TRAV: The FAQ

From: trichard@ionet.net (Thomas M Richardson)
Date: 11 Jun 1995 09:03:15 GMT
Organization: Internet Oklahoma
Summary: It's kind of a Kerouac thing.
Keywords: Usenet, Travelogue, Kerouac

===========================================================================
                           *** TRAV FAQ ***

                Version 1.1                June 11, 1995

     Gardner Trask <trask@world.std.com> and I prepared this thing. 
     Well, I wrote the first draft and Gard helped with the revisions. 
     We hope you like it.  Oh, and we really would welcome *any*
     feedback.  Especially spelling flames.  Neither one of us ever
     learned to spell properly.  To our undying shame.

                              -- Tom Richardson <trichard@ionet.net>
===========================================================================

"...I shambled after as I've been doing all my life after people
 who interest me, because the only people for me are the mad ones,
 the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous
 of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a
 commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman
 candles exploding like spiders across the stars and in the middle you
 see the blue centerlight pop and everybody goes 'Awww!'"
                                                 --Kerouac, On The Road

                  "Burn, baby, burn"--Disco Inferno

     CONTENTS
     --------

     1.0  The Concept

          1.1  What exactly are you trying to do?
          1.2  How did you come up with such a silly idea?
          1.3  Do you have some kind of a plan or are you just winging it?
          1.4  What do you hope to accomplish with all this silliness?

     2.0  Some Conventions

          2.1  Why don't you label your posts so that people that want to
	       read them will know where to find them and the rest of us
	       (you know, the indignant ones who post the cranky followups)
	       can adjust our kill files accordingly?
          2.2  What's up with the cross-posting?
          2.3  Are you going to send out dispatches or anything?
          2.4  Can we come along?

     3.0  The Sights

          3.1  Which groups have you visited so far?
          3.2  Have you seen any really K3WL stuff?

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
** 1.0  The Concept
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

** 1.1  What exactly are you trying to do?

The idea is to go from group to group.  Spend a few days--maybe a week,
maybe longer--checking in, digging the ambience, and meeting the folks
who hang out there.

Gard and I plan to visit every group in Usenet news.  One group at a time. 
Really.  Every last group.  We know this will take a long time--especially
since we want to hang out for a while with each group.  We just aren't
in any hurry to arrive.  So to speak.  You could say that we aren't all
hung up on that *completion* trip.
 
Gard sez: One important point to make is, this is in no way a TROLLING
TRAVELOGUE.  We are not going in to poke people in the eye.  We are out to
soak up the flav-o-flave of each site, not act like "ugly American
tourists".  We plan to cruise in, check out the FAQ posted like _Pravda_
posted on the billboards outside the park.  Then we will seek out the
general store, chew the fat with some locals, go to the neighborhood bar
and listen to their war stories.  Perhaps in the morning we will go to the
town diner (where the cops and fishermen and farmers eat) and chat up the 
waitress Merlene.  We are not taking a.r.k. on tour.


** 1.2  How did you come up with such a silly idea?

It was late at night and I had been pounding a few Jolt Cola's and I was
reading one of Andrea Chen's <dbennet@crl.com> posts and I started thinking
about Kerouac.  Weird, huh?

Ten years ago, when I first encountered U-News, a fellow was able to read
the entire newsfeed if he wanted to.  Some people scan large chunks of it
even now.  And there are a few odd characters who grep the newsfeed for
their own nefarious purposes.  I'm just not that sophisticated.  So I kind
of settled on a low-tech, On-the-Road-type approach.


** 1.3  Do you have some kind of a plan or are you just winging it?

Mostly just winging it.  Gard might write up something for one of those
technoid magazines, though.  If he ever gets around to it.

Gard sez: Tom turned me onto Kerouac, now the thought of a travel diary 
might not be that bad.


** 1.4  What do you hope to accomplish with all this silliness?

I want to read cool posts and get wild e-mail from all sorts a different
folks who have wandered into the global on-line mosh pit.  I want to burn,
burn, burn just like Dean Moriarty.  I want to hear from *you*.  I want to
find out about your wild passions and shared mythologies and what books you
read and movies you like and music you listen to.

I want to know all that stuff.  Really.

Gard, on the other hand, is just along for fun.  And because he has nothing
better to do right now.

Gard spake: True enough.  Tom has the keys, I got the gas money.  I'm 
hoping for an awakening.  I'm tagging along like Tom's Sancho Panza, or 
maybe yet, like Sherman to Tom's Mr. Peabody.  I'll hold the lance, I'll 
set up the straight line. 


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
** 2.0  Some Conventions
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

** 2.1  Why don't you label your posts so that people that want to read
        them will know where to find them and the rest of us (you know,
        the indignant ones who post the cranky followups) can adjust
        our kill files accordingly?

OK.  I think that's a great idea.  From now on, I'm going to put "TRAV" in
the subject line of all the posts associated with this traveling Usenet
goofiness.


** 2.2  What's up with the cross-posting?

Gard has his own group.  It's called "alt.culture.gard-trask".  Gard has
agreed to let us use his group for the travelogue silliness.  Thanks, Man. 
If someone wants to find out where the Travellers are hanging out, she can
just bop over to Gard's group to get an update.  Cool, huh?


** 2.3  Are you going to send out dispatches or anything?

Why not?  Every week or so, I'll try to remember to fire off something to
the nice folks on alt.religion.kibology and/or alt.journalism.gonzo.  Just
to let 'em know what's happening.  In case they're interested.  Yeah,
right.  *Sure* they're going to be interested.  Ha!

Oh yeah, maybe the dispatches should have "DIS" in the "Subject:" field
for...ah...better identification.  Or something like that.


** 2.4 Can we come along?

Gard sez: Sure, we can pick up hitchhikers, as long as no one gets to 
crass or trollish.  Remember our desire is not to find new fish to fry.
Otherwise, we will just move ahead and tell you where we have been.


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
** 3.0  The Sights
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

** 3.1  Which groups have you visited so far?

None.

Hey!  This is just getting started.  Sheesh.

Gard suggests: We will prob. start around June 12th or so. Pressing 
business in Chitown, ya'know.


** 3.2  Have you seen any really K3WL stuff?

Yeah, but I can't tell you about it now.  Check in with us later.  Trust
me.


===========================================================================
     (L)  Gard and I don't know much about copyrighting, but we kinda
     feel that this FAQ should be covered under that "Copy-Left"
     concept that the GNU dudes use.  At least for now.--T.Richardson
===========================================================================