Cottonwood & Borderline BBSs & website - temporary closure

Andrew Wiskow · May 21, 2009, 12:58 PM

As many of you already know, I'm in the U.S. navy, and I'm currently stationed in California where I work with TV broadcasting for the military. I've just been informed that I'll be getting sent to Afghanistan on a temporary assignment to work at the receiving end of the TV signals that we send out from here. I'll be leaving on 7 June, and I won't be back until 14 February 2010. As a result of this, both Cottonwood and Borderline BBSs, as well as the Cottonwood website, the ACUG website, and my personal website, will all be offline while I'm away. I'll be shutting everything down on 5 June. But, 8 months later, when I get back, everything will be back up and running again. I'm very grateful for everyone's support, and I look forward to catching up on things in the "Commodore world" upon my return next year.

airship · May 22, 2009, 12:50 AM

Keep your head down, dude. We'll miss you.

RobertB · May 22, 2009, 04:26 AM

Quote from: Andrew Wiskow on May 21, 2009, 12:58 PMI'll be shutting everything down on 5 June.

I'll be there just in time to see your BBS set-up, Andrew. Don't forget that the documentary filmmakers will be tailing me. Last night they reverified that they want to see that set-up.

Truly,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
July 25-26 Commodore Vegas Expo - http://www.portcommodore.com/commvex

Andrew Wiskow · May 22, 2009, 08:13 AM

Quote from: RobertB on May 22, 2009, 04:26 AM
Quote from: Andrew Wiskow on May 21, 2009, 12:58 PMI'll be shutting everything down on 5 June.
I'll be there just in time to see your BBS set-up, Andrew. Don't forget that the documentary filmmakers will be tailing me. Last night they reverified that they want to see that set-up.

I don't know if I can handle the pressure!

I found out a couple weeks ago that I might be going on this assignment to Afghanistan, but I was putting off making any official announcements until I knew for sure. Well, yesterday I got the official orders, so that's about as sure as I can be. Still, things being the way they are in the military, there's always a chance that things could still change. One thing that I've learned in the navy is that nothing happens until it happens.

Andrew Wiskow · May 23, 2009, 06:18 PM

Just a quick update... I've managed to find an alternate location to host my web pages, so those will all remain up and running while I'm away. I've already moved them, and everything seems to be running smoothly. I added a notice to the top of the main page about the BBSs being down while I'm gone.

RobertB · July 19, 2009, 01:57 PM

Quote from: Andrew Wiskow on May 21, 2009, 12:58 PM
I'll be leaving on 7 June, and I won't be back until 14 February 2010.

According to a comment from Andrew on Facebook.com, he has now completed his training at Fort Dix and will leave for Kuwait this upcoming Monday.

Truly,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
July 25-26 Commodore Vegas Expo - http://www.portcommodore.com/commvex

xlar54 · July 19, 2009, 03:51 PM

We're expecting you back soon, Andrew! Take care of yourself!

airship · July 22, 2009, 01:49 AM

I don't remember Kuwait as being in Afghanistan.

RobertB · July 22, 2009, 06:06 PM

It's a stopover on the way to Afghanistan, just like Andrew's first stopping off at Ramstein, Germany. According to his last posting on Facebook 5 hours ago, he has now arrived in Kuwait.

Now in Las Vegas,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
July 25-26 Commodore Vegas Expo - http://www.portcommodore.com/commvex

Andrew Wiskow · July 23, 2009, 10:18 AM

Robert is partially correct. Kuwait is, indeed, a stopover on the way to Afghanistan. Everyone in the navy who gets sent to Iraq or Afghanistan stops here in Kuwait for army processing and training. I'll be here for about 7 to 10 days. Yes, I was in Ramstein, Germany, but that was just a layover while the plane I was on got refuled.

I've been absent from all the forums so far since I started this whole training process, but the "big stuff" is behind me now, so I should have more time to participate here. Anyone interested in seeing photos of me and the places I've been can check out my photos on my Facebook profile at http://www.facebook.com/wiskow or on my Flickr photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/wiskow

BigDumbDinosaur · July 27, 2009, 12:35 PM

Quote from: Andrew Wiskow on July 23, 2009, 10:18 AMKuwait is, indeed, a stopover on the way to Afghanistan.

I recall that the food there really sucks. When I used to go to the Middle East years ago, I cringed at the thought of having to eat that swill for a week at a time. Poor Andrew! He's got to put up with it for who knows how long. Sure hope you packed an ample supply of Kaopectate in your sea bag!

Andrew Wiskow · July 30, 2009, 07:41 PM

Quote from: BigDumbDinosaur on July 27, 2009, 12:35 PMI recall that the food there really sucks. When I used to go to the Middle East years ago, I cringed at the thought of having to eat that swill for a week at a time. Poor Andrew! He's got to put up with it for who knows how long. Sure hope you packed an ample supply of Kaopectate in your sea bag!

I'm sure that I probably wouldn't enjoy the Afghani cuisine very much, from what I've seen of it and heard about it. Luckily, I'm in Bagram, on the U.S. military's largest base in this region. At the base dining facilities, typical American food is served. And, if you get tired of the free food they serve, there's also a Burger King, Popeye's Chicken, and a Pizza Hut. There may be other restaurants, but I haven't been all over the base yet.

Anyway, I made it to Afghanistan. Day 2 here. 2 days down, 6 months to go!

RobertB · July 31, 2009, 03:31 AM

Quote from: Andrew Wiskow on July 30, 2009, 07:41 PM
I'm sure that I probably wouldn't enjoy the Afghani cuisine very much, from what I've seen of it and heard about it.

There's a popular Afghani restaurant in Santa Clara (Silicon Valley), California. Very tasty food which reminded me of Tandoori Indian food.

QuoteAnyway, I made it to Afghanistan. Day 2 here. 2 days down, 6 months to go!

Oy! That seems like a long time.

Heading to the Pacific NW again,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug

Andrew Wiskow · August 01, 2009, 12:48 AM

Quote from: RobertB on July 31, 2009, 03:31 AMThere's a popular Afghani restaurant in Santa Clara (Silicon Valley), California. Very tasty food which reminded me of Tandoori Indian food.

Just to share a tidbit of information that I've learned since I've been here... The currency of Afghanistan is the Afghani. The people and culture of Afghanistan, however, is called Afghan, not Afghani. So it's "Afghan people" or "Afghan restaurant". And now you know...

Quote from: RobertB on July 31, 2009, 03:31 AMOy! That seems like a long time.

While it may seem like a long time to most people, when you compare it to most people who get sent to this region for anywhere from 9 to 18 months, a 6-month assignment is relatively short.

BigDumbDinosaur · August 02, 2009, 12:33 AM

I recall when I was in boot camp 6 months seemed like an eternity. Later on I spent 1-1/2 years on a WWII vintage destroyer (this was in the 1960s) and that time actually seemed relatively short. If you're busy the time will probably go pretty fast.

As for on-base restaurants, things sure have changed since when I was in (I got out 41 years ago). Back when I was in electronics school at Great Lakes, your choice of "restaurants" was chow hall 106 or chow hall 109. 106 was definitely the better of the two, relatively speaking.

Andrew Wiskow · August 02, 2009, 12:59 AM

The chow hall is what I choose 9 times out of 10. The way I see it, why pay for food when you can get it for free?

BigDumbDinosaur · August 02, 2009, 01:41 AM

QuoteThe chow hall is what I choose 9 times out of 10. The way I see it, why pay for food when you can get it for free?

That and it's probably healthier for you. Fast food is fast food, whether in the USA or Afghanistan.

During the first phase of my schooling following boot camp, I was stationed at Corry Field in Pensacola, where there was a very good chow hall. At the time, officers and enlisted ate in the same chow hall due to space limitations, so my guess is the food was kept to a standard expected by officersâ€"obviously, we enlisted had less refined tastes.

Also, the chow hall was run by civilians, which I think was a factor.

When I transfered to Great Lakes for the next phase I was a bit disappointed in what was available there. The difference, I think, was the chow halls were for enlisted only and therefore, in the minds of the sailors who ran them, the fare didn't have to be too good.

Andrew Wiskow · August 22, 2009, 01:39 PM

I got word from Lord Ronin that the ACUG website hasn't been working for a while. I checked it out, and sure enough, I wasn't able to access any of my websites. The websites are served off my computer at home, so I called my wife and walked her through some troubleshooting steps over the phone. Together, we were able to figure out the problem, and the websites are now back up and running. Thanks to LR for bringing this to my attention... No one else wrote to let me know that there was a problem. After checking the logs at dyndns.com, it appears that the websites were down for nearly a month. In the future, if anyone notices any problems with these websites, I'd really appreciate getting an e-mail at wiskow@gmail.com so I can take care of things sooner. Hopefully this won't be an issue anymore, but you never know.

BigDumbDinosaur · August 27, 2009, 02:20 PM

QuoteI got word from Lord Ronin that the ACUG website hasn't been working for a while.

Would you be interested in getting some stable, no-charge hosting space on a powerful and trustworthy Linux server attached to a T1 line?

Andrew Wiskow · August 27, 2009, 03:06 PM

Quote from: BigDumbDinosaur on August 27, 2009, 02:20 PMWould you be interested in getting some stable, no-charge hosting space on a powerful and trustworthy Linux server attached to a T1 line?

As long as I have access to change things around whenever I need to, I'd definately be interested! Right now, however, there's no way for me to transfer everything. It'll have to wait until I get back in February. But please, tell me more about this.

BigDumbDinosaur · September 02, 2009, 01:49 PM

Quote from: Andrew Wiskow on August 27, 2009, 03:06 PM
Quote from: BigDumbDinosaur on August 27, 2009, 02:20 PMWould you be interested in getting some stable, no-charge hosting space on a powerful and trustworthy Linux server attached to a T1 line?

As long as I have access to change things around whenever I need to, I'd definately be interested! Right now, however, there's no way for me to transfer everything. It'll have to wait until I get back in February. But please, tell me more about this.

I'd set you up with an FTP account so you could add and remove as needed. As long as you don't host any porn stuff...

Andrew Wiskow · September 02, 2009, 02:08 PM

Quote from: BigDumbDinosaur on September 02, 2009, 01:49 PMI'd set you up with an FTP account so you could add and remove as needed. As long as you don't host any porn stuff...

Sounds great! And don't worry, I don't have any porn on any of my personal websites. Unless you count close-up images of Commodore motherboards.

RobertB · September 02, 2009, 03:11 PM

Hey, for those who don't know (unless you are on Facebook), Andrew posted an Afghanistan mailing address where you can send him care packages. Now all I have to do is figure out what to send...

Truly,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
The Other Group of Amigoids
http://www.calweb.com/~rabel1/
Southern California Commodore/Amiga Network
http://www.sccaners.org/

Andrew Wiskow · September 02, 2009, 05:31 PM

Quote from: RobertB on September 02, 2009, 03:11 PM
Hey, for those who don't know (unless you are on Facebook), Andrew posted an Afghanistan mailing address where you can send him care packages. Now all I have to do is figure out what to send...

I don't want anyone to think I'm just being greedy... Items from the care packages I've asked people to send will be distributed to everyone that I work with here. I'm one of the senior guys, so I'm just trying to "take care of my people". Everything is greatly appreciated. If anyone here is interested in sending something, here's the address you can send it to:

Andrew Wiskow
AFN Bldg. 415
Bagram AF
APO AE 09354
U.S.A.

(of course, leave off the "U.S.A." if you're *in* the U.S.A.)

RobertB · September 03, 2009, 05:44 AM

Quote from: me on September 02, 2009, 03:11 PM
Now all I have to do is figure out what to send...

(thinking) Items that are typically Californian and that are not distributed ordinarily by the military...

Hmmm,
Robert Bernardo
Fresno Commodore User Group
http://videocam.net.au/fcug
The Other Group of Amigoids
http://www.calweb.com/~rabel1/
Southern California Commodore/Amiga Network
http://www.sccaners.org/