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Flippersmack Issue 17
O=
/) FLIPPERSMACK 017
`= culturemag for a penguin generation
http://www.flippersmack.com
x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x
At ComiCon earlier this year, I had a chance to meet the crew from
Vis-a-vis, the creators of "Cosmic Soda Pop." If Dr. Seuss were alive
today, he would draw alien comics like "Cosmic Soda Pop" and dewdle
stories like "Fish Fables." From a team that designed many of the "Star
Wars: Episode One" characters, from Darth Maul to Jar Jar Binks, comes a
new series to a media outlet near you. Enjoy the interview.
Clone wrote a kickass article on Prison Phone systems. Superdetailed.
This issue must be poetry issue.. we got tons of poems. I saved some for
the next issue. The next issue also has a true story about Stone Dragon's
efforts to get a Flippersmack interview with a professional prostitute.
Got a cool story? Send it in!
pinguino
[pinguino@comicartist.com]
tABLE oF cONTENTS
Penguin Palace Update ................................. pinguino
[poem] Electrify the Sheep ............................ pinguino
[poem] Shades of Blue .................................... Pesto
Cosmic Soda Pop Interview ............................. pinguino
[poem] Removed ....................................... SlapAyoda
[poem] Heart and Soul in Buried Hole .............. Stone Dragon
Detailed Look Into Prison Phone Systems .............. The Clone
.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x.x
Penguin Palace Update
by Pinguino (pinguino@comicartist.com)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/penguinlist/
Join the Penguin Palace Meeplist, a Yahoo Group (messageboard and mailing
list) dedicated to Penguin Palace and it's interests. It's the best way
to interact with Penguin Palace: share ideas and thoughts, babble about
random topics, and make new friends. It's addictive. Check it out.
Thanks to SlapAyoda, the Flippersmack site now has issues in HTML. We
will be adding photos to issues and linking the table of contents up.
Penguinpalace.com has more artwork now, too.
http://www.flippersmack.com/
http://www.penguinpalace.com/
Kathy Kilna will be designing jewelry for characters in the new Tori Do
story! After the book releases, pieces will be available for purchase.
Check out some of her current designs at http://kathy.zoovy.com/
-.x.x.x.-
Electrify the Sheep
by pinguino (pinguino@comicartist.com)
Lightbulbs don't belong on the floor.
They belong in cups. Cups full of tarnished pennies.
A penny once killed my friend.
Actually a hoard of them ganged up on him.
We haven't heard from him since.
Funny how people won't talk to you.
They change for worse or better. You don't.
Suddenly you're a different person.
You smell the same. Your eyes contain stories.
Their eyes have the look of a beast trapped in a cube.
The cube is their home of choice.
You kick yours into an octogon.
-.x.x.x.-
Shades of Blue
by Pesto (pesto@diet.drpepper.org)
I dream of you in shades of blue
when I see your hips, the way you move.
When frozen lips kiss your rain
hot minds forget their burning pain.
When I see you haloed by the sun
I can't see anyone else.
Ocean eyes can see right through
my stormy skies in shades of blue.
Coming through a foggy night,
I stumble toward bluest light.
I know you're nearby when fog
breaks into clear blue sky.
I've risen up, I'm high above
in the airy colors of your love.
When the clouds pull me close to you
my bluest dreams all come true.
-.x.x.x.-
Cosmic Soda Pop Interview
by pinguino (pinguino@comicartist.com)
Cosmic Soda Pop http://www.cosmicsodapop.com/
Published by Vis-à-vis: Kerplink cartoon division
Interview with Jon Bresman (J) and Terryl Whitlatch (T)
Location: ComiCon International, July 20, 2001
FS: Describe the style of Cosmic Soda Pop.
J: Right now it's in comic book form. The plan is to be a 30 minute show
with the story in parts.
T: We want fully developed characters with lots of depth.
J: Personal histories and interactions in the past that you don't see
until you're confronted with it again.
T: Like the Oz books, where each book is like an episode.
--
FS: How did you guys come up with the characters?
T: Golly.. When I first stared working for the company, the president
said to come up with a little story. I had characters I drew for fun and
the president liked them. I came up with a silly little story. People
liked it, so we came up with more. Jon came along and between us, we
fleshed out the characters and one thing led to another.
J: Flash Gordon, Dr. Seuss- we create something somewhere between. We use
lots of sci-fi and lots of children's cartoons; nothing that overlaps.
T: It's like Flintstones, where you grow into it. Adults get the jokes on
a deeper level.
J: Bugs Bunny and the Muppets were also like that. Cute for kids, with
sophisticated humor behind it.
--
FS: What cartoons were your favorites as a kid?
J: Bugs bunny.
T: Ditto. I have a particular fondness for Pepe le Pew.
J: And Kermit the Frog.
--
FS: How did you get your start in comics?
J: We both used to work for LucasFilm; we worked on "Star Wars: Episode
One." Terryl had been illustrating for a long time, since "The Dig" for
LucasArts (videogame in 1993, started in 1989). She also worked on "Men
in Black." She did the creature designs, and also did creature design for
"Jumanji", "Indian in the Cupboard", and "Star Wars: Special Edition." I
worked on "Episode One", "Young Indiana Jones" the television show, and
interned for Marvel and Valiant comics in college. I worked for Mad
magazine and interned for Dave Letterman. I also wrote "The Art of Star
Wars" for LucasFilm.
--
FS: Why did you decide to move from the corporate world to an independent
project?
J: Our corporate work pays our bills; we've done stuff for companies from
Cisco to Hasbro Toys. It's more fun, and potentially more lucrative to be
independent. We try to make the corporate work we do fun as well.
--
FS: How long did this project take and what tools were used? How many
artists are on your team?
T: In December 1999, the characters were first doodled.
J: It took a year and a half to get it rolling. Terryl is the lead art
director; she creates the characters. We have 4 comic artists and 4
animators. In terms of tools, there's pen and ink and marker.
T: Sophisticated markers. We email or FedEx it over to Vis-a-vis. Next,
a team of artists get together and take it from there. At that level one
person cant do it all.
J: For colors and animation we use Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and
Macromedia Flash. We can recycle the assets because they're designed in
Flash.
--
FS: Are you running any of the animations on the web?
J: Yeah, we have four episodes of "Nix and Nax", who were part of a
mercenary army of little green men, until they got fired. They spend time
torturing each other, or getting fired from other jobs. We also have a
movie trailer for Cosmic Soda Pop and a few issues of the comics. We have
some games coming soon, as well as WinAmp skins, and wallpapers.
--
FS: Could you tell me more about Cosmic Soda Pop?
T: A lot of the character names originate as puns. Sometimes we thought
of a name that was funny, and drew the character to fit the name. That's
one way to design a character. After that, the characters become real.
J: You reach critical mass, where stories become easier because there are
more elements to play with.
T: Endless scenarios. In the beginning it's fun, but tough. Later the
stories get easier to tell.
T: You've only hit the tip of the iceberg for characters with the 4
issues and 35 characters. We have 60 that have been created for the
series so far.
--
FS: If you could have any of your characters as a roommate, who would it
be?
T: Sugar Anne. She would be the equivalent of an eleven and a half year
old girl, where she still plays with dolls but thinks she should be
interested in boys. I would definitely not want Tweezle, who is kinda a
thief, slob, and completely girlcrazy- so he's looking for a wife.
J: Elevis.. an elephant Elvis impersonator. He's bizarre. He got his
start as a dermatologist, but he was a fraud as a dermatologist. He got
caught, then he was a Liberace impersonator. He has one fan.
FS: You?
J: Two fans: me, and Brenda A-Gogo. She's a computer geek. Brainy groupie.
--
FS: When will Cosmic Soda Pop move to print?
J: We're talking to a few publishers to team up with them.
--
FS: Are you planning on doing console or PC games?
J: We'd love to; that's the goal: games, comics, and animation. A few
game companies have come up to us at this convention.
--
FS: Where are you guys from?
T: Oregon, but I used to live in the Bay Area. I live with my husband and
a cranky cockatail who loves my husband but nobody else.
J: Berkeley. I'm in the Fremont office fairly often.
--
FS: Any interesting facts about yourselves that you'd like to share?
T: I was an extra in a Star Trek movie, "Generations." I was running
around on the saucer section before it got destroyed. My favorite toys
growing up were the EZ bake oven, and the other was my Creepy Crawler
set (a hotplate with insect molds that you put a latex glue in to create
little lizards and insects).
FS: I'm surprised you didn't become sculptor.
T: I did a little of that, but I get too impatient and I want it done. I
admire people who have the patience to do sculpting.
J: I once flooded a Laundromat in Des Moine. I lied to get a role of a
Stormtrooper and because of that I got in trouble. I said that I had
experience with the armor and I didn't. They didn't do the math to figure
out I was like 2 when the movie came out.
T: I once threatened George Lucas with a rifle. When I was an intern, I
didn't realize that though I knew who he was, that he didn't know who I
was. I was on a bike and had a prop gun mounted on the handlebar. I saw
George walking by and kiddingly, I said, "We decided to make a few
changes around here!" He just kinda stared and I realized that he
probably didn't know that I even worked there. "Er.. well.. if its okay
with you.. sorry," I stammered. He replied, "Whatever. Don't kill anyone
on the way to the other building." I was so nervous that when I burst
into the sound department to talk to the person I was supposed to give
the prop to, everyone just stopped and stared.
J: check out our website, we have a few other cartoons in the works: Fish
Fables and Undercover Amigos. We're going to make a Kerplink website with
links to the other cartoons.
http://www.cosmicsodapop.com/
FS: Thanks for the interview! Good luck finding a publisher!
-.x.x.x.-
Removed
by SlapAyoda (slapayoda@yahoo.com)
the section of linoleum gridwork between the stove and the fridge
covered and crawling with unmistakable filth
white converted to a pale and putrid darkness over the days
apply the bleach and let stand for five minutes
the grime fades out of sight and out of mind
next week we will clean the floor again
-.x.x.x.-
Heart and Soul in Buried Hole
by Stone Dragon (r_lull@hotmail.com)
Trapped by your choice
behind a wall of heartless cash
a cell of passionless wanting.
isolation
punctured by vicious violation
sleep without rest
means without content
consented rape every hour
on the hour
every
hour.
Have you the will to leave?
Can you brave your freedom?
Will you learn to live?
Or just live with yourself?
Now the hour is up.
lock away your soul
where none shall ever find it.
-.x.x.x.-
A Detailed Look Into Prison Phone Systems'
by The Clone (theclone@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca)
Disclaimer: The content within this file is for informational and
entertainment purposes only. Unauthorized access of
the systems spoken about in this file may get you in
trouble with local and/or national law enforcement.
Introduction:
In this document, I will be taking a look into a less known and less
discussed area of the telecommunications industry; correctional facility
phone systems. Any type of payphone service located in high crime areas
require a great deal of protection in regards to physical, remote, and
data/voice communication security. Lets delve into this interesting
system and learn the fundamentals, shall we?
Prison Switching System List:
-= Excell =-
Excell, which was acquired by AT&T, also develops programmable switches
for telecommunications service providers.
-= Gateway Technologies =-
Gateway Technologies formerly located in Dallas Texas and now located in
Colorado that makes switch systems specifically for institutions. They
already have all the features and required options like recording of
calls.
-= Harris 20/20 =-
Example of Features:
1. 2 Shelf - 384 Ports
2. Automatic Call Distribution (ACD) Package:
* Tandum Trunking
* On-line Directory
* Least Call Routing
* First 1000 codes
* DISA
* System Speed Dial
* Voice Mail interface
* System traffic statistics
* ACD 50 agents
* ACD 1500 agent ID's
* First 1,000 ANI codes
* Message waiting
* CDR (50,000 call records)
* Meet-me-conferencing
* Uniform call distribution
* Music-on-hold interface
3. ACD Reports Package (30)
4. DNIS
5. DCA Admin/Maint. Port Pkg.
6. (2) Hex (16-port) Analog Line unit
7. (5) Hex (16-Port) Digital Line Units
8. 8 circuit DTMF Receiver unit
9. 8 port GS/LS Trunk unit
10. 8 port DID Trunk unit
11. (2) 24 circuit T-1 Digital Trunk Units
12. 4-wire E&M Trunk units
13. Digital Voice Announcement Recorders
14. Attendant workstation
15. (80)Alternate Voice data Optic 1 telesets
16. Power failure single line phone
17. Voice Processing Equipment - 12-port/15 hour Integrated VMS
18. Call, Accounting (CDR) Equipment (Harris 50,000 Call Detail Records -
Moscow-Emerald CAS for Windows
19. (23) Telesets
20. (3) ACD Supervisor Telesets
21. (2) Supervisors terminals
22. (2) Hex (16 port) Digital Line units
23. System Admin. Terminal
24. 7' EIA 19" rack
25. DCA Card Cage (16 slot)
26. Power failure transfer unit
-= Summa Four =-
Summa Four, which was acquired by Cisco Systems for $116 million in 1998,
develops programmable switches for telecommunications service providers.
The switches are generally used for prison payphones, cell switching,
services like voice mail and calling-card dialing, and most recently
voice-over-IP infrastructure. The following models of Summa Four
switches are the ones most used in Canadian and American prison
facilities:
* - Summa Four VC04K
* - Summa Four SDS-1000
* - Summa Four SDS-500
-= National Applied Computer Technology (NACT) =-
National Applied Computer Technology (NACT), for example, sells a switch
called the LCX120C switching system. It's a tandem digital switch, often
used by long distance carriers, prepaid calling card sellers, payphone
route handlers and other service providers. The 120C is a medium to large
trunk switch, capable of putting long distance traffic out to the toll
network without going through the local central office first. It's a
generic switch, therefore, with software making the difference. NACT is
heavily involved in the correctional industry. Let's look a little more
closely at this switch, since it is so often used in prisons and other
high fraud locations.
Although I do not have the name of the operator, a NACT LCX120C is
currently operated by a company which manages or owns over 2,500 COCOTs
in New York City. 1+, 0+ and 0- calls are processed through the switch
and all traffic is scrutinized by NACT's proprietary 'Control and
Validation Unit (CVU)'. Most software, by the way, is developed in "C".
NACT claims fraud losses will drop from 20% on average to 0.5 percent and
the return on investment for this operator was only six weeks. Perhaps.
The cabinet housing the switch stands three feet tall and two feet wide.
A clear plexiglass door covers the electronic bay housing the
electronics. Two 125 cfm fans keep the air moving. The control and
validation unit (CVU) stands at the top of the assembly. The CVU is the
primary processor, equipped with dual 330/520 MB hardrives and a 250 MB
cartridge tape drive. Using older but serviceable technology, the
processor is an MC680x0, utilizing 8 megs of ram and drawing on a 400
watt power supply. The CVU does validation and controls the trunk control
unit (TCU) below it. Up to four trunk control units can be supported,
each TCU controlling 120 ports (60 talk paths). The TCUs contain
"processor and trunk control cards to handle line signaling,
send/receive digits, and interface with the CPU." Each TCU utilizes a
"real-time industrial processor", 128 Kb of RAM, 80 KB of ROM and a 300
watt power supply. An uninterruptible power supply sits below the TCU and
a remote diagnostics system, with a modem, of course, sits below that.
Add an administration workstation and a printer and you're ready to roll.
Prison Phone And Switch Security:
The General Points about Prison Payphones -
* - The use of a telephone in prison is a privilege
and any abuse can result in prohibition of access.
* - All prisoner telephone conversations are recorded
and are subject to random or specific monitoring by
security staff with the exception of calls made to
legal advisers or to the Samaritans. As a general
rule of thumb approximately 10% of calls are monitored.
* - Relatives or friends or others who receive unwanted,
abusive or threatening telephone calls are entitled to
ask the prison service to terminate the prisoners access
to payphones (except under supervision).
* - The extent of access to payphones is variable depending on
the nature of the establishment.
* - Prison payphones cannot be accessed from outside telephones;
this means that prisoners cannot receive incoming calls.
This is true for Alberta since the payphones located here are
generally fortresses that are run on Telus lines, and do not
accept incoming phone calls. This can't be said for all prisons
in Canada and the States. I've heard of prisons implementing
COCOTS for staff and prisoners to use. These COCOT's by default
allow them to be called, and will answer in a modem carrier sound
(for remote administration) or will simply ring until the other
end picks up the line.
* - All freephone, premium rate and special rate numbers are
inaccessible from prison payphones - as are emergency numbers.
Prison Switches -
Prison switches physically are without a doubt the most well protected
switches in the world as round-the-clock guards are located in and around
the premises. Not even your local CO can do one better on physical prison
switch security. However, much can be argued about the remote security of
prison switching systems. Just like the COCOTs mentioned above, prison
switches can be remotely administered, and often are.
An authorized prison employee may set up a phone line that, when dialed
to with a computer, modem, and proper login/password information will
give them remote access to the switch located in the prison facility
allowing them to do what they please. Unfortunately, too many people feel
that security through obscurity is the best method. That prison employee
who allows himself complete control over the prison phone system from
home doesn't think for a moment that anyone is going to find their secret
dial up number. Mistake number one; hackers and phreakers have been
exploiting phone systems remotely for over a decade by using a simple
wardialer program that dials a series of phone numbers in search of a new
system they can try and hack. All of the popular prison phone switches
used today: Excell, Gateway Technologies, Harris 20/20, Summa Four, and
NACT all have remote-dialup administration capabilities.
A Legal Way To Beat High Cost Prison Phone Calls
Over the past few years, as phone companies such as AT&T, MCI, and Sprint
have struck "sweetheart" deals with State prisons, providing security
phones for collect calling, a new scandal has developed. With any State
or Federal Agency, work orders are customarily submitted for outside
bids, with the low bidder normally winning the contract for the job.
However, in the case of prison phones, the highest bidder is usually
awarded the job with the stipulation that portions of the collect charges
are kicked back to the prison system. These kickbacks are normally
between 30% and 50% of the total bill.
Over the past few years the cost of collect prison calls have risen
significantly. Sadly, these outrageous charges are bilked from those with
the least ability to pay. Prisoners' families are often impoverished, or
may be heavily depleted of resources due to the high cost of assisting
with trial expenses. Nevertheless, few complain, in that it seems that
the DOC, along with so-called crime victims' advocacy groups, feel that
the punishment for the sins of prisoners should also be visited on their
families and friends.
While inmates do not have any choice as to which service to use, we, the
paying public do. There is a service the alternative companies were
performing for inmate families that actually is something that any of us
can duplicate with just a few phone calls, saving weeks of waiting, and
sometimes hundreds of dollars per month in artificially inflated phone
rates.
There is a legal way around this. The secret is Remote Call Forwarding
[RCF] and here is how it works: Remote Call Forwarding uses a virtual
phone number that is local to the prison where your loved one is located.
The phone number is not a physically installed telephone line... this
number exists only at the exchange center for that town or city. This
specially created phone line will be set up to automatically call forward
to your home phone number [NO MATTER WHERE YOU LIVE].
Advantages:
* You pay for a local collect call
* You pay regular long distance charges from the virtual phone number
to your home number
* Make sure you read all the information below before deciding if this
is a good and economic alternative for you
STEP ONE:
A. First, you need to get the area code and phone number of the prison
where your loved one is incarcerated.
B. Then, you need to call directory assistance and ask for the phone
number of the local Phone Company that would service that local
exchange. Calling the identified local Phone Company's residential
service center does not have to be physically located in the prison's
city/town. For example, if the local Phone Company for the prison's
town/city is Telus, you can call their 1-800 number. Telus can handle
your order for any location in their coverage area.
C. Call the local Phone Company and ask to speak to a representative
who can set up a remote call forwarding line. Once connected to this
representative, get their name for future reference.
1. Obtain the cost for setting up this service and any other associated
costs [i.e. monthly maintenance cost; cost of a private line]. If you
have the option of more than one local phone company for this area,
get comparative pricing to obtain the best financial deal. Often the
phone company will waive the set-up costs.
2. Once you have obtained the costs, you may want to terminate the call
to evaluate if you can afford and/or want to spend the money on this
system. You may need to compare your current phone costs with the RCF
costs; typically you will see substantial savings with RCF but it is
best to figure this out before proceeding.
D. If you decided to proceed with RCF:
1. Tell the representative you want to establish a local phone number
for you in the same city or town where the prison is located and that
you want this local line to include remote automatic call forwarding
to your home phone number.
2. You'll want to make sure the number is semi-private or unlisted,
since anyone who calls the newly set up phone number will be able to
ring through to your home phone number at your expense. There may be
a monthly charge for an unlisted phone.
3. You also want to be absolutely sure that the representative does not
block collect-calls.
STEP TWO:
You then need to inform that company what long-distance service to
include for your remote-forwarding line. This is where a little homework
on your part will pay off.
IMPORTANT:
Before calling the local phone company, you need to select the long
distance carrier you want to use for these calls. Investigate the
various options before calling the local phone company to set up your
service.
STEP THREE:
The representative will need a billing name and address [this is you].
They may ask if you want this line terminated at a phone number already
established, say yes giving them your home phone number.
To find out if you can save money by establish a remote line, it's
best to get out your calculator and do some simple math. How many
calls do you receive per month? Add up the charges. The local Phone
Company will typically charge you anywhere between $5 and $18
per month for the line. Installation fees will vary, so it's important
to check around. Collect calls fees will be charged to the local
phone company, rather than to the long distance carrier, so rather
than pay the $3 connect fee, plus 50¢ per minute, you'll probably pay
between $1 and $2 for the call, plus sometimes 3¢ or 4¢ per minute.
You'll also pay the long distance charge for the service you select
for call forwarding. So, if the local company charges you $2 average
for the call, and you talk for 15 minutes at 10¢ per minute, your
charges will be $3.50 per call, as opposed to the $7 to $10 [or more]
you're paying now. Add in the cost of the monthly fee for the local
line, and you'll see the break-even point will be 3 to 4 calls per
month. In addition, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that not
one penny of your hard-earned money will go to the Department of
Corruptions!
A WORD OF CAUTION:
Anyone calling your remote number will be able to ring through to your
home. It is therefore unavoidable that you'll get a few wrong numbers or
pesky sales calls, and there is no way to avoid the one-minute charges
you'll pay. However, this should rarely amount to more than $1 per month.
AND, FINALLY...
If you only receive one or two calls per month, it will not be
cost-effective for you to set up a remote-calling line, unless you wish
to increase your calls at substantial savings. In so doing, you will
benefit even those who receive calls too infrequently to participate.
Online References:
Private Line Magazine, Issue 12.
http://www.nettwerked.net/TFA/p.l.No.12.html
Research Papers:
"The Prison Industrial Complex and the Global Economy" (lengthy)
http://www.labournet.org/1999/Feb/prison.html
Contact Information:
E-mail: theclone@hackcanada.com
URL: www.nettwerked.net
-.x.x.x.-
Flippersmack Archives:
http://www.penguinpalace.com/
http://www.nettwerked.net/
http://www.ghu.ca/
+-----------------------------------------------------+
Flippersmack (c) 2001 Flippersmack All Rights Reserved.
pinguino makes me feel warm and fuzzy -slap
