alt.callahans (also known as a.c) began as a virtual representation of Callahan's Place, in the medium of Usenet. It still serves that purpose, but has expanded.
alt.callahans is a newsgroup where people post on just about any topic. The only criteria per se for an appropriate post on a.c is that the post be appropriately labeled, and not random garbage (see hipcrime).
alt.callahans labels:
- RANT: someone ranting about something
- ADMIN: a post having to do with the newsgroup itself
- TOAST: in the Callahan's Place novels, the Place had a fireplace, in front of which a chalk line was drawn. Patrons would step up to the line, drink in hand, and everyone would listen as they made a toast to a particular person, place, or thing that was on their mind. After the toast was made, the glass was flung into the fireplace, and the other Patrons would follow suit. On a.c, the toast is a chance for a Patron to talk about whatever's on his/her mind, and for the other Patrons to commisserate with him/her.
For more complete information, see the alt.callahans allabout.