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║ THE FAMILY PIRATE - ABOUT THE CREW ║
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Ahoy! I'm Captain RetroBell (T.J. Bell in the landlubber world), a 50-year-old navigator of the digital seas. Married to my high school sweetheart and blessed with four amazing kids—one by blood, three by choice, all by heart. By day, I work at a local cannabis dispensary, helping folks find their calm. By night, I sail these retro waters, keeping the old ways of the internet alive.
I've got a weakness for a good conspiracy theory and a passion for the simpler times when the internet was weird, wild, and wonderful. This hub is my contribution to preserving that spirit.
In a world that moves at breakneck speed, sometimes ye need to drop anchor and remember what it was like when connecting to the internet meant something. When BBS systems ran on phone lines, when IRC was the cutting edge of chat, when Gopher was how you found things.
The Family Pirate exists for the love of the old ways—the days when the internet felt like exploration, not obligation. When communities were tight-knit, when everything wasn't monetized, when you could get lost in a MUD for hours and nobody thought twice about it.
This is a place to take a slower pace at life for a while. To step away from the noise of social media, the pressure of the modern web, and just... exist. Type. Explore. Connect.
My vision for The Family Pirate is simple: to grow this into a haven where people can unwind and leave the real world behind for a spell. A place to rejoice in older times, share stories, play games, and remember when the internet was about people, not profiles.
Whether you're here to chat on IRC, battle monsters in the MUD, explore our Gopher holes, post on the BBS, or just make a blinkie for your personal page—you're welcome aboard this ship. No ads, no tracking, no algorithms deciding what you see. Just pure, unfiltered retro internet goodness.
This hub runs on an IONOS VPS, powered by a mix of vintage and modern tech:
Everything is maintained by hand, configured with care, and kept running with the same spirit that drove sysops in the '80s and '90s.
Got questions? Want to chat? Need help connecting to a service? Ye can reach me:
📧 Email: t.j.morris.bell@thefamilypirate.com
💬 IRC: Find me as RetroBell on irc.thefamilypirate.com
👆 Finger: finger retrobell@thefamilypirate.com
🌐 Web: Right here at thefamilypirate.com
I'm always happy to help newcomers get set up, answer questions about the old protocols, or just swap stories about the good old days of the net.
The Family Pirate isn't just my project—it's a community. Everyone who connects, explores, and contributes becomes part of the crew. Whether you're a seasoned sysop who remembers Usenet or a curious newcomer who just discovered what a BBS is, there's a place for ye here.
So hoist the colors, sailor. The old ways aren't dead—they're just waiting for folks like us to keep them alive.
Fair winds and following seas,
Captain RetroBell
Keeper of the Old Ways