Life and Times of "City Slicker"

Indian With Headdress colorized by
George Livingston, Artist Extrordinaire

You've seen them before, now here is another. Welcome to the Life & Times of "City Slicker".

Since the days before CB radios were popular, City Slicker was into the electronic media. It has been my 'handle' and pseudonym since the early 60's.

Over the years, the 'handle' has changed. Today is is known as a 'nick' (short for nickname for those who are less than active Net surfers.) Even with the changes in what it is called and the media it is used upon, City Slicker has been a constant.

Born Clifford Trent Smith in Philadelphia to a Navy family of Native American and mixed European ancestry, I traveled to numerous cities, states, and countries thanks to Uncle Sam.

Calling 'home' to Philadelphia (PA), Norfolk (VA), Jacksonville (NC & FL), Charleston (SC), Kenitra (Morocco, N. Africa), Youngstown (OH), San Antonio (TX), Biloxi (MS), Oklahoma City (OK), Des Moines (IA), Columbus (OH), Cincinnati (OH), and finally Hamilton (OH) -- a suburb of Cincinnati -- I have seen a diverse cross-section of humanity. (That's 14 cities/towns in 11 states and 2 countries for you anal types out there.)

Although proud to call myself a Christian, my Cherokee heritage has had a very strong influence on my life and my interaction with the world and it's inhabitants. I have adopted a "totem", the eagle. It is the signature that punctuates almost every aspect of my presence. (Pictured on the left is my ring and on the right is my earring.)This dichotomy is not as tumultuous as one might think. Many of the Christian tenets are similar to the Cherokee beliefs. The "Golden Rule", if applied to plants, animals, as well as humans, is a condensed definition of the Native American outlook on life.

I am human, however, and have my failings. It is up to you to find them if you want to, 'cause I ain't gonna confess. ;-) <wink and a smile>

My career formed itself while I was in the Air Force. I volunteered during the Viet Nam War when it was not a popular thing to do. The Air Force is the only branch of the military services that has the veterinary department that takes care of the animals used by our government's military services. So, I enlisted as I wanted the college benefits available at the time, and the experience so I could have my own veterinary practice some day.

In it's infinite wisdom, the Air Force placed me in electronics training, specifically in voice and data communications. In retrospect, this wasn't a bad turn of events as it has kept a dinner on the table and a roof over my head ever since.

In this vein, I was introduced to one of the largest and fastest data networks in the world. I worked in the Autodin (AUTOmatic DIgital Network) facility at Tinker AFB, Oklahoma City, OK. This "Store-and-Forward" computer was solid-state (for you historians out there) and took up a large corner of huge building. This computer, not including the encryption equipment nor associated peripherals, would take up an area of approximately the size of the average home, but there wouldn't be much moving around room. But, get this, it was able to transmit at 1200 baud on full duplex circuits to other such centers around the world. It processed messages that were transmitted via teletype, either manually or via punched paper tape. There teletype links were 60 wpm (words per minute) up to and including the blinding speed of 300 wpm. Yes, to answer the archeologists out there, it did use the IBM punched cards for internal processing.

I have watched the industry grow from those roots to the 56K modems and broadband that sit on our desktops, connected to machines also sitting on our desktops that are capable of out-processing the largest Autodin center of that day by 4 times, and has more RAM and larger drives than they had. Simply put: AMAZING! Now we can send a message to someone across the planet, from our homes and offices and they receive that message in microseconds. My first computer was won in a raffle at a local church. It was a Commodore VIC-20. It was a 5K memory machine that I programmed myself. Yes, 'Pong' was one of the programs I made. To hear my wife tell it, it was not a blessing to have won that raffle. The interest became a habit that grew to a Commodore-64, then to the newest thing, a 128K Macintosh with a modem, to a Macintosh SE/30 with a laser printer, now to include various laptop PC's and Power Macintosh's with color screens (no, not just amber on black) and color printers. Add to that the Connectix and Kodak cameras and scanners and I have the full addiction. It is a good thing that I can use most of these devices in support of my business.

The addiction grew to include the Internet. All addictions grow, and, so did mine. It has grown to include The Palace, a graphical chat that allows registered users to "wear" custom icons (called avatars or props) of up to 132 by 132 pixels in size. These avatars can be used in any Palace. The original Palace is based loosely on the rooms and grounds of a mansion estate. Each 'room' has a background graphic and the "Guests" and members congregate in the rooms and talk, as well as show off the graphics they have made or acquired by trading with other members. Only registered members can wear a custom 'prop'. Registration is free. You can be a 'Guest' and connect also, but custom props, scripting, and access are limited. The full enjoyment of all the nuances of the Palace can be enjoyed by registered members only.

The Palace has grown to a web of Palaces administered by people (sysops in BBs-ese) all over the world. Once a member, you can travel to any of these Palaces. Each Palace has it's theme. Some are Sci-Fi based, some are fantasy based, and some are based on real places. Hang in there long enough and you may see the birth of "Slick City". We have already rebuilt Galaxy Station. But definitely look me up at The Castle!

I am planning to host a Palace based on the real places of interest in the Cincinnati area. Although Cincinnati is known as the "Queen City", I chose Slick City as a name because of the connotation of "Queen". (Neither royalty nor homophobics are encouraged to take up residence here.) Each room will be a real picture of an attraction or place of interest. Who knows what may take shape there?!?! Stay tuned.

Although there is more to me than this, I didn't want to bore you with the other petty details. Maybe someday I will make another page with more of my adventures. My Morocco adventures are chronicled on another page. Check it out. You can see my adventures with other Palace people too. I have visited many in person, and many have honored me by coming to see me. Check it out.

Till then, thanks for visiting. I just may have to make more pages to get you to come back. But, since you are already here, click my email link and let me know you came by. I don't have a counter here cause I prefer the personal touch. You don't have to say much, just a "Hi, I was here," will suffice.

Thanks again for coming by.

Check out my business pages. I may be able to help you.

If you have comments or suggestions, email me at csmith@electroservice.com

This page created by Heartland Electronic Services

Last updated on November 1, 1997