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The Journal of American Underground Computing Issue 6
THE JOURNAL OF AMERICAN UNDERGROUND COMPUTING / Published Periodically
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ISSN 1074-3111 Volume One, Issue Six October 1, 1994
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Editor-in-Chief: Scott Davis (dfox@fc.net)
Co-Editor/Technology: Max Mednick (kahuna@fc.net)
Consipracy Editor: Gordon Fagan (flyer@fennec.com)
Information Systems: Carl Guderian (bjacques@usis.com)
Computer Security: John Logan (ice9@fennec.com)
** ftp site: etext.archive.umich.edu /pub/Zines/JAUC
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"The underground press serves as the only effective counter to a growing
power, and more sophisticated techniques used by establishment mass media
to falsify, misrepresent, misquote, rule out of consideration as a priori
ridiculous, or simply ignore and blot out of existence: data, books,
discoveries that they consider prejudicial to establishment interest..."
(William S. Burroughs and Daniel Odier, "The Job", Viking, New York, 1989)
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Contents Copyright (C) 1994 The Journal Of American Underground Computing
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THE JOURNAL OF AMERICAN UNDERGROUND COMPUTING - Volume 1, Issue 6
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Cyberdoggles And Virtual Pork Carl Guderian
EFF Summary Of The Edwards/Leahy Digital Telephony Bill Stanton McCandlish
Zine FAQ Jerod Pore
Legion Of Doom T-Shirts Ad Chris Goggans
A Point And Click Society Scott Davis
Keynote Address: Crypto Conference Bruce Sterling
Jackboots On The Infobahn John Perry Barlow
Notes From Cyberspace, Volume 3 Readers
Pornography Fouls Internet Paul Pihichyn
Security / Coast FTP Unknown
On the Subject of CyberCulture George Phillips
A Comment On Clipper Azrael
Sex, The Internet And The Idiots K.K. Campbell
NBC's Anti-Net Campaign Alaric
The Miami Device Project Marty Cyber
Cybersell Michael Ege
Some Info On Green Card Spam Unknown
Cable Resources On The Net John Higgins
IDS Announces New Rochelle, New York POP (AC 914) green@ids.net
The Media List Adam M. Gaffin
A TeleStrategies Event/Commercial Internet eXchange Unknown
Scream Of Consciousness From WIRED 1.1 Stewart Brand
Digital Cash Mini-FAQ For The Layman Jim Miller
Patent Searching Email Server Now Open Gregory Aharonian
Five "Hackers" Indicted for Credit Card/Computer Fraud CUD/AP Wire
Clipper T-Shirts Norman Harman
Cybernews Debuts Patrick Grote
PC Magazine Declares The PIPELINE Best Internet Service James Gleick
Scout Report Subscriptions Exceed 10,000 Internic
The Future Of The Net Is At Hand James Parry
Galactic Guide FAQ Steve Baker
Employment Background Checks Agre/Harbs
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The Computer Is Your Friend -Unknown
Send Money, Guns, And Lawyers -H. S. Thompson
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CYBERDOGGLES AND VIRTUAL PORK - A SCENARIO FOR INTERNET II
By Carl Guderian <bjacques@usis.com>
As one battle gets underway another is joined. While the EFF and others
work to defend the noisy, colorful anarchy of the Net from the net.cops,
the latter have begun gearing up for the endgame. If it's true that the
electronic frontier is getting crowded while its newer colonists consider
it too bare, then another system will be needed in a few years. That's the
virtual Valley of Megiddo, the site of the (next) Final Battle between the
techno-romantics and the corporate greyfaces. Internet II, or whatever
they'll call it, is now only a vague idea in the minds of a few bureaucrats
and infotainment industry execs, but it'll wind up a Mall of America,
Panopticon, City of Quartz, or some other negative social metaphor (Brazil?).
The first Internet grew up free because it was defined wholly by the users.
Internet II, by contrast, will be a hybrid of corporate and government
visions, combining the worst of both in a kind of Mendelian genetic
distribution in which all offspring are defective. To the government it's
a tax base and surveillance network; to industry it's a direct channel
to a self-selecting, well-heeled market. To users the Internet is a
community for which they've worked too hard to let it be taken away without
a fight.
The most obvious model for the Internet II standard is the U.S., or any
other, civilian space program. It is about nothing so much as itself. The
aerospace companies that are today inseparable from national space
establishments make rockets or communications satellites. Like the designers
of Internet II, they are concerned with delivering product (audiences) to
the customers (advertisers). People generally support the space program
because they hope it will open up space travel to everybody, from
interplanetary honeymooners to lunar Libertarians (Jetsonian democracy!).
Likewise, the Internet is popular because it's a vehicle for forming
communities and getting free stuff. But Internet II will be about bandwidth,
markets and security. The last item is emphasized because such a huge
investment must be protected somehow, from the users of course. Whatever
vision there might have been will be refocused instead on infrastructure.
Call it information superhighway hypnosis, a trail of yellow stripes
stretching to the horizon. Truly a vision to stir the soul.
The pork barrel politics that characterize all big government projects will
find a new arena on Internet II. The government can no longer pay for
megaprojects like Internet II, but it can grant electronic Letters of
Marque for companies to plunder the virtual seas under the federal colors.
Obviously, the company or consortium that gets to write the new, none-dare-
call-it-proprietary Internet protocols will have a leg up on competitors,
sorta like the advantage Microsoft officially doesn't have over other
developers for Windows. In the current and upcoming Congressional funding
battles, watch for posturing by lawmakers from whatever states the
infotainment conglomerates call their nominal homes (Austin? Provo? Los
Gatos?).
The relatively meager funding doled out by the government will become an
instrument of control, and privacy and free expression on Internet II will
be the first to go. While Reagan preached getting the government off the
backs of the people, Transportation Secretary Elizabeth (Mrs. Bob) Dole
ordered states to raise drinking ages and enforce seat-belt laws or else
lose federal funding for highway development. The states meekly complied.
Would-be government contractors will be told, adopt a Clipper-like standard
or don't bother to apply. Infotainment industry execs will be grilled by
Congress for allowing "pone" on the net. Subsequently, said execs will
promise to read private e-mail and censor discussions in exchange for easy
passage of whatever bill they're promoting at the time. In 1985, the Parents
Music Resource Center, led by Tipper (Mrs. Albert) Gore and financed by the
likes of Mike Love of the Beach Boys, instigated Senatorial hearings on
raunchy rock lyrics. Recording studio heads and distributors agreed to
label and categorize "offensive" music in hopes Congress would tax blank
tapes to offset revenue losses the industry attributed to home taping.
Happily, the bill died and the hearings degenerated into a circus. But
community standards on Internet II may be those of Memphis, Tennessee, if a
recent court decision stands, and the only cyber-sex will be the user
squealing like a pig for multimedia producers, petty bureaucrats, and self-
appointed moral watchdogs. Government attempts to rein in the Internet
community will continue no matter which party is in power. Repression smells
the same whether it's for "national security," "community standards,"
or raising PG kids in an X-rated world.
Corporate plans for Internet II are even less palatable. The future dream
is a shopping scheme, a Third Mall from the Sun. This corporate paradigm
will kill the Internet as surely as will government interference and turn
it into Òan Internet of shopkeepers. In a shopping mall the offerings are
calculated to offend no one, so they please no one. Though a mall could, in
theory, serve diverse interests, in reality it does not. Individual tastes
being what they are, a customer could be offended by what it finds upon
wandering into the wrong shop, and may leave the mall without buying
anything. As a result, the mall loses the customer to a rival mall. To avoid
this risk, the mall operator rents to shops with watered down selections,
nothing too daring. Similarly, in a corporate online service, the range of
allowable discussion topics is kept small to prevent users from who access
the wrong discussion groups. Though itÕs possible to restrict access to the
forum without censoring discussion within it, most services take the lazy way
out and forbid them altogether, in case a user objects to their very
existence. So much for open discussion on Internet II.
The corporate vision accommodates shopkeepers who hate customers who browse
but don't buy. Customers can turn a mall into a kind of public space for the
price of a few sodas and pizza slices. Americans online on Internet II,
however, will have to pay by the hour just to hang around. The ticking clock
will prompt them to hurry up and pay for something to download. After being
on the clock at work, consumers will get to log on and shop on the clock.
Constant reminders of a rising bill will discourage idle chatting on the
newsgroups, further restricting discussion on Internet II.
Security will become an issue as cyberspace, once considered a kind of
public space, becomes privatized. As with Los Angeles, Internet II will be
vandalized by users who will take no pride in it because they will not own
it. The Secret Service will work as mall cops for the owners of Internet II.
The promise of "500 channels" betrays the limits of corporate vision.
Internet II will be "one-to-many" like cable TV instead of the "many-to-many"
structure of the common carriers, because the former facilitates billing and
control by local monopolies. Also, customers are not accustomed to
pay-per-call on a local line, but they're getting used to pay-per-view
programming on cable. Will you cuss and spit when you drop offline during a
rainstorm? You will...with [censored].
In the end, the corporate Internet will be designed for consumption, not
community. Online services consider the latter an impediment to steady
profits. Bovine consumers shop contentedly on 500 channels; discontented
talkers just hog the lines. If corporate services had to destroy online
communities that spring up like weeds in their well-kept yards, they would.
Fortunately, they wonÕt have to; the Online Mall is barren ground.
By some estimates, 1998 is the deadline to keep the Net from turning into
the Third Mall from the Sun or that sanitized 1901 Kansas-style underground
city in "A Boy and His Dog." Here are ways to kill that serpent in its
shell.
- Breathe down the necks of the architects of Internet II.
Infotainment industry demands may require physical features that
facilitate billing and copyright protection. The IRS and the cops will
certainly want their own window into the Net. What the users want,
assuming they know, is considered irrelevant. Change that by working
through groups like the Electronic Frontier Foundation, but keep them from
accepting "compromise" measures to wiretap "only" certain communications
channels. It's like prison etiquette, in which the proper response to a
proprietary hand on the shoulder is either a sock on the jaw or meek
acceptance of what comes next. Given what's at stake, such a savage ethic
applies. Freedom lent is freedom lost.
- Boycott obvious government lapdogs.
Do not surrender the Internet to the government; it has no legitimate
claim to it. The Internet is like an abandoned military base built into a
community by squatters. The original tenants have long ago gotten their
money's worth from it and cannot take credit for the value added by the
new settlers. The Internet communications standard, TCP/IP, which turned
all the networks into the Internet, is public domain. The feds don't own
it any more than they own the measurement of one U.S. gallon. The
government still owns high-speed backbones, such as the National Science
Foundation's NSFnet, and it can and does allow semi-private consortia like
Merit to operate and maintain them. The users should claim the Internet,
however, by usufruct ("fruitful use"), a legal concept under which
squatters gain the right to occupy a structure in exchange for having
improved it. If all else fails, boycott Internet II and go back to
TCP/IP. The latter may not have the bandwidth and the bells and whistles
of Internet II, but it works well enough and won't have wiretap-friendly
features built into it. Most projected growth will come from the online
services dumping settlers by the millions on Internet II, taking the load
off the present Internet. Currently dedicated but unused Internet addresses
can be redistributed. TCP/IP, the current protocol, can support 20+ million
people worldwide, which is probably the proportion of the population
willing and able to protect their freedom online. Even without an Internet,
there are systems that will work in a pinch, like FIDOnet, invented by Tom
Jennings and a few others. Using personal computers and ordinary phone
lines, FIDOnet delivers e-mail to 30,000+ sites in the world. So
alternatives exist, though it would be a shame to have to abandon a
community just when it was starting to mature. De-evolution of the
Internet community is a likely outcome but it's not inevitable. For the
first time since the Whiskey Rebellion there's a chance to redirect
American history from the seemingly endless march to centralized control.
The technology is pretty cheap and widely available (unlike rockets), so
it's a rare opportunity for real grass-roots action to create something
that people can actually use. Internet doesn't have to go the way of other
Big Science projects. But it will take a real fight; the other side won't
deal if it doesn't think it has to. At stake is the future of the online
community. Civilization built in an Autonomous Zone or pay-per-view
surveillance (guess who pays?) in the Third Mall from the Sun:
WHICH WILL IT BE? Those words fill the screen, accompanied by Raymond
Massey whispering and chorus singing same, in "Things to Come." Fadeout).
The Third Mall from the Sun concept belongs to late comic genius Bill Hicks.
Burn joss money in his memory to help cover his bar tab in the afterlife.
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WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO SEND MAIL TO YOUR SYSTEM ADMINISTRATORS ASKING THEM
IF THEY OFFER THEIR SYSTEM LOGS TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES - ESPECIALLY IF
YOU LIVE IN TEXAS. ACTIONS SUCH AS THIS MAY BE A VIOLATION OF YOUR
PRIVACY. IF YOU DISCOVER THIS TO BE THE CASE, MAIL US!
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
EFF SUMMARY OF THE EDWARDS/LEAHY DIGITAL TELEPHONY BILL
From Stanton McCandlish <mech@eff.org>
OVERVIEW
--------
The Edwards/Leahy Digital Telephony bill places functional requirements on
telecommunications carriers in order to enable law enforcement to continue
to conduct authorized electronic surveillance. It allows a court to impose
fines on carriers that violate the requirements, and mandates that the
processes for determining capacity requirements and technical standards be
open and public. The bill also contains significant new privacy
protections; including an increased standard for government access to
transactional data (such as addressing information contained in electronic
mail logs), a requirement that information acquired through the use of pen
registers or trap and trace devices not disclose the physical location of an
individual, and an expansion of current law to protect the radio portion of
cordless telephone conversations from unauthorized surveillance.
SCOPE OF THE BILL. WHO IS COVERED?
-----------------------------------
The requirements of the bill apply to "telecommunications carriers", which
are defined as any person or entity engaged in the transmission or
switching of wire or electronic communications as a common carrier for hire
(as defined by section 3 (h) of the Communications Act of 1934), including
commercial mobile services (cellular, PCS, etc.). The bill also applies to
those persons or entities engaged in providing wire or electronic
communication switching or transmission service to the extent
that the FCC finds that such service is a replacement for a substantial
portion of the local telephone exchange.
The bill does not apply to online communication and information services
such as Internet providers, Compuserve, AOL, Prodigy, and BBS's. It also
excludes private networks, PBX's, and facilities which only interconnect
telecommunications carriers or private networks (such as most long
distance service).
REQUIREMENTS IMPOSED ON CARRIERS
--------------------------------
Telecommunications carriers would be required to ensure that they
possess sufficient capability and capacity to accommodate law enforcement's
needs. The bill distinguishes between capability and capacity
requirements, and ensures that the determination of such requirements occur
in an open and public process.
CAPABILITY REQUIREMENTS
-----------------------
A telecommunications carrier is required to ensure that, within four years
from the date of enactment, it has the capability to:
1. expeditiously isolate the content of a targeted communication
within its service area;
2. isolate call-identifying information about the origin and
destination of a targeted communication;
3. enable the government to access isolated communications at a point
away from the carrier's premises and on facilities procured by the
government, and;
4. to do so unobtrusively and in such a way that protects the privacy
and security of communications not authorized to be intercepted
(Sec. 2601).
However, the bill does not permit law enforcement agencies or officers to
require the specific design of features or services, nor does it prohibit a
carrier from deploying any feature or service which does not meet the
requirements outlined above.
CAPACITY REQUIREMENTS
---------------------
Within 1 year of enactment of the bill, the Attorney General must
determine the maximum number of intercepts, pen register, and trap and
trace devices that law enforcement will require four years from the date of
enactment. Notices of capacity requirements must be published in the
Federal Register (Sec. 2603). Carriers have 4 years to comply with
capacity requirements.
PROCESS FOR DETERMINING TECH. STANDARDS TO IMPLEMENT CAPABILITY REQUIREMENTS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Telecommunications carriers, through trade associations or standards
setting bodies and in consultation with the Attorney General, must
determine the technical specifications necessary to implement the
capability requirements (Sec. 2606).
The bill contains a 'safe harbor' provision, which allows a carrier to meet
its obligations under the legislation if it is in compliance with publicly
available standards set through this process. A carrier may deploy a
feature or service in the absence of technical standards, although in such
a case the carrier would not be covered by the safe harbor provision and
may be found in violation.
Furthermore, the legislation allows any one to file a motion at the FCC in
the event that a standard violates the privacy and security of
telecommunications networks or does not meet the requirements of the bill
(Sec. 2606). If petitioned under this section, the FCC may establish
technical requirements or standards that:
1) meet the capability requirements (in Sec. 2602);
2) protect the privacy and security of communications not authorized
to be intercepted, and;
3) encourage the provision of new technologies and services to the
public.
ENFORCEMENT AND PENALTIES
-------------------------
In the event that a court or the FCC deems a technical standard to be
insufficient, or if law enforcement finds that it is unable to conduct
authorized surveillance because a carrier has not met the requirements of
this legislation, the Attorney General can request that a court issue an
enforcement order (an order directing a carrier to comply), and/or a fine
of up to $10,000 per day for each day in violation (Sec. 2607). However, a
court can issue an enforcement order or fine a carrier only if it can be
determined that no other reasonable alternatives are available to law
enforcement. This provision allows carriers to deploy features and
services which may not meet the requirements of the bill. Furthermore,
this legislation does not permit the government to block the adoption or
use of any feature or service by a telecommunications carrier which does
not meet the requirements.
The bill requires the government to reimburse carriers for all reasonable
costs associated with complying with the capacity requirements. In other
words, the government will pay for upgrades of current features or
services, as well as any future upgrades which may be necessary, pursuant
to published notices of capacity requirements (Sec. 2608).
There is $500,000,000 authorized for appropriation to cover the costs of
government reimbursements to carriers. In the event that a smaller sum is
actually appropriated, the bill allows a court to determine whether a
carrier must comply (Sec. 2608 (d)). This section recognizes that
telecommunications carriers may not be responsible for meeting the
requirements if the government does not cover reasonable costs.
The government is also required to submit a report to congress within four
years describing all costs paid to carriers for upgrades (Sec. 4).
ENHANCED PRIVACY PROTECTIONS
----------------------------
The legislation contains enhanced privacy protections for transactional
information (such as telephone toll records and electronic mail logs)
generated in the course of completing a communication. Current law permits
law enforcement to gain access to transactional information through a
subpoena. The bill establishes a higher standard for law enforcement
access to transactional data contained electronic mail logs and other
online records. Telephone toll records would still be available through a
subpoena. Under the new standard, law enforcement is required to obtain a
court order by demonstrating specific and articulable facts that electronic
mail logs and other online transactional records are relevant and material
to an ongoing criminal investigation (Sec. 10).
Law enforcement is also prohibited from remotely activating any
surveillance capability. All intercepts must be conducted with the
affirmative consent of a telecommunications carrier and activated by a
designated employee of the carrier within the carrier's facilities (Sec.
2604).
The bill further requires that, when using pen registers and trap and trace
devices, law enforcement will use, when reasonably available, devices which
only provide call set up and dialed number information (Sec. 10). This
provision will ensure that as law enforcement employs new technologies in
pen register and trap and trace devices, it will not gain access to
additional call setup information beyond its current authority.
Finally, the bill extends the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA)
protections against interception of wireless communications to cordless
telephones, making illegal the intentional interception of the radio
portion of a cordless telephone (the transmission between the handset
and the base unit).
CELLULAR SCANNERS
-----------------
The bill makes it a crime to possess or use an altered telecommunications
instrument (such as a cellular telephone or scanning receiver) to obtain
unauthorized access to telecommunications services (Sec. 9). This
provision is intended to prevent the illegal use of cellular and other
wireless communications services. Violations under this section face
imprisonment for up to 15 years and a fine of up to $50,000.
IMPROVEMENTS OF THE EDWARDS/LEAHY BILL OVER PREVIOUS FBI PROPOSALS
------------------------------------------------------------------
The Digital Telephony legislative proposal was first offered in 1992 by the
Bush Administration. The 1992 version of the bill:
* applied to all providers of wire or electronic communications
services (no exemptions for information services, interexchange
carriers or private networks);
* gave the government the explicit authority to block or enjoin a
feature or service that did not meet the requirements;
* contained no privacy protections;
* contained no public process for determining the capacity
requirements;
* contained no government reimbursement (carriers were responsible
for meeting all costs);
* would have allowed remote access to communications by law
enforcement, and;
* granted telecommunications carriers only 18 months to comply.
The Bush Administration proposal was offered on capitol hill for almost a
year, but did attract any congressional sponsors.
The proposal was again offered under the Clinton Administration's FBI in
March of 1993. The Clinton Administration's bill was a moderated version
of the original 1992 proposal:
* It required the government to pay all reasonable costs incurred by
telecommunications carriers in retrofitting their facilities in
order to correct existing problems;
* It encouraged (but did not require), the Attorney General to consult
with telecommunications industry representatives and standards
bodies to facilitate compliance,
* It narrowed the scope of the legislation to common carriers, rather
than all providers of electronic communications services.
Although the Clinton Administration version was an improvement
over the Bush Administration proposal, it did not address the
larger concerns of public interest organizations or the
telecommunications industry. The Clinton Administration version:
* did not contain any protections for access to transactional
information;
* did not contain any public process for determining the capability
requirements or public notice of law enforcement's capacity needs;
* would have allowed law enforcement to dictate system design and
bar the introduction of features and services which did not meet
the requirements, and;
* would have allowed law enforcement to use pen registers and trap and
trace devices to obtain tracking or physical location information.
Locating Relevant Documents
===========================
** Original 1992 Bush-era draft **
ftp.eff.org, /pub/EFF/Policy/FBI/Old/digtel92_old_bill.draft
gopher.eff.org, 1/EFF/Policy/FBI/Old, digtel92_old_bill.draft
http://www.eff.org/pub/EFF/Policy/FBI/Old/digtel92_old_bill.draft
bbs: +1 202 638 6120 (8N1, 300-14400bps), file area: Privacy - Digital
Telephony; file: digtel92.old
** 1993/1994 Clinton-era draft **
ftp.eff.org, /pub/EFF/Policy/FBI/digtel94_bill.draft
gopher.eff.org, 1/EFF/Policy/FBI, digtel94_bill.draft
http://www.eff.org/pub/EFF/Policy/FBI/digtel94_bill.draft
bbs: +1 202 638 6120 (8N1, 300-14400bps), file area: Privacy - Digital
Telephony; file: digtel94.dft
** 1994 final draft, as sponsored **
ftp.eff.org, /pub/EFF/Policy/FBI/digtel94.bill
gopher.eff.org, 1/EFF/Policy/FBI, digtel94.bill
http://www.eff.org/pub/EFF/Policy/FBI/digtel94.bill
bbs: +1 202 638 6120 (8N1, 300-14400bps), file area: Privacy - Digital
Telephony; file: digtel94.bil
** EFF Statement on sponsored version **
ftp.eff.org, /pub/EFF/Policy/FBI/digtel94_statement.eff
gopher.eff.org, 1/EFF/Policy/FBI, digtel94_statement.eff
http://www.eff.org/pub/EFF/Policy/FBI/digtel94_statement.eff
bbs: +1 202 638 6120 (8N1, 300-14400bps), file area: Privacy - Digital
Telephony; file: digtel94.eff
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
'ZINE FAQ
By Jerod Pore (jerod23@well.sf.ca.us)
This file is Shareright 1994 by Jerod Pore; you may (and please do) copy,
reproduce, replicate and distribute this information however, whereever
and in whatever format, and as often as you wish, as long as this sentence
is included.
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions.
What are zines?
Zines are small press publications with a press run of 15 - 5,000. They
often deal with obscure or controversial subjects, or they're about the
life of the publisher, or they're about the latest underground muzak
sensation.
How does one find out about zines?
The best place to start is with Factsheet Five or Factsheet Five-Electric.
We review 1,000 - 1,500 zines every three months (more or less). We
provide ordering information, size, quality of reproduction, contents and
what we think about a zine. Once you get a few zines that sound
interesting, you'll notice other zines referred to. Pretty soon you'll
have more reading material then you know what to do with.
How does one produce a zine?
That's beyond the scope of this document. But my stock answer is go to
lunch at 11:30 am, get back by 12:15 and you should have plenty of time
to use the equipment at school or at work. Write down your thoughts (I
suggest doing artwork on your own time), photocopy 40 or 50 copies, send
one to us and to a few zines you think would be interested in yours.
You may want to get the Zine Publishers' Resource guide, either $3.00
from Seth at the address below, or the prior version is available from
the ftp and gopher sites.
How does one get the zines?
When ordering zines, cash is the best medium of exchange. Forget what
your mother told you about evil thieves stealing one dollar bills out of
mail boxes. If you absolutely must send a check or money order (and a
money order is preferred over a check), then make it out to the name in
the address portion of the reviews. However, many people publish zines
under pseudonyms. Unless available only for a ridiculous amount of money,
just send cash.
Many zines, especially personal zines, science fiction fanzines and
anarchist zines are available for what is quaintly known as "The Usual."
"The Usual" is your zine or tape or record or calendar in trade, or a
well-written Letter of Comment on the subject of the zine, or $2 - $3.
Be warned about a few things. There are no guarantees. Checks are
likely to be thrown away. Some zine names with especially offensive
titles have often had their mail thrown away by self-righteous born-
again postal workers, I kid you not! If the name of the zine is apt to
offend your third-grade teacher, don't put it on the envelope. Some
zines published in rather provincial parts of the world won't get their
mail if the publisher's name isn't on the envelope, so whatever the name
is in address, that's the name that should go on the envelope. I can
work only with what information is provided me. I'll post any special
requirements that are conveyed to me. If a zine is free, you may want
to help out with some stamps. Free often translates as "The Usual," and
many anarchists will accept food stamps.
How to contact us with questions, etc. regarding F5 - either the paper
or electronic versions.
The email address for Factsheet Five and Factsheet Five - Electric is:
jerod23@well.sf.ca.us
Once upon a time, Seth had an email address. It may be reactivated in the
future. The phone number for Factsheet Five (paper only) is +1-415-668-1781
Where should stuff be sent?
For anything that can't be sent electronically, which is most of the
stuff we deal with; comments, questions, feedback, donations, zines and
other contributions to the defense of free expression rights around the
world should be sent to either of these addresses:
Factsheet Five
Seth Friedman
PO Box 170099
San Francisco CA 94117-0099
(This is the *only* address for subscriptions to the paper version)
Factsheet Five
Jerod Pore
1800 Market St.
San Francisco CA 94102-6297
(This address is good for items that can't be sent to a PO Box)
If you have a preference of reviewers, then send your zine to either of
the above addresses as you see fit. Please, though, send your zine to
just *ONE* address. Multiple copies just slow us down. I do most of
the Fringe, Hate, Rant, SubGenius and Science Fiction/Fantasy zines.
Seth either reviews or distributes the rest.
We have a couple of long-time reviewers for two niches. They publish
their own review zines so you get twice the coverage. We must stress that
you send poetry to Luigi-Bob, because poetry sent to San Francisco won't
be reviewed for a couple of issues.
Send your queer, bi or especially prurient zines to:
Larry-bob
Queer Zine Explosion
PO Box 591275
San Francisco CA 94159-1275
Send all poetry or prose/poetry zines with lots of poetry to:
Luigi-Bob Drake
Burning Press
PO Box 585
Lakewood OH 44107
How does one obtain the reviews of zines?
The files that comprise Factsheet Five - Electric are available for
online reading or downloading from WELL or with a gopher client with
gopher gopher.well.sf.ca.us. The files are also available via anonymous
ftp from etext.archive.umich.edu in /pub/Factsheet.Five. The prior issue
is in /pub/Factsheet.Five/Last.Issue. The WWW site is http://www.well.com/
You may subscribe to Factsheet Five - Electric by emailing me with
"subscribe" in the subject line and your email address as the *entire* text.
The files are sent out as they become available. Email subscriptions are
sent out *last*, as it's a real pain in the ass for me to deal with.
F5-E is available from other ftp and gopher sites, as well as BBS's around
the world, but I don't track other locations.
What is the best method of receiving the review files?
The WELL is the "best" place. Not only is The WELL the greatest BBS in
CyberSpace (no, I don't get a kickback; I pay $30-50 a month to be on
WELL) it's the homebase for F5 - Electric. The most recent files are
there. Online zines that are sent to me are there. News, gossip and
rumours about zines and other underground media are there. 2600, Full
Disclosure, bOING-bOING and other zinesters are there. The
WELL is, however, somewhat expensive at $15.00 a month and $2.00 an
hour. After WELL, ftp, gopher or WWW are the next best ways of getting
the files.
Our ftp sites accept anonymous as a login and your return address as a
password. For some people, especially those of you on FidoNet, Compu$erve
and other services with email-only gateways to The Internet, email is the
*only* way to get the files. Unfornuately, the large file sizes (files
range from 8 - 100k) prevent many locations from receiving them through
email, especially uunet and uucp sites.
How do ftp, gopher and WWW users know when new or updated files are
available?
For now, updates to F5-E will be announced in the newsgroups that
attract people interested in zines: alt.zines and rec.mag
An excellent suggestion was made about having an email service that
announces just the names of the new or updated files to ftp users.
I've juggled two email subscription lists, so this idea will be too much
of a hassle to implement. I don't know if the zines-list is still active.
If it is, I might send announcements out that way.
What is alt.zines?
alt.zines is a Usenet newsgroup about zines. It's where we discuss zine
publishing, hype our zines, bitch about mainstream publications trying
to coopt zines and so forth. It's unmoderated, but there's a few of us
there most of the time to answer these questions over&over&over and to
point out that your slick publication about Christian technology with a
circulation of over 150,000 is *not* a zine.
Much of the posts in alt.zines are xposted to rec.mag, to benefit people
at sites where the anal-retentive administrators refuse to carry the
alt. hierarchy.
May the files be reprinted or posted elsewhere?
All files (just like this one) are shareright. You may reproduce the
information contained within them freely as long as others may reproduce
that same information. In other words, you may use but not copyright
these files. Shareright does not prevent you from charging money (or
whatever your preferred medium of exchange is) for distribution.
Including pertinent parts of this file, and giving credit to the
reviewers is especially good for your karma, but not absolutely required
to use what you wish of the review files. We're more interested in the
widespread dissemination of the information. BBS operators are
especially encouraged to make whatever files you deem appropriate
available to your users.
How does one submit reviews?
For now, email the reviews to me. This could be subject to change, once
we work out everything. Each file will have reviews of one or more
zines that are somehow categorized together by subject matter or by
reviewer. Also feel free to post to alt.zines reviews of zines you have
come across or to hype your own zines. I've adopted the nerdy HTML format
that is used for WWW browsing.
While sticking to the format is nice, it is not necessary, as long as
all pertinent information is included. However if the reviews are to be
accessible by the Web, then you had better do them this way.
Please keep all reviews in vanilla ASCII format. Also keep them shareright.
We are especially in need of reviews ezines and of zines that are published
outside of North America. Now, I get zines from Australia and, since I
used to live there, I understand the dialect and cultural references.
We don't have the resources to review zines that aren't published in
English. I'd rather that F5-Electic not be an English only publication.
If you get zines from other parts of the world and are willing to review
them, please send the reviews to me.
We are carrying a listing of ezines, thanks to johnl@netcom.com, but we
would like to get more reviews of ezines, too.
What are the subscription rates and/or sample copy prices for the print
version of Factsheet Five?
Single issues:
US Newsstand Cover Price: $3.95 (Marketing sucks!)
US via 1st Class: $6.00
Canada, Mexico: $6.00
Elsewhere in the world: $9.00
Six issue Subscription:
US 3rd Class: $20.00
Friend Rate* $40.00
* First class, in an envelope, with the publisher's eternal gratitude AND
the occassional subscriber goodie, like the Zine Publisher's Guide, or
2 pounds of zines for $3.00.
Canada, Mexico: $35.00
UK, Europe, Latin America $45.00
Asia, Africa, Pacific $55.00
"We accept for payment cash (US or otherwise), check or money order drawn
in US funds (payable to Factsheet Five), or IRCs (at the rate of $0.50
each). Prisoners may get single issues by paying in stamps."
Please foward orders to:
R. Seth Friedman
P.O. Box 170099
San Francisco, CA 94117-0099
Will the subscription list (for the paper version) be sold?
Seth plans making the list available to lots of cool companies like
Archie McPhee, Blue Ryder, Co-Op America, and Kitchen Sink Press. If
you have an aversion to receiving cool catalogs and other neat stuff in
the mail, just mention it with your order. We'll be sure to keep your
address private.
What about the subscription list to the electronic version?
The only thing I'll do with the email list is dump it when I get fed up
with emailling huge files.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
LEGION OF DOOM T-SHIRTS!! Get 'em
By Chris Goggans <phrack@well.sf.ca.us>
After a complete sellout at HoHo Con 1993 in Austin, TX this past
December, the official Legion of Doom t-shirts are available
once again. Join the net luminaries world-wide in owning one of
these amazing shirts. Impress members of the opposite sex, increase
your IQ, annoy system administrators, get raided by the government and
lose your wardrobe!
Can a t-shirt really do all this? Of course it can!
"THE HACKER WAR -- LOD vs MOD"
This t-shirt chronicles the infamous "Hacker War" between rival
groups The Legion of Doom and The Masters of Destruction. The front
of the shirt displays a flight map of the various battle-sites
hit by MOD and tracked by LOD. The back of the shirt
has a detailed timeline of the key dates in the conflict, and
a rather ironic quote from an MOD member.
(For a limited time, the original is back!)
"LEGION OF DOOM -- INTERNET WORLD TOUR"
The front of this classic shirt displays "Legion of Doom Internet World
Tour" as well as a sword and telephone intersecting the planet
earth, skull-and-crossbones style. The back displays the
words "Hacking for Jesus" as well as a substantial list of "tour-stops"
(internet sites) and a quote from Aleister Crowley.
All t-shirts are sized XL, and are 100% cotton.
Cost is $15.00 (US) per shirt. International orders add $5.00 per shirt for
postage.
Send checks or money orders. Please, no credit cards, even if
it's really your card.
Name: __________________________________________________
Address: __________________________________________________
City, State, Zip: __________________________________________
I want ____ "Hacker War" shirt(s)
I want ____ "Internet World Tour" shirt(s)
Enclosed is $______ for the total cost.
Mail to: Chris Goggans
603 W. 13th #1A-278
Austin, TX 78701
These T-shirts are sold only as a novelty items, and are in no way
attempting to glorify computer crime.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
A POINT AND CLICK SOCIETY
LEARN TO DRIVE, OR GET OFF THE ROAD
An Editorial
By Scott Davis (dfox@fc.net)
As a computer support professional, I am unfortunate enough to see some
of the developments pertaining to the Internet as they occur. I say
"unfortunate" not because what I see is so terrible, but what I see never
ceases to knock me off of my feet. What I am referring to is the massive
wave of new people coming on to the "Inpho-s00per Highway" who if not for
icons to click on and a mouse to click with, would not be able to use a
personal computer...much less some global network. Uhh..uhh I thank I'm
referrin' to that "Inter-Net" thang...
People are being sucked into a revolution of digital "Everything".
Computers do their taxes, balance their books, order groceries and other
products, and deliver electronic mail...among other things. But, it bugs me
to no end to see somebody with an e-mail address from AOL. It makes me
want to mail them back and tell them "HEY! Did you know that you are on
the dirt road that runs beside the Internet?" Or tell them to "Get out
of the ghetto of the Internet." "Do you know what you're doing?"
What the big companies have done is give the masses a loaded gun... and
the masses have never fired a weapon in their life! They've given them
a Porsche 944...and they've never driven a car. But I also question the
common sense of the average computer user. "Do you know what this computer
does?" The bottom line is that there are more things to do with this thing
than point and click on all of your pretty applications.
Services such as AOL promote things like "electronic mail" and "Access to
the Internet". But how many people who purchased the software did any
reading or research as to WHAT the Internet is. WHAT is electronic mail?
I know that I'll probably get a thousand flames for this article, and
they'll say 'We were all newbies once!" I am completely aware of that,
but when we (people who have been on the Net for 5+ years) were new,
we had to learn every aspect of what we were getting into. There was no
point-and-click options. If we did not know command line operations,
we didn't surf! One problem can be contributed to the press. This is
the fact that they have made "The Internet" and Info-SuperHighway"
buzz-phrases that people are going to be attracted to because they
sound "cool".
There are no PC-based computers being marketed without Dos and Windows
to this editor's knowledge. When the customer sees "Dos and Windows",
how many people do you think say, "Hey Look...it's got Dos too!"
It simply does not happen. Who cares what an operating system is, right?
Well, the fact is...you better care. Because without an operating system,
you wouldn't be able to point and click on you pretty little icons.
I commend AOL, Compuserve, Microsoft and others who develop software
for the masses. They do a fine job and a great service to the world.
Computing just would not be the same without them (I guess).
Computers are being mass-marketed and distributed to the public like
social security cards. For the big-boys in the industry, this is good.
It means profit, jobs, and market-share...and that sometime soon, every
household in America will have at least one computer (or doorstop) and the
owner will not know the first thing about it.
Commercial software manufacturers and Internet service providers are
looking at this as a slaughter. Rounding up the cattle, as it were.
This is fine with me, but it is the end-user's responsibility to
do work on his/her own to know what this "Hi-Tek-Hiway" is. There are
ways not to become sheep. And if you don't do your homework, you don't
deserve better.
I think that people should be required to attend some in-depth computer
courses before being able to buy one.
* Computer Basics: This class would last a total of 100 hours. Two hours
a night, three nights a week. Windows and other applications would not
be discussed. The students would have to prove that they are proficient
in Dos, Unix, or whatever command-line operating system their PC used.
At the end of the 100 hour course, if they passed the command-line stuff,
they would be permitted to attend a class that provided instruction
on GUI's and other software.
* Internet Basics 101: If the sheep are so eager to get on this damn
SuperHighway, learn what it is about. Learn where it origninated and
what it can do. --- and learn how NOT to be a headache to others.
Ethics would be a portion of the instruction. Learn who you are,
evaluate your place on the Net, and know that no matter who you are...
there are bigger and better hackers out there.
* Learn the difference between the Highway and the shoulder.
* What is "REAL" access and just a gateway to where you WISH you were.
* Hardware Troubleshooting: If my floppy disk drive is not working, I'd
kinda like to know what to do to see if it is actually broken. If you
purchased a $30,000 car and there were no service centers in the world,
wouldn't you like to know how to change your oil?
* Telecommunications Instruction: What is a modem? What does it do?
Learn how to use non-commercial telecom software. Find some modem
software package that does not come from a major service provider
or is not used with the most popular GUI in the world...and call up a
few local bulletin board systems. Also, if my modem is not functioning,
I'd like to know some of the reasons why, and try to correct them.
These are some simple suggestions that I believe everyone should do before
purchasing a computer system. Of course, if you have been using computers
for an extended period of time and proclaim to know how they work, there
would be a CLEP test for you. Answer 5 questions about hardware, three
questions on Internet, and answer NO to the question "Do you use Windows?"
and you'll be on your way home with that new system. This is certainly not
an attempt to hammer commerical services and/or providers, certain
software programs designed to make computing easier, or the people who
use them. It's simply a statement saying "Know what you're doing, make
yourself open to fluctuations in trends, educate yourself on global
networking, and have a nice day." There is no excuse for ignorance. Open
your documentation, go to the book store, whatever. Do your homework.
Otherwise, pull over...you're going to jail for driving without a license.
There are political fights going on right now over different aspects of
this "SuperHighway" that you're so eager to get on. The decisions made
will ultimately affect you. Do you care? You should. There are lawyers,
lobbyists, organizations such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation,
and many individuals fighting for your right to use the services that
you use. They are fighting to keep it "usable."
In closing, be alert, be aware...and get educated. The light at the end of
the tunnel to success might be a locomotive!
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO SEND MAIL TO YOUR SYSTEM ADMINISTRATORS ASKING THEM
IF THEY OFFER THEIR SYSTEM LOGS TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES - ESPECIALLY IF
YOU LIVE IN TEXAS. ACTIONS SUCH AS THIS MAY BE A VIOLATION OF YOUR
PRIVACY. IF YOU DISCOVER THIS TO BE THE CASE, MAIL US!
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
KEYNOTE ADDRESS : CRYPTOGRAPHY CONFERENCE
By Bruce Sterling (bruces@well.sf.ca.us)
Hello everybody. It's quite an honor to be delivering the
keynote address -- a *thankfully brief* keynote address -- at this
conference. I hope to clear the decks in short order, and let you
spend an engrossing afternoon, listening to an intense discussion of
complex and important public issues, by highly qualified people, who
fully understand what they're talking about. Unlike myself.
Before all this begins, though, I do want to establish a
context for this conference. Let me briefly put on my professional
dunce-hat, as a popular-science writer, and try to make it clear to
you exactly what the heck is going on here today.
Cryptography. The science and study of secret writing, especially
codes and cypher systems. The procedures, processes, measures and
algorithms for making and using secret exchanges of information.
*Secret* exchanges, done, made and conducted without the knowledge of
others, whether those others be governments, competitors, local, state
or federal police, private investigators, wiretappers, cellular
scanners, corporate security people, marketers, merchandisers,
journalists, public health officials, squads for public decency,
snoopy neighbors, or even your own spouse, your own parents, or your
own children.
Cryptography is a way to confine knowledge to the initiated and
the privileged in your circle, whatever that circle might be:
corporate co-workers, fellow bureaucrats, fellow citizens, fellow
modem-users, fellow artists, fellow writers, fellow
influence-peddlers, fellow criminals, fellow software pirates, fellow
child pornographers.
Cryptography is a way to assure the privacy of digital way to
help control the ways in which you reveal yourself to the world. It
is also a way to turn everything inside a computer, even a computer
seized or stolen by experts, into an utterly scrambled Sanskrit that
no one but the holder of the key can read. It is a swift, powerful,
portable method of high-level computer security. Electronic
cryptography is potentially, perhaps, even a new form of information
economics.
Cryptography is a very hot issue in electronic civil liberties
circles at the moment. After years of the deepest, darkest,
never-say-anything, military spook obscurity, cryptography is out of
the closet and openly flaunting itself in the street. Cryptography is
attracting serious press coverage. The federal administration has
offered its own cryptographic cure-all, the Clipper Chip.
Cryptography is being discussed openly and publicly, and practiced
openly and publicly. It is passing from the hands of giant secretive
bureaucracies, to the desktop of the individual. Public-key
cryptography, in particular, is a strange and novel form of
cryptography which has some very powerful collateral applications and
possibilities, which can only be described as bizarre, and possibly
revolutionary. Cryptography is happening, and happening now.
It often seems a truism in science and technology that it takes
twenty years for anything really important to happen: well,
Whitfield Diffie was publishing about public-key cryptography in 1975.
The idea, the theory for much of what will be discussed today was
already in place, theoretically, in 1975. This would suggest a target
date of 1995 for this issue to break permanently out of the arid world
of theory, and into the juicy, down-and-dirty real world of politics,
lawsuits, and money. I rather think that this is a likely scenario.
Personally, I think the situation's gonna blow a seam. And by
choosing to attend this EFF and EFF-Austin conference in September
1993, you are still a handy two years ahead of the curve. You can
congratulate yourself!
Why do I say blow a seam? Because at this very moment, ladies
and gentlemen, today, there is a grand jury meeting in Silicon Valley,
under the auspices of two US federal attorneys and the US Customs
Service. That grand jury is mulling over possible illegality,
possible indictments, possible heaven-knows-what, relating to supposed
export-law violations concerning this powerful cryptography
technology. A technology so powerful that exporting cryptographic
algorithms requires the same license that our government would grant
to a professional armaments dealer. We can envision this federal
grand jury meeting, in San Jose California, as a kind of dark salute
to our conference here in Austin, a dark salute from the forces of
the cryptographic status quo. I can guarantee you that whatever you
hear at this conference today, is not gonna be the last you hear about
this subject.
I can also guarantee you that the people you'll be hearing from
today are ideal people to tell you about these issues. I wrote a book
once, partly about some of these people, so I've come to know some of
them personally. I hope you'll forgive me, if I briefly wax all
sentimental in public about how wonderful they are. There will be
plenty of time for us to get all hardened and dark and cynical later.
I'll be glad to help do that, because I'm pretty good at that when I
put my mind to it, but in the meantime, today, we should feel lucky.
We are lucky enough to have some people here who can actually tell us
something useful about our future. Our real future, the future we can
actually have, the future we'll be living in, the future that we can
actually do something about.
We have among us today the board of directors of the Electronic
Frontier Foundation. They are meeting in Austin in order to pursue
strategy for their own national organization, but in the meantime,
they also have graciously agreed to appear publicly and share their
expertise and their opinions with us Austinites. Furthermore, they
are not getting a dime out of this; they are doing it, amazingly, out
of sheer public-spiritedness.
I'm going to introduce each of them and talk about them very
briefly. I hope you will reserve your applause until the end.
Although these people deserve plenty of applause, we are short on
quality applause resources. In fact, today we will be rationing
applause care, in order to assure a supply of basic, decent,
ego-boosting applause for everyone, including those unable to
privately afford top-quality applause care for the health of their own
egos. A federal-policy in-joke for the many Washington insiders we
have in the room today.
Very well, on to the business at hand. Mitch Kapor is a
cofounder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a software designer,
a very prominent software entrepreneur, a philanthropist, a writer and
journalist, and a civil liberties activist. In 1990, when Mr. Kapor
co-founded EFF, there was very considerable legal and constitutional
trouble in the world of cyberspace. Mitch spoke out on these
sometimes-arcane, sometimes-obscure issues, and he spoke loudly,
repeatedly, publicly, and very effectively. And when Mitch Kapor
finished speaking-out, those issues were no longer obscure
or arcane.
This is a gift Mitch has, it seems. Mitch Kapor has also quietly done
many good deeds for the electronic community, despite his full
personal knowledge that no good deed goes unpunished. We very likely
wouldn't be meeting here today, if it weren't for Mitch, and anything
he says will be well worth your attention.
Jerry Berman is the President and Director of Electronic
Frontier Foundation, which is based in Washington DC. He is a
longtime electronic civil liberties activist, formerly the founder and
director of the Projects on Privacy and Information Technology for the
American Civil Liberties Union. Jerry Berman has published widely on
the legal and legislative implications of computer security and
electronic communications privacy, and his expertise in networks and
the law is widely recognized. He is heading EFF's efforts on the
national information infrastructure in the very thick of the
Clinton-Gore administration, and Mr Berman, as you might imagine, is a
very busy man these days, with a lot of digital irons in the virtual
fire.
Mr. Kapor and Mr Berman will be taking part in our first panel
today, on the topic of EFF's current directions in national public
policy. This panel will last from 1:45 to 3PM sharp and should be
starting about fifteen minutes after I knock it off and leave this
podium. We will allow these well-qualified gentlemen to supply their
own panel moderation, and simply tell us whatever is on their minds.
And I rather imagine that given the circumstances, cryptography is
likely to loom large. And, along with the other panels, if they want
to throw it open for questions from the floor, that's their decision.
There will be a fifteen-minute break between each panel to
allow our brains to decompress.
Our second panel today, beginning at 3:15, will be on the
implications of cryptography for law enforcement and for industry, and
the very large and increasingly dangerous areas where police and
industry overlap in cyberspace. Our participants will be Esther Dyson
and Mike Godwin.
Esther Dyson is a prominent computer-industry journalist.
Since 1982, she has published a well-known and widely-read industry
newsletter called Release 1.0. Her industry symposia are justly
famous, and she's also very well-known as an industry-guru in Central
and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Ms Dyson is very
knowledgeable, exceptionally well-informed, and always a healthy
distance ahead of her time. When it comes to the computer industry,
Esther Dyson not only knows where the bodies are buried, she has a
chalk outline ready-and-waiting for the bodies that are still upright!
She's on the Board of EFF as well as the Santa Fe Institute, the
Global Business Network, the Women's Forum, and the Poynter Institute
for Media Studies.
Mike Godwin is the legal services council for EFF. He is a
journalist, writer, attorney, legal theorist, and legal adviser to the
electronically distressed. He is a veteran public speaker on these
topics, who has conducted many seminars and taken part in many fora
all over the United States. He is also a former Austinite, a graduate
of the UT School of Law, and a minor character in a William Gibson
novel, among his other unique distinctions. Mike Godwin is not only
in EFF inside the beltway of Washington, but is on the board of the
local group, EFF-Austin. Mike Godwin is a well-known, one might even
say beloved, character in the electronic community. Mike Godwin is
especially beloved to those among us who have had machinery sucked
into the black hole of a federal search-and-seizure process.
Our third panel today, beginning at 4:45, will be the uniquely
appropriate Cypherpunk Panel. Our three barricade-climbing,
torch-waving, veteran manifesto-writers will be John Perry Barlow,
John Gilmore and Eric Hughes.
Mr Eric Hughes is NOT a member of the EFF Board of Directors.
Mr Hughes is the moderator of the well-known, notorious even, Internet
cypherpunk mailing list. He is a private citizen and programmer from
the Bay Area of California, who has a computer, has a modem, has
crypto-code and knows how to use it! Mr Hughes is here today entirely
on his own, very considerable, initiative, and we of EFF-Austin are
proud to have him here to publicly declare anything and everything
that he cares to tell us about this important public issue.
Mr John Gilmore *is* a member of the EFF Board. He is a
twenty-year veteran programmer, a pioneer in Sun Microsystems and
Cygnus Support, a stalwart of the free software movement, and a
long-term electronic civil libertarian who is very bold and forthright
in his advocacy of privacy, and of private encryption systems. Mr
Gilmore is, I must say, remarkable among UNIX and GNU programmers for
the elegance and clarity of his prose writings. I believe that even
those who may disagree with Mr Gilmore about the complex and important
issues of cryptography, will be forced to admit that they actually
understand what Mr Gilmore is saying. This alone makes him a
national treasure. Furthermore, John Gilmore has never attended
college, and has never bought a suit. When John Gilmore speaks his
mind in public, people should sit up straight!
And our last introductee is the remarkable John Perry Barlow.
Journalist, poet, activist, techno-crank, manifesto-writer, WELLbeing,
long-time lyricist for the Grateful Dead, co-founder of Electronic
Frontier Foundation, member of the Wyoming Republican Party, a man who
at last count had at least ten personal phone numbers, including two
faxes, two cellulars and a beeper; bon vivant, legend in his own
time, a man with whom superlatives fail, art critic, father of three,
contributing editor of MONDO 2000, a man and a brother that I am proud
to call truly *my kind of guy:* John Perry Barlow.
So these are our panelists today, ladies and gentlemen: a fine
group of public-spirited American citizens who, coincidentally, happen
to have a collective IQ high enough to boil platinum. Let's give
them a round of applause.
(((frenzied applause)))
Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, EFF-Austin is not the EFF.
We are a local group with our own incorporation and our own unique
organizational challenges. We are doing things on a local scale,
where the National EFF cannot operate. But we know them, and we
*like* them, and we are proud to have them here. Furthermore, every
time some Austin company, such as Steve Jackson Games Incorporated, or
the currently unlucky Austin Codeworks, publishers of a program called
"Moby Crypto," find themselves in some strange kind of federal hot
water, we are not only proud to know the EFF, we are *glad* to know
them. Glad, and *grateful!* They have a lot to tell us today, and
they are going to tell us things they believe we really need to know.
And after these formal panels, this evening from 8 to 10, we are
going to indulge in a prolonged informal session of what we Austinites
are best at: absorbing alcohol, reminiscing about the Sixties, and
making what Mitch Kapor likes to call "valuable personal contacts."
We of EFF-Austin are proud and happy to be making information
and opinion on important topics and issues available to you, the
Austin public, at NO CHARGE!!
Of course, it would help us a lot, if you bought some of the
unbelievably hip and with-it T-shirts we made up for this gig, plus
the other odd and somewhat overpriced, frankly, memorabilia and
propaganda items that we of EFF-Austin sell, just like every other
not-for-profit organization in the world. Please help yourself to
this useful and enlightening stuff, so that the group can make more
money and become even more ambitious than we already are.
And on a final note, for those of you who are not from Austin,
I want to say to you as an Austinite and member of EFF-Austin, welcome
to our city. Welcome to the Capital of Texas. The River City. The
City of the Violet Crown. Silicon Hills. Berkeley-on-the-Colorado.
The Birthplace of Cyberpunk. And the Waterloo of the Chicago Computer
Fraud and Abuse Task Force.
You are all very welcome here.
So today, let's all learn something, and let's all have some
fun. Thanks a lot.
| Disclaimers : You are encouraged to re-distribute this |
| document electronically. Any opinions expressed belong to |
| the author and not the organization. (c) 1993. |
[From the EFF-Austin online newsletter, _WORD_, Issue #9]
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
-Editor's Note: This is a little old...but still good and important reading!
=-=-=-=-=-=-Copyright 1993,4 Wired USA Ltd. All Rights Reserved=-=-=-=-=-=
-=-=For complete copyright information, please see the end of this file=-=-
JACKBOOTS ON THE INFOBAHN
By John Perry Barlow (WIRED 2.04)
Clipper is a last ditch attempt by the United States, the last great power
from the old Industrial Era, to establish imperial control over cyberspace.
[Note: The following article appeared in the April 1994 issue of WIRED.
We, the editors of WIRED, are net-casting it now in its pre-published form
as a public service. Because of the vital and urgent nature of its message,
we believe readers on the Net should hear and take action now. You are free
to pass this article on electronically; in fact we urge you to replicate it
throughout the net with our blessings. If you do, please keep the copyright
statements and this note intact. For a complete listing of Clipper-related
resources available through WIRED Online, send email to <infobot@wired.com>
with the following message: "send clipper.index". - The Editors of WIRED]
On January 11, I managed to schmooze myself aboard Air Force 2. It was
flying out of LA, where its principal passenger had just outlined his
vision of the information superhighway to a suited mob of television, show-
biz, and cable types who fervently hoped to own it one day - if they could
ever figure out what the hell it was.
From the standpoint of the Electronic Frontier Foundation the speech had
been wildly encouraging. The administration's program, as announced by Vice
President Al Gore, incorporated many of the concepts of open competition,
universal access, and deregulated common carriage that we'd been pushing
for the previous year.
But he had said nothing about the future of privacy, except to cite among
the bounties of the NII its ability to "help law enforcement agencies
thwart criminals and terrorists who might use advanced telecommunications
to commit crimes."
On the plane I asked Gore what this implied about administration policy on
cryptography. He became as noncommittal as a cigar-store Indian. "We'll be
making some announcements.... I can't tell you anything more." He hurried
to the front of the plane, leaving me to troubled speculation.
Despite its fundamental role in assuring privacy, transaction security, and
reliable identity within the NII, the Clinton administration has not
demonstrated an enlightenment about cryptography up to par with the rest of
its digital vision.
The Clipper Chip - which threatens to be either the goofiest waste of
federal dollars since President Gerald Ford's great Swine Flu program or,
if actually deployed, a surveillance technology of profound malignancy -
seemed at first an ugly legacy of the Reagan-Bush modus operandi. "This is
going to be our Bay of Pigs," one Clinton White House official told me at
the time Clipper was introduced, referring to the disastrous plan to invade
Cuba that Kennedy inherited from Eisenhower.
(Clipper, in case you're just tuning in, is an encryption chip that the
National Security Agency and FBI hope will someday be in every phone and
computer in America. It scrambles your communications, making them
unintelligible to all but their intended recipients. All, that is, but the
government, which would hold the "key" to your chip. The key would
separated into two pieces, held in escrow, and joined with the appropriate
"legal authority.")
Of course, trusting the government with your privacy is like having a
Peeping Tom install your window blinds. And, since the folks I've met in
this White House seem like extremely smart, conscious freedom-lovers -
hell, a lot of them are Deadheads - I was sure that after they were fully
moved in, they'd face down the National Security Agency and the FBI, let
Clipper die a natural death, and lower the export embargo on reliable
encryption products.
Furthermore, the National Institutes of Standards and Technology and the
National Security Council have been studying both Clipper and export
embargoes since April. Given that the volumes of expert testimony they had
collected overwhelmingly opposed both, I expected the final report would
give the administration all the support it needed to do the right thing.
I was wrong. Instead, there would be no report. Apparently, they couldn't
draft one that supported, on the evidence, what they had decided to do
instead.
THE OTHER SHOE DROPS
On Friday, February 4, the other jackboot dropped. A series of
announcements from the administration made it clear that cryptography would
become their very own "Bosnia of telecommunications" (as one staffer put
it). It wasn't just that the old Serbs in the National Security Agency and
the FBI were still making the calls. The alarming new reality was that the
invertebrates in the White House were only too happy to abide by them.
Anything to avoid appearing soft on drugs or terrorism.
So, rather than ditching Clipper, they declared it a Federal Data
Processing Standard, backing that up with an immediate government order for
50,000 Clipper devices. They appointed the National Institutes of Standards
and Technology and the Department of Treasury as the "trusted" third
parties that would hold the Clipper key pairs. (Treasury, by the way, is
also home to such trustworthy agencies as the Secret Service and the Bureau
of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.)
They reaffirmed the export embargo on robust encryption products, admitting
for the first time that its purpose was to stifle competition to Clipper.
And they outlined a very porous set of requirements under which the cops
might get the keys to your chip. (They would not go into the procedure by
which the National Security Agency could get them, though they assured us
it was sufficient.)
They even signaled the impending return of the dread Digital Telephony, an
FBI legislative initiative requiring fundamental reengineering of the
information infrastructure; providing wiretapping ability to the FBI would
then become the paramount design priority.
INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS
Actually, by the time the announcements thudded down, I wasn't surprised by
them. I had spent several days the previous week in and around the White
House.
I felt like I was in another remake of The Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
My friends in the administration had been transformed. They'd been subsumed
by the vast mindfield on the other side of the security clearance membrane,
where dwell the monstrous bureaucratic organisms that feed on fear. They'd
been infected by the institutionally paranoid National Security Agency's
Weltanschauung.
They used all the telltale phrases. Mike Nelson, the White House point man
on the NII, told me, "If only I could tell you what I know, you'd feel the
same way I do." I told him I'd been inoculated against that argument during
Vietnam. (And it does seem to me that if you're going to initiate a
process that might end freedom in America, you probably need an argument
that isn't classified.)
Besides, how does he know what he knows? Where does he get his information?
Why, the National Security Agency, of course. Which, given its strong
interest in the outcome, seems hardly an unimpeachable source.
However they reached it, Clinton and Gore have an astonishingly simple
bottom line, to which even the future of American liberty and prosperity is
secondary: They believe that it is their responsibility to eliminate, by
whatever means, the possibility that some terrorist might get a nuke and
use it on, say, the World Trade Center. They have been convinced that such
plots are more likely to ripen to hideous fruition behind a shield of
encryption.
The staffers I talked to were unmoved by the argument that anyone smart
enough to steal a nuclear device is probably smart enough to use PGP or
some other uncompromised crypto standard. And never mind that the last
people who popped a hooter in the World Trade Center were able to get it
there without using any cryptography and while under FBI surveillance.
We are dealing with religion here. Though only ten American lives have been
lost to terrorism in the last two years, the primacy of this threat has
become as much an article of faith with these guys as the Catholic
conviction that human life begins at conception or the Mormon belief that
the Lost Tribe of Israel crossed the Atlantic in submarines.
In the spirit of openness and compromise, they invited the Electronic
Frontier Foundation to submit other solutions to the "problem" of the
nuclear-enabled terrorist than key escrow devices, but they would not admit
into discussion the argument that such a threat might, in fact, be some
kind of phantasm created by the spooks to ensure their lavish budgets into
the post-Cold War era.
As to the possibility that good old-fashioned investigative techniques
might be more valuable in preventing their show-case catastrophe (as it was
after the fact in finding the alleged perpetrators of the last attack on
the World Trade Center), they just hunkered down and said that when
wiretaps were necessary, they were damned well necessary.
When I asked about the business that American companies lose because of
their inability to export good encryption products, one staffer essentially
dismissed the market, saying that total world trade in crypto goods was
still less than a billion dollars. (Well, right. Thanks more to the
diligent efforts of the National Security Agency than to dim sales
potential.)
I suggested that a more immediate and costly real-world effect of their
policies would be to reduce national security by isolating American
commerce, owing to a lack of international confidence in the security of
our data lines. I said that Bruce Sterling's fictional data-enclaves in
places like the Turks and Caicos Islands were starting to look real-world
inevitable.
They had a couple of answers to this, one unsatisfying and the other scary.
The unsatisfying answer was that the international banking community could
just go on using DES, which still seemed robust enough to them. (DES is the
old federal Data Encryption Standard, thought by most cryptologists to be
nearing the end of its credibility.)
More frightening was their willingness to counter the data-enclave future
with one in which no data channels anywhere would be secure from
examination by one government or another. Pointing to unnamed other
countries that were developing their own mandatory standards and
restrictions regarding cryptography, they said words to the effect of,
"Hey, it's not like you can't outlaw the stuff. Look at France."
Of course, they have also said repeatedly - and for now I believe them -
that they have absolutely no plans to outlaw non-Clipper crypto in the US.
But that doesn't mean that such plans wouldn't develop in the presence of
some pending "emergency." Then there is that White House briefing
document, issued at the time Clipper was first announced, which asserts
that no US citizen "as a matter of right, is entitled to an unbreakable
commercial encryption product."
Now why, if it's an ability they have no intention of contesting, do they
feel compelled to declare that it's not a right? Could it be that they are
preparing us for the laws they'll pass after some bearded fanatic has
gotten himself a surplus nuke and used something besides Clipper to
conceal his plans for it?
If they are thinking about such an eventuality, we should be doing so as
well. How will we respond? I believe there is a strong, though currently
untested, argument that outlawing unregulated crypto would violate the
First Amendment, which surely protects the manner of our speech as clearly
as it protects the content.
But of course the First Amendment is, like the rest of the Constitution,
only as good as the government's willingness to uphold it. And they are, as
I say, in the mood to protect our safety over our liberty.
This is not a mind-frame against which any argument is going to be very
effective. And it appeared that they had already heard and rejected every
argument I could possibly offer.
In fact, when I drew what I thought was an original comparison between
their stand against naturally proliferating crypto and the folly of King
Canute (who placed his throne on the beach and commanded the tide to leave
him dry), my government opposition looked pained and said he had heard
that one almost as often as jokes about roadkill on the information
superhighway.
I hate to go to war with them. War is always nastier among friends.
Furthermore, unless they've decided to let the National Security Agency
design the rest of the National Information Infrastructure as well, we need
to go on working closely with them on the whole range of issues like
access, competition, workplace privacy, common carriage, intellectual
property, and such. Besides, the proliferation of strong crypto will
probably happen eventually no matter what they do.
But then again, it might not. In which case we could shortly find ourselves
under a government that would have the automated ability to log the time,
origin and recipient of every call we made, could track our physical
whereabouts continuously, could keep better account of our financial
transactions than we do, and all without a warrant. Talk about crime
prevention!
Worse, under some vaguely defined and surely mutable "legal authority,"
they also would be able to listen to our calls and read our e-mail without
having to do any backyard rewiring. They wouldn't need any permission at
all to monitor overseas calls.
If there's going to be a fight, I'd rather it be with this government than
the one we'd likely face on that hard day.
Hey, I've never been a paranoid before. It's always seemed to me that most
governments are too incompetent to keep a good plot strung together all the
way from coffee break to quitting time. But I am now very nervous about the
government of the United States of America.
Because Bill 'n' Al, whatever their other new-paradigm virtues, have
allowed the very old-paradigm trogs of the Guardian Class to define as
their highest duty the defense of America against an enemy that exists
primarily in the imagination - and is therefore capable of anything.
To assure absolute safety against such an enemy, there is no limit to the
liberties we will eventually be asked to sacrifice. And, with a Clipper
Chip in every phone, there will certainly be no technical limit on their
ability to enforce those sacrifices.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
GET CONGRESS TO LIFT THE CRYPTO EMBARGO
The administration is trying to impose Clipper on us by manipulating market
forces. By purchasing massive numbers of Clipper devices, they intend to
induce an economy of scale which will make them cheap while the export
embargo renders all competition either expensive or nonexistent.
We have to use the market to fight back. While it's unlikely that they'll
back down on Clipper deployment, the Electronic Frontier Foundation
believes that with sufficient public involvement, we can get Congress to
eliminate the export embargo.
Rep. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, has a bill (H.R. 3627) before the
Economic Policy, Trade, and Environment Subcommittee of the House Committee
on Foreign Affairs that would do exactly that. She will need a lot of help
from the public. They may not care much about your privacy in DC, but they
still care about your vote.
Please signal your support of H.R. 3627, either by writing her directly or
e-mailing her at cantwell@eff.org. Messages sent to that address will be
printed out and delivered to her office. In the subject header of your
message, please include the words "support HR 3627." In the body of your
message, express your reasons for supporting the bill. You may also express
your sentiments to Rep. Lee Hamilton, D-Indiana, the House Committee on
Foreign Affairs chair, by e-mailing hamilton@eff.org.
Furthermore, since there is nothing quite as powerful as a letter from a
constituent, you should check the following list of subcommittee and
committee members to see if your congressional representative is among
them. If so, please copy them your letter to Rep. Cantwell.
> Economic Policy, Trade, and Environment Subcommittee:
Democrats: Sam Gejdenson (Chair), D-Connecticut; James Oberstar, D-
Minnesota; Cynthia McKinney, D-Georgia; Maria Cantwell, D-Washington; Eric
Fingerhut, D-Ohio; Albert R. Wynn, D-Maryland; Harry Johnston, D-Florida;
Eliot Engel, D-New York; Charles Schumer, D-New York.
Republicans: Toby Roth (ranking), R-Wisconsin; Donald Manzullo, R-Illinois;
Doug Bereuter, R-Nebraska; Jan Meyers, R-Kansas; Cass Ballenger, R-North
Carolina; Dana Rohrabacher, R-California.
> House Committee on Foreign Affairs:
Democrats: Lee Hamilton (Chair), D-Indiana; Tom Lantos, D-California;
Robert Torricelli, D-New Jersey; Howard Berman, D-California; Gary
Ackerman, D-New York; Eni Faleomavaega, D-Somoa; Matthew Martinez, D-
California; Robert Borski, D-Pennsylvania; Donal Payne, D-New Jersey;
Robert Andrews, D-New Jersey; Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey; Sherrod Brown,
D-Ohio; Alcee Hastings, D-Florida; Peter Deutsch, D-Florida; Don Edwards,
D-California; Frank McCloskey, D-Indiana; Thomas Sawyer, D-Ohio; Luis
Gutierrez, D-Illinois.
Republicans: Benjamin Gilman (ranking), R-New York; William Goodling, R-
Pennsylvania; Jim Leach, R-Iowa; Olympia Snowe, R-Maine; Henry Hyde, R-
Illinois; Christopher Smith, R-New Jersey; Dan Burton, R-Indiana; Elton
Gallegly, R-California; Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Florida; David Levy, R-New
York; Lincoln Diaz-Balart, R-Florida; Ed Royce, R-California.
BOYCOTT CLIPPER DEVICES AND THE COMPANIES WHICH MAKE THEM.
Don't buy anything with a Clipper Chip in it. Don't buy any product from a
company that manufactures devices with Big Brother inside. It is likely
that the government will ask you to use Clipper for communications with the
IRS or when doing business with federal agencies. They cannot, as yet,
require you to do so. Just say no.
LEARN ABOUT ENCRYPTION AND EXPLAIN THE ISSUES TO YOUR UNWIRED FRIENDS
The administration is banking on the likelihood that this stuff is too
technically obscure to agitate anyone but nerds like us. Prove them wrong
by patiently explaining what's going on to all the people you know who have
never touched a computer and glaze over at the mention of words like
"cryptography."
Maybe you glaze over yourself. Don't. It's not that hard. For some hands-on
experience, download a copy of PGP - Pretty Good Privacy - a shareware
encryption engine which uses the robust RSA encryption algorithm. And learn
to use it.
GET YOUR COMPANY TO THINK ABOUT EMBEDDING REAL CRYPTOGRAPHY IN ITS PRODUCTS
If you work for a company that makes software, computer hardware, or any
kind of communications device, work from within to get them to incorporate
RSA or some other strong encryption scheme into their products. If they say
that they are afraid to violate the export embargo, ask them to consider
manufacturing such products overseas and importing them back into the
United States. There appears to be no law against that. Yet.
You might also lobby your company to join the Digital Privacy and Security
Working Group, a coalition of companies and public interest groups -
including IBM, Apple, Sun, Microsoft, and, interestingly, Clipper phone
manufacturer AT&T - that is working to get the embargo lifted.
ENLIST!
Self-serving as it sounds coming from me, you can do a lot to help by
becoming a member of one of these organizations. In addition to giving you
access to the latest information on this subject, every additional member
strengthens our credibility with Congress.
> Join the Electronic Frontier Foundation by writing membership@eff.org.
> Join Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility by e-mailing
cpsr.info@cpsr
.org. CPSR is also organizing a protest, to which you can lend your support
by sending e-mail to clipper.petition@cpsr.org with "I oppose Clipper" in
the message body. Ftp/gopher/WAIS to cpsr.org /cpsr/privacy/
crypto/clipper for more info.
In his LA speech, Gore called the development of the NII "a revolution."
And it is a revolutionary war we are engaged in here. Clipper is a last
ditch attempt by the United States, the last great power from the old
Industrial Era, to establish imperial control over cyberspace. If they
win, the most liberating development in the history of humankind could
become, instead, the surveillance system which will monitor our
grandchildren's morality. We can be better ancestors than that.
San Francisco, California
Wednesday, February 9, 1994
* * *
John Perry Barlow (barlow@eff.org) is co-founder and Vice-Chairman of the
Electronic Frontier Foundation, a group which defends liberty, both in
Cyberspace and the Physical World. He has three daughters.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=WIRED Online Copyright Notice=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Copyright 1993,4 Wired USA Ltd. All rights reserved.
This article may be redistributed provided that the article and this
notice remain intact. This article may not under any circumstances
be resold or redistributed for compensation of any kind without prior
written permission from Wired Ventures, Ltd. If you have any questions
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WIRED and WIRED Online are trademarks of Wired Ventures, Ltd.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
NOTES FROM CYBERSPACE
VOLUME 3
By Jonathan Yarden (jyarden@iglou.iglou.com)
Subject: Mosaic on Digital Satellite System
Anyone else out there getting a serious hard-on on the Digital Satellite
System? From what I have heard this puppy is doing IP via satellite.
For that matter, I can't think of any other real way to do what it does.
Here is a partial list of 'features:'
1. The DSS system is designed to asychronously receive data. Each DSS
receiver has a unique ID allowing it to process packetized wide-band data
(which in most cases is MPEG encoded video). This happens *whenever* the
unit is operational.
2. The modem in the DSS receiver is for the sending of requests and
receipt of data from a local or long distance 'service.' The majority of
requests are for 'keys' to decode channels, but could also be used to send
subscription requests for other services.
3. There is a magnetic 'card' used to hold information about the types of
services currently subscribed to by the DSS user. The card is readable
as well as writeable.
THE BIG IDEA
Knowing that data flow in Mosaic is almost 99% server to client, this
opens up a rather fast way to do Mosaic. For that matter, since most of
the people who surf are just passing thru or getting data, this is a fast
data pipe to just about anything. The only catch would be that the
sending speed would be maxed out at about 14.4kbps. But, if you are on
the client end of a 2GB FTP session, well you get the picture...
2nd reason:
According to TRACEROUTE (unix hamsters, try this at home...) CIX is
basically 'metering' data traffic onto their routes. First 16K goes real
fast, then you hit the bottom of the process queue (sounds VAXen, doesn't
it?) and it's the loser in a snail race.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO SEND MAIL TO YOUR SYSTEM ADMINISTRATORS ASKING THEM
IF THEY OFFER THEIR SYSTEM LOGS TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES - ESPECIALLY IF
YOU LIVE IN TEXAS. ACTIONS SUCH AS THIS MAY BE A VIOLATION OF YOUR
PRIVACY. IF YOU DISCOVER THIS TO BE THE CASE, MAIL US!
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
PORNOGRAPHY FOULS INTERNET
By Paul Pihichyn (pihichyn@freepress.mb.ca)
There is a river of slime in the gutters of the information highway
and it's giving cyberspace a bad name. The virtual community, it appears,
has been invaded by the same scum that has slithered into the real
communities across the land. We're talking pornography, with a capital P,
right there on the Internet.
Maybe you caught the report on CNN last week about the Lawrence Livermore
Laboratory in California. It seems some sleezeball there had loaded several
gigabytes of filth into a server that was connected to the Internet, and
promptly made it available to all 20 million-plus 'Netsurfers. It's
probably not surprising that in a community of 20 million, you are going to
find the same sad mix that you will find in the general population. But,
somehow, I though the Internet would attract a better class of humanity.
Nevertheless, the Internet has become the largest and most accessable source
of pornographic material on the planet - and the real danger is it's
accessible to anyone with a PC and modem, even to children.
Journalist Erik Lacitis (elak.news@times.com) said it best recently in the
Seattle times: "... has there ever been a bigger collection of mean-
spirited, emotionally-deficient, just plain-weird, and mostly utterly
boring people?" He prefaced the remark by saying he was taking a vacation
from the Internet and going back to the real world. Actually, it would make
more sense for those 'Net-bound weirdos to be taking a reality check.
Hiding behind their cloak of anonymity, these folks hurl hateful insults at
those with whom they disagree or feel they can bully by virtue of their
perceived superior knowledge of the nooks and crannies of the Internet.
It is on the Usenet that these really dumb things often take place. Now tell
me, does the world really need a forum called alt.sex.pictures.female,
or alt.sex.bondage? Or maybe just plain old alt.sex? I think not.
The crap on these forums is pretty crude. Obscene by many community
standards. And also pretty silly. Racy stories written by pimply-faced
adolescent boys pretending to be ravishingly over-sexed and under-loved
young women is hardly the stuff on which to build a world-wide information
superhighway.
Remember, the Internet is a network of networks, each linked through a host
site - often a university or some other educational facility. Some of these
host sites have taken steps to clean up their little corner of the Internet.
Troll Usenet through the server at the University of Manitoba, and you won't
find the newsgroups alt.sex.pictures.female, or alt.sex.bondage.
The U of M, along with several other Internet providers, has denied its
users access to some of the more blatantly pornographic newsgroups. Though
some people may complain that this is censorship, an infringement on the
freedom of the Internet, I take my hat off to those who made the decision
to try to keep the Internet decent place to work and play.
There have been incidents reported of Internet users actually being stalked,
electronically, by some of the weirder weirdoes out there. The really scary
part is that some of the cyberstalkers have actually slithered into the real
world and attempted face-to-face encounters.
The 'Net anonymity also give a lot of jerks a chance to be mean. If there
is a crude remark that has ever been made about women, you'll find it posted
on the 'Net. It seems, as Lacitis wrote, the Internet is populated with
men who never grew up.
Big as it is, the Internet is still in its infancy. It will take time to
gain some maturity, to find a way to weed out the cretins and perverts.
Once you get around the crud on the Internet, you will find it a wonderful
place to learn, work and do business.
By Paul Pihichyn, pihichyn@freepress.mb.ca
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
SECURITY / COAST FTP archive on-line
Announcing the COAST Security FTP Archive!
The COAST group at Purdue are happy to (finally) announce the
availability of our security archive. The archive is currently
available via FTP, with extensions to gopher and WWW planned soon.
The archive currently contains software, standards, tools, and other
material in the following areas:
* access control
* artificial life
* authentication
* criminal investigation
* cryptography
* e-mail privacy enhancement
* firewalls
* formal methods
* general guidelines
* genetic algorithms
* incident response
* institutional policies
* intrusion detection
* law & ethics
* malware (viruses, worms, etc)
* network security
* password systems
* policies
* privacy
* risk assessment
* security related equipment
* security tools
* social impacts
* software forensics
* software maintenance
* standards
* technical tips
* the computer underground
The collection also contains a large set of site "mirrors" of
interesting collections, many of which are linked by topic to the rest
of the archive.
You can connect to the archive using standard ftp to
"coast.cs.purdue.edu". Information about the archive structure and
contents is present in "/pub/aux"; we encourage users to look there,
and to read the README* files located in the various directories.
If you know of material you think should be added, please send mail to
security-archive@cs.purdue.edu and tell us what you have and where we
can get a copy. In order of preference, we would prefer to get:
-- a pointer to the source ftp site for a package
-- a pointer to a mirror ftp site for the package
-- a uuencoded tar file
-- a shar file
-- a diskette or QIC tape
If you are providing software, we encourage you to "sign" the software
with PGP to produce a standalone signature file. This will help to
ensure against trojaned versions of the software finding their way
into the archive.
Any comments or suggestions about the archive should be directed to
"security-archive@cs.purdue.edu" -- please let us know what you think!
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
ON THE SUBJECT OF CYBERCULTURE
By George Phillips (ice9@fennec.com)
I hate to be an asshole, but my friends will tell you I'm pretty good at it.
I usually try to keep an open mind about a lot of things, but some things
just get under my skin. Today, it's this damn cyberculture thingy! I
thought the hype was subsiding, but now it seems to have sprouted back up
like a festering pustule on the mouths of everyone. Let's just ask the
question: What is cyberculture? Is it some coffee-shop hallucination
romance dreamed up by some art-school boy with no social outlet? Is it some
third-rate term developed by the editors of certain magazines to justify
their existance? Was it created from a desperate attempt at giving a name to
people who just don't fit in? ...or is there something real to all this
fantasy? Let's take a closer look.
I went out and looked for anything "cyber." Magazines, books, people, places,
clothes, and things. I started out by picking up a magazine called
"Mondo-2000". I'm sure I heard somewhere that this was a "cyber-oriented"
magazine. The cover art did nothing for me as far as helping define what
"cyber" was. After a time, I quickly realized that this magazine caters to
junior/highschool children with Nintendos and acne. I saw nothing "cyber"
about it. In fact, I really saw no real culture. Sure it had art, music,
graphics, features, etc...but doesn't every magazine? What is keeping me
from calling Time or Newsweek "Cyber-mags"? Could it be? Is "cyber" just
another buzz-word like "virtual?" No!
William Gibson writes about people in the future accessing a matrix called
cyberspace. This is the "virtual" area between computer systems. No doubt
one can see the parallels between his matrix and our Internet. But is this
all there is to it? No. There are people called "cyberpunks" that access
this matrix and exploit it to their own ends. These are very good books, by
the way. I enjoyed reading them. There has got to be a parallel between
his cyberpunks and the hackers of today. Although the books are excellent,
I have yet to see what "Cyber-Culture" is. (Hearing theme song from
Jeopardy in my head...)
Billy Idol recorded an album called CyberPunk. Chained to my chair and
threatened with death if I did not listen to this "K-Rad" CD, I formed the
opinion that Billy Idol has too much free time on his hands. The makeup of
this album has absolutely nothing to do with the title, or subjects in any
William Gibson book. Thats not to say its not a good album. I'm sure there
are many out there who like his work, but as far as my quest was concerned,
this was a dead end. I just don't comprehend the reasoning behind such
a venture.
Exhausted with my household search for the eternal answer, I decided to
hit the streets and find some real, live, cyber-people. I heard that this
culture usually hangs out in clubs or raves that play loud alternative
industrial dance music. I found a couple places like that in Houston and
Austin, so I decided to give it a try. I chose a club in Houston, Texas.
The lights were hypnotic. The smart-drinks were flowing. The people were
dancing and zoning on the special effects of the club. I picked out the
most "cyber-looking" people I could find. I knew what to look for because I
just recently picked through a Mondo-2000 magazine to see what their be-all
end-all definition of a cyber-person was. These people could barely figure
out how to turn on a computer! How could they call themselves "cyber?"
Am I wrong when I say that the whole term "Cyber" has at least SOMETHING to
do with computers? Needless to say, I was rather disappointed in the
ignorance of these lifeless wanna-bees and misled by all of the advertising
of this ever-elusive "Cyber-Culture". Color me confused.
Well, I figured that if anyone knew about "Cyber-Culture," it would have to
be the computer underground. This is supposed to be one of the smartest,
most alternitive, techno-literate group around. There was a convention going
on in Las Vegas called DefCon II. Played-up to be one of the largest
gatherings of computer underground enthusiasts, I had to go. Although it is
sad that this term "Cyber", while used so widely today, is hard to define.
I am sad that I had to go to Las Vegas to find "Cyber"...if it was even
there.
This was obviously a place where "cyber-culture" came together! I decided
to attend and look around. What I found was a large group of people
drinking, smoking, viewing porn and talking about the latest security holes.
These people were nothing like the people in Mondo-2000 or any other
Cyber-rags. Where was their strange, multi-color clothing? So this is
cyber-culture?
I hit a few coffee shops, followed a group that I would bet that I saw in
Mondo, tried psudo-virtual-reality hangouts, tried their smart drinks,
smoked their tobacco, attempted being "trendy", and contemplated art
in the most cyber-sense. My return: ZIP! NADA! NOTHING!
From all of my travels and studies, I came up with a few theories. Although
possibly distorted, I feel they are, for the most part true.
Cyberculture is:
1) A bunch of burn-outs in a coffee shop, reading trendy "alternative" magazines, analyzing "alternative" music, and going to raves.
2) A bunch of kids doing large amounts of drugs, drinking smart-drinks,
wearing flanel, attending "alternative" concerts like Woodstock '94
hopelessly babbling on about topics that they know nothing about.
3) Cigarettes and alcohol.
I find none of these interesting and frankly, I don't see whats so damn
fascinating about them! ...and still cannot determine why it is called
"Cyber". I am getting to hate this term more each time I have to write or
say it...because it means NOTHING!
So, if anyone finds "Mr. or Ms. Cyber" please let me know. I am not claiming
to be a know-it-all, but when the press, the public, and society in general
latches on to a term which evidently globally-defines a people or attitude,
and THEN rams it down my throat on the front page of the newspaper and on
the six o' clock news, I have the RIGHT to know what in the hell it means.
Have a virtual-cyber-underground-mondo-networkable-fiber-opticable day!
Alternative viewpoints are not welcome because this is my cyber-column.
Get your own! Take a pill and get a life.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
A COMMENT ON CLIPPER
By Azrael (reinoa@ccaix3.unican.es)
Greetings to all fellow cyberpunks, hackers, modem enthusiasts,
programmers, viri-coders, civil-rights activists, anarchists, crypto-
mathematicians and all.
The echoes of the Clipper polemics are heard even here in Spain, mainly
thru a distorted view given by the pre-net mass media, and the very few
people hooked to some kind of comms net.
The way I see it, it is NOT that awful that the government of the USA is
trying (in its best tradition) to limit liberty and privacy through the
implantation of mandatory 'crippled' encryption or 'key escrows' or
secure-phones or what have you. Remember the good old theory of the shield
and the sword. If there is no enemy, there is no battle, and if there's
no battle, there's no point in hacking, anarchism, sabotage, and public
opinion campaigns. If there's no threat to our freedom or privacy, our
skills will decay, weaken, and we'll submit in the end to the exigences
of those in power.
Security in computer systems should be improved upon, so that hackers have
to keep up to it. Anti-virus packages have to get better, so that virus
makers develop new techniques. In the same way, threatened privacy in
electronic communications will be an incentive for enterprising people
to create new methods of avoiding eavesdropping, by the development of
new, better and faster cryptographic algorithms.
As long as we keep 'en garde', they can't beat us. They just can't. But
if they leave us alone for a time, we'll grow in pride and self-confidence
and a false sense of security, while they have time to re-arm. In that
way, they'll have us in the end.
Fight the power! (and be glad you need to)
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
SEX, THE INTERNET AND THE IDIOTS
By K.K. Campbell (eye@io.org)
There are two breeds of moron attracted to the Internet's relation to sex
-- reporters and wankers. These categories may overlap, but that's beside
the point.
Canadian newsmedia owe a great deal of Internet education to Judge Francis
Kovacs and his infamous Karla Homolka trial publication ban. That elevated
the Internet to headline material. It is humorous to watch reporters/
editors grope for net.literacy.
Talk with Justin Wells (stem@sizone.pci.on.ca) and Ken Chasse
(root@sizone.pci.on.ca), the chaps who created alt.fan.karla-homolka as a
lark, then found themselves hounded by reporters asking for "banned
information, please." Or check out The Star's early stories, where Usenet
newsgroups are called "computer billboards" -- whatever the hell those are.
MEDIA MORONS
Mainstream journalists without a rallying issue like a trial ban invariably
end up with nothing better to do then bang the drum about the 3 Ps:
pedophilia, piracy and pornography.
Take the recent Internet "child molesters" silliness. Some teen somewhere
is enticed into sex with an adult -- through America On Line, not the
Internet -- and we have an "epidemic." Chicago's Harlan Wallach
(wallach@mcs.com) reported in alt.internet.media-coverage how some dink
named James Coates wrote a column for the July 15 Chicago Tribune called
"Beware cybercreeps lurking on the Internet." True enough. But Coates'
purpose is to frighten the middle class with some probably made-up story
about "Vito," who cruises the net hoping "to have sex with children in
wheelchairs."
I understand Coates' pain. I can't spend 10 minutes in Internet Relay Chat
(IRC) before someone asks if I'm a child in a wheelchair looking for a sex
partner. Wallach told eye Coates has been going like this for months now --
"a master at work."
Couple of weeks ago, California nuclear research facility Lawrence
Livermore Labs discovered one computer held some dirty pictures. An employee
gave away a password. Someone used that access to store the images. People
could connect and get them. Nothing was hacked. Big deal.
But on July 13, CNN reporter Don Knapp swooped in to whip up
hysteria. Doom was clearly imminent.
"Computer security specialists were surprised to find what may be the
largest computer collection ever of hardcore pornography at the nation's
top nuclear weapons and research laboratory," Knapp intoned ominously.
Almost 2000 megs! Gol-ly! (Incidentally, 99 per cent of it was individual
shots of nude/semi-nude women, no sexually explicit acts. Playboy stuff.)
CNN rang Wired magazine writer Brian Behlendorf (brian@wired.com) and woke
him at home, excited about "a big break-in at Laurence Livermore." Hackers
and porno! If CNN was lucky, the hacker was a child molester. Behlendorf
consented to an interview. CNN immediately asked him to "find some pictures
of naked women on the Net for us." Behlendorf recounted the incident: "I
really wasn't interested in doing that. I don't know of any FSP/FTP sites
off hand anyways, and really didn't want to be associated with pictures of
NEKKID GRRLS."*
But amiable Behlendorf slid over to alt.binaries.pictures.supermodels and
grabbed a picture of a model in a swimsuit. He also picked up a landscape,
a race car and a Beatles album cover "to show that other images get sent
over Usenet as well," naively thinking this point would be made -- though
he stresses he by no means condones distributing copyrighted images,
"clean" or otherwise. Behlendorf was then made to sit beside a terminal
displaying Ms String-Bikini throughout all his comments. "They made me keep
returning to that damn bikini image ... over and over."
But intrepid reporter Don Knapp assured us all is well -- for now.
"Spokespeople for the national laboratories insist that at no time were the
pornographers, nor the software pirates, able to cross over from the
research network into the classified network. The labs say that, while they
are embarrassed, national security was not breached."
Whew.
YOU'RE GETTING VERY STUP- ERR, SLEEPY...
Then you have regular net.wankers. Whoever said, "Never underestimate the
intelligence of the American public," must read alt.sex.* newsgroups.
For instance, the charismatic Aabid (aabid@elm.circa.ufl.edu) wrote a
touching post called "I would like an enema myself!" to newsgroup sci.chem
(science: chemistry). "Looking for a Middle Eastern M or F to help me with
my enema desires. If you can be of assistance please email me." Readers of
sci.chem were very intrigued and Aabid has made many interesting new
friends.
The greatest example of alt.sex stupidity is: The Hypnosis Program.
As a joke, Indiana's Steve Salter (ssalter@silver.ucs.indiana.edu) posted to
alt.sex.stories that he had a "hypnosis program" -- which you cleverly slip
onto another person's computer where it will so mesmerize the unsuspecting
target, he/she becomes your SEXUAL PLAYTHING, BENDING TO YOUR EVERY WHIM!
For weeks after, global village idiots pestered him for copies.
"I must have received over a hundred requests via private email or in
alt.sex.stories for a copy of the program," Salter told eye. He had to
publicly post a reply to stem the tide: "No offense, but get a rather
large clue. There is no such animal. That was a joke. I thought it was
obvious. How many people out there really want to hypnotize someone
secretly? What the fuck is wrong with all of you?! What age group are
we dealing with here? There is no such program!!! Sheesh..."
Personally, I'm in agreement with David Romm
(71443.1447@compuserve.com) who wrote: "I really liked the hypnosis
program. It was much better than Cats."
MASSAGE MY MEDIUM
To get your own porn, there are lots of sites. Ask for the latest in
the alt.sex groups. Check out alt.binaries.pictures.erotica to grab a
few images. For text erotica, read in alt.sex.stories .
If you can't access alt.sex groups because, say, your university is run by
prudes, write (ahem) "Hot Stuff" (anon1ea3@nyx10.cs.du.edu) for details
about his mail-server. He makes available hundreds of stories. We at eye
have yet to sample this collection but are intrigued by two items: "Perils
of Red Tape," which we assume reveals the lust-riddled world of civil
service, and "Tales from the Network," the story of lonely boys sitting
around Friday nights fingering their groins in IRC, praying someone with a
female-sounding alias drops by.
* FootNote: NEKKID GRRLS is idiomatic fresh-off-the-BBS net.wanker-
speak. This language can be learned by hanging around newsgroups
like alt.2600 . To convince others you are a deadly cool net.cruiser,
write: "HEY, elite pir-8 d00ds! I got more NEKKID GRRLS philes than
ANY OF U!!!! And U censorship loosers can SUCK MY DICK!!!!!" Send it
to alt.sex . Make sure to cross-post to the comp.sys.ibm.* hierarchy
because PCs are the most common computer and you will reach a wider
audience. If you can manage it, post through an anonymous account
and leave your personal signature with real address in the text of
the message.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Retransmit freely in cyberspace Author holds standard copyright
Full issue of eye available in archive ==> gopher.io.org or ftp.io.org
Mailing list available http://www.io.org/eye
eye@io.org "Break the Gutenberg Lock..." 416-971-8421
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
JAUC For Windows Project
SCHEDULED FOR JANUARY RELEASE
By Scott Davis (dfox@fc.net)
The development team at Fennec Information systems is currently working on
a project called "JAUC for Windows". This software will be a large
Windows-based help file with ALL the issues of The Journal Of American
Underground Computing, Editor's page with tons of info on the editorial
staff, as well as a LOT of other information regarding the Internet...
all accessible with the click of a mouse in Windows. The scheduled release
date for this piece of software is sometime in January. A furious effort
is underway to provide you with this file as soon as possible. You will be
required to have Windows 3.0, 3.1, or some other Windows-based product.
It will work with Windows For Workgroups, NT, Chicago, Daytona, etc...
The file will be available for FTP from TWO sites on the Internet. Those
sites will more than likely be FC.NET and ETEXT.ARCHIVE.UMICH.EDU.
You will be sent a small note (if you are on our mailing list) when this
product becomes available. At this time, the only method of distribution
is FTP. We are working on other ways to get this out. We will update you.
If you have any questions regarding this product, please mail:
jauc-win@fennec.com
You will be mailed any updates automatically.
Editor.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
NBC's ANTI-NET CAMPAIGN
By Alaric (Alaric@f111.n106.z1.fidonet.org)
A most heinous act of info-terrorism has beem committed against the net
community by "Dateline", NBC's pseudo-news propaganda ministry.
To further the government's need to destroy the haven of free speech known
as cyberspace, NBC has successfully deluded much of their reactionary
brain-dead audience into beleiving that NETWORKS ARE DANGEROUS - BBS's ARE
CRIMINAL. Something must be done! (Something will be done - read on...)
The September 1 episode of Dateline paraded adventursome youths who had
lost the occasional finger while honing their pyrotechnical skills with
anarcho-terrorist data gleaned from BBSs and the net. Forrest "Goebbels"
Sawyer whined that the young and restless data-seekers of the 90's have easy
access to exciting netware titles such as "Bomb Making For Fun and Profit"
and "Anarchist's Cookbook" with no governmental interference of any kind!
The existence of such networks and their accessibility by Gen-X misfits
poses a clear and present danger to the national security of the United
States.
You may recall the first such attempt at an anti-net freedom propaganda
campaign failed miserably and was aborted. Not enough concerned citizens
fell for the ruse of nets being an unfettered sanctuary for child porn
mongers, NAMBLA dating services and wily molesters. Since the first trial
balloon was floated and quickly transpired, Plan-B has been put into action.
Let's see how many suckers will fall for this one, "Computer networks are
a dangerous source of subversive terrorist information and the children
must be protected." (Janet Reno was conspicuously absent from said
broadcast)
A CongressMan-ic Oppresive named Ed Markey (Dem. Mass 7th Dist) is trying
to hold hearings on the dangers of computer networking and supposedly try
to draft some legislation that would allow the governmnet to regulate the
nets or BBSs. Undoubtedly the legislation if passed will have a chilling
effect on net traffic, which frankly is getting way out of hand if you ask
any bureaucrat with something to hide. Severe penalties will be brought
against any sysop who allows minors to access anything that might be
contrued as dangerous. No doubt this definition will eventually receive
a broad enough interpretation to forbid instructions on the manufacture of
smoke bombs, casting of all lead ammunition, cleaning a .22 rifle, and even
slingshot repair. The true goal of such legislation of course is not to
"protect the children", but to stifle the grassroots organizing of anti-
statist groups and to squash the tide of truth that is flooding cyberspace
and often embarrassing government and corporate interests.
Look for a "Child Protection Act" subtitled "concerning minors' access to
dangerous information" to come before Congress within 18 months. Sysops
will become responsible for what information gets to whom and what they do
with it, regardless of the diligence they show in keeping the nets safe.
Disclaimers and signed age statements will no longer suffice. You WILL be
responsible for the information travelling though your board or newsgroup
and you WILL be held accountable.
Is the Pen more Powerful than the Sword? This question may never be
answered fully, so why not hold on to both? Yet the propaganda forces and
strong arm tactics forces that managed to squeak by the ban on assault
swords will now be unleashed on the modern-day pamphleteers of the net.
Al Gore wants to build a kinder and gentler super-information tollroad to
keep your pens in line.
Netters will be able to mount a powerful counter-attack that will surprise
the hell out of Big Brother and Little Rock Sister. Notify Rep. Markey that
we are watching and ready to fight. Fax-blast his office. Dig into his
dirt and spread liberally. Likewise show NBC that we are listening. Reach
out and touch these folks as follows:
dateline@news.nbc.com
Representative Edward J. Markey (D-7th)
Malden, MA
Office phone (in DC): 202-225-2836
Energy and Commerce
Markey is the Chairman of the subcomittee on
Telecommunications and Finance - under Energy and Commerce
202-226-2424 subcommitee phone
202-226-2447 subcommitee fax
This post should be crossposted and distributed.
"They can have my net access when they pry the 486 from my
dead, carpel tunnel syndrome-infested hands."
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
CYBERSPACE, MIAMI, CHAOS, AND CLINTON
THE MIAMI DEVICE PROJECT
By Marty Cyber (cyb@gate.net)
From December 8-11, 1994, Prez Clinton and Veep Gore, the Administration's
point-man on the Infobahn will be coming to Miami to host the 35
democratically elected heads of government of every country in the Western
Hemisphere from Canada to Tierra del Fuego.
The event is called the Summit of The Americas, and you folks who read Wired
and ARE wired should plug into this event via the Internet and via any other
bit-radiation-receiver-transmitter-device you have access too. I'd like to
get your ideas on how Cyberspace and Cybertech could help make the Summit a
success from the point-of-view of telecomm and info-technologies --- in a
word, to try to begin building and operating a Global Brain and Nervous
System for Planet Earth that can help us all in private, public, academic
and community sectors use Cyberspace to create some kind of movement toward
a New World Order out of the Chaos and Complexity we are now tryi
ng to surf
on, without a truly functional "cybersurfboard."
I'm attaching a couple of files that could stimulate some interesting
exchanges --- and hoping to get the likes of Negroponte, Kelly, Kapor,
Fields, Minsky, Schank, Bruckman, Clinton, Gore, Mesarovich, Forrester,
Shannon, Wiener, Prigogine, Crowley, Castro, Mas Canosa, Irving,
Brown, Chiles, Cuomo, Tyson, Simon, Beer, Gleick, --- and YOU ---
to all kick in some ideas on how to use the Miami Summit as a kickoff
environment for launching a World Summit on The Future via Cyberspace.
Do give me some "negative feedback," as the cyberneticians have been known
to say.
And if any of you would like to warm your cybernetic buns in Miami in
December --- real buns or virtual buns --- give me some "bit-radiations."
I've got an Art Deco apartment building in the heart of Miami Beach's
cyberhip South Beach, and might be able to put you up.
Clinton's awareness of, and ability to use, the Principles of Chaos,
Complexity, Cybernetics and other modern organizational management and
learning techniques may be decisive in determining if his Administration
is able to create a New World Order on the Edge of the Current Turbulent
ORDER/CHAOS Meridian.
Unfortunately, day-to-day decisiomaking and policy selection in the White
House frequently has so much noise injected on its channels from Whitewater,
Senator Damato-type ignoramus-based partisan-politics, that serious policy
problems like Cuba, and other Foreign, Domestic and Economic matters tend
toward more chaotic and less orderly states.
What the White House could use --- perhaps initially placed within its
Office of Science and Technology Policy --- is a National Cybernetics
Council. This group would consist of the nation and the world's specialists
in Complex Systems Theory, Chaos, Cybernetics, Cyberspace, and a new field
which integrates all of the above: CYBERTECTURE: The design, construction,
and operation of "cybernetic systems" for government, business, education
and city-planning.
Pete Nelson is correct in suggesting that we need politicians and polities
that can "embrace change, uncertainty, paradox and contradiction," but we
also must equip the public, private, academic and community sectors of
American (and World) Society to deal with this new level of complexity.
In December, if current White House plans stay in place, President Clinton
and VP Al Gore, Clinton's point-man in advancing his Administration's high-
level policy objective of building a National and Global Information
Infrastructure (NII/GII) --- the highly publicized "Information Superhighway"
--- both of American Government's top-managers will travel to Miami to host
the Summit of The Americas December 8-11, 1994.
Although the primary agenda topics for all the invited democratically elected
leaders of every coutry in the Western Hemisphere from Canada to the southern
tip of Latin America will be Economic Integration, Democratic Political
Systems, and extending NAFTA into WHFTA (a Western Hemisperhic Free Trade
Agreement), and important sub-topic will be infrastructure -- especially
Telecommunications and Information Infratructure.
With "the Cybertecture of Cybersystems, policy makers and their politiescan
steer through the current chaotic turbulences of today into a new, and
hopefully better, world order of tomorrow.
Clinton and Gore, with the proper cybertools, may be just what the world
needs now. Our non-profit consulting partnership in Miami Beach, "The MIAMI
DEVICE PROJECT/RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP, has developed a concept-
paper for this December Summit of the Americas that could help Clinton, and
the rest of use, develop and use the cybersystems we need to steer into our
21st Century Future.
The following text is a summary of our first draft of the Miami Device
Project concept. We'd appreciate your feedback, comments, critiques, and
suggestions on how to create a World Summit on The Future during December
1994 and January 1995 on the Internet and other related media such as print,
broadcast, multimedia, and face-to-face conferences. Also broadening the
audiences for the work of the Santa Fe Institute, Bill Gleick, Ilya
Prigogine, Mitchell Waldrop, and the other leading theorists and
practitioners of Chaos/Complexity theory, and related researchers in
Cybernetics and Management of Large Organizations, such as Barry Clemson,
Jay Forrester, Stafford Beer, Mike Mesarovic, and the related work at US
Government Research Labs as well as the great industrial research labs at
IBM and ATT, could also bring the power of science to the problems of public
policy and decision-making.
THE MIAMI DEVICE PROJECT:
AN AMERICAN AND INTERNATIONAL MISSION-QUEST
FOR CYBERSPACE
Something important, chaotic and with a hidden sense of latent order is
happening in Cyberspace and Real-Space.
Nobody who is honest can say they truly know, see, can predict or control
what is happening with The Net, also known as:
THE INFORMATION SUPERHIGHWAY.
THE NATIONAL INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE.
THE GLOBAL INFORMATION INFRASTRUCTURE.
THE INFO BAHN.
THE ELECTRONIC/DIGITAL SUPERHIGHWAY.
CYBERSPACE.
America and The World need models, mavens, moxie, methodologies and, last
but not least, money --- to design, build, test, market and operate the
National and Global Information Infrastructures. But most of all, the
emerging Cyberspace Industry will need multimedia forums and discourse,
even face-to-face conferences, that will clarify and shape the complex and
relevant issues we must deal with as we enter the on-ramps to the Info
Superhighway, and try to avoid the "road-kills" of entities both corporate
and ideational that took the wrong turns. These forums and discourses may
turn out to be the second most important set of discussions since the
founding of the United States in 1776 in the shaping and shaping of America
and the World as we approach the 21st Century. Adding to the complexity
of the discussions about Cybernetic-Cyberspace technologies, applications
and markets will be the fact that we will be using these ver same networks
to discuss and develop their evolution ---- hopefully a democratic exchange
of views from the many stakeholders and users of the Net who will design and
live in the rapidly evolving civilization, societies and communities
(virtual and real) that will be spawned by CyberTech, and the cultural,
economic, political and community structures Cyberspace will enable.
Cyberspace represents a new and irresistible era in the evolution of human
culture and business under the sign of technology --- but what is turyly
wonderful is that we still have the opportunity to shape the application of
Cybertech toward an Age of Utopia rather than Dystopia.
What is being born and can be shaped by discussion and effort is something
that every normal child or animal possesses at birth, but has never fully
existed intact over the entire face of the planet:
A BRAIN FOR PLANET EARTH; A GLOBAL CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM;
A WORLD-WIDE SENSE AND PARTICIPATION IN A GLOBAL COMMUNITY;
A CYBERNETIC CITY.
The relevant discourses and forums must rationally and humanely deal with
all the relevant issues connected with the new cybertechnologies and
cybermedia --- and they are too important to the future of the planet to be
left in the hands of government, business or universities alone. The
community and the public but get informed and stay involved with the
evolution of the Net.
We have termed this multi-dimensional quest and process
THE MIAMI DEVICE PROJECT TOWARD PARADISE REGAINED ---
FOR GREATER MIAMI BEACH, SOUTH FLORIDA, AND THE
WORLD-CLASS CITIES, CITIZENS, & NATIONS OF THE FUTURE.
Why Miami? Why not Cambridge, or New York, or Chicago, or Los Angeles,
or Milan, or Berlin or Paris London or Tokyo?
In the history of the planet over the ages, from the time humankind first
emerged from the primordial ooze, there have always been a succession of
great city-regions that entered the world stage as truly world-class,
international and cosmopolitan centers of trade, culture, education,
technolgy, finance, transportation, and concentration of talent, dreams,
wheels and deals.
Just as the Central Florida region around Cape Canaveral and the Kennedy
Space Center identified itself as America and the World's launch-pad and
testbed for Aerospace, so is the Greater Miami Beach and South Florida
region of the Sunshine State begun it movement toward center-stage as the
nation and the planet's laboratory and test-bed for mankind's thrust into
the truly Final and Next Frontier: Cyberspace.
The Greater Miami Beach/South Florida region of 4 million, supported by a
unique partnership of its private, public, academic and community sectors
called The Miami Device Project, has been selected by the Clinton
Administration to host in our region in December of 1994 the first, Western
Hemisphere-Latin American Summit Conference, to be led by President
Clinton and Vice-President Gore themselves.
Greater Miami Beach's strategic geographic location and tropical, earthquake-
free (though occasionally hurricane-prone) has positioned the region as an
international gateway to not only Latin America and The Caribbean, but to
Europe, Asia, and North America, also. A great airport .... the world's
largest cruise-ship port and one of the most active seaports ... and coming
soon, the world's first Cyberport-Teleport-Cyberspaceport ... a laboratory
and crucible where the model Cybernetic City of The Future will be forged.
Greater Miami Beach and it's multimedia links and partnerships with other
sister cities, states, and nations intends to do for the science, art and
business of cybernetic computer communications something similar, but much
more benevolent for humanity, what the Manhattan Project did during World
War II with the technology of thermonuclear energy, from which the atomic
bomb was created.
BUT THERE WILL BE A FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCE IN MISSION AND VISION IN THE MIAMI
DEVICE PROJECT AS OPPOSED TO THE MANHATTAN PROJECT: The Miami Device
Project's focus is to create and to provide universal access to knowledge
tools and multimedia information systems for the human community, in both
America and world-wide --- and to help design, build and sustain a truly
Global Village and Cybernetic City where art, science, philosophy,
technology and business can provide the human spirit with the lift of a
driving dream into the 21st Century --- a Cybernetic Century of peace,
prosperity and co-evolution for man, his systems, and our children.
Norbert Wiener, the MIT professor of mathematics and inventor of the word
and field of cybernetics, once commented in his book, "cybernetics and
Society: the Human Use of Human Beings:" Mankind and society can only be
truly understood by a study of the messages they transmit; in the future,
messages between man and man, man and machine, and machine and machine
will play an increasingly important role."
If children can be considered messages we send to a future we may never see
ourselves, the human children of our loins will themselves create new
futures with the children of our minds --- our systems, networks and
knowledge bases --- as humanity leaps toward the stars in our inner and
outer universes.
A First Draft on April 22, 1994, Friday Night,
in Miami Beach, Florida, USA --- by Marty Cyber.
(PS: Lab space and residential space grants are available in beautiful,
sunny South Miami Beach's Art Deco District, where Miami Device is
attempting to create a Science Deco District. if you cyberesearchers in
Boston, New York, Washington or beyond are seeking weather-friendlier
climates in December and afterwards, give me a call, e-mail, or letter
outlining your own research interests and comments about the MDP Project.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO SEND MAIL TO YOUR SYSTEM ADMINISTRATORS ASKING THEM
IF THEY OFFER THEIR SYSTEM LOGS TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES - ESPECIALLY IF
YOU LIVE IN TEXAS. ACTIONS SUCH AS THIS MAY BE A VIOLATION OF YOUR
PRIVACY. IF YOU DISCOVER THIS TO BE THE CASE, MAIL US!
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
CYBERSELL (TM)
From Michael Ege (Michael_Ege@designlink.com)
[Editor's Note: I HAVE NO FUCKING IDEA why someone who, in my opinion,
misused the net, disregarded the complaining of others, and vowed to
do it again, gets off dictating their new-found policy to us. They
evidently want this to be written in stone. I think the rules below
are good...and have been obeyed for decades by those with any tact!
Evidently, the "Green Card Spammers" are just now getting a clue
and want to take credit for ethics that already exist. Get a
life MARTHA! -Ed.]
Contact: Martha Siegel
Cybersell(tm)
602/661-5202
SUGGESTED INTERNET COMMERCIAL SPEECH GUIDELINES
Explanatory Preface
The Internet is the most powerful communication tool in the world, today
and for the forseeable future. Recently the circulation of an advertisement
by two lawyers for their legal services raised tremendous controversy as to
the manner and location that ads should be placed on the Internet.
Two years ago the National Science Foundation lifted the ban on Internet
advertisements that they had previously imposed. Yet, the idea of
commercialism an advertising in this increasingly pervasive medium is still
controversial. The primary anti-ad forces can be found among the academics
and technical workers who were the early residents of the Internet. Where
advertising is an integral part of other mediums, this highly vocal faction
is attempting, not without some success, publicly to characterize
advertisers as inferior to others who supply information via computer.
While the ad critics do not speak with a single voice, but rather express a
diversity of opinions, several elements emerge with some consistency.
First, there is an overall presumption that advertising is unwanted and
useless. Even though those who who have made the pioneering forays into
Internet advertising have met with financial success (proving that
advertising messages are indeed accepted) the vocal minority continues to
insist otherwise. Based on this faulty premises advertisers are told that
custom demands that they approach customers only in an indirect manner.
Specifically, advertisers are told that it is apropriate to to places ads
only on channels set aside to carry nothing but advertising. Alternatively,
an advertiser may place a message at a fixed locale in cyberspace but must
use other mediums such as billboards and television ads to announce the
computer location and ask the customer to go and look for it.
It is unanimously agreed that noone controls the Internet and there is no
legal requirment to follow these dictates. Nevertheless the vocal Internet
minority that custom requires adherence to its outdated philospophy.
The guidlines presented here refuse to recognize the unreasonable nature of
those who are anti-advertising, Commercial activity on the Internet is a
valuable and worthwhile use of this resource and advertising is a key
element of such commercial use. It should be recognized that virtually no
busines can be successful without advertising. The old-think view of some
Net extremists that advertising is as an unwanted an unpleasant annoyance
to be marginally tolerated is not good for the development of the Internet,
nor healthy for the World economy.
Recently special groups and networks devoted exclusively to product and
service promotion have begun to be established. While these are an exciting
pert of the development of the Information Superhighway, it is not
acceptable or practical for advertising to be kept in a restricted area,
separate from other Internet activities. Advertising is not relegated to
such an inferior position in any other medium, thus it should not be so
with respect to the Internet.
Neither those who advertise on the Internet be forced to do so passively.
In no ther medium is it required that a potential customer deliberately
seek out an advertisement rather than having it placed before him or her.
The idea that the only acceptable way to advertise on the Internet is a
system where a non-computer medium is utilized to request that a potential
customer look for such information at a particular site in cyberspace is a
totally unacceptable limitation. Such convoluted methods are not effective
or convenient for the advertiser or the consumer.
The easy, free flow of information is the goal of the Internet. Advertising
is valuable and useful information. It is the concept of free flow that
should govern any Internet advertising policy.
GUIDELINES
* Usenet
It is recognized that the Usenet is only public gathering place currently
existing on the Internet. It is a legal and appropriate forum in which to
place commercial messages.
* Distribution
Distribution of advertising messages to newsgroups on the Usenet will be
based upon the demographic and /or interst of users of the newsgroups,
ensuring that the newsgroups selected are those most often used by people
likely to be interested in a particular commercial message.
* Identity
All commercial messages should be readiliy identifiable so users can read
them in a fully informed manner. For example, a conventional, easily
recognizable "AD" identifier in the title of all commercial message
offerings may serve this purpose.
* Filtering
Advertisers shall respect the right of all individual Internet users to,
though the use of existing or evolving technology, filter out commercial
messages if they so choose. However, any upsteam provider short of the end
users should refrain from making that decision for the individual, who may
welcome a particular commercial message. Anything else would amount to
censorship.
* Sincerity
Commercial messages should be offered only when there is a sincere belief
that the information will prove useful to Internet users. The inclusion of
useful information with the advertising copy is encouraged. However, it is
als recognized that solicitation of purchases and directions on how to make
such purchases are a validethical pursuit of the advertiser, as well as a
useful convenience fot the consumer.
(In addition to the above Internet-specific guidelines, the following
suggestions are based upon time-tested, proven codes already in existence.
{Sources are cited with each entry})
* Truth
Advertising shall tell the truth and shall reveal significant facts, the
concealment of which would mislead the public (AAF's Advertising Principle
of American Business)
* Responsibility
Advertising agencies and advertisers shall be willing to provide
substantiation of all claims made (WSJ Guide to Advertising Policy and
Production)
* Taste and Decency
Advertising shall be free of statements, illustrations, or implications
that are offensive to good taste or public decency (Same Source)
* Substantiation
Advertising claims shall be substantiated by evidence in possession of the
advertiser and advertising agency, prior to making such claims.
(Advertising Principles of American Business)
* Omission
An advertisement as a whole (ed. note: original says "shoe") may be
misleading although every sentence separately considered is literally true.
Misrepresentation may result not only from direct statements but from
omission of material facts (Better Business Bureau Code of Advertising)
* Testimonials
Advertising containing testimonials shall be limited to those of competent
witnesses who are reflecting a real and honest opinion or experience.
(Advertising Principles of American Business)
* Composition
The composition and layout of advertisements should be such as to minimize
the possibility of misundertanding. (BBB Code)
* Price Claims
Advertisers shall not knowingly create advertising that contains price
claims which are misleading. (AAAA Standards and Practices)
* Unprovable Claims
Advertising shall avoid the use of exaggerated or uprovable claims. (WSJ
Guide)
* Claims by Authorities
Advertisers will not knowingly create advertising that contains claims
insufficiently supported or that distorts the true meaning or practical
application of statements made by professional or scientific authority.
(Standards and Practices)
* Guarantees and Warranties
Advertiser of such shall be explicit with sufficient information to apprise
consumers of their principal terms and limitations, or, when space and time
restrictions pleclude such disclosures, the advertisement shall clearly
reveal where the full text of the guarantee or warranty can be examined
before purchase. (Advertising Principles)
* Bait Advertising
Advertising shall not offer products or services for sale unless such offer
is constitutes a bona fide effort to sell the advertised products or
services and is not a device to switch consumers to other goods or
services, usually higher price. (Same Source)
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
SOME INFO ON GREEN CARD SPAM
The first surprise is that "pericles.com" has disappeared from the PSI
name servers and from the "whois" database! But they have a new
domain, "SELL.COM". The change happened just two days ago:
% whois pericles.com
No match for "PERICLES.COM".
% whois pericles-dom
No match for "PERICLES-DOM".
% whois canter
Canter & Siegel (SELL-DOM) SELL.COM
Canter, Laurence A. (LC42)
postmaster@SELL.COM
(602) 661-3911 [and some other entries that are irrelevant here]
% whois sell-dom
Canter & Siegel (SELL-DOM)
P.O.Box 13510 Scottsdale, AZ 85267
Domain Name: SELL.COM
Administrative Contact: Canter, Laurence A. (LC42) postmaster@SELL.COM
(602) 661-3911 Technical Contact, Zone Contact: Network Information and
Support Center (PSI-NISC) hostinfo@psi.com (518) 283-8860
Record last updated on 09-Aug-94.
Domain servers in listed order:
NS.PSI.NET 192.33.4.10 NS2.PSI.NET 192.35.82.2
% whois lc42
Canter, Laurence A. (LC42)
postmaster@SELL.COM
Canter & Siegel P.O.Box 13510 Scottsdale, AZ 85267 (602) 661-3911
Record last updated on 09-Aug-94.
Queries from nslookup asking for an IP address or MX record for
sell.com yield no fruit. The query "ls sell.com" is refused by the PSI
name servers.
But it seems logical to ask about "cyber.sell.com", and sure enough,
it's there:
cyber.sell.com inet address = 199.98.145.99 cyber.sell.com preference =
5, mail exchanger = cyber.sell.com
This is the same address that pericles.com had until a couple of days
ago. It still has no backup mail exchanger, but that may not be so
important any more, because....
The host at this address is no longer a PC running Microsoft Windows.
It's now a Unix box! That's right: if you try to telnet to this host,
at the customary port 23, you're greeted with this prompt:
UNIX System V Release 4.2 (cybersell) (pts/0)
login:
There are also server processes listening on ports 512(rexecd), 513
(rlogind) and 514 (rshd).
They've got an FTP server (port 21), but it doesn't accept "anonymous"
or "ftp" as a user name.
They've also got an SMTP server listening (port 25), but it apparently
does not implement the "vrfy", "expn", or "help" commands--all of these
yield "502 ... Not recognized" error replies. The "rcpt to" command
seems to accept any recipient name as legitimate--any validity check
must come later, after it has already accepted the mail.
They don't have an NNTP(119), Gopher(70), or Web(80) server--at least
not on the conventional ports for such services.
They do have a few other active ports: echo(7), discard(9),
daytime(13), ttytest(19), and time service (37).
There's also something that answers a connection to port 199, but I
have no idea what that service might be. Anyone else know?
If you do a traceroute, you get this: .... 9 psi-nsf.psi.net
(192.41.177.246) 27 ms 31 ms 27 ms 10 core.net155.psi.net (38.1.2.3)
145 ms 129 ms 145 ms 11 serial.phoenix.az.psi.net (38.1.10.37) 227 ms
195 ms 195 ms 12 38.2.37.6 (38.2.37.6) 230 ms 184 ms 238 ms 13
cyber.sell.com (199.98.145.99) 195 ms 215 ms 219 ms
Someone who knows more about routing and networks than me might be able
to analyze this for information about the nature of their connection.
What is "38.2.37.6"? It has no hostname, and if you try to telnet to
it, it asks for a password without first asking for a username.
I hope all of the above information is useful to the rest of the Usenet
community. If you've got your site aliased to "pericles.com", you
should consider adding a new alias of "cyber.sell.com". I look forward
to hearing more information from others more knowledgeable than myself.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
CABLE RESOURCES ON THE NET
By John Higgins (higgins@dorsai.dorsai.org)
Updated September 1994 Compiled by Multichannel News. Copyrighted by
John M. Higgins 1994. All rights reserved. Additional copyright information
at bottom.
Multichannel News Contacts:
Marianne Paskowski, editor-in-chief (Mpcable@aol.com)
John M. Higgins, finance editor: (higgins@dorsai.dorsai.org)
Multichannel News subscription information: 800-247-8080. A bargain at
$89/year. Editorial Department: Voice) 212-887-8390; Fax) 212-887-8384
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=THE BEST CABLE STUFF-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Telecomreg (mailing list); Cable Regulation Digest (newsletter); fcc.gov
(document archive); FCC Daily Digest (finger); cablelabs.com (document
archive); rec.video.cable-tv (Usenet newsgroup); Edupage (newsletter)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-
For a bunch folks wanting to rule the info highway, cable's status on the
Internet echoes MTV:Unplugged. There are some signs of senior execs
starting to tap in, but they're few and far between. There are domains
listed in the name of cable companies (TCI, Cablevision Systems, Viacom)
but many seem to be inactive. Comcast and Viacom are on hopelessly limited
MCI Mail systems that regularly snarl. To steal a line, cable execs hope to
build the highway but they can't drive.
Example: Recently I needed a copy of the freshly revised Hollings bill
S.1822. I couldn't get it out of the Senate, the National Cable Television
Association or any cable source. But I surfed over to Bell Atlantic's
Internet site (ba.com) and grabbed the whole thing (including amendments).
The telcos are clearly hipper to this info highway stuff than the cable
kids.
The good news is that the number of Internet resources useful to cable
professionals is growing. The bad news is that they're primarily provided
by telcos and regulators. But it's a start. Here's a cluster of cable
resources of all sorts that I've encountered.
GIMME FEEDBACK! Send us updates, particularly on the technical side. (And
not just how to pirate HBO and pay-per-view porno, please.)
"Differently clued" cable newbies should feel free to contact us with any
questions on how to navigate. Many of these resources are NOT accessible to
subscribers of Prodigy, America On-Line and Compu$erve.
A similar list of broadcasting resources on the net is compiled by Neil
Griffin (ngriffin@nyx.cs.du.edu).
** Mailing Lists
TELECOMREG: A mailing list focusing on telecomunications regulation.
Subscribers got an early peek at the FCC's latest cable price formula,
Founded by Barry Orton, a consultant to municipal regulators, TELECOMREG is
very high volume and fairly high quality.
How to get on it: E-mail (listserver@relay.adp.wisc.edu; SUBSCRIBE
TELCOMREG YOUR NAME)
SCTE-LIST: A mailing list on cable technology apparently tied to the
Society of Cable Television Engineers that just cranked up. It's too new to
judge the quality.
How to get on it: E-mail (listserver@relay.adp.wisc.edu; SUBSCRIBE
SCTE-LIST YOUR NAME)
I-TV: Discussion list centered on two-way Interactive Television. Very
new, and appears to be focusing mostly on education and community
development. So far it's pretty lame, but that could change. Expect lots
of public-access types to be kicking around, as opposed to folks actually
trying to make a business of it. Uploading press releases is -- for some
bizzare reason -- encouraged.
How to get on it: E-Mail (listserv@knowledgework.com; SUB I-TV YOUR
NAME).
TELECOM DIGEST: Oriented toward voice telephony, but covers all sorts of
telecommunications topics. Fairly techie.
How to get on it: E-mail (telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu; SUBSCRIBE
YOUR@ADDRESS); Usenet (comp.dcom.telecom).
** Publications
CABLE REGULATION DIGEST: A weekly summary of regulatory news from
Multichannel News. The best way to obtain it each week is on the TELECOMREG
list.
How to get it: FTP (ftp.vortex.com: /tv-film-video/cable-reg)
Gopher (gopher.vortex.com : /TV/Film/Video)
FCC DAILY DIGEST: Washington telecom lawyer Robert Keller attaches the
most recent edition and referenced documents to his "finger" file. A really
nice effort by Keller. Be sure to open your capture buffer first, as the
file is many screens long.
Also available at the fcc.gov ftp and gopher site. (see below).
How To Get It: Finger (finger rjk@telcomlaw.com).
EDUPAGE: Tip sheet on information technology and media issued three
times weekly. Quickie summaries primarily of newspaper articles,
primarily from the majors.
How to get it. E-Mail (listproc@educom.edu, SUB EDUPAGE YOUR NAME).
FITZ'S SHOPTALK: Daily dispatches on the TV business, primarily networks
and local stations put there's plenty of cable in there. Put out by media
headhunter Don FitzPatrick. Primarily summaries of wire-service and major
newspapers, but also includes some full-text reprints.
How to get it: E-mail (shoptalk-request@gremlin.clark.net, SUBSCRIBE
YOUR@ADDRESS).
SKYGUIDE: This one's from a Brit that doubtless watches too much TV. The
Euro cable and satellite television scene. Concentrates on BSkyB but also
romps off onto the continent.
How to get it: E-mail (bignoise@cix.compulink.co.uk), Usenet {preferred!}
(alt.satellite.tv.europe).
SATNEWS: A newsletter about satellite television broadcasting around the
world.
How to get it: E-mail: (listserv@orbital.demon.co.uk, SUBSCRIBE YOUR
NAME).
** FTP, Gopher, and WWW Sites
CABLELABS: Finally, a cable-specific document archive! CableLabs, the
industry's R&D greenhouse, has established an anonymous FTP archive at
cablelabs.com. It's still "under construction", as they say. There's a
small collection of techie documents in it so far, but more is promised.
How to get there: FTP (ftp.cablelabs.com); WWW (http://www.cablelabs.com/).
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMISSION: Loads of documents, orders, etc. but
they're poorly orgainized.
How to get there: Gopher (fcc.gov); FTP (fcc.gov).
PEPPER & CORAZZINI: A D.C. telecom law firm has put up an archive of
documents and memos by their lawyers on related to broadcasting, cable,
common carriers, PCS and information law. P&C's e-mail contact is Neal J.
Friedman (nfriedma@clark.net)
How to get there: Gopher (gopher.iis.com//11/p-and-c); FTP
(ftp.iis.com/companies/p-and-c) WWW (http://www.iis.com/pandc-home.html).
NTIA: National Telecommunications and Information Administration has a
document site, notably from Clinton's National Info Infrastructure
committe. Seems to be down frequently.
How to get there: Gopher (ntia.doc.gov); FTP (ntia.doc.gov).
BELL ATLANTIC: Telco propaganda (press releases, speeches, Congressional
testimony) mixed in with lots of useful regulatory documents.
How to get there: Gopher (ba.com); FTP (ba.com).
MFJ TASK FORCE: More RBOC lobbying on-line. But it's a hell of a lot
better than anything cable has to offer.
How to get there: Gopher (bell.com).
C-SPAN: The public-affairs network has a gopher site with a whole mess of
programming info for viewers.
How to get there: Gopher (c-span.org); ftp (c-span.org).
CNN: For reasons I haven't quite figured out, the University of Maryland
has a gopher site carrying the text of CNN's Headline News stories, putting
up dozens of national and international news stories daily, with an archive
going back several days.
How to get there: Gopher (info.umd.edu).
** Usenet Groups
The quality of cable info on Usenet newgroups is mixed. The most active
cable group is rec.video.cable-tv. It once was dominated by tips on
stealing cable. However, in recent months three cable system-level execs
from Time Warner (Dean Stauffer), Continental (Scott Westerman) and Century
(Lloyd Sanchez) have virtually turned the group around by patiently and
respectfully responding to cable subscribers' questions, legit complaints
and outright rants. Informed and informative answers, what a concept! Give
them a raise.
Usenet is one way to sample what subscribers are buzzing about. Is your
company included on the recent list of "worst cable companies"?
rec.video.cable-tv Most active.
alt.cable-tv.re-regulate Traffic has really picked up. Lots of
complaining subscribers.
alt.satellite.tv.europe Active group on Euro cable and satellite
programming.
alt.politics.datahighway Not too bad.
alt.tv.public-access Reportedly exists, but I've never seen it.
comp.dcom.telecom Moderated discussion of telco issues. Telecom
Digest appears here.
alt.dcom.telecom Breakaway group started by telco folks
irritated by the ones dominating
comp.dcom.telecom
alt.dcom.catv I've NEVER seen pertinent traffic on this group.
alt.tv.comedy.central Dull.
alt.tv.mst3k Comedy Central's Mystery Science Theater 3000.
alt.tv.hbo Hardly any traffic.
alt.tv.nickelodeon Fans of the kid's network.
alt.fan.ren-and-stimpy 'Nuff said.
** FAQ's
There's a few frequently-asked-questions lists kicking about. The Cable
TV FAQ is all about pirating HBO (YAWN!), with many technical details.
Can't find the archive site, however. The DBS and wireless cable FAQs are
more useful to non-pirate professionals.
All three are posted are posted in rec.video.cable-tv periodically. High-
power DBS is in rec.video.satellite. I'll add archive sites as I find them.
CABLE TV FAQ
How to get it: Usenet (rev.video.cable-tv).
WIRELESS CABLE FAQ How to get it: FTP (rtfm.mit.edu:/pub/usenet/
rec.video.cable-tv/Wireless_Cable_TV_FAQ); Usenet (rec.video.cable-tv).
HIGH-POWER DBS FAQ: Not archived anywhere.
How to get it: Usenet (rec.video.cable-tv, rec.video.satellite).
** Canada
Mooseland has its own cluster of resources:
USENET GROUPS:
can.infohighway
can.infobahn
MAILING LISTS
PAC-HIWAY: Run by Public Advisory Council on Information Highway Policy.
How to get it: E-mail: (listprocessor@cunews.carleton.ca; SUBSCRIBE YOUR
NAME)
ISCNEWS: Mailing list of news releases, fact sheets, etc. from the
federal agency Communications Canada
How to get it: E-mail (listserv@debra.dgbt.doc.ca; SUBSCRIBE ISCNEWS
YOUR NAME)
THE INTERNET JOURNAL OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS: Bi-weekly commentary on
government action regarding information technology, trade and
procurement in North America, but primarily Canada.
How to get it: E-mail (pcanniff@fox.nstn.ns.ca)
SITES
INDUSTRY CANADA: Canada's equivalent to the U.S. Department of Commerce
How To Get There: Gopher (debra.dgbt.doc.ca /Industry Canada Docs)
FTP (debra.dgbt.doc.ca /pub look in both "gazette" and "isc" directories)
WWW: (http://debra.dgbt.doc.ca/isc/isc.html)
Copyright 1994 by John M. Higgins. This list may be redistributed
provided that the article and this notice remain intact. This article may
not under any circumstances be resold or redistributed for compensation of
any kind without prior written permission from John M. Higgins. That
includes publication by magazine or CD-ROM. But if you're interested,
talk to me.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
IDS ANNOUNCES NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK POP (AC 914)
From: green@ids.net
InteleCom Data Systems, Inc, operators of the IDS World Network, the
worlds first full-service Internet Access service geared towards end-users,
announces the latest of its new Points of Presence to be brought online.
New Rochelle, New York members may access IDS via (914) 637-6100 at speeds
of up to 28.8k baud using the new V.FAST technology.
IDS offers dialup Internet access for a low flat monthly fee, as well as
PersonalSLIP - a dial-on-demand, low-cost SL/IP service starting at $20
per month.
Here is our standard electronic brochure. For more information, contact
IDS Customer Service at (800) IDS-1680.
:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.
The IDS World Network
Internet Access Service
:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.
A great place for the beginner to start with, and an easy enough place for
the experienced user to fully utilize the facilities on the Internet.
Features:
o Usenet NEWS
o Internet Mail
o TELNET, FTP, FINGER, TALK
o Menu Driven Interface
o UPI Newswire
o VAX/VMS DCL Access
o Low affordable prices
The IDS World Network Internet Access Service is a great meeting place on
the Internet. We offer free BBS service to everyone; message areas and
local email are all free. Stop in - meet and talk with people from all
over the world... from Albania to Zimbabwe. Yugoslavia... Russia...
Germany... Australia... and all of them participate in our online message
bases, providing inteligent discussion and an excellent way to make the
world a bit smaller by bringing everyone together electronicly. Subjects
range from local parking tickets to the global environment and possible
solutions for world problems.
The IDS World Network was the first system to obtain NSFnet access for
members - we're the longest running Internet "public access" service,
with years of experience providing easy access for beginners, and ease
of use for experienced Internet gurus.
We have a network of several machines handling the load at our Operations
Center in Rhode Island, with dedicated NEWS servers, SL/IP servers and UUCP
machines.
Now we're reachable through the CompuServe Packet Network - for just $4 per
hour on top of the regular monthly subscription rates, you can access the IDS
World Network from any local number for the CompuServe Packet Network - for
your nearest CPN number, call our customer service line at (800) IDS-1680.
The rates for using IDS through the CompuServe network are just $4 per hour,
day or night - no higher rate for peak usage. PersonalSLIP and other SL/IP
services are not available through the CompuServe Packet Network, although
IDS UUCP services are...
INTERNET SERVICES
Users have their own workspace with unlimited file size storage; files
remain in the workspace for 24 hours (giving the user ample time to
download files to their personal computer).
Service types:
Standard Account - All Internet functions, standard menu account, VAX/VMS
DCL Access. Services arranged by category in an easy-to-use, menu
driven interface. All for $15 per month ($17 per month when dialing
through Miami).
PersonalSLIP - Your own Internet SL/IP connection, Dial-On-Demand. $20/month
for 20 hours, $2/hr each additional hour. POP Mail service included
for mail storage and retrieval, for use with popular email programs
such as Eudora, QVTnet, and others. Also includes NNTP server access
for offline/online NEWS reading.
Dedicated PersonalSLIP - Your own Internet SL/IP connection, 24 hours a day,
7 days a week, your own Single-Host IP address and Domain Name, $75/month
There is a $450 startup charge for this service.
Dedicated SL/IP - Network connections for multiple hosts and all of the above
for $200/month. There is a $450 startup charge for this service.
UUCP Services - Connect your BBS or your own private system. We support
14.4k baud modems on all of our UUCP lines. One-time setup fee of $25, plus
$20/month for mail and up to 100 newsgroups, $35/month for up to 500,
$45/month for a full feed. One time fee of $25 for those wishing to
apply for their own domain.
ATTENTION TEACHERS AND EDUCATORS
IDS works heavily with teachers and educators around the world to help
bring them together to utilize the Internet in the classroom. If you'd
like more information, send electronic mail to info@ids.net. Rhode Island
teachers: contact Reo Beaulieu at the RI Department of Education for your
free account.
CURRENT DIALUP CALLING AREAS
Middle Rhode Island (401) 884-9002
Northern Rhode Island (401) 273-1088
Southern Rhode Island (401) 294-5779
Miami, Florida (305) 534-0321
Merrit Island, Florida (407) 453-4545 (Brevard County, FL)
New Rochelle, New York (914) 637-6100
All CompuServe Packet Network numbers.
Other Florida areas forthcoming.
--> ALL USERS MUST ADHERE TO ACCEPTABLE USE POLICIES OF THE APPROPRIATE <--
--> NETWORKS <--
To access the IDS World Network; telnet to ids.net [155.212.1.2], or dial
us via modem at (401) 884-9002. If you are dialing direct, type IDS at the
first prompt and then sign on as GUEST when it asks for a Username.
Web users, try the <A HREF="http://www.ids.net">IDS Web Server</A>.
For Customer Service, send email to info@ids.net, or call (800) IDS-1680
voice. Within Rhode Island, call (401) 884-7856.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
THE MEDIA LIST
By Adam M. Gaffin (adamg@world.std.com)
This is a listing of newspapers, magazines, TV stations and other media
outlets that accept electronic submissions from readers and viewers, along
with their main e-mail addresses. It would be almost impossible to
maintain a listing of individual reporters, editors and the like; if you
want to reach a specific person, try sending a request to the given media
outlet's general address (but see below for a one-time listing for the
Ottawa Citizen). If you are submitting a letter to the editor or an op-ed
piece, it's a good idea to include your mail address and a daytime phone
number. Publications generally try to verify authorship and will not run
submissions without some way to check whether you really wrote the item
to which your name is attached.
Please send any additions, deletions or corrections to the address at the
end of this list. Look for new editions in the alt.journalism,
alt.internet.services and comp.misc newsgroups. My thanks to all who have
contributed! Because of these kind folks, this list is now substantially
longer than it was just a week ago.
SPECIAL NOTE: The last part of this list contains the e-mail addresses
for reporters and editors at the Ottawa Citizen. Thanks to the Citizen for
the information.
DAILY NEWSPAPERS
Middlesex News, Framingham, Mass. mnews@world.std.com
Boston Globe
Story Ideas news@globe.com
Circulation Requests circulation@globe.com
Letters to the Editor letter@globe.com
Submissions to "Voxbox" column voxbox@globe.com
Comments on Coverage/Ombudsman ombud@globe.com
Ask the Globe ask@globe.com
Thursdays Calendar Section list@globe.com
Health & Science Section howwhy@globe.com
Confidential Chat chat@globe.com
City Weekly Section ciweek@globe.com
Religion Editor religion@globe.com
Arts Editor arts@globe.com
Champaign-Urbana (Ill.) News-Gazette gazette@prairienet.org
Chronicle-Telegram, Elyria, Ohio macroncl@freenet.lorain.oberlin.edu
Colorado Daily, Boulder, Colo colorado_daily@onenet-bbs.org
The Guardian, U.K. letters@guardian.co.uk
Notes and Queries nandq@guardian.co.uk
Morning Journal, Lorain, Ohio mamjornl@freenet.lorain.oberlin.edu
Ottawa Citizen, Ottawa, Ont. ottawa-citizen@freenet.carleton.ca
Portland Oregonian oreeditors@aol.com
Sacramento Bee sacbedit@netcom.com
Phoenix Gazette phxgazette@aol.com
St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times 73174.3344@compuserve.com
San Diego Union-Tribune computerlink@sduniontrib.com
San Francisco Examiner sfexaminer@aol.com
San Jose Mercury-News sjmercury@aol.com
Santa Cruz County (Calif.) Sentinel
Letters to the editor sented@cruzio.com
News desk sentcity@cruzio.com
Seattle Times edtimes@hebron.connected.com
Tico Times, Costa Rica ttimes@huracon.cr
Washington Square News, NYU nyuwsn@aol.com
WEEKLY NEWSPAPERS
Hill Times, Ottawa, Ont. ab142@freenet.carleton.ca
Journal Newspapers, D.C. area thejournal@aol.com
The Mirror, Montreal, Quebec mirror@fc.babylon.montreal.qc.ca
Palo Alto Weekly, Palo Alto, Calif. paweekly@netcom.com.
The Village Voice, New York, N.Y. voice@echonyc.com
MAGAZINES
American Journalism Review amerjourrv@aol.com
Brown Alumni Monthly, Providence, R.I. bam@brownvm.brown.edu
Business Week bwreader@mgh.com
Chronicle of Higher Education editor@chronicle.merit.edu
Details detailsmag@aol.com
Frank Magazine, Ottawa, Ont. ag419@freenet.carleton.ca
Focus, Germany 100335.3131@compuserve.com
GQ gqmag@aol.com
Illinois Issues, Springfield, Ill. wojcicki@eagle.sangamon.edu.
Mother Jones x@mojones.com
The New Republic editors@tnr.com
New Scientist, U.S. bureau 75310.1661@compuserve.com
Oberlin Alumni Magazine alummag@ocvaxc.cc.oberlin.edu.
OutNOW!, San Jose, Calif. jct@netcom.com
Playboy playboy@class.com
S.F. Examiner Magazine sfxmag@mcimai.com
Scientific American letters@sciam.com
Soundprint soundprt@jhuvms.hcf.jhu.edu
Der Spiegel, Germany 100064.3164@compuserve.com
Stern, Hamburg, Germany 100125.1305@compuserve.com
Sky & Telescope, Cambridge, Mass. skytel@cfa.harvard.edu
Spectrum, New York, N.Y. n.hantman@ieee.org
Stern, Hamburg, Germany 100125.1305@compuserve.com
Time timeletter@aol.com
Ultramarathon Canada an346@freenet.carleton.ca
USA Weekend usaweekend@aol.com
U.S. News and World Report 71154.1006@compuserve.com
Wired editor@wired.com
NEWS/MEDIA SERVICES
Cowles/SIMBA Media Daily simba02@aol.com
Media Page mpage@netcom.com
Newsbytes newsbytes@genie.geis.com
NEWSLETTERS
Dealmakers Ted.Kraus@property.com
Information Law Alert markvoor@phantom.com
Multichannel News higgins@dorsai.dorsai.org
Society of Newspaper Design fairbairn@plink.geis.com
Spec-Com Journal spec-com@genie.geis.com
Western Producer, Saskatoon fairbairn@plink.geis.com
RADIO AND TV STATIONS AND NETWORKS
CJOH-TV, Ottawa, Ont. Can. ab363@freenet.carleton.ca
KARK, Little Rock, Ark. newsfour@aol.com
KOIN, Portland, OR. koin06A@prodigy.com
WBFO, Buffalo, N.Y. wbfo@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu
WBFO-FM, NPR, Buffola, NY. wbfo@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu
WCBS-AM, CBS, NYC. news88@prodigy.com
WCVB-TV, Boston, Mass. wcvb@aol.com
WCCO-TV, Minneapolis, Minn. wccotv@mr.net
WDCB Radio, Glen Ellyn, Ill. scotwitt@delphi.com
WEOL-AM, Elyria, Ohio maweol@freenet.lorain.oberlin.edu.
WNWV-FM, Elyria, Ohio maweol@freenet.lorain.oberlin.edu.
WNYC, New York, N.Y., "On the Line" 76020.560@compuserve.com
WRVO-FM, Oswego, N.Y. wrvo@oswego.edu
WTVF-TV, Nashville, Tenn. craig.owensby@nashville.com
WVIT-TV, New Britian, Conn wvit30a@prodigy.com
WXYZ-TV, ABC, Detroit. wxyztv@aol.com
WWWE 1100 AM Cleveland, OH talk11a@prodigy.com
BBC "Write On" iac@bbc-iabr.demon.com.uk
CBC Radio, "Brand X" brandx@winnipeg.cbc.ca
Fox TV foxnet@delphi.com
Maine Public TV, "Media Watch" greenman@maine.maine.edu
Monitor Radio Int'l "Letterbox" letterbox@wshb.csms.com
NBC News, New York, N.Y. nightly@nbc.ge.com
NBC News, "Dateline" dateline@nbc.ge.com
NPR "Talk of the Nation" totn@aol.com
NPR "Talk of the Nation/Sci. Friday" scifri@aol.com
NPR "Fresh Air" freshair@hslc.org
NPR "Weekend All Things Considered" watc@cap.gwu.edu
NPR "Weekend Edition/Sunday" wesun@clark.net
COMPUTER PUBLICATIONS
Communications News 489-8359@mcimail.com
Corporate Computing 439-3854@mcimail.com
Computerworld computerworld@mcimail.com
Communications Week 440-7485@mcimail.com
Data Communications 416-2157@mcimail.com
Datateknik, Sweden datateknik@dt.etforlag.se
Enterprise Systems Journal 543-3256@mcimail.com
Home Office Computing hoc@aol.com
Information Week informationweek@mcimail.com
Infoworld letters@infoworld.com
The Internet Business Journal mstrange@fonorola.net
The Internet Letter netweek@access.digex.net
iX, Germany post@ix.de
Journal of C Language Translation jclt@iecc.com
LAN Times 538-6488@mcimail.com
Network Computing network_computing@mcimail.com
Network Management network@world.std.com
PC Magazine 157.9301@mcimail.com
PC Week 557-0379@mcimail.com
Telecommunications 311-1693@mcimail.com
Windows User 75300.3513@compuserve.com
--------------
Ottawa Citizen (please note that all of these addresses save the last one
are at Ottawa Freenet, which has a domain of freenet.carleton.ca; to
reach Doug Yonson from outside the Freenet, for example, write
af719@freenet.carleton.ca).
af719 Doug Yonson The Citizen's FreeNet coordinator
ac583 Peter Calamai Editorial Page Editor
ae273 Johanne Vincent Editorial Page assistant
ae836 Tony Cote Action Line columnist
ah206 Alana Kainz High technology reporter/columnist
ac806 Deborah Richmond High Priority editor
ag955 Francine Dube Social trends reporter
af391 Peter Hum Reporter
ai997 Mike Shahin Outaouais Reporter
ae451 William Speake Part-time reporter
ag696 Hilary Kemsley Years Ahead columnist (seniors issues)
ai379 Drew Gragg Assistant Photo Director
af227 Jack Aubry National Reporter (aboriginal affairs)
ae379 Daniel Drolet Reporter
al715 Liisa Tuominen Librarian
ak570 Michael Groberman Theatre critic
am906 Robert Sibley Reporter
an643 Dave Rogers Reporter
ao096 Wanita Bates Consumer, fashion reporter
an552 Tony Lofaro Reporter
am100 Seymour Diener Asst news editor, real estate columnist
ao483 Mark Richardson Reporter
ap171 Karen Murphy-Mackenzie Copy staff
ao450 Bernard Potvin Copy staff
ap764 Massey Padgham Foreign editor
aq148 Carolyn Abraham Police reporter
aq438 Shelley Page Science reporter
Rick Laiken, 71277.3651@compuserve.com Assistant managing editor
(OCRINET contact, newsroom
computer systems specialist
& libel expert)
What follows are new entries and corrections for the Media List, which is
a listing of newspapers, radio stations, etc. that accept electronic
submissions. This is NOT the complete list. You can obtain the entire
list via ftp at ftp.std.com as customers/periodicals/Middlesex-
News/medialist. If you'd rather receive the list and updates automatically
via e-mail, write to
majordomo@world.std.com
Leave the "subject:" line blank. As your message, write:
subscribe medialist
To leave the list, write to majordomo@world.std.com with a message of
unsubscribe medialist
NOTES ON USING THIS LIST: If you want a publication to print your letter,
include your postal address and phone number for verification purposes.
Also, please consider NOT using this list to send a mass mailing to every
single listed media outlet. A bicycling magazine is unlikely to be
interested in your thoughts on abortion, no matter how cogent they are,
for example.
My thanks again to all who have contributed! Comments and suggestions --
and especially addresses of unlisted media organizations -- are most
welcome. Please send them to adamg@world.std.com (please note the 'g' in
adamg; adam@world.std.com is a very nice person who has been graciously
forwarding mis-addressed e-mail, but he is not me).
NEWSFLASH: The New York Times is planning a formal Internet connection,
we read on the CARR-L mailing list, sometime this summer or early fall.
Once in place, the domain will be nytimes.com. CARR-L is a list for
talking about the use of computers in newsrooms and journalistic research.
To subscribe, send e-mail to listserv@ulkyvm.bitnet. Leave the "subject:"
line blank, and as your message, write: subscribe carr-l Your Name
(substituting, of course, your name).
NOTE: Listings marked with an asterisk are corrections.
DAILY NEWSPAPERS
The Baltimore Sun
To reach reporters or comment
on the paper (NO letters to the
editor or subscription requests) baltsun@clark.net
The Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch crow@cd.columbus.oh.us
Letters to the editor letters@cd.columbus.oh.us
Jerusalem (Israel) Post jpost@zeus.datasrv.co.il
The Olympian, Olympia, Wash. olympian@halcyon.com
WEEKLY NEWSPAPERS
City Sun, New York, N.Y.
Computer column sysop@f618.n278.z1.fidonet.org
COLLEGE NEWSPAPERS
The Muse, Memorial Univ., Newfoundland muse@morgan.ucs.mun.ca
The Tech, MIT, Cambridge, Mass.
Advertising ads@the-tech.mit.edu
Arts arts@the-tech.mit.edu
News news@the-tech.mit.edu
Sports sports@the-tech.mit.edu
Archive management archive@the-tech.mit.edu
Circulation and subscriptions circ@the-tech.mit.edu
Free calendar listings news-notes@the-tech.mit.edu
General questions general@the-tech.mit.edu
Letters to the editor letters@the-tech.mit.edu
Photography department photo@the-tech.mit.edu
MAGAZINES
*American Journalism Review
Letters to the editors/queries
(NO press releases) editor@ajr.umd.edu
Electric Shock Treatment, U.K.
(innovative and experimental music) bd1@mm-croy.mottmac.co.uk
*Inside Media mediaseven@aol.com
Interrace Magazine, Atlanta 73424.1014@compuserve.com
NEWS/MEDIA SERVICES AND PRESS ASSOCIATIONS
Conus Washington/TV Direct conus-dc@clark.net
RADIO AND TELEVISION NETWORKS
CNN Global News cnnglobal@aol.com
* NBC, "Dateline" dateline@news.nbc.com
RADIO AND TELEVISION STATIONS
KXTV-TV, Sacramento, Calif. kxtv@netcom.com
COMPUTER PUBLICATIONS
*Network Computing editor@nwc.com
*Personal Computer World editorial@pcw.ccmail.compuserve.com
3W Magazine: The Internet with a
Human Face 3W@ukartnet.demon.co.uk
Windows Computer Shareware 5648326@mcimail.com
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO SEND MAIL TO YOUR SYSTEM ADMINISTRATORS ASKING THEM
IF THEY OFFER THEIR SYSTEM LOGS TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES - ESPECIALLY IF
YOU LIVE IN TEXAS. ACTIONS SUCH AS THIS MAY BE A VIOLATION OF YOUR
PRIVACY. IF YOU DISCOVER THIS TO BE THE CASE, MAIL US!
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
A TeleStrategies Event co-chaired by the
Commercial Internet eXchange (CIX)
TeleStrategies' Internet Conference and Expo '94
Monday October 10 - Wednesday October 12
Sheraton Crystal City, Arlington VA
Conference Track (Tue October 11 - Wed October 12):Publishing, Marketing
and Advertising on the Internet
Pre-Conference Tutorial (Mon October 10): Understanding Internet
Technologies For Non-Engineers And Strategic Planners
Demonstration Track (Mon October 10 - Wed October 12):Online Demonstrations
Of Internet Services, Products And Access Technologies
Workshop Track (Tue October 11 - Wed October 12):How To Do Business On The
Internet
Exhibitions (Mon October 10 - Wed October 12)
CONFERENCE TRACK - Tuesday, October 11, 1994
Publishing , Marketing and Advertising on the Internet
8:00-9:00 Registration
9:00-10:00 - INTERNET: THE OUTLOOK FOR
COMMERCIALIZATION AND GROWTH
John Curran, Product Manager, BBN Technology Services
Bill Washburn, Executive Director, Commercial Internet Exchange (CIX)
10:00-10:15 Coffee Break
10:15-12:00 - NEWSPAPER AND BOOK PUBLISHING ON
THE INTERNET
Jeff Crigler, Director, Market Development, Network Advanced Services
Division, IBM
Laura Fillmore, President, Online Bookstore
William S. Johnson, Publisher, Palo Alto Weekly
12:00-2:00 Hosted Lunch and Exhibits
2:00-2:45 - INTERNET USERS: WHO ARE THEY?
Magdalena Yesil, Partner, Management Forum
2:45-3:15 - INTERNET BILLING
Gary Desler, Senior Vice President, Network Solutions
3:15-3:30 Coffee Break
3:30-5:30 - CREATING BUSINESS MODELS FOR THE INTERNET
Gordon Cook, President, Cook Network Consultants
Chris Locke, President, MecklerWeb Corporation
Cathy Medich, Executive Director, CommerceNet
Robert Raisch, President, The Internet Company
5:30-6:30 Reception and Exhibits
CONFERENCE TRACK - Wednesday, October 12, 1994
Publishing , Marketing and Advertising on the Internet
8:30-10:00 - HOW TO MARKET AND ADVERTISE EFFECTIVELY
Andrew Frank, Director, Software Development, Ogilvy & Mather Direct
Erica Gruen, Senior Vice President, Television, Information
and New Media, Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising Worldwide
Judith Axler Turner, a head of the working group on advertising for the
Coalition for Networked Information
10:00-10:30 Coffee Break and Exhibits
10:30-12:00 - COPYRIGHT AND LICENSING ISSUES
Kathlene Krag, Assistant Director, Copyright and New Technology Association
of American Publishers, Inc.
Steve Metalitz, Vice President and General Counsel Information
Industry Association
Martha Whittaker, General Manager, The UnCover Company
12:00-12:30 - VIDEO VIA THE INTERNET
Ed Moura, Vice President, Marketing and Sales Hybrid Networks, Inc.
12:30-2:00 Hosted Lunch and Exhibits
2:00-3:30 - INFORMATION SERVICES AND THE INTERNET
Brad Templeton, President, ClariNet Communications
Richard Vancil, Vice President, Marketing, INDIVIDUAL, Inc.
Representative, America Online
3:30-3:45 Coffee Break
3:45-5:00 - INTERNET PUBLISHING AND MARKETING TOOLS
Bruce Caslow, Systems Engineer, Mesa Technologies
John Kolman, Vice President, NOTIS Systems, Inc.
Kevin Oliveau, Engineer, WAIS, Inc.
Pre-Conference Tutorial
UNDERSTANDING INTERNET TECHNOLOGIES
FOR NON-ENGINEERS AND STRATEGIC PLANNERS
Monday, October 10, 1994 - 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Presented By: John Curran, BBN Technology Services;
Bruce Antleman, Information Express;
Bruce Caslow, Mesa Technologies; and Stephen Crocker,
Trusted Information Systems, Inc.
This one-day tutorial is for the non-engineer, strategic planner,
entrepreneur or anyone who has to understand the Internet in order to make
business decisions about emerging commercial opportunities. This tutorial
covers not only Internet technologies, economics and leading-edge
o
pportunities, but also looks at operational issues such as security,
addressing and network management from a business development perspective.
1. INTERNET OVERVIEW: What is the Internet? Who controls it? How do you get
connected? What can you do with it? Who pays for it? Who are the players
domestically and internationally? What is the role of the NII and NREN? Why
are the RBOCs, cable TV companies, IXCs and PDA vendors interested in
Internet? Why all the attention to commercialization? How is the Internet
likely to evolve over the next few years?
2. INTERNET ACCESS, NAVIGATION AND APPLICATIONS:
How to find, share and sell information on the Internet. The basic
application tools and navigation/search systems (FTP, Telnet, Archie, Gopher,
Mosaic, World Wide Web, WAIS, etc.). Access service providers (CIX, PSI,
Sprint and others). Access options (dial-up, dedicated, frame relay, cable
TV and wireless).New entrepreneurial developments.
3. INTERNET TECHNOLOGIES: Role of TCP/IP. MAC vs. PC products. LAN access
(SLIP, PPP, frame relay, etc.) and WAN and ATM developments. IPX, DECNET and
APPLETALK. Leading edge vendors and where their products are headed. IP
addressing. How to obtain addresses (Class A,B,and C). CIDR, Internet DNS and
how to register. Setting up an E-mail server, bulletin board and directory
service.
4. INTERNET SECURITY AND MANAGEMENT: Security concerns, policies and
procedures. Defeating password sniffing. Firewalls and available firewall
toolkits. Encryption, authentication and Clipper Chip issues. Other
operational concerns related to doing business on the Internet. Guidelines
for managing a commercial Internet service. SNMP management tools and
products.
WORKSHOP TRACK - Tuesday, October 11, 1994
HOW TO DO BUSINESS ON THE INTERNET
9:00-10:15 - GETTING CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET
Howard McQueen, President, CD Consultants
10:15-10:45 Coffee Break
10:45-12:00 - CREATING A BUSINESS PRESENCE ON THE INTERNET
Duffy Mazan, Partner, Electric Press, Inc.
12:00-2:00 Lunch and Exhibits
2:00-3:15 - MOSAIC
Bruce Caslow, Systems Engineer, Mesa Technologies
3:15-3:30 Break
3:30-5:00 - BUSINESS USES OF THE INTERNET
Al Dhir, President, Internet Access Group, Inc.
5:00-6:30 Reception and Exhibits
WORKSHOP TRACK - Wednesday, October 12, 1994
HOW TO DO BUSINESS ON THE INTERNET
9:00-10:15 - SECURITY: SINGLE SIGN ON
Tom McHale, Director of Marketing and Product Development for North America,
ICL, Inc.
10:15-10:45 Coffee Break
10:45-12:00 - CORPORATE AND BUSINESS TRAINING OVER THE INTERNET
Speaker to be announced
12:00-2:00 Lunch and Exhibits
2:00-3:15 - NETIQUETTE: HOW TO DO BUSINESS ON THE INTERNET WITHOUT GETTING
"FLAMED" Paul Kainen, President, Kainen Technology Services
ONLINE INTERNET DEMONSTRATION TRACK
Monday, October 10, 1994
2:00-5:00 p.m.
Track A: DEMYSTIFYING THE INTERNET
Paul Kainen, President, Kainen Technology Services
Track B: DEMONSTRATIONS BY WAIS, Inc. and Performance Systems International
5:00-6:30 Reception and Exhibits
ONLINE INTERNET DEMONSTRATION TRACK
Tuesday, October 11, 1994
9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Track A: DEMYSTIFYING THE INTERNET
Bruce Caslow, Systems Engineer, Mesa Technologies
Track B: DEMONSTRATIONS BY:Semaphore Communications - Internet security
products - CD Consultants
12:00-2:00 Lunch and Exhibits
2:00-5:00
Track A: DEMONSTRATIONS BY Spry, Inc. "Internet in a Box" Online Bookstore
Track B: DEMONSTRATIONS BY MecklerWeb
Corporation and "Palo Alto Weekly," the first general circulation newspaper
on the Internet
5:00-6:30 Reception and Exhibits
ONLINE INTERNET DEMONSTRATION TRACK
Wednesday, October 12, 1994
9:00-12:00
Track A: DEMONSTRATIONS BY America Online - demo of their current
information services and NOTIS Systems, Inc. - demo of new, easy-to-use
publishing tool for the Internet
Track B: DEMONSTRATION BY Hybrid Networks, Inc. and Mesa Technologies -
MOSAIC at 56 KBPS
12:00-2:00 Lunch and Exhibits
2:00-3:15
Track A: DEMONSTRATION BY LEGI-SLATE
Track B: DEMONSTRATION BY Gestalt Systems, Inc.
CURRENT ONLINE DEMONTRATIONS
Monday, October 10 - Wednesday, October 12
Current Demonstrations Conducted By: WAIS, Inc., SemaphoreCommunications,
CD Consultants, Spry, Inc., Online Bookstore,MecklerWeb Corporation,
"Palo Alto Weekly," America Online, NOTIS Systems, Inc., Hybrid Networks,
Inc., Mesa Technologies,Legi-Slate, Performance Systems International
and Gestalt Systems, Inc.
EXHIBIT HOURS
Monday, October 10 - 5:00-6:30 p.m.
Tuesday, October 11 - 12:00-6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, October 12 - 10:00-2:00 p.m.
For more information about exhibiting, call Jackie McGuigan at (703)
734-7050. For more information or registration call (703) 734-7050.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
SCREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
=-=-=-=-=Copyright 1993,4 Wired Ventures, Ltd. All Rights Reserved-=-=-=-=
-=-=For complete copyright information, please see the end of this file=-=-
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
WIRED 1.1
Scream of Consciousness
***********************
Paglia: Brash, Self-Promoting and Possibly the next Marshall McLuhan
Interviewed by Stewart Brand
(Editor's note - Paglia's faxed corrections of this article became a
critical part of the design and layout. Hence, it has lost much that
cannot be conveyed in ASCII over the electronic BBS's or the Internet. We
strongly suggest you refer to the original in the magazine itself for the
complete context).
Camille Paglia, bad girl of feminism, has a knack for outraging listeners
one moment, and then having them nod their heads in agreement the next. In
rapid-fire broadcast mode, Paglia jumps from Aristotle to Madonna, soap
opera to cathedral, all in one sentence. A tape recorder has trouble
picking out her cascading words (Paglia faxed the accompanying text
corrections to WIRED's offices late one Saturday night) and makes
absolutely no progress in capturing her total body animation as she acts
out each phrase. A media creature through and through, Paglia has been
cavorting in the limelight of network TV and sold-out lectures ever since
her 1991 book, Sexual Personae (the first of two volumes), poked the eye
of both conservatives and liberals. Intrigued by Paglia's intellectual
resemblance to Marshall McLuhan - patron saint of WIRED magazine - Stewart
Brand, the author of the Media Lab, caught up with Paglia in the court of
a San Francisco hotel.
BRAND: Have you mapped your success against Marshall McLuhan's? Remember
how that happened? Here was a guy, like you he was on the fringe of
academia, Catholic oriented, basically a literary creature. He starts
holding forth in a epigrammatic way about culture and media, and suddenly
AT&T and everybody else wants to talk to him. Paglia comes along, does
what you've done...
PAGLIA: ...Influenced by McLuhan. Neil Postman, who I had the Harper's
magazine discussion with, said something that was very moving to me. He
said at the end of that evening, "I was a student of Marshall McLuhan and
I have never been with someone who reminded me more of McLuhan. When you
were sitting with McLuhan in the middle of the night, all you would see
was the tip of his cigar glowing, and you would hear him making these huge
juxtapositions. Even his writing never captured the way McLuhan's mind
worked. Your mind works exactly the same, the way you bring things
together and they ssssizzle when you bring them together."
BRAND: So you read McLuhan in college.
PAGLIA: McLuhan was assigned in my classes. Everyone had a copy of his
books. There were so many things that were happening at that moment -
McLuhan, Norman O. Brown, Leslie Fiedler, Allen Ginsberg. There was
enormous promise of something that was going to just blast everything open
in cultural criticism. What the heck happened? It wasn't just a
conservative administration in the '70s and '80s. That's not it. It was a
failure on the part of the '60s generation itself. You feel it a little
bit in "Blow Up," or just like reading about Jimi Hendrix and the way the
women looked, the way the groupies looked - how fabulous the groupies
were. They were so sexy and so ballsy! It was amazing how those '60s
chicks talked. This was the real feminism. Even women got less powerful.
We have had a general cultural collapse.
BRAND: What did you make of McLuhan?
PAGLIA: We all thought, "This is one of the great prophets of our time."
What's happened to him? Why are these people reading Lacan or Foucault who
have no awareness at all of mass media? Why would anyone go on about the
school of Saussure? In none of that French crap is there any reference to
media. Our culture is a pop culture. Americans are the ones who have to be
interpreting the pop culture reality.
When I was in England earlier this summer for the release of the Penguin
paperback of Sexual Personae, I was having fits because of no TV there. I
felt like I was in prison. Then I got to Amsterdam, and Amsterdam was
better because they had everything on satellite. That was interesting in a
kind of sociological way. They have German TV and Italian TV and French
TV, but it is still not equivalent to what we have. What we have is total
domination by the pop culture matrix, by the mass media matrix. That's the
future of the world.
BRAND: Is pop culture and mass media the same thing?
PAGLIA: For me, yes. I teach a course called "Mass Media." I think that it
should be required for every liberal arts graduate - the whole history of
mass media, traced from the 1830s newspapers all the way to today.
BRAND: Between Volume 1 and the forthcoming Volume 2 of Sexual Personae is
the arrival of mass media. When you have mass media, is art different?
PAGLIA: I call the 20th century "The Age of Hollywood." I believe that
mass media and pop culture is the culture of the 20th century. There's a
big break at World War II. The last great works of high art are with World
War I. You have Picasso and T. S. Eliot, and I feel that modernism in
literature exhausted itself in its first generation - Proust, Joyce,
Wolfe; that was it. What else? That's why I have my provocative
statements, such as for me the best novel after World War II is Auntie
Mame. I mean that literally. The only writers of fiction interesting to me
at all after World War II are decadent or comedic. These are to me the
only modes that work literarily after World War II. So Genet and Tennessee
Williams are major figures for me.
My publisher is always trying to get me to read novels - Saul Bellow, A.S.
Byatt. I say, "Why would I want to read a serious novel?" Because a
serious novel today is already too reactionary, by trying to reinterpret
contemporary reality in verbal terms, making a verbal structure - no, no,
no. To me, the rhythms of our thinking in the pop culture world, the
domination by image, the whole way the images are put together, and so on
are way beyond the novel at this point. If a novelist does emerge now who
is a product of pop culture and mass media, it's going to look quite
different on the page. It won't necessarily look fragmented. I don't
believe in that post-modernist thing of cutting things up. But the rhythms
of it are going to be fast rhythms, and it's going to be surreal, flashing.
In my famous encounter with Susan Sontag in 1973, I had a bitter
disappointment when I invited her to Bennington and we tried to talk, and
I couldn't talk to her. I had felt like "Finally, a woman on my level,"
and her mind seemed so sloooow. It took me ten years before I realized
what it was. She was born before World War II. There's no way her brain is
like my brain. I suddenly realized, half my brain is different. I mean,
half my brain is the traditional Apollonian logo-centric side which was
trained by the rigorous public schools of that period, but the other half
is completely an electrified brain. Essentially, what I'm doing is what
all the '60s was doing, which was exploring the way that brain works. I
have been exploring both sides of the brain in my work. But we need both.
Not having both I think is a disaster for the young today because I have
them in my classes.
BRAND: You agree with Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death on this?
PAGLIA: I agree with Neil Postman that we need both. We cannot have one,
or one over the other. These young kids, they're lost.
BRAND: If somebody's got both sides of their brain electric, what happens?
PAGLIA: I think that they become hysterical. They become very susceptible
to someone's ideology. The longing for something structured, something
that gives them a world view, is so intense that whatever comes along,
whether it's fascism or feminist ideology (which to me are inseparable),
they'll glom onto it and they can't critique it. You see the inability of
the young to critique this can of worms that feminism gives them -
"patriarchy" and all this stuff - the inability to think through issues
like date rape. I was screamed at by girls at Brown about date rape. Later
I encountered them by chance on the streets of Philadelphia - they
happened to be touring the country registering voters this summer - and I
said ask me some questions. These girls were juniors at Brown and their
minds couldn't even focus long enough for a reply. (Paglia mimics
fluttering inarticulate interruptions.)
They didn't have the base of education that I did, the rigorous public
school education. The consequence is my mind can play in the realm of the
mass media and that's my creativity as a person, the solid, rigorous
building of the Apollonian skills on one side of the brain, and then the
free play. To me, this is the great model of the human mind. It's
incredible to go back and forth between those two things. This is why I
don't need anybody in my life, because I have so much in my brain playing
with each other. It's fantastic.
When I was in England early in the summer, I was interviewed by some
Cambridge women and had an incredible intellectual conversation. They were
full of knowledge and insight. There's no TV whatever in Cambridge.
BRAND: So all they do is Neil Postman's long cool argument.
PAGLIA: Well, no. Actually, drinking a lot is what they seem to be doing.
I think it must be that their extreme, extreme development of words is so
exhausting. The amount that the educated class is drinking there, I
couldn't believe it. I saw the public drunkenness in Cambridge of
university men, staggering drunkenness, and I thought, that's what they
have instead of pop culture: alcohol.
The minute I hit London I realized no one looks at each other. I asked
people there, "How does anyone pick up anyone, how do you ever meet
anyone?" I was told, "The men never look at you. They respect your
privacy." Well, OK. I was near the British Museum and we were going to a
lecture; I needed something to eat, and walked into a pub at 4 o'clock. It
was respectable - intellectuals and so on. The drunkenness! You could feel
the sex was in there, in the pubs and the drinking. We've got the sex in
our popular culture, and the feminists hate it - "sex and violence!" - but
I think ours is far healthier.
This is a very healthy culture as long as we keep up the rigorous
training. The kids' true culture is pop culture - they already live in
that - so that's why I oppose all this use of TV in school. I want
education movie-based, in the way that we had in college. From the moment
I arrived in college in 1964 we were immersed in films. I saw something
like 800 films. The true multiculturism is foreign films, foreign films
with subtitles, so you hear the language. That's the way to teach sex, the
way to talk about male/female sex roles: movies. The way to teach what
Lacan or Foucault claim to be doing - the relativity of a memory - is
"Last Year in Marienbad." Did they meet at Marienbad or not? The
inflections of emotion on people's faces, interrelations of subtleties, of
non verbal subtleties of interpersonal sexual relations, are shown by
cinema. Date-rape feminists want to insist, "No always means no." You'd
never believe that if you were seeing cinema.
When I think about it, these were mint-condition films. I realize what an
incredible gift I had. It was a magic moment. There had been the art
houses in the '50s in the urban centers and suddenly my generation had
film on the college campuses in the '60s. We were seeing films - Fellini,
Antonioni - that were five years old. We saw prints in mint condition. No
one anywhere has that now. The quality of the prints has degenerated, and
the films are being shown as videos. The way you develop the eye is to see
great photography, the great high-contrast black-and-white in those films.
Here's my proposal. A proper job for funding of the arts is to underwrite
a national consortium of archives of all the classic films. They are too
expensive to maintain at individual colleges and universities. What I
envision is, when you go to any college of four years, by your fourth
year, by rotation, a superb print of every classic film will have been
shown. We happen to have a very bad print of "Persona" at my school. I
have to tell the class, "Remember that scene where Bibi Andersson is
standing, wearing a black dress against a white wall? I have to describe
to you what Sven Nykvist photography really looked like there. It's a
blazing white, very rock textured stucco, deep textured. The glossy sun
glints in her blond hair..."
This is ridiculous. Classic films are major works of art, and this is
where the funding should go.
BRAND: Film had that depth and that quality. Would you also have a
television course offered?
PAGLIA: Well, a course in mass media to introduce the student to a history
of the technologies, the way network news is put together, how different
our advertisements are from those in Europe, and so on.
BRAND: What about content? You watch soap operas, right? Which ones?
PAGLIA: "The Young and the Restless" is my favorite. For 17 years I've
been watching that. "As the World Turns" is my second favorite. I have the
TV on with the sound off most of the day. Not early in the morning because
at that point I'm still dreaming. I'm waking up and I want to remember my
dreams, so I don't want too many images at that point. By mid-morning it
is on, on for the rest of the day until 1. I've been poor up to now, and
my dream is to have someday a bank of TVs, where all the different
channels could be on and I could be monitoring them. I would love that.
The more the better. I love the tabloid stuff. The trashier the program
is, the more I feel it's TV.
BRAND: Why?
PAGLIA: Because that's TV's mode. That's the Age of Hollywood. The idea of
PBS - heavy-duty "Masterpiece Theater," Bill Moyers - I hate all that.
BRAND: How about the ads?
PAGLIA: I love ads. There's a section on ads in Volume 2 of Sexual
Personae. Like Andy Warhol, I have been in love with ads since my earliest
childhood. That is the way I think. One of the reasons that I probably got
this famous is because I think and talk in ad terms, in sound-bite terms.
People say, "She promotes herself." When I was young, I thought in
newspaper headline terms: "Paglia Falls Off Chair." I feel totally a part
of mass media. Everyone knows ads are the best part of television, but the
way the ads work - it's also the way MTV videos work - it's just flash
flash flash images, symbol symbol symbol. You know, the way that ads are
structured is not unlike the way the Catholic Church was plastered with
ads, essentially, for saint this, saint that. To me there was an absolute
continuity between the Catholic Church and ads.
See, this is where I drew up my theory that popular culture is the
eruption of the varied pagan elements in Western culture - that
Judeo-Christianity never did defeat paganism as history books claim, but
rather it was driven underground. We've had three major eruptions of
paganism. One at the Renaissance, and most people would accept that.
Another was Romanticism, when the chthonic or daemonic element came up
with all those vampires and the nature cult. And now the third great
eruption is the 20th century Age of Hollywood. Gore Vidal agrees.
Hollywood is the great thing that America has done and given to the world.
BRAND: What happens to those eruptions after a while? Do they eventually
self-defeat?
PAGLIA: Well, no, because each one of the eruptions became part of the
fabric of the future. The eruption of paganism at the Renaissance led
eventually to the recovery of science, and science has been the greatest
challenge to Judeo-Christianity. Many want to get rid of the church and
say it is the biggest source of evil. I hate that talk. A proper society
will strengthen all its institutions. I want to strengthen the church and
to strengthen the sex industry. I think they play off each other. Both
should fight with each other and be strengthened. There will always be a
craving for religion, and if we don't get it from Catholicism, which is a
very profound system, you're going to get it from feminist ideology.
BRAND: Are you glad of the Latin Mass coming back?
PAGLIA: Where is it coming back?
BRAND: A few Catholic churches apparently are bringing back the Latin
Mass, and the hierarchy stopped forbidding it. People like it; they like
the mysticism.
PAGLIA: I thought that was a tremendous loss when the church dispensed
with all that ceremony and imagery and beauty...
BRAND: ...Priests turning their backs on the congregation...
PAGLIA: ...Turning their backs. The hierarchy of it, the hieraticism of
it, that sense of the holy, the mystical, the awesome. What they've got
now is more authentically like early Christianity. You have a bunch of
peasants sitting together and holding hands. But what I love is what
Martin Luther saw was bad, which was the whole pagan element of the
Italian Catholic Church, the heir of the Roman Empire.
BRAND: You say pop culture is the third wave of pagan and chthonic stuff.
You say chthonic stuff is dangerous, and you ride on its danger. Is pop
culture dangerous?
PAGLIA: Well, if the culture becomes only that, I think it is, because
it's filled with hallucinations. Of course that's what I love about it.
It's surreal. But there are practical realities in everyday life that have
to be solved - the procedures of corporate life, of academic life, all of
the boring things that have to be done in a systematic manner, and we have
be taught those systems. The Apollonian systems also are a heritage of the
Greco-Roman period. The Apollonian part of the brain is absolutely
necessary for us to exist as rational citizens. The problem with the New
Age stuff is it's like all up here, you know (gesturing vaguely aloft). As
for the channelers, my acting students could do better accents. Credulity
is a product of lack of rigorous education.
Here's what I'm saying in my work. You need to pay homage to both Apollo
and Dionysus. Both are great gods. Both must be honored. We need a balance
between the two. That's all.
* * *
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DIGITAL CASH MINI-FAQ FOR THE LAYMAN
By Jim Miller (Jim-Miller@suite.com)
[If you're on the cypherpunks mailing list, you've already seen this.]
Here's a description of digital cash that I recently wrote up. I've
intentionally generalized and oversimplified the descriptions to keep from
getting bogged down in the details, but I feel the information is
accurate.
Q: How is digital cash possible?
A: Public-key cryptography and digital signatures (both blind and
non-blind signatures) make digital cash possible. It would take too long
to go into detail how public-key cryptography and digital signatures work.
But the basic gist is that banks and customers would have public-key
encryption keys. Public-key encryption keys come in pairs. A private key
known only to the owner, and a public key, made available to everyone.
Whatever the private key encrypts, the public key can decrypt, and vice
verse. Banks and customers use their keys to encrypt (for security) and
sign (for identification) blocks of digital data that represent money
orders. A bank "signs" money orders using its private key and customers
and merchants verify the signed money orders using the bank's widely
published public key. Customers sign deposits and withdraws using their
private key and the bank uses the customer's public key to verify the
signed withdraws and deposits.
Q: Are there different kinds of digital cash?
A: Yes. In general, there are two distinct types of digital cash:
identified digital cash and anonymous digital cash. Identified digital
cash contains information revealing the identity of the person who
originally withdrew the money from the bank. Also, in much the same
manner as credit cards, identified digital cash enables the bank to track
the money as it moves through the economy. Anonymous digital cash works
just like real paper cash. Once anonymous digital cash is withdrawn from
an account, it can be spent or given away without leaving a transaction
trail. You create anonymous digital cash by using numbered bank accounts
and blind signatures rather than fully identified accounts and non-blind
signatures.
[To better understand blind signatures and their use with digital cash, I
highly recommend skimming through chapters 1 - 6 of Bruce Schneier's book
_Applied Cryptography_ (available at your favorite technical book store).
Bruce does a very good job of describing the wide variety of interesting
things you can do when you combine computers, networks, and cryptography.
The first half-dozen chapters are quite readable, even to the layman. He
doesn't get into the heavy-duty math until later in the book.]
There are two varieties of each type of digital cash: online digital cash
and offline digital cash. Online means you need to interact with a bank
(via modem or network) to conduct a transaction with a third party.
Offline means you can conduct a transaction without having to directly
involve a bank. Offline anonymous digital cash is the most complex form
of digital cash because of the double-spending problem.
Q: What is the double-spending problem?
A: Since digital cash is just a bunch of bits, a piece of digital cash is
very easy to duplicate. Since the copy is indistinguishable from the
original you might think that counterfeiting would be impossible to
detect. A trivial digital cash system would allow me to copy of a piece
of digital cash and spend both copies. I could become a millionaire in a
matter of a few minutes. Obviously, real digital cash systems must be
able to prevent or detect double spending.
Online digital cash systems prevent double spending by requiring merchants
to contact the bank's computer with every sale. The bank computer
maintains a database of all the spent pieces of digital cash and can
easily indicate to the merchant if a given piece of digital cash is still
spendable. If the bank computer says the digital cash has already been
spent, the merchant refuses the sale. This is very similar to the way
merchants currently verify credit cards at the point of sale.
Offline digital cash systems detect double spending in a couple of
different ways. One way is to create a special smart card containing a
tamper-proof chip called an "Observer" (in some systems). The Observer
chip keeps a mini database of all the pieces of digital cash spent by that
smart card. If the owner of the smart card attempts to copy some digital
cash and spend it twice, the imbedded Observer chip would detect the
attempt and would not allow the transaction. Since the Observer chip is
tamper-proof, the owner cannot erase the mini-database without permanently
damaging the smart card.
The other way offline digital cash systems handle double spending is to
structure the digital cash and cryptographic protocols so the identity of
the double spender is known by the time the piece of digital cash makes it
way back to the bank. If users of the offline digital cash know they will
get caught, the incidents of double spending will be minimized (in
theory). The advantage of these kinds of offline systems is that they
don't require special tamper-proof chips. The entire system can be
written in software and can run on ordinary PCs or cheap smart cards.
It is easy to construct this kind of offline system for identified digital
cash. Identified offline digital cash systems can accumulate the complete
path the digital cash made through the economy. The identified digital
cash "grows" each time it is spent. The particulars of each transaction
are appended to the piece of digital cash and travel with it as it moves
from person to person, merchant to vender. When the cash is finally
deposited, the bank checks its database to see if the piece of digital
cash was double spent. If the digital cash was copied and spent more than
once, it will eventually appear twice in the "spent" database. The bank
uses the transaction trails to identify the double spender.
Offline anonymous digital cash (sans Observer chip) also grows with each
transaction, but the information that is accumulated is of a different
nature. The result is the same however. When the anonymous digital cash
reaches the bank, the bank will be able to examine it's database and
determine if the digital cash was double spent. The information
accumulated along the way will identify the double spender.
The big difference between offline anonymous digital cash and offline
identified digital cash is that the information accumulated with anonymous
digital cash will only reveal the identity of the spender if the cash is
double spent. If the anonymous digital cash is not double spent, the bank
can not determine the identity of the original spender nor can it
reconstruct the path the cash took through the economy.
With identified digital cash, both offline or online, the bank can always
reconstruct the path the cash took through the economy. The bank will
know what everyone bought, where they bought it, when they bought it, and
how much they paid. And what the bank knows, the IRS knows.
By the way, did you declare that $20 bill your Grandmother gave you for
your birthday? You didn't? Well, you wont have to worry about forgetting
those sorts of things when everybody is using fully identified digital
cash. As a matter of fact, you wont even have to worry about filing a tax
return. The IRS will just send you a bill.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
PATENT SEARCHING EMAIL SERVER is now open for business
By Gregory Aharonian (srctran@world.std.com)
APS PATENT SEARCHING ARRIVES ON THE INTERNET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(well only in a real limited way for the time being :-)
A few weeks ago, I announced plans to provide limited patent searching
over the Internet, where you can get a list of patents by specifying the
class/subclass.
I have decided to do this in two stages. To test out the email-server
software I am writing, I first plan to allow email requests to retreive parts
of the PTO classification manuals (see below). Once things are running
smoothly, I will then add the capability to retrieve patent titles by
class/subclass.
So feel free to start sending in requests to the address listed below:
search@world.std.com
wish me luck, and start thinking philanthropic. By the way, if someone has a
machine readable version of the WIPO international classification system,
please send it to me so I can add it to the server. At some point when I
have lots of equipment, I will sort US patents by their international
classification.
Greg Aharonian
Internet Patent News Service
====================
Internet Patent News Service
September 1994
PATENT TITLES EMAIL SERVER
search@world.std.com
The Internet Patent News Service is pleased to announced the availability
of the Patent Titles email server, where people can retrieve lists of patent
titles dating back to 1970 for any USPTO class/subclass, and patent numbers
for additional patents dating back to the 1800's. The Patent Titles email
server is the first step in our efforts to make the entire USPTO APS patent
text database system accessible over the Internet.
Approximately one gigabyte of data has been prepared and attached to the
Internet. As all of the equipment and network access is borrowed, I am
limiting access to an email server until I get a better feel for demand for
the data, and until I can raise funding to set up a proper Internet server.
Unless the bandwidth and processing load overwhelms the equipment I am
borrowing, the service will be free.
To use the email server, send requests to the Internet address:
search@world.std.com
using any of the following commands sent as text in the body of the email
message:
SENDTO account-name@internet.site.adr
This command is mandatory of all requests and is where you specify the email
address you want the information sent to. Occasionally From: lines in email
addresses do not provide a correct return address (at least in my experience
doing the Internet Patent News Service).
SEND INTRO
SEND HELP
Either of these commands will return this message.
SEND UCLASSES
This command will return an index to the approximately 400 patent classes
that are currently being used, for example:
Class: 69 Leather Manufacturers
SEND UCLASS XXX
This command will return that section of the USPTO's Manual of Classification
covering patent class XXX. For example, the command "SEND CLASS 69" would
return a list of all of the subclasses in Class 69 by number and title.
These files range in size from 5K to 120K. What follows is a section
of Class 69:
Subclass Subclass
Number Title
1 MACHINES
1.5 .Belt-stretching
3 .Horse collar shaping
4 .Horse collar stuffing
SEND UCLASS COMPUTING
This command will return those sections of the USPTO's Manual of
Classification covering patent classes 395 and 364, the two main classes
dealing with hardware and software.
SEND IPNSINFO
This command will return an introductory message to my Internet Patent News
Service.
SEND CONSULT
This command will return an introductory message to my patent searching
consulting services I offer.
SAVE COMMENT
This command lets me know your request is actually a comment about the email
server operation, or any inaccuracies you detect in the patent information
being sent out.
As I am parasiting the equipment to run the server (which basically means
that I operate the server at nite and on weekends), please send your requests
in at the end of the workday or on weekends. Within a day or so, you will
receive back ny email whatever you requested.
SECURITY
A very important concern for anyone using this email server is secrecy,
that what they are searching for is not revealed to others. As a potential
inventor, I appreciate this as much as anyone else. While I plan to save the
email addresses of people who use the server (but not their search request),
no other information will be retained. The email address information will be
saved to study who, and how often, people are using the server. I would
appreciate any suggestions on how to ensure security beyond this.
Please excuse any mishaps that occur as I get this service off the ground.
This email server is a classic hack that will get better in time as people
use it. In turn, the experience gathered in running the server will be
invaluable in demonstrating the feasibility of making massive amounts of
patent data available over the Internet.
Also, get ready for that voluntary registration fee I mention in my intro
piece to the Internet Patent News Service. If the Patent Titles email server
is successful, and you all like it, this fall I plan to coordinate an effort
to put all of the patent abstract information since 1970 onto the Internet,
making it available through email servers, Gopher, WAIS and Mosaic. But first
things first, getting the Patent Titles email server working.
Greg Aharonian
Internet Patent News Service
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Five "Hackers" Indicted for Credit Card/Computer Fraud
From CuD Moderators <cudigest@mindvox.phantom.com>
Computer Underground Digest
(AP WIRE - Thurs, Sept. 8, 1994)
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- "Dr. Demonicus," "Renegade" and four other
hackers used computers to steal credit card numbers and used them to
buy $210,000 in gold coins and high-tech hardware, federal prosecutors
said Wednesday (Sept 8, '94).
The nine-count indictment unsealed Wednesday charged five men from
Louisana and one from New York with conspiracy, computer fraud, access
device fraud and wire fraud, U.S. Attorney Eddie Jordan Jr. said.
Some fo their hacker nicknames were included. They were identified as
Dwayne "Dr. Demonicus" Comeger, 22; Brian Ursin, 21; John Christopher
"Renegade" Montegut, 24; Timothy "Revelation" Thompson, 21; James
McGee, 25; and Raymone "Wiseguy" Savage, 25, of Richmond Hills, N.Y.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
CLIPPER T-SHIRTS
By Norman Harman (normh@crl.com)
Information and opposition to the Clipper proposal is strong on the
Internet. But it is far too unknown to the 'outside' community. Everyone
concerned by this issue should inform all the people they know of its
implications. One way to increase awareness and show your opinion is to
wear it:).
I would like to offer an anti Clipper/Skipjack T-shirt. They would be white
with black printing and cost approximately $5.00 plus $2.90 shipping to US
locations. That is the cost to produce one shirt. I am trying to spread
awareness not make money.
I need to know if people are interested in this idea and what should the
shirts say?
Two quick ideas are:
"Skip Skipjack"
or
"Just Say No to Clipper"
Please send comments, suggestions, and questions to normh@crl.com. If more
than a few people are interested I will go ahead and have the shirts made
and post how to get one.
A worthy cause is better if it benefits another good cause so the shirts
will be silk-screened by Zerolith, part of a non-profit organization that
employs, shelters, and assists homeless youth. If you would like to talk
with Zerolith or donate money directly here is how to contact them.
Zerolith
3075 21st Street
San Francisco, CA 94110-2626
415.641.1014 voice
415.641.1474 fax
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
CYBERNEWS DEBUTS
By Patrick Grote (patrick.grote@supportu.com)
*** PRESS RELEASE ***
CyberNews
11221 Manchester Rd., Suite 313, St. Louis, MO 63122
Contact: Patrick Grote, patrick.grote@supportu.com
Phone: (314) 984-9691
FAX: (314) 984-9981
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CyberNews, A Monthly Publication, Debuts With A Stunning
Success for Readers/Advertisers
St. Louis, MO, September 8 _ CyberNews, a new monthly electronic
publication, debuted today featuring over 25 hard hitting, real world
software reviews, a tell all interview with shareware king Scott Miller
of Apogee Software, the people that brought the world Castle Wolfenstein
and a feature by the leaders in the Work at Home field, Paul and Sarah
Edwards.
CyberNews is unique in electronic publications, commonly referred to
as zines, due to the fact they are advertiser supported and 85% of the
information is generated from everyday people. "Too many reviews today
are done to please the advertiser. Heck, most of the traditional press
basically reprint press releases. People need to know what
software/hardware works and what problems may crop up. Unbiased reviews
are what we strive for," detailed Patrick Grote, Publisher, Marketing.
Available in three formats, CyberNews is readable by anyone. A
Windows Help file format supports a color graphical excursion that
anyone with Windows, Windows for Workgroups or WindowsNT can view. "We
wanted to bring the electronic publication into a new era of color and
production," notes Roger Klein, Publisher, Production.
The ASCII version features the ability to be enjoyed by anyone with
a PC, dumb terminal or device that has the ability to read standard
ASCII text. According to Patrick Grote, Publisher, Marketing, "the goal
was to make CyberNews as Internet friendly as possible. Since we use
straight ASCII everyone who can access the Internet can read our
publication."
The ReadRoom format allows Sysops to add CyberNews to their BBS
quickly without having to run a conversion program. "Sysops are the
backbone of the information superhighway. They are engineer, designer,
construction worker and user wrapped into one. We realized we can't
ignore their needs," explained Publisher, Marketing, Patrick Grote.
To grab latest issue of CyberNews, you can check these sources:
Internet: wuarchive.wustl.edu:/pub/MSDOS_UPLOADS/zines
polecat.law.indiana.edu:/pub/Incoming
ftp.fonorola.net:/in.coming
CompuServe: Work at Home (GO WORK in GENERAL LIBRARY), IBM APP
(GO IBMAPP in ELECTRONIC PUBLICATIONS LIBRARY),
Novell User (GO NOVUSER in NEW UPLOADS LIBRARY),
International Trade Forum (GO TRADE in Section 1).
FidoNet: You can freq the files 1:100/380:
CYBER - All three versions
CYBERR - The ReadRoom version.
CYBERA - The ASCII version.
CYBERW - The Windows version.
Delphi: PCSIG
America Online: Computing and Software
Email: Send requests or questions to subscribe@supportu.com
PG - Publisher, CyberNews, patrick.grote@supportu.com
A Publication on the Leading Edge - 09/13/94
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
PC MAGAZINE DECARES THE PIPELINE BEST INTERNET SERVICE
By James Gleick (gleick@pipeline.com)
We at the Pipeline are very pleased to announce that the editors of PC
Magazine, comparing all the major Internet service providers from America
Online and Delphi down to the Pipeline, have declared that our young
service is the best choice.
We have a lot of room for improvement, we know, but coming in our first
year, this is gratifying.
"A true beauty queen," Robin Raskin, PC Magazine's editor, writes in the
October 11 issue. "The Pipeline is an elegantly conceived program; we've
seldom seen a Version 1.x program that's as well thought out. Watch as the
Pipeline continues to grow; the Internet will be a better place because of
this package."
We hope so. Anyway, we'd like to take the opportunity to offer Internet
users (or would-be Internet users) a free copy of our software, to try
out in demo mode. It's available for Windows or Macintosh. Send your
address to windisk@pipeline.com or macdisk@pipeline.com. For general
information, you may send email to info@pipeline.com.
James Gleick
The Pipeline
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
SCOUT REPORT SUBSCRIPTIONS EXCEED 10,000 MARK
From InterNIC Info Scout (scout@is.internic.net)
To all InterNauts:
Subscriptions for the Scout Report have exceeded 10,000!
And 10,000 InterNauts can't be wrong!
To celebrate this milestone, this week's Scout Report will be a double
issue and include many resources you may have missed during the recent
end-of-summer weeks. It's now Fall, so clean out those electronic
closets and make room for some new 'Net resources ready for exploration!
The September 16 issue will also include an expanded NetBytes section to
accommodate a large number of recently released sources of information
about using the Internet.
If you haven't yet subscribed or told your friends and colleagues, now is
the time. Spread the news by word-of-net. Below are instructions for
subscribing or receiving a copy of this week's issue by email, gopher, and
WWW.
The Scout Report is a weekly publication provided by InterNIC Information
Services to assist InterNauts in their ongoing quest to know what's new
on and about the Internet. It focuses on those resources thought to be of
interest to the InterNIC's primary audience, researchers and educators,
however everyone is welcome to subscribe and there are no associated
fees.
The Scout Report is posted on the InterNIC InfoGuide's gopher and
WorldWideWeb servers where you can easily follow links to the resources
which interest you. Past issues are stored on the InfoGuide for quick
reference, and you can search the InfoGuide contents to find the specific
references you need. The Scout Report is also distributed in an HTML
version for use on your own host, providing fast local access for yourself
and other users at your site.
Join thousands of your colleagues already using the Scout Report as a
painless tool for tracking what's new on the 'Net!
Best regards,
InterNIC Info Scout
Scout Report Contents
Subject-oriented online resources are organized by access method:
* WWW
* Gopher
* Email/FTP
Resources and announcements related to the network are included in:
* National Information Infrastructure
* NetBytes
Recreational resources for perusing after hours (of course) are listed
here:
* Weekend Scouting
*** New section coming the week of September 23 -- a place for selected
interesting services on the 'Net which are fee based, provided by
commercial organizations, or best of all, offer virtual shopping:
Commercial Services
Scout Report Access Methods
------------------------------
** To receive the special double-issue of the Scout Report by email
(gopher and WWW access methods are listed below) send mail after
September 16 to:
mailserv@is.internic.net
and in the body of the message type:
send /scout-report/9-16-94
** To receive the email version of the Scout Report automatically each
weekend, subscribe to the scout-report mailing list which is used
exclusively for one Scout Report message each week:
send mail to:
majordomo@is.internic.net
in the body of the message, type:
subscribe scout-report
to unsubscribe to the list, repeat this procedure substituting the word
"unsubscribe" for subscribe.
** To receive the Scout Report in HTML format for local posting,
subscribe to the scout-report-html mailing list, used exclusively to
distribute the Scout Report in HTML format once a week. Send mail to:
majordomo@is.internic.net
in the body of the message, type:
subscribe scout-report-html
** To access the hypertext version of the Report, point your WWW client
to:
http://www.internic.net/infoguide.html
>> Gopher users can tunnel to:
is.internic.net
select: Information Services/Scout Report.
*----------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 1994 General Atomics.
The InterNIC provides information about the Internet and the resources on
the Internet to the US research and education community under the
National Science Foundation Cooperative Agreement No. NCR-9218749. The
Government has certain rights in this material.
Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in
this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily
reflect the views of the National Science Foundation, General Atomics,
AT&T, or Network Solutions, Inc.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
IMPORTANT PROCLAMATION: THE FUTURE OF THE NET IS AT HAND!
By James "Kibo" Parry (kibo@world.std.com)
P R O C L A M A T I O N & M A N I F E S T O
***********************************************
WHEREAS, the computer network named USENET has insurmountable flaws:
=> It is cluttered with thousands of disorganized groups.
=> It is difficult to use due to the various software interfaces.
=> It is infected with viruses, especially in the .signatures.
=> There is no formal rulebook and no official administration.
=> Bozos abound.
=> Power-crazed maniacs frequently try to manipulate Usenet at their whim.
These problems are most important. THEREFORE, in an official and secret
democratic vote, Kibo has been duly elected LEADER OF THE NET. To correct
this heinous situation, LEADER KIBO has decided to take bold measures,
a brave new initiative, detailed herein.
WAKE UP, IT'S 1994! THE FUTURE WILL NOT WAIT FOR A VOTE!
Here is what Leader Kibo has decided--what MUST be done--what WILL be done:
PHASE ONE. GLOBAL RMGROUPS FOR ALL USENET GROUPS WILL BE
ISSUED ON 4/15/94, 06:00 GMT.
A Day Without Usenet shall pass, and it will be a time of rest for
government employees. Many will discover life, or at least television.
Desperate soc.singles readers will have nervous breakdowns. ClariNet
will go bankrupt. UUNET's modems will cool off. The world
will rotate a full three hundred sixty degrees just the same.
Every Usenet group, and all its associated problems, will have been
wiped off the face of the Earth forever by the might of the rmgroup.
Of course, to prevent any power-crazed maniacs from putting the
groups back, the newsgroup `control' will be rmgrouped FIRST. Thus,
the situation will be permanent. Nobody will undo the Pax Kibotica!
PHASE TWO. NEWGROUPS FOR THE GROUPS IN THE NEW HIERARCHY WILL
BE ISSUED ON 4/16/43, 06:00 GMT.
The new network shall be named HAPPYNET, as it will be a Better Place.
Usenet is dead. Long live HappyNet!
********* HAPPYNET: THE NET THAT'S HAPPIER THAN YOU! *********
UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE ALL-WISE LEADER KIBO,
THE NEW NETWORK SHALL BE ORGANIZED THUSLY:
Three hierarchies encompassing ALL HUMAN DISCOURSE:
=> nonbozo.*
=> bozo.*
=> megabozo.*
All topics discussed on Usenet, and even deeper topics which COULD
be discussed on Usenet but AREN'T, will fit nicely in those three--
NO EXCEPTIONS. Extensive time and motion studies have been
performed in the name of efficiency to maximize your pleasure!
Existing groups will be moved into the new organization
scheme, resulting in nonbozo.news.announce.newusers, bozo.rec.pets,
megabozo.talk.bizarre, nonbozo.comp.virus, bozo.alt.sex,
megabozo.alt.fan.lemurs, bozo.postmodern, megabozo.org.mensa,
nonbozo.clari.news.urgent, megabozo.megabozo.megabozo.religion.kibology,
etc., as determined by scientific measurements of the bozosity of the
groups, measured by Leader Kibo's Council On Scientific Bozosity and the
faculty of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY), world leaders in
bozosity assessment. These truly scientific procedures were developed
and pre-tested by Drs. Todd M. McComb and Tim Gallagher and are patented
to prove that they are good!
It is estimated that the statistical breakdown of HappyNet will be thus:
1.0000% nonbozo.*
90.0000% bozo.*
9.0000% megabozo.* (Computations courtesy of Bell Labs)
Bozo.* will, of course, be subdivided logically: bozo.nerd.*, bozo.tv.*,
bozo.inane.*, bozo.boring.*, bozo.sex.*, bozo.argue.*.
New groups will also be added for MAXIMUM ENJOYMENT. The network would
be a very unfair place if only Leader Kibo were allowed to propose new
groups. Instead, because Leader Kibo is benevolent and omnisagaciously
father-like, he will create WHATEVER GROUP YOU WANT (even, say,
megabozo.kibo.is.a.blenny!) provided that (a) you follow the Official
Procedure, filing all five copies of your request in triplicate and then
making seven carbons of each, and (b) you pay Leader Kibo $160 for each
letter in the new group's name, and $720 for each period. UNLIKE SOMEARCHAIC SYSTEMS, VOWELS DO NOT COST EXTRA. PAT SAJAK IS EVIL!
Of course, thanks to Leader Kibo's awesome foresight, new groups will
probably not be needed. A simple computer program will generate all
groupnames from *.aaaaa.aaaaa.aaaaa.aaaaa to *.zzzzz.zzzzz.zzzzz.zzzzz.
This will encompass ALL possibilities in a COMPLETELY LOGICAL FASHION,
maximally efficient yet FUN! Prudence and foresight by LEADER KIBO!
There will even be a .d group for every regular group. In fact,
the .d groups will even have their own .d.d groups for metadiscussion
of whether or not the new .d.d.d and .d.d.d.d groups are needed at all!
The wealth of new groups will also cut down on those annoying egomaniacal
posters who try to post the same article to EVERY group, because it will
become physically impossible to post to ALL groups within a MORTAL LIFETIME!
But wait, there's more--over six billion groups MORE will be added at
HappyNet's inception--free of charge!
********* HAPPYNET: EVERYONE IS EQUALLY EQUAL! *********
To promote EQUALITY and POLITICAL CORRECTNESS (the good kind), Leader
Kibo has decided to correct the inequality of the distribution of
"personal" groups. Some people, or groups of people, currently are
popular enough to have groups named in their honor: alt.weemba,
alt.fan.john-palmer, alt.fan.monty-python, alt.fan.dave-barry,
alt.fan.mike-jittlov, alt.fan.naked-guy, alt.religion.kibology,
alt.fan.alok-vijayvargia, alt.fan.harry-mandel. Because everyone is
equal before the eyes of wise Leader Kibo, it was decided that EVERYONE
WILL HAVE THEIR OWN GROUP on HappyNet. This will celebrate the
global diversity of our users, demonstrating for once and for all
that they are all unique, but unique in exactly the same way!
A scientific questionnaire developed specifically for the purpose will be
mailed to everyone on the planet. It will read:
Dear Citizen Of The New Network,
You are being given your own HappyNet group. Its placement
will depend on your answer to this simple question.
ARE YOU A BOZO? (CHECK EXACTLY ONE) [] YES [] NO
I care,
Leader Kibo
People who answer "yes" will be given groups in bozo.personal.*, and
people who answer "no" will be given groups in megabozo.personal.*.
People who refuse to answer, or show contempt for the process, will be
taken (by the Network Security Patrol Force) to the Citadel Of Judgment
to appear before the Council Of Bozosity, who will examine the person and
assign them either bozo.weenie.* or megabozo.weenie.*.
Of course, this would be POINTLESS if anyone in the world were DENIED
ACCESS to HappyNet.
********* HAPPYNET: A NET IN EVERY POT! *********
Net access will be provided to EVERY SINGLE PERSON, LIVING, UNBORN, OR
DEAD, thanks to the new TELESCREENS which will be installed in every room
of every building on the planet. Not only will this encourage higher net
communications volume, it will also help Leader Kibo be a good leader, as
it will allow Leader Kibo to instantly broadcast to all his subjects, and
to see how they are feeling and what they are doing.
But simple TELESCREENS in LIVING ROOMS, BEDROOMS, and BATHROOMS are
not enough to ensure FREEDOM and EQUALITY. Neural transceivers will
be implanted, FREE, at BIRTH in all newborns, allowing them to "jack in"
to HappyNet, transmitting articles, sounds, and even GIF files at
the speed of thought! They won't even have to worry about spelling--
they'll just THINK and their EVERY THOUGHT will be broadcast into
EVERYONE ELSE'S HEADS!
And because Leader Kibo CARES and values YOUR opinion, this will even
allow Leader Kibo to know what his subjects are THINKING, thanks to the
heroic actions of the NETWORK SECURITY PATROL FORCE.
********* HAPPYNET: WE KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING *********
The Network Security Patrol Force, or NSPF, will be composed of volunteer
system administrators who wish to enforce the continued accuracy,
relevance, and acceptability of HappyNet postings. They will monitor,
censor, and cancel bad postings, made by EVIL SUBVERSIVES who attempt to
DEPRIVE you of your HAPPINESS. These SUPPRESSIVE PERSONS will be
hunted down and suppressed!
NSPF officers have really spiffy uniforms, especially the shiny gas masks,
well-balanced batons, six-inch-thick shoulder pads and twelve-inch cleats.
And, of course, they will punish evildoers, night or day. HappyNet
never sleeps.
******* HAPPYNET: SLEEP TIGHT WITH ALL THE SECURITY IN THE WORLD! *********
But what of those EVIL organizations that simply want to SPY on you? Well,
the NSPF won't have to even TRY to prevent that, because the LOGICAL PLAN
of HAPPYNET will defeat that automatically! If some three-letter government
agency wants to SCAN all articles for WORDS LIKE "NUCLEAR BOMB" or
"WHITEWATER", it will be IMPOSSIBLE because not even the fastest
computer in the WORLD--the CRAY-9000--could search ALL THOSE GROUPS, EVER!!!
********* HAPPYNET: ACCURACY IS EVERYTHING ON HAPPYNET! *********
Here are examples of infractions against the unwritten rules of HappyNet,
and the punishments the NSPF will bring against the villains.
.signature longer than four lines: Forced to read "War And Peace" at 110
baud.
.signature has giant ASCII graphic: Forced to read "War And Peace" at 110
baud on a Braille terminal after having fingers rubbed with sandpaper.
Posting an article consisting solely of "Me too!": Poster's legal name is
officially changed to "Me Too".
Calling a newsgroup a "bboard" or "notesfile": Forced to memorize
Webster's Ninth.
Spelling "too" as "to", "it's" as "its", "lose" as "loose", "you're"
as "your", or any of the following--"wierd", "Anti-Semetic", "senerio",
or "masterbation": Forced to write out Webster's Ninth ten times.
Asking what ":-)" means: Drawing, quartering, and turning sideways.
Using "<g>" instead of ":-)": being sent back to GEnie, AOL, Delphi, etc.
Sending a newgroup message without permission of Leader Kibo: Poster is
forced to adopt twelve wacky sitcom children.
Posting flames outside of a *.flame group: Poster is allowed to read only
groups about fluffy puppies.
Posting "Please send e-mail, since I don't read this group": Poster is
rendered illiterate by a simple trepanation.
*Plonk*ing outside talk.bizarre: Poster is *plonked*--LITERALLY.
Asking for people to send cards to Craig Shergold: Poster must answer
all of Craig's mail.
Posting the "Dave Rhodes: MAKE MONEY FAST" scam: Poster must answer all
of Craig's and Dave's mail while also memorizing the script to every
episode of "Knight Rider" and doing voice exercises like saying
"NANCY, HAND THE MAN THE DANDY CANDY" ten million times and also
being forced to eat cottage cheese we found piled up on the sidewalk.
Posting to aus.* from the USA: Poster is deported to Australia after having
a "Kick Me, Mate" sign glued to their forehead.
Posting an article with a malformed address so that mail bounces when
people reply: Poster and/or their admin are sent back to kindergarten.
.signature huge script letters: Poster is forced to tattoo HappyNet
slogans on their body in huge script letters.
Excess CAPITALIZATION & PUNCTUATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!: Poster is issued a new
keyboard without capitals or punctuation. The space bar will be clearly
labelled.
*Excess*asterisks*in*.signature*: Poster is hit with one shuriken for
each asterisk.
Articles quoted in followup, but no new semantic content appended: Poster
is forced to watch a "Small Wonder" marathon on cable TV.
Advertising on the net: Poster is forced to pay Leader Kibo for the
advertising time.
Asking help for some program but not saying what sort of computer you're
using: Poster's computer is reduced to 1K RAM.
Arguing over whose computer is better: Being introduced to Leader Kibo,
whose custom Turbissimo MoNDO Zeugma 6866688786/XA/sxe/IV computer is far
better than theirs and will make them cry in humiliation.
Giving away the secret of "The Crying Game": No punishment.
Making fools of people in rec.org.mensa with pranks: No punishment
necessary for something that simple. After all, some people could
even do it by accident.
Referring to the NSPF as "The Thought Police": Execution.
Humor impairment: Execution.
Saying "Imminent death of the net predicted!": Imminent execution of
poster predicted.
Mentioning Star Trek outside of the Star Trek groups: "Star Trek:
Deep Space Nine" is cancelled, and all tapes of the original series are
burned. William Shatner will direct all future movies.
There are other helpful rules and regulations, but they are double secret.
Of course, various branches of the NSPF will specialize in various
enforcements: the Spelling Squad, the Grammar Goons, the Definition
Draconians, the Typo Tyrants, the Capitalization Captains, the Pedantic
Patriots, the Cross-Post Crushers, the Cascade Commandos, and
the .signature .specialforce. There will even be a special detail to
track down, and burn, copies of the Green
Golfball Joke.
********* HAPPYNET: MODERATION IN ALL THINGS! *********
The concept of moderated groups will be retained for a few groups,
with minor changes.
Alt.flame (renamed megabozo.alt.flame) will be moderated by Dave Lawrence,
as his news.announce.newgroups duties have been assumed by Leader Kibo.
Dick Depew will be assigned the task of making up an imaginative
Message-ID for every article in the world. (He will also unleash random
daemons onto the net to destroy the unpleasant signal to noise ratio
completely.)
A program that determines how funny an article is by measuring the
frequency of the "k" sound (an elementary comedic principle discovered in
Kukamonga, Arkansas) will replace rec.humor.funny moderator Maddi Hausmann,
allowing her to devote full time to assisting Brad Templeton's
nonbozo.clarinet.* duties.
Serdar Argic will be the official underliner of HappyNet. Every time
the word "turkey" is mentioned, he will post a followup underlining and
circling it. This will be a tremendous help to people looking for
low-fat recipes.
Jay O'Connell has volunteered to personally deliver an envelope labelled
THESE ARE ALL THE TOPLESS PICTURES OF MARINA SIRTIS THERE ARE to all
users to prevent them from asking for them over and over. This should
reduce the bandwidth by an estimated 90%.
Iain Sinclair will ensure that the link between Australia and the rest of
the world is down on a regular schedule, instead of an irregular one.
He has also been commissioned to design the NSPF uniforms, with the
blessings of the Florida Citrus Council and the California Leather Council.
And, of course, a world-class anonymous-posting server will be
established. Not only will it remove your name from your postings (so
that you don't have to worry about defending your opinions) but it will
also eliminate the opinions themselves. Thus, don't be surprised to see
a lot of anonymous postings in bozo.alt.sex.stories saying simply
"I have no opinion on homosexuality." HappyNet will help us all to get
along, even the people with no names.
But what about those disclaimers that state that your opinion is not
that of IBM, McDonalds, MIT, Scientology, etc.?
Disclaimers are NOT required on articles, therefore you MUST include
the following:
DISCLAIMER: THIS DISCLAIMER IS NOT REQUIRED BY LEADER KIBO.
THIS ARTICLE DOES NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE OPINIONS OF LEADER KIBO.
THIS ARTICLE DOES NOT NECESSARILY DISAGREE WITH LEADER KIBO EITHER.
HAVE A NICE DAY!
Also, for your protection, Leader Kibo has filed a copyright claim on
HappyNet. Thus, any postings without a copyright notice become the
intellectual property of Kibo. This will keep random people from
commercially exploiting your ideas, because they won't be
YOUR ideas any more! It's THAT SIMPLE. STREAMLINE EVERYTHING!
******** HAPPYNET: A BLAST TO LIGHT OUR GLOWING FUTURE! ********
HappyNet as currently implemented is just one communications medium.
But this will blast our way into the foundation of the future:
Eventually, HappyNet will be expanded to replace the other
`conventional' media, such as newspapers, television, radio, standup
comedy, and sex. .signatures will be sixty-second commercials. Alt.sex
(bozo.alt.sex) will be interactive and finally worth reading.
A PBS series, "Great RFCs, Past and Present" will be filmed to replace
the boring old text RFCs. A Fox series, hosted by Dr. Ruth Westheimer,
will replace "Emily Postnews".
The Sony Walkman will become obsolete thanks to the Sony rnman. The
instructions will be on a separate device, the Sony manman.
Once everyone in the world is hooked into the giant HappyNet neural
network and their brains merge into one gigantic community of mind
(with an IQ well over THREE HUNDRED!), local events will be instantly
communicated everywhere in the world. For example, people in Sri Lanka
will be able to INSTANTLY receive dozens of "Hey, we're having a minor
earthquake here in San Francisco RIGHT NOW!" postings INSTANTLY, instead
of having to wait weeks. Rumors of such important events as DeForest
Kelley's death will also propagate instantly, but this is not really
a drawback: it enables the NSPF to detect them and snuff them out faster!
HappyNet is an important part of this well-balanced future. In fact,
it is the ONLY part. Without HappyNet, there could be no future.
Usenet paves the road to misery and ruin with its cascades, cross-posts,
flame wars, forgeries, and .signature viruses. HappyNet does not pave
this road--where it's going, we don't NEED roads! HappyNet bravely
journeys into an unknown, but not unpleasant future. Everyone WILL
be happy, happier than human beings can possibly be.
Although it will take HappyNet months, maybe years, to improve all
areas of daily existence in all possible ways, it will be obvious to
the most casual reader that HappyNet is better than Usenet.
Those who aren't casual readers--well, they will come to agree.
In time, they will even love me. In fact, soon they will beg to
love me! But I, Leader Kibo, want only the best for everyone.
After all, I am one of the readers of Usenet, so I can make the
readers of Usenet happy by making me happy FIRST. DEATH TO USENET!
LONG LIVE HAPPYNET! TO THE MOON!
********* HAPPYNET: YOU CONTROL HOW IT CONTROLS YOU *********
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
[Editor's Note: Here is a FAQ from a very cool program. It is like the
ultimate information database, but has a humorus kick to it. I will
soon be published in this program. So, here's the FAQ. I highly suggest
that you ftp the software.]
ALT.GALACTIC-GUIDE FAQ -- MONTHLY POSTING -- Mk. II Release 1.1
By Steve Baker (swbaker@vela.acs.oakland.edu)
Organization: Project Galactic Guide Mothership
_____ _____ _____ ______ ___ ____
| __ \ / ____|/ ____|\ | /| ____/ _ \ / __ \
| |__) | | __| | __ \|/ | |__ | |_| | | | |
| ___/| | |_ | | |_ |--o--| __|| _ | | | |
| | | |__| | |__| | /|\ | | | | | | |__| |
|_| \_____|\_____|/ | \|_| |_| |_|\___\_\
Project Galactic Guide Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ Mk. II Release 1.1 18 September 1994
This is the Mostly All-New FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) information file
for the Usenet group alt.galactic-guide. This file is intended to provide
you with answers to your frequently asked questions and is 97% fat-free with
no preservatives or artificial flavours.
Contents
--------
1.0 What is this newsgroup?
2.0 Who's in charge around here?
2.1 So who do I send articles to?
3.0 Format of the articles
3.1 Article content and legal stuff
3.2 So where can I get article ideas then?
3.3 The article lifecycle
4.0 The PGG Mothership
4.1 Mothership mirror sites
4.2 Supported computer platforms
4.3 Other ways to get PGG materials
5.0 World-Wide Web (WWW) sites
6.0 Miscellaneous questions
1.0 What is this newsgroup?
----------------------------
This newsgroup was created for the sole purpose of allowing uninterrupted
communication between people involved in Project Galactic Guide. What is
this project, you ask?
It all started back in, oh, November of 1991 in the alt.fan.douglas-adams
newsgroup. For the uninformed, Douglas Adams is the author of a series
of humourous s/f books centering on the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
In these books, the characters write for and frequently consult a sort of
electronic encyclopedia which has an entry on just about everything.
Paul said, "Hey, why don't we create a REAL guide to the galaxy?" and
everyone else said, "Sounds good, let's do it!". So, with great fervor
we started working on the skeletal structure of Project Galactic Guide,
although at that time, we often called it "The HitchHiker's Guide the Known
Galaxy."
It was originally supposed to be about REAL things (as opposed to made-up
things), but we eventually broke down and decided to incorporate
EVERYTHING. So, now we'll take humorous entries about fictitious things
(done in the Douglas Adams style, of course), and humorous entries about
real things (also done in the Douglas Adams style, of course).
2.0 Who's in charge around here?
---------------------------------
Well, not anyone, really. Er, actually, I suppose there *are* a couple of
froods who tend to have a bit more input about things than others, but
really it's mostly chaotic. Well, not actually *chaotic* but instead maybe
something a bit more like a good recess.
The aforementioned Paul Clegg is one of PGG's Founding Fathers. He is
easily identifiable by his "...Paul" signature. Paul wrote the first PGG
FAQ, upon which this document is derived. Today, Paul's an Editor and has
many Wise Things to say about topics, issues, concerns, thoughts, ideas,
problems, suggestions, and comments. His action figure should be available
for the holiday season (along with the PGG Mothership playset), and he is
available via email at: cleggp@rpi.edu
Steve Baker helped get the project rolling with his "The Guide!" software
for IBM/MS-DOS machines in the spring of 1992. Steve usually answers to
the nom de plume "Stevadelic." Today, Steve's an Editor, the Librarian,
Captain of the PGG Mothership, and actively avoids doing required updates
and bug fixes to the TG! system. (He claims to be too busy working on
Klingon language translation software.) You can send email to Steve at
the address: swbaker@vela.acs.oakland.edu
Roel van der Meulen joined the project in the fall of 1993, and is an
active PGG Field Researcher Recruiter (he finds new articles and authors
for PGG, in addition to his own work). He also maintains the PGG archives
contents file and one of the fine WWW sites. Roel's Internet email address
is: vdmeulen@rulrol.leidenuniv.nl
Jeff Kramer is compiling the "PGG Report," a regular newsletter with lots
of great information about the Project and its activities. He also admin's
one of the PGG WWW sites. Jeff is available at: lthumper@bga.com
Ryan Tucker provides articles, ideas, and crazy text art (like the FAQ
logo), as well as up-to-date Iowa weather reports (as long as there's a
tornado). Ryan's available at: rtucker@worf.infonet.net
There's a lot of others out there who have contributed t-shirt designs,
press card information, articles, ideas, suggestions, comments, et al...
but to avoid this becoming one of those "Hi folks"-type things, I'll just
leave it at that.
2.1 So who do I send articles to?
----------------------------------
Paul is available from September until April or May (during the college
school year), and Steve is on-line and available year-round. Both Paul
and Steve also have America Online accounts, so they're available there
as well. Now that I think about it, Steve actually collects email accounts
(he's now up to six different active, on-line email accounts, which is
quite a lot of passwords to get straight).
To answer the question, however, let's just say that you should send
articles to one of the PGG Editors:
cleggp@rpi.edu -- Paul
swbaker@vela.acs.oakland.edu -- Steve
We also have a third editor, Michael Bravo, who handles articles written
in the Russian language. If you have written an article in Russian, please
send them to Michael (mbravo@octopus.spb.su).
3.0 Format of the articles
---------------------------
The articles that are accepted are organized by category and compiled in
article "archives." Each archive file contains 25 accepted Guide entries.
These archives are stored and available for download from the PGG
Mothership.
We've decided upon a simple ASCII text format for the article entries. The
specs on the format are contained in the "article.new" file. It's really
pretty simple, with just a few header token-type things that define useful
stuff.
The fine folks at PGG spent about a year discussing, debating, formulating,
postulating, configuring, finalizing, and neglecting a nifty but complex
text format. It was complete with crazy text formatting things and lots of
other fun and wonderful features, but it never really caught on. Oh well.
We're currently investigating the possibilities of porting the article
archives into HTML (HyperText Markup Language) for use with html and WWW
viewers. For now, however, standard ASCII files are just fine!
3.1 Article content and legal stuff
------------------------------------
You're welcome to write about anything. Yes, no matter how bizarre or
crazy, please write about it. Really. Anything.
Er, except, we don't want you to regurgitate Adams' material. Not only is
this very unoriginal, it's also known as plagiarism. (Unless DNA himself
decides to write it for us!)
In general, please do NOT copy other people's work or ideas. We don't want
the project stopped because we violated some silly copyright law!
3.2 So where can I get article ideas then?
-------------------------------------------
We have a PGG Idea Bank, chock full of great ideas that beg for exploring.
They're frequently posted to the alt.galactic-guide newsgroup, and all are
available on-line at the Mothership.
When posting an idea, be sure to include your name and email address for
proper credit down the road. Conversely, when using an idea, just go ahead
and write your article and credit the idea's originator in the header
information.
3.3 The article lifecycle
--------------------------
This describes what your Friendly Neighbourhood PGG Editor does and presents
"a day in the life of an article" so to speak. Erm, actually, the articles
themselves don't really speak much; that's just an expression, so let's
carry on.
1) A young, up-and-coming comedian/researcher/student/author/human/whatever
stumbles across, gets hit with, becomes infected by, is arrested in, or
otherwise has a great idea for an article (or consults the Ideabank,
which is sometimes less painful).
She/he/it/they then write an article about the person/place/thing and
send the article to an editor via email. (Please see Section 2.1,
above, for info on who the editors are and where to send stuff.)
2) The editor send a message back to the author, stating something like:
"Blah blah, thanks for the article, blah blah blah, I'll edit it for
format and stuff, blah blah, you'll get it back pretty soon for author
confirmation, blah blah, give me all your money, etc. etc."
This message is the author's "receipt" that the editor received the
article submission. If you don't get one of these, then the editor
hasn't received your article yet!
4) The editor edits the article and performs routine grammar and spell-
checker things on the article. Note: if the editor thinks that the
article (1) violates a copyright law, (2) is a copy of other work, or
(3) is hopelessly lame, the editor may nix the article for good.
5) Assuming that everything is fine with the article, the editor then sends
it back to the author for "author confirmation." (This is often times
abbreviated as A/C. Humm, if the author and the editor had a Direct
Connection, would this be AC/DC?)
6) The author reviews the modified article, and then lets the editor know
that things are alright. If the author has additional changes with the
article, they go back to step one and start over.
7) Once the article is approved, the editor assigns the unique Article ID
information and sends the article to the PGG Librarian. The Librarian
adds the approved article into the article archives and posts the
article to alt.galactic-guide.
4.0 The PGG Mothership
-----------------------
The Mothership is an Anonymous FTP site where you can download PGG info,
articles, programs, t-shirt images, reports, and other great stuff. To
get to the PGG Mothership, FTP to the following site:
Lexical: vela.acs.oakland.edu
Numeric: 141.210.10.2
URL: ftp://vela.acs.oakland.edu/pub/galactic-guide
When you connect, use the [ anonymous ] user ID and specify your full
Internet email address as the password.
The Mothership is [ pub/galactic-guide ], which is actually just a link
to [ pub/swbaker ]. Thus, if you're using an FTP server which doesn't show
the logical links, go into the [ swbaker ] directory.
Anyway, beneath this directory are additional directories for each of
the particular computer programs and general Hitchhiker's Guide fan stuff.
There is a separate FAQ file on the PGG Mothership which describes these
directories and the files they contain in more detail.
4.1 Mothership mirror sites
----------------------------
If having all of the PGG archives, programs, gif files, and other goodies
at one centralized location isn't good enough for you, you may be pleased
to know that it isn't! That is to say, the stuff is available from more
than one Anonymous FTP site.
The PGG Mothership is mirrored at:
Lexical: ftp.cs.city.ac.uk
Numeric: 138.40.91.9
URL: ftp://ftp.cs.city.ac.uk/pub/galactic-guide
4.2 Supported computer platforms
---------------------------------
While having the articles themselves is pretty fun, actually being able to
do something with them is even better. The following computer platforms
are supported with PGG article reader systems:
o Acorn Archimedes
Author contact: Alex McLintock (alexmc@biccdc.co.uk)
o Amiga
o Atari ST
o IBM/MS-DOS (also works within Windows, OS/2, DESQview, etc.)
Author contact: Steve Baker (swbaker@vela.acs.oakland.edu)
o Macintosh
Author contact: Rickard Andersson (rickard@softlab.se)
o Unix
Author contact: Dave Gymer (dpg@cs.nott.ac.uk)
o X Windows
Author contact: David Squire (squizz@cs.curtin.edu.au)
Each of the programs is available in its own subdirectory on the Mothership.
Questions about a particular program's use or functionality should be
directed to the program's author or posted to alt.galactic-guide.
4.3 Other ways to get PGG materials
------------------------------------
There's a lot of BBS systems that carry Project Galactic Guide stuff.
Honestly -- I'm positive there's a lot of them... although the FAQ file
doesn't really reflect this. Yet. Just give us some time and soon
this list will have a lot of numbers. Really.
Area/Region BBS Name Number
--------------- ------------------------------ ----------------
Mass., USA Sea of Noise +1 203 886 1441
In addition, you may contact one of the following hoopy froods who have
volunteered to distribute PGG materials in their local countries:
Country Contact
--------------- ------------------------------
Denmark Christian Moensted
Almindingen 66
2860 Soeborg
(email: moensted@diku.dk)
5.0 World-Wide Web (WWW) sites
-------------------------------
For those who can view html documents (including users of Mosaic, Cello,
and WinWeb), there are a number of froody WWW sites:
URL: http://www.strw.leidenuniv.nl/~vdmeulen/index.html
Operator: Roel van der Meulen
URL: http://web.cs.city.ac.uk/pgg/guide.html
Operator: Nick Williams
URL: http://www.realtime.net/~lthumper/
Operator: Jeff Kramer
URL: http://www.willamette.edu/pgg/
Operator: James Tilton
These all have links to the Article Archives, the PGG Mothership, format
and article information, and many have on-line archive search and article
retrieval capabilities.
6.0 Miscellaneous questions
----------------------------
Q: What's with 42, who is Douglas Adams, and why should I carry a towel?
A: Please see the alt.fan.douglas-adams Usenet group; they'll be happy to
supply you with amplitudes of answers.
Q: How can I get a PGG Press Card?
A: As soon as they're finished, you'll be able to get an Official PGG
Press Card from Jason Kohles (jason.kohles@m.cc.utah.edu).
Q: What good are the PGG Press Cards?
A: They may actually get you in some places, and besides they look cool.
There's an article on what to do with your Press Card; check it out!
Q: What's up with the PGG t-shirts?
A: Among others, Stephane Lussier (stef@phoque.info.uqam.ca) has come
up with some great graphics and motif ideas for the Official PGG
t-shirt. They're available for review on the Mothership. As soon as
we decide on how the shirts will look, and as soon as someone makes
the shirts, then you'll be able to order them! For more information,
just follow the t-shirt threads on alt.galactic-guide.
Q: Do you need more editors?
A: Not really. How can you become an editor? Well, lots of money would
definitely help (just kidding). Anyway, until the project completely
consumes both Paul and Steve to the point of exhaustion, we're probably
all set.
Q: Is there a Macintosh Guide Reader?
A: YES! Please see Section 4.2, above.
Q: Is there a Microsoft Windows-based Guide Reader?
A: Sorta. It's being developed. Under construction. Something like that.
Q: Is this the end of the PGG FAQ?
A: Yes.
Q: Really?
A: I mean it this time.
Q: Are you sure about that?
A: Absolutely.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
PRE-EMPLOYMENT BACKGROUND CHECKS
From: Phil Agre (pagre@weber.ucsd.edu)
and Christine Harbs (charbs@teetot.acusd.edu)
Although the enclosed fact sheet from The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse only
applies to California, it might provide a model for other jurisdictions
worldwide.
The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse has a new gopher of useful legal and
practical stuff about privacy. Telnet to teetot.acusd.edu
(or 192.55.87.19) and log in as "privacy".
You can now reach the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse's useful gopher directly
at gopher.acusd.edu. You'll find PRC under menu item 4, USD Campus-Wide
Information System.
**************************************
The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
The Center for Public Interest Law
5998 Alcala Park
San Diego, CA 92110
(619) 260-4806
(619) 260-4753 (fax)
e-mail prc@teetot.acusd.edu
gopher gopher.acusd.edu
Hotline: +1 800-773-7748 (Calif. only) +1 619-298-3396
***************************************
Fact sheet No. 16 Copyright 1994, Center for Public Interest Law
August 1994
Employment Background Checks: A Jobseeker's Guide
**Why would an employer want to do a background check?
Whether you are hired or promoted for a job may depend on the information
gathered by the employer in a background check. Employers use them to
verify the accuracy of information provided by jobseekers. Background
reports may also uncover information left out of the application or
interview.
Today, more employers are being sued for "negligent hiring" for not checking
carefully enough into the background of a potential employee. If an
employee's action hurts someone, the employer may be liable. That is one
reason more background checks are being conducted.
The "information age" also accounts for the increase in background checks--
the availability of computer databases containing millions of records of
personal data. As the cost of searching these sources drops, employers are
finding it more feasible to conduct background checks.
**I don't have anything to hide. Why should I worry?
While some people are not concerned about background investigations, others
are uncomfortable with the idea of an investigator poking around in their
personal history. In-depth background checks could unearth information
that is irrelevant, taken out of context or just plain wrong.
A further concern is that the report might include information that is
illegal to use for hiring purposes or which comes from questionable
sources. Since in most cases employers are not required to tell applicants
that a background check is being done, jobseekers may not have the
opportunity to respond to negative or misleading data.
**What types of information might be included in a background check?
Background reports can range from a verification of an applicant's Social
Security number to a detailed account of the potential employee's history
and acquaintances. Here are some of the pieces of information that might be
included in a background check:
- Driving records - Vehicle registration - Credit records
- Criminal records - Social Security no. - Education records
- Court records - Workers' compensation - Bankruptcy
- Character references - Neighbor interviews - Medical records
- Property ownership - Employment verification
- Military service records - State licensing records
**Which companies conduct background checks?
There are many companies that specialize in conducting pre-employment
background checks. They typically use public records databases to compile
reports. The following is a partial list of companies that perform a
variety of services for employment background checking: Avert, Interfact,
Equifax Employment Services, CDB Infotek, Employers Mutual Assoc.,
Employers Information Service, Trans Union, Information Resource
Service Co., Pinkerton Security & Investigation Services.
With the information age upon us, it is easier for employers to gather
background information themselves. Much of it is computerized, allowing
employers to "log on" to public records and commercial databases directly
through commercial online services.
Employers may also create a "clearinghouse" of information about potential
employees. A group of employers establish a data exchange program to screen
applicants. The database is comprised of information submitted by the member
companies about their employees. When a jobseeker submits an application
to a member company, that employer will check with the clearinghouse for
information on the applicant.
**What types of information *can't* the employer consider?
Federal and state laws limit the types of information employers can use in
hiring decisions.
o Arrest information. Although arrest record information is public record,
in California employers cannot seek out the arrest record of a potential
employee. However, if the arrest resulted in a conviction, or if the
applicant is out of jail but pending trial, that information can be used.
(California Labor Code @ 432.7)
o Criminal history. In California, criminal histories or "rap sheets"
compiled by law enforcement agencies are not public record. Only certain
employers such as public utilities, law enforcement, security guard firms,
and child care facilities have access to this information. With the advent
of computerized court records and arrest information, however, there are
private companies that compile virtual "rap sheets." (California Penal Code
@@ 11105, 13300)
o Workers' compensation. When an employee's claim goes through the state
system or the Workers' Compensation Appeals Board, the case becomes public
record. Only if an injury might interfere with one's ability to perform
required duties may an employer use this information. Under the federal
Americans with Disabilities Act, employers cannot use medical information
or the fact an applicant filed a workers' compensation claim to
discriminate against applicants. (42 USC @12101)
o Bankruptcies. Bankruptcies are public record. However, employers cannot
discriminate against applicants because they have filed for bankruptcy.
(11 USC @525)
**Aren't some of my personal records confidential?
The following types of information may be useful for an employer to make a
hiring decision. However, the employer is required to get your permission
before obtaining the records. (For more information, see PRC Fact Sheet
No. 11, "From Cradle to Grave: Government Records and Your Privacy.")
o Education records. Under both federal and California law, transcripts,
recommendations, discipline records and financial information are
confidential. A school should not release student records without the
authorization of the student or parent. However, a school may release
*directory information*, which can include name, address, dates of
attendance, degrees earned, and activities, unless the student has given
written notice otherwise. (California Education Code @@ 67100, 76200;
20 USC @1232g)
o Military service records. Under the federal Privacy Act, service records
are confidential and can only be released under limited circumstances.
Inquiries must be made under the Freedom of Information Act. Even without
the applicant's consent, the military may release name, rank, salary, duty
assignments, awards and duty status. (5 USC @@ 552, 552a)
o Medical records. In California, medical records are confidential. There
are only a few instances when a medical record can be released without your
knowledge or authorization. If employers require physical examinations
after they make a job offer, they have access to the results. The Americans
with Disabilities Act allows a potential employer to inquire only about
your ability to perform specific job functions. (California Civil Code @
56.10;42 USC @12101)
There are other types of questions such as age and marital status and
certain psychological tests that employers cannot use when interviewing.
These issues are beyond the scope of this fact sheet. If you have further
questions, look under "For more information" at the end of this fact sheet
or call the PRC Hotline.
**What can my former employer say about me?
Often a potential employer will contact an applicant's past employers. A
former boss can say anything [truthful] about your performance. However,
most employers have a policy to only confirm dates of employment, final
salary, and other limited information. California law prohibits employers
from intentionally interfering with former employees' attempts to find jobs
by giving out false or misleading references. (California Labor Code @ 1050)
Documents in your personnel file are not confidential and can be revealed
by an employer. Only medical information in a personnel file is
confidential. If you are a state or federal employee, however, your
personnel file is protected under the California Information Practices Act
or the federal Privacy Act of 1974 and can only be disclosed under limited
circumstances. Under California law, employees have a right to review
their own personnel files, and make copies of documents they have signed.
(California Civil Code @ 56.20; California Labor Code @@432, 1198.5;
California Government Code @ 1798; 5 USC @552a)
**Does the applicant have a right to be told when a background check is
requested?
The *only* times an applicant must be told if a background check is
conducted is if the employer requests an "investigative consumer report"
or a credit report. The investigative consumer report may contain
information about your character, general reputation, personal
characteristics and lifestyle. The information in the report is typically
compiled from interviews with neighbors, friends, associates and others who
might have information about you.
Under both California and federal law, the applicant must be notified if
an employer requests an investigative consumer report. (California Civil
Code @ 1786; 12 USC @1681d. Also see Fact Sheet No. 6, "How Private is My
Credit Report?")
An employer can also order a copy of your credit report, which is less
detailed than an investigative report. However, a credit report can still
tell an employer a lot about you. It may contain public records information
such as court cases, judgments, bankruptcies and liens; also, outstanding
credit accounts and loans, and the payment history for each account. Credit
report entries remain in the report for up to ten years.
In California, if an employer checks your credit file, you must be notified
and given an opportunity to see the file. Also, when a report is requested
for employment purposes, the credit bureau must block all references to age,
marital status, race, religion and medical information. Although federal
and state laws allow credit bureaus to include criminal record information,
it is an industry policy not to do so. (California Civil Code @@ 1785.18,
1785.20.5)
**What can the job applicant do to prepare?
Although you cannot *prevent* an employer from doing a background check,
you can take steps to be ready for questions the employer might ask once
the investigation is conducted.
o Order a copy of your credit report. If there is something you do not
recognize or that you disagree with, dispute the information with the
creditor or credit bureau before you have to explain it to the interviewer.
(See PRC Fact Sheet No. 6, "How Private is My Credit Report?")
o Check public records files. If you have an arrest record or have been
involved in court cases, go to the county where this took place and inspect
the files. Make sure the information is correct and up to date. Request a
copy of your driving record from the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV),
especially if you are applying for a job that may involve driving.
o Ask to see a copy of your personnel file from your old job. Even if you
do not work there anymore, you have a right to see your file until at least
a year from the last date of employment. You are allowed to make copies of
documents in your file that have your signature on them. (California Labor
Code @ 432.) You may also want to ask if your former employer has a policy
about the release of personnel records. Many companies limit the amount of
information they disclose.
o Read the fine print carefully. When you sign a job application, you may
also be signing a statement that waives your right to a copy of your credit
report. You might also be authorizing the disclosure of other personal
data, such as educational records, medical records and financial data.
Unfortunately, jobseekers are in an awkward position, since refusing to
authorize a background check may jeopardize the chances of getting the job.
o Tell neighbors and work colleagues, past and present, that they might
be asked to provide information about you. This helps avoid suspicion and
alerts you to possible problems.
o If you feel comfortable, ask the interviewer about the company's employee
privacy policies. Find out if the potential employer plans to do a
background check, and ask to see a copy.
**For more information
o Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (see the Government Pages in
your phone book).
o California Labor Commission (see the Government Pages in your phone
book).
o Pacific Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center for questions
about the Americans with Disabilities Act, (800) 949-4232.
o Documented Reference Check, (800) 742-3316 (verifies references of former
employers; fee charged).
If you have additional questions about privacy, contact the PRC Hotline
at (800) 773-7748.
Copyright 1994 Center for Public Interest Law August 1994
***************************************************************************
The Clearinghouse is a nonprofit organization dedicated to educating
Californians about personal privacy issues. It is funded by a grant from the
Telecommunications Education Trust and operates under the auspices of the
University of San Diego School of Law's Center for Public Interest Law.
***************************************************************************
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO SEND MAIL TO YOUR SYSTEM ADMINISTRATORS ASKING THEM
IF THEY OFFER THEIR SYSTEM LOGS TO GOVERNMENT AGENCIES - ESPECIALLY IF
YOU LIVE IN TEXAS. ACTIONS SUCH AS THIS MAY BE A VIOLATION OF YOUR
PRIVACY. IF YOU DISCOVER THIS TO BE THE CASE, MAIL US!
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
