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The Faceless Computer
By: Tony Curro
We are in the electronic age. Everything, from automatic teller
machines, to voice mail, to information about your credit card state-
ment, have gone computer. Using a touch-tone phone you can talk to
electronic people all day long. I have. At times they were more
pleasant than their human counterparts.
Calling a Bulletin Board, we have both of the above combined. We
talk to people electronically, but they are also human. Leaving a
message to ALL, can get comments from a varied group of people; from a
doctor, lawyer, baker, candlestick maker, and maybe even an Indian
chief. These people, in most cases, are just names to us. Some we can
distingush by name as being male or female. Others, like say Pat, we
cannot. This is what makes BBSs'ing fun for me. I never know who will
answer a message I leave. I also do not know from what walk of life this
individual comes from. This is fine with me. I do not wish to delve
into a person's private life. Whatever religon they are, their sexual
preferences, their color, their nationality, doesn't mean anything to
me. I talk to people on the boards, as I do in life, as human beings.
Not as people who are Black, or Yellow, or Red, or Gay or Jewish, etc.
etc. I have no room for this. I have come across very few people that I
would not want to talk to. I wish I could meet everyone I have ever
talked to. That is very interesting. I once did get such a chance. I
was talking to an individual on a BBS for a while. Left messages back
and forth. One day I had the opportunity to meet him. I was bowled
over. He was this little person of about 12-years-old. He wrote, and
even in person spoke like a mature young man. He is now attending
Columbia University.
There are many users who go into the 'special' conferences on BBSs,
and do have problems. One of the hottest conferences I think would be a
Religion conference. I will NOT discuss my religious or political
beliefs with anyone. This can be a hot-bed, of which there usually is
no winner. Two or more people argue about their religion or their
candidate as the only TRUE one. It also leads to arguments, and name
calling. I don't want to argue or call names, I can just walk down the
street, and curse the first person I see. I don't do it on the streets,
and I don't do it on a BBS.
I call a BBS to relax and enjoy myself. Not to get heartburn. If
more people called BBSs and talked instead of argued, the world would be
a better place. Might even end WAR. Then again even that, is computer-
controlled. Just like everything else. I wonder what this little chip
is implanted behind my right ear.........#@#$*@^#
"THE UNIT AT THE KEYBOARD HAD A MALFUNCTION!!"
Copyright (c) 1992 by Tony Curro. All rights reserved
NOTE: Tony Curro is the creator of ComputerTalk Magazine.
"ComputerTalk Magazine is an online magazine dedicated to
computer users. Started in July 1992 (1st issue). It was
felt that quite a few people did not buy magazines at
newstands. And some of the ones who did found them too
technicaly. So an online one that would review, in fairly
simple terms, software/hardware they used should fit in
nicely."
ComputerTalk Magazine is ReadRoom compatible and available
for viewing on MoonDog and InfoMat BBSs.