TOTSE
| File:TOTSE.png The TOTSE 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 | No |
| 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.[1]
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.[citation needed]
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 [2][3] 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".[4][5]
Community
The community of TOTSE is an Internet forum. The users of the community refer to themselves as "totseans".[citation needed] 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[6] he rarely posts on the TOTSE forums.
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 not fixed date.[7]
IRC
TOTSE also has an IRC channel, #totse, hosted on the SlashNET network. A Java IRC client is provided on the website.[8] There is also an unofficial channel, located on the freenode network.
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?
- ^ TOTSE IRC chat page