1000 AAQ - Talon Digest

If you arrived at this page directly or via a search engine, and you do not see the index frame at left, click here to go to the complete 1000AAQ pages.

The Last Word: The Digest, like the DSM marque, has been fading for a while. Neither will ever return.

I stopped receiving issues of the Talon Digest? Why?
What happened to the Talon Digest?
There's lots of stuff missing/incomplete/broken at www.dsm.org! What happened? Why doesn't anybody fix it?

The Talon Digest has been unofficially discontinued since September 20, 2002 when the last issue was mailed out. I say "unofficially" because there was no announcement from the list moderator that he was going to cease operations. Rather, the hiatus was expected to be temporary and brief.

At this time the fate of the Digest is not known. It is likely, however, that it will never resume operations. The same might be true of the main www.dsm.org site, and the Talon Digest archives, both of which have been in and out of service. This is unfortunate, since these sites were the central rallying point for all DSMers in search of information.

With the demise of the main Digest, UBB systems have taken over as the primary communications method among DSM owners.

It must be noted that the Talon Digest existing by the desire of the list owner, Todd Day. Todd spent more than ten years in meticulously daily editing of dozens of submissions, creation of unique and customized mailing list software, and construction of some of the best DSM websites ever to be seen. He rarely ever took a "day off" from these tasks, even when away from home. The workload he experienced can only be compared to that of a full-time IT position for a medium-sized business, yet he received no payment for these services, and still managed to keep a full-time conventional occupation, race his car, co-ordinate other DSM website, disassemble the unique code of the DSM ECU, create his own ECU customization business, and have a good time doing it.

Those who might be dismayed at the demise of the Digest and decline of www.dsm.org should consider three points very seriously:

Firstly, Todd's decade-long dedication is unquestionably one of the greatest - if not THE greatest - donation of time and effort, by any individual, anywhere, at any time, to the DSM community. Anyone who suggests otherwise is obviously ignorant of history and does not deserve a reply.

Secondly, his efforts directly resulted in the DSM resources that exist today, including this FAQ, the VFAQs, and the subregional boards with their UBB systems. Todd literally started it all.

Thirdly, these resources all exist because someone wishes them to exist. Those who whine about how valuable resources such as the archive search, pics.dsm.org and the main website are gone (or in decline) would be better off devoting their efforts to helping to restore these resources to the DSM world.

Don't see frames? Click here! Submit new information now!

How do I unsubscribe from the Talon Digest?

To subscribe or unsubscribe from the text version of the Digest, send mail to talon-digest-request@dsm.org with the word "help" in the body of the message.

To subscribe or unsubscribe from the HTML version of the Digest, send mail to talon-digest-html-request@dsm.org with the word "help" in the body of the message.

If this fails, read this for some tips on how to troubleshoot the problem. Note that the Talon Digest list name is "talon-digest" for the normal version, or "talon-digest-html" for the HTML version. If one list name doesn't seem to work, try the other - you may have forgotton you changed versions.

Don't see frames? Click here! Submit new information now!

What are the rules for the Talon Digest?
I don't see my posts in the Digest! Why not?
My posts for the Digest are coming back to me! What's wrong?

There is no list of 'rules' for the Digest. The primary and only expectation is one of a high standard of conduct, as judged by the list moderator. He has the power to modify, delete or reject anything sent to the membership. Basic expectations include conventions for message formatting and content. If messages are being returned to you, it is most likely the work of the Digest robot, which checks posts for formatting and content.

Message format conventions include:

A 75 character line length.
No attachments of any type.

Message content conventions include:

Content directly pertaining to DSMs.
Descriptive subject lines, including abbreviations to help target your audience (i.e. [1G,T] )
Correct spelling and punctuation, including paragraph breaks.
No flames or intentionally antagonistic posts, even in self-defense.
No swearing or profanity.
No posts solely for the purpose of commercial advertising.

Typical mistakes include:

Including the entire text of the previous Digest in your reply.
Trying to send binary or MIME attachments to the Digest.
Word substitutions, such are "breaks" for "brakes".
Using new variations of audience abbreviations, (i.e. [1 Gen, non-turbo] or [1GNT] instead of [1G, NT] ).
Attaching big signatures to your message.
Forgetting to hit [Enter] at 75 columns.
Overuse or incorrect use of periods, commas, asterisks and other punctuation.
Forgetting to format your message into easily read paragraphs.
Sending mail to the list moderator's personal address, then forwarding his reply to the list, where he has to edit it all over again.
Cross-posting messages to other people or other mailing lists. Replies from other recipients are usually (and accidentally) sent to the Digest as well, meaning the list moderator has to clean up a lot.

Hints include:

Activating or utilizing your spelling checker, if you have one.
Proofreading your message carefully before sending.
Keeping paragraphs short.
Exercising restraint.
Understanding that sarcasm and tongue-in-cheek humor can easily be misinterpreted by others not familiar with you personally.
Correct and frequent use of 'emoticons', or 'smilies' to indicate humor and other emotional content.

This is not, and is not intended to be, a complete listing of conventions. Again, the only true requirement is that of a high standard of conduct. If you are unable to understand a message sent to you from the Digest robot, email Todd Day with your question. Remember he is a busy guy (why do you think he has the robot in the first place...) so it might take a few days for him to respond.

Although not as strictly enforced, this rule set also generally applies to "local" bulletin board systems for DSMs and other topics. With the extinction of the mailing list Digest, Ultimate Bulletin Board (UBB) systems have proliferated, with varying degrees of success and moderator control. Some boards are tolerant, while others are not.

It is important to realize that the Talon Digest, and virtually all works connected with the Digest, are the work of individuals sharing information and resources for the common good of the DSM community. Those involved in disagreements with the principals involved often complain they do not get a 'fair' hearing. To this complaint, Todd Day (the Talon Digest moderator) replies:

"It is not custom among the educated and polite to back-handedly insult those who are freely giving their time and machinery and then expect a message to be propagated by those thusly insulted."

Don't see frames? Click here! Submit new information now!

What is the deadline for submitting to the Digest?

Digest collection for the day ends at 12:00 noon Pacific time.

Don't see frames? Click here! Submit new information now!

Do new users have to 'introduce themselves' to the readers of the Digest?

No. Although you may write an introduction if you wish, there is no requirement. Many experienced users ignore introductions, so if you have a problem, question or information to share, one way of getting people to not read it is to preface with an introduction. This is because introductory posts usually contain one or more questions that are answered in FAQs like this one.

Read the History Page for details on Digest etiquette and history.

Don't see frames? Click here! Submit new information now!

I don't see my signature file in my Digest posts - why not?

They have been cut out for the sake of brevity. Daily issues of the Digest often get quite large and there is no need to add to the burden with long, irrelevant and distracting .sig files. Short DSM-related taglines are permitted and will not be cut.

Don't see frames? Click here! Submit new information now!

I don't see my attachments in my Digest posts - why not?

For size reasons, the list throws away all attachments.

Don't see frames? Click here! Submit new information now!

My emails to the Digest moderator are coming back to me! What's wrong?

You may be using an ISP that has been blacklisted because their system is not set up properly. Their problems can and do allow spammers to route unsolicited e-mail to thousands of people each day. Several services have been set up to identify these sites and encourage the system administrators (who are largely nice people, but unaware of the problem) to fix their systems. In this manner, the responsible majority hope to slow the endless flood of spam from the ignorant, malicious and/or irresponsible minority.

Here are the details, as posted by the Talon Digest moderator:

"If you are having problems e-mailing talon@dsm.org and are getting something that says your message was rejected due to administrative reasons and you also get a URL with IMRSS, ORBS, or RBL in it, that means your e-mail was sent from a host that is misconfigured and allows spammers to gateway SPAM through it. You need to pass that reject message to your system administrator and have him/her fix the problem.

I am not the only one using these services. They are getting quite popular with sysadmins everywhere. E-mail rejected from DSM.ORG for this reason means that similar e-mail will be rejected from several other sites. By banding together and putting our collective feet down, we are going to try and force lazy or ignorant sysadmins to fix all their open relays, or risk not having their users' e-mail arriving anywhere."

As of August/99, this policy has been changed so that Digesters using open-relay ISPs will only get a message back detailing the problem. If you get such a message, pester your system administrators to fix it.

Don't see frames? Click here! Submit new information now!

Is there a 'live' (non-Digest) version of the mailing list?

No. This is deliberate, as the owner/moderator of the Talon Digest prefers to retain control over the forum. 'Live' mailing lists often end up with a large amount of repetition, among other problems. Read the colophon for the background on the Digest format and size.

Don't see frames? Click here! Submit new information now!

What is the DSM computing digest?

The DSM computing digest is a recently-created forum for the discussion of computers and computer systems in DSM cars. This includes the ECU, factory alarms, GPS systems, rally computers, and embedded PC systems such as MP3 players.

Don't see frames? Click here! Submit new information now!

How do I subscribe/unsubscribe from the DSM computing digest?

Go here for everything you need to know.

Don't see frames? Click here! Submit new information now!

What are the archives?
How do I search the archives?

Past issues of the Talon Digest are archived for future reference. They can be searched at search.dsm.org.

The Last Word: The www.dsm.org archive may or may not be available. There is an archive at Team NABR - or, at least, there was one - but it's only for members. Archives may still be available on a DSM Backup Manual CD.

Don't see frames? Click here! Submit new information now!

How do I get onto IRC?

Get an IRC client for your computer - there are lots of freeware/shareware ones around. Using this software, log onto irc.dsm.org, channel #dsm.

The IRC service has been up and down periodically since 1998. For the latest information, check the Talon Digest archives, or check at www.dsm.org.

Don't see frames? Click here! Submit new information now!

I have a [component/car] for sale. Can I advertise on the Digest?

You are much better off advertising your stuff on the DSM Parts Trader and/or DSMtrader.com. Indications are that these have largely replaced the Digest as a method of selling parts.

If you insist on posting a 'for sale' ad on the Digest, please be smart and include all relevant information. There is no use advertising a car for sale without stating your location, for example.

Don't see frames? Click here! Submit new information now!

I sell performance parts. Can I advertise on the Digest?

Pure advertising is not allowed. Posts should contain useful and relevant information on DSM performance, problems and/or solutions. One or two notices maximum about special group buys are allowed, and should also be submitted to Todd Day in a brief 2-line synopsis for inclusion into the 'Group buys' section at the top of every Digest.

Don't see frames? Click here! Submit new information now!

Last edited 09/01/06

Maintained by Sean Costall, DSM1000AAQ@shaw.ca. Changes and suggestions are welcomed! If you have any information on the answers to any of these questions or wish additional questions, please mail me.

This page is an extension of Club DSM .