WHAT IS THE #PARKINSONS CHAT CHANNEL ON THE UNDERNET?
When anyone logs onto an Undernet server throughout the world, there are
hundreds and sometimes over a thousand chat channels operating
simultaneously. You can join one or several at the same time. If you
join a channel that is not present, one is created by that name and
the person who joined it becomes the operator.
WHO DROPS IN ON THE #Parkinsons: Parkinson's disease Discussion &
Information CHANNEL ON THE UNDERNET?
Over the past weekend, we had an anxious father from Sidney Australia
whose 20 year old son seemed to exhibit some parkinsonian symptoms.
A son-inlaw of a 15 yr diagnosed mother with dementia in Belgium. A
son whose mother is a Parkinson's patient in Livermore, California. A
son whose 96 year old dad with Parkinson's who was to celebrate his
birthday in a couple of hours.
Here is a transcript of my conversation with the son of the 97 year
Parkinson's birthday boy.
Session Start: Sun Dec 10 21:04:50 1995
<HermFagle> NURSING 97 YEAR OLD DAD.
<Library> Herm, you doing alright?
<Library> Is dad the one with parkinson's?
<HermFagle> BEGINNER. 1ST HOUR ON, EVER.
<Library> don't worry about it, we all had that fear.
<HermFagle> NO FEAR. 5 YEARS PRODIGY GEENEALOGY BB.
<Library> How long has you dad had PD?
<HermFagle> 25 YEARS. SINAMENT CR WORKS.
<Library> Is he still lucid?
<HermFagle> MOST TIMES. LOST MANY BRAIN CELLS.
<Library> Is he at home or in a rest home?
<HermFagle> 7 YEARS I'VE BEEN NURSING. LOST MOM LAST YEAR.
<Library> How often does his neurologist see him?
<HermFagle> NEVER. INTERNIST WAS HERE OFTEN WHILE MOM LIVED.
<Library> Is he up and around?
<HermFagle> YES,WITH A WALKER. HE'S NO TROUBLE MOST TIMES.
<Library> How is his swallowing?
<HermFagle> HAD A BAD WEEK 18 MONTHS AGO,BUT FINE SINCE.
<Library> How long has he been on the same medication schedule?
<HermFagle> 5-6 YEARS. WAS ON L-DOPA MANY YEARS AGO.
<Library> How's your health?
<HermFagle> HAD ANGIOPLASTY TWICE LAST YEAR. O.K. THIS YEAR.
<Library> Dad, would kinda be up the creek without a paddle without
you wouldn't he...
<HermFagle> YEH, HE'S PRETTY DEAF,AND GOING BLIND. 97 IN 2 HOURS!
<Library> Tell him Happy Birthday for me I'm in Oklahoma City.
<Library> Herm change to the #parkinsons window so we can join Jim
and willy.
<HermFagle> Have to go. Might be a long night. Later!
<Library> It's been a pleasure, here 8:30 PM Central during the week.
Session Close: Sun Dec 10 21:23:23 1995
Chatting on the Internet? I thought that's where the Evening News
said all the pornographers and pediphiles hang out!
The quotation: "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but, words will
never hurt me", is true on internet chat. The medium of internet chat is
words and not pictures. If you have tolerated scribblings on walls, you
can safely pass those channels that specialize in those sort of things
on your way to the #Parkinsons channel.
HOW DOES THE PARKINSONS CHAT CHANNEL WORK?
Chat channels in general, are similar to conference halls, where people
gather. When one person talks (enters a line of text), everyone listens
(reads what the other people have written). Each person is known by a
nickname of their chosing and their remarks are prefaced by <nickname> as
in the transcript above. All chat in the main channel window is public.
If you would like to have a 'one-on-one' chat with someone, you query
them. The query process either creates another window on your's and the
other person's desktop or an icon appears, which opens when you click on
it with the mouse. Things typed in these windows are 'private'. This is
similar to meeting rooms around a conference room.
LIBRARY
When you log on, several of us have created an automated database that
responds to questions prefaced with "what is" without the quotes. The
database has the nickname of Library that greets each new member with a
query window described above. If your software is set to create icons for
queries, the icon named Library will be on your desktop with instructions
on how to determine which terms (words) that Library knows about. When
logged on to #Parkinsons, library listens for the words "what is" that
begins a sentence and then looks up that word or concept. The results
appear in the Library window. The only exception to "what is" is finding
out what words that Library is aware of. To determine what words, Library
knows, type:
what are A words
or
what are M words.
"what are A words" will give you a several columns of words that begin
with the letter that you used. Use the letters A-Z.
WHY SHOULD I REGULARLY JOIN THE PARKINSONS CHAT CHANNEL?
Socrates defined a friend as, "One soul in two bodies". We on the parkinsn
list have made a lot of acquaintances. Over time these may develop into
friendships. The Parkinson's chat channel is an outreach of this list.
It's true that some of the health professionals on this list, derive their
income on talking about or examining and diagnosising movement disorders.
They give at the office for a fee.
Others receive wages or remuneration from companies and industries that
covet and desire our business.
On the otherhand, those who do the parkinsn list and the Parkinsons chat
channel work, do it on their own time, using their own resources, what ever
or how little they may be. Others with warm, firm handshakes and caring
hearts are needed to assist the other volunteers. Referral, information,
support, hand holding and maybe being a little rowdy during the quiet
times. These are all elements of the Parkinsons chat channel.
Marvin Giles and Kees Paap and I join the Parkinsons channel on the
Undernet most evenings from 8:30 (20:30) to 10:00 (22:00) Central
Standard Time (-6:00). On weekends we may be on the Parkinsons chat
channel anytime during the day and night.
These times roughly translate into:
+1 Europe and South Africa: 3:30 to 5 AM Friday
+10 Australia(some parts): 2:30 to 4 PM Friday
To do the global math from your point, if you are west of -6 but not
west of Wake Island in the Pacific, subtract -6 from your time zone
which will indicate the number of hours difference you need to SUBTRACT
from 8:30 PM Thursday to arrive at a time that the Parkinsons channel
is open.
If you are in a + time zone, ie. +10, you then ADD your time zone to -6
ignoring the minus and plus. Then add this total to 8:30 PM Thursday
which will translate into your local time Friday.
Windows users who have acess to WWW can download a copy of chat software
at this URL:
http://www.indy.net/~cyman/mirc/mircnews.html
Mac users that are not on AOL can get Mac specific chat software at:
Check the subdirectories under:
ftp://ftp.undernet.org/irc/clients
Look for Homer or Ircicle
GETTING TO THE UNDERNET FROM AOL BY WINDOWS USERS
Non AOL subscribers do not have access to the AOL chat rooms.
AOL members can use the following responses that I received from the
Internet regarding "Getting from AOL to the Undernet". Mac users
at the present time can not get to the Undernet from AOL.
>[log in to unmask] (John Cottingham) wrote:
>
>>How do AOL subscribers get from AOL to Undernet? Is different
>>software needed or will the AOL chat software work?
>>
>
>In order to use IRC from AOL you must be using the latest version of
>the AOL Windows software. You also need a program such as mIRC which
>you can find in the software libraries and the AOL Winsock.dll,
>available online at keyword WINSOCK.
>
>Once you download and install your IRC client, and download the
>Winsock.dll to either your Windows directory or your client's
>directory then just signon to AOL, and startup your IRC client.
>
>You *must* use the server washington.dc.us.undernet.org to access
>Undernet and use irc02.irc.aol.com for EFnet.
>
>
>--
> +~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+
> | Michael D. Richards [log in to unmask] |
> | http://www.azstarnet.com/~emdee/ Emdee@irc (Undernet) |
> | mIRC help or questions: [log in to unmask] |
> | ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ |
HOW THE UNDERNET WORKS
The Undernet servers around the world are tied together so that users of
the Parkinsons channel can chat with the group assembled or privately to
another user in REAL-TIME around the world. As you learn more about this
chatting, you can do more with your software. Even fava bean recipes can
be exchanged.<g>
Marvin was so kind the other day to list the Undernet servers in the US,
the whole list world wide follows: Use the server closest to you that is
available.
APPENDIX: The Undernet Server List
==================================
Updated: 20th Feb 1995
----------------------
Explanation of entries
----------------------
line 1: server name and port number
line 2: machine name and IP numeric
line 3: location
--------------------
Undernet server list
======================
NORTH AMERICA (some of these also run on ports 7000/7777)
=============
CANADA
------
server: Montreal.QU.CA.undernet.org 6667
machine: aiken.info.polymtl.ca 132.207.4.32
location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada
USA
---
server: Norman.OK.US.undernet.org 6667
machine: vinson.ecn.uoknor.edu 129.15.112.37
location: University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma, USA
server: Manhattan.KS.US.undernet.org 6667
machine: fubar.ksu.ksu.edu 129.130.8.12
location: Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, USA
server: Davis.CA.US.undernet.org 6667
machine: syrinx.ucdavis.edu 128.120.2.16
location: Davis, CA, USA
server: Austin.TX.US.undernet.org 6667
machine: foghorn.cc.utexas.edu 128.83.108.32
location: Austin, Texas, USA
server: Rochester.MI.US.undernet.org 6667
machine: oak.oakland.edu 141.210.10.117
location: Rochester/Detroit, Michigan, USA
server: SanJose.CA.US.undernet.org 6667
machine: jive.rahul.net 192.160.13.4
location: San Jose, California, USA
server: Washington.DC.US.undernet.org 6667
machine: irc01.irc.aol.com 152.163.173.25
location: America On-Line, Washington DC, USA
server: Pittsburgh.PA.US.undernet.org 6667
machine: uirc.lm.com 192.231.221.38
location: Telerama Public access, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
server: Bloomington.IN.US.undernet.org 7000
machine: irc.indiana.edu 129.79.20.84
location: Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
server: Chicago.IL.US.undernet.org 6667
machine: alpha.misha.net 204.120.206.2
location: Chicago, Illinois, USA
server: Phoenix.AZ.US.undernet.org 6667
machine: home.amug.org 204.62.193.83
location: Arizona Macintosh Users' Group, Phoenix, AZ, USA
CHILE
-----
server: Santiago.CL.undernet.org 6667
machine: 146.83.1.1
location: Reuna, Red Universitaria Nacional
EUROPE (most of these also run on port 7000)
=======
server: Caen.FR.EU.undernet.org 7000
machine: ns.ensicaen.ismra.fr 192.93.101.16
location: Ecole Nationale Superieure d'Ingenieurs de Caen, France
server: Delft.NL.EU.undernet.org 6667
machine: sg.tn.tudelft.nl 130.161.188.188
location: Netherlands
server: Amsterdam.NL.EU.undernet.org 6667
machine: veer.cs.vu.nl 130.37.24.9
location: Netherlands
server: Vienna.AT.EU.undernet.org 6667
machine: olymp.wu-wien.ac.at 127.208.3.30
Location: Vienna, Austria
server: Ljubljana.Si.Eu.undernet.org 6668
machine: cmir.arnes.si 193.2.1.67
Location: Ljubljana, Slovenia
server: Oslo.No.EU.undernet.org 6667
machine: eros.nki.no 128.39.107.112
Location: NKI Ingenioerhoegskolen, Oslo, Norway
server: Gothenburg.Se.EU.undernet.org 6667
machine: alcazar.cd.chalmers.se 129.16.79.30
Location: Chalmers Tekniska Lekskola, Gothenburg, Sweden
server: Oxford.UK.EU.undernet.org 6667
machine: sable.ox.ac.uk 163.1.2.4
Location: University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
AUSTRALIA
=========
server: Wollongong.NSW.AU.undernet.org 6667
machine: gorgon.cs.uow.edu.au 130.130.64.75
location: U of Wollongong, Dept of Computer Science, Wollongong, Australia
server: Brisbane.QLD.AU.undernet.org 7000
machine: qabc.uq.oz.au 130.102.46.10
location: U of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
NEW ZEALAND
===========
server: auckland.nz.undernet.org 6667
machine: iconz.co.nz 202.14.100.2
location: Internet Company of New Zealand, Auckland, New Zealand.
**********************************************************************
VOLUNTEERING
**********************************************************************
Respond by e-mail if you would like to help in keeping the Parkinsons
channel operating during the evening hours in your time zone. If your
internet service provider allows you free hours at certain times or
weekends perhaps you could volunteer for those times. We need to know
who you are. Within a few weeks, we plan to register the Parkinsons
channel. We need to know who we can get together on short notice to
have a group meeting with the Undernet management.
Get your IRC software, get it installed and join us.
Homeboy
John Cottingham "The parkinsn list brings Knowledge, Comfort, Hope, and
Friendship to the parkinsonian world."
Parkinson's Chat on the Undernet 8:30 PM CST -6 Daily.
If you access the Internet through a provider with a
[log in to unmask] PPP/SLIP account, free IRC chat software is available. WFD
