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Updated: Mar 22, 2018 |
Site updates all selected by a human. Family Friendly. No Cost. No Spam. No Problem!
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A list of the most common questions I get asked.........
Q.0 - Will you accept a donation ? YES YES YESOK, admittedly this not a frequent question but it is one that I frequently dream about people asking......so..........YES, please! (any amount, however small, is appreciated!)Thank you, much appreciated! Top Q.1 - How do I get listed on Beyond...The Black Stump ?I pick the sites listed on this site personally, not the other way around.You CANNOT submit a site for inclusion. Savvy? I select sites of interest across many categories - I don't have ANY paid links and I have no spam that I'm aware of. I'm not interested in link exchanges and I don't need help with link checking so you can have your site added. I run this site, no-one else, and if I find and like your website, I'll list it for free. Top Q.1a - Will you accept advertising ?No with one exception - we only use Google Adsense.The easiest way for you to advertise across our site and select your position and placement is to advertise via Google Adwords and select "blackstump.com.au" for the Target Ad. Top Q.2 - What does "Beyond ....The Black Stump" mean ?As far as I know, "Beyond The Black Stump" is an Australian expression which means "remoteness". It generally indicates something is a long way away and in the middle of nowhere (in the boondocks?)Apparently there was a telephone exchange in the Merriwagga/Griffith area called Black Stump and legend has it that in 1886 a woman named Barbara Blaine was incinerated in a bushfire. When her husband returned he found her charred remains and sadly described her form as resembling a black stump and the name stuck. I've also read somewhere that the The Black Stump Hotel located in Merriwagga was the original "Black Stump". However the plot thickens - I've heard from a fellow named Geoff Barber who lives on the boundary fence of the Black Stump Hotel who relates...... "Barbara Blaine was the first person buried at the Gunbar Cemetery, on 13 March 1886. The Undertaker being C Nye. The Black Stump Hotel was the Merriwagga Hotel until about 30 years ago, and changed it's name to cash in on the legend. As far as I know it has the highest bar in Australia, so that customers didn't have to dismount to drink their beer. A Public Watering Place about 10 miles west of Merriwagga was given the name Black Stump last century, and that is where the accident happened, and I worry that it was already carrying the name. As a piece of trivia, two other ladies buried in the Gunbar cemetery died when their clothes caught fire. The Black Stump Tank is right on our boundary fence, so technically we are beyond the Black Stump. Merriwagga used to have 2 Banks, 2 General Stores, Bush Nursing Hospital, Cafe, Baker, Butcher, Stock +ACY- Station Agent, Boarding House, Billiard Saloon, Railway Station etc. Now we have only 2 Churches, a Hall, a Post Office, a dozen or so homes and the Pub. The present publican is Graeme Young and the pub itself is owned by two local families, Wesleys and Shaws." So, if you're passing through Merriwagga, stop and have a beer and a pie at the pub! A further update from "Courtney" points us to Coolah in NSW for another version of the origins of the expression. I'm told Roy Cameron has written a book "Beyond the Black Stump" which is available from Coolah Shire Council for $19.95. I've also been asked a few times if this site is affiliated or associated with Nevil Shute's book of similar name. The answer is no, not in any way. In fact, having been asked so many times, I decided to go buy the book - it's now out of print with little likelihood of a reprint anytime soon. But I have since found it in a second-hand shop, and read it. Similarly we're NOT associated or affiliated with the Black Stump Char-Grill (blackstump.com) nor with the Beyond the Black Stump Cartoon nor with the Black Stump Christian Festival - although support our un-aligned Black Stump brotherhood anyway!!! Here's another perspective on Beyond The Black Stump "The black stump is not so much a signpost, it is a state of mind" Top Q.3 - Why is the site called "Beyond ...The Black Stump"?It started life back in early 1995 as most sites did then, as an experiment with HTML coding and consisting of my bookmarks. It was originally called "Garriga's World Wide Whoopee Home Page" (yuk!), and then "Garriga's WWWorld" and finally "Beyond....The Black Stump". It still exists in various directories under all of those names although it's a long, long time since the names changed to the current form.When I settled on the new name, I wanted to remove my name from the site so it didn't appear quite so personal and I wanted it to be, and sound, Australian without being too colloquial. I also happen to own a private company called (surprise, surprise) "The Black Stump Pty Ltd" (ABN 99 073 003 415) See also Q17 Top Q.4 - What's the site about ?The site is essentially an ongoing reference to things I find interesting and useful presented in a way that (hopefully) makes resources reasonably quick to load and find. I also hope that *you* find the sites listed interesting and varied enough to keep coming back. The site changes almost on a Daily basis and the newest items are listed hereTop Q.5 - Who helps you?No-one these days!Kevin "Kebbie" Goheen was my last helper - he lives in Northwest Indiana on the "Hoosier Riveria". A self-confessed compulsive link sender, Kebbie hit me with quite a few good sites - seems like he spent more time online than me. He's disappeared into the sunset over the last 2 years. Danny Bos is my ex-"Graphics" man - he had his own site at MONO.net for a while, but its now gone it seems. Chris Hills used to help me out quite a lot by scanning Usenet for appropriate links an emailing them to me. I think Chris was my main "Promoter" also, suggesting to other sites that they link back to "Beyond....The Black Stump". I have an idea that many of the "awards" the site has won has been the result of Chris telling people about the site. Sadly for me, Chris hasn't been very active over the last few years. Adam Todd helped out in a big way for a few years until June 2000 by providing a cosy home for the "blackstump.com.au" domain. The Black Stump has now moved on to its own little place on the Web. Top Q.6 - Why do you do this ?I do it because I got sick of watching TV, a lot of it mindless junk except (my opinion..) Seinfeld (will we ever see the first 5 episodes in Australia? -yes we did- ), Larry Sanders, Frontline, Red Dwarf, Aussie Rules Football (Go Lions!) and Cricket!I also wanted to be involved with, and get to know, Internet technology and it's workings. I also like the idea of providing a resource that a lot of folks seem to like - the email I get from people encouraging me to continue is also very gratifying. Top Q.7 - How much time do you spend on the Net?Arrggghh, too much ! Generally speaking, I use the Net between 9pm and midnight most days, probably more at weekends. I use a few different providers who each have different "features" which I find useful.Top Q.8 - Where do you find the sites you list ?From lots of places. I scan a lot of different sites, Usenet groups and subscribe to a few selected e-mail lists. I like to check each site I list for appropriateness so I know that each site listed has some value. I don't list questionable sites (sometimes this is a pity as occasionally a really good site also has some "adult" references, so it won't be listed here).I also get a lot of submissions via email, some of which make the grade. This has become the most time-consuming part of developing the site, for what is a small return. Top Q.9 - Who is Pirate Pete ?Pirate Pete is me (gee whiz, what a surprise !). I thought the expression "PPPoWWW!" was a bit catchy. Pirate Pete's Pick is just my list of sites I find useful or just plain fun. (and, no, I'm *not* a software Pirate !!)Top Q.10 - What do you do ?Ahhh, I get asked this quite often. I keep my work and my "Netting" quite separate.....but I can tell you that I spent over 30 years in the Computer (IT) Industry. Since then I've basically retired and am working at two local hospitals part-time. It's not such a bad life!Top Q.11 - Who are you ?After I wandered thru the Web for a while, I got sick of endless home pages with long diatribes about the site owner so I decided I wouldn't promote myself on this site. This seems to frustrate some people - oh well !Top Q.12 - Why do you change your email id all the time ?It's just that I have a number of different accounts. I direct all mail to one mailbox usually. For the record, just use the contact form on the privacy page as I don't list email addresses anymore because I'm sick and tired of receiving endless "spam" e-mails. (GRRRR!!!) - and if you're a spammer don't bother, I auto delete you!Top Q.13 - Why don't you provide a URL submission form ?Basically, because I (alone) decide which sites to list, it's a big site and I don't want to spend all my time answering email. Its a bit of a Catch 22, but I think that less than 1% of sites submitted by email actually make it, so its a low return for a big effort. But, if you really must, see Q1 !Top Q.14 - Why don't you use Java and other "new" features ?I've developed and used a couple of Java applets, and ActiveX controls, but I think they make the page too slow to load. Sorry if that's too boring for some but I'm aiming at people who want some information as unhindered as possible by slow load times. There's also still a need to cater for people (diminishing) who are using older versions of the Browsers. I made a concession to this in 1998 by including a JavaScript "sitemap" in the banner on each page. Since then I added a few more features just using simple Javascript search popups - like the InfoBar - which I like - you can click it in the site's main index as well.Top Q.15 - What is the date next to the URL you have listed ?The date is simply the date that the URL was added to this site. It doesn't reflect the last update date of the listed site - I have no chance of checking the last update date of over 23,500 sites !Top Q.16 - How can I help you ?Just read the answer to Q.0 and also support our main advertiser - that will do !!Top Q.17 - How has the site changed over the years ?Hmmm, take a peek at the Internet Archive - very groovy !(But, its a bit like looking at old pictures of yourself - how could I do that ??? Especially this one in 1996! I also ran a blog which built on the general theme of the Black Stump, i.e. providing interesting sites to the visitor, just in a slightly different format that can be updated a little more readily. It exists at btbs.blogspot.com By the way, I know the site looks clunky - it was built in 1995 - but thats part of the whole deal, retro back to the 90s - there's enough flashy stuff out there all looking nice and templatey! Top Q.18 - Do you have a mobile version of the site ?Hmmm, take a peek at the Mobile URL at https://m.blackstump.com.au - pretty simple, just search and go.Top Q.19 - Do you have a Facebook version of the site ?Well, as a matter of fact, we do. Check it out at https://www.facebook.com/BlackStump.com.auNot the same as the website, some things are duplicated, but you'll have to look at both just to be sure you're not missing anything! Top |
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