Hi everyone. Jason Scott, software curator at the internet archive.
I'm sure I'll get in touch with these folks to understand details, but I just wanted to make it known that if you do encounter what you think are false spam or malware issues, you can always email me directly at jscott at archive.org.
It sounds like they've been having these issues for a while now, why is it that they had to get the attention of "the manager" in order for anything to be done?
Not just for this instance, but in general... should I start emailing bank CEOs every time I get rejected for a house loan, or Henry Ford's children every time my mechanic refuses to service my car because of a defect they refuse to acknowledge?
The internet archive has a little over 100 employees and a smallish team to deal with issues. I'm no manager, just the person who helps folks with software upload issues.
Also, you should always mail the ceo of a bank if you get rejected for a loan if you think it was done unfairly.
There are members of the cult who took the sacrifice to not follow the others to the comet and maintain the cult's presence and memory on the doomed Earth. They give interviews now and then.
I made the BBS Documentary (www.bbsdocumentary.com).
My goal had been to do a documentary on the BBS Experience, working from interviews with flexible friends and nearby folks, and then work up to the "Big Ones", the names who had been in my teenage mind when I ran a BBS, like Ward Christensen, Chuck Forsberg, Randy Suess, and others. But then I had someone from Chicago checking in to make sure I wasn't going to skip over the important parts the midwest had told in the story. So it was that a month into production, barely nailing down how I would fly post 9/11 with a studio worth of equipment, that I found myself at CACHE (Chicago Area Computer Hobbyist Exchange) and meeting Ward himself.
They say "Never meet your heroes." I think it's more accurate to say "Have the best heroes" or "Be the kind of person a hero would want to meet." Ward was warm, friendly, humble, and very, VERY accomodating to a first-time filmmaker. I appreciated, fundamentally, the boost that he gave me and my work, knowing I was sitting on hours of footage from The Guy.
There were many other The Guy and The Lady and The Groups for BBS: The Documentary, but Ward's humble-ness about his creation and what it did to the world was what made sure I never overhyped or added layers of drama on the work. Ward was amazing and I'll miss him.
I have a physical copy of your documentary, which I finally decided to buy probably a few months after it was no longer for sale (thank you ebay). It is a memory trip for me and I learn something new every rewatch. The BBS scene in the late 80s and early to mid 90s was amazing, and is something I miss -- though I dip my toe in telnet bbs'es from time to time to reminisce.
You've done great work Jason. I was cleaning my desk last week and came across your business card, which I probably got from you at some DefCon while buying one of your excellent productions. Keep up the great work!
I'm sure I'll get in touch with these folks to understand details, but I just wanted to make it known that if you do encounter what you think are false spam or malware issues, you can always email me directly at jscott at archive.org.
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