field circus n. [a derogatory pun on 'field service'] The field service organization of any hardware manufacturer, but especially DEC. There is an entire genre of jokes about DEC field circus engineers:
Q: How can you recognize a DEC field circus engineer with a flat tire?
A: He's changing one tire at a time to see which one is flat.
Q: How can you recognize a DEC field circus engineer who is out of gas?
A: He's changing one tire at a time to see which one is flat.
[See Easter egging for additional insight on these jokes.]
There is also the 'Field Circus Cheer' (from the plan file for DEC on MIT-AI):
Maynard! Maynard!
Don't mess with us!
We're mean and we're tough!
If you get us confused
We'll screw up your stuff.
(DEC's service HQ is located in Maynard, Massachusetts.)
field servoid [play on 'android'] /fee'ld ser'voyd/ n. Representative of a field service organization (see field circus). This has many of the implications of droid.
Fight-o-net n. [FidoNet] Deliberate distortion of FidoNet, often applied after a flurry of flamage in a particular echo, especially the SYSOP echo or Fidonews (see 'Snooze).
File Attach [FidoNet] 1. n. A file sent along with a mail message from one BBS to another. 2. vt. Sending someone a file by using the File Attach option in a BBS mailer.
File Request [FidoNet] 1. n. The FidoNet equivalent of FTP, in which one BBS system automatically dials another and snarfs one or more files. Often abbreviated FReq; files are often announced as being "available for FReq" in the same way that files are announced as being "available for/by anonymous FTP" on the Internet. 2. vt. The act of getting a copy of a file by using the File Request option of the BBS mailer.
