if someone could just explain the factoryhand thing i'd be happy.
One of the old sim guys explained it to me one day. Apparently there was a big factory around here (I don't recall exactly, but I think it made pillows or something??) But thats where FactoryHand came from. He also said something about HT-8 being called the PillowCases or something to that affect, but then the factory closed, and -8 didn't want to sound so bad on the radios. They put it to a vote and EightBall was the new name. Coincidentally the 2nd place name was BladeRunner, also the callsign of the HITU.
Like I said, I got this from a sim guy durring CPTs, and I don't recall what the factory made (it could have been matresses for all I know). Thus I don't endorse this as the "facts". But it is an interesting story, and no one has been able to prove it false. Yet.