Subj : Writing FidoNet messages, Was: 38 bo
To   : Nancy Backus
From : Henri Derksen
Date : Sun Dec 24 2017 15:56:00

Hello Nancy,

First, for your information, I do not drink beer.
Second, English is not my native language.

HD>> May be you missed it, but at rare times I wrote and writes also here.
HD>> Good luck in what you are doing.

NB> Thank you... :)  Don't be such a stranger.... write here more often... :)
NB> We could benefit from more people posting in here...  :)

Yes I would like to do that if I can, but my weak health do not let that 
happen. I am reading FidoNet messages every day at my UniCorn BBS, but 
answering it, or write new ones myself costs me much energy.
Even my friends in Dutch FidoNet have to miss my answers regularly ;-(.
I am multiple handicapted and do not work anymore since 1997.
For following interesting meetings I need a "speech to text reporter"
with a VeloType keyboard and laptop as I am almost totally deaf.
Organising that costs me also much energy I can not use for other lovely 
hobby's.
And sometimes things go wrong and I have to correct that.
My last result was repairing my own Miele W733 washing machine from 1988.
It took a lot of energy to organise that, but I was very happy to succeed, 
because the new alternatives are not so good as my old one.
Afther that repair I had three machines full of shirts to wash and ironizing.

NB> ... "8-BIT MACHINE - a computer selling for four quarters"

I started my computer career with an 8 bit Acorn BBC B computer in 1984,
after working with computers at my former professional job in 1981.
That BBC was very expensive at that time, i.e. DFL 2000,
but one of the best things I ever paid money for.
After the BBC I switched over to 32 bit Acorn Risc Machines,
such as the Archimedes (1988) and RiscPC (1994), still in use even for e-mail.
And nowadays I have at least 5 Raspberry Pi computers, 2 x the 1B, 1B+, 2B and 
3B. On the last one, I am running Raspbian Linux and OpenCPN for plotting 
watercharts and ships for sailing on the Europe inland waters as ECDIS.
As a second hobby I help skippers with historical ships with this home build
AIS+ECDIS system for them. So I am busy enough here.

No, I do not own an inland ship, only have an old surfboard (1981).
My brother has two inland ships, and I help him if I can, especially with the 
electricity on board. We were already sailing before we were born ;-)
Not many people can say that, but our parents were professioal inland cargo 
sailers in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany in Europe.
On the first Christmasday I am going to my sister and her family,
and on the second I am going to my brother and his family.
We also have to sail the electrical ferry boat my brother works with to the
shipyard for underwater inspection.
That ferry has sunpanels to charge the 2 x 48 Vdc= 625 Ah batteries.
It has a 96 Vdc= 7 kW electro engine. At night it is charged at shore power.
Will this writing do for your message hunger?
Greetings from the river Rhine in Arnhem.NL.

Henri.

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 * Origin: Connectivity is the Future; UniCorn BBS 31 26 4425506 (2:280/1208)

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