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This is the alt.fan.pratchett Timeline, a personal gift from me to all the a.f.p readers past, present and future, on the occasion of the newsgroup's fourth birthday.
I have tried to cover as many events, milestones and historically interesting "first occurrences" as I could remember and/or find in my logfiles.
The a.f.p. articles used to illustrate the Timeline were edited down,cleaned up and reformatted, but no original text has been paraphrased or otherwise adapted. This is as close to how it really happened as I could come while still maintaining readability.
I'm very grateful to Colm Buckley, Robert Collier and Mike Knell for proofreading draft versions of the Timeline and giving much useful feedback and support.
Enjoy
Leo Breebaart
THE ALT.FAN.PRATCHETT TIMELINE
The First Year: 30 Jan 1992 - 29 Jan 1993
30 Jan 1992
Craig Harding creates alt.fan.pratchett. Strangely enough I cannot find evidence of him subsequently ever posting even a single article to a.f.p, which makes you wonder why he created the group in the first place. I suppose he had his reasons...
Newsgroups: alt.config,alt.fan.pratchett
Subject: newgroup alt.fan.pratchett
From: earthbound misfit, I
Date: Thu30 Jan 92 23:50:57
Control: newgroup alt.fan.pratchettThis is a newgroup message for the group "alt.fan.pratchett", designed as
a place to discuss the writing of humourous fantasy author Terry
Pratchett. This was discussed on alt.config where the consensus emerged
that this would be a worthwhile newsgroup and alt.fan would be an
appropriate location in the altnet, following in the footsteps of groups
such as alt.fan.douglas-adams.
31 Jan 1992
In a brilliant move Paul Gillingwater assures himself of a place in a.f.p. history when, with the group not even 24 hours old, he manages to make the first mention of both movie-casting and James Earl Aarrgghh in a single posting.
From: Paul Gillingwater
Subject: Re: WELCOME TO DISCWORLD.
Date: 31 Jan 92 21:37:56 GMT>> HELLO.
>> P.P.P.S. I HOPE YOU LIKE CATS.> Okay, okay, so you're the first. You don't have to SHOUT about it,
> now, do you?That wasn't shouting. That's the normal way that DEATH speaks. As Terry
himself once said, he'd like James Earl Jones to play that part in the
movie...
2 Feb 1992
A.f.p. readers have always been a colorful international bunch. In this article, a Norwegian was the first to propose something that initially found its way into the FAQ maintained by a New Zealander, and which eventually would be picked up, many months later, by a Dutchman.
From: Tor Iver Wilhelmsen
Subject: Metaphors (Was: quote poser)
Date: 2 Feb 92 18:16:25 GMTDoes anyone feel up to compiling a list of the various references to
other works that crops up in Pratchett's works, such as the Lovecraftian
inspirations (Bel-Shammaroth,the Dungeon Dimensions, The Place The
Dragons Dwell etc.), more like an "annotations" collection??
7 Feb 1992
The first attempt at collecting a file of Pratchett quotes. Unfortunately, nothing came of it.
From: Martin Smith
Subject: Pratchett Quotes - An Idea
Date: 7 Feb 92 09:54:57 GMTI was thinking that a Discworld, or perhaps just TP, section in
fortunes.dat would be a good idea containing some of the best lines from
the books.Then I thought why spend ages poring over the books when there are
millions? of TP fans out there who probably have them all memorized
anyway. If people would like to pick their favourite quotes and mail them
to me I'll post the results back here.
15 Feb 1992
The first sign of a newly created Usenet newsgroup's popularity usually is when enough people start asking the same questions over and over again for the 'regulars' to become irritated by it.
From: B.E.Heinen
Subject: alt.fan.pratchett FAQ?
Date: 15 Feb 92 17:03:38 GMT> Could someone please send me the complete list which was posted
> recently?Since this is not the first request to this list, I suggest to create an
FAQ to this group. Is there already someone building one? If not, I'll do
it...
19 Feb 1992
In the true spirit of Usenet (and in this case I use that phrase without sarcasm) it didn't take people too long to work things out, and the most popular a.f.p. document ever was born.
From: Nathan Torkington
Subject: Tentative FAQ
Date: 19 Feb 92 00:10:37 GMTI've talked with B.E.Heinen about creating an FAQ
for this group and he figures it's probably easiest if I do it as I
already have the software set up for autoposting and the like.The first questions should be:
a) Do we need an FAQ? Are there sufficient Frequently Asked Questions
to justify it?
b) What are those FAQs?c) What are their answers?
From: Nathan Torkington
Subject: Tentative FAQ v0.2
Date: 10 May 92 10:37:10 GMT
From: Nathan Torkington
Subject: alt.fan.pratchett FAQ
Date: 5 Jul 92 01:37:30 GMT
From: Terry Pratchett
Subject: New Questions for the FAQ
Date: Thu23 Jul 1992 18:08:01 +0000You could add to the FAQ that Terry generally answers mail, eventually,
but can no longer be having with the blunt 'Hey, are you Terry Pratchett
or what?' messages.
23 Mar 1992
The first pubic wig thread is started.
From: Mike Salmon
Subject: Re: Good Omens
Date: 23 Mar 92 18:51:25 GMT> Dick Turpin was a famous 18th century highwayman in England.
It just never occured to me that they might not have heard of D.T.!
Similarly, anyone think of someone that every 'merkin knows of that I
don't?
From: Paul S. Winalski
Subject: Re: Dick Turpin, etc. in Good Omens (spoilers)
Date: 25 Mar 92 01:30:18 GMTAs a 'merkin, I also missed the Dick Turpin reference. There was a
cross-eyed Hollywood silent film comedian named Turpin, and I thought it
was a reference to him.
From: Mark Bailey
Subject: Re: Good Omens in US (was Re: UK Paperback release dates...)
Date: 25 Mar 92 18:45:19 GMT'merkin? Try looking up "merkin" in the dictionary, it's not just a word
for Americans - or did you mean that?
Since then, merkins have continued to fascinate and frustrate countless generations of alt.fan.pratchett readers:
From: Terry Pratchett
Subject: Re: WHAT?
Date: Sat13 Feb 1993 11:16:46 +0000>> What exactly IS a Merkin then? Anything like a Mere-cat?
>
> Which reminds me - in Brent Cross there used to be a shop called
> "Merkin Opticians". Why would a merkin need glasses?Okay, I suppose it has to be me that says it. An old meaning of 'merkin'
is a pubic wig for ladies. It was quite widely known, according to the
list of references here. Mind you, my dictionary of slang can find an
embarrassing meaning for just about any word, so can we please avoid any
cheap jibes on this agreeable international forum? I'm not sure why one
would need glasses, or what they would find to look at...
Subject: The Merkin thread
Subject: More merkins
Subject: Merkins and stuff
Subject: Merkins (was Re: Whingeing Poms)
Subject: The Merkin Mystery
Subject: Merkin Madness (Was Re: Chinese food)
Subject: James Earl Jones in a wig (not: merkin [1] in a merkin.')
Subject: Parties, merkins, and kilts
Subject: Codpieces and Merkins
From: Steven Parks
Subject: Re: The Superior Persons Little Book of Words'> I HAD TO TAKE CARE OF A CAT NAMED MERKIN!!!!!!!!!!!
here, pussy pussy pussy!!! ;)
Jun 1992
The article itself only survives as a quote in someone else's followup, but it was sometime in this month that we first learned that Terry Pratchett could actually be reached by e-mail.
dwindera writes:
> Just a quick note to let you know that Terry Pratchett is now a member
> of the "pratchett" conference on CIX in the UK (our answer to the Net).
>
> You can Mail him here as tpratchett@cix.compulink.co.uk
19 Jun 1992
The first 'breadstuff'-related question is asked, and answered. A year later, the issue is still actively under discussion.
From: ?
Subject: Eccles
Date: 19 Jun 92 13:00:44 GMTCan anyone from the UK please tell me what an Eccles cake is? I came
across the reference in Tom Holt's "Flying Dutch" but I'm sure I've seen
the word mentioned on this group before.
From: Berry Kercheval
Subject: Re: Eccles
Date: 23 Jun 92 00:55:23 GMT> An Eccles cake is, basically, raisins cooked inside a crisp,
> flakey-pastry shell. They are DELICIOUS!OK, fine. Now, what's a BlueBottle Cake?
From: Paula Mickevich
Subject: Remember ECCLES cakes???
Date: 16 Jul 93 10:19:47Boy, I remember when I started reading this newsgroup one of the
discussions was an Eccles cakes. No matter how much things change they
always stay the same. Please, I beg you all, STOP TALKING ABOUT FOOD, ESP
BAKERY PRODUCTS.
4 Jul 1992
Perhaps the most important moment in a.f.p. history: Terry's first appearance on the newsgroup.
From: Terry Pratchett
Subject: DW MUDS
Date: 4 Jul 92 11:50:10 GMTThis is a little nudge that I hope will find its way to people out there
doing Discword MUDS and who didn't take the obvious precaution of asking
me first. They've got a month to make contact with my agent (Colin
Smythe, PO Box 6, Gerrards Cross, Bucks, SL9 8XA UK) where a little
confession would be good for their soul -- and it may just be, if they're
running a halfway decent MUD, that they'll be allowed to go legit for
free. No promises, but let's just say I'm not looking for excuses to be
nasty. I've given lots of permissions for lots of stuff to all kinds of
people around the world, and somehow the idea of a situation where people
ask permission and the owner of the copyright and trademark says 'fine'
seems to me generally decent and clean. All the best, Terry
From: Terry Pratchett
Subject: Hi, people
Date: 5 Jul 92 20:02:13 GMTIf this works, it's because dwindera gave me painstaking intructions
('place fingers on keyboard...KEYBOARD...it's that oblong thing...) and
here I am, maybe. Couple of points (I've been reading a few previous
messages). My 33mhz 486 is no longer a goshwow machine, Dell having done
their usual trick of waiting until I bought it before dropping the price
hugely. I keep vaguely wondering what Macs are like, but the ones I've
seen spend too much time being friendly....Bravd and the Weasel were
indeed takeoffs of Leiber characters -- there was a lot of that sort of
thing in TCOM. But I didn't -- at least conciously, I suppose I must say
-- create Ankh-Morpork as a takeoff of Lankhmar. Originally it was just
Morpork, then Ankh just sounded nice...hmm...I don't think those are too
bad as inconsistencies over 13 books, especially since I could argue
about one or two....I'm not happy about the US covers, but they sell
better with those than with Josh's, according to Roc; personally, I think
most of them are very poor and usually bear the merest relationship to
the text. Um. Can't remember any more. Farewell! I must be going!
(Hooray for Captain Spaulding....) Terry
10 Jul 1992
Organizing a Discworld Convention; now there's a silly idea...
From: Neil Cook
Subject: Re: Covers
Date: 10 Jul 92 12:28:32 GMTOr howabout we organise the first DW convention, where we all dress like
our favourite characters, and then stand around embarrassed about how
ridiculous we must look. And then brighten up as we realise that at least
we're not as bad as those trekkies. (Sorry - trekkers).I'm sorry, I think I've gone mad. I'll shutup now.
29 Jul 1992
The Annotated Pratchett File is conceived.
From: Leo Breebaart
Subject: Re: Yawn.
Date: Wed29 Jul 1992 11:59:02 GMTIt's difficult to come up with more Small Gods gags from memory,
though. There were so many I'm sure I did not get all of the references.Which brings me to the fact that I more and more wish that there was an
"Annotated Pratchett" file somewhere. The FAQ makes a good start, but it
could be a whole project in its own right.Tell you what; if people are interested in this, I'm willing to start the
Annotated Pratchett Project right here and now. If there is any in-joke
in a Terry Pratchett book that you feel people might easily "not get"
because they are not familiar with the subject matter it refers to, mail
an explanation to me atleo @ ph.tn.tudelft.nl
And I will collect and post the results back to the net.
From: Leo Breebaart
Subject: The Annotated Pratchett File, v1.4
Date: Wed12 Aug 1992 14:01:16 GMTArchive-name: annotated-pratchett
Last-modified: 1992/08/12 13:56:03
Version: 1.4
Maintained-by: Leo Breebaart (leo@ph.tn.tudelft.nl)[ As promised, here is the first public version of the Annotated
Pratchett File. Please don't hesitate to let me know what you think of
it, or if you have any suggestions for improvement. Most welcome of all
are additional entries. I'm counting on you. -- Leo ]
11 Aug 1992
First use of a footnote in an a.f.p. article.
From: charles stross
Subject: Re: Brentford Trilogy
Date: Tue11 Aug 1992 12:11:48 GMT> 'The Antipope' (ISBN o 552 13841 X)
> 'The Brentford Triangle' (ISBN 0 552 13842 8)
> 'East of Ealing' (Not sure about the ISBN of this one, possibly 13843?)In addition, there's a fourth volume in the trilogy[*], called 'The
Sprouts of Wrath'. I haven't read it yet, so no comment and no ISBN ...[*] where have I heard this before? Hmmm ...
19 Sep 1992
Terry Tao and Andrew Millard devise and post the rules for Cripple Mr Onion.
From: Terry Tao
Subject: Cripple Mr Onion
Date: Sat19 Sep 1992 17:02:13 GMTI have spent the last summer reconstructing the game "Cripple Mr Onion"
from "Witches Abroad", and it seems to be getting quite popular here. If
any one is interested in the rules of this (it's sort of a cross between
pontoon/blackjack and poker), I'll probably be able to type them in.Andrew Millard (using Terry Tao's account)
29 Oct 1992
The first pedant points are awarded on a.f.p.
From: James William Handley
Subject: Re: Paperbacks
Date: 29 Oct 92 13:42:16 GMT> Pedantic mode on:
>
> Full quote is -
> "We're 106 miles from Chicago, we've got a full tank of gas, half a
> pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearing sunglasses. Hit it!"
>
> Pedantic mode off:Congrats.. take 50 Pedant Points.... ;-)
THE ALT.FAN.PRATCHETT TIMELINE
The Second Year: 30 Jan 1993 - 29 Jan 1994
3 Feb 1993
A second attempt at collecting Pratchett quotes is made.
From: Leo Breebaart
Subject: Send me your Pratchett Quotes
Date: Wed3 Feb 1993 16:09:23 GMTOk, let's get this show on the road -- now that I have established an
ftp-site I might as well find a few more files to fill it with.I'm willing to collect and store all your favourite Pratchett quotes, be
they short ("Oook!"), long ("No-one would have believed, in the final
years of the Century of the Fruitbat, that Discworld affairs were being
watched keenly and impatiently by intelligences greater than Man's, or at
least much nastier; that their affairs were being scrutinised and studied
as a man with a three-day appetite might study the
All-You-Can-Gobble-For-A-Dollar menu outside Harga's House of Ribs..."),
or just plain memorable ("The knuckles! The horrible knuckles!").
1 Mar 1993
The first beer thread.
From: Mik Stevens
Subject: Re: Lecture Games
Date: 26 Feb 93 09:30:53 GMT> If the lecture is that boring, why go? (speaking as someone who has
> done just that! :)How about, going to the pub.
From: Matthew Crosby
Subject: Re: Lecture Games
Date: 1 Mar 93 18:16:48 GMT> How about, going to the pub.
Yes, but in this sorry excuse for a country the nazi-like laws are such
that those of use under the age of 21, while being quite allowed to go
and join the army, aren't allowed to go get pissed in the local beer
hall, so we have to create other diversions :-(Not that it matters, anyway. American beer is HORRIBLE stuff. The old
joke about sex in canoes is qute appropriate.
Reading through the log files it quickly becomes apparent that a.f.p. readers are much more interested in alcohol than in sex or food, because the beer discussions vastly outnumber the merkin and bread threads as illustrated by the following partial list of Subjects.
Subject: Guiness advertisement
Subject: Please!! No more Guiness!
Subject: Re: Australians, Rutger Hauer and Beer
Subject: Re: student funds(beer)
Subject: Re: Ginger Beer
Subject: Beer?(was: What Happenened Twixt "Equal Rites" and "Wyrd Sisters"?')
Subject: Re: Its a Beer Thread! Duck! (was Re: Units (was Disc spinn')
Subject: Re: beer
Subject: Re: Increasingly Irrelevant, but still beer (was Re: beer)
Subject: Re: Still increasingly irrelevant (was Re: beer)
Subject: Terry, do you fancy a beer??
Subject: Ice Beer (was Re: killing)
Subject: FREE BEER
Subject: Re: BEER THREAD RANT! (was Balck Sheep...)
Subject: beer and roundabouts
Subject: Re: ANNOUNCE: U.S. Senate Bill S. 314 (and beer)
Subject: Re: Irish beer - Nectar of the Gods, or Urine of Satan?
Subject: Re: *I* Interesting Guiness Travels (was ANNOUNCE: A.F.P Meet: Cam)
Subject: BEER (Which is by definition *R* to everything!)
Subject: Re: Canadian Beer is good D**nit!
15 Apr 1993
The first version of the Pratchett Quote File is posted.
From: Leo Breebaart
Subject: The Pratchett Quote File, v1.0
Date: Thu15 Apr 1993 16:09:13 GMTAsking someone to repeat a phrase you'd not only heard very clearly but
were also exceedingly angry about was around Defcon II in the lexicon
of squabble.
-- (Terry Pratchett, Witches Abroad)'I saw a film where there was an alien crawling around inside a
spaceship's air ducts and it could come out wherever it liked', said
Johnny reproachfully. 'Doubtless it had a map', said the Captain.
-- (Terry Pratchett, Only You Can Save Mankind)
[...]
13 May 1993
"The Missing Chapter" is a.f.p.'s perennial running gag and newbie teaser. Ever wonder how it all began? And just who started it?
From: Paul Gillingwater
Subject: Terrys posts don't make it to Austria'
Date: Thu13 May 1993 21:16:02 ECTIt's nice to see Terry still commenting, but there appears to be a
problem with distribution of news articles. Here in Austria, I only ever
get to see articles that quote Terry, but never his originals. This may
be due to some problem with the Distribution: field, but I'm puzzled by
the fact that others in Europe seem to see them. How about it, Leo?
You're in the Low Country -- do you see his originals?
From: Terry Pratchett
Subject: Re: Terrys posts don't make it to Austria '
Date: Tue18 May 1993 07:18:08 +0000I know I occasionally get mail bounced when I reply to mail from Janet
sites. As far as I'm concerned, I just post to the net. I don't know
where it lands, I just throw it.
From: Leo Breebaart
Subject: Re: Terrys posts don't make it to Austria'
Date: Tue18 May 1993 08:49:45 GMT> Now that you come to mention it, I never seem to see the original posts
> either.....Does anyone on JANET get to read the original posts?You mean, not everybody has seen the draft chapter of the new Discworld
novel-in-progress that Terry posted here last week? It was the most
hilarious thing I've ever read -- especially the scene with the Librarian
and the Patrician. If you haven't seen it at your site there is really
something wrong with your site's news software...
From: Andy Holyer
Subject: Re: Terrys posts don't make it to Austria'
Date: Tue18 May 1993 11:57:08 GMTYou mean the section about the football match? Match of the day will
never be the same again. :-)
From: Maurizio Codogno
Subject: Re: Terrys posts don't make it to Austria'
Date: Tue18 May 93 14:34:53 GMT> If you haven't seen it at your site there is really something with your
> site's news software...No the problem was with the typo in the Distribution: field in Terry's
message. I had to directly dig in the spool area to get it... but it was
worth the effort.
From: Timothy Connal Delaney
Subject: New Chapter ... HELP !!!
Date: 19 May 1993 08:21:04 +1000HELP !!! I've been hearing about this new chapter Terry has writtenbut
it hasn't got here (which is strange because all his other posts make
it). If anyone has itcould they possibly e-mail it to me (beg, plead,
grovel).
From: David Wald
Subject: Re: New Chapter ... HELP !!!
Date: Wed19 May 1993 17:14:15 GMTBreebaart, you are a nasty, nasty man.
From: Vos MC
Subject: Re: New Chapter (was: Re: Terrys posts don't make it to Austria')
Date: Wed19 May 1993 13:37:35 GMTDid I miss anything? I thought I read this group regularly, but I haven't
seen any Discworld chapter here! Can someone repost it please? I wanna
read it too!
From: Terry Pratchett
Subject: Re: New Chapter ... HELP !!!
Date: Tue18 May 1993 01:08:05 +0000Me, me, me! I want to see it too! Only I lost a file when the power
went during the thunderstorm so
_the_only_copy_of_the_missing_chapter_is_somewhere_ _on_the_net...
From:Andy Holyer
Subject: Re: New Chapter ... HELP !!!
Date: Wed, 19 May 1993 11:27:20 GMTHang on... I'll look in our spool file..... Yup, got it. Only problem is
that it's 194K, and the dreaded Confusion Circus will only let us post or
mail 100K at a go. Can you handle ZIP format? I've got a feeling my
version may have got corrupted. It stops in mid sentence in the passage
about Rincewind, the bicycle pump and the pineapple chunks.
From: Aaron 'Wigs' Wigley
Subject: Re: New Chapter ... HELP !!!
Date: Thu, 20 May 1993 10:05:53 GMTRelax people, I've got great news for you. I've snarfed the missing
chapter off the group, compressed it, and made it available for anonymous
ftp at:yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au:/pub/pterry/chapter.1.Z
Go for it!
From: v206gb6c
Subject: Re: New Chapter ... HELP !!!
Date: Thu, 20 May 1993 14:50:00 GMTCould you set the protection on this file so it is world readable please?
From: Peter M Jamieson
Subject: Re: New Chapter ... HELP !!!
Date: Thu, 20 May 93 19:22:53 GMTi tried to get this chapter, but the permission was denied!!!
From: C Paul Fisher
Subject: Re: New Chapter ... HELP !!!
Date: Thu, 20 May 1993 20:24:56 GMTWonderful. Thankyou. Except that when I get as far as typing get
chapter.1.Z it responds: permission denied.Isnt that nice.
Could you a> fix it ?
and/or b> email me a copy ?
From: Aaron 'Wigs' Wigley
Subject: FTP access to the missing Chapter..
Date: Fri, 21 May 1993 00:48:10 GMTook. Sorry folks, this humble librarian has goofed.
Ok, I have fixed the problem (for the experts - the file wasn't chmod to
world readbility). It is now. Try again later (but please bear in mind
yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au is a heavily loaded machine, so only try to ftp
outside the hours of 6pm to 9am AEST (thats about 8am GMT to 11pm GMT).
From: I.N.Taylor
Subject: ftp address of missing chapter
Date: 21 May 93 13:54:28 GMTOK, so maybe I'm just stupid. I've been searching the group for the ftp
address of THE MISSING CHAPTER and can't find it. Can somebody email the
address or better still, to save me the effort email THE CHAPTER. Thanks
in advance.
From: Aaron 'Wigs' Wigley
Subject: The Missing Chapter
Date: Wed, 2 Jun 1993 23:56:07 GMTOk, the moment you've all been cringing for.. I present for your
inspection the summaries of the ftp logs on the Missing Chapter:TOTALS FOR SUMMARY PERIOD Fri May 21 1993 TO Wed Jun 2 1993
Files Transmitted During Summary Period - 212
Bytes Transmitted During Summary Period - 14157280
Systems Using Archives - 147
Average Files Transmitted Daily - 16
Average Bytes Transmitted Daily - 1089022
20 May 1993
The weekly mini-FAQ is posted for the first time.
From: Leo Breebaart
Subject: Welcome to alt.fan.pratchett! (mini-FAQ, please read)
Date: Thu, 20 May 1993 15:27:47 GMT
Summary: Lots of information about Terry Pratchett is available on the Internet. Why not check out this article before posting to the newsgroup? This reminder is posted weekly to alt.fan.pratchett.Archive-name: mini-FAQ
Last-modified: 20 May 1993
Version: 0.1 (Beta)[ This is a first draft. Comments, suggestions, and improvements are
welcome. My main goal is to cram as much info in as short a space as
possible, so that people may actually end up *reading* this. -- Leo ]
13 Jul 1993
Greater philosphical depth is brought to the bread discussions when Curt Widerhoeft introduces the burning issue of confusion caused by transatlantic linguistic differences (always a favourite a.f.p topic).
From:The Senile Scrutinizer
Subject: Annotation ideas: _Good Omens_ (long)Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1993 12:35:48 GMT
British "crisps" are known in the US as "chips." What the Brits call
"chips," we call "French fries." Now, the only burning questions are
these: What do the French call strips of fried potatoes, and what's the
British word for what Americans call "biscuits?"
From: Andy Holyer
Subject: Re: Annotation ideas: _Good Omens_ (long)
Date: Tue, 13 Jul 1993 13:50:06 GMTI'd like to know this too. They're a bit like a scone, but you usually
eat scones as a sort of cake, not the way you eat biscuits. Especially
not warm.
From:Silver Omega
Subject: Chips, crisps, fries (Re: Annotation ideas...)
Date: 13 Jul 93 16:56:02 BSTI think the Americans call scones ("sk-ons") "biscuits", but I'm not
certain.
From:Jeffrey Klein
Subject: I say po-tay-to, you say po-tah-to
Date: 13 Jul 1993 17:06:02 GMTWell, biscuits are smaller and rounder (I think, the scones I've had were
large and wedgy).And I suppose they don't even -have- English Muffins in England.
From:Hugh JE Davies
Subject: Re: I say po-tay-to, you say po-tah-to
Date: 14 Jul 93 08:30:22 GMTThere is no British equivalent of what the Americans call a
"biscuit". The nearest thing is a "scone" (UK). Americans use "biscuits"
(US) to mop up gravy, whereas Brits put jam and cream on scones.English muffins are normally only obtainable in the UK in American style
fast food restaurants, although just plain "muffins" are commonly
available.Now if only we can get the Americans to start eating crumpets.
From:Paul S. Winalski
Subject: Re: I guess I shouldn't have mentioned food...
Date: Thu, 15 Jul 1993 02:27:48 GMTCrumpets are not like English muffins in the same way that American
biscuits are not like scones.
From:Gordon Buxton
Subject: Re: Chips, crisps, fries (Re: Annotation ideas...)
Date: Thu, 15 Jul 1993 12:02:12 GMT> Another bit of interesting trivia in this vein is the flattish baked
> good that we Americans call "English muffins". The closest English
> equivalent is crumpets. Our "English muffins" apparently really are
> English (witness the old song, "Have you seen the muffin man?"), but
> they disappeared from England earlier in this century.That's not true, I saw some 'Muffins' in Sainsbury's only the other day,
right next door to the crumpets. I particularly remember because I
thought to myself "so *that's* what a muffin is."
From:sharon ann palmer
Subject: Re: Annotation ideas: _Good Omens_ (long)
Date: 16 Jul 1993 02:11:00 -0400According to _The Joy of Cooking_
Scones are similar to biscuits, but richer, with butter, eggs, and cream
rather than milk or buttermilk and oil or shortening. Biscuits are
usually rolled thin and cut in 2-3" circles. But there are also drop
biscuits, which is a thick batter pushed into a mound on the baking
sheet. Scones are usually rolled into a larger (6-8") circle and cut into
quarters (farls). They both are made with baking powder and baked.Rolls are made with yeast, milk (or buttermilk or water) and no fat.
Usually. They are a bread dough made into indiviual portions and baked.English muffins are made with yeast, milk and butter, the dough is cut
into 3
Crumpets are like English muffins, but have more liquid. The batter is
poured into a ring on the griddle.Oh yes, they all have flour. :-)
Etcetera you get the picture. Dough discussions form a modest, but very well-established part of a.f.p. history.
Subject: Breadstuffs and all that
Subject: Chips, crisps, fries (and Muffins!)
Subject: Dough-related products
Subject: Bread Products
Subject: CAMBRIDGE AND SCONES
Subject: Golden Nuggets - the best breakfast cereal in the world
Subject: Gritsu^H^H^H^H^H Vertically disadvantaged bread.
Subject: Mornington Crescent (was Re: Scones, anyone?)
Subject: Muffins
Subject: Muffins! Stop it!
Subject: NOT NOT NOT bread products.
Subject: Re: CarpetPeople, and muffins :-)
Subject: Re: Pennies & bread, cats & toast
Subject: TP for King of Bread Products (was New to this group)
Subject: Wildfowl; Flora and fauna; Mallards; Biology; Natural History; Scones.
Subject: Bread in the US (Was: Question on US pub dates)
Subject: Buttered paws (this is not a bread thread...)
Subject: Chaos and bread (Was: a.f.p.etc?)
Subject: Give Me the Donut, Dibbler (Please)!
Subject: Re: *I* Bagels (Bread thread?) was {*A*} General Discworld Annotation
Subject: Re: The Bread Thread
Subject: The price of bread (was Re: Guards Guards!)
27 Jul 1993
Terry announces the Discworld Computer Game.
From: Terry Pratchett
Date: Tue27 Jul 1993 22:20:07 +0000
Subject: DW computer gameWe've just signed a deal with TWG Ltd (Tweeny Weeny Games) for a
Discworld graphic game, initally in CD-Rom and PC versions. They're the
guys actually *writing* it -- it'll be marketed by...er...well, there's a
couple of big names involved at the moment, but the dust should settle by
next week. I've been talking to these people for over a year and I like
their approach -- there's a lot of Discworld 'fine detail' in the
game. You saw it here first; the press release has just gone out to the
industry magazines.
23 Nov 1993
The first Terry Pratchett Web Page is created. Many more will follow.
From: Neil L Cook
Subject: World Wide Web Pratchett Site
Date: Tue23 Nov 1993 03:01:36 +0400I have setup a World Wide Web page with all the ftp sites for TP related
info. as hypertext links. You can use a client such as mosaic (X, Mac,
PC) to browse the sites. It's a lot easier for novice users to snarf
stuff, and it even launches appropriate viewers for pictures etc.Anyway, it's at:
http://web.cs.nott.ac.uk/~nlc/pratchett.htmlI don't think this has already been done... Anyone?
23 Nov 1993
Terry introduces us to Stephen "CMOT" Briggs.
From: Terry Pratchett
Subject: Wow-Wow Sauce -- the recipe
Date: Mon22 Nov 1993 07:06:34 +0000Stephen Briggs, who's helping me with The Discworld Companion, has been
researching the_original_Wow-Wow sauce recipe, which is a couple of
hundred years old (it really exists). He reports: "I think I've got hold
of something close to the original and it is delicious. But there's
butter and flour in it and I'm not sure how long it'd keep, although
hitherto this hasn't been a problem because we scoffed the lot. Are there
any food scientists on afp who could advise me if I give them the
recipe?"I said there food, and there's scientists...that's all I know.
He's sbriggs@cix, who would welcome any genuine assistance.
20 Jan 1994
The humble beginnings of CMOT Briggs' vast merchandising emporium.
From: Terry Pratchett
Subject: Re: That scarf business (again)
Date: Thu20 Jan 1994 14:52:14 +0000Stephen Briggs is getting some UU scarfs made up (based on the UU coat of
arms from the Mappe and also on a description in The Discworld Companion)
to celebrate the finishing of The Discworld Companion. I told him that
there might be some interest in getting some extra done. He said that's
not a problem.
28 Jan 1994
Andrew Ellam introduces the concept of the "carrier bag" as a device for answering Frequently Asked Questions.
From: Andrew Ellam
Subject: Re: When? When? When?
Date: Fri28 Jan 1994 17:06:49 +0000> The latest discworld release here is Small Gods, so this newsgroup can
> get very frustrating when books are being discussed that I have never
> seen (but would dearly love to!).If you're that bothered, do that mail-order thang. Forbidden Planet Mail
Order, 71 New Oxford St, London, WC1A 1DG should be quite willing, for
appropriate sums of money.Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with Forbidden Planet (except for the
fact that there happens to be a carrier bag next to me which has the
address on it).
For a while, Andrew reposted that reply every time the subject came up. The carrier bag concept quickly caught a.f.p.'s fancy, and its meaning was gradually extended until it eventually became a group catchword signifying any kind of reference work, dictionaries in particular.
From: Colm Buckley
Subject: Re: Mail Order
Date: Wed16 Mar 1994 00:24:46 GMTAndy, what's with you and these carrier bags? You always seem to have one
"sitting next to you".... They didn't start to appear soon after you
obtained all those little glass paperweights with a snowstorm in, did
they?
From: Nathan Torkington
Subject: Re: Mail Order (The Return of the Carrier Bag)
Date: 28 Mar 1994 21:59:53 GMT> Virgin Peasant Blood goes for at least 20ukp/litre, these days!
I'm not going to ask how you know this, but I will presume the answer
begins 'I happen to have this carrier bag ...'
From: Michael Jones
Subject: Re:WWW and the APF (Was Re: Pratchett Archives: New Stuff)
Date: Tue5 Apr 1994 16:27:01ObCarrierBag: All this information is from a carrier bag I just happened
to have in front of me :-).
From: Silver Omega
Subject: Re: Mail Order -- how much is Soul Music?
Date: 4 Jun 94 15:49:01 BST>> So, what's the going rate for Soul Music in Pounds, plus postage to
>> Europe?Well, I just happen to have a carrier bag ... oops, Royal Mail price
list.
From: Mike
Subject: Re: Are Pratchetts'
Date: Mon26 Jun 95 14:22:02 GMTI ran "Terry Pratchett" through the spell checker. It came out as "terse
prate". Using a convenient Concise OED carrier bag, this translates as:Terse: Brief, concise, to the point.
Prate: Talk foolishly or irrelevantly.
8 Mar 1994
And it's another first for a.f.p. as none other than the legendary Rocky Frisco goes on record as being the first person to propose marriage to another member of the newsgroup.
From: weh3
Subject: Fan club (?)
Date: Sat5 Mar 1994 20:06:35 GMTDear Terry,
I'm a great fan of your books but i just have to ask "What Next?"
You've had people falling of the world, and onto it in the case of the
water troll with tides. There have been gods and DEATH, and ginger-bread
cottages. Magic stuck round mage's battlezones. And one of those
places....I really like the way you got Rincewind out of Hell in Eric, nice touch,
could we have more??Just got to say a big ooook!!!!
Wendy.
From: Rocky Frisco
Subject: Fan club (?)
Date: Tue8 Mar 94 19:16:00 -0600Nice letter.
Will you marry me?
21 Jun 1994
The a.f.p. drinking game is conceived. The game is a big success, to say the least: for months, the newsgroup has more one-line "<glug>" replies than normal articles.
From: Dan Howell
Subject: The Alt.Fan.Pratchett Drinking Game
Date: Tue21 Jun 1994 18:36:28 GMTWell, someone has to do it...
- 1 whenever a newbie posts.
- 1 for every food thread.
- 1 for every alcohol thread.
- 1 for every "My university's better than yours..."
- 1 for the first time you see Pterry post in a day.
- 1 for every casting thread.
- 2 if it includes the phrase "James Earl Jones".
- 1 for every Pratchett quote. (Sigs not included)
- 2 if it's non-Discworld.
- 2 if it's oblique.
- 1 for every use of the word "merkin".
- 1 every time someone complains about books not being available.
- 1 for the use of the word "o/ook"
- 3 if it turns into a flamewar about the number of Ohs.
- Tip the bottle down the sink if anyone posts anything R...(sssch! you know
what...)
- Drink the entire contents if Pterry quits writing...you'll need to.
20 Jul 1994
As we see so often with geniuses, Rocky was way ahead of his time and marriage proposals did not become a regular occurrence on a.f.p. until a few months later, when Ray Pugh became smitten with Laura Johnson.
From: Laura Johnson
Subject: Re: Political correctness and Librarians
Date: 20 Jul 1994 14:57:39 GMTRaymond Pugh wrote:
> I just watched Hot Shots Part Deux yesterday for the first time.
> Definite falling off the chair material (or was it the drink?)Check the carpet. If it's wet, it was the drink falling off the chair;
otherwise, it must've been you.
From: Raymond Pugh
Date: Wed20 Jul 1994 22:36:08 GMT
Subject: Re: Political correctness and LibrariansHurrah!! My quest is finally at an end. I've found someone with a
sense of humour even more suspect than mine! Will you marry me? :-)
From: Laura Johnson
Subject: Re: Political correctness and Librarians
Date: 21 Jul 1994 19:02:24 GMTWhat, marry someone with a name like Ray Pugh? I'm sorry, it would be
too embarrassing.[1][1] and might annoy my husband as well[2]
[2] but I'm flattered. I've worked hard for this questionable sense
of humor.
From: peagreen
Subject: Re: Political correctness and Librarians
Date: Sun24 Jul 1994 11:33:34 GMT> Hurrah!! My quest is finally at an end. I've found someone with a sense
> of humour even more suspect than mine! Will you marry me? :-)Thought crossed my mind in the past as well, but Laura is already
hitched.
From: Laura Johnson
Subject: Re: Political correctness and Librarians
Date: 25 Jul 1994 19:39:18 GMT> Thought crossed my mind in the past as well, but Laura is already
> hitched.Gentlemen. Please. Let's be civilized about this.
The queue forms to the left, behind my present husband. No shoving, no
pushing; the queue will please order itself by color of anorak; within
color groups you may order yourselves by date and time of proposal or by
cleverness of .sig.
From: Laura Johnson
Subject: Re: *NO* a.f.p.etc!
Date: 8 Sep 1994 19:57:16 GMT> That's one of the problems with afp - I am reading afp since the
> beginning (before Terry joined us), and I find it more and more
> unreadable.It was JUST FINE all summer. Aren't you people supposed to be STUDYING?
OK, everyone post your favorite tactics for dealing with all the
traffic. I do the following:1) Author search for terryp. I forget who he is exactly, but he says
funny things.
2) Author search for sbriggs 'cos he might be selling something good.
3) Author search for lauraj, then read a few responses to see if anyone
actually reacted to anything I said (usually they either ignore me or
propose marriage).
4) Scan the thread titles and read the least relevant thing I can find,
meaning a thread that is about neither bread products nor beer.
28 Aug 1994
14-year old Matthew Buchanan arrives on a.f.p.
From: Matthew Buchanan
Subject: Re: Discworld Computer Game!
Date: Sun28 Aug 1994 09:56:22 +0000In the FAQ, or something, there is mention of CD-32, Acorn RISC, and
IBM-PC compats. being coded initaially, with perhaps Sega and Nintendo
and something else following up....keeerrrrap
17 Oct 1994
The duskiness of a.f.p. net.goddess Ms Reap, a.k.a. the Fair Colette, causes testosterone levels on the newsgroup to rise. Not merely content with collecting proposals, she incites her suitors to fight duels over her, thus establishing another long-standing a.f.p.-tradition.
From: Colette Reap
Subject: Re: Laura
Date: Mon17 Oct 1994 22:58:10 +0000> Colette, will you marry me?
What would you *do* if I said 'Yes'!
> Does this mean some one has beaten me to it?
'Fraid so. Alan Bellingham, about 2 weeks ago. Pistols at dawn, anyone?
24 Oct 1994
Matthew Buchanan manages to alienate the remaining two or three a.f.p.-readers who hadn't kill-filed him yet.
Date: Mon24 Oct 1994 22:00:21 +0000
Subject: Re: Matthew BuchananIsayIsayIsay. What has been happening while I was gone? Ayayayayay. I
though this thread was dedicated to complaints about me? Well, here's
something else to complain about....hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh[Continues for 150 or so lines more]
26 Oct 1994
After posting the following threat, no-one on alt.fan.pratchett ever heard anything from Matthew Buchanan ever again.
From: Matthew Buchanan
Date: Wed26 Oct 1994 18:42:46 +0000
Subject: Re: Matthew Buchanan>> lot's of h's deleted..
>>
>> Oh well, a V42.bis modem will pack that down to a byte or two.
>
> Appropriate, really, isn't it: he can't even manage to produce
> flamebait with any information content...If you want, I could post some very large binaries. They have information
content. I could post AlienDoom, uncompressed. That's around 7MB.
1 Nov 1994
Bernard and Isobel Pearson at Clarecraft join a.f.p.
From: Bernard Pearson
Subject: Re: Question about Clarecraft Figurines
Date: Tue1 Nov 1994 18:20:41 +0000> (PS. Just got Lord Vetinari. A skullcap?)
The master decreed that lord Vetinari was a mixture of Alan Rickman, and
our own beloved thespian and entrepreneur cmot Briggs. We obtained the
photo of Rickman through the good offices of his studios, and Briggs c/o
the Metropolitan police. Carefully blending the combined physiognomy we
presented the finished article to the master, who having worked his
magic, decreed that there should be a skullcap. So there is, except
... cmot Briggs has one that hasn't.
12 Nov 1994
Tony Sidaway proposes a moderated alt.fan.pratchett.announce. After a short discussion period, the group is created with Mike Knell as moderator.
From: Anthony Sidaway
Newsgroups: alt.fan.pratchettalt.config
Subject: PROPOSAL: alt.fan.pratchett.announce
Date: Sat12 Nov 1994 21:05:36 +0000I'm a Terry Pratchett reader. I'd like to be able to subscribe to a
newsgroup to find out about forthcoming Pratchett-related events, and
receive FAQ updates.But there is a problem. There are so many Pratchett people that their
(often fascinating) chatter is deafening. It's one of the busiest groups
on the net. I cannot afford to stay subscribed to afp for long, and when
I do I have to wade through acres of posts I could do without just to
find out if something relevant is going to happen.What we need is a means for the large body of people in the existing
group to post their Pratchett-related announcements.I therefore call for a discussion on the creation of a new newsgroup, to
be called alt.fan.pratchett.announce. This will be a relatively
low-volume newsgroup available for the convenience of all Pratchett fans.
From: Mike Knell
Subject: Re: PROPOSAL: alt.fan.pratchett.announce
Date: Sun13 Nov 1994 14:31:52 GMTalt. newsfroups can indeed be moderated, and it's simple enough to sort
out. Traffic should be kept fairly low as with most of the .announce
groups, basically just to stop the entire alt.fan.pratchett group getting
crossposted there..I'll volunteer as moderator if nobody else is suicidal enough to take on
the job.
From: Terry Pratchett
Subject: Re: PROPOSAL: alt.fan.pratchett.announce
Date: Sun13 Nov 1994 19:03:50 +0000I don't have any problem with this idea. It's sounds okay. I might even
post stuff to it more frequently -- and at least it'd stop people
constantly asking me to email them various items because they missed
them.
From: Mike Knell
Subject: ANNOUNCE: alt.fan.pratchett.announce created!
Date: Thu17 Nov 1994 16:57:21 GMTAs the response to the proposal for an alt.fan.pratchett.announce group
has been overwhelmingly favourable, I have this afternoon sent out a
newgroup message <afpa-newgroup1-mpk@frink.demon.co.uk> to create the
group as moderated. All the usual guidelines were followed during the
creation process.The group submission address is: afpa-mod@frink.demon.co.uk
16 Nov 1994
Thanks to Colm Buckley, Clarecraft get a Web presence.
From: Colm Buckley
Subject: ANNOUNCE : Clarecraft miniatures WWW page
Date: Wed16 Nov 1994 00:39:01 GMTWell, I've just finished work on the Clarecraft miniatures Web pages.
Some further information is still to be added, and some of the existing
information is possibly wrong (concerning the prices of the newer figures
and so on), but I thought I would post up the URL today to let you all
take a look and see what you think.The URL is : http://vangogh.cs.tcd.ie/cbuckley/clarecraft
2 Dec 1994
The use of *R* and *I* as Subject tags is first proposed. Public opinion is divided, but for better or worse a large section of the a.f.p. populace has since then adopted the convention, adding a few more tags whenever warranted.
From: Derek Mahony
Subject: Re: PROPOSAL: alt.mindless.drivel (was Re: a.f.p killfile st
Date: Fri2 Dec 94 15:52:26 GMT> PROPOSAL: create a new group called alt.mindless.drivel for those who
> really find it fascinating to see who's jocularly proposed to whom this
> morning, and those who think it's really interesting to reminisce about
> Sinclair Spectrum games. Then maybe the Pratchett fans could have their
> group back -- moderated for relevance, if necessary.A possible solution:
Could the subject line in some way reflect the relevance of the posting?
What if we prefix the subject line with, say, *R* for a relevant thread
and *I* for an irrelevant one? So you could have:Re: *R* PROPOSAL: alt.mindless.drivel (was Re: a.f.p killfile strategies)
*R* alt.fan.pratchett FAQ
Re: *I* 0 = 1/2 = 1 (Honest !)
Re: *R* Bride of Rincewind
Re: *I* IT Annotation
Subject: *A* Possible Reaper man annotation
Subject: *F* A.F.P Meet: Cambridge 3.0
Subject: *G* Re: discworld game help!!
18 Dec 1994
The first serious suggestion for a Discworld convention is made. Lots of enthousiastic responses followed, but no real action.
From: Charles Bishop
Subject: A Modest Suggestion
Date: Sun18 Dec 1994 03:58:17 GMTI propose that there be a gathering of fans of PTerry, whence there will
be festivities celebrating the words of the great man. It will take a bit
of organizing so I propose the following. [...]
27 Feb 1995
A release date for the Discworld game is finally given.
From: Chris Hopkin
Subject: Discworld game for PC, release info
Date: Mon27 Feb 1995 07:34:21 +0000I spoke to Psygnosis about their imminent release of an adventure game
based on the discworld series.It will be released on 17th March on two formats;
Floppy disk, 44.99
CD-ROM, 49.99
A.f.p. is enthousiastic about the game (less so about the buggy implementation), and inevitably, pretty soon, the familiar, ancient Usenet cycle begins all over again.
Subject: Discworld - stuck at the Unseen Uni.
Subject: STUCK IN ANKH-MORPORK
Subject: Help Needed With Discworld Game - Possible spoiler, maybe
Subject: Discworld GAME: help in act 2 !
Subject: How do get prunes?
Subject: Discworld Help please
Subject: Discworld: Stuck with breath.
Subject: Discworld: Stuck in Act III
Subject: Help needed get the Imp
Subject: Re: stuck at the very start...
Subject: Re: need HELP to get the staff (Act I)
From: Frank Reedy
Date: Mon20 Mar 1995 08:27:54 GMT
Subject: Re: Finished: Disc world game!If someone has finished the discworld game, perhaps they could post a
solution (perhaps as a game FAQ) to stop all the "Help I'm stuck at
..... " posts. Thanks.
From: Thomas Niederreiter
Subject: Discworld: FULL WALKTHROUGH HERE!
Date: 7 Apr 1995 19:47:57 GMTHere it comes! At last!
The full walkthrough of
____ _ _ _ | _ \(_)___ _____ _____ _ __| | __| | | | | | / __|/ __\ \ /\ / / _ \| __| |/ _ | | |_| | \__ \ (__ \ V V / (_) | | | | (_| | |____/|_|___/\___| \_/\_/ \___/|_| |_|\__,_|
From: Terry Pratchett
Date: Wed12 Apr 1995 09:34:19 +0000
Subject: Re: Discworld: FULL WALKTHROUGH HERE!> Only...uhm...uhm....where can I find the walkthrough...uhm...(feeling
> sheepish and embarrassed)... please tell me!! Thanx anyway!Okay. To get the walkthrough, you have to take the sponge from Nanny
Ogg's pantry and stick it in the ear of the troll with the tutu, then
take the lumps and put them in the pouch with the zombie's razor.
From: christopher.mcmullen
Subject: Game hints/faq
Date: 24 Apr 1995 08:22:33 GMTI currently have a list of hints for discworld, and a list of known
bugs.. I am thinking of combining them with some other info, to make a
Discworld Game FAQ... what does everyone think of this?
From: christopher.mcmullen
Subject: Discworld Game Faq!
Date: 1 May 1995 08:15:58 GMTDISCWORLD GAME FAQ - V1.0
27 Feb 1995
A.f.p. regular "ppint." coins the abbreviation 'ppoint' for "pedant point". It doesn't really catch on until Jimmy Brokaw uses it again, half a year later, but then it becomes a true a.f.p. catchword.
From: ppint
Subject: Re: Spellcheckers
Date: Mon27 Feb 1995 23:25:12 +0000- love, ppint. (can't have the <.> in my usenameaddress, so i
s'ppose you've scored a ppoint...) (*curses*) (- never mind, my
revenge will be truly awful.) (- if a little delayed.) (- or do you
claim the <.> to be subsumed within the <!>?)
From: Jimmy Brokaw
Subject: Re: Web Page
Date: Sat14 Oct 95 22:56:18 GMT> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Ben Blundell EMail Ten@bdell.co.ukFirst ppoint: Your address is wrong in your .sig.
> Is there ever going to be a Terry Pratchett web page?
Second ppoint: Message content tends to go ABOVE the .sig.[1]
13 Mar 1995
The first a.f.p. 'meet' is announced. It would be the start of one of a.f.p. most unique and charming customs.
From: Colm Buckley
Subject: *Announce/Invitation* REMINDER : Small a.f.p get-together in London, 22 March
Date: 13 Mar 95 01:21:00 GMTFor no better reason than that I will be visiting London next week, there
is a minor alt.fan.pratchett get-together planned for the evening of
Wednesday, March 22, 1995. If you're within spitting distance of London,
please come along and join us - this is your chance to meet some of the
people you've always wondered about [1]... :)
Subject: ANNOUNCE: A.F.P Meet Mailing List
Subject: *R* London AFP Meeting - Minutes
Subject: *M* North West mini meet
Subject: Re: *I* Ealing - Possible W3/5 meet?
Subject: *M* North West Mini meet
Subject: *R* AFP London (Book signing) Meet-type-thingie
Subject: PROVISIONAL: Reading AFP Meet
Subject: *F* Keele (UK) area meet
Subject: Melbourne AFP meet - who are these folks?
Subject: Oxford afp meet
Subject: (possible)AFP Boston meet.
Subject: AFP Cambridge Meet
Subject: ANNOUNCE: *F* Glasgow meet
Subject: *F* A.F.P Meet - Broomcon
Subject: *F* Ealing meet 2.0 report
Subject: Clarecraft Meet 12/13 August
Subject: Proposed East Surrey meet
Subject: *F* AFP Edinburgh Meet
Subject: AFP Hemel Meet Pt 1.0
Subject: Alt.fan.pratchett Melbourne Meet II
Subject: Manchester Meet
Subject: *F* Cambridge 3.0 last call
Subject: *F* Warwick 0.5b (codename Reykjavik'')
Subject: Covent Garden Mini-meet
Subject: *F* Ealing 3.1 Minutes
Subject: *F* Reading 2.0
Subject: *F* Dutch AFP meet
Subject: *F* Oz afp meet: Melbourne & Sydney
Subject: ANNOUNCE: AFP Xmas party *F*
Subject: Re: Possible afp-meet in Canterbury
20 Apr 1995
The Discworld Convention. From inspiration to realization in less than two months.
From: Paul A Rood
Subject: A.F.P Mini-confrence1995
Date: Thu20 Apr 1995 21:38:38 +0000Dear all Alt.Fan.Pratchett lurkers, contributors, would-be members,
authorsThe proposal is, that sometime in the not too distant future, a get
together be organised in a location mutally acceptable to most to drink,
eat, discuss and generally be merry.Lets party!
From: Paul A Rood
Subject: ANNOUNCE: The Discworld Convention 1996
Date: 5 Jun 1995 01:13:54 +0100The First International Discworld Convention
June 21st - 23rd 1996The First Discworld Convention is now officially declared "in season"
Venue: ENGLAND - High level negotiations continue with various
English hotels to get best deal for our delegates. We care.
Guests confirmed include:Mr Terry Pratchett Esq - Author extrordinaire and general
good bloke (with a beard, hat to be confirmed).Mr Josh Kirby - Artist, errm, and thats about it, but he
his also a good bloke.Mr Stephen Briggs - (AKA CMOT Briggs) - Entrepeneur,
recently described as the best thing since
sliced rat and a good bloke (with a beard).
21 Apr 1995
The Merchandise FAQ is conceived.
From: Leo Breebaart
Subject: DRAFT FAQ: Pratchett/Discworld Merchandise
Date: Fri21 Apr 1995 11:50:31 GMTThis is a draft version of a new alt.fan.pratchett(.announce) Frequently
Asked Questions list I eventually intend to maintain and post every two
weeks to the a.f.p newsgroups as well as to the relevant *.answers
groups.
From: Leo Breebaart
Subject: FAQ: Terry Pratchett/Discworld Merchandise
Date: 5 Jul 1995 21:59:35 GMT
Summary: Quanti Canicula Ille In Fenestra?This FAQ consists of the following sections:
0. Before we begin...
1. Where and how do I buy Terry Pratchett novels?
2. Where and how do I buy Clarecraft Discworld figurines?
3. Where and how do I buy Discworld clothing items?
4. Where and how do I buy CD's, CD-ROM games, and audio/video tapes?
5. Where and how do I buy other Discworld paraphernalia?
6. Where and how do I join commercial fan activity?
7. Where and how do I get things for free?
8. FAQ Maintainer's disclaimer.
24 Apr 1995
The Clarecraft Discworld Event is announced.
From: Isobel Pearson
Subject: Clarecraft Discworld Event
Date: Mon24 Apr 1995 17:23:55 GMTClarecraft are planning a Discworld Event in the summer.
Terry and Stephen have agreed to be there.
(What more could you ask for?)[...]
1 May 1995
Orin Thomas takes over FAQ and Bibliography maintenance from Nathan Torkington.
From: Orin Thomas
Subject: Alt.fan.pratchett Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Date: Mon1 May 1995 20:12:13 GMTALT.FAN.PRATCHETT FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONSLast Modified : APRIL 1995
"alt.fan.pratchett ... is a little like written CB, and
something like being at a party. Or several parties.
all in one go. Blindfolded."- Terry Pratchett and Stephen Briggs
DISCWORLD COMPANIONThis is the list of frequently asked questions (and their answers) for
the newsgroup alt.fan.pratchett. There is biographical information
about Terry Pratchett, as well as information about his books,
his collaborators and other fun stuff.
22 Jun 1995
The first mention of using cabbages as a weapon for fighting a.f.p. duels.
From: Alex Ridge
Subject: Re: Flying dragons? (LONG)
Date: Thu22 Jun 95 10:24:48 GMT> Since Alex has chickensed out of the duel, I declare myself victor.
NO! I ain't chickened out of no duel.
Mouldy cabbages at dawn. Have at you! And this time it's to the death,
no first blood stuff. TO THE DEATH, you hear me?
7 Jul 1995
Jimmy Brokaw introduces the hedgehog signature. This action firmly establishes the hedgehog as official a.f.p. mascotte, and within months hedgehogs can be found in people's signatures all over the place. Eventually, they are collected and preserved for eternity.
From: Jimmy Brokaw
Subject: Re: Radio Wyrd Sisters - last nights tape wanted'
Date: Fri07 Jul 95 18:28:54 GMT
Organization: The Flaming Hedgehog-- \\\\\ -------->jimmy@juggler.demon.co.uk<----------- \\\\\\\__o Bringing hedgehogs to the common folk since 1994. ____\\\\\\\'/___________________________________________________
From: rob@lspace.org (Robert Collier)
Subject: *I* The Hedgehog Files II *H*
Date: 26 Jan 1996 21:02:59 -0000
_____ _ |_ _| |__ ___ ///// | | | _ \ / _ \ o__/////// | | | | | | __/ ___\///////___ |_| |_| |_|\___| _ _ _ _ | | | | ___ __| | __ _ ___| |__ ___ __ _ | |_| |/ _ \/ _' |/ _' |/ _ \ '_ \ / _ \ / _' | | _ | __/ (_| | (_| | __/ | | | (_) | (_| | |_| |_|\___|\__,_|\__, |\___|_| |_|\___/ \__, | |___/ |___/ _____ _ _ | ___(_) | ___ ___ \\\\\ | |_ | | |/ _ \/ __| \\\\\\\__o | _| | | | __/\__ \ ___\\\\\\\'/___ |_| |_|_|\___||___/ ******* Yes, this is the AFP Hedgehog Signature Collection ********
3 Aug 1995
The Usenet tradition of using abbreviations as often as possible is firmly supported on a.f.p, where the Discworld novels are prime candidates for this practice. Sometimes, problems arise. Sometimes, brilliant solutions are found...
From: Richard Kettlewell
Subject: Re: Disc World Books - Where to start
Date: 3 Aug 1995 12:33:05 +0100>> TCOM, TLF, ER, M, S, WS, G!G!, E, MP, RM, WA,
>> SG, L&L, M@A, SM, IT, M
>> ^ Arg! 'twill clash with Mort
>
> Simple solution! In the style of G!G! and M@A just make sure there is
> some punctuation in the title to distinguish it.Since it's 'Maskerade (not Mort)' one could call it M!M...
8 Jan 1996
A new level is reached in the ever-ongoing food discussion thread when Glinda Wilson first proposes an a.f.p. recipe exchange service. It is just possible that she may not have been entirely serious, but such things do not stop a.f.p. from taking swift action.
From: g.l.wilson
Subject: Re: Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday
Date: Mon8 Jan 1996 07:25:29 GMT> beetroots, now,... - with beetroots, one can make _borscht_
Yum![1]
[1] Is there such a thing as an afp recipe exchange, I wonder?
From: Darrell Ottery
Subject: *I* Recipes (was Re: Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday)
Date: Mon08 Jan 96 19:03:22 GMTIf not, why not? And where can we set one up? I'm quite willing to
donate both my double-chocolate cookie recipe, and the one for the
home-brewed mead to start with, as I guess these might well be popular.
From: Andy Fawcett
Subject: Re: something from Interesting Times
Date: Sat13 Jan 1996 07:33:12 GMT--
AFP Recipe Archive Discworld Convention Mirror
afp-serv@afawcett.demon.co.uk send mail to 'discserver@..'
w/subject 'send index' w/subject 'send Discon96.Info'
27 Jan 1996
Mike "a.f.p.announce" Knell, Robert "L-Space Web" Collier, and Leo "Pratchett Archives" Breebaart announce the new Internet domain lspace.org, intended to unite all Pratchett-related resources on the Internet under one roof.
From: Mike Knell
Subject: ANNOUNCE: Lspace.org now available
Date: 27 Jan 1996 17:49:47 -0000Announcing... another revolution in Pratchettational network resources!
The alt.fan.pratchett Network Resources Politburo are proud to present..
---> l s p a c e . o r g <---
-------------------
Yes, we threatened to do it in the past, but we've finally got everything
sorted, shuffled the paperwork and bribed the NIC, and now have our very
own domain.
The L-Space Web is a creation
of The L-Space Librarians
This mirror
site is maintained by A.H.Davis