Firstly, a great big sloppy 'Thanks!' for reading this!
Secondly, if you're new to the Internet, you could do a lot worse than check out news.announce.newusers, which will tell you all about Internet Ettiquette (nettiquette).
Thirdly, now you're here, read this right through. It's pretty tiny, and it'll save you scorn later =). This is not a condensed FAQ, think of it as a little manifesto doodah, to bring you up to speed on what goes on in the group, and make you aware of certain things, like...
Try to read the FAQ before doing anything. You might very well find your answers in there, and posting old questions will make you look a silly-billy =).
You could...
rtfm.mit.edu /pub/usenet/news.answers/tv/red_dwarf-faq| | ^ ^ ^ ^ | |The site |The directory path |The file!
..with the following line in the message body:
send /pub/usenet/news.answers/tv/red_dwarf-faq
..and a post pod will deliver the FAQ to you, in considerably less time than 3 million years...
An important, and gosh-darned interesting, project under constant development has it's origins and lives the majority of it's life here on the newsgroup.
The Plot Inconsistancies Project (usually referred to as the PIP) is 'a loving look at all that's wrong with Red Dwarf', and encompasses both Plot Inconsistencies (PIs) and Production Errors (PEs). Updates will even find themselves in the hands of Grant Naylor, who are supplying the writers with it to help improve the show's consistency. Questions from it are featured in the new "Smeg Outs" out-takes video, out now in the UK.
If you'd like to see the PIP for yourself:
A 'Binary' includes .wav / .gif / .jpeg / .mpeg or any other sound or graphic file that you uuencode or use MIME to post to newsgroups.
This is very important! Some people have to pay (yes, pay!) to download or access news, many grabbing the day's postings in one go to read later off-line. Binaries lengthen the download time and shorten tempers. Please be considerate of other users.
If you want to make a Red Dwarf picture or sound file available, either post it to one of the following newsgroups:
The university of Sheffield Hallum (UK) was a mirror site for Toaster; its address is - ftp.shu.ac.uk
Well, okay, we do - but if you really can't stop yourself following up, at least try and be funny =).
Here's a little guide to making life in the group absolutely peachy:
:-) =) :) :-(
Despite what the FAQ still tells you, regular IRC parties begin on Sunday nights around 20:30, Greenwich Mean Time. Many people from the newsgroup drop in both on this night and many other times during the week, on the #starbug channel.
For the temporally challenged =), here's a little table.
Continent : North America : Europe : Australia ----------:-----------------------:------------------:---------------- Time code : PST EST : GMT CET : WST EST Example : Los Angeles New York : London Paris : Perth Sydney Time * : 12:30 15:30 : 20:30 21:30 : 04:30 06:30 >From GMT : -8hrs -5hrs : --- +1hr : +7hrs +9hrs* Times may be completely wrong, but, well... I tried, okay?
For lots of spiffy information on accessing and using IRC, lurk in the alt.irc newsgroup and look out for the fabby FAQs posted there, or journey to the IRC Related Resources on the Internet.
http://www.cathouse.org/BritishComedy/alt.tv.red-dwarf/Talk to Friday for more info.
...yup, it certainly is. If you have any problems or queries regarding this newsgroup or this little Primer, or if you are unsure about anything, please feel free to email one of the Agony Droids below:
Raz - [email protected] Liz - [email protected] Melinda 'Bob' Casino - [email protected] Mr Grumpy - [email protected] Cma - [email protected] Friday - [email protected] Charles Daniels - [email protected]Obviously, if you have a country-specific query, pick an appropriate chap or chappess.
The above are not netcops, honest, just people who have volunteered to help you, the new lifeform, into alt.tv.red-dwarf.
Thanks, see you in the drive room...
The boys and girls from the Dwarf.