rec.org.sca / Rialto Frequently Asked Questions - part01/04
p...@pug.net
Last-modified: 2002-3-8
rec.org.sca and s...@mc.lcs.mit.edu FAQ
or
Questions Frequently Asked on the Rialto
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Certain topics come up again and again on the Rialto. They are good
questions, but each time they recur much net bandwidth and reader time
is spent on repetitive responses and corrections to incorrect or
incomplete answers.
This article, which is posted in several parts on a regular basis,
attempts to cover these common topics definitively and succinctly, so
that discussion doesn't get bogged down in the repetition. The
complete Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) list is available in several
formats. The most current version is always the one available at
http://rialto.ansteorra.org/sca-faq.html or http://www.faqs.org. An archive
of the most recent posted version is available via FTP from rtfm.mit.edu in
directory /pub/usenet/rec.org.sca. Those without FTP access should send e-mail
to mail-...@rtfm.mit.edu with "send usenet/news.answers/finding-sources"
in the body of the message to find out how to do FTP by e-mail.
For more complete introductions to the SCA, see the recurring postings
"Come on in -- the water's fine" (by Hal Ravn <whh...@pacbell.com> )
and "Life in the Current Middle Ages." (by Arval Benicour <mit...@panix.com> ).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents
Section 1: The Rialto.
* 1.1 What is the Rialto? What's it for?
* 1.2 Why is it called the Rialto?
* 1.3 How do I post to the Rialto?
* 1.4 What is the SCA Digest? How do I get on/off it?
* 1.5 Where can I get back issues of the Digest?
* 1.6 Why do I see the answers before the questions?
* 1.7 Am I allowed to publish Rialto postings in our newsletter?
Section 2: Other SCA electronic sources.
* 2.1 Are there other SCA mailing lists?
* 2.1.1 What other mailing lists of interest are there?
* 2.2 Are there archives of SCA information?
* 2.2.1 Archives via FTP?
* 2.2.2 Archives via Gopher?
* 2.2.3 Archives via WWW?
* 2.3 Does anyone have a contact in...?
* 2.4 What are the Rolls Ethereal?
* 2.5 What's this alt.sca I found?
* 2.6 Where can I get songs and lyrics?
Section 3: Miscellaneous questions.
* 3.1 What does AS stand for?
* 3.2 Other abbreviations.
* 3.3 Why don't we have a badge for all the Rialto people...?
* 3.4 What is Period?
* 3.5 What is the Grand Council?
Section 4: Recurring events.
* 4.1 What is Pennsic? When is Pennsic?
* 4.2 What is Estrella? When is Estrella?
* 4.3 What is Lilies? When is Lilies?
* 4.4 What is Gulf War? When is Gulf War?
Section 5: Difficult Topics.
* 5.0.5 How do I write the Board of Directors?
* 5.1 Same-Sex Consorts.
* 5.2 Selecting the Crown.
Section 6: How do you join the SCA?
Guide to Posting Style.
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Section 1: The Rialto.
1.1 What is the Rialto? What's it for?
The Rialto consists of a Usenet newsgroup, (rec.org.sca) which is
propagated to thousands of machines world-wide, and an electronic mail
digest (the SCA Digest), which is produced on a badly overworked
machine at MIT, and mailed directly to hundreds of people, also
world-wide. We are also connected to Fidonet and other BBS networks.
The Rialto exists to discuss topics of interest to the Society for
Creative Anachronism. The SCA is a non-profit, educational
organization of people that study the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and
recreate those parts we find most interesting.
1.2 Why is it called the Rialto?
The Rialto is named for a marketplace in Venice in the vicinity of the
Rialto bridge. As people gathered there to gossip and exchange ideas,
so do we gather here.
1.3 How do I post to the Rialto?
Check with your local system administrator or sysop for instructions
for your exact machine and software. Generally, you either post a
message to the newsgroup rec.org.sca, or send mail to
s...@mc.lcs.mit.edu. See elsewhere in this FAQ for guidelines to
posting style.
1.4 What is the SCA Digest? How do I get on/off it?
The SCA Digest is the electronic mail version of the Rialto. One can
subscribe and unsubscribe by sending email to
SCA-R...@mc.lcs.mit.edu, requesting your addition to or deletion
from the list. Expect this to take up to a week - the people running
the Digest are volunteers with other work to do. If you read
rec.org.sca, there is no need for you to subscribe to SCA-Request, as
messages are gatewayed in both directions.
1.5 Where can I get back issues of the Digest?
You may ask for back issues of any digests by writing to
SCA-R...@mc.lcs.mit.edu and specifying the date(s)/number(s) of the
issue you want mailed to you. That address is serviced by overworked
humans so expect any request to take up to a week to process. Please
be reasonable about the number of back issues you request.
("Everything up to now" is *not* reasonable :-)
You can also check Stefan's Rialto Archive at http://www.florilegium.org
by Stefan li Rous (ste...@florilegium.org) or Archives of the very early
Rialto are available from Justin du Coeur, ria...@waks.org.
1.6 Why do I see the answers before the questions?
The short answer is that messages propagate from one system to another
at varying speeds, and therefore an answer posted on a well-connected
machine may arrive at a less-well-connected machine before the
question does. The longer answer requires paying attention to the fact
that the Rialto is both a Usenet newsgroup and a mailing list, and the
gateway between them is another place where the ordering of messages
can be scrambled. There is nothing that can easily (read
cost-effectively) be done about the scrambling of message order (it
would require a complete redesign of the Usenet newsgroups, just to
start with) so please don't ask. This message scrambling, by the way,
is a good reason to paraphrase or quote just enough of the message you
are answering to make clear what you are talking about.
1.7 Am I allowed to publish Rialto postings in our newsletter?
The legalities of copyright ownership in an electronic medium are
currently murky. In countries that are signatories to the Berne
Convention (which includes the USA and Canada), text is copyrighted
from the moment of creation. However, text submitted to newsgroups and
digests _may_ be different, as it is intended for a wide distribution.
There is no clear answer in the USA at the present time. The polite
thing to do, regardless of whether a lawyer would tell you it is
necessary, is contact the author(s) of the article(s) in question, and
ask for permission to publish. Abide by their wishes. Assuming
permission is given, you (or your chronicler) probably want to save a
hardcopy of the message giving you permission.
---------- End of Rialto FAQ part01 ----------
========================================================================
Thanks to all who have contributed to this article.
This article is a work in progress. If you have other topics you'd like to
see included, send me email with the question(s) and your suggested
answer(s). If you have comment on the items included, please send me
(polite) email.
PLEASE DO NOT COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE ON THE RIALTO! ! !
The whole point of this effort is to reduce traffic. I will summarize
comments sent to me, if it seems necessary.
========================================================================
A special thanks goes out to Robyyan Torr d'Elandris/Dennis R. Sherman
for all the work he has put into this FAQ. Without his work, this would
not exist.
--
Phelim "Pug" Gervase Richard "Pug" Bainter
Barony of Bryn Gwlad, Ansteorra Austin, TX
p...@pug.net
p...@pug.net
Last-modified: 2004-2-2
rec.org.sca and s...@mc.lcs.mit.edu FAQ
or
Questions Frequently Asked on the Rialto
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Section 2: Other SCA electronic sources.
2.1 Are there other SCA mailing lists?
Important note: Due to the vast quantity of Yahoo! Groups lists, most of
them are no longer listed here. Please check the references at the end of
this section for how to find them.
AETHELMEARC Kingdom of AEthelmarc
Subscription: email to sca-aethelm...@andrew.cmu.edu
Post to: sca-aet...@andrew.cmu.edu
Maintainer: Filip of the Marche <sca-aethelm...@andrew.cmu.edu>
AETHELMEARC-ANNOUNCE Kingdom of AEthelmarc Announcements
Subscription: email to sca-aethelmearc-...@andrew.cmu.edu
Post to: sca-aethelme...@andrew.cmu.edu
Maintainer: Filip of the Marche <sca-aethelmearc-...@andrew.cmu.edu>
AL-JISR Oriental Dance, Music and Drum
Subscription: email to majo...@al-mustarib.org containing the
following line in the body of the message:
SUBSCRIBE al-jisr
Post to: al-...@al-mustarib.org
Maintainer: al-jis...@al-mustarib.org
AVACAL Principality of Avacal (Avacal Common)
Subscription: email to avacal-s...@yahoogroups.com
More information: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/avacal
Post to: avacal@@yahoogroups.com
Maintainer: avacal...@yahoogroups.com
ANSTEORRA Kingdom of Ansteorra
Subscription: email to ansteorr...@ansteorra.org containing the
following line in the body of the message:
SUBSCRIBE
OR for a periodic (daily) digest of messages,
SUBSCRIBE DIGEST
NOTE: All lists hosted on the Ansteorra server can be found at:
http://www.ansteorra.org/mailman/listinfo
Post to: anst...@ansteorra.org
Maintainer: Phelim Gervase/Pug & Jean Paul <ansteor...@ansteorra.org>
ANSTEORRA-ANNOUNCE Kingdom of Ansteorra Announcements (moderated)
Subscription: email to ansteorra-ann...@ansteorra.org
containing the following line in the body of the message:
SUBSCRIBE
Post to: ansteorra...@ansteorra.org
Maintainer: Phelim Gervase/Pug & Jean Paul de Sens <ansteor...@ansteorra.org>
ARTEMISIA Kingdom of Artemisia (The Aerie)
Subscription: email to artemisi...@lists.gallowglass.org
More information: http://lists.gallowglass.org/mailman/listinfo/artemisia
Post to: arte...@lists.gallowglass
Maintainer: Yumitori no Kiyoshi <yumi...@montana.com>
ATENVELDT Kingdom of Atenveldt
Subscription: email to atenveldt...@yahoogroups.com
More information:
http://www.atenveldt.com
Post to: aten...@yahoogroups.com
Maintainer: Kristoff McLain Cameron <bl...@rocinante.com>
ATLANTIA Kingdom of Atlantia
Subscription: email to majo...@atlantia.sca.org, containing the
following lines at the top of the message:
subscribe atlantia
end
Post to: atla...@atlantia.sca.org
Maintainers: Elenore Spyrling <eurb...@leo.vsla.edu>
Kendrick Wayfarer <love...@netcom.com>
BLUEFEATHER Homo and Bi sexuality in the SCA and the Middle Ages.
Subscription: email to bluefeath...@bluefeather.org with a message
body of
subscribe
Post to: bluef...@bluefeather.org
Maintainer: Carson Gaspar <car...@taltos.org>
CALONTIR Kingdom of Calontir
Subscription: email to list...@unl.edu with blank subject line and
message body of:
SUB CALONTIR Firstname Lastname
substituting your name for First and Last name.
Post to: calo...@unl.edu
Maintainer:
CATHEDRAL Alternate Kingdom of An-Tir (The Cathedral Steps)
Subscription: email to majo...@antir.sca.org containing the
following line in the body of the message:
SUBSCRIBE cathedral
OR for a periodic (daily) digest of messages,
SUBSCRIBE cathedral-digest
Post to: cath...@antir.sca.org
Maintainer: <owner-c...@antir.sca.org>
DW-L Kingdom of Drachenwald Mailing List
Subscription: email to list...@thenewplanet.com
with a message body containing the line
subscribe dw-l
Post to: dw...@thenewplanet.com
Maintainer: Jo Jaquinta <jay...@maths.tcd.ie or jay...@salmon.maths.tcd.ie>
Archives: via anonymous FTP at ftp://lanczos.maths.tcd.ie/jaymin/sca
via email - send mail containing the single line HELP to
info-...@lanczos.maths.tcd.ie
E_LIST Kingdom of Ealdormere List
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OR for a periodic (daily) digest of messages,
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Post to: e_l...@ealdormere.sca.org
Maintainer: <owner-...@ealdormere.sca.org>
EQESTRIAN Discussion of topics relating to equestrian activities
Subscription: email to majo...@midrealm.org, include
SUBSCRIBE SCA-EQUINE in the body of the message
Digest: email to majo...@midrealm.org, include
SUBSCRIBE SCA-EQUINE-DIGEST in the body
Post to: SCA-E...@midrealm.org
Maintainer: Dafydd Blaidd (Dave Majors) <daf...@midrealm.org>
EXCHEQUERS Excheqery topics
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having only the line
subscribe exchequers
Post to: exche...@world.std.com
Maintainer: Yitzhak ibn Yoshua <tur...@blackbear.com>
GER-MAKERS Buillding of gers (yurts) and related structures.
Subscription: email to majo...@peak.org containing the
following line in the body of the message:
SUBSCRIBE ger-makers
Post to: ger-m...@peak.org
Maintainer: Grainne <gra...@peak.org>
GRAND COUNCIL Mailing list for the SCA's Grand Council
Subscription: email to list...@listserv.aol.com with blank
subject line and message body of:
subscribe scagc-l <Your Name Here>
replacing <Your Name Here> with your first and last names.
Posting: only members of the Grand Council may post, although anyone
may read. Send postings to the editor or any other member
of the Council.
Editor: Tibor of Rock Valley <sch...@math.harvard.edu>
Maintainer: Kwellend Njall <vn...@aol.edu>
Archives: http://abel.math.harvard.edu/~schuldy/gc/gcarchives.html
H-NEEDLEWORK Historic Needlework
Subscription: email to h-needlewo...@ansteorra.org containing the
following line in the body of the message:
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OR for a periodic (daily) digest of messages,
SUBSCRIBE DIGEST
Post to: h-need...@ansteorra.org
Maintainer: Perronnelle <h-needlew...@ansteorra.org>
HERBALIST SCA-Wide herbalism list
Subscription: email to herbalis...@ansteorra.org containing the
following line in the body of the message:
SUBSCRIBE
OR for a periodic (daily) digest of messages,
SUBSCRIBE DIGEST
Post to: herb...@ansteorra.org
Maintainer: Raisya <herbali...@ansteorra.org>
HIST-BREW Historical Brewing - not limited to just SCA topics
Subscription: email to hist-brewi...@pbm.com with a message body of
subscribe
OR for a periodic (daily) digest of messages,
subscribe digest
NOTE: All lists hosted on the PBM server can be found at:
http://www.pbm.com/mailman/listinfo
Post to: hist-b...@pbm.com
Maintainer: Gregory Blount of Isenfir <lin...@pbm.com>
HIST-GAMES Historical Games - not limited to just SCA topics
Subscription: email to hist-game...@pbm.com with a message body of
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OR for a periodic (daily) digest of messages,
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NOTE: All lists hosted on the PBM server can be found at:
http://www.pbm.com/mailman/listinfo
Post to: hist-...@pbm.com
Maintainer: Seaan McAy (Michael McKay) <owner-hi...@pbm.com>
IBERIA Issues pertaining to Iberian peninsula
Subscription: email to list...@xcentric.net containing
the following line in the body of the message:
subscribe iberia Firstname Lastname
Post to: ibe...@xcentric.net
Maintainer:
LOCHAC Principality of Lochac (Australia)
Subscription: email to majo...@sca.org.au
with a message body of
subscribe lochac <your email address>
Post to: loc...@sca.org.au
Maintainer: Delbert von Strasberg (David Elson) <d...@sca.org.au>
MAGYAR-SCA Things Hungarian in the SCA.
Subscription: magyar-sca...@yahoogroups.com
Note: restricted membership (subscribe requests must be approved)
Post to: magya...@yahoogroups.com
Archives: public, at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/magyar-sca/
List owner: magyar-s...@yahoogroups.com
MERIDIES Kingdom of Meridies mailing list
Subscription: email to meridian-t...@yahoogroups.com
More information:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/meridian-ty
Post to: merid...@yahoogroups.com
Maintainer: meridian...@yahoogroups.com
MERIDIES Kingdom of Meridies moderated mailing list
Subscription: email to meridian-t...@yahoogroups.com
More information:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/meridian-tw
Post to: merid...@yahoogroups.com
Maintainer: meridian...@yahoogroups.com
MINSTREL Bardic topics
Subscription: email to minstrel...@pbm.com with a message body of
subscribe
NOTE: All lists hosted on the PBM server can be found at:
http://www.pbm.com/mailman/listinfo
Post to: mins...@pbm.com
Maintainer: Gregory Blount of Isenfir (Greg Lindahl, <lin...@pbm.com>)
NORTH East Kingdom Northern Region topics
Subscription: email to north-...@bransle.ucs.mun.ca
Maintainer: Miklos Sandorfia <and...@bransle.ucs.mun.ca>
Archives: via anonymous FTP at ftp://bransle.ucs.mun.ca/pub/sca/
NORTHSHIELD Principality of Northshield, Middle Kingdom
Subscription: majo...@minstrel.com
Post to: north...@minstrel.com
Maintainer: mail...@minstrel.com
OUTLANDS Discussion of topics of interest to the Outlands
Subscription: email to outlands-...@yahoogroups.com
More information:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/outlands
Post to: outl...@yahoogroups.com
Maintainer: outland...@yahoogroups.com
RAPIER An Tir Kingdom Rapier discussion list
Subscription: email to list...@xcentric.net containing
the following line in the body of the message:
subscribe rapier Firstname Lastname
Post to: rap...@xcentric.net
Maintainer:
SCA-ANNOUNCE Moderated announcements for the Society for Creative
Anachronism.
Subscription: email to SCA-Announc...@yahoogroups.com
More information:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SCA-Announce
Post to: SCA-An...@yahoogroups.com
Maintainer: SCA-Annou...@yahoogroups.com
SCA-CAID Kingdom of Caid topics
Subscription: http://www.sca-caid.org/commons/listrequestform.html
Maintainer: eli...@sca-caid.org
SCA-COOKS SCA-wide cooking and feast topics
Subscription: email to sca-cook...@ansteorra.org containing the
following line in the body of the message:
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OR for a periodic (daily) digest of messages,
SUBSCRIBE DIGEST
Post to: sca-...@ansteorra.org
Maintainer: Sir Gunthar Jonsson <sca-coo...@ansteorra.org>
SCA-CHRONICLER discussion of topics relating to SCA publishing
Subscription: email to majo...@midrealm.org, include
SUBSCRIBE SCA-CHRONICLER in the body of the message
Digest: email to majo...@midrealm.org, include
SUBSCRIBE SCA-CHRONICLER-DIGEST in the body
Post to: sca-chr...@midrealm.org
Maintainer: Dafydd Blaidd (Dave Majors) <daf...@midrealm.org>
SCA-DANCE Discussion of dance in the SCA
Subcription: mail to sca-danc...@andrew.cmu.edu
Post to: sca-...@andrew.cmu.edu
Maintainer: Filip of the March <sca-danc...@andrew.cmu.edu>
SCA-EAST East Kingdom topics
Subscription: mail to majo...@indra.com with a message body
having only the line
subscribe sca-east
Post to: sca-...@indra.com
Maintainer: Boyarina Yelizaveta Medvedeva <el...@indra.com>
SCA-EAST-ANNOUNCE East Kingdom Announcements
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having only the line
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Post to: sca-east...@indra.com
Maintainer: Boyarina Yelizaveta Medvedeva <el...@indra.com>
SCA-FENCE Civilized discussion of fencing in the Known World
Subscription: email to majo...@midrealm.org, include
SUBSCRIBE SCA-FENCE in the body of the message
Digest: email to majo...@midrealm.org, include
SUBSCRIBE SCA-FENCE-DIGEST in the body of the message
Post to: SCA-...@midrealm.org
Maintainer: Dafydd Wulfsson <daf...@midrealm.org>
SCA-NEWBIE Topics for newcomers to the Society for Creative Anachronism.
Subscription: email to SCA-newbie...@yahoogroups.com
more information:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SCA-newbie
Post to: SCA-n...@yahoogroups.com
Maintainer: SCA-newb...@yahoogroups.com
SCA_WEBMINISTERS Web topics for the Society for Creative Anachronism.
Subscription: email to SCA_Webminist...@yahoogroups.com
more information:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SCA_Webministers
Post to: SCA_Webm...@yahoogroups.com
Maintainer: SCA_Webmini...@yahoogroups.com
SCAHRLDS Heraldic discussion
Subscription: mail to LIST...@LISTSERV.AOL.COM with blank subject
line and body of:
SUB SCAHRLDS Firstname Lastname
substituting your name for First and Last name.
Post to: SCAH...@LISTSERV.AOL.COM
Maintainer: Kwellend-Njal Kolskeggsson (vn...@aol.net)
Digest: Contact Alan Fairfax (atte...@vela.acs.oakland.edu)
for details.
SCA-LAURELS SCA-wide Order of the Laurel topics
Subscription: email to sca-laure...@ansteorra.org containing the
following line in the body of the message:
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OR for a periodic (daily) digest of messages,
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Post to: sca-l...@ansteorra.org
Maintainer: Mistress Gunnora Hallakarva <sca-laur...@ansteorra.org>
SCA-MIDDLE Middle Kingdom mailing list
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SUBSCRIBE SCA-MIDDLE in the body of the message
Subscription: email to majo...@midrealm.org, include
SUBSCRIBE SCA-MIDDLE-DIGEST in the body of the message
Post to: sca-m...@midrealm.org
Maintainer: Dafydd Blaidd (Dave Majors) <daf...@midrealm.org>
SCA-NEWBIES Newcomer topics for the Society for Creative Anachronism.
Subscription: email to SCA-newbie...@yahoogroups.com
More information:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SCA-newbie
Post to: SCA-n...@yahoogroups.com
Maintainer: SCA-newb...@yahoogroups.com
SCA-RAPIER SCA-wide rapier/fencing topics
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Maintainer: Don Christian Dore <sca-rapi...@ansteorra.org>
SCA-WAR War strategies and tactics list
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Maintainer: <SCA-WA...@yahoogroups.com>
SCA-WEST West Kingdom
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http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SCA-WEST
Post to: SCA-...@yahoogroups.com
Maintainer: <SCA-WES...@yahoogroups.com>
SCA-WEST-ANNOUNCE West Kingdom Announcements
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More information:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SCA-WEST-ANNOUNCE
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Maintainer: <SCA-WEST-AN...@yahoogroups.com>
SCA-WWW Announcements of SCA WWW and other online resources
Subscription: mail to sca-www...@andrew.cmu.edu
Post to: sca...@andrew.cmu.edu
Maintainer: Filip of the March <sca-www...@andrew.cmu.edu>
SIEGE Siege engines, pre-black powder fortifications
Subscription: mail to list...@morgan.ucs.mun.ca with a blank
subject line and body of:
SUB SIEGE Firstname Lastname
substituting your name for First and Last name.
Maintainer: Sebastian Goral <amls...@plato.ucs.mun.ca>
Archives: via anonymous FTP at ftp://bransle.ucs.mun.ca/pub/sca/
SIEGECRAFT discussion of siegecraft and weapons in the SCA
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SUBSCRIBE SCA-SIEGE in the body of the message
Post to: SCA-...@midrealm.org
Maintainer: Dafydd Blaidd (Dave Majors) <daf...@midrealm.org>
STEPS Kingdom of An-Tir (The Cathedral Steps)
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Post to: st...@antir.sca.org
Maintainer: <owner...@antir.sca.org>
SUMMITS Principality of Summits
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following line in the body of the message:
SUBSCRIBE summits
Post to: sum...@peak.org
Maintainer: <owner-...@peak.org>
THE-ARMORY Making armor for SCA use
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Maintainer: <the-armo...@ansteorra.org>
TIMH Today in Medieval History
Subscription: email to TIMH-su...@yahoogroups.com
More information:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TIMH
Post to: TI...@yahoogroups.com
Maintainer: <TIMH-...@yahoogroups.com>
There are many public mailing sites such as egroups.com that have many SCA
mailing lists on them. Try looking for SCA, medieval or other similiar
search words as well as the specific topic you are interested in at:
http://groups.yahoo.com
or try:
http://dir.groups.yahoo.com/dir/Entertainment___Arts/Humanities/History/By_Time_Period/Medieval_and_Renaissance/Society_for_Creative_Anachronism?show_groups=1
For a web interface for subscriptions to some SCA lists try:
http://lists.ansteorra.org/lists.html
2.1.1 What other mailing lists of interest are there?
There are lots of other mailing lists that may be be of interest to
SCA people. Here is a listing of some of them. There are a number of
different mailing list programs, each of which has their own procedure
to subscribe to a list. Try sending mail to LISTSERV@<host address>,
or MAJORDOMO@<host address>, or LISTPROC@<host address>, where <host
address> is the part of the address for the list you're interested in
that comes after the @ sign. The mail should have nothing in the
subject line, and the body of the message should consist of nothing
more than SUB <listname> <yourname> where <listname> is the name of
the mailing list you are subscribing to (the part *before* the @ sign)
and <yourname> is your name. If this isn't quite the right format for
the mailing list software in use, read the error message you get in
return carefully, and you should be able to figure out the right
format.
If this is unsuccessful, try appending -Request to the name of the
list, and sending mail to that address. E.g., try to subscribe to
h-co...@indra.com by sending mail to h-costum...@indra.com.
Many of these lists are places where modern-world scholars
communicate, and therefore are not places where persona is appropriate
-- use your modern name.
ALBI...@VM.USC.EDU British and Irish history
ANCIENT...@YAHOOGROUPS.COM An archives of old recipes
ANS...@WVNVM.WVNET.EDU Anglo-Saxon and related subjects
ARTH...@MORGAN.UCS.MUN.CA Arthurian discussion
BIBLICAL...@YAHOOGROUPS.COM The whole gamut of Biblical Studies
BYZA...@LISTS.MISSOURI.EDU Byzantine studies
BRAIDSA...@BRAIDSOCIETY.ORG Braid Society discussion list
CELT...@LISTSERV.HEANET.IE Celtic culture
CHA...@UNLINFO.UNL.EDU Chaucer and Middle English
COMP...@PHOSPHOR-INK.COM Glass Beads
E...@PLAYFORD.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU English Country Dance
EMHI...@RUTVM1.RUTGERS.EDU Early modern history
H-...@YAHOOGROUPS.COM Historic feminist list
FIC...@CHASS.UTORONTO.CA Renaissance-Reformation studies
FOLK...@TAMVM1.TAMU.EDU Folklore
FRAN...@UNIV-RENNES1.FR French historical studies
GAEL...@LISTSERV.HEANET.IE Gaelic language group
GRMN...@VM.USC.EDU German history from 800 AD
H-CO...@INDRA.COM Historic Costume
IRISHH...@YAHOOGROUPS.COM Irish History
IRTR...@LISTSERV.HEANET.IE Irish traditional music
ISL...@ULKYVM.LOUISVILLE.EDU Islamic studies
MASTE...@YAHOOGROUPS.COM Medieval Cookery and History
MEDE...@SIUCVMB.SIU.EDU Mediaeval literature
MEDF...@U.WASHINGTON.EDU Medieval feminist studies
MEDI...@UKANVM.CC.UKANS.EDU Medieval history (283 AD to 1500 AD)
MEDT...@VMD.CSO.UIUC.EDU Medieval texts
NUMI...@UNIVSCVM.CSD.SCAROLINA.EDU Coinage up to c.1454
PER...@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU Performance theory and medieval drama
RE...@CHASS.UTORONTO.CA Medieval drama
RENA...@ULKYVM.LOUISVILLE.EDU Early modern history
REND...@MORGAN.UCS.MUN.CA Renaissance & Baroque dance
SPICE...@YAHOOGROUPS.COM Middle east during medieval times
TM...@IUBVM.UCS.INDIANA.EDU Online medieval Latin music theory texts
WWL...@YAHOOGROUPS.COM Warp Weighted Loom List
http://www.mailbase.ac.uk/other/elib.html
Electronic Library lists.
http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/ifla/II/lists/diglib.htm
Discussion list for Digital Libraries.
http://info.lib.uh.edu/pacsl.html
Public-access computer systems forum.
http://www.konbib.nl/infolev/elag/elag
European library automation group list.
http://www.mailbase.ac.uk/lists/lis-link
List for digital/electronic library.
http://www.netsword.com/cgi-bin/Ultimate.cgi
NetSword Discussion Forums
http://www.demon.co.uk/apl385/medievallife/subscrip.htm
Medieval Life Magazine
http://www.renaissancemagazine.com
Renaissance Magazine
Fidonet MEDIEVAL Echo Inquiries to David Aronson
<postm...@f120.n109.z1.fidonet.org>
2.2 Are there archives of SCA information that I can access?
Yes. There are several sites that contain various files of SCA
information, including this file, Corpora, the Heraldic Rules for
Submission, the Online Armorial, several kingdom's laws, rules for
combat, and so on. Each site has a different collection of material,
so you may need to investigate more than one to find what you need.
2.2.1 Archives via FTP?
Contact your local system administrator to learn how to use anonymous
FTP to retrieve these files. Those without FTP access should send
e-mail to mail-...@rtfm.mit.edu with "send
usenet/news.answers/finding-sources" in the body to find out how to do
FTP by e-mail.
ftp://ftp.pbm.com/pub/sca
maintained by lin...@pbm.com (Gregory Blount)
2.2.2 Archives via Gopher?
Contact your local system administrator for a gopher client.
gopher://heort.bsuvc.bsu.edu
administered by Gwydion ap Myrddin <00mj...@bsuvc.bsu.edu>
2.2.3 Archives via World Wide Web?
Contact your local system administrator for a WWW browser.
The web pages available are changing so dynamically that I don't want
to attempt to keep a list up to date here. Instead, use this link, and
search for other sites of interest to you from here. If you have a web
page you want to make known, look at this page to find the most
appropriate place to link it in.
An SCA search engine can be found at:
This site has nearly 400 sites signed up on a variety of topics of
interest to SCA members.
2.3 Does anyone have a contact in ...
One option for finding people is to look in the Rolls Ethereal. This
works best if you know someone's name.
Another option is to look in the Home Page Listing maintained by
Ellisif Flakkari at
http://sca.uwaterloo.ca/sca-people
2.4 What are the Rolls Ethereal?
The Rolls Ethereal list people on the Rialto, at least name and
electronic address, and often interests, location, and awards. The
Rolls are maintained by Justin du Coeur <ro...@waks.org>
They are available via World Wide Web at
http://www.waks.org/rolls
2.5 What's this alt.sca I found?
The first SCA newsgroup was named alt.sca. When the traffic grew to a
respectable size, we moved to rec.org.sca because the rec hierarchy
gets better distribution. alt.sca is currently defunct, but still
carried at some sites. We recommend that users of alt.sca move over to
rec.org.sca, and ask their system administrator to remove alt.sca from
their system, to avoid future confusion.
2.6 Where can I get songs and lyrics?
There are a number of sites that archive song sources. Many of these
are dial-up sites, requiring the use of a modem. Please do not ask for
technical help with this on the Rialto -- there are sure to be better
sources of this information close to you.
TIDMADT, Atlantia (703) 370-7054
SCRIBE, Ansteorra (214) 826-8141
City of London, Trimaris (407) 895-1335
The Black Book of Locksley http://www.locksley.com/blackbook/
---------- End of Rialto FAQ part02 ----------
p...@pug.net
Last-modified: 1998-10-24
rec.org.sca and s...@mc.lcs.mit.edu FAQ
or
Questions Frequently Asked on the Rialto
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Guide to Posting Style
Each line of text posted to the Rialto is stored on thousands of
Usenet machines, and is also processed through the digestifier
software and mailed out to every recipient of the digest. Many of the
readers of the Rialto must pay for disk space and connect time.
Keeping this in mind, here are some common-sense guidelines for polite
use of the Rialto. These are just suggestions: there are no rules.
However, following these guidelines would be a courtesy to your fellow
Rialtans, and to the good and generous institutions whose machines
support our communication. Many of these suggestions are adapted from
regular postings on news.announce.newusers, notably "Rules for Posting
to Usenet," "What is Usenet?", "A Primer on How to Work with the
Usenet," and "Hints on Writing Style for Usenet." If you have access
to that newsgroup, please take the opportunity to read these postings.
* Keep it short. Say what you have to say, but in the fewest words
possible that make your meaning clear. Brevity that obscures
meaning is not very useful.
* Quote only what you must from previous articles.
+ Don't quote someone's entire signature, or blank space.
+ Don't include an entire article in order to append a single
line of text.
+ Often a paraphrase will be clearer and more succinct than a
quote.
* Use white space as necessary for clarity in your posting, and no
more.
* Use a signature, but keep it short. People appreciate knowing who
and where you are (SCA and modern). Include your email address in
your signature, and enough of your name, titles, location etc. to
ensure an unambiguous identification. People do not appreciate
paying phone bills to transmit over-large signatures, and Usenet
etiquette frowns very strongly on many-line signatures or
signatures with graphics.
* Reply by mail, unless your message is going to be of general
interest. Of course, the Rialto is eclectic enough that a serious
discussion of almost any relevant topic will interest some people.
Use your best judgement to balance the level of general interest
against the cost of posting your message to the Rialto. Postings
whose content amounts to "you're an idiot" or "I demand you
apologize for ..." are most emphatically *NOT* welcome.
* If you have a problem reaching someone by e-mail contact your
system administrator, write to postmaster at your correspondent's
node, or ask someone on the net who seems to know a lot about
e-mail. Please avoid posting a message about it - you are trying
to send something to someone on ONE system. Posting sends it to
all the thousands of systems throughout the world that make up the
Rialto - which is going to cost someone, even if not you, a lot of
money.
* Please don't post local event announcements. This is another
"balance the general interest value against the cost" issue. Local
event announcements probably will be of interest to only a small
fraction of the readership of the Rialto. A brief mention of an
event in a signature, or a 2 or 3 line summary with "email for
more information" is perfectly in order.
* Write carefully. People reading your postings can't hear your tone
of voice or see your expression, and probably don't know you well
enough to know whether you are serious or joking. Sarcasm is
guaranteed to be misunderstood by someone. It is better to avoid
it entirely, or at least clearly mark it with something like
<SARCASM ON> ...sarcasm... <SARCASM OFF>.
* LOTS of people read the Rialto, and the newsgroup is completely
public. Don't post anything you wouldn't want to say in a room
filled with complete strangers, your boss, your parent's
relatives, reporters from the National Enquirer, the peerage and
royalty of your kingdom, etc. They might well be reading. Take the
time to re-read your posting, and to think whether you *really*
want to say that.
* Don't get offended, and don't offend others - most of the people
reading the Rialto are SCAdians, and would prefer being your
friend to the alternative. Treat people well and they will
assuredly respond in kind. If someone appears to be offended by a
posting of yours, especially if the offense is unintended, the
best response is to apologize via email. Also, note that "I'm
sorry you took it that way" is inadequate as an apology -- better
is "I'm sorry I offended you." The first implicitly shifts the
blame to the offended person, while the second does not.
* Use the subject line. If you can describe your topics in the
subject line of your posting, please do so. Posting with Subject:
Various is pretty pointless, isn't it? :-) If you are replying to
a previous posting, and you have shifted the topic, please correct
the subject line. Some people will make note of the previous
subject like this: Subject: Two-sword technique (Was Re: Pennsic)
* Avoid posting binary files. This includes graphic files (.GIF,
.JPG, .BMP, etc.) as well as most word processor files, and
especially file attachments. Even if your email system says it
does MIME encoding, don't count on the recipients of your message
being able to make sense of anything but a simple ASCII text file.
This includes binary files that have been encoded with UUEncode,
or a similar program. Such encoding will allow the files to pass
through news and mail systems without damage, but take up very
large amounts of space and network bandwidth. Instead of posting
these files, better to find a place to put them that is accessible
via ftp or http (World Wide Web), and post a note to the Rialto
announcing their availability. This will allow those who are
interested and have the technology available to make use of your
file to retrieve it at their convenience, while minimizing the
inconvenience and expense to everyone else.
---------- End of Rialto FAQ part04 ----------
p...@pug.net
Last-modified: 2000-6-13
rec.org.sca and s...@mc.lcs.mit.edu FAQ
or
Questions Frequently Asked on the Rialto
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Section 3: Miscellaneous questions.
3.1 What does AS stand for?
Anno Societatis, or Year of the Society, counted from May 1, 1966 CE.
(CE = Common Era, used to avoid the religious connotations of AD, or
Anno Domini)
3.2 Other abbreviations you may run across:
A&S
Arts and Sciences (not to be confused with AS, above)
BTW
By The Way
CMA
Current Middle Ages
FAQ
Frequently Asked Question(s)
FYI
For Your Information
IMHO
In My Honest/Humble Opinion
MKA
Modernly (or Mundanely) Known As
OOP
Out Of Period
:-)
not really an abbreviation, the "smiley" informally indicates
humor. Turn your head sideways to the left to understand it.
3.3 Why don't we have a badge for all the Rialto people to wear?
We have an informal agreement that a piece of netting worn on your
person or hanging about your camp indicates you visit the Rialto.
Remember there are people that have nets around that do *not* visit
here.
3.4 What is Period?
The period (and place) of interest to the SCA, as defined in Corpora
and the By-Laws, is Western Europe and cultures that had contact with
Western Europe before the 17th Century.
3.5 What is the Grand Council?
The Grand Council is a body of 20-40 people, chartered by the Board of
Directors to develop recommendations on improving the structures of
the SCA, Inc. It is not a strictly representative body and has no
power to legislate. Its membership has been chosen to represent as
many different viewpoints on the SCA as possible. Major discussions
are open for the public to read, see the listing for the Grand Council
mailing list for details.
Section 4: Recurring events:
4.1 What is Pennsic? When is Pennsic?
Pennsic is an annual war, with the main contenders being the East and
Middle Kingdoms. It is the largest recurring event in the Laurel
Kingdoms, with attendance in 1996 of just under 10,000. It has taken
place since 1972, and has been held at Coopers Lake Campground near
Slippery Rock, PA since 1977. The main battles of the war are held the
third weekend in August, with other activities taking place the week
and weekend preceding that. Pennsic was so named from "Pennsylvania"
on the model of "Punic." More information can be found at
http://www.pennsicwar.org
4.2 What is Estrella? When is Estrella?
Estrella is an annual war between four Principle Kingdoms - Atenveldt,
Artemisia, Caid and Outlands. They change allies each year at the treaty
negotiations. It has taken place since 1985, and is held at Schnepf Farms
near Queen Creek, Az. It is held on President's Day weekend (February).
More information can be found at http://www.estrellawar.org
4.3 What is Lilies? When is Lilies?
Lilies is an annual war that takes place in Calontir. Each year a new
scenario is developed to vary the sides. Past scenarios have included
Winter Queens vs. Summer Queens, Laurels vs. Pelicans, Baronies vs.
Shires, and so on. It takes place at Smithville Lake, near Kansas
City, MO.
4.4 What is Gulf War? When is Gulf War?
Gulf War is an annual war between Ansteorra and Trimaris, being hosted
by Meridies. It takes place at King's Arrow Ranch near Lumberton, MS. It
is currently held during "spring break" in mid-March each year. More
information can be found at http://www.gulfwars.org
Section 5: Difficult topics:
There are some topics that recur fairly regularly that are almost
guaranteed to cause heated debate. These topics generally involve
matters of opinion, where debate can be entertaining, amusing, or
informative, but often devolves into name-calling or worse. Below is a
listing of some such topics, including a brief summary of the major
points of view on each. If you decide to bring up one of these topics
on the Rialto, be prepared for lengthy, and perhaps unfriendly,
argument. If you seriously are interested in changing how the SCA as
an organization deals with these topics, remember you *MUST* *WRITE*
the Board of Directors with your opinions to effect any change on the
organization as a whole. You will *not* change anything simply through
discussing it on the Rialto.
5.0.5 How do I write the Board of Directors?
(The following text was written by Ragnar the Bold, known in modern
life as Keith Cartmell, a former member of the Board of Directors.)
What sort of a letter is most likely to influence the Board on a
decision? Some of this will be plainly obvious, but you should see
some of the letters the Board has received. Hope this clears up
misconceptions.
Address it to:
Board of Directors
P.O. Box 360789
Milpitas, CA. 95036-0789
Do not send copies to individual directors, or the Society Seneschal,
since copies will be made and sent out in the Board packets.
Keep your letter to one topic. If you wish to address several
different topics, send several letters in the same envelope. The
secretary will find it easier to correctly handle your letter if you
clearly state the topic at the beginning. Letters that address an
agenda item will be numbered with it. If your letter comments on
several agenda items, it becomes a nightmare to correctly file, and
find again when wanted. If it does not comment on any established
agenda item, it will be placed into VII, Correspondence. It will be
assigned to a director for a response. Every letter should get a
response. Your letters are carefully read to see if a new agenda item
must be created. This is done at the Committee of the Whole meeting,
and any letters on the same topic will be moved to the new agenda
item.
The Board packets add up to a pile of paper that is never less than
about 3" thick. To make the best impression your letter should be
clear, and to the point. The letter is photocopied, and the original
filed, so getting everything on one side of an 8.5 x 11 page helps.
Multiple pages should be clearly labeled 1 of x, 2 of x, ect, and
don't staple. The main consideration in print medium is easy to read.
Dark typewritten print is great. A 9 pin printer in draft mode badly
needs a fresh ribbon. Handwritten; if you must, use dark ink, double
space, and be as neat as possible. For most people (especially me)
hand printing is neater than handwriting. It must be signed, and if
your name is printed underneath it will be spelled that way in the
minutes. The Board will not accept anonymous correspondence.
Timing. Sooner is better. Sending a letter about 2 to 6 weeks *after*
the latest meeting is about ideal, or about 2 months *prior* to the
next. The packets are smaller and the directors are not trying to cope
with all the last minute essentials.
If your letter is a request for the Board to act as the final step in
the channels for complaint and appeal, please include a summary of all
the attempts to resolve the situation. Be meticulous about dates,
actions, and who you send copies to. Remember that Board action will
affect the entire SCA, not just your situation.
5.1 Same-sex consorts.
Current situation: According to Corpora the Sovereign and Consort must
be of opposite gender, i.e. one male and one female by plumbing,
regardless of affectional preference.
Pro: Those people in favor of allowing same-sex consorts feel that
modern sensibilities are more important than historical practice, and
that in the spirit of making the SCA as inclusive as possible, people
should be allowed to fight in Crown Tourney for their significant
other, regardless of their affectional preference.
Con: Those people against allowing same-sex consorts feel that
historical accuracy is important, and that as there are no historical
examples of a sovereign having a consort of the same sex, the SCA
should not permit it. An additional argument is that the majority of
the SCA is heterosexual, and that by having two members of the same
sex on the throne, approximately half the SCA is deprived of a role
model during that reign.
5.2 Selecting the Crown.
Current situation: In all kingdoms, the Sovereign is chosen by a
regularly recurring, double elimination Crown Tourney. The frequency
of this tourney varies by kingdom. The victor of this tourney becomes
the Heir to the throne (title varies by kingdom), and the person for
whom the victor fought becomes the Heir's Consort. After some period
of time as Heirs, they are crowned Sovereign and Consort.
Proposals: We have seen many varied proposals on the Rialto for
alternative ways of selecting the Sovereign. Each is treated
separately below. In all cases, take as given the opinion (both Pro
and Con) "We've never done it that way before."
1. Allow champions in Crown Tourney. A person would fight in Crown
Tourney for a couple. If that person is victorious, the couple would
become Sovereign and Consort. The fighter, in most versions of this
proposal, would be required to serve as Champion throughout the reign,
and would not be permitted to fight in Crown Tourney while they are
Champion. Pro: allows non-fighters to be Sovereign. Con: people
express worries about 'kingmakers' and hiring of champions.
2. Structure Crown Tourney as some combination of single combat and
melee. Pro: better selects the Sovereign for leadership abilities.
Looks more like historical 'wars of succession' to some people. Con:
too much opportunity for ugly politics in deciding who fights on which
team(s). Too unwieldy a tournament to finish in one day.
3. Select the Sovereign using some methods other than fighting
tournament. Various combinations of A&S combination, archery, fencing,
and so on have all been suggested at one time or another. Pro: allows
non-fighters to be Sovereign. Emphasizes something other than fighting
as the way to get ahead. Con: subjective nature of judging leaves too
much opportunity for ugly politics. There are no historical examples
of rulers being chosen by similar means.
Section 6: How do you join the SCA?
Find your local group and show up. To attend an event, you must wear
some attempt at pre-17th century clothing. If you like it, you may
want to become a registered member, which among other things gets you
newsletters. The Office of the Registry will provide basic
introductory material, including a copy of your kingdom newsletter, on
request. They also have packets of material available for teachers.
The Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc.
Office of the Registry
P.O. Box 360789
Milpitas, CA 95036-0789
USA
408-263-9305
408-263-0641 fax
In Australia (The Principality of Lochac), contact:
Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc.
PO Box 1623
Kersbrook 5231
South Australia
AUSTRALIA
---------- End of Rialto FAQ part03 ----------