Megalextoria

A summary for those that haven’t been keeping up with this series:

I found a number of 5.25″ disks at a thrift store a number of years ago (we are talking late 1990s probably). I finally got around to acquiring a 5.25″ disk drive and extracting the contents a several years back. Since then, I have been occasionally posting the content here.

Based on the contents, at least some of these disks were apparently once owned by someone named Connie who used to run the “Close Encounters” Special Interest Group (SIG) on Delphi in the mid 1980s.

A description of this SIG was found in a document on one of the disks: “This SIG, known as ‘Close Encounters’, is a forum for the discussion of relationships that develop via computer services like the Source, CompuServe, and Delphi. Our primary emphasis is on the sexual aspects of those relationships.”

This service was text based and was accessed via whatever terminal program you used on your computer to dial in to Delphi’s servers. Many of these disks have forum messages, e-mails and chat session logs. All of this is pre-internet stuff and I don’t know if there are any archives in existence today of what was on Delphi in the 1980s. In any case, much of this stuff would have been private at the time and probably wouldn’t be in such archives even if they existed.

This post includes the contents of RODPOEM.DOC. The file is dated December 31st, 2107 so clearly the date/time was not set correctly on the computer when this file was saved. It contains a poem from Rod to Connie as part of their continuing online romance..

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RODPOEM.DOC
===

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.lt
 From:   BOS1A::RODM        
 To:     CABUYS,RODM        
 Subj:   MY Poem for YOU
 
 
 "From a Meeting On-line"
 
 
 I was living in my own private hideaway
 Then I logged onto Delphi one day
 There I noticed people talking and communicating on-line
 And I watched for months to see what I could find
  
  
 Then suddenly came some chats, meetings, and fantasies exchanged
 And without warning my life was changed
 What was just days before screens of readings
 Had become a rush of unexplainable feelings
  
  
 In a panic I made a telephone call
 To someone I hoped could explain all
 In just a couple of days I was standing at the doorway
 Where I hoped to find why I felt this way
  
  
 She came to the door, I went in, we spoke
 Of what I felt and I asked if it were a joke
 I asked if these people on-line were just playing silly games
 Or are they real people with faces and names
  
  
 We talked some more, then went out to dine
 Little did we know this was our meeting in time
 How could I know that these searching questions
 Would lead me to such loving obsessions
  
  
 So I say to you that don't already know
 That life, via a computer, to you may show
 That what appears to be but a feeling on-line
 May begin a love, meant to be for all of time
  
  
 How could I have possibly known
 That such a beauty in life I could be shown
 And have this love of mine
 From a meeting on-line 
  
  
 I may be saying too much, and being too bold
 But I think I might burst if it isn't told
 This beautiful person that I tell you of
 This beautiful person I so deeply love
 This person that means so much to me
 Is known to all of you as Connie
 
.el

A summary for those that haven’t been keeping up with this series:

I found a number of 5.25″ disks at a thrift store a number of years ago (we are talking late 1990s probably). I finally got around to acquiring a 5.25″ disk drive and extracting the contents a several years back. Since then, I have been occasionally posting the content here.

Based on the contents, at least some of these disks were apparently once owned by someone named Connie who used to run the “Close Encounters” Special Interest Group (SIG) on Delphi in the mid 1980s.

A description of this SIG was found in a document on one of the disks: “This SIG, known as ‘Close Encounters’, is a forum for the discussion of relationships that develop via computer services like the Source, CompuServe, and Delphi. Our primary emphasis is on the sexual aspects of those relationships.”

This service was text based and was accessed via whatever terminal program you used on your computer to dial in to Delphi’s servers. Many of these disks have forum messages, e-mails and chat session logs. All of this is pre-internet stuff and I don’t know if there are any archives in existence today of what was on Delphi in the 1980s. In any case, much of this stuff would have been private at the time and probably wouldn’t be in such archives even if they existed.

This post includes the contents of RESTRIC.DOC which is dated September 26th, 1985. It contains “membership restrictions”. This is primarily a description of the policies of this SIG regarding behavior in both conferences (live chats) and forums. Basically, it is sort of a three strikes and your out type of policy.

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RESTRIC.DOC
===

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.lt

This message is being left as a statement of policy of the managers of
the Close Encounters sig.

Membership Restrictions:

Membership in 'Close Encounters' is restricted to persons who are at
least 18 years of age or older.  The reason for this is that the sig
deals with matters of a sexual/personal nature ranging from the very
general to the very explicit.

Although it's difficult to verify age via this medium, anyone found to
have violated the age requirement will be denied access to the sig at
the discretion of the sig managers.

We are all adults here, and as such, are expected to extend to all the
same courtesies that we would expect.  However, in no way or form will
the sig managers tolerate deliberate maliscious or disruptive
behavior.
 
Personnal attacks (especially when unfounded in fact), profane or
other verbal abuse will also not be allowed.  Such behavior has no
place in this sig.

Conference Disruptions:

Should anyone attempt to disrupt one of our regularly scheduled Saturday night conferences, the following actions will be taken in order shown here:

          <<caution>>     things are getting out of hand

          <<warning>>     second and last reminder of above

          '/squ'          persons who persist in proscribed
                          behavior may be squelched and thus
                          ignored by the moderator at that co.
 
          'access denied' This is a drastic move and will be used
                          in future if needed to handle 'hard'
                          cases.
 

Forum Disruptions:

We <the sig managers'> will not "censor" any messages posted in the
Forum.  However, should a member attempt to disrupt the sig via the
Forum, the following actions will be taken:

<first offense>   The message will be deleted from the Forum and mail
                  will be sent to the author's username explaining why
                  it was deleted.  The sig managers will retain on
                  file copies of the message and any mail sent or
                  received regarding it.

<second offense>  The message will be deleted from the Forum and mail
                  sent to the offending party with a **WARNING - 
                  SECOND OFFENSE** notice that any further such
                  activities will result in loss of sig access.
                  Copies of the message and mail sent/received will be
                  added to the first offense file.

<third offense>   The message will be deleted and mail sent to the
                  offending party, as well as Delphi officials, that
                  the user has been denied access to the sig.  Copies
                  of the files retained above will also be sent to
                  Delphi officials.


Although these policies may seem rather stern on the surface, please
remember that we don't expect to encounter problems that will mean
enforcing such measures. However to avoid any misunderstandings these
policies must be stated to all members.

Thank you for your patience, understanding, respect and consideration
in these matters.


                          Connie A. Buys, Sig Manager
                          John P. Yerger, Assist. Manager

.el

A summary for those that haven’t been keeping up with this series:

I found a number of 5.25″ disks at a thrift store a number of years ago (we are talking late 1990s probably). I finally got around to acquiring a 5.25″ disk drive and extracting the contents a several years back. Since then, I have been occasionally posting the content here.

Based on the contents, at least some of these disks were apparently once owned by someone named Connie who used to run the “Close Encounters” Special Interest Group (SIG) on Delphi in the mid 1980s.

A description of this SIG was found in a document on one of the disks: “This SIG, known as ‘Close Encounters’, is a forum for the discussion of relationships that develop via computer services like the Source, CompuServe, and Delphi. Our primary emphasis is on the sexual aspects of those relationships.”

This service was text based and was accessed via whatever terminal program you used on your computer to dial in to Delphi’s servers. Many of these disks have forum messages, e-mails and chat session logs. All of this is pre-internet stuff and I don’t know if there are any archives in existence today of what was on Delphi in the 1980s. In any case, much of this stuff would have been private at the time and probably wouldn’t be in such archives even if they existed.

This post includes the contents of POLLMON.DOC which is dated September 24th, 1985. It includes a poll question and results. The question asked is “Do you think men have a ‘time of the month’?” This same poll appeared in a previous document regarding polls but this one appears more up to date as it has more votes. The poll creation date was August 4th, 1985.

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POLLMON.DOC
===

=-=-=-=

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mon

MONTHLIES?, created by JOHNMYSELF.
Creation date: AUG  4,1985

Do you think men have a 'time of the month' ?

CHOICE              VOTES   PERCENT
------              -----   -------
STRONGLY AGREE         3     17%
AGREE                  2     11%
UNCERTAIN              2     11%
DISAGREE               6     35%
STRONGLY DISAGREE      4     23%
                    -----
TOTAL VOTE:            17

Comments:
A "time of the month" for men is just not as obvious as it is for women. However



   most men will admit that periodically they suffer the "blues" for unexplained



   reasons <as well as suffering other very similar feelings that women go thru>.
I CAN ONLY SPEAK FOR MYSELF, BUT I DISAGREE.  I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO DISCERN ANY
   DES IN MYSELF OR THE OTHER MEN THAT I DEAL WITH REGULARLY.
In a purely physical sense it is obvious that males biologically experience
   nothing on the scale that menstruating women due though both sexes do have
   times when they are "blue" and this is of course brought on by many factors,
   though mostly attributed to menstruation in women, often
It would seem so in some cases but suspect the causes are: Bills, Quotas,
   Meetings, Goals not met, etc  Isuspect time of occurrance would coicide with
   the first AND fifteenth of the month!
Definitely. But it's 45 days long. I do research into this stuff as a
   biologist.They also have a time of the year. Late summer /early fall...
   testosterone runs

VOTE on this poll? (Y/N)