Baud introduces the story of the beginning of the BBS, including interviews with Ward Christensen and Randy Suess, who used a snowstorm as an inspiration to change the world.
Sysops and Users introduces the stories of the people who used BBSes, and lets them tell their own stories of living in this new world.
Ward's interview stands as the most stressful of all of them, simply because of the pressure of interviewing the guy who invented the thing the documentary is about. I had done everything I could to ensure there'd be no "surprises" with the session. I'd interviewed folks for a month beforehand, and even scheduled a flight to Washington DC a week before I went to Chicago, simply to see if going on a plane with the equipment would cause any issues. It didn't and it hasn't (although I've had to take all of the equipment out of my camera bag and show them to security guards more than I care to mention). I pored over historical documents related to Ward and the history around him, and I had a list of questions in my mind to ask him. We had the interview scheduled for that night, a few hours after I'd get in, figuring I'd need a little time to get my rental car and find the location. Disaster struck when I arrived at T.F. Green airport in Providence, walked up to the ticket counter, and was told that since I had arrived 45 minutes before the flight, there simply was no way I was going on it. Not only that, but I got the real great "you're an idiot" attitude from the ticket counter person, like I'd worn a silly hat to a debutante ball. I begged and pleaded for something to be done, some other move or action we could take that might get me in the air that night, even paying more money, but they were adamant; I was not going anywhere. I was basically in tears; here I had assembled this history-filled weekend, starting off with the father of it all, and there was no way I was going to make it there that night. I went downstairs and called Ward at a payphone. He was gracious and understanding, and even went as far to say that my cancelling Friday was in fact a boon, because he had a major project at work and this would give him the whole night to work on it. I went back to the counter and asked if I could have my ticket moved to a flight the next morning, and was t
Interview with Dr. Trevor Marshall, conducted on May 19, 2003 in Thousand Oaks, California.
Interview with Loren Jones conducted on January 25, 2004 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Make it Pay covers the BBS industry that rose in the 1980's and grew to fantastic heights before disappearing almost overnight.
Fidonet covers the largest volunteer-run computer network in history, and the people who made it a joy and a political nightmare.
Artscene tells the rarely-heard history of the ANSI Art Scene that thrived in the BBS world, where art was currency and battles waged over nothing more than pure talent.
Interview with Jack Rickard, conducted on January 27, 2004 in southern Missouri.
HPAC (Hacking Phreaking Anarchy Cracking) hears from some of the users of "underground" BBSes and their unique view of the world of information and computers.
No Carrier wishes a fond farewell to the dial-up BBS and its integration into the Internet.
Compression tells the story of the PKWARE/SEA legal battle of the late 1980s and how a fight that broke out over something as simple as data compression resulted in waylaid lives and lost opportunity.
Interview with employees of Mustang Software, including Larry Friesen, conducted on August 1, 2002 in Bakersfield, California.
Interview with Doctor Ripco, conducted on January 23, 2004 in Chicago, IL.
An interview with Stephen Jones of SDF.org fame.
