a part of the party too. When I realized that my methods were all but unique, that my hardware was almost too powerful for a limited topic, and that many of my ideas were a far cry from what I saw on other BBSs; I decided that TFS encompass everything- every topic I could imagine. With a subtly demeted twist, a touch of coolness, and a surreal flair. My touch. Since then, the reaction people have had to TFS has been varied and fascinating. Individuals came on the BBS at first, and said it would'nt last. Other FirstClass BBSs refused to carry our settings file, and deleted ads I posted. FirstClass BBSs tend at the moment to be a bit conservative, and I suppose that I ruffled a few feathers with my "renegade" attitude. So be it. It was fun. People's Reactions to TFS Other local callers found out about TFS somehow, and were, and still are, baffled that such an eclectic and feature filled BBS existed in their own backyards without them even knowing about it for so long. They became intensely loyal about this board, and helped promote it on every other board they encountered. They posted maginificently and gave all the input I could have hoped for. They are the true heads of TFS. The Familiar Spirit became a competitor to many of the FirstClass BBSs in Northern and Middle New Jersey. I only added file areas as an afterthought, but they quickly swelled bigger than those of my colleagues. They charged access to their file areas and CD-ROMs. I didn't even enforce any upload requirements. I charged nothing at all for any of TFS's services and powers. How could they beat that? The colleagues were insulted. I gave away for free what they made their users pay for. But I did it because I felt that nobody ought to charge for shareware and freeware. Nobody should charge access to a BBS. Nobody should eject lurkers or leeches. Nobody had the right to take advantage of people in the name of offering a service to the online community. I was angry. And I fought back by making the best BBS I could. I fought back by making the BBS I always wanted to be on. The only way the competition could keep pace, was by imitation, and as they did this, TFS had begun to win the battle by losing a little. Soon, all BBSs will be more like TFS. Nearly as good. But never better. Ê Clifford H. Low 1/5/94 Principals of Sysopry The end result is that I came to a few conclusions and principals about how sysoping a BBS should be done. 1) With respect to the users intelligence, free will, and right to information. 2) With respect to the BBS as a tool and a medium; by machines, but not neccesarily about them. 3) With security and privacy to individual's information and lives. 4) With caution and painstaking design. 5) With the assumption that every user values their time as much as myself. 6) That every BBS should have a Sysop who is humble, easily reachable and available for chat, flexible, stylish, educated, hip, and somewhat extroverted. The Sysop offers his services, and the BBS's for the pleasure and convenience of the callers. Not the other way around. 7) With the assumption that users conduct their most critical social and business endeavors online, and that the BBS must be available at all times for them; otherwise it is a waste of time and utterly useless. Most sysops will say that this fomula is unrealistic and too demanding. This is exactly what TFS offers that distinguishes itself from other BBSs, because TFS defines itself by these principals. All other differences are superficial. There is no excuse for inferior service, even from a BBS. What The Familiar Spirit Offers (Overview) The Familiar Spirit BBS is the playroom of the open mind. The Familiar Spirit BBS gives you new things to do on a BBS. The Familiar Spirit BBS improves on the basic BBS concept, and fulfills undeveloped promises of a dynamic telecom subculture. TFS offers 73 minutes per day for men from your first login until the end of time; without paying a single cent to anyone but the phone company. Women get 27 more minutes, and special forums. TFS is run on four lines (currently), and all of them are Supra V32bis 14.4k modems, and all users have access to all of them. We have a Mac Software CD-ROM which is available to everyone. TFS has many hundreds of local forums dedicated to human experiences: Ouch!, Desire, Anger, Dreams, Meaning o' Life, and Absurdity are good examples. TFS has twenty local forums dedicated to Magic, Dark Things and the Paranormal. TFS has a role-playing simulated Tavern, a Dear Abby-like forum, and a forum specifically with no rules at all. TFS has a huge spread of forums dedicated to Entertainment of all sorts; sixteen basic categories, most with many subforums. Music, for example, has twenty genre-specific subforums. TFS has network connections to the OneNet (100+ forums), ½NET (all forums), and other BBSs around the country including Sense/NET; and planned connections to Tyrell, Emerald OnRamp, HELIX, and others. Internet UUCP email and USENET Newsgroups is under construction presently. TFS has colossal Mac (and other) Software areas with hundreds of every kind of file imaginable. Twenty one areas in the Mac Software areas. File Reviews and File Requests forums are available. All this is accessable without any strings attached. TFS has a number of public and special interest Chatrooms. All of these features are available freely to all users. TFS supports itself on the generous donations given by it's loyal callers. Donators have access to private "Inner Sphere" areas and incrementally increased time online. The Familiar SpiritÕs Forums On Your Desktop: Mailbox- Your incoming and outgoing personal mail. News- Announcements pertaining to TFS. Help- Highly detailed instructions on how to use FirstClass Client. New Users!- All the software needed to connect with TFS- (Clients and Settings) Index- A easy way to access all local general forums via a simple list. Available only to donators. Key Utils- Contains software I find particularly useful for calling TFS, and other BBSs. E-Zines- TidBITS, EFFector, and TFS specific bulletins- so you can be up to date and hip. TFS Policy- All the rules, updated as neccesary. Last Callers- The log of daily callers in text format. Readable online. TFS Events- TFS is one active BBS, and announcements of scheduled chats, and local meetings appear here. Others- Not an item, but users that fall into particular categories get private forums. Also, any aliases you make for yourself using the Make Alias command in FirstClass. In Conferences: Files- Contains folders specific to the OS the software runs under. All of our files. Forums- This is the main area of the BBS- all the topical forums exist in here. Amphetamine CafŽ- The main Chatroom. Late night discussions. In Forums: The Familiar Forum- The "Central Matrix" area of TFS. General discussion, usually about the board and it's people. Also contains many subforums relating to the BBS. People post their rŽsumŽs here to introduce themselves to the regulars. Politics & Events- Discussion about current events in the news, political issues, and controversies. Services- Contains subforums offering practical resources the callers can access from The Familiar Spirit. Surveys- I use this to query users on specific issues I post. Users can only read their own message, so not to pressure into agreement any way on an issue. Dark Things- Contains subforums on an array of grim and disconcerting topics. Paranormal- Contains subforums on psychic abilities, UFOs, synchronicites; and other topics of The Unexplained. Anger- Rage on! Rage on! Let out all that anger and hate. Tell us what makes your blood boil. Curse and froth- it's OK. Meaning o' Life- Compared to the other topics, this one is the deepestÉ The ultimate question- Why? Fear- What scares you? Previously called "Halloween", this forum is dedicated to all things that scare you. Phobias, horror movies, ghost stories- the freaky stuff: it's here. Cauldron- All forums that have a SubOp moderating it exist here as well as wherever else I've aliased it by topic. Also where new forums under construction exist. Jake's Tavern- A online role-playing simulated tavern. Jake is your bartender! What are you having? Ouch!- Discussion and anecdotes about pain and suffering. I have a few stories here that'll really make you wince. Desire- Discussion, anecdotes- This forum is for your desires: forbidden, normal, sexual, otherwise. Things you did, things you didn't. Things that satisfied you, and things that did not. The only requirement is that what you post is truth. Tell us the forbiddenÉ Living- Contains subforums that really don't fit in anywhere exactly, except in relating to the lives of people in general. Dreams- Discussion, anecdotes, and analyses of sleeping dreams, and hoping, wondering dreams. Dear Flabby- Our somewhat tongue-in-cheek advice column. Magic- Contains subforums that deal with magic; sorcery, alchemy, kabbalah, shamanism, and the principals that unite and distinguish these disciplines. Suicide- Contradicting it's name, this forum has a smiley face icon. This forum has no topic, and no rules of any kind. Kamikaze truth and lies. Entertainment- Contains subforums dealing with entertainment of every concievable kind. Networks- The subforums conaining accessing points for all of our connections to other BBSs and nets. Absurdity- Discussions on the odd, ironic, and just plain funny. In The Familiar Forum: Suggestion Box- Where you can suggest additions and policy changes to me, where other users can see and reply to it. Inner Sphere- This contains all of the high access forums available to donators, sysops from elsewhere, big shots, local SubOps, and people that fall into some special interest categories. The wildest and weirdest forums are in here. Faces- Users post their portraits in here in QuickTime compressed PICT format; it gives you something to imagine when you encounter a name. Option clicking on a PICT file here allows you to view it online. TFS SubOps- A private forum where the I and the SubOps communicate. TFS's Policy- Same as the one on your desktop. TFS Events- This is an announcements area used to note system related events, such as chat debates, and "Diner Meets" when local callers go to my local disgusting diner to yak for hours. In Services: Personals- Well, you know what this is folks. Want Ads (Computers & General)- Local want ads of various sorts. BBS List- Lists of BBSs, Ads, and FirstClass Settings Files. Help Wanted- Just like in newspapers. FTP Sites, Telnet Services, Email Addresses, Modem Strings, Faces, and Misc. Tips- Several other services exist here, mainly lists. Faces is the same as the one in The Familiar Forum. For Misc. Tips, look in Living for a description. In Dark Things: Vampires- The immortal, the sensual, the Undead; the blood drinkers- Nosferatu, Neo-Gothic subculture and music. Why are we so fascinated with our dark side? Werewolves- The hidden face, the hunger for raw torn flesh, the wild beast that hides in the night- the terror in the woods. In all of us, inside. In some of usÉ released! Cthulhu and Friends- Brother, can you spare an Elder Sign? Everybody's favorite Ancient Monster God from Outer Space is dreaming- will he awake? Or will we keep on reading Lovecraft stories. Those eyes at the window have three lids, just like the picture in that horrid book! That arm, that arm! Arrgh! Tekeli-Li! Death- The Ultimate Fear that everyone faces in the end. What does it mean to us, this unconquerable foe, this seductive friend? Death is everywhere, in everyone. Conspiracy Theories- It's a temptation to imagine that the pervasiveness of the world's ills come from a secret and organized enemy. What if the paranoids are right after all? Apocalypses- Mankind is fascinated by colossal destruction, and the end of our world- WWIII, the battle on the field called Armageddon. So am I. Is it coming? In Paranormal: Sixth Sense- Discussions and anecdotes on unexplained human abilities. U.F.O.- Legends of otherworldly objects in the sky are ancient in most cultures, yet we still have no conclusive proof, explaination, nor consensus of plan. Ghosts- The dead don't always seem to rest in peace- here we discuss the oldest of human beliefs- and tell a good spooky story as well. Synchronicity- Coincidences happen in patterns, and though many (though not all) seem nonsensical commonalities, many researchers into the paranormal are beginning to suspect that it is evidence of something, or some principal waiting to be discovered. Hot Points- Strange phenomenon tends to occur along ley lines, menhirs, ancient relics, and particular regions. Strange constructions, puzzling evidence. Miracles- Religious visions, manifestations, transmutations, healings, and prophecies are often put in the categories religion, insanity, or charlatanism. But miracles are now being accepted as legitimate aspects of the unexplained. Skepticism- Skepticism has a legitimate role in the study of the paranormal; sometimes it's too stringent (perhaps) but few would regard it as entirely unneccesary. Here you make a stand- whatever you believe or disbelieve. Fortean Events- Charles Fort studied and catalogued the unexplained in his books; today Fortean phenomena is the category where the truly inexplicable goes, from fish raining from the sky to mysterious auroras. In Living: Pets and Other Guests- Discussions and anecdotes about our truly extended families, our interspecies foreign-exchange students. Our pets. Alternative Lifestyles- This area contains forums dedicated to homosexual and bisexual identity, paradigms, subculture, and sexuality. Writers Writing- A home workshop and chatting ground for writers, from scribblers to professionals. PostModernism- What it means, what it implicates, how it's happening. Is it good? Deep thoughts here only. Work- The grind, the job. Our co-workers, our bosses. The industry, the pay. Whatever and whichever; these are discussions about the one thing that makes our lives livable, or labor. Women Only- TFS supports the evening of the disparity between the ratio of women to men online. As such, TFS offers more time and these special private areas for women only. Included is a special women's MailList, a women's Chatroom, and (currently) three subforums. Designers/DTP- A home workshop and yakking ground for DTPers, graphic designers and artists. Positive Thinking- Positive thoughts make you physically and mentally healthier. Cheer up! Eating Well- Discussions of issues of health and diet. Staying Fit- Discussions of issues of bodily fitness and health. Generations- Discussions of the differences and unities across those born of different generations. Also on families, heritage, and traditions. New Jersey- TFS is located presently in this state- a state known as much for great agriculture as toxic waste and heavy industry. I live in Teaneck, a suburb in Bergen County. This forum is for the discussion of local and statewide NJ issues. Misc Tips- There is always a simpler or easier way to do something. Here we relate that to others. Postmodernism- Is it a chic? A trend in art and fashion? A philosophy? A joke? Find out hereÉ Martial Arts- The Way. Spirituality, self-defense, art and sport is combined it one of the most diverse and challenging of skills. In Magic: Eastern Mysticism- The influences of meditation, tantrism, Tibetan mysticism, chakras, astral travel, martial arts, centering and many other disciplines on magical practices. Magical Philosophy- The implications of magical beliefs, their cosmology, and ethical world-view. An analysis of paradigm crossovers and the big picture. High Magic- Ceremonial, theurgic, kabbalistic, invocations, tantrism, ritual alchemie, and gnostic magic- Discussions on and the people involved in it. Dark Magic- Satanic, curses, shadow magic, the essence of the Trickster, vampyrism, Setianism, fell conjurations, necromancy, black sabbats, d¾moni¾, black masses- Discussions on and the people involved in it. Practical Magic- Spells, oungas, charms, evocations for a purpose, ritual pathwork- Discussions on and the people involved in it. Fortune Telling- Divinations- Ouija, tarot, palmistry, astrologie, libromancy, tea leaves, pyromancy, haruspication- Discussions on and the people involved in it. Training Ground- A forum for beginners discussion, general issues, and a kind of course. Magic/Religion- About Neopaganism, Wicca, Santer’a, Voudon, Macumba, Setianism, Shamanism, Gnosticism, and the huge number of other religions that incorporate magical rites and beliefs into their works. Including Judaism and Christianity. Also the conflicts between magic and religion. In Entertainment: (These don't all require explainations) Movies- Restauranting- Travel- Sex- Discussions on the act(s) of sex. Subforums include: Hurts So Good, Lurid Tales of Lust, Aphrodisiacs, Sexy Files and Dirty Minds. Proof of age is required for access. Television- Contains subforums as follows: Sitcoms, Cartoons, Soaps, TV Movies, Series, Talk Shows. Camping Out- Science-Fiction &É Contains subforums as follows: Cyberpunk, Science-Fiction, Medieval Fantasy, Horror. Jokes- Gags 'till you gag. Computer Games- From Nintendo to VR Arcades- let's hear tips, recommendations, and opinions. Music and Noise- Contains subforums as follows: Gothic, Industrial, New York Music Scene, Rap, Punk, Sounds Like S**t, RetroMedieval, Techno, Metal, Pop Music, Grunge, Manchester, Athens-GA, Worldbeat, Other, Old Pop, Classical, Bands in the Making, Ska and Thrash, and Folk. The subculture, announcements, lyrics, bands, rants and raves. Photography- Drinking- Recipes, recommendations, and anecdotes. Role-Playing Games- Contains subforums as follows: White Wolf Games, AD&D, Superhero/Scifi Games, Shadowrun, GURPS, General, Gaming SIG, The Game and it's Gamers. Bookreading- Radio- Drugs- In Networks: (Some hierarchy omitted for simplicity) SenseNet- Containing: Cutting Edge, It's Political, Gibson-Scifi, New York, GrapeVine, Boy on Girl, Boy on Boy, Girl on Girl, Deeply Sick Talk. Alternate Realms (½NET)- Contains: ½net Mail, ½net News, Alter VR, Alter Science, Alter PDA, Alter FirstClass, Alter Computing, Alter BBSing, Alter Programming, Alter Electronics, Alter Politics, Alter Religion, Alter Urban Myths, Alter Hobbies, Alter Pets, Alter Reality, Alter Law, Alter LifeStyles, Alter Adult, Alter Art, Alter Sci-Fi, Alter Extradimensional, Alter Television, Alter RolePlaying, Alter Radio, Alter Music, Alter Movies, Alter Humor, Alter Games, Alter Flaming, Alter Sports, Alter Books, Alter Education, Alter Business, Alter Disability, Alter Food, Alter Health, Alter Teens, Alter Medicine, Alter Authors, Alter Challenge, Alter Environment, Alter Pagan, Alter Occult, Alter Celebs, Alter Sophists, Alter Trivia, Alter RotiSports, Alter Annoying, Alter Parenting, Alter Insecurity, Alter Activism, Alter BodyArt. OneNet- Containing: 3-D/RayTracing, 4DDeveloper, AD&D, Antiques/Collectables, Apple Press Releases, ArtNet, ArtPublications, ARTs Info, ARTs Networking, ArtTalk, Astronomy & Space, AutoTalk, Aviation, Behind the Scenes, Bike Shop, Biotechnology, Book Reviews, Books, Born Free, Camping, Chemistry, Classic Sci Fi Novels, Coffee!!!, Comics, Conflicts Reports, Cons and Rip Offs, Conspiracies and Beyond, Cults and Sects, Dancing, Dead Heads Unite, Deutsch, DevNet General, DevNet News, DevNet Programming, Diving, DOS, Dumb Questions, Espa–ol, Exotics, Fantasy, FC Windows Support, FileMaker Nutshell, Film, Franais, Graphic Artists Guild, Graphics and Animation, Graphics Open Forum, Graphics Programming, Graphics Q&A, History, Holiday Talk, Horror, Injustice, International Stuff, Investor's Froum, Jill's Jury, Law & Order, Literature, Mac Programming, Mac Software, Mac/DOS Warz, MacWEEK Q&A, Medical, Misc. Classifieds, Mmmmmm,Good!, MovieReviews, MultiMedia, Music, Musicians & Midi, National Midnight Star, OS/2, Other RPG's, Pets, Phantasmajillia, Photography, Places I've Been, Political Jokes, Politics, PowerBook, PowerPC's, Printing Stuff, Publishing/PrePress, Religion, SciFi, SciFi Cinema, SCiFI Collectors,Skiing, SmallBusiness Law, SoundTracks, Sports, Sports and Fiyness, Star Trek, System Announcements, Tele-Tomorrow, The Death Penalty, The Future of Macintosh, The Great Outdoors, The Internet, Theatre, Top Ten Lists, Treasure Hunters, UFO Watchers, Unix, Upcoming Events, Urban Legends, USA Intelligence, Virtual Reality, What is Evil?, Where is America Going? Windows, Wired Magazine, World Travel, Writing Life (Public). In Inner Sphere: Cliff Shows Off- A showcase for my personal graphics work. The Sysop Pylon- For Sysops and Admins of other BBSs. Bad Thoughts- Things one oughtn't think aboutÉ TFS SubOps- Same as the alias in The Familiar Forum. Love- The most horrible forum of allÉ Weird F***ed-up S**t- Stuff too bizarre to be believed. Pale Vampiric Vixens- My favorite obsession- images of such, online and viewable. Fat Elvis's Grill- Yup, back from the dead and bigger than ever, our higher-access only chatroom. Werewolves Anonymous- A resource center for the hunters. Oooh!- The sexiest forum online. Necrophilia- Party with the deadÉ The Genii's Bottle- The unknown forum. Consulting Services- Computing tricks you're not even supposed to know aboutÉ Obey Cliff!- Discussion on TFS rules and policies. Gloom- The darkest forum online. Gossip- Yes, the paying callers are making fun of you and you can't even seeÉ Apocalypteens- You thought Hitler Youth were bad, take a look at the next generation- The Apocalypteens! Masquerade- Vampiric resources. Awful Gruesome Demises- Not for the weak stomach. Round Table- Share in the decisions on TFSÕs development. And much moreÉ In Absurdity: TFS Enquirer- Truth and fiction try to outdo each other in strangenessÉ Paradox Group Polling- The strangest questions- and stranger answers! Profiles of some TFS Regulars Clifford Hartleigh Low is the Host of TFS. He has diverse interests in Art, Science, Magic, Sociology, Business, Literature, Politics, Technology and Philosophy. He graduated NYU in June 1993 with a BA in Psychology, though he had switched his Major many times. Today, he spends much of his time managing TFS and developing a mastery of computer art, graphic design, prestidigitation, telecommunications, cooking, sorcery, and good backrubs. A more detailed profile of Cliff is available online, as well as that of all the others to follow. John Silver is the SubOp of Jake's Place. John is a very private man, successful in business, and well educated. His interests include MIDI, law, business, graphics, and Macs. He's been BBSing since the very beginning. Mike DeFrancesco is the SubOp of Dreams, and has posted considerably to Suicide. An overworked wage slave, Mike loves Macintoshes and DTP- so work isn't quite as bad as it could be. He has a wry cynical sense of humor that makes his posts very entertaining and looked forward to. Amy Laskin is the SubOp of Pets and Other Guests, and loves talking about her dog, Fur Pants. Amy is the author of Maximizing Your Mac, an excellent book. Phil Viardo is the SubOp of Dear Flabby, and contrary to the forum- is quite trim and good looking. Phil's a teen Mac enthusiast imported from Russia. He like karate, and is a Pianist of some repute. John Malay is an aging Boomer, graphic designer, illustrator and production coolie, (as he describes himself). He was one of our first callers, and is a great and funny guy. Mike Morgan is a really great guy that works for Symantec. He was involved with a FirstClass BBS called Excelsior which has long since discontinued. One of the nicest folk I've met here. Tracy Krenzer is a newer addition to our regulars, a Graphic Designer very interested in Science Fiction and Fantasy Fiction. She loves cats, so she's super-hip in my book. >;-) Abram Stern is the guy who got me into this weird Sysop game. He ran a BBS called TheatrŽ des VampyrŽs for a while. He's a teen punk in a number of lighthearted bands in his area. He plays guitar, loves vampires, cows, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Martin Olson is a friend of AbramÕs, an aryanish looking teen Swede. He shares all of Abram's above interests, but runs a 'zine called "The Daily Conformist". Chuck LaTournous was one of the first on TFS. His interests lean toward Desktop Publishing, Science Fiction, Reading,Writing, History, Genealogy, and Anthropology. HeÕs starting his own FC BBS. Chris Argiropoulos is a budding programmer and total Mac maniac. He helps run a medium sized LAN at NYU's main paper's office. He's also a major file fiend and one of the original TFS beta testers. Dan Myers is a renegade DTPer who calls from NYU currently. He worked with myself and many others at the University SciFi club, where we were officers and worked on it's magazine, Pulsar. He has a pretty good idea of how nutty Cliff is. Moo! Skyler Bode is an immigrant from America's Midwest, whose hobbies include tearing computers (and other beings) apart to see what makes them tick; roleplaying games; writing music (he plays 5 different instruments to date); listening to music, reading, writing poetry, magic and sex. He is insane, and thus perfectly happy living in New York, while smart enough not to be proven incompetent by a court of law. Edward KrakowiacÕs interests include collecting paper ephemera, Worlds Fair memorabilia, old advertising, letterpress printing cuts, and any other old graphic related items. He loves anything that was made before he was born. His sense of humor is dark and tends to shy away from people who take themselves too seriously. Cathy Considine is orginally from small town USA. Outside of work, she doesnÕt have a life. She sit home with my sometimes dog (she has joint custody of her) read, and play computer games. Oh, and nowadays Cathy hangs out on BBS's. Christopher Dean works in the city as a freelance graphic designer and DTP computer specialist for a small but growing ad agency. He started computing when he was 12 with a Sinclair ZX81 with a whole 16k of ram (at $100 its still the best bang for the buck heÕs ever seen.) He is adept in fine art and photography. HeÕs really into Industrial. Not just music either, he likes relating the concept in visual forms such as Dada and Assemblage. Chris thinks that design is heading toward an Industrial trend that will eventually self destruct into new more communicative forms that remain kinetic. He says that it's funny to listen to youngins talk about clubs and bands, the way they idolize people, because you've been there and back and you know what a bunch of bat guano it is. But he still has his tapes! Sam Litt is interested in women, fitness, technology, and money. Matt Mindlin is a Director of Photography living/working in NYC. His work is freelance, so it brings him far too much free time. That has made him a Mac disciple. He likes information and knowledge so mostly he read nonÐfiction, but his tastes range from Charles Bukowski to Jorge Luis Borges; JG Ballard to Sherwood Anderson. He seeks refuge in listening to music. Anything intense, rhythmic, or solo. All types. All periods. Esp. jazz and 60Õs rock. He thinks movies are cool: Betty Blue, Wings of Desire, The Conformist, The American Friend, Raging Bull, A Woman Under the Influence to name just a few. Besides Avedon, he respects Howard Stern as an artist & a role model. He drinks lots Ôo coffee (black) and Pepsi. Arthur Gross is a big doo-doo head who we kicked off this BBS for being an annoying lout. If you see him anywhere, send him my regards and then laugh right in his face. I can't possibly give you an idea of most of the regulars due to data overload. I've even left out a few SubOps. Nor can I give you a in depth profile- they can do that far better than me. As of this moment, there are 267 registered users on TFS, and all of them are great folk. So you'll excuse me if the guy that posted thirty times yesterday isn't listed here. This is just a list of folk who've been here and helped me out since the beginning- and who are my friends. Online Time and Privileges When you log into TFS for the first time, you are obligated to fill in your address and phone number during the registration process. Without such you cannot be validated; and though I will not remove you from the BBS, I will strip your access until it is quite limited. Your registration data is totally secure. I use this to prevent tricky users from gaining duplicate accounts and dangerous ones from wreaking havoc with no avenue for prosecution. All male users have 73 minutes online, and women have 100. Some male users gain 85 minutes access via special recruitment drives. You have access to the vast majority of local forums. You have access to all general interest file areas. Adult areas exist on TFS. In order to access them, you must print out a disclaimer available online, sign it, and send it to the sysop (me) with a photocopy of a driver's license indicating that you are over 18 years of age. Access to the file areas and networked areas requires that you have filled out a detailed rŽsumŽ for yourself. Then you paste it's text into a message which you send to the Familiar Forum, and the Sysop. Then you will be validated and can get in. I hope all of you will fill out your rŽsumŽs on TFS. I really feel this makes people more willing to socialize. If you don't fill yours out, I have habit of doing it for you- it's usually very embarassing and silly stuff I put in there, so don't make me do it. I won't abuse the power too muchÉ reallyÉ Sadly, due to an odd series of conflicts between software and hardware, people who attempt to transfer files without the benefit of the Mac or Windows Client tend to harm the ease of other callers connecting. As a result, users attempting to log in via a normal telecom program will be restricted from uploading and downloading. The elite of the elite have access to a group of private forums collectively called the Inner Sphere. This Inner Sphere contains the strangest of the forums on the BBS, and forums dedicated to the administration of BBS policy. Inner Sphere forums can be very exciting, but you have to be a big shot of some sort to get in (or just be a friend of mine). Recently I have made the Inner Sphere more open. Any caller donating over $20 to TFS will have access to most of the Inner Sphere forums for one year. They also get 120 minutes online for the same duration. $40 donators gain an additional half hour per day in addition to all the perks of $20 donators. $60+ donators have the additonal privilege of creating a forum, which they SubOp. If the forum becomes active, that person gets about 3 hours per day online to administer their area. Here is the summary of TFS's rules: ¥ Networked forums are cooperatively owned, as such, we have to obey courtesy and good taste within them. No text pictures should be sent over the nets, no files, and no vulgarity on the OneNet specifically. ¥ Don't do things that might be percieved as destructive- I can't read your mind, so I'll tend to play it safe by kicking you off TFS. ¥ Use standard compression- .zip, .cpt, .sit, .sea 's are all good. ¥ Check for viruses before and after every file transfer. ¥ Tolerate other points of view, and don't nag people. Respect privacy. Don't harass. If someone is really bothering you, quickly contact Cliff Low. ¥ You may only have a single account which I must callback verify. If I can't verify you, your account will be regretably deleted. ¥ If a message can go to multiple areas- send copies and forward! But be reasonable and give yourself a maximum of 7 areas at the most, OK? ¥ Upload only to the upload areas. Some areas allow posting, but these are exceptions. If you have any doubts about a particular forum, email me and hold off 'till I reply. ¥ Text pictures are disallowed generally. If you are to use any, put one at the end of your rŽsumŽ. ¥ There should be vulgarity on TFS only when it is called for. Vulgarity for emphasis can easily be substituted by even more moving statements of displeasure. There is nothing childish about calling someone a name using @!%%#**@ª¼!!! and such. Vulgarity may be used in the Sex forums, as well as Anger. Name calling is for immature people anyways. ¥ Distributing chain letters is illegal. So is the distribution of chain email. So is the distribution of viruses. Please be aware of this and restrain yourself in this regard. If I find such on my BBS, I will contact the authorities fierst, and then notify you that you are no longer welcome. It does not matter whether the virus is spread intentionally. Anyone can use a virus protection program. And chain email is never sent by mistake. ¥ Uploading or downloading copyrighted software is illegal and the quickest way for permenant exile from TFS if you do it here. I have no powerful ethical qualms about piracy, but TFS cannot afford to be closed down by the Feds. If you must pirate software, don't do it here, and I don't want to know about it. MAGIC AND INFORMATION Though much of TFS really just fell into place for the most part, some things, by synchronicity perhaps; an order and character has emerged from the chaos. I had felt that Occultists had a responsibility to invade the BBS world as most every other group had; but as time has gone on, and as I have come to see more of how the BBS world works, it seems that Magic and BBSs have potent commonalities in concepts and goals. Occultists of the 12th century in Europe were powerfully influenced by the influx of foreign spirituality that came along with books from the trading routes. Saracen (Moslem) works, and books from further eastward, made a profound and permenant impact on the formerly Christian paradigms they believed in. Eastern concepts were not focused on salvation, but on mystical balancing of parts of the self, and Alchemists and assorted Magicians incorporated this into their own concepts of divinity. An important character in Alchemical lore is the hermaphrodite- a symbol used to denote human balancing and perfection. Divinity was recognized to be embodied in nature and in man. Man had his own value in of himself. This was subversive- out of the forbidden arts (often the hobby of the bored and rich) came a series of concepts that showed an alternative to the severe dualism of Christianity. This and the works of the Greek and Roman Poets and Philosophers, contibuted towards the Rennaissance and the end of the Dark Ages. Today, we live in a culture that prizes information for better or worse. It is recognized as commonplace that an idea may change a man; something that in ancient days was far less common. Our information is tinted and molded by the medium through which it flows and is communicated. The philosophy of Occultism is in part that man can become more divine by achieving wholeness and perfection on an individual basis. This is done by learning, health, the pursuit of success, community, wisdom, and beauty- the embodiment and appreciation of such. Today, all of these things can be aided by working with BBSs. As we become more knowledgable, we become more complete, and we become better people- more like Rennaissance Men and Women. This is what TFS attempts to do. This BBS continually attempts to enourage curiosity and exploration. Learning never ends; and though today there is too much information for all of use to absorb, there is an immense spiritual and practical advantage to there being people with broad interests and knowledges, and varied opinions. Magic theory suggests that humanity evolves on an individual basis, and that we have more control over our own lives than we have capacity to imagine. It is the very perception of our own potential that turns the person of lead into a person of gold. People tend to seek enlightenment through diverse paths- and that is the secret (OK, not secret anymore) goal of TFS: To cover all of the basic topics that make human existence valuable and potentially thrilling. Humans are a strange species. We are driven to be individuals and special, yet we have an equal or greater urge to seek out our own and communicate. Man is the only species that has mastered the power to create and utilize symbols. Both technology and magic require communication through symbols, and some people believe that these are the only truly unique developments of man; just that magic is far less explored in depth. The limits of the human experience are extend farther every day, by people who stubbornly press forward for no other reason but the finding new things. As we explore our world, we tend to explore ourselves- in the process, and as a byproduct of achievement. I hope that TFS has helped, and continues to help, all of it's callers and contributors achieve much and explore things deeply. We all find profound things in the mundane. And make of them, the magical. So, tell me about FirstClass: FirstClass is not really a BBS program. It's optimized for conferencing across a network of computers, but the kind folks at SoftArc added telecommunication features that made their wonderful program act like a BBS host. It has since become one of the most popular, and definitely most feature-filled BBS packages for the Mac, with comparable power for Windows. For something not originally intended for BBSs, this program kicks butt. FirstClass BBSes can be called using an ordinary telecom program like ProComm, or Zterm. However, when doing such, you'll find the BBS is a bit ugly- no ANSI; and ZMODEM is so buggy, it's all but unusable. It has no menus. The better way is to use FirstClass Client for either Operating System. FirstClass allows you to view the BBS you are connecting to using a graphical interface much like the Macintosh Finder or the Windows shell. Directories are seen as folder icons, with a picture representing the topic of the forum, and it's name beneath it. Messages are seen as files. Double clicking on anything opens the message to be read, or displays the subdirectories and messages within the folder. One of the most amazing features of the software is it's ability to multitask data through the modem. The upshot is that this program, unlike any BBS program or telecom program I know of can transfer multiple files both ways simultaneously, with almost no slowdown. You can easily chat publicly, engage in a private chat, download 3 files, upload 2, perform an active search, navigate through conferences, read four messages, write and send two; all at once. It has to be seen to be believed. Each occupies it's own window, to a maximum of 13-16 or so. You can make full use of your time on TFS this way. ----------------------------------- Here follows detailed information for those unfamiliar to FirstClass: Connecting to FirstClassª FirstClassª is an easy-to-use communication system for the Macintosh and PC. With FirstClass you may send and receive electronic mail, share files, use electronic conferencing to exchange ideas and participate in on-line chats. Because FirstClass uses the familiar Macintosh graphical user interface, you will find it fast, intuitive and easy to learn. FirstClass consists of two parts: the client (you), and a server that you will connect to. To use FirstClass, you will need both a Settings Document for the system that you want to connect to and the FirstClassª Client application. You will also need a connection to the server, either over a modem or an AppleTalk network. Before you can actually use FirstClass, you will need to log in, or connect, to the server. You may use the Setup button to save your User ID and Password. If you are connecting by modem, you should click on the Setup button and then the Change button to select the modem type and to set the phone number to call. If you have any difficulties, you should contact your Administrator or look at the connection log, which is displayed by starting the FirstClass Client application with the Option and Command keys held down. Starting FirstClass To start FirstClass, open the settings document by double-clicking on it or by clicking on it once and then choosing Open from the File menu. This will start the FirstClassª Client application and display the Login Form for the system that you are connecting to. Setup... button The settings document contains the details on how to connect to the FirstClass server (the server name, the phone number, etc.). To change any of these details, click on the Setup button. You may also use the setup to change the connection type (modem or network) and the modem type. Login Logo This is the logo of the system that you are connecting to. User ID and Password You must have a User ID and password to connect to a FirstClass system. Contact the Administrator for details. On some systems you may also auto-register and set up your own User ID. Progress Display As the login progresses, the appropriate step is highlighted. The four steps are initializing, dialing, validation, and connection. The Desktop Once the connection to the server has completed, your FirstClass desktop will be displayed. The FirstClass desktop is the starting point for using FirstClass, just as the Macintosh desktop is the starting point for the Mac. To open any item on the desktop, just double-click on it. To close the desktop either quit or disconnect from the system that you are connected to. Window Summary The window summary displays the name and type of the window as well as the number of files and folders in the window. Your Mailbox Your mailbox contains all of the mail that you have received and sent. To open your mailbox (or any other item in FirstClass) just double-click on the icon. Conference Aliases You may create aliases of conferences you are interested in by selecting the original and choosing Make Alias from the Conference menu; this will put a copy of the conference icon on your desktop for easy access and so you can see the unread flag when there are new unread items. Unread Flag An unread flag ( )is displayed beside your mailbox or a conference if there are any items inside that you have not read. Note: You may turn the flag off by holding the Option key and clicking on the flag. Help Folder The help folder contains complete help on your FirstClass system. Conferences Folder The conferences folder contains all of the public access conferences that your administrator has set up. News News is a special conference that is used for general announcements. The File List Window The file list window is displayed when you open a conference, folder or your mailbox. Generally, the files are shown with one line of information per file. To open any item in a file list, you may double-click on it or you may single-click on it and choose Open from the File menu. When a message is already open, it will be grayed out in the file list. In this example, one message has been selected and one has been opened. Like the Macintosh Finder, you may also change the viewing mode to display either icons or a sorted list. The upper pane of the window contains folders, the lower pane contains files. FirstClass also supports external folders, which are links to CD-ROMs and hard disks. Fill Bar As the file list is being sent from the server to you, the fill bar will display how much you have received. Window Type The file list may be a conference, a mailbox, or a folder. Folders & Conferences The upper pane of any file list window may contain additional folders and conferences. Unread Flag If you have not yet read an item, there will be an unread flag placed beside its icon. Attachment Icon All messages may have one or more files attached to them. If a message has attachments, an attachment icon will be added to the summary. See the Attachment section for details. Message Icon The standard message icon. A message received via a gateway will have an icon like this: Number of Files The total number of files in this list. The number of files actually displayed might be less, if you have the "Display Unread Only" preference checked. Number of Folders The total number of folders and or conferences in the list. Folders and conferences will always appear above the split bar. Title The title of the file list window is the name of the conference or folder. The name will also be placed in the View menu. Zoom Box Clicking on this will expand the window so that you can see all of the items or as many will fit on the screen. Clicking again will shrink back to the original size. Icon View The upper pane is an example of viewing by icon. To change use the View menu. Split Bar The split bar divides the window into two panes: The upper pane contains folders and conferences, the lower pane contains messages and files. To move the split bar, place the mouse over the bar and drag after the cursor changes to a cross, like this: Scroll Bar If the scroll bar is white, then you can see all of items. Clicking in the grey area will move you up or down one screen full. Date View The lower pane is an example of viewing by date. To change use the View menu. Sender The name of the person who sent the message. Size Size of the message in K, including any attachments. Subject The subject of the message. Blank in an external folder. Date The time and date that the message was delivered. Operations You will find that you spend most of your time in FirstClass working with file lists - either your mailbox, a conference, or an external folder. There are several operations that you may perform on a file list in addition to just opening the items in the list. They include: Creating New Messages To create a new message, choose New from the File menu. If you are in a conference, the message will automatically be addressed to the conference. The new messages you create will always be placed in your Mailbox. For more information on addressing and sending messages, see the section on addressing. Next & Previous in Thread All replies within FirstClass become part of a thread, which starts with the first message. When you have a message open or selected, choosing Open Thread from the file menu will open the next message in the thread. You may also use the palette to move through the messages in a thread. As well, threading works within your mailbox. Folders & Dragging Within your Mailbox, you may create folders for filing your mail messages. Just choose New Folder from the File menu, then select the new folder and use the Get Info command to change the name and icon. You may then drag messages into the folder. Next & Previous Unread When you log on to FirstClass, you generally want to read your unread messages. You may quickly open unread items by choosing Open Unread from the File menu or by using the palette. If there are no more items with unread flags, you will be notified with a beep. Make Alias If there is a particular conference you are interested in, you may place an alias of it on your desktop by selecting the conference icon and choosing Make Alias from the Conference menu. You may then reposition the alias on your desktop for maximum convenience. History By choosing History from the Message menu, you can display the history of a message. The history will show when it was composed, when it was sent and who has read it. If it has attachments, it will also indicate who has downloaded them. Reply Replying to a message will create a new message with the To:, Cc:, and Subject: lists filled in. Click in the body to compose the message. In a conference, the reply will be addressed to the conference only; in your mailbox it will be addressed to all recipients of the original message. Delete You may delete messages in your mailbox as well as conference items that you have sent. Select the message and choose Delete from the File menu. If Delete is grayed out, you do not have permission to delete the selected item. You may select multiple items for deletion by shift-clicking. Forward Forwarding a message will create a copy of the message (including any attachments). You may then address the new message, edit the message, and add additional attachments before sending it. Forwarding will be displayed in the history. The Message Window When you open any message in a file list, the message will be displayed in a Message Window. A message window will also be displayed when you create a new message. When you have a message open, you may perform any of the actions available from the file list - reply, forward, delete, history, etc. You may also use the standard Macintosh editing commands, and if the message is unsent you may paste as well. You may also use the threading feature to step through all messages in the thread. If you resize the window, then as you use the threading command subsequent messages will be displayed in the resized window. Message Icon The standard message icon. If the massage has been sent via gateway, it will have a gateway message icon, like this: From: The From name is always set to the name of the sender, and cannot be changed. Subject: The subject may be entered by the sender. If the message is a reply to another message, the subject will be prefaced by Re:, but may be changed. Styled Text You may change the font, style, size, and color of text in the body by selecting the text and using the Edit menu. If you try and display a message which was composed in a font you do not have, it will be displayed in the system font. Date This is the date that the message was sent. If a message is unsent, this line will read "Unsent". Title The title of a message window is the subject. Postmark When a message is sent, a postmark is placed in the upper right-hand corner. Envelope This is the envelope of the message. It contains addressing information, the list of attachments, the postmark, and information on when the message was sent. If the message is a form (such as a phone message form), the form information will be in the envelope. Split Bar The split bar divides the message window into two panes, the envelope and body. Each pane may be scrolled with its own scroll bar. If the scroll bar is white (as in this example) then all of the information is already visible. Message Body This is the body of the message. To enter text in an unsent message, simply click in the body and type. You cannot change text in the body of a sent message. Addressing When you read a message, the To: and Cc: lists will show you which people and conferences the message has been sent to. When you create a new message, you will have to fill these in with the names of the people or conferences that you wish to send the message to. FirstClass will then search its user directory for the names you enter. To fill in the addresses, just click in the To: or Cc: list and enter the name. You don't have to worry about capital letters, and in fact you can even enter a short form (for example jo smi instead of john smith). Here is an example: 1) Enter the name of the user or conference you want to send to: If the name you enter matches more than one user (e.g. if you entered the name john), then a window containing all matching names will be displayed. In this example, the matches include all users whose first or last name starts with the word "john". 2) Press the Return key. FirstClass will search for a matching name. Select the name you want and close the window. The selected name will be pasted back into the message, You may select multiple names by shift-clicking. 3) FirstClass will display the matching name in the message: Double-clicking on a name in a To:, Cc: or From: list, in a directory window, in a chat or in the history window will display the rŽsumŽ for that user. You may edit your own rŽsumŽ by going to your Desktop and choosing RŽsumŽ from the Edit menu. Palette and Session Status For convenience, FirstClass has a floating palette that provides one-step access to common functions. To display the palette, choose Palette from the View menu. There is also a floating session status window that is displayed when you choose Session Status from the View menu. System Name The name of the FirstClass system that you are connected to. Connected Time Duration of the current session. Time Remaining The time you have remaining from your daily time limit. If you exceed your time limit you will have to wait until after midnight to log on again. Find The Find feature allows you to search the entire FirstClass system for occurrences of specified words. To use the Find feature, open the folder or conference that you want to search and then choose Find from the File menu. A Find window will appear and you enter the word you wish to search for in the Search for box and check the appropriate option boxes. Click on the Search button to start searching every file in the current window. A new window (the hit list window) will be opened and any matching items will be displayed in it. Double-click on an item in the hit list to open it. Selecting an item and choosing Get Info from the File menu will display exactly where the matching item was found. You may use the the next and previous message buttons (on the palette) to move through the hit list, and the Find Next button to highlight the next occurrence of the word within a message. Checking this box will search all subjects and file names for the word. Checking this box will search in all of the folders and conferences in the current window, as well as the files. Checking this box will search the body of all messages and text files for the word. Checking this box will search the names of all attachments for the word. Checking this box will search the names in the From: list for the word. Checking this box will search all of the names in the To: and Cc: lists for the word. Chat The Chat feature allows you to have real-time conversations with multiple users. To start a private chat, choose Private Chat from the Conference menu. To enter a public chat, just double-click on the icon. Input Box Enter your chat messages here. Press Return to send the message. Participants List List of participants in chat. Double-click on a name for the user's rŽsumŽ. Chat Transcript The chat text appears here as each user enters their message. You will also receive notification when users enter and leave the chat. Use Save As Text... to save a copy of the transcript. Sounds Check to hear sounds when new chat messages are delivered and when a user enters or leaves the chat. Scroll Lock Sometimes messages arrive too fast to read them all. Check to stop scrolling when new lines are received so old messages may be reviewed. Invite Button To invite other users into the chat, click on the Invite button. Select the names of the users you wish to invite and then close the window. Attachments and File Transfer Often, you wish to transfer or share files with other users. With FirstClass, this is made easy using the attachment feature. When you compose a message, you may attach any file on your computer to the message, which you then send as usual. When you read a message with attachments, you may transfer any of the attachments to your computer. Since you can continue to use FirstClass even while a file transfer is in progress, the attachments feature is very convenient. One of the most powerful aspects is that attachments work equally well with private mail and with conferences. By sending messages with attachments to conferences, you may easily distribute files to large numbers of users. Downloading If a message has any files attached, the attachments will be listed in the envelope after the To: and Cc: lists. To transfer an attachment from the FirstClass server to your computer (or download it) select the attachment and choose Save Attachment from the Message menu (or just double-click on it). This will bring up a dialog that lets you select what folder to download the file to. Once you have chosen the folder you want the file to appear in, click on the Download button and the file will be transferred from the FirstClass server to your computer. The time required for the transfer will vary depending on the size of the file and the speed of your connection. While the file is being transferred, the File Transfer Progress window is displayed. You may continue to use all of the features of FirstClass even while a file transfer is in progress. To cancel a transfer, close the progress window. If a file transfer is cancelled before it is finished, you may restart the transfer by downloading to the same file and choosing Replace. Only the remaining data will be transferred. If the attachment is a picture, text file, or sound you may view it online by selecting it, holding down the Option key, and choosing View Attachment from the Message menu (or just holding down the Option key and double-clicking on it). The attachment will be displayed in a new window. If you want, you may then copy the attachment and save it on your computer. Uploading To send a file to another user or a conference, compose a new message as usual. To add an attachment to the unsent message, choose Attach File from the Message menu. You will be prompted to select the file that you want to attach. Select the file you want to attach and then click on the Attach button to transfer the file from your computer to the server (or upload it). The time required for the transfer will vary depending on the size of the file and the speed of your connection. While the file is being transferred, the File Transfer Progress window is displayed. You may continue to use all of the features of FirstClass even while the file transfer is in progress. When the transfer completes, the attachment will be listed in the envelope of the message. You may attach as many files as you wish. If you make a mistake, you may delete an attachment by selecting it and then pressing the Delete key. If you are sending attachments that will be downloaded by users logged on with modems, or if you are using a modem, you should consider using a compression utility such as Compactorª, Stuffitª, or DiskDoublerª. Compressing files will allow them to be sent faster, thereby reducing the duration of your phone calls. If a file is only partially uploaded or downloaded, it will have a partial transfer icon ( ). You may restart the transfer again, and if you choose to replace the partially transferred file the transfer will continue from the point the transfer stopped. This document copyright © 1992 SoftArc Inc. 805 Middlefield Rd. #102, Scarborough, Ontario, Canada M1V 2T9 Phone (416) 299-4723 Fax (416) 754-1856 This document may be reproduced in part or in whole by any registered owner of the FirstClass product from SoftArc providing this copyright mark is left intact. A complete user manual is also available. FirstClass and the FirstClass Logo are trademarks of SoftArc Inc. Macintosh is a trademark of Apple Computer Inc.