Vuk Cosic on Tue, 20 Aug 1996 10:05:23 +0100 |
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The Avatar, Internet Cafe, Sarajevo |
------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- Date: Wed, 17 Jul 1996 15:40:32 +0200 To: vuk@kud-fp.si From: sowden@ms.mff.cuni.cz (Morgan Sowden) Subject: The Avatar, Internet Cafe, Sarajevo The Avatar, Internet Cafe, opened its doors on July 5th 1996 in Sarajevo, Bosnia Herzegovina. We are open 8am thru curfew (Currently 11 pm), serve cold Czech Budweiser on tap, sandwiches and coffee. We Currently have one PowerMac 7100 with a 21" monitor, a 14.4 Kb link to the Electrotechnical faculty and a UPS to protect us from nasty Bosnian power surges. So far we have had a mixed bag of customers including the man off the street, Bosnian NetHeads, computerphobes, the American Embassy staff, IFOR troops and drunkards. The American Ambassador has promised to come if we agree to play the Pulp Fiction soundtrack, the Minister for Education visited the other night, editors from Slobodna Bosna, Studio 99, BH television and others have shown up from time to time. We have sponsored a local film festival and will continue to support the Arts here in Bosnia. Opening this place was a tough nine months (We began paperwork in October). I would like to thank a lot of people, mostly Bosnians, I would also like hang the carpenter and drive a wooden stake through his heart. All info: Morgan Sowden The Avatar Pruscakova 3 Sarajevo Bosnia Herzegovina Tel: +387.71.668447 Temporary email: sowden@ms.mff.cuni.cz ---------------------- Vuk, Internet Politics here has gone crazy with everybody playing a "My Dick is Bigger" game with each other. Sorors is threatening to withdraw all the equipment from the University to set up its own node, The University wants to keep control and give Interenet only to accademic institutions, The dutch want some sort of better organization, nobody is working at UTIS (The Intrenet Center at the faculty) making it very difficoult for users to access the computer room or get an Internet account. Its a mess, its chaos, and everybody is fluttering their feathers like peacocks on acid. I have been trying to negotiate a leased line with the university for 8 months but because nobody is in control there is nobody that can give me a definite answer. The biggest lesson I have learned in Sarajevo is that Aid angencies and Humanitarian organiztions are only after their own self interests. I have a a fairly succesful cafe, provide Internet for free and am helping about 10 or 15 people a day understand what Internet is and how to use it as a useful tool. This, sort of, is an answer to your recent email asking about my interet connection. Hope all is well in Ljublijana, K4, Kud, etc.... regards morgan