Pre-Creation (1984)
In the beginning there was the DartBoard and it was Active, but it
was also boring, so a pack of Large Furry Marsupials was created,
and they WERE mischievous, and the DartBoarders were annoyed, so
the JT was created, and he tried to control them, but they were
not pleased, so they killed the original JT, and assumed his body
and position, and that's how we came to have JT-the-LFM.
(DartBoard was a crazy unfocused mailing list that died from its own
overuse, and was the first appearance of the LFMs, which were plural then.)
LFM's history of the Creation (aquiring initial members)
First Meeting (Fall 1984)
I was hacking (for a class) when I got a talk request from the LFM
and we setup a physical meeting. Until then, JT was a purely VR
contact. He invited me to the Essen Haus, but said I had to work
till 10pm, but he said that they never went out before 10pm anyway,
so we agreed that he'd pick me up at the lab about 10:10pm (10
min's to close)
Shanghaied
About 9:30, JT, Tom "The-tree-that-walks" and Dean "Trooper" (same
build as bolo) came in to the lab and decided that I was leaving
with them and picked up the rather SUBSTANTIAL executive wheely
chair I was sitting in. Fearing for my life and job, I knew all
my options were bad. In a futile attempt to resist, I hooked one
foot around a LARGE 2-sided 6-drawer desk, and both my arms thru
arms of a the chair. This had no effect on; they carried me and
the chair, dragging the desk halfway across the raised computer
floor. After a desperate plea for 5 min's I managed to find the
only other lab-employee around, and conned him into covering my
last 30 min's but *ONLY* if I'd take his 2-hour opening shift the
next morning (7:45-9:45).
The Drive to the Essen Haus, as always, included the ritual playing
of "The Ride of the Valkyries." Driving speed was adjusted (tho rarely
by much) so the song ended just as we parked!)
So here I was...Shanghaied...first time ever at the Essen Haus, I'm
walking in, and what do I see, but this big, blue & white checkered
banner (flag?) that says "Hacker Pscorr-Brau" whereupon, I proclaimed,
"Hey, this place must be good...they have HACKER beer" and *THAT'S*
why my stein says "HACKER" on it!
The FaDC Party & Bolo (Dec 1984)
JT had this dead CCS 2000 (an S-100 system) Computer, and
rather than throwing it away, he threw a
"Fix a Dead Computer Party" with free beer from the Delta
Sigma Pi Frat he lived at. Well, we all showed up, looked at the
dead beasty, putzed with it for the required 3 minutes, agreed that
it really was dead, then found the the beer keg, and the "Mexican
Dice." Well, I knew that Bolo was good with computers (HW and
SW) so I invited him to the FaDC Party. Apparently nobody told
Bolo about the beer, because he spent about 2 or 3 hours actually
FIXING that dead computer and damned if he didn't succeed!
BTS, the formal formation: (1985)
One night at the Essen Haus, JT invoked "Robert's Rules of Order"
Officially created "The Blitztrinken Society," elected himself
president, created a set of rules (does anyone remember ANY of the
rules?) and established the official toast of "Ich habe getrunken nicht genug")
or IHGNG for short. [Translation: I Have not yet Drunk enuf; yes we
know it's bastard-German, but we like it that way.]
Reunions:
Graduations: Hacker 85, JT-LFM 85, Trooper 88,
Bolo 89, Camper 89,
I was the first to take the "house plunge" in July 1986, and hosted
the first Feast and reunion, Oktoberfest, 1986, and have been
repeating it each year. We've been planning your 10th Reunion in
Munich, Oktoberfest, 1996.
Party Field Marshal (June 1992)
As the Group grew and became geographically diverse, weekly meetings
changed to a few planned annual events. One of these is the Bavarian
Fest each Spring in Frankenmuth MI. A certain DeLorean-Driving
Cannibalistic member from Detroit, scheduled a pre-Bavarian Fest
party at his place on the Friday night preceding the Fest. I flew
in for the festivities, and "he" picked me up, got some beer,
dropped me at his place, then drove to OHIO to rescue his DeLorean
from a repair shop. Well, I ended up cooking and playing host for
HIS party until he returned about 8pm. For this stunning feat (and
generally for my Okto-Feasts and general organizing) I was given
the BTS title of "Party Field Marshal."
And know you know the REST of the Story!
John Wardale
HACKER
johnw@cs.wisc.edu
Back to the Blitz page