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| Type of site | Internet forum |
|---|---|
| Owner | Jeff Hunter |
| Created by | Jeff Hunter |
| Revenue | graphical advertisments |
| URL | http://www.totse.com/ |
| Commercial | Yes |
| Registration | Required to post but not to view postings |
TOTSE (IPA: ['tɑtsi], commonly mispronounced as IPA: ['towtsi] and IPA: ['towts]) is a San Francisco Bay Area website and former BBS. The name is an acronym for "Temple of the Screaming Electron".
History
TOTSE was started by Jeff Hunter (a founding member of NIRVANAnet) in 1989 as a dial-up BBS originally named "& the Temple of the Screaming Electron". The original &TOTSE specialized in small text files. (Hunter had an old 8088 PC XT clone with limited hard drive space; small text files were the only data he could store in reasonable quantity.)
TOTSE became available on the Internet in 1997, and the dial-up BBS system was discontinued in spring 1998 after a particularly vicious flame war between two then-prominent users was allowed to rage out of control for weeks while the sysop was absent. Upon returning, Hunter promptly closed the system to new users. Although the persons involved certainly share part of the blame, long-time users were quick to note that this would not have happened had the situation not been ignored for so long. Not long after disabling new user registration, &TOTSE's dial-up incarnation was shut down.
Media attention
TOTSE has been featured in the media, usually for members committing crimes or for its controversial text files. The site also appears on a 2006 Australian anti-terrorrism poster and a television advertisement.
Recent attention is due to the "hacking" of an electronic car park sign in Crawley, England, designed to display the number of spaces left for each car park. The top two displays were replaced with profanity while the lower display read "totse".
A number of TOTSE members placed prank telephone calls to Live Prayer with Bill Keller starting on November 21, 2006. When another TOTSE member, appalled by their actions, reported them to Keller via email, he threatened legal action against TOTSE, specifically charging that the prank calls amounted to "conspiracy to obstruct commerce". The situation was later resolved when a moderator ("Warweed") contacted Keller and apologized.
Community
The community of TOTSE is an Internet forum and IRC channel. Some users of the community refer to themselves as "totseans". Members engage in discussion about a wide variety of topics including religion, politics, humanities, weapons, explosives, drugs, illegal activities, music, the environment, mechanics, food, sex, and do it yourself projects. TOTSE is affectionately referred to by the users as T, &T, &TOTSE, and "The Temple". Although Hunter has an account he rarely posts on the TOTSE forums. It may appear to some that the site promotes criminal activity (this impression is heavily influenced by negative media attention). TOTSE does not endorse any form of criminal activity. TOTSE's main goal is to promote freedom of speech and information; the TOTSE text file archive illustrates this. Despite this, many users do promote criminal activities.
The forum software was running a highly modified version of UBB 5.47a, which has been heavily criticized by several readers due to its age. Hunter purchased a copy of vBulletin, with an upgrade that finally happened on April 4, 2007.
References
- TOTSE FAQ - Mythos
- TOTSE FAQ - Mythos
- TOTSE FAQ – Mythos
- Australian Government (2005-08-30). "HELP PROTECT AUSTRALIA FROM TERRORISM" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-01-22.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|description=ignored (help) - Help Protect Australia From Text Files
- Acford, Louise (27 October 2006). "Rude awakening for dawn drivers". The Argus. Retrieved 2006-10-30.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Payne, Stewart (28 October 2006). "Rude road signs tell drivers where to go". Telegraph. Retrieved 2006-10-30.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Live Prayer show archives: November 28th 2006
- Jeff Hunter's profile
- https://www.totse.com/en/_faq/totse_faq.html#wtf
- Replacement for UBB announcement