OFF: More list history trivia...

[Stephen Swann]

Carl E. Anderson writes:
>
>         Still, true: these are glory days for BOC in comparison to 4
> years ago--remember when we were considering trying to plot a map of
> BOC sitings to try and predict where they would appear next?  At least
> we get tour dates forwarded on these days. :)
>
>         Gee, how old is the list?  I keep thinking of myself as semi-new,
> but at the HW Brixton show Andy pointed out I'd probably been here longer
> than he had!

Hell of a lot longer.  Andy signed on at almost exactly the same time
as the Infamous Jonathan Padgett.  You know it never rains but it
pours.  ;-)

Just at a guess, I think we still have about 2/3 of the people who
signed on within a week of the creation of this list.  I can't
remember who was the first person to sign on, but several people
showed up within a few hours after I posted the announcement.  I
suspect Stu Hungerford of being the first, or possibly Paul Mather.

>  I think when I joined (spring '92?) the list was still on
> Steve's machine in Buffalo ... ah, remember when the server died and
> FoFP set up the temporary "Hawkwind List" out of castle at edinburgh?
>         Ahhhh ... CyberNostalgia!  I must be getting old :)

The list started in September of 1990.

The server that died wasn't the University of Buffalo server.  I'd
left the University of Buffalo, and given over control of the list to
a pair of co-moderators: because Ben had a great "resume", while I
had what I thought was a good friendship with Billy Barron.  And of
course, because I was utterly paranoid, and didn't want to leave my
beloved list in the hands of just one person without safeguards
against catastrophe!  :)

Anyway, my worst fears were realised. [cue dramatic music] Billy
quit/lost his job on a moment's notice, without transfering the
subscription list to Ben, and his boss closed down his machine and the
BOC-L mail server.  I checked back in one day, to find tons of
personal mail asking me WHERE THE HELL WAS BOC-L?  Imagine 150
panicked BOC-Lers with no BOC/Hawkwind mail, FOR TWO WHOLE DAYS.  ;-)

Meanwhile, Mike Holmes had announced the Emergency Hawkwind Broadcast
System, and was advising people not to panic.  But the Hawkwind fans
don't trust authority, and the BOCers felt abandoned, so they all
panicked anyway.  :)

So, I quickly grabbed my old copy of the subscription list (the
transfer to Billy Barron's machine had only taken place about a month
or two previously, so the subscription list hadn't changed that much),
and forwarded it to Ben, along with an announcement explaining what
had happened.  Ben got the list back up and running in record time,
and has taken exquisitely good care of it ever since.  :-)

Steve
swann at panix.com