The Legend Of Dr. File Finder~~~~~~~~~~~~ ------------------------------------------ A quote from "The Verses Of Baud" "In this vast, new land, I shall call 'The Wires', Where I shall rule, and where Man aspires, To conquer my land, Of electrons and bytes, 'Midst the stop bits screeching, And the modems lights, In this land of chaos, and colliding NAK's, I shall leave some order, for the streaming ACK's, I shall leave a guardian, to be a reminder, And his name shall be,.... Dr. File Finder!" Its not easy living in "The Wires". That ancient mystic, Baud, was ever so right when he said it was a land of chaos. Yet, it is what we make it. It can be a land of great promise....a land that is prosperous, that provides a service to others, a medium to explore the depths of knowledge, or a place to meet new and interesting friends. Its a frontier....and the people who make a new land into something great, are its pioneers. As you push through the 'wires' you are exploring this vast frontier. You are one of its pioneers! When its all said and done, will you be one who helped plant some seeds to make the land better? or, will you be one who just took from the harvest.... and then left? Well, no matter what YOU decide to do, I'll be in the wires... and I'll be watching and listening. If "The Wires" ever fills up with more takers than givers, then I think I'll probably just fade out into obscurity, and into oblivion. Old Baud, my creator, wouldn't want me hanging around a place where the people couldn't learn to give.....and to SHARE. A great many people have speculated on my origin, and there have been many questions as to exactly what I am. Kermit the Frog said, "It's not easy being green." Well, it's not easy being a myth, either. People have certain expectations of their myths, and that leaves the myth with certain basic obligations. Other myths, like Zeus, Athena, Poseidon, and Mercury, were created by shepherds, who'd had a little too much wine, perhaps. I was created by Baud, the ruler of "The Wires" and a mystical being. One thing I know for sure, Baud never drank anything. SO, my 'creation' is not tainted with the same problems those other myths had. The teachings of Baud were preserved by the poet, Roamer, in his classic work, "The Verses Of Baud". You'd all do well to read it, but I believe I have the only surviving copy. Old Roamer was tragically killed during the early NAK Wars, and I had the forethought to preserve the original. But, enough of that...there are things to tell and lessons to be learned. A Quote from "The Verses Of Baud" "And my guardian shall roam "The Wires" alone, I can give no aid, he'll be on his own, To learn of good times, and of tears, And learn of hopes, as well as fears. To experience pain and joy and strife, And by doing such, he shall learn of Life. So when others come into my land, He shall know of Life....and Understand!" And so, I was cast out into "The Wires" to fend for myself. The land was very desolate then and those who did venture into this vast frontier were only traveling at 150 or 300 bps. Baud had given me a 64,000 Baud Modem, (a little trace of 'ego' when he named it that) so that I could cross the vastness of the land quickly. Life was great! I streamed past all of the others like they were standing still. To me, they were standing still. I was free to explore all of the things that surrounded me in "The Wires". I had no worries or cares and in the way of material things, I had all that I needed. And so, my education progressed. I was learning just how great 'Life' could be. If Baud had chosen to interfere, he would have pointed out that I was learning almost nothing about the other side of Life. I knew nothing about disappointment, or failure, or heartache, or tragedy. I didn't know what it meant to 'lose'. Well, looking back, perhaps old Baud did see the lack in my education, for something happened to change the way I looked at Life. I may have gone on the way I was indefinitely, but I believe my life was changed forever, when I met an old man. I remember the day I found him, sitting there all alone, on the shore of the Sea of Parity. Meeting the old man changed my life,because I learned to see things through his eyes. The old man's name was Xon,and I grew to respect him so much, that I made sure that his name would be remembered. To this day, it means that the flow of information is streaming forth. That is fitting, for the old man, Xon, let his knowledge of Life stream forth. It was through him that I learned of disappointment, and heartache, and pain, and tragedy. At the same time, it was he who taught me about things like faith, and hope, and persistence, and patience. That first day I met him, sitting there by the Sea of Parity, I could sense that there was something special about him. The old man gazed up at me and said, "Have a seat, young guardian, and we'll talk awhile." I eased myself down into the soft, shifting sand and looked at the old man. Immediately, he began to speak and what he said amazed me. Old Xon seemed to know a great deal about me, whereas I knew nothing about him. I told him as much, and he calmly replied, "What I was before today is unimportant. It is what I am TODAY that matters. Once my life was quite different, but Life is like this sand we're sitting on. You can walk on it for miles with no problems and then suddenly, it shifts, and sends you falling to the ground. You might say that I hit a patch of shifting sand and fell particularly hard!" Looking at him closely, I noticed that he seemed to favor his left side and that a sturdy-looking, black cane lay on the sand beside him. Catching my gaze, he gave a hearty laugh and said softly, "Oh, my innocent young friend, it was not a fall on the sand that did this to me. There are many ways that a man can 'fall', and many of them have nothing to do with gravity." Puzzled by this last statement, I begged the old man to tell me of his life. Looking thoughtful for a moment, he suddenly nodded his head and said, "Very well. I will tell you of my life, and hopefully, your own life will be enriched in the process. ALL things depend on point of view! NEVER forget that. Right now, young guardian, you only have one point of view, and that gives you a very narrow perspective. Perhaps, together, we can change that." Then, quite abruptly, he used the cane to lever himself up from the sand and began to walk along the beach. I jumped to my feet and chased after him. Even with his left leg dragging a bit, he set a brisk pace. We walked along the shore in silence for a time, and then Xon began to speak. And so, my real education began! "You see, young guardian," he began, "it doesn't matter how many times you fall! What REALLY matters, is how many times you get back up! I have been ill for some time now, and I will never be any better than I am today. The road may seem to lead down, but only if you forget to look up. You must be thankful for all that you have TODAY! For what you have can be taken away in the blink of an eye. If that should happen to you, remember this. It's quite alright to remember what you have lost... it is a waste of precious time to grieve over it! You must never long for the things you have lost. You must learn to treasure the things that you still have. Right now, you have all that a man could ask for, but it may not always be so. SO, learn to enjoy life just for the sake of living it. Cling to the pleasure that comes from simple things." No longer able to contain my curiosity, I said, "Tell me about your life, Xon. Tell me how it was that you came to learn these things that ring so true when I hear them. What was your life like before?" The old man smiled faintly, eased himself down onto the sand, and began to speak. I have never forgotten a word of what he said to me. Xon had started college at an early age and had studied for many years. He had been a professional and had earned a good living. Learning had always been easy for him and he had many interests. Besides having a love for music, camping, and writing, he had come to be a master in kung fu and wilderness survival. Xon had said that his life in general had been aided by the fact that he had an iedetic memory. This had enabled him to remember virtually everything that he saw, heard, or read. Fascinated by so many different subjects, he had made time to study them. Old Xon had also been brought up believing in hard work, and so, he would work eighty hours a week at night, while carrying nineteen credits in college during the day. Sitting there on the beach, we talked for hours. Xon talked freely of his early life, and yet at times, his eyes would have a faraway look in them. Almost as if he were looking at a place in the distance that he could never return to. When I heard the rest of his story, I realized that that was exactly the case. Pausing for a moment, Xon took a deep breath, shifted his position slightly, and then went on. "Yes, my young friend," he began," like you, I had all that I needed in the way of material things...and in the realm of things intellectual, I had much more than the average man. God blessed me and truly gave me a running start in life! Then Life stuck out its foot and tripped me!" One day, quite unexpectedly, Xon had become seriously ill. As he had put it, he'd had a "stroke of bad luck". That was what had caused the left side of his body not to function properly. While on the road to recovery from the first, he suffered a second "stroke of bad luck" and then several more. Finally, because he was no longer able to function, he had to retire from his profession. The recounting of all that he had endured since his illness had beset him, tore at my heart. His pain, his feelings of loss and disappointment, his depression, and his frustration, all served to shatter my former innocence. I FELT his anguish, almost as if I had lived through it myself. In a very real way, I learned to see 'the other side of life' through his eyes. Perhaps more importantly, however, I learned how he had dealt with his illness and all that it meant. Perhaps he put it best when he said, "I am a SURVIVOR!! I have survived strokes, blackouts, vast numbers of diagnostic tests, seizures, amnesia, aphasia, and two years of Physical Therapy! Remember this, young guardian. Never give up hope. Never take something laying down. When you fall, get back up!! NEVER Quit!! AND..especially, never quit just because someone who should know tells you that there is no hope. If they tell you, 'You'll never walk again', just reply, "We'll see!" If it turns out they were right, then learn to adapt to not walking. If it turns out they were wrong,... smile alot!! There are many mysteries in this world and many things that man has yet to discover about so many things. I believe that the power of the human mind far exceeds even our wildest imaginings. There are things that simply cannot be explained. According to my latest 'Cat Scan' report, I am senile and should be showing signs of advanced memory loss. My brain is slowly shrinking. I was told that I would only live about five years. Yet, as you see for yourself, I am not senile...my memory is better than yours, and the five years was up fourteen months ago! How can this be?? I say to you, young guardian, that perhaps there is more to a man than just his brain. What about the power of the human spirit?? The scan doesn't show how much spirit I have left! Cling to LIFE! You have to fight for the things that really matter. Each day is just another challenge and I have learned to cherish each day. Learn to cherish the things that matter and then learn to share what you have learned, with others!" I don't know exactly how long I stayed with Xon. The days extended into weeks, the weeks into months. I wanted to learn every detail of his life. He spoke not only of his experiences, but what each one had taught him. He shared his knowledge freely. Most of my own philosophy about life, comes from what I learned from him. From what he so openly shared with me. When at last it was time for me to leave, I said to him, "How can I possibly repay you for all that you have given me?" Leaning on his cane, he smiled briefly, and then replied, "Why, that's quite easy. Simply.....SHARE it!" A Quote From "The Verses Of Baud" "Through the eyes of another, he'll learn to see, And thus, he'll become what he needs to be, To take control and patrol my land, For he'll know of life....and understand, So as people cross this vast frontier, He'll be in "The Wires", to lend an ear, To lend a hand, or just to 'care', For all he's learned, he'll want to Share!" And so, I have become the creature of "The Wires" that many people have come to know. Taking what I learned from old Xon, I've tried to share what I know with the folks in the IBMSIG on The Source, where I'm a Co- SIGOP. I'm very proud of the fact that about 66% of the files in the SIG Library are files that I sent there. I answer questions from new users. I help them find their way around The Source. I answer questions about programs and I also take special requests for unusual programs. I visit about 300 bulletin board systems a week and I try to find the very latest programs. I also try to find the BEST! I have a good relationship with the BBS sysops, because I also send THEM some good programs. I try to help promote the work of good programmers and I support User Supported software. I visit all of the other Networks and keep up with what's going on. I'm a Beta-Tester for some of the best User Supported programs and I write a monthly article for the Lawmugs Newsletter on User Supported software. BUT......I've gotten to the point where I want to do MORE!!!! I've wandered all over "The Wires"...from California to Connecticut...from New York to New Mexico, I've been there. I'd like to find a system that REALLY "cares" about what USERS want and need. A place where the system is run FOR the users...to give them the things that THEY really want. A place that's friendly and feels like 'home'. I haven't found such a place anywhere in "The Wires". SO...I've decided to build my own. YOU are invited to call: 旼컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴커 � DR. FILE FINDER'S BLACK BAG � � "The System That WILL Become A Network!" � � � � (313) 326-0900 � � 7 Days A Week, 24 Hours A Day � � 300, 1200, and 2400 Baud � � Use Settings Of 8,N,1 � 읕컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴컴켸 This system is open to everyone! There will be lots of the BEST software, of course, and lots MORE! I'm going to be giving away modems, diskettes, hardware, and other things of interest to computer users. Those who decide to become Members of The Black Bag will have a VOTE in what happens there. I want the Members to have what THEY want and NOT what I want! The system will grow and as it does, I will implement the things that the Members want. There are discussions, Trivia, files, an online Database, and much MORE! I want this to be a system that is exactly what the people who use it want it to be! And that will ALWAYS be true, no matter what The Black Bag evolves into. I think that's the way it should be. SO..... If you've been looking for a place that will 'CARE' about what YOU want...a place that will respond quickly to the wishes of its Members, a place that offers contests, and prizes, and incentives and MORE... then give DR. FILE FINDER'S BLACK BAG a call. I think it's what you're looking for. And TOGETHER...We Can Build A NETWORK!! Take Care........ Dr. File Finder~~~~~~~~~~~~