Yak Facts Issue #1: Who knows?
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Yak Facts 2 October, 1998
Issue #1 Who knows?
************************************************************In This Week's Issue:
- Introduction
- The Secret Origins of Be Dope
- The Mailbag
- Call to Action
- This Week in Be Dope
- Credits
Introduction
Welcome, everyone to the Be Dope Newsletter, aka Yak Facts, Issue #1. Most of you are receiving this because you signed up at http://www.bedope.com/newsletter/, some of you are receiving this because I brazenly signed you up myself and some of you are receiving this because someone else signed you up as a joke. In the case of the latter, I encourage you to sign up everyone you know in an attempt at retaliation.
First, thanks to everyone for reading Be Dope and for signing up. Now, you're probably wondering what this newsletter is going to be all about. Me too. I have some ideas, but I've decided there will be no format set in stone and I'll let the newlsetter evolve and mutate as time goes by. If you read this newsletter and think, "Well that sucked," instead of unsubscribing drop me an email and let me know what you expected, or what you want to see. Yes, this newsletter is truly "an immersive interactive experience". Hang around a bit. Things change.
The Secret Origins of Be Dope
Growing up, my brother was a comic book junkie. Which was fortunate for me, since I could then read the ones I wanted without purcasing them. Thus, I became familiar with the "secret origin" concept, where you learned the fantastic story of how your favorite superhero or villain came to be. So I thought we'd kick this newsletter off with the origins of Be Dope, although I don't think the story falls into the "fantastic" category.
I'd heard about Be on and off since they introduced the BeBox, but got my first taste with the free download of the BeOS for the Power PC. I downloaded it, messed around and started a user group. Layed low for a couple of months.
Then in January of 1998 my day job took a turn for the boring. I played with the BeOS more and decided to try and contribute the BeOS community. So, for the front page of my user group site, I wrote a moving essay about the BeOS and how it would lift us out of the quagmire computing had become.
Nobody paid any attention.
A few days later, while cruising the Be news sites, I thought it might be fun to start a "BeOS Rumors" type of page, combining real news and rumors. After further thought, I decided it would be more fun (and less work) to make up stories altogether. I was reading a book about Tibet at the time and had just downloaded SineClock, and the first-ever Be Dope story, "Tibetan Monks Replace Meditation Bells with SineClock 2.0" suddenly popped into my mind. I thought up a simple design, cranked out a quick logo, laid down some HTML and posted it to the BUG front page.
Total time from conceptualization to launch: 26 minutes.
To my surprise, that got a couple of hundred hits by the next morning. So I wrote another story. Which got even more hits, quite a few from Be IPs. Thus encouraged, I split off Be Dope from the BUG, decided to continue writing stories for a while. Got my own domain, a generous hosting offer from the Be -savvy folk at Dreamhost (http://www.dreamhost.com/), some attention from the folks at Be, /. and Salon Magazine, and decided I had a good thing going, and worked to keep it a quality publication and expand it.
No origin story would be complete without citing the influences behind the creation. Those familiar with the legendary original Infocom folks have no doubt already spotted their fingerprints all over my work. There was a group of people who did amazingly creative work and had a blast while doing it. The name Be Dope was inspired by InfoDope, their inside-the-company newsletter. "All the news that fits, we print" was shamelessy ripped off from "The New Zork Times". Other references are sprinkled throughout Be Dope. I chose "Yak Facts" as the name of this newsletter to honor their contributions to the world of computing and humor. (For more on Infocom, gaze yonder: http://www.lysator.liu.se/adventure/Infocom/).
This newsletter style "heavily borrows" from gifted writer and creative spirit Wendy Hall. For a while, she delivered weekly gems while working at Yoyodyne Entertainment. You can relive the archives at http://www.yoyo.com/news/. She lives at http://www.wendyhall.com/, and is currently taking time to figure out how her creative talents can best serve the world. (hiya Wendy!)
(Some have suggested www.theonion.com as an influence. While I do find them often entertaining, they were not a direct influence on Be Dope.)
So that's how the whole thing got started. If I left any important info out, just drop me an email and ask.
The Mailbag
Here at Be Dope, most of the emails I get are positive and encouraging (thanks everyone). Some are negative. And some are frightening. I've been saving those, and now I finally get to use them:
When I recently moved I was unable to access Be Dope for a few days, so I put up a notice apologizing for the sporadic updates, alluding to the fact that the government was attempting to terminate my life to silence Be Dope. Here's an email I received shortly after:
"From: [xxxxxxxxx]@aol.com
To: editor@bedope.com
Subject: Boo on the Government
To the Editor,
I have received hours of enjoyment from your site. I am sick and tired of the government screwing everything up. They should haul their sorry butts back to Washington and continue doing nothing while spending our money. I can deal with that, but when they try to take away my smile I just have to take a stand. Amandla DeDope! I hope all with the government goes well. You have my support."
Now, [xxxxxxxxx]@aol.com, if you are reading this I thank you for the compliments and concern, but encourage you to develop a skeptical attitude to stories you come across on the web. And since you read Be Dope, I know you have a sense of humor and don't mind me sharing this story - right?!
Call to Action
A simple request this week - give me feedback! Let me know if this newsletter was good, bad or ugly. Email editor@bedope.com. I'm open to suggestions and ideas. Let's hear from you.
This Week In Be Dope
If you didn't download the BeOS Talkin' Blues, you are missing a fine piece of music.
Thanks Again
Thanks again to everyone for signing up and supporting Be Dope. Catch you soon.
Credits!
Editor, Writer, Juggler: Mike Popovic
Copyeditor: None, obviously
Yak Facts is published more-or-less on a weekly basis.
Be Dope is conveniently located at http://www.bedope.com/ and aisle 7 of your local supermarket.
If you would like to cancel your subscription to Yak Facts, simply send an email to newsquit@bedope.com.
All contents Copyright 1998 Mike Popovic except where noted otherwise. You may not reuse, reprint, repost or otherwise fondle said content without my permission. This especially includes you Be news site folks. If someone wants to know what's going on here, they have to subscribe. Feel free to say something like "The First Be Dope newsletter went out today and it was fantastic! So go subscribe at http://www.bedope.com/newsletter/"
That said, you are free to forward this newsletter, IN ITS ENTIRITY to someone as an encouragement for them to subscribe.
Over and out.
