- CRACKERCODE version 3.0 - ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CrackerCode (formerly called WhalerCode) is a way for Crackers (fans of Sophie B. Hawkins) to recognise each other and share information about their Sophie and life experiences. This code was created and is maintained by Mandy J Watson (watman@rocketmail.com). I based it on FumbleCode (fans of Sarah McLachlan), created by Mike Sugimoto and maintained by Julian Dunn, who, in turn based it on Rob Hayden's Geek Code (see where I'm going here?). Hopefully, it will evolve into something entirely different, so I won't feel so guilt about "borrowing" other people's ideas. ;) If you have any comments or suggestions, or you've noticed some spelling mistakes (which I prefer to call "typos"), please mail me. I need ideas and I want feedback! NOTE: I am a South African, and we use the Queen's English (ra!), so I might just ignore you if you object to a non-American version of a word. ;) New codes or document modifications are indicated with a | The *latest* version of this document can always be found at: http://www.brainwavez.org/sbh/CCODE.TXT or email watman "at" rocketmail.com to request a copy. - INSTRUCTIONS - ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The CrackerCodes are a set of sections and categories on a variety of subjects which you can use to describe yourself. You can interpret the codes as loosely or rigidly as you wish. Note whether the letters you are using are upper- or lowercase, as it can make a difference (use them EXACTLY as shown). Modifiers ~~~~~~~~~ The following modifiers can be used with the codes, unless stated otherwise. @ This trait is not rigid and may change with time. Put the modifier after the code. Eg: w+@ I currently / sometimes / for a while won't update my Sophie site and personal site very often. ( ) Use this to indicate cross-overs or ranges. This differs from @ in that @ ranges all over. These have finite limits within the category. Eg: #cd(+) > Indicates a "wannabe" rating. Crackers can use this to show their goals. Eg: a+>3+ I have both albums, and some other stuff, but I'm aiming for everything. / Indicates that you could list yourself in different categories, or you have specific, perhaps conflicting, feelings. Use it as a separator. (See examples later on.) How To Do It ~~~~~~~~~~~~ Go through the codes, section by section, and write down the ones that apply to you. Put them all together, separating them with a single space (see the example at the end of this document), and then use it! Put it in your signature file and on your web page. Use it when you mail to the mailing list(s) and the newsgroup. Answer the inevitable questions ("What's CrackerCode?"). Tell the world about Sophie! - THE CRACKERCODES - ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A.01 Where are you from? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tell the world where you live by using your country code (in lowercase). If you live in the United States, or Canada, include your state's code in uppercase. If you don't know what your country code is, mail me and ask. Lnz I live in New Zealand. LusFL I live in the United States, in Florida. LusTX I live in the United States, in Texas. Lza I live in South Africa. L? I don't know where I am / I don't know what my country code is (shame on me!). If you live in one country, but still consider yourself a member of another, separate your code with a : eg., Luk:ca I live in the United Kingdom, but I am a Canadian. A.02 Education ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Just how educated are you? Can you discuss quantum physics with ease? Do you actually understand anything Shakespeare wrote? Are you still stumblimg over the alphabet? We want to know! E4+ I have multiple post-graduate degrees (M.D. + Ph.D.). E3+ I have a doctoral degree (Ph.D., M.D., D.D.S., J.D.). E2+ I have a post-graduate degree (LL.B., MPH, M.Sc.). E+ I have a bachelor's degree / technical college diploma / I have finished some kind of tertiary education. E I have finished high school. E- I finished junior high school / primary school. E! I am never leaving university! E* I see no need for a tertiary qualification. *Real* people have jobs. E' I need more wall space for all my awards, certificates, medals, degrees....<*snigger*> A.03 What do you do? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We want to know what your vocation is, or, if you're still a student, what you're aiming for. CrB Cracker of Business CrC Cracker of Commerce CrCS Cracker of Computer Science CrE Cracker of Engineering CrED Cracker of Education CrFA Cracker of Fine Arts CrH Cracker of Humanities CrJ Cracker of Jurisprudence (Law) CrL Cracker of Literature CrM Cracker of Math CrMI Cracker in the Military CrMD Cracker of Medicine CrMU Cracker of Music CrN Cracker of Nothing CrO Cracker of Other CrP Cracker of Philosophy CrS Cracker of Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology, etc.) CrSS Cracker of Social Science (Psychology, Sociology, etc.) CrT Cracker of Theatre CrU Cracker of an Unknown CrAT Cracker of All Trades If you're multitalented, use a / to separate your codes Eg: WhM/S/SS, WhAT/P A.04 Computers ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Since the CrackerCodes are meant to be displayed on web pages and in newsgroup and mailing list posts, you probably have some kind of comuter experience. How much of a geek are you? c4+ I am a sysadmin/wizard c3+ I love my computer. I use it every day, and probably couldn't live long without it. In most cases, I toss the manuals without reading them, because that would be a sign of weakness, and I am the master of my desktop. I check my email constantly, my typing skills are excellent, and my machine is customised and honed to perfection. c2+ Computers are useful. I can run spreadsheets, word processors, surf the net, check my email and play the occasional game of Quake or Duke. c+ Well, you know, I'm usually ok once I've found the power switch. Sometimes I play Minesweeper or Solitaire. When I remember how to check my email, I do that, too. c http://www.flinet.com/~afan/primer/primer.htm c- I don't get it. They're useful for typing stuff, but who wants to shoot alien monsters, anyway? I think the Internet is total hype. c2- Computers crash. They don't work properly. They take forever to do anything. My work is always disappearing. They *suck*. Big time. c3- Computers are just a fad.... There are more traditional ways to do things that just work better.... !c I use WebTV. A.05 Web Pages ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Everybody seems to have a web page these days, but very few people have a Sophie B. Hawkins page (ever tried finding one with a search engine?). We want to know about your site, especially if it has anything to do with Sophie. Here's your chance to advertise! w3+ I have my own domain name. I have built a Sophie web empire. w2+ I have my own site and a Sophie site, and I update one or both regularly. w+ I have my own site and a Sophie site, but I don't update it / them too often. w I have a personal web site / page. w* I have a Sophie site / page. w- I don't have a web page. w2- I don't want a web page. w3- I refuse to be swayed by popular culture, and shall never have a web page. Never! w!? I spend too much time on TheCreamWillRise forum (http://thecreamwillrise.com/cgi-bin/dcforum/dcboard.cgi) to maintain a web site! w? Um...yeah...I'm a bit confused here. What exactly is the web? I could never quite understand the whole thing. Maybe if someone could explain this stuff to me, I could choose the relevant code.... A.06 CD Buying ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crackers, generally, have an excellent taste in music, so it follows that they probably have a large CD collection. Starting with '#', which indicates the approximate (or exact) number of CDs you have, add the 'cd' code and then rate yourself #cd2+ I buy 5 or 6 CDs at a time. #cd+ I buy 2 or 3 CDs at a time. #cd I buy 1 CD at a time. #cd- Not only do I buy a maximum of 1 CD at a time, I seldom do that. #cd2- I only buy new releases from bands / artists that I like, and there aren't many. #cd3- I never buy CDs. I get them as gifts. #cd$ I wait till the store has a massive sale. I am cheap. #!cd I never buy CDs. I have other ways of "acquiring" them. #cd* I have a tape collection. Eg: 87cd+ I have 87 CDs, and I buy 2 or 3 at a time A.07 Musical Ability ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Many Crackers have some kind of musical ability. How do you rate yourself? m4+ I am Tanisha Taitt (http://www.tanishataitt.ca/) m3+ I compose music and play multiple instruments. m2+ I compose music and play an instrument. m+ I compose music or play an instrument. m I can sing in tune, and that's about it. m- I know what a beat is. m2- I have no rhythm. m! I have performed live (a school function or something similar counts...we can't all be Sophie!) A.08 Pastimes ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Some Crackers have been known to spend their time doing things that do not, as a rule, include anything to do with Sophie. If you're willing to admit to it, what keeps you busy? pa I am an artist. pc I collect things. I have a room / house full of stuff. pm I listen to music or go to concerts or compose music or play an instrument.... pr I read things. Sometimes even books with more than 100 pages. ps I sleep. Frequently. psp I participate in some kind of sport. (Chess counts). ptv I am often distracted by moving pictures (TV / movies). pv Road trips! Vacations! Travel! pw I don't have pastimes. I work all the time. p! I am easily distracted by anything. p* I find my Sophie obsession all consuming. p' This has absolutely no relevance to anything, and I refuse to answer. A.09 It's in the Stars (and Planets) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Quite a few Crackers are Astrology buffs (Sophie is a Scorpio with, possibly, Leo rising). Without getting into detail (and confusing the unenlightened), tell us the sign you call your own (known as your sun sign). ^Ar Aries ^Tau Taurus ^Gem Gemini ^Can Cancer ^Leo Leo ^Vir Virgo ^Lib Libra ^Sco Scorpio ^Sag Sagittarius ^Cap Capricorn ^Aqu Aquarius ^Pi Pisces If you want your own personal chart, go here: http://www.chartmaster.com/ B.01 First Exposure ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NOTE: See also "Epiphany" (section B.02) before answering this. One of the most important events in a Cracker's life is the first time they experience Sophie's music. If you were anything like me, you were too dim to take notice until years later (the "*Epiphany*"). What do you recall your first exposure as being? exTT Tongues and Tails. exTTs A single from Tongues and Tails. exTTv A music video of a single from Tongues and Tails. exWH Whaler. exWHs A single from Whaler. exWHv A music video of a single from Whaler. exTM Timbre, or the rereleased Timbre. exTMs A single from Timbre. exTMv A music video of a single from Timbre. | exWL Wilderness. | exWLs A single from Wilderness. | exWLv A music video of a single from Wilderness. | exs A rare single (eg. Miles Away), or a remix (eg. Right Beside You - The Grid Dub Mix). exCr The Cream Will Rise (the documentary). | exugh A "best of" CD collection released by Sony, that's just an arb | collection of tracks released to make more money on the Sophie music that Sony still owns (worth buying for the pictures | only!) exe Something else not listed here. ex? Who remembers? Include the year (2 digits), if you happen to know it. Eg: exTTv92, exWHs97 B.02 The *Epiphany* ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The *Epiphany* is that special moment in a Cracker's life when he or she finally realises the mistake s/he has made chasing after lesser artists, and has a moment of enlightenment followed by a frenzied rush to the nearest music store / closest computer (etc.) to find out more about this amazing artist. What triggered your epiphany? epTT Tongues and Tails (a friend had it, I heard it playing at a store, etc.) epTTs A single from Tongues and Tails. epTTv A video of a single from Tongues and Tails. epWH Whaler. epWHs A single from Whaler. epWHv A video of a single from Whaler. epTM Timbre, or the rereleased Timbre. epTMs A single from Timbre. epTMv A video of a single from Timbre. | epWL Wilderness. | epWLs A single from Wilderness. | epWLv A music video of a single from Wilderness. | eps A rare single (eg. Miles Away), or a remix (eg. Right Beside You - The Grid Dub Mix). epCr The Cream Will Rise (the documentary). epe Something else not listed here. ep? Who remembers? (*shame* on me). Include the year (2 digits) if you know what it is. Eg: eps96, epWHv94 B.03 Best Album ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Which album made the biggest impression on you? ITT Tongues and Tails IWH Whaler ITM Timbre Ia The whole lot. Who can pick *just one*? B.04 How big is your collection? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A good way to determine what kind of Cracker you're dealing with is to examine their Sophie CD collection. What does yours consist of? a4+ I am Ryan Smith (http://www.sodiumfire.com/) a3+ I have absolutely everything! a2++ a2+, but with multiple copies of the albums. | a2+ I have all four major releases, most of the singles, compilations, boots, and soundtrack albums. If it weren't for a few elusive items, I would have it all! a++ a+, but with multiple copies of the albums. | a+ I have all four major releases, some singles, compilations, boots and soundtrack albums. I'm desperately searching for more! | a I own all four major releases, but don't see the need in chasing after different releases of stuff I already have. a- I own one major release. a! I get my Sophie fix off the radio / TV. a!! I am bankrupt as a direct result of chasing elusive singles. B.05 Concerts ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Those who have seen Sophie live say that there is no experience like it. How many times have you seen her perform? P# I've seen Sophie perform # times. P I've never been to a concert. !P It's been too long since I saw Sophie in concert. P! I've never seen Sophie live but I really want to! P!! Concert? I think I live in a country Sophie hasn't heard of. I'm desperate! P- I have no interest in seeing Sophie perform live. P2- Concert? What for? I'm not into watching people perform barefoot. It's kinda *squishy*. P* I was one of the people who saw her live at the Hard Rock performance used in "Party of Five". P? I've seen a live performance on TV. Does that count? B.06 Unpaid PR ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sophie is still relatively unknown in large parts of the world, and seems to get minimal media attention in places where she is known. Therefore, it has fallen on us, her loyal fans, to do the work a certain record company should have been doing. How many people have you converted? pr3+ I've converted absolutely everybody I know. People run when they see me coming in fear of hearing her name. I play all her music when I DJ, including the rare stuff. pr2+ I've converted quite a few people. I give Sophie CDs as gifts and write articles discussing her in depth. I have friends I can discuss her music with and I'm often asked questions about upcoming events. pr+ I have converted a couple of my friends, and will occasionally play Sophie's music at social gatherings to gauge reactions and build recognition. I sometimes announce my enthusiasm about an album / single / upcoming concert without being prompted. pr I have converted at least one person. pr- I've never converted anyone. pr2- I've never even attempted to convert anyone. pr3- I pretend not to be a fan. pr~ I subtley mention Sophie in conversations to plant subliminal recongition. I am *so smooth*. prJ! I am Janice. [On behalf of everyone, I (Mandy) would like to thank Janice for all her hard work. I'm sure, by now, she's exhausted!] pr! I live in an area filled with heavy metal / rap / hip hop / kwaito (etc.) fanatics. I feel so alone. B.07 Cracker Day of Worship ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sophie's birthday (allegedly November 1st) is a day all Crackers treasure. What do you do to acknowledge and celebrate this momentous occasion? bd4+ I organise a big party where I play only Sophie's music, and phone all my friends to share in the celebration. Some of them no longer answer calls from me around November 1st. bd3+ I have a drink, burn candles, light incense, play her music, chant and meditate (or any combination of these / something similar). bd2+ I buy her a birthday card. Of course, I don't know where to send it, so it's lying around the house with all the previous year's cards. bd+ I have contemplated buying her a card or gift. It's the thought that counts. bd I manage to remember her birthday on the day. bd- I've never even thought about sending a card or a gift. bd2- Her birthday is of no interest to me. bd3- You guys are *crazy* B.08 Rising Cream ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A documentary, called "The Cream Will Rise", about Sophie was filmed a few years ago by Gigi Gaston. Some people have actually seen it. The rest of us are jealous. What has your documentary experience been? C3+ I have seen it more than once! C2+ I made a special trip from another state / country to see it at a film festival / in a cinema. C+ I have seen it. C- I have no interest in seeing it. C2- I saw it, but I didn't like it. C? What documentary? C! I am desperate to see it! I'm even more desperate to see it in a theatre. Cv I bought the DVD / video. CvPAL I am not an American. I want to buy a PAL version. Remember to separate codes, since, in this section more than one will almost definitely apply to you. Eg: C+/vPAL B.09 The Object of my Affection ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Although elusive, Sophie has been known to make an occasional appearance. If you are one of the lucky people who has met her, the rest of us want to know! O# I have met Sophie # times. O#! I have met Sophie # times and I have the photos to prove it. O+ I really want to meet Sophie! O I want to meet Sophie. O- I don't want to meet Sophie. O? I'm not sure I want to meet Sophie. ?O I'm not sure Sophie wants to meet *me*. O! I am Matt Bailer. OJ! I am Janice. O* I know Sophie personally. 0:) I haven't met her, but I have her autograph. Yay! B.10 Bootlegging ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We all known that Sophie's music can be hard to find. Therefore, some Crackers have set about improving the situation. How much are you willing to admit? b4+ I have bootlegged more than one concert (I'm very good at it). b3+ I have bootlegged a concert. b2+ I thought about bootlegging a concert, and maybe brought bootlegging gear, but then I chickened out. b+ I know someone who bootlegged a concert. b I bought / traded a bootleg. b- I would never buy / trade a bootleg. b2- I would never bootleg a concert. b3- I would never even THINK to bootleg a concert. b* I got caught trying to bootleg a concert. b! I would attemp to bootleg a concert if I had the chance. b? Je ne parle pas anglais. Je ne comprends pas ce que vous dites. B.11 Sony / Columbia ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is one for the old fans. Aaaaah memories...! Sophie was signed to Sony's Columbia label. Thankfully, that has now changed. From a fan perspective, they tended to be quite elusive and uninformative. Many Crackers have tried to extract information from them. Most have failed. Tell us about your experience. Include the country code (lowercase) of the office you tried to contact (see example below). SC3+ I contacted Sony / Columbia, and got a helpful reply and a free gift. SC2+ I contacted Sony / Columbia, and got a helpful reply. SC+ I contacted Sony / Columbia and got a reply. SC I attempted to contact Sony / Columbia but didn't receive a reply. SC- I have never attempted to contact Sony / Columbia. SC2- I would never even THINK about contacting Sony / Columbia. SC? Why would you try? Who does this? SC! I contacted them about "Project Cracker". They need to learn to respect their artists and allow them to exercise their creative freedom. I was not amused by the manner in which they treated Sophie. (See section B.12.) !SC I am so desperate I've tried to contact Sony / Columbia in more than one country [separate the countries with a ':']. Eg: SC+uk, !SCus:2+ca B.12 Project Cracker / The Cracker Army ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sony delayed the release of Sophie's third album, "Timbre", because it wanted her to change a banjo she used in the song "Lose Your Way" to a guitar, to make it more commercially viable (that's the official reason that I heard). Crackers showed their support of Sophie, and freedom of artistic expression in general, by starting the "Project Cracker" campaign. Supporters of this campaign contacted Sony to air their displeasure, and put the "Project Cracker" logo onto their web sites. Project Cracker has now evolved into a environmental and world rights movement, know as the Cracker Army. Visit the Cracker Army section at http://www.thecreamwillrise.com/ for more information. Get involved! PC3+ I rang Sophie execs in the middle of the night, wore placards and wrote her messages in sky writing. [Thanks Mike!] I now fight for worthy Cracker causes and try in my own way to make a difference. PC2+ The logo is/was on my web site / I asked people to contact Sony and I contacted Sony. Occasionally I get involved in a cause that interests me. PC+ I asked people to contact Sony, and show their support. The logo is/was on my web site, and Sony have my message(s). PC I phoned / emailed / faxed Sony to air my grievances. PC- I would rather not get involved. PC2- I don't understand the point of the campaign, since the record company is not going to take notice, especially if we are openly hostile. I don't quite get this "save the world" stuff either. Isn't Sophie a musician? What does the rest of this have to do with it? PC! Head! - PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER - ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Your completed CrackerCode block should look something like this: --- BEGIN CRACKERCODE BLOCK --- Version: 3.0 Lca:usFL E>+ CrN C2+ w+ 354cd2+ m2+ pa/r/tv exWHs epWHv Ia a3+/!! P3/!P pr-/! bd3+ C2-/v O+ b/! PC2+ ---- END CRACKERCODE BLOCK ---- - CREDITS - ~~~~~~~~~~~ Special thanks (in no particular order) to: Mike Travis the die-hard Sophie fans who have definitely enlivened my life and, of course, Sophie B. Hawkins, without whom this document would really make no sense, and we'd just look like idiots. - DOCUMENT HISTORY - ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CrackerCode created: Finally finished 30 August 1998. |This version created: 24 May 2004. |Previous version: 2.0b |Release number: 7 - REVISION HISTORY - ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ v0.1 - released 30 August 1998. Preview release. v1.0 - 13 October 1998. Not released. Fixed some spelling errors (that nobody told me about - there are probably more), and added a few new codes, and sections A.09 and B.12. v1.0b - 22 October 1998. Fixed a massive error that nobody noticed (!) - Sections A.04 and B.08 used the same code (C). Added a code in section B.12, and changed the codes to reflect the name change of the campaign. v2.0 - 24 December 2000. This version (long, long, long overdue). Renamed WhalerCode to CrackerCode. Changed the codes in A.03 to reflect the new name. Added relevant Timbre information (B.01, B.02, B.03). Updated the Sony / Columbia section (B.11). Updated the section about the Cracker Army (B.12). Other minor modifications. Fixed a couple of spelling mistakes. v2.0a - 26 October 2001 Changed the file's permanent URL, since its old home was closed down. Other minor modifications. v2.0b - 6 August 2003 Removed the following outdated code: w! I have a link to "Project Cracker" on my site (A.05). Other minor modifications. Fixed a couple of spelling mistakes. |v3 - 24 May 2004 Added Wilderness information. Other minor modifications. - CONTACT DETAILS - ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Mandy J Watson watman@rocketmail.com http://www.brainwavez.org/watman/ http://www.brainwavez.org/sbh/CCODE.TXT