The other day, I was filling out a survey about my personal life. One of the questions, "What's your favorite pastime?" had me stuck. It's not that I didn't have any hobbies or such, but the peculiarity of what I do everyday. I rush home after work to sit in front of the computer. No, I'm not a nerd or a geek. I'm not rushing to go try out some new kinky program that can tell me all the Christmas songs ever written. I rush home to hang out with my friends on the computer. Yes, the computer. With the technology of today, millions of people are starting to jump head first into the internet as it grows. What is the internet? It is a place in the "black zone" where you can type-talk and mail letters to people all over the world that, like you, have a computer and a modem. You no longer have to worry about what you have to wear to go hang out with your friends. You can be in your robe or even lingerie and no one will ever know! You don't have to spend anymore than the price of a call (depending on your local internet service provider)!!! (As opposed to going out to a movie, pool hall, etc.) It's cheap and fun!!!

What I want to concentrate on is more of the internet talkers available to people. There are hundreds of them all over the world. It's been set up by non-profit organizations to provide a "home" for people on the net to sit down and meet other people t o talk, just like a night in the den with a few old friends. It's easy to meet people with the same interests as you. And if you are a girl, in no time guys will try to pick you up! All in all though, it's a fun place to be if you are a little short on cash, but still want to have some fun.

Let me describe a little of what goes on in the talker. First of all, you log in and select a name you want to be known as. A couple of questions are asked after that, including your gender and such. After reading the agreement about using the talker in good sense, you are thrust into the world of tells, shouts, and best of all, soon-to-be friends! It takes a few days to get the hang of all the different commands you need to use to be able to communicate with others, but need not worry, there are SUs (Super Users who are friendly people that are more familiar with the talker tools). If you find yourself enjoying the babble all around you, the excitement of being able to randomly strike up a conversation with another person in a matter of seconds, and suddenly find yourself amongst several new crowds of friends, then you can talk to a SU to grant you residency (a permanent character on there, similar to an account). The fun has just begun. You are given your own "rooms" in which you can decorate wi th descriptions of how you want it to look. All it requires is a little imagination and a lot of enthusiasm! It's almost like Dungeons and Dragons games or RPG (Role-Playing Games), only difference is that you don't have to be a good warrior and there a ren't any levels you have to conquer. The key here is relaxation!!! With residency, you are also given a "friends list" where you can put all your friends on and can talk to them all at once! (You can also talk to people individually when you want a little privacy.)

It doesn't take long to get into it, and certainly takes even less to get addicted. To some people, it's better than a video game because you never know what happens from hour to hour or even minute to minute! Sooner or later, you may even want to take obscurely out of the way journeys to go visit your newly-found friends. I certainly have! From New York City, I took my first flight ever all the way to San Francisco to meet a whole bunch of cool friends that I met and got to know over the talker. There's also the possibilities of net-relationships that may start. Who knows, maybe your future husband or wife is waiting for your there right now! Why wait? :) Hurry up and get on there!

Questions like "How do you know if the people there are honest?" may be popping into your head right now. Common sense is always needed, I say. No matter where you go, virtual life or real life, there are bound to be a few "bad apples" here and there. Just don't be so eager to give everyone your address, phone number, and your credit card numbers so fast! (If you are though, remember to send me them too!) But usually most people are there for the sole purpose of having some fun and a chance to meet new people all over the world, and perhaps even getting cool stamps from other countries! :)

So what are you waiting for? Get on out there and start making friends!!! Don't keep them waiting!!!

Here are some talkers you may find interesting. Each has their own theme of setting descriptions.

Name	Hostname Address	IP Address	Port
Foothills	toybox.infomagic.com	165.113.211.4	2010
Asylum	shore3.intercom.net	204.183.208.13	4242
Crazylands	toybox.infomagic.com	165.113.211.4	6969
DarkHold	spodbox.ehche.ac.uk	193.62.5.250	1995
DreamScape	dreamscape.bernstein.com	199.100.11.136	4040
Forest	ftoomsh.socs.uts.edu.au	138.25.9.23	3000
Jungle	www.dcc.anahuac.mx	148.230.89.1	3456
MarsBaseAlpha4	jumper.mcc.ac.uk	130.88.202.26	3214
Necropolis	Yabbs.phred.org	128.2.6.61	6660
Paradise	zeus.asms.state.k12.al.us	199.20.31.2	2010
Paradox	vassun.vassar.edu	143.229.1.3	4040
Rainforest	nile.intac.com	198.6.114.2	4040
RealityBytes	servint.com	204.215.88.11	8686
Resort	evans.denver.colorado.edu	132.194.10.19	2323
SeabaseOmega	hk.net	152.101.101.101	3010
Snowcrash	cygnus.rsa.bbss.com	204.180.235.2	2112
Somewhere Else	swe.arcade.com	199.3.240.54	2010
Surfers	zippy.spods.dcs.kcl.ac.uk	137.73.8.13	3232
Terminal V	spodbox.ehche.ac.uk	193.62.4.250	2345
The City	toybox.infomagic.com	165.113.211.4	4567
The Future	toybox.infomagic.com	165.113.211.4	4321
The Grange	nix.mechnet.liv.ac.uk	138.253.23.35	3232
The Tower	chaos.jmu.edu	134.126.225.66	8008
The World	TheWorld.org	154.113.211.4	7979
Underworld	dismayl.demon.co.uk	158.152.1.76	2010
Vineyard	thepoint.com	198.6.9.2	4242
Xtreme	zeus.asms.state.k12.al.us	199.20.31.2	6669

If you know of any other cool talkers that are not listed here yet, feel free to tell me at [email protected] and I'll put them in too! :)