This is an old revision of this page, as edited by MER-C (talk | contribs) at 07:48, 30 December 2006 (JS: Reverted edits by The Enigma Of &T to last version by Wiki alf). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 07:48, 30 December 2006 by MER-C (talk | contribs) (JS: Reverted edits by The Enigma Of &T to last version by Wiki alf)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)| File:TOTSE.pngTOTSE's frontpage. | |
| Type of site | Internet forum |
|---|---|
| Owner | Jeff Hunter J.C. Stanton |
| 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, Jeff Hunter/Taipan Enigma promptly closed the system to new users. Anyone attempting to sign on as a new user during that period would be greeted by a message from Taipan/Jeff which laid the blame for the system's troubles squarely at the feet of the 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.
The absenteeism of the sysop, normally a boon when the system was home to a thriving population of self-policing users, became the system's bane. Not long after this notice to new users was posted, &TOTSE's dial-up incarnation was shut down. It has been noted that the same problem that lead to the demise of &TOTSE's dial-up incarnation have contributed directly to the poor signal-to-noise ratio of its present incarnation on the web.
Media attention
TOTSE has been featured in the media, usually for members committing crimes or for its controversial text files. The site is also appears on an Australian anti-terrorrism poster and a television advertisement.
The most 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".
Community
The community of TOTSE is an Internet forum. Some users of the community refer to themselves as "totseans". Members engage in discussion about a wide variety of topics including religion, politics, weapons, explosives, drugs, illegal activities, music, the environment, mechanics, food, sex, and do it yourself projects. Although TOTSE's creator Jeff Hunter has an account he rarely posts on the TOTSE forums. Many "noobs" think the site holds nothing but illegal criminal activities, as well as the media, but this is indeed incorrect information that has been broadcasted from people who know nothing about the forum itself.
The forum software is running a highly modified version of UBB 5.47a, which has been heavily criticized by several readers due to its age. Jeff has stated that he plans to upgrade it at some point in the future although there is no fixed date.
LivePrayer Prank Calls
A number of TOTSE members planned and carried out a number of prank calls against Bill Keller's Live Prayer starting on November 21 2006. When another TOTSE member who was appalled by their actions reported them to Bill Keller via email, Bill threatened legal action against TOTSE, specifically charging that the prank calls amounted to "conspiracy to obstruct commerce".
IRC
TOTSE also has an IRC channel, #totse, hosted on the SlashNET network. A Java IRC client is provided on the website.
References
- TOTSE FAQ – Mythos
- National Security Information Campaign Poster
- 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) - Jeff Hunter's profile
- TOTSE FAQ – BBS upgrade when?
- Live Prayer show archives: November 28th 2006
- TOTSE IRC chat page