Yak Facts Issue #8: As Seen On TV
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Yak Facts March 23, 1999
Issue #8 As Seen On TV
************************************************************In This Week's Issue:
- DMV Rejects Be Dope
- Miss Last Issue?
- On The Web
- Call to Action
- Recently In Be Dope
- Credits!
DMV Rejects Be Dope
Coming from New York to California, I am forced to deal with a fair amount of culture shock. However, it has its benefits. For example, driving around with New York plates on your car keeps other drivers from getting too close because they assume either you are either a crazy New Yorker who will erupt in road rage and shoot them off the road for no reason, or a clueless tourist who is likely to cut across three lanes of highway traffic to get off the proper exit.
The fun had to end when my New York registration came due and I didn't feel like driving cross-country to have it inspected and re-registered. Time to become an official Californian! Well, time for my car to become an official California car anyway. And what better way to blend with California traffic than to have personalized plates with "Be Dope" on them?
A quick visit to the DMV website revealed that "BE DOPE" was still available, but it also triggered a "possible objectionable content" filter, which informed me that I would have to apply for my plates in person at a DMV office. Since I had to bring registration paperwork, my life savings and a pint of blood to the DMV anyway, I filled out the Vanity Plates form and added it to the pile of other forms.
This being the state of California, the heartland of advanced computer technology, I was expecting the DMV to have all the latest crowd management and DMV technology. Much to my surprise, I found the waiting area filled with signs made using WordPerfect 6.0 for DOS, and DMV employees screaming from across the room for the next person to step down. Once I thought I caught a glimpse of a parakeet flying some forms from cube to cube. After waiting a bit, I was helped by a clerk who was obviously new to the job. Fortunately, he had already mastered the skill of impatience, so he is destined to go far. After a couple of aborted attempts, he managed to type my name correctly, and we were on our way. Then we got to the vanity plates form.
"Be Dope?" He asked skeptically as his computer gave him a warning beep.
"It's my website about the BeOS," I hastily explained. "'Dope' as in 'information' or 'news'".
He still looked a bit unsure, but decided it wasn't worth the risk of making a mistake while correcting it and having to start all over again. As fate (or lack of skill) would have it, we ended up starting over again anyway. A supervisor came over to help the process along.
"Be Dope? Didn't the computer flag that," she asked, looking at his screen.
I repeated my explanation, which seemed to satisfy her as well. "Free and clear," I thought. She informed me the plate could be recalled, if someone saw it, was offended and actually contacted the DMV to complain.
I escaped the DMV with regular plates until my custom ones could be made. I'd be contacted by mail in six to eight weeks.
Last week, when I saw I had mail from the DMV I got excited. But, it was just a notice from the DMV central office:
"Blah blah blah BE DOPE blah blah freedom of speech blah blah blah potentially offensive blah blah blah blah delicate balance blah blah tough luck."
(I am paraphrasing a bit)
Truth be told, I am not surprised. I never expected the DMV to be staunch supporters of free speech. They haven't even learned how to use lowercase letters yet. But, if anyone has a good idea for a Be/BeOS related plate that doesn't use the word "Dope", I'm open to suggestions. "BEOS" and "BE" are already taken. As is "I [heart] BEOS". There is a seven character limit and a low tolerance for possible offensive phrases.
Miss Last Issue?
If you signed up too late to get Be Dope's spectacular one-year anniversary newsletter, you can get it by sending email to yf7@bedope.com
In fact, you can get any back issue of the Be Dope newsletter by sending email to yfX@bedope.com (X is the number of the issue you wish to receive).
On The Web
If you use Slashdot.org, you can customize your user account to include headlines from BeOS Central and BeNews (and soon Be Dope) on the front page. BeOS Central added a "Workspaces" section to their site (forums for general chat, help and public software development).
Call to Action
Do you work in movie or television industry? Do you know someone who does? Let's work to sneak Be onto the silver or small screen. This could be a computer running the BeOS in the background of some shot, a person wearing the very noticeable Be t-shirt, using NetPositive to surf the web, etc. Contact me if you have the opportunity but need some ideas.
Recently In Be Dope
Be Dope interviews Scott Barta, the man behind NetPositive. Follow the fate of Be's historic couches. Find out what Al Gore did after inventing the Internet.
Also, we now have a "backend" for those wishing to add Be Dope headlines to your website, for newstickers, etc. More info here:
http://www.bedope.com/stories.txt
Plus, you will soon be able to add Be Dope to your myNetscape or Slashdot.org accounts.
I added a live CodyCam feed in the right-hand column, to catch breaking stories in the Be lunchroom. Enjoy!
If you live in the UK, be on the lookout for "Corporate Networks", a quarterly supplement to the magazine "Business & Technology". I answered a bunch of questions for them for a feature on the BeOS. I haven't seen this yet, so if you see a copy, email me and let me know what it's all about!
Credits!
Editor, Writer, Tidepool-watcher: Mike Popovic
Copyeditor: None, obviously
Yak Facts is published more-or-less on a weekly basis. Well, not lately, but that's what we are shooting for.
Be Dope is conveniently located at http://www.bedope.com/ and page three of your program.
To contact us, email yak@bedope.com
If you would like to cancel your subscription to Yak Facts, simply send an email to newsquit@bedope.com
To sign up yourself, friends or enemies to the newsletter, visit http://www.bedope.com/newsletter/
For back issues, send email to <yfX@bedope.com>, where X is the issue number you wish to receive.
All content Copyright 1999 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 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 ENTIRETY, to someone you think might enjoy it.
Shake vigorously before using.
