I alluded to a new project in my 5th anniversary post, and I can finally reveal what it is. 😀
As some of you know, I hang on the BowlingFans.com chat, but the bulk of my experience on IRC (Internet Relay Chat) has been on the EFnet network, which is the oldest and largest IRC network. Since I got back into bowling, I’ve wanted a place to talk about the sport on that network, and, though #bowling exists, there are only idle bots and clients there, and, furthermore, nobody bit on my offer to take over the day-to-day operation of that channel (chat rooms are called channels on IRC). The saying being, “If you want something done right, do it yourself,” and given that I’ve needed to assume more of the administrative control of my other channels, I have started the channel #bowling! (the # and ! are part of the name), and placed a Wraith botpack there, along with my other channels, to keep the channel open. As befits a bowler, the bots all have pro bowler “names”.
To assist my readers in finding the channel, I have added a link to the “Author’s links” section of my sidebar, but, unlike the other links on my blog, the link uses the IRC protocol, and can be accessed with a compatible IRC client installed (I’ve been using the mIRC shareware application for Windows for years, but there are others for every operating system). For those who would like to check it out without installing software, a webchat is available through the network’s website; just plug in the #bowling! channel name and a nickname (no more than nine characters) into the form provided on the homepage.
Finally, just so that everyone knows, I’m not abandoning the BowlingFans.com chat, but actually hope to link the two channels in the future (it will require a scripted bot with a cross-network script). The topic on the EFnet channel also references the BowlingCommunity.com forums (in “TinyURL” form).
I hope to see some of you in the EFnet chat soon. 😀
The Tenth Board 