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The SIMTEL20 collection ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simtel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simtel ) was maintained by the late Keith Petersen - W8SDZ. Keith

The SIMTEL20 collection ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simtel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simtel ) was maintained by the late Keith Petersen - W8SDZ. Keith passed away in 2017, aged 80 ( https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/freep/obituary.aspx?n=keith-b-petersen&pid=184288599 https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/freep/obituary.aspx?n=keit... ) I was happy to have met him and thanked him for his services.

jes 6y ago
In the amateur radio community, hams who pass away are known as "Silent Keys," a reference to a telegraph (Morse Code) key that is no longer being used. The phrase is poignant to me. At 61 years of age passing away is for me a thought that appears more and more often in consciousness. Yet it's not scary or something I dread.
- Jayschwa 6y ago
  > Yet it's not scary or something I dread. Has that always been the case for you, or is it something that has gotten easier to think about as you've aged?
  - jes 6y ago
    I think it's been that I had the sense that I had to accomplish great things before I passed away. Strong sense of ego, I think. Over the last five years or so, my perspective has changed such that I don't feel any need to accomplish big things or act in ways that are self-aggrandizing. One of the things I work on from time to time is trying to dissolve a sense of ego. I think all of life comes down to luck, at a very high level or in a very abstract sense. I don't believe in free will, and I don't think anyone knows why they are doing what they are doing in any meaningful way. I do think the brain confabulates great stories for ourselves and others to explain our actions in the world. I have mentioned this before, but I like the "Chill Step" recordings of Alan Watts on YouTube. Maybe his philosophy is just a comforting story, but honestly, would anyone want a story that prevented them from being at ease in the world? Thank you for that question.
    - blippage 6y ago
      I'm not far behind you age-wise. I'm increasingly subscribing to the philosophy "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity". Like, people who work for Google and Facebook. It's all a big deal for them. For me, it's "meh", whatever. I'm not saying those people aren't bright, of course, but being intelligent doesn't mean you know everything. I've thought that the coolest place to work for would probably be NASA, actually. I also believe that nobody can know many things for sure, especially when it comes to the political arena and the future. Ideas which are so sure in other people's minds seem more like facets of a larger picture to me. Some things I know will be disastrous, other things I think "meh, give it a shot, sounds wacky, but it might just work". I do believe in free will, though.
- bdefore 6y ago
  Thank you for introducing me to 'Silent Keys'. It's a great way to remember my dad. I'll introduce a story about him: My father was unable to get ahold of my mother (with me inside) who had made an emergency visit due to me putting up such a fuss being trapped and wanting out. She was not home when he got home from work. He tried calling the hospital but either no one picked up or could help him. It was at that point that he reached out to some friends he had on the ham radio who managed to contact another radio enthusiast who lived nearby the hospital who was able to walk over and confirm that she was indeed there. At which point he got in his Dodge Omni and drove into town. I remember thinking it remarkable when he described this to me years later as perfectly reasonable and that he had to reach out from the Adirondacks to someone in Mississippi who then reached out to someone back in the Adirondacks due to practicalities I still don't really understand. Something about how it was more reliable to communicate past a certain distance than someone very close to you. I think I ended up all right, birthed 10 days late. Poor mom.
  - jes 6y ago
    That’s a wonderful story. Thank you for sharing it. In general, I think amateur radio operators are still mostly like that. Most of the hams I know respect the hobby and its rules, and will gladly relay emergency traffic without delay. Many do even more, including being members of groups like ARES and RACES. 73 DE KJ7RDV
myself248 6y ago
Whoah! I had no idea this started locally. That might explain why it was later hosted by Oakland.edu, as well. The excursion to White Sands being temporary... ;)
simtel20 6y ago
I chose this account name because if how fondly I remember getting shareware and freeware from simtel20.wsmr.army.mil.gov (iirc) in my first years on the internet. I once ran into someone in a game who said "hey, I used to put backup tapes in that when I was in the service" or something to that effect. It's wild.

jes 6y ago

In the amateur radio community, hams who pass away are known as "Silent Keys," a reference to a telegraph (Morse Code) key that is no longer being used. The phrase is poignant to me. At 61 years of age passing away is for me a thought that appears more and more often in consciousness. Yet it's not scary or something I dread.

Jayschwa 6y ago
> Yet it's not scary or something I dread. Has that always been the case for you, or is it something that has gotten easier to think about as you've aged?
- jes 6y ago
  I think it's been that I had the sense that I had to accomplish great things before I passed away. Strong sense of ego, I think. Over the last five years or so, my perspective has changed such that I don't feel any need to accomplish big things or act in ways that are self-aggrandizing. One of the things I work on from time to time is trying to dissolve a sense of ego. I think all of life comes down to luck, at a very high level or in a very abstract sense. I don't believe in free will, and I don't think anyone knows why they are doing what they are doing in any meaningful way. I do think the brain confabulates great stories for ourselves and others to explain our actions in the world. I have mentioned this before, but I like the "Chill Step" recordings of Alan Watts on YouTube. Maybe his philosophy is just a comforting story, but honestly, would anyone want a story that prevented them from being at ease in the world? Thank you for that question.
  - blippage 6y ago
    I'm not far behind you age-wise. I'm increasingly subscribing to the philosophy "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity". Like, people who work for Google and Facebook. It's all a big deal for them. For me, it's "meh", whatever. I'm not saying those people aren't bright, of course, but being intelligent doesn't mean you know everything. I've thought that the coolest place to work for would probably be NASA, actually. I also believe that nobody can know many things for sure, especially when it comes to the political arena and the future. Ideas which are so sure in other people's minds seem more like facets of a larger picture to me. Some things I know will be disastrous, other things I think "meh, give it a shot, sounds wacky, but it might just work". I do believe in free will, though.
bdefore 6y ago
Thank you for introducing me to 'Silent Keys'. It's a great way to remember my dad. I'll introduce a story about him: My father was unable to get ahold of my mother (with me inside) who had made an emergency visit due to me putting up such a fuss being trapped and wanting out. She was not home when he got home from work. He tried calling the hospital but either no one picked up or could help him. It was at that point that he reached out to some friends he had on the ham radio who managed to contact another radio enthusiast who lived nearby the hospital who was able to walk over and confirm that she was indeed there. At which point he got in his Dodge Omni and drove into town. I remember thinking it remarkable when he described this to me years later as perfectly reasonable and that he had to reach out from the Adirondacks to someone in Mississippi who then reached out to someone back in the Adirondacks due to practicalities I still don't really understand. Something about how it was more reliable to communicate past a certain distance than someone very close to you. I think I ended up all right, birthed 10 days late. Poor mom.
- jes 6y ago
  That’s a wonderful story. Thank you for sharing it. In general, I think amateur radio operators are still mostly like that. Most of the hams I know respect the hobby and its rules, and will gladly relay emergency traffic without delay. Many do even more, including being members of groups like ARES and RACES. 73 DE KJ7RDV

myself248 6y ago

Whoah! I had no idea this started locally. That might explain why it was later hosted by Oakland.edu, as well. The excursion to White Sands being temporary... ;)

simtel20 6y ago

I chose this account name because if how fondly I remember getting shareware and freeware from simtel20.wsmr.army.mil.gov (iirc) in my first years on the internet. I once ran into someone in a game who said "hey, I used to put backup tapes in that when I was in the service" or something to that effect. It's wild.