rlr@pyuxn.UUCP (Rich Rosen) (03/13/84)
Remember Frank Johnson? (Not the friend of the Residents named Frank Johnson, the computer they named *after* him!) Well, Frank has been "retired" by Ralph Records, having been replaced with a larger computer. But, fear not, "Frank" has not been put to sleep, put out to pasture, sent on a journey to that silicon highway in the sky... Now, **YOU** can log on to Frank!!!! Yes, Ralph Records now has a BBS system (I know that 'BBS system' is redundant) running on Frank Johnson called "Ralph Records Big Brother". The system contains a public message bulletin board, plus reviews (not just for Ralph albums: other records, videos, video games, and assorted random technological artistic stuff), "charts" (again not just for Ralph records and videos; this seems to be geared up as a 'communications system for eclectics' in general, and not just a promotional gimmick for Ralph), and also mail, gossip, member lists, etc. for validated users on their USMail mailing list. No, they don't answer the ultimate question, "Who are the Residents?" (A: 42.) but this might be your chance to talk to them (or at least, to their computer). Items of interest: discussions of new videos from Thomas Dolby (Hyperactive), XTC (Wonderland), new records from Bill Nelson (Vistamix), Yellow Magic Orchestra, Cocteau Twins, Takahashi, the Smiths, Terje Rypdal/David Darling (an album Warner Bros. touts as the Jimi Hendrix album that Brian Eno never produced), Cabaret Voltaire, Throbbing Gristle, Stewart Copeland's Rumblefish soundtrack (a lot of the new albums seem to be soundtracks, including Gristle's and Voltaire's), Laurie Anderson (many of these are on the "charts", which include a new music top ten, a "watch-out" list, a video top five, and a list of new computer software/games). Also, the Ralph Records catalog is available online (not sure if you can place orders online---wouldn't that be neat!!). It seems like it would be a great board, especially for avant garde musical eclectic types. Commands include "Feed Frank" (for feedback and user enrolling), "Summon a Ralph Human" (I never knew there was such a thing :-), mail, read/post messages, list the catalog, and the ever popular H E L P !!! command. Hope to see some of the more adventurous music lovers out there on the board. Oh, yes!!! The number is 415-546-0881. Works at 300 baud, not sure about 1200 baud. See you there. Those responsible for sacking the people who were just sacked, have been sacked. -- "So, it was all a dream!" --Mr. Pither "No, dear, this is the dream; you're still in the cell." --his mother Rich Rosen pyuxn!rlr