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The Journal of American Underground Computing Issue 3
THE JOURNAL OF AMERICAN UNDERGROUND COMPUTING / Published Periodically
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ISSN 1074-3111 Volume One, Issue Three April 30, 1994
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Editor-in-Chief: Scott Davis (dfox@fennec.com)
Technology Editor: Max Mednick (kahuna@bga.com)
Consipracy Editor: Gordon Fagan (flyer@fennec.com)
Network Security: George Phillips (ice9@bga.com)
** ftp site: etext.archive.umich.edu /pub/Zines/JAUC
U.S. Mail:
The Journal Of American Underground Computing
10111 N. Lamar #25
Austin, Texas 78753-3601
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IMPORTANT ADDRESSES -
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All questions/comments about this publication to: comments@fennec.com
Send all articles/info that you want published to: submit@fennec.com
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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
and/or the author of the articles presented herein. All rights reserved.
Nothing may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission
of the Editor-In-Chief and/or the author of the article. This publication
is made available periodically to the amateur computer hobbyist free of
charge. Any commercial usage (electronic or otherwise) is strictly
prohibited without prior consent of the Editor, and is in violation of
applicable US Copyright laws. To subscribe, send email to sub@fennec.com
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DISCLAIMER AND NOTICE TO DISTRIBUTORS -
NOTE: This electronic publication is to be distributed free of charge
without modifications to anyone who wishes to have a copy. Under NO
circumstances is any issue of this publication, in part or in whole,
to be sold for money or services, nor is it to be packaged with other
computer software, including, but not limited to CD Rom disks, without
the express written or verbal consent of the author and/or editor.
To obtain permission to distribute this publication under any of the
certain circumstances stated above, please contact the editor at one of
the addresses above. If you have intentions of publishing this journal
in any of the ways described above, or you are in doubt about whether or
not your intentions conflict with the restrictions, please contact the
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This publication is provided without charge to anyone who wants it.
This includes, but is not limited to lawyers, government officials,
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list so that you may be added.
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THE JOURNAL OF AMERICAN UNDERGROUND COMPUTING - Volume 1, Issue 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1) Visa Establishes International Consortium... NewsWire
2) Cyberspace Cowboy Maureen Harrington
3) A Message From The Vice President Al Gore
4) Legion Of Doom T-Shirts Chris Goggans
5) Computers Tnd The Second Amendment Carl Guderian
6) How To Survive The First Year Of Law School.. Mike Godwin
7) Notes From Cyberspace - 2nd Edition Readers
8) Editorial Of The Month [A Humorous Diddy] Marco Landin
9) Whitehouse Electronic Publications FAQ Stanton McCandlish
10) Redefining The Modem User Ed Cavazos
11) Texas ISDN - Request For Comments Public Util. Comm.
12) Test Scores, Funny, But Makes You Wonder Anonymous
13) An Interview With Tom Jennings Jon Lebkowsky
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J.R. "Bob" Dobbs - The Ultimage SubGenius
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THE JOURNAL OF AMERICAN UNDERGROUND COMPUTING - April 30,1994 ISSN 1074-3111
============================================================================
EDITOR'S NOTES:
FREE-NET: I had intended to do some kind of informative article on
the Free-Net systems around the world for this issue. In my attempts to
get information, I mailed about 60 individuals/groups requesting information
on their organization. I contacted persons in several countries as well as
many, many people here in the states. ...and low and behold, only 2 people
responded offering information. Half did not reply at all, and the other
half (minus the two brave souls mentioned above) replied saying that they
had not developed an organization, had no info, no volunteers, etc...
Go figure...(Is Free-Net the Vapor-Ware of the 90's??)
PUBLISHING: Our original publishing schedule has gone to hell-in-a-handbasket
to say the least. We will probably release 2 or 3 times per quarter.
Order some Legion Of Doom T-Shirts!
Share this issue with all of the little boys and girls that you know who
have an e-mail address.
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VISA ESTABLISHES INTERNATIONAL CONSORTIUM FOR
ELECTRONIC PURSE SPECIFICATIONS
/PRNEWSWIRE (C)opyright 1994
SAN FRANCISCO, March 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Visa today formed an international
consortium of market leaders in the consumer payments industry to develop
common specifications for a new way to pay -- an "Electronic Purse," a card
with a micro chip that can be used instead of cash and coins for everything
from vending machines to public transportation.
The Electronic Purse would consist of a micro-chip embedded in a credit
card, debit card, or stand alone card to store value electronically.
The card would replace cash and coins for small-ticket purchases (less than
U.S. $10), such as gasoline stations, pay phones, road/bridge tolls, video
games, school cafeterias, fast food restaurants, convenience stores, and
cash lanes at supermarkets. Cardholders can "reload" the micro-chip and
control the amount of value stored in the card's memory. The Electronic
Purse provides cardholders with the security and convenience of carrying
less cash and coins, eliminating the need for exact change. Many
participants in this worldwide effort are currently pilot testing electronic
purse products, additional pilots are expected in late 1995.
Joining forces with Visa to develop international technical specifications
for the Electronic Purse are: Banksys; Electronic Payment Services, Inc.,
(EPS); Financial Information Systems Center, (FISC); Groupement des Cartes
Bancaires, (CB); NationsBank Corporation; Sociedad Espanola de Medios de
Pago, (SEMP); Sociedade Interbancaria de Servicos, S.A., (SIBS); and
Wachovia Corporation. To ensure worldwide representation, limited additional
payment systems that have invested energies in open-market electronic purse
projects, will be invited to join. In addition, Visa will form a parallel
group with technology companies to ensure the specifications support low-cost,
efficient production of necessary equipment.
"The goal of our combined efforts is to lead the market into the next
frontier of payment processing -- the automation of cash and coins," said Ed
Jensen, president and chief executive officer, Visa International. "The
highly complementary capabilities of the participating companies will allow
us to address issues for all aspects of smart card-based electronic purse
solutions, including the cards themselves, point-of-sale systems, networks
and back-end interchange and settlement systems."
This announcement reflects Visa's commitment to providing superior,
convenient payment services to its member financial institutions who serve
consumers and merchants around the globe. The consortium was formed in
response to member requests that Visa take the lead in facilitating the
addition of an electronic purse to existing credit and debit cards, as well
as the introduction of a stand alone card. Visa will leverage its global
brand presence by teaming up with strategic partners to develop common
standards.
"The most critical step in making this concept a global market reality is
the definition of open standards that can be shared among all participants,"
said Wesley Tallman, president, Visa Products and Information Services.
"Recognizing that important domestic electronic purse developments are
underway, the consortium will leverage the expertise of all participants.
Group 'knowledge sharing,' especially with our European participants that
have made significant advancements in the chip card arena, will facilitate
the development of a specification that is relevant to markets worldwide."
The technological specifications will govern the standards needed to
establish an infrastructure that supports electronic purse payments.
The worldwide market for automating cash transactions remains virtually
untapped. According to the Bank for International Settlement, consumer cash
transactions in the U.S. alone exceed 300 billion per year. By contrast,
bank-facilitated consumer transactions, such as credit and debit cards,
checks, and wire transfers total only 60 billion per year. As these figures
indicate, there is a vast market potential for automating cash transactions.
"EPS has been investing significant resources to develop smart card solutions
since 1991," stated David Van Lear, chairman and chief executive officer of
Electronic Payment Services, Inc. "Combining the resources of these industry
leaders will accelerate market acceptance."
Just as the standard operating environments have fueled the growth of the
personal computer industry, the specifications that emerge from this
collective effort will provide the essential framework to ensure
compatibility, reduce development time and cost, and open up the market for
others.
International payment system participants included in this cooperative
effort are:
Banksys -- based in Brussels, Belgium, is a leading European specialist in
electronic funds transfer (EFT) and payment security. Banksys operates the
automated teller machine (ATM) and point-of-sale (POS) network on behalf of
all card issuing banks in Belgium. Besides Belgium, 10 other countries are
equipped with the Banksys system. Banksys is entrusted with the development
of the Belgian Electronic Purse project, with pilot testing expected to begin
in December 1994.
Electronic Payment Services, Inc.(EPS) -- based in Wilmington, Del., is the
leading electronic funds transfer company in the United States with an annual
transaction volume of 1.7 billion. EPS is the holding company for BUYPASS
Corporation and MONEY ACCESS SERVICE INC., operator of the MAC(R) network.
Financial Information Systems Center (FISC) -- based in Taipei, Taiwan, is a
government organization that supports electronic purse initiatives in that
country. Through its members, FISC has issued 80 thousand integrated circuit
cards and has installed more than one thousand point-of-sale systems with
integrated circuit card readers.
Groupement des Cartes Bancaires (CB) -- based in Paris, is the country's
payment cards organization that has succeeded in launching the world's
largest integrated circuit card program, with more than 22 million cards in
circulation generating 2.2 billion transactions per year.
NationsBank Corporation -- headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is the third
largest banking company in the United States with approximately $158 billion
in assets, more than 1,900 retail banking centers in nine states and the
District of Columbia, and consumer offices in 33 states. NationsBank is a
financial services company providing products and services nationally and
internationally to individuals, businesses, corporations, institutional
investors and government agencies.
Sociedad Espanola de Medios de Pago (SEMP) -- based in Madrid, SEMP is a
sister company of Visa Espana, a group member of Visa banks in Spain. SEMP
operates Sermepa, the card processing company of Visa Espana.
Sociedade Interbancaria de Servicos, S.A., (SIBS) -- based in Lisbon,
Portugal, is the country's leading bank payments company which provides
electronic clearing services and operates the national Multibanco ATM and
EFT/POS networks. As an extension to its service offerings, SIBS, is
introducing the Multibanco Electronic Purse, (MEP).
Visa International -- headquartered in the United States, is the world's
leading consumer payments system with more than 333 million cards issued,
more than 11 million acceptance locations, and the largest global ATM
network.
Wachovia Corporation -- with dual headquarters in Atlanta, and
Winston-Salem, N.C., is one of the United States' leading debit card issuers
and provides credit card services to three million cardholders nationwide.
/NOTE TO EDITORS: In December 1993 Visa International, MasterCard
International and Europay announced an agreement to form a joint working
group to develop a common set of technical specifications for the
integration of microprocessor chips in payment cards -- commonly known as
"Integrated Circuit," "Chip," and "Smart" cards. The electronic currency
specifications referenced in this release will enable the electronic purse
application to be added to the integrated circuit cards./
/CONTACT: Albert Coscia of Visa, 415-432-2039/
03/28 VISA TECHNOLOGY GROUP SUPPORTS ELECTRONIC PURSE SPECIFICATIONS
SAN FRANCISCO, /PRNewswire/ -- Visa today announced the formation
of a technology group of international manufacturers to support the
adaptation of specifications for a variety of technologies that will
facilitate the issuance and acceptance of the "Electronic Purse" -- a payment
card that stores value electronically and is designed to replace cash and
coins for a wide range of low-value (under U.S. $10) consumer payments.
The technology group will work with Visa who recently formed an
international consortium of payment systems that will develop common
specifications for Electronic Purse programs. Because plans are underway
for the card to be used globally in a variety of venues -- including,
gas/petrol stations, grocery stores, convenience stores, fast food
restaurants, school cafeterias, and for such routine items as telephone calls
from pay phones, road/bridge tolls and video games -- a number of
technologies required to support card acceptance in global markets will be
examined by the group.
The first suppliers to join the international technology group are
VeriFone, Inc., the leading global provider of point-of-sale transaction
systems, and Gemplus, SCA, the world's leading manufacturer of smart cards. VeriFone and
Gemplus have formed a joint venture, called VeriGem, to pursue electronic
purse opportunities. To ensure worldwide representation, additional
technology leaders who have invested energies in electronic purse
applications will be invited to join the group.
In addition to acceptance technologies, "loading" systems that enable
cardholders to restore currency value into the micro chip will also be
analyzed. Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) are expected to play an important
role in loading value into the electronic purse. Future loading methods, such
as specialized devices located at merchant locations or in the home, will
also be explored. Operating both the largest international consumer payment
network, VisaNet, and the world's largest ATM network puts Visa in a unique
position to lead this global effort.
"As with all emerging technologies, consultation with suppliers responsible
for physically implementing the technology is critical to ensuring the
viability of the product design," said Wesley Tallman, president, Visa
Products and Information Services. "As market leaders in the payment systems
field, all of those who have joined us in this initiative are truly partners
in paving this 'express lane' of the electronic payment superhighway."
Tallman emphasized that the technology group will be charged with ensuring
that the specifications developed by the consortium support low-cost,
efficient production of necessary systems and equipment.
This group approach has been a key tool in support of Visa's product and
market development efforts. In December 1992, Visa formed a manufacturer's
group to support development efforts for security specifications of
integrated circuits on payment cards. Still active today, this group lends
critical on-going support and expertise to Visa's chip card efforts.
Participants in this international group include: Bull, CPS (France);
Gemplus, (France); Giesecke and Devrient (Germany); Schlumberger Industries
(France); and Toshiba Corporation (Japan). Visa expects and welcomes the
participation of these and other technology partners in the electronic purse
effort.
Hatim Tyabji, chairman, president and chief executive officer of VeriFone,
agreed with the need for a supplier's group that would lend systems expertise
to this effort. "Establishing worldwde specifications is the essential first
step in the global standardization of the electronic purse, uniting all
industry participants on a common playing field with a common set of rules.
The endorsement and support of the electronic purse by Visa, its member banks
and leading worldwide payment systems send a strong message to the industry
-- the electronic purse is no longer merely a possibility, but a real market
direction," said Tyabji.
"With their high storage capacity, programmability and increasing
affordability, smart cards are now poised to move beyond specialized
applications and become a truly universal payment medium," said Dr. Marc
Lassus, president and chief executive officer of Gemplus. "We share the
consortium's vision of the electronic purse, and are excited about helping
to bring speed, reliability and efficiency of smart card-based electronic
cash to markets around the globe."
Visa International, headquartered in San Francisco, California, is the
world's leading consumer payments system with more than 333 million cards
issued, more than 11 million acceptance locations, and the largest global
ATM network.
VeriFone, Inc., based in Redwood City, California, is a leading global
provider of Transaction Automation solutions used to deliver payment
processing and other transaction services to various retail market segments,
as well as the healthcare and government benefits market. The company has
more than 30 facilities located throughout Asia, Europe and the United States.
To date, VeriFone has shipped more than 3.4 million Transaction Automation
systems, which have been installed in more than 70 countries. Net revenues
in 1993 were U.S. $258.9 million.
Gemplus Card International, based in Gemenos, France, is the leading
worldwide manufacturer of smart cards. Gemplus' cards are used for secure
transactions in public and cellular telephone, banking, pay TV,
transportation, healthcare and defense applications. The company has three
manufacturing facilities: two near Marseilles, France, and one near
Stuttgart, Germany. Current Gemplus production exceeds 14 million cards
per month. The company has direct sales offices in 12 countries and a
distribution network covering an additional 50 countries worldwide. The
company's 1993 revenues were U.S. $130 million.
NOTE: Gemplus is a registered trademark of Gemplus Card International.
VeriFone is a registered trademark of VeriFone, Inc. Visa is a registered
trademark of Visa International, Inc.
/NOTE TO EDITORS: On March 22, 1994, Visa announced the formation of an
international consortium to develop worldwide technical specifications for
the Electronic Purse. The supplier's group discussed in this release is a
complementary effort, serving Visa in a consultative or advisory capacity.
/CONTACT: Albert Coscia of Visa, 415-432-2039/
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
CYBERSPACE COWBOY
John Perry Barlow rides the range on the electronic frontier
By Maureen Harrington
PINEDALE WY- John Perry Barlow isn't exactly your average
computer big shot. Burly and bearded, prone to an eccentric mix
of gaudy cowboy shirts and Italian leather jackets, he's a far
cry from a pencil neck geek with a pocket protector and a Mensa
membership. His interest in technology tends less to megabytes
than toward souping up the V-8 in his pickup.
But neither is he cut out for a corporate dance card. Barlow's
sarcasm would get him tossed out of most boardrooms.
Despite his unusual resume'- lyricist for the Grateful Dead,
former Students for a Democratic Society organizer with an
impeccable Republican pedigree, and failed Wyoming cattle rancher
with the heart of an environmentalist- Barlow, 46, found a niche
in computers. Accidentally.
He's an outlaw at heart who lost his home on the range and found
another. Barlow intends to keep the electronic frontier free of
rustlers, ruffians and the strong and long arm of the feds. Just
as he fought to keep the West free of polluters, developers and
the strong and long arm of the law.
The computer community has its first cultural historian, critic
and social activist. Barlow has set out to watchdog the goings
on in cyberspace- the intangible place between the computer key
board and the dots that appear on the computer screen.
He's become, by dint of his megaverbal skills and nontechnical
point of view, the cowboy conscience of the computer culture.
He's regarded by computer CEO's, journalists who follow the
industry and the wildcatters who swoop through systems as the man
to ask about the future of technology.
Barlow not only writes and speaks about the future that is racing
down the information highway, he puts his talent where his mouth
is: he helped found the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) in
1991, along with Mitch Kapor, inventor of Lotus 1-2-3, the best-
selling spreadsheet software in the world and with an assist from
Steve Wozniak, Apple computer's onetime whiz kid.
Kapor and Barlow started the foundation to protect the right to
privacy in cyberspace. They had both been visited by federal
agents looking for the second-story men of the computer industry-
hackers. They became alarmed.
The tale of Kapor and Barlow's friendship has become one of the
first cyberspace legends.
"I was sitting here in Pindale, enjoying this new found world on
my computer, when an FBI agent shows up asking me what I might be
doing on it," said Barlow.
At the time, Barlow was unaware of a growing government concern
about what they considered computer crimes of the most heinous
nature.
"A nice guy, but he was expert in cattle rustling, not in high-
tech crime," recalled Barlow. "I tried to explain it to him, but
he didn't really understand computers. He went on back to the
office."
Barlow got on the techies' horn- the WELL, a computer bulletin
board- and alerted users all over the country to what happened.
In Connecticut, at about the same time, Kapor also had been
visited by the feds. Like Barlow, Kapor was concerned about
government invasion in this newly forming world.
He and Barlow got together via computers, naturally. Later
Kapor, on the way to the West Coast from his home on the East
Coast, dropped into Wyoming in his private jet to talk with
Barlow.
As Barlow tells it, "Here we are two very different guys- one
from Long Island, who has been a leader in this field for years
and me, a small town Wyoming rancher who just figured out how to
turn these things on. I felt like I'd known Mitch all my life."
In a few hours at a kitchen table in Wyoming, the two men
conceived the first civil rights group for high-tech's new age.
EFF, now headquartered in Washington, D.C., raises money for
lobbying and provides funds for the defense of so-called
"computer criminals." Their first projects were helping with the
legal defense of hackers who the founders don't think deserved
such harsh treatment by the feds.
"Oh, hell, these were kids mostly," said Barlow. "Just fooling
around. They were being treated like major criminals. This
hacking is a lot like boys going out to abandoned buildings and
looking around. Yeah, the property owners don't like it, but
it's part of a boy's life as far as I can tell."
Barlow and Kapor have been bitterly criticized for their support
of what many in corporate America- the software and telephone
companies, in particular- say are serious criminals.
Barlow takes that into consideration: "Crimes should be
prosecuted. There are some real bad things being done on these
machines. But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't be watching
out for misuse of (government) power and helping to protect the
innocent. We're into educating people about this stuff, as much
as anything."
-----------
Barlow doesn't fit, by nature or training, into either the
techno-wonk category or the big money elite that has developed
around the technology. Nonetheless, both factions of the
computer culture listen to him.
He's preaching the sermon of change, from his high-tech pulpit:
the computer bulletin board. Barlow can be read on The WELL (one
of the first and largest bulletin boards) as well as in the op-ed
pages of the New York Times and the slick computer-lifestyle
magazines, Wired and Mondo 2000.
He's been profiled in the New York Times and quoted as an expert
on the computer culture in scores of newspapers and
newsmagazines. Remarkably, Barlow had never used a computer
until four years ago. He caught on fast.
"Oh, Jesus," he said, rolling his eyes, impatient with ordinary
definitions of jobs. "I'm a techno-crank. I've got all kinds of
hats on and most of them don't fit exactly. But let's just say I
came into computers late, but I was able to see fairly quickly
some of the possibilities and problems of this new reality.
"I got my first computer to do some of the accounting work for
the ranch (The Bar Cross, outside Pinedale), in the late '80's.
I discovered that you could talk to people on it. I got
fascinated."
"Fascinated," for most of us, constitutes a hobby.
For Barlow, fascination turned into a new career. Caught in the
double bind of rising taxes and expenses and lower prices for
cattle, Barlow had to sell the Bar Cross, which had been in the
family for three generations. Just as that part of his life was
ending, he was catapulted into cyberspace. And his future.
Barlow is one of the few nontechnoids who has caught the
attention of the citizenry of cyberspace. In fact, he was the
first to co-opt the word "cyberspace" from sci-fi novelist
William Gibson and use it in everyday language.
According to Bruce Sterling, a journalist, novelist and
accomplished chronicler of computer culture, "Barlow saw that the
world of electronic communications, now made visible through the
computer screen, could no longer be regarded as just a tangle of
high-tech wiring. Instead it had become a place, cyberspace,
which demanded a new set of metaphors, a new set of rules and
behaviors."
Sitting in his mothers home in Pinedale, wearing a short kimono
over jeans and boots, Barlow had been on the phone, fax and modem
all morning. Mim Barlow, from whom he inherited his
conversational skills, was decked out in bright red lipstick and
matching rhinestone earrings.
She has no problem, pointing out that although her son "was a
brilliant child- quite interesting to raise- I thought for sure
he was doomed.
"His father and grandfather were alcoholics, and he was going
down the same road."
Barlow no longer drinks.
"Hell, he was headed for juvenile delinquency," said Mim Barlow.
"No question.
"We got him out of town. Sent him to Fountain Valley, a prep
school outside of Colorado Springs. Best thing that ever
happened to this town."
The best thing that happened to her son, too, he freely admitted:
"I'm forever in debt to that school. It saved me. I hope my
three girls will be able to go there, if I can afford it."
(Barlow is divorced from his wife Elaine, who remains in Pinedale
with their three children. Barlow commutes between Wyoming and
New York City. He serves on the board of Fountain Valley.)
Barlow met his fate at prep school: Bob Weir, a co-founder of the
Grateful Dead and life-long friend. Barlow has been writing for
the Grateful Dead since 1970, including the lyrics for "Hell In a
Bucket," "Picasso Moon," and "I need a Miracle." The royalties
kept the family ranch afloat for years and pay Barlow's bills
now.
"There's a resurgence in interest in the band and I'm actually
picking up the pace a little," said Barlow.
"You know I saw Bobby Weir last year," interjected Barlow's
eighty something mother. "He didn't look so good.
"This one," she nodded at her son like he's a questionable head
of beef, "looks better."
Barlow shot his mother a look of mild disgust. "Hell, Ma, Bob's
had a *life*. It shows, that's all."
Barlow has had quite a life, too.
After graduating from Wesleyan University in Connecticut, he was
swept into the counterculture. He went to India. Rode
motorcycles around Europe and was in and out of Haight-Ashbury.
He wandered back to the United States, in the early '70's, and
was headed to Hollywood for a job, when he stopped at the family
ranch on the way to Glamourville. He didn't get out of Wyoming.
"The ranch was in a mess. My dad had been sick. We were in
debt. I found something I could put my hand to. I was a hippie
that was running cattle and trying to keep the land. I got
married and had kids."
Along the way, true to his deep Republican roots, he became an
activist. Two generations of Barlows were in the Wyoming Senate.
John Perry may have gotten there too, but he narrowly missed
winning a Senate seat in 1987 running as a Republican.
Instead, he became involved in the small town life. He set out
to protect that way of life by becoming an environmentalist-
rancher, which is considered a bit of an oxymoron in the West.
But environmentalism is, in Barlow's estimation, "inevitable.
You've got to conserve the land."
The loss of his land still rankles. Driving through the Bar
Cross acreage, now owned, as many ranches around Pinedale are, by
a wealthy "weekend rancher," Barlow tightens up a little: "I did
the best I could. I just couldn't make a go of it."
Barlow sold his land at, "about break-even."
He's been living mostly in New York for the past several years,
writing for various magazines and becoming more and more famous
on the electronic grapevine. He travels constantly and is as
provocative a speaker as he is writer. While his income is still
largely from royalties, he's commanding more attention and fees
as a speaker. He's spoken in China to a scientific congress and
has been asked to help explain the future of information to the
CIA.
Barlow doesn't find that such an odd task for a social activist:
"Like so many organizations, the CIA is waking up to the fact
that they know nothing about this technology. And, they are
realizing that if they don't know about the revolution in
information, they will be left behind.
"People who don't accept this change are going to be left behind.
What we once thought of as power and wealth is changing. Who's
in charge is changing."
Barlow's business card may say it all: There are nine phone,
fax, modem, and beeper numbers. Under his name, his title reads,
"cognitive dissident."
In a new book, "The Hacker Crackdown: Law and Disorder on the
Electronic Frontier" (Bantam $23), Sterling calls Barlow, "a
computer networker of truly stellar brilliance. He has a poet's
gift of concise, colorful phrasing. He also has a journalist's
shrewdness, an off-the-wall, self deprecating wit and a
phenomenal wealth of simple personal charm."
Sterling adds that Barlow is "a gifted critic...who coins the
catchphrases and the terms of debate that become the common
currency of the period."
John Perry Barlow has become the poet laureate of technologies
new age.
He's the hackers' hero- patrolling the borders of the newly
discovered frontiers of technology. If anyone is going to
explain the social, legal and personal implications of all the
megachange coming down the high-tech pike, it's Barlow.
As he has written in the latest edition of Wired: "In the little
hick town I come from, they don't give you much credit for just
having ideas. You are judged by what you make of them."
Using that criterion, Barlow may just have a future in
cyberspace.
*** Maureen Harrington is a Denver Post staff writer. ***
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
A MESSAGE FROM THE VICE PRESIDENT
ON NETWORK ACCESS REFORM
By Al Gore (vice.president@whitehouse.gov)
Greetings. I'll leave it to others to carry on the important work
former president Clinton started in health care reform after discovering
that 37 million Americans have no health insurance.
Now that Clinton has magnanimously stepped down, rather than embroil the
US in lengthy Whitewater hearings, and I'm president, I plan to make it
my top priority to deal with a really serious problem. As horrifying
and unthinkable as it is in this day and age, 212 million Americans
don't have network access.
The current network situation is an intolerable and inefficient
hodgepodge of private, university, and government access providers.
People in different parts of the country pay different amounts for
network access. Different providers give different levels of service.
There's no excuse for this. Access to the net -- *equal* access to the
net -- is a fundamental human right.
Tipper and I have developed a program which will guarantee equal access
to the information superhighway to all Americans, tall or poor, rich or
thin, white or non-smokers.
All access to the net will be through one's employer. Employers will
deal only with large centralized network access providers. There will
be only one provider in each area of the country, cutting down on
wasteful duplication. All providers will be heavily regulated, and
will be required to offer the exact same services for the exact same
prices. All employers will be required to participate, and to pay the
full costs.
Unemployed people's access will be paid for by the government. This
is not expected to require any tax increase. At least, not a very large
tax increase. At least, not before the next election.
Since individuals will not be charged for the services, some may be
tempted to abuse the privilege. Especially because many newsgroups are
known to be highly addictive. To prevent this, newsgroup access will be
available only by prescription.
For instance, if someone wants access to alt.sex, they would schedule
an appointment with their Primary Network Consultant. In a few weeks,
when the appointment comes up, they'd come in at 8 am and get to speak
briefly with their Consultant at some time that day or evening. The
Consultant would refer them to a sex consulatant or other specialist,
as appropriate. After a few weeks, they'd have a similar appointment
with the specialist, who would then prescribe alt.sex or some other
newsgroup as appropriate. They would take the prescription to their
Network Access Provider to get the prescribed newsgroup added to their
.newsrc. To prevent fraud and corruption, all prescriptions will be
carefully tracked by the government in large databases, closely secured
against everyone who doesn't have the carefully guarded top secret
phone number for modem access (202-456-1414). Also, all prescriptions
automatically expire after 30 days. They can be renewed only after
another appointment with one's Primary Network Consultant and the
specialist he refers one to.
FTP, IRC, Gopher, WAIS, World Wide Web, Archie, telnet, rlogin, finger,
and e-mail, may also be made available by prescription, if they are
approved by the Federal Data Administration (FDA). For reasons of
public safety, network services and newsgroups not approved by the
FDA will be strictly banned. Anyone caught owning, using, producing,
providing, or advocating unapproved services, mailing lists, or
newsgroups, will be subject to zero tolerance -- everything they
own will be forfeited to the government, without a trial.
Also, anyone who rents an apartment or gives a job to a suspected
network abuser will be subject to zero tolerance. Of course, this
being a free country, nobody will actually be sent to prison without
a fair trial. Since nobody who's accused will be able to afford an
attorney, the government will provide them with an attorney of our
choice without charge. And anyone guilty of three offenses will serve
a mandatory life sentence without parole.
Similarly with anyone who writes, posesses, distributes, manufactures,
sells, uses, posts, backs up, saves, promulgates, perpetrates, forwards,
or laughs at, a spoof that makes official government policies or
proposals look ridiculous.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
LEGION OF DOOM T-SHIRTS!!
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.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Computers and the Second Amendment: An Opening Volley
By Carl Guderian (bjacques@cypher.com)
A friend and I were talking the other night about needing to defend
oneself against one's own government. He was talking about guns; I was
talking about encryption. We were talking about the same thing. I read a lot
of debates in which the arguments for restricting computing are strikingly
similar to those for gun control. Am I the only one who sees the parallels?
It's certainly forced me to take another look at the gun issue.
The last few years have given us all an appreciation for the
Constitution, or what's left of it. Most of the action in the personal
computer user community is centered around the First Amendment, particularly
the rights to free expression and peaceable assembly. We've also had our
noses rubbed in official disregard for the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth
Amendments. All of this has been (and is still being) discussed elsewhere.
Tonight's topic is the Second Amendment, the people's right to keep and bear
arms (a well regulated militia being essential to the security of a free
state), in relation to personal computers and private networks.
Until recently, I didn't give much thought to the gun issue, since I
don't own a gun and probably won't be getting one anytime soon. Unless I
move to Arizona, I can't pack heat everywhere I go, so I probably won't
have a shooting iron handy when I really need it to shoo away a mugger if I
run into one. The best way for me to win such an encounter is to prevent it
from ever taking place. According to Sun Tzu, a battle is won or lost
before it is ever fought. I don't hide out in the suburbs, but I don't
stroll down Main at midnight with my wallet hanging around my neck, either.
Weapons are better than nakedness, but wits are better than
both. The existence of priests and businessmen proves it. So much for that.
Freedom of computing, it now turns out, has a lot in common with the
citizen's right to own a gun. Both rights are being attacked in a similar
manner.
Proponents of restrictions love to wave a bogeyman in our faces to get
us to blindly go along with their hastily cooked-up bills. George Hennard
helped a bill restricting "assault" weapons get more attention than it
deserved. Likewise, Sen. Joe Biden touts Senate Bill 266 as protection from
crazed hackers who might trigger World War III or, worse, steal corporate
secrets and sell them to the Japanese. And let's not forget the drug
kingpins who might keep their communications secret from the Law. As a law-
abiding citizen, you've got nothing to hide so this doesn't affect you
<grin>.
S.B. 266 essentially mandates a government backdoor into any encryption
scheme marketed for public use. Secrecy becomes the exclusive domain of the
government and its partners, such as corporations doing work of vital
military or economic importance. The rest of us have to endure possible
casual surveillance or be proscribed for daring to keep secrets from Uncle
Sam.
Not just no, but No, Goddammit! Privacy is scarce enough as it is.
Every day my file gets passed around the federal and corporate nets like a
cheerleader at a frat party. Cheap, widespread encryption is one of the few
physical methods available for enforcing privacy, just as in the private
ownership of guns kept the government honest in the past. Encryption is a
window blind pulled down in the face of the hotel dick.
"A well-regulated militia necessary to the security of a free State,
the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."
Historically, citizen ownership of guns has been useful for repelling
invaders, enforcing Manifest Destiny, and keeping central government from
getting too many ideas about control. There have been some problems in the
past. The Whiskey Rebellion, Shays' Rebellion, and Quantrill's Raiders spring
to mind, but no one has seriously considered disposing of the Second
Amendment. The last real invasion was in 1815 and we've killed off most of
the Indians, so what does that leave?
Guns in the house are no match for a government determined to do you
ill (though they may slow down a death squad). That's probably why
Republicans can lust for control over everyone else yet fight gun control.
Even the Tuff-On-Crime bill making it's way through the pipeline has no real
provision for gun control (it may, however, okay warrantless searches made
in "good faith" and further weaken habeas corpus). Republicans know as well
as anyone else that guns are small potatoes when someone else has all the
money and information.
Rights, even those guaranteed by the Constitution, are really
guaranteed only to the extent that they are hard for a government to
violate. Early Americans were either well-armed or westward bo
und, qualities needed in citizens opening a new frontier. However, the 1900
census found America with no more frontiers; there was no more West to go to.
The previous census, in 1890, was the first automated census, using punched
Hollerith cards to perform a ten-year job in six weeks. For the first time,
the government could use machines to track its citizens' movements. Control
began where the frontier ended. Modern American history has been a running
battle between individual rights and government control.
Cheap, widely available data encryption is one of two new developments
that are tipping the scales in the citizen's favor. Explosive growth of
computer network use (the number of Internet users grew by 90% last year) is
the other, enabling small groups to get the political jump on big ones by
getting vital information over the wire quickly to just about anyone who
needs it. Data encryption enforces privacy by keeping your e-mail from
prying eyes. It represents the first physical
means of keeping the Fed's nose out of your private business.
It's too bad encryption is not widely used outside of businesses.
Because so few people use encryption, agencies such as the NSA have an easy
job of spying on American citizens. I'm not giving away any secrets, but
here is how I would do it. Though it's theoretically possible to parse
every phone conversation and data transmission, doing so is a waste of
resources. Profiling and other tools tell an agency which 10% of the
population is the real threat (90% of the threat comes from 10% of the
population). Encryption used by other than corporations and government
agencies is considered suspect and bears cracking by agency supercomputers.
Fortunately for the NSA, unofficial secure traffic is not very large.
However, this could change if, say , companies marketed secure
communications as an alternative to the postal system (Feds can't open your
e-mail, but you can't fax drugs eitherDlife is full of tradeoffs), or
Americans started using encryption as a matter of course just because it's
s imply none of the government's damned business what a private citizen
does if he or she is not the subject of an actual criminal investigation
(instead of a fishing expedition). Either or both of these developments
would severely tax the government's ability to casually spy on its own
people. It might even force the Feds to wonder if it's really worth it.
Maybe.
A problem with encryption is that there are very few good schemes out
there. The DES algorithm is best known, but it was created by the NSA. No
comment. The RSA (Rivest-Shamir-Adelman) algorithm is superior to DES, but
MIT owns it and licenses cost money (DES is free). There is supposed to be
a freeware package based on or comparable to RSA, but it could also be NSA
suckerware. It's easy to get paranoid about this. A bigger problem with
encryption is that most Americans don't value privacy enough to make the
extra effort to secure their communications.
The government may or may not be systematically running small networks
and bbs's out of business by busting them right and left. That's open to
debate. The No Such Agency is almost certainly tapping their lines,
though. In the short term, it would be stupid not to. That is its job. In
the long run, though, this speeds the collapse of the Republic by dangerously
concentrating power.
Power tends to accumulate. The more power one group has, the more it
can get. Eventually, one group gets too much of it and spends most of its
time securing it at the expense of others, whether it needs to or not
(eventually it needs to). The firs t impulse of one of the other groups is
to usurp the power from the first group, all with the highest of motives, of
course. This leads to exactly the same problems. The only way to prevent an
endless succession of power grabs is to disperse power as widely as
possible, among people interested in limiting it for everyone. This is where
checks and balances come in. "All power to the people (soviets)" is a
disastrous substitute, as (thankfully) other people learned in 1798 and
1917. All of this is explained at length and more clearly in On Power: Its
Nature and the History of its Growth, by Bertrand de Jouvenel (Viking Press,
New York, 1949). The book is long out of print, but it's well worth your
while to check it out and photocopy it somewhere. Other good references
include Democracy in America (1835) and The Old Regime and the
French Revolution (1856), both written by Alexis de Tocqueville. You can find
those at a used bookstore.
Theory aside, it can be shown that a people completely dependent on
their government for security lose their ability to come to that
government's aid in times of external danger. At that time, the people
further drain those resources by requiring protection from themselves. The
less capable a people become, the more fearful they get, eventually voting
in a police state. Hitler was elected.
Computer users face similar dangers. Additionally, economics play a
large role. A person with a computer is a nearly self-sufficient engine of
wealth. Economic competition is constant. Denial of personal rights to
privacy of information removes the individual's ability to protect an idea
before bringing it to the market. Computer users are thus unable to create.
All they can do is consume or, at best, labor for someone else.
Entrepreneurs and small business owners, both key agents of pr
ogress , are effectively locked out. A nation of employees economically
dependent on bosses is an economic nonstarter. Freedom of computer use and
the right to privacy are thus essential to the economic security of a free
state.
The kind of power bestowed by guns, personal computers and absolute
data privacy implies a need for a personal sense of responsibility. Both
viruses and encryption programs are far easier to make and distribute than
plastic Glock-11 automatic pistols. Some sort of regulation is required.
This is where the "well-regulated militia" part of the Second Amendment
comes in and this is the most difficult part of the issue.
My definition of a "well-regulated militia" falls somewhere between
the NRA and the National Guard. If there were an NRA for computer network
users I'd probably be in it. I think the stakes are higher with computers
than they are with guns. I want to see more people with computers and
modems, to ensure the widest possible dispersal of computing power. For
this to work, all users should be made aware of the power and
responsibility of owning a computer ("Only a madman would give a loaded
revolver to an idiot"DFredric Brown). If there are kids in the house, they
must be taught to respect guns and computers as early as possible. In a
well-defended, well-connected house, one can live without fear. Only then
can a citizen look past the distracting horrorshows put on by the
politicians and pundits to hide the real issues. Who will see to it that
responsibilities accompany rights? Part of the answer, believe it or not
comes from the government. Laws already exist to cover most serious crimes
committed with a computer.
Where the law is insufficient, professional/lobbying groups such as the
Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Computer Professionals for Social
Responsibility, and the Association for Computing Machinery are helping to
draw up new laws to deal with new kinds of crimes. It's early in the game,
but the above organizations seem to be working for fairness.
For the control addicts in government, this may not be enough. Tough.
Computer user organizations are working hard to approach government the way
we all were taught to do it in high school civics, and they seem to be
making it work. Can the EFF, CPSR, or the ACM control hackers? Of course
not. That's what the law is for (demographics suggest that the rapid growth
of network use will not be accompanied by an equally rapid rise in hacking
incidents. The hacking scene is maturing with the rest of the population.
Most hacker heroes are born-again capitalists who might make even better
role models as long as they don't forget where they came from).
Computer user groups educate while seeking to disperse power, which the
NRA also does to some extent. The EFF especially tries to reach out to
potential allies by demystifying computer technology for nonusers and even
the cops. Let's face itDthe nervous man with the gun is not going to go
away, so we might as well try to calm him down a little.
Finally, computer network users have their talents to use as
negotiating chips. A government that refuses to respect their rights will
lose their economic cooperation. The network-based economy makes an Atlas
Shrugged-style withdrawal very feasible. The government will have its
illusion of control while computer users work ordinary jobs while
moonlighting in the Netherlands and piling up ones and zeroes (Swiss francs)
in Brunei, all in the comfort of one's suburban home. The result will be an
Italian-style economyDlackluster on the surface and lively underground.
Germany lost the A-bomb by chasing out a half-dozen geniuses in the
Thirties. If America wants to be a player in the global economic contest, it
needs to treat its citizens with respect.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
HOW TO SURVIVE THE FIRST YEAR OF LAW SCHOOL
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS
by Mike Godwin (mnemonic@eff.org)
(Copyright 1988,1992. This article may be freely distributed on any
computer forum, including commercial online services. To reproduce it
in print or in any other non-computer medium, please seek permission
from the author.)
You went to a decent college, you scored well on your Law School
Admission Test, and you ranked in the top 10 percent of your class. So,
now that you're here at The University of Texas School of Law, you can
look forward to an unbroken string of acadernic successes, right?
Not so fast. No matter how easy you found undergraduate school to be,
law school is a different story. And the sooner you learn that, the
better your chances of coming out of the law-school game a winner.
First, disabuse yourself of any notions about your natural academic
superiority. Sure, you're good, but so is everyone else in your class.
And since everyone is graded against everyone else on a curve, the
chances are nine out of 10 that you'll be in the bottom 90 percent of
your class, regardless of your undergraduate performance.
This means that law-school success doesn't come merely from knowing the
law; you have to know it better than most of your peers. So you can't
be complacent.
If you start heeding the following hints early in your first semester,
they'll improve your chances of hot job offers...and maybe even an
editorship on the law review.
Class Participation
If you saw the movie "The Paper Chase" (and odds are that you did, or
you wouldn't be here), you probably know that large classes in law
school normally are run by "the Socratic method." Rather than
lecturing, the professor will assign some reading for the day and
conduct the class by asking students questions about the material.
Watching the movie, you probably got the impression that the best
law students are those who are eager and able to answer the
professor's questions. Don't be fooled. Glibness and self-possession
in class are only roughly correlated to exam performance, and your
grades are based almost entirely on final exams, not on your
quickness in the classroom. Because the finals are graded
anonymously, the professor won't even be able to link your
classroom participation with the exam.
It's far wiser to spend your time mastering the principles behind
each case you read rather than memorizing its facts. If you try the
latter tactic, your brain will be too muddled with facts at exam time
to allow you to apply the law. Don't worry about the inevitable
instances in which a professor tries to embarass you for knowing
less than he does. (I refer to the professor as "he" because almost all
UT law professors are male. Most are white, too). You can get your
revenge by earning an honors grade in the course.
Class Preparation
Keep up with the assigned reading. Onerous though the reading may
be, it's easier to keep up than to catch up. And reading the cases for
the day will enable you to answer most of the questions any
professor tries to throw at you.
If for some reason you do get behind on the reading, however, don't
panic. This happens to some of the best law students. Attend class
anyway, even if you haven't read that day's class materials. The
professor's Socratic questions will clue you in to the issues he expects
you to know for the exam.
Professors
Some law professors are frightening; others are charming.
Ultimately, however, their personalities don't matter very much.
Whether he likes you or not, each professor will grade your exam
according to the curve. There's no such thing as an "easy" law course,
although you may find some lectures more tolerable than oothers. If
the material is easy for you, it may well be easy for everybody, so the
curve can get you anyway.
While some law professors make a pretense of keeping office hours,
most of them don't really want to see you outside the classroom, a
milieu they prefer because that's where they have all the control.
Any question you want to ask a professor probably can be answered
by a "hornbook" (legal treatise) anyway, and library is full of
hornbooks.
Don't expect too much sympathy from your professors. After all, law
school is a game they've *won.* They may have some sort of abstract
pity for the poor contracts student who's agonizing over Sec. 2-207 of
the Uniform Commercial Code, but under no cirumstances will you be able to
persuade them to change your grade.
Briefing your cases
The rule here is "Condense, condense, condense." Nothing's more
pathetic than the law nerd whose brief is longer than the case
excerpt in the casebook. Remember this rule: Each case has one or
two main ideas. Find them, and you'll have what you need to know
for the exam.
And good, *brief* briefs can be easily incorporated in your study
outline.
Some professors like to ask tricky questions about the fact pattern of
a case during the lecture, but don't write these details down.
Instead, make notes in the margin or highlight key facts of your
casebook. If you've read the case, you should be able to remember
the facts long enough to get through the class period. And if the
professor stresses a particular type of fact pattern in the lecture,
he's signalling to you a possible exam issue. Note the issue, not the
facts of the particular case.
Buying study aids
Basically, there are two types of study aids you can buy for first-
year courses: commercial outlines and hornbooks. A commercial
outline is a prepackaged, detailed skeleton of t
he material you
need to know for a particular course. There are several brands of
outlines, and each has something to recommend it. The Legalines
outlines track particular casebooks, while the Emanuel Law Outlines
and Gilbert Law Summaries are more general, although they will
include many of the cases in your casebook.
You may find it best to buy Legalines outlines for each of your
courses except contracts. (The UT professors who wrote the contracts
casebook designed it in a way that makes it difficult to produce a
commercial outline for it.) Then you can supplement the Legalines
with general-purpose outlines like Emanuel's and Gilbert's for
courses you're having trouble with. Be aware that occasionally the case
summaries and discussions in the commercial outlines are *mistaken*--
let your professor and your classmates supplement your take on a given
case or issue.
Some students buy "hornbooks" for particular
subjects, but for a first-year student the treatises often go into too
much unnecessary detail. Theyre also very expensive, and in general
it's best not to buy them; but you may want to make an exception for
contracts, which many students find a particularly subtle and
difficult branch of law. The Calamari and Perillo hornbook is good for
general contract law, while the White and Summers hornbook is
necessary for a thorough understanding of the parts of your
contracts course that deal with the Uniform Commercial Code. You
may also want to consult UT Professor Charles Alan Wright's treatise
on the law of federal courts for your civil-procedure class.
Finally, if you signed up early for a bar-review course (believe it
or not, some people do this during their first year), some bar-review
courses will allow you to "check out" their reviews of black-letter
law.
Study Groups
Try to get into one. When you find a likely group, make sure that
most of the people in the group are dedicated enough to stick with it.
Discussing difficult ideas with other law students is a good way of
making sure you understand them. In general, study groups work
best with about five people, with each person concentrating on one of
the five first-year courses you'll be taking each semester. If you
have a choice about which course to concentrate on, choose the
course you think you'll find most difficult; your responsibility to
your friends in the study group will give you an added incentive to
master that material.
Computers
Buy a computer--you can purchase them at near-wholesale cost at
the Texas Union MicroCenter on 21st Street. Only if you own a
computer will you be able to produce and edit a legible course outline
in a hurry. You'll need two types of software: a good word
processing program to help you with the briefs and memos you have
to produce for your legal research and writing seminar, and an
outline program to produce the course outlines you'll need for exams.
(Some word processors include outlining capability--in general, those
word processors are not as good at outlining as programs designed for just
that purpose.)
If you buy a Macintosh, the outlining software of choice is MORE; if you
own an IBM PC, buy Thinktank or Grandview.. Both products are available
at local computer stores.
Exam-taking strategy
Your heart's beating rapidly, your palms are sweaty, and your mind is a
blank. Yes, you're taking your first law-school exam. How on earth do
you handle those exam questions?
The first thing to remember is that all law-exam questions are more or
less alike. Each describes an invented and often quite complex situation
that, had it occurred in real life, would probably generate one or more
lawsuits. Following the fact situation is usually a question or
instruction such as "Describe the potential legal claims and liabilities
of each party."
Your best strategy, when you outline your answer, is to pretend you're
the lawyer for each party in turn. Pretending to be Smith's lawyer,
quickly list all the legal principles from your course outline that
could advance Smith's case against Jones. Now play the part of Jones'
lawyer how would you answer each of these legal arguments or claims? What
counterclaims could you use against Smith? What will Smith say in
response to your responses? What other parties in the fact situation
could sue or be sued? And so on.
Inevitably, you'll see some obvious legal issues in the fact pattern.
You have to deal with them, of course, but don't make the fatal mistake
of assuming that by handling the obvious or major issues you've written
a good exam answer. After all, your peers probably share your gift for
seeing the obvious.
So, how do you make sure you catch the subtle issues as well as the
straightforward ones? When you're preparing for the exam, condense your
outline into a checklist of one- or two-word shorthand expressions for
legal principles. Memorize the checklist, and recite it in your head
each time you pretend to be the attorney for one of the parties. (Better
yet--write it down on your scratch paper at the beginning of your exam
as soon as you're allowed to start writing, before you even read the
first question. The checklist will remind you of issues you'd otherwise
overlook.
Practice Exams
Besides creating a legal-issues outline, the best way to prepare for
exams is to take practice exams. Almost all professors keep their old
exams on file in the lbirary. After you've done the bulk of your study
outlines, photocopy your professors' exams from the last couple of
years. Then sit down with a friend and practice outlining exams answers
based on the old questions. Don't bother writing a full exam answer!
Time yourself, and give yourself about as much time to outline each
answer as you would during a real exam. YOu should budget about a third
of the time you're given to answer an essay question for outlining your
answer (e.g., 20 minutes for a 60-minute question).
After each question, compare your outlined answer with your friend's.
He or she will have seen some points you missed, and vice versa. This
pinpoints issues you may tend to overlook during the real exam.
Other matters
Four of your first-year law courses -- contracts, torts, civil procedure,
and property -- will last your entire first year. You'll also take two
semester-long courses: criminal law in the fall and constitutional law
in the spring.
Thus, if you have to concentrate on any particular exam during winter
midterms, concentrate on criminal law; that's the only exam you'll take
in your first semester that counts as a grade for an entire course.
Conversely, the exam for the three-hour constitutional-law course in the
spring will count less toward your average than the exams for your
year-long courses, which are each worth five or six hours' credit.
Don't get too competitive. It's the friends you make during your first
few months as a law student who'll help you get through the year. Don't
be deluded into thinking that other students are the enemy; they're not.
It's the system you've got to beat, and you can do it with the right
attitude. A vicious competitive streak, however, tends to undermine
your karma in the long run.
Finally, try to enjoy yourself. The law really can be fun to learn if
you let yourself relax. Most people who make it through the first year
look back at it as a time of rapid intellectual growth and the building
of mental discipline. Don't regard law school as just the
stepping-stone to a career. A law-school education has value in itself
-- it will teach you a lot about what makes our society tick.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
NOTES FROM CYBERSPACE
2nd Edition
Notes From Cyberspace will be a feature of every issue of this publication.
They are little tidbits, notes, comments, etc... from people like you.
If you have any comments, we certainly encourage you to send them in.
(comments@fennec.com)
============================================================================
NOTES FROM CYBERSPACE - ARTICLE 1
By Rodney Perkins
Subject: THEY ARE OUT TO GET YOU! A piece of POST-LOGIC.
Is that tuna fish I smell? No, its the CONSPIRACY. As avid readers of this
magazine probably already know, the conspiracy has tried to use its poison
tentacles to steal eggs from our snake pit. For now, our eggs are safe. One
day, however, they might try it again. We will be there, knife in hand,
ready to chop off their offending appendages. Yes, they will probably try
to squirt their government ink in our eyes but we will continue to fight
with the weapons given to us by (insert savior here). We must take a stand
against the pervasive eye of the conspiracy's octopi (yes, it rhymes). You
must ask yourself "What can I do to help stop this reign of tyranny from
the unseens and the who-whats-its?" You must continue to fight against the
shickelgrubers, the boot boys and the LOGIC-WEAVERS! You must never fall
for LOGIC, you must always use POST-LOGIC (real men always think in POST-
LOGIC). Confusion and ambiguity are the weapons in this war. Turn their
MEDIASPEAK, GOOBLEDYGOOK and BAFFLEGAB against them! Weave great webs of
Orwellian nightmare language! Master the art of circular logic! When they
ask you what you believe, tell them "I believe what you believe. Just don't
practice it". Are you confused yet? Good! You get "it"!
===========================
NOTES FROM CYBERSPACE - ARTICLE 2
By John Logan (ice9@bga.com)
Subject: ON THE SUBJECT OF GOVERNMENT...
Welcome to a new age! Yes this is a world where technology has hit an all
time high. It seems there is no other way to go but up. Funny, that
includes taxes, cost of living, and trouble in government. Yes, this is the
day and age that we are subjected to, by our wonderful president Mr. William
Jefferson Clinton, successor to the New World Order... Most Americans are
probably still wondering "Just what is this 'New World Order?'" Well, lets
talk about that:
The New World Order is a product of the Trilateral Committee, made up of the
World's key leaders. In this form of government, the entire world will be
broken up into 3 'Nation States': Europe, The Asias, and The Americas.
The worlds decisions will be made by the 'elected' presidents of each nation
state. The entire world will be on a common market with a universal currency.
I'm sure we have all heard of - the 'credit.' Yes for years we have been
getting oriented to this system, whether in movies, or by our banking system.
Well, in the near future, there will be very few private banks, we will
store our credits (for a small fee) in the World Bank. We will be forced to
carry around credit chips that, when inserted into a machine, will access
our account number, list what is to be purchased, and the price. Forget
about tax evasion!! It will all be AUTOMATICALLY DEDUCTED from out accounts.
Yes, the new government will be a cross between Capitalism and Communism.
They will know our every move. Business owners will still be allowed to keep
their businesses but they will have to pay exorbitant taxes. State security
will be at an all time high. There will be no middle class. Citizens will
be either very rich or very poor. The machine has already started. Our
wonderful government does not want a car on the road that is over 10 years
old. A bill has already been passed limiting parts for the cars that fit in
this 'danger zone.' It is now impossible to get manufacturer parts for
these cars. If you have a problem, you must use after-market parts and hope
that it fits specifications. Todays cars are built to last 10 years or less.
Its a sad thing that more people do not understand what is coming down the
proverbial 'road.' The governing machine is going to run right over the
common people like a steam roller. People won't even know what happened.
Take a look around! The New World Order is not nearly as wonderful as our
government would like us to think. Don't worry, it won't be long and we won't
have to worry about what they want us to think. They will soon control that
too! WE HAVE BEEN WARNED. NOW ITS TIME TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!
=============================
NOTES FROM CYBERSPACE - ARTICLE 3
By Dan Wilson
Subject: Fight the Power!
As I sit here writing this, I can't help wondering what the hell is going on.
Why is it that every time a group a people find some new freedom or form of
expression, the government steps in to suffocate it? Just look at the
National Endowment for the Arts controversy or the PMRC. Why must a small
group of paranoid people try to force their fears down all of our throats?
I must admit that when these things first began happening, I just sat by
thinking to myself that it was a crock of sh*t without doing anything about
it. It didn't strike close enough to home for me to get involved. Recently,
however, there's been a series of events that have struck close to home and
have forced me to take action. The events to which I'm referring are none
other than the government's recent attempts at bringing the computer world
to justice (as they define it, of course).
It's really disturbing to hear about the methods the feds used to crack down
on "dangerous" users. Unsigned search warrants have been used to gain entry
to homes where all sorts of equipment, computer related or not, was
confiscated while no charges were specified. There have also been cases of
holding guns to children's heads while a raid was going on. What kind of
gestapo tactics are these? Have these guys never heard of the Bill of
Rights? This isn't the America I was told about as a kid; it sounds a
helluva lot more like those "evil" communist countries that I was taught to
hate. The only logical conclusion that can be drawn here is that the
government is very afraid. Why else would they dedicate so much effort to
something they know so little about? These guys don't have a clue as to
what's going on out here in cyberspace. That's the source of the problem.
Here we sit with these marvelous machines in front of us. Touch a few keys
and any information that we want to exchange can be sent anywhere in minutes.
This must seem like a pretty major threat to a government that so often
relies on misinformation and cover-ups in order to scam the public into
believing what it wants them to believe. We can't be controlled like the
media bozos who drone bullsh*t through the idiot box at us. We can't be
censored like the newspaper or the radio. In fact, this is probably the
truest form of information exchange we have available today. That alone is
worth fighting for.
It could also be that they are afraid of a society where people are judged
solely on their thoughts and ideas. We have no style whores here. Race,
creed, color and religion are insignificant and pointless in cyberspace;
they serve no purpose. There can be no discrimination, there can only be
disagreement with someone's opinions. To me, this is pretty close to a
perfect society. It is refreshing to judged on what I think and how I
express myself rather than by the color of my skin or the origin of my
birth. In a society like this, the government cannot play people off
against one another. They have no ground on which to stand. Perhaps it's
this lack of footing that makes them nervous. Whatever it is, it's got them
thinking that they need to put a stop to it and "bring it under control".
We are a far too dangerous force for them to just ignore. This fact should
be remembered and taken advantage of, information is the key! Less than an
hour ago, I posted issue number six of this magazine on Internet along with
messages urging others to read it. In a matter of minutes it was all over
the world. Maybe this will draw others into the fold, maybe not.
Regardless, it'll force them to think and maybe to take action themselves.
@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@
NOTES FROM CYBERSPACE - ARTICLE 4
By Anonymous Attorney
Subject: POCKET LAW...Quick Reference Card
Hey, copy this down and keep it in your wallet for those situations where
you might be suppressed by the power-hungry infidels of humanity.
My lawyer has instructed me not to talk to anyone about my case or anything
else, and not to answer any questions or reply to accusations. On advice of
counsel and on the ground of my rights under the State and Federal
Constitutions, I shall talk to no one in the absence of counsel. I shall
not give any consents or make any waivers of my legal rights. Any request
for information or for consent to conduct searches, papers, property,
or effects should be addressed to my lawyer. I request that my lawyer
be notified and allowed to be present if any identification, confrontations,
tests, examinations, or investigations of any sort are conducted in my case,
and I do not consent to any such identification, confrontations, tests,
examinations, or investigations.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
EDITORIAL OF THE MONTH
By Marco Landin
[This article is fiction/humor]
(Excerpt from INdigest, Feb 1994, Interview with
the Elusive and Unintelligible Mfactor)
INd: In your most recent book, "I Don't Want My Children To Grow Up
Around Those Filthy UNIX", you seemed to display a sense of farce that isn't
too commonly seen amongst the Great Internet Poets of the Apocalypse. Tell
us, why do you see the 21st century as the Golden Age of Lunacy?
Mf: [wearing pajamas and Mickey Mouse ears] Well, it's like this. In
the early 80's we perfected the concept of an international communications
database. It was populated solely by research personnel. MIT grads,
military, Elvis. Purely serious study going on. Then, in the late 80's and
mid-90's, there was a practical applications boom, where savvy businessfolk
rolled up their sleeves and sank their elbows into the datastream. Now, as
we near the End Times, we find that the greatest structure ever created by
man -the Internet- is being vacated by its corporate and research personnel
and a whole buttload of social misfits and weirdos are moving in by the
droves. Look at me for instance. No, you better not. Wanna jawbreaker?
INd: No, thank you. Are you saying that the new computer literacy is
making this once rich and fertile forest of intellect and commerce into a
vast mental wasteland where the only thing that stirs is an occasional,
barbed, tumbleweed of a pun based on bathroom jokes?
Mf: Well, yes, and I'm thankful for it! I mean, have you SEEN what
happens to the human body when the brain is used too much? Glasses,
unsocial behavior, a goofy voice, and insatiable masturbatory compulsions
become the trademark of the computer genius. Why if I had to choose between
looks and brains, I'd sure as hell pick looks, cause looks can get you
brains, and the corollary is not as true. I feel very lucky to have both.
INd: In the book, you mention a few extreme cases of individuals who have
no business on UNIX and who yet not only live in it, they can't do without
it.
Mf: Indeed, there seem to be many odd cases. Take for example Cherry,
the erotic dancer from Norway who has an Internet Address. She works out 36
hours a day, dances every night, goes out with friends, HAS FRIENDS!!! And
yet she still finds time to moderate a newsgroup, cherry.pop.tart, I mean,
how does she do that? Then there's the Internet node for the Eskimo Len
Terrorist With Teret's Syndrome Association. What does THAT have to do with
worldwide communications? Then of course, there's the newsgroup
alt.binaries.pictures.bestiality. Need more be said??? The freaks are
moving in as the contractors and architects move out. Isn't it beautiful?
INd: What's your plan in life, Mr. Mfactor?
Mf: In this day and age, making plans is dangerous. That's why I have
several.
INd: Please, share with us your most visionary.
Mf: Moving to Norway and finding Cherry. Soon. Like NOW.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
WHITE HOUSE ELECTRONIC PUBLICATIONS AND PUBLIC ACCESS EMAIL
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
By Stanton McCandlish (mech@eff.org)
Updated April 2, 1994
Table Of Contents
I. Searching and Retrieving White House documents.
- Publications@WhiteHouse.GOV
- WAIS
- GOPHER
- FedWorld BBS
II. Signing up for Daily Electronic Publications.
A. Widely Available Sources.
B. Notes on Widely Available Sources.
C. Direct Email Distribution.
D. Email Summary Service.
III. Sending Email to the White House.
- Internet Direct
IV. Sending Email to Congress
- Internet Direct
V. Submitting Updates to the FAQs.
I. HOW DO I SEARCH AND RETRIEVE WHITE HOUSE ELECTRONIC PUBLICATIONS?
The White House is pleased to announce the establishment of an Internet
address for retrieving White House publications. We have set up an
Almanac server to process requests by email. To receive instructions on
using this server, send a message to:
Publications@WhiteHouse.GOV
In the body of the message, type:
send info
Various additional sites are archiving the press releases as distributed.
What follows is an incomplete list of some of the sites containing the
documents that have been released to date. This FAQ will be updated to
reflect new sites as they become known.
SITE DIRECTORY
1. SUNSITE.UNC.EDU pub/academic/political-science/whitehouse-papers
2. FTP.CCO.CALTECH.EDU /PUB/BJMCCALL
3. FTP MARISTB.MARIST.EDU
4. CPSR.ORG /CPSR/CLINTON
5. FedWorld Online System 703-321-8020 8-N-1 or:
Telnet fedworld.doc.gov
6. GOPHER.TAMU.EDU 11/.dir/president.dir
Notes: The following are notes on how to log in and get
information from the above sites.
1. Office for Information Technology at the University of
North Carolina maintains the full collection of White
House electronic releases available for search with WAIS and
also accessible via Gopher and FTP.
1.a WAIS
(:source
:version 3
:database-name "/home3/wais/White-House-Papers" :ip-
address "152.2.22.81"
:ip-name "sunsite.unc.edu"
:tcp-port 210
:cost 0.00
:cost-unit :free
:maintainer "pjones@sunsite.unc.edu"
:description "Server created with WAIS release 8 b5 on
Feb 27 15:16:16 1993 by pjones@sunsite.unc.edu These are the
White House Press Briefings and other postings dealing with
William Jefferson Clinton and Albert Gore as well as members
of the President's Cabinet and the first lady Hillary Rodham
Clinton, Chelsea, Socks and others in Washington DC. Dee Dee
Meyers and George Stephanopoulos. Other good words:
United States of America, Bill Al Tipper Democrats USA
US These files are also available via anonymous ftp
from sunsite.unc.edu The files of type filename used in
the index were:
/home3/ftp/pub/academic/political-science/whitehouse-
papers/1993 ")
Folks without WAIS clients or gophers that act as WAIS
clients may telnet to sunsite.unc.edu and login as swais
to access this information via WAIS.
1.b GOPHER is a distributed menu system for information access on the
Internet developed at the University of Minnesota. gophers are
client-server implementations and various gopher clients are
available for nearly any computing platform. You may now use
gopher clients to access the White House Papers and other
political information on SunSITE.unc.edu's new gopher server.
You may also add links from your local gopher server to
SunSITE for access to the White House Papers.
For gopher server keepers and adventurous clients to access
SunSITE you need only know that we use the standard gopher
port 70 and that our internet address is SunSITE.unc.edu
(152.2.22.81). Point there and you'll see the references to
the Politics areas.
For folks without gopher clients can telnet to sunsite.unc.edu
to try out gopher access. You need to have access to internet
telnet and:
telnet sunsite.unc.edu
login: gopher
The rest is very straight forward. Browsing options end with a
directory mark (/), searching options end with an question mark
(?).
There's plenty of on-line help available.
2. No special instructions.
3. The CLINTON@MARIST log files which contain all the official
administration releases distributed through the MIT servers
are available via anonymous FTP. These logs contain in
addition to the official releases, the posts that comprise the
ongoing discussion conducted by the list subscribers.
To obtain the logs:
FTP MARISTB.MARIST.EDU - the logs are in the CLINTON directory
and are named CLINTON LOG9208 thru CLINTON LOGyymm where yymm
stands for the current year and month. Problems should be
directed to my attention: URLS@MARISTC.BITNET or
URLS@VM.MARIST.EDU.
Posted by Lee Sakkas - owner, CLINTON@MARIST
4. Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility is
providing all Clinton documents on technology and privacy
at the CPSR Internet Library, available via
FTP/WAIS/Gopher at cpsr.org /cpsr/clinton (and in other
folders as relevant). For email access, send a message
with the word "help" at the 1st line of text to
listserv@cpsr.org.
5. The FedWorld Computer System, operated by the National Technical
Information Service, archives White House papers in a
traditional BBS type file library. Connect to FedWorld by
calling (703) 321-8020. No parity, eight data bits and one stop
bit (N-8-1). FedWorld accommodates baud speeds of up to 9,600.
It is also possible to Telnet to FedWorld at FedWorld.doc.gov.
White House papers are located in the W-House library of files.
To access this library from the main FedWorld menu,
enter <f s w-house>. Files are named with the first four digits
being the release month and day (e.g. 0323XXX.txt). Some
standard abbreviations after the date include:
rem - Remarks by the President
pc - Press Conference transcript
pr - Press Release
AM - AM Press Briefing
PM - PM Press Briefing
sch - The President's public schedule
spch- Text of major speeches.
These files are saved in ASCII format. Files can be viewed
online by requesting to download a file and then selecting
(L)ist as the download protocol. This will display the file a
screen at a time. White House papers are kept in the above
format for up to two months. Papers more than two months old
are compressed using Pkzip into a single file that contains all
of the files for that month (e.g. 0193.zip contains all papers
released during January 1993). In addition to White Documents,
FedWorld also provides a gateway to more than 100 government
funded BBSs and computer systems.
6. Texas A&M University GOPHER Server makes available White House
press releases and other documents. This archive includes
information from 1992 until the present time and is updated
as new documents are released. Gopher users can reach the
Texas A&M server by choosing it from their local server's list
of other gophers, or by pointing their gopher clients to
GOPHER.TAMU.EDU.
After connecting to the A&M server, take the following path to
reach the White House menus:
"Browse Information by Subject" -->
"Political Science" -->
"Information from the White House"
Gopher maintainers and other intrepid souls are welcome to point
directly to the A&M White House archive. The server is
GOPHER.TAMU.EDU and the path is 11/.dir/president.dir.
II. HOW DO I SIGN UP FOR ELECTRONIC PUBLICATIONS BY THE WHITE HOUSE?
The White House Communications office is distributing press releases
over an experimental system developed during the campaign at the MIT
Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.
You can obtain copies of all the press releases from a wide variety of
on-line services or discussion groups devoted to either national
politics in general or President Clinton in particular. These are
listed in sections I and II.
Section IIc explains how you can sign up to receive press releases
directly from the experimental MIT system by using an automated email
server. The present system was not designed to handle high levels of
message traffic. A more powerful system will become available in due
course, and in the meantime, it would be appreciated if you used this
service sparingly. One appropriate current use is secondary
redistribution and archiving. If you use it, you will be carried forward
when the more powerful system that replaces it.
IIa. WIDELY AVAILABLE SOURCES
1. On USENET/NETNEWS, electronic publications are found on a variety
of groups:
Direct Distribution
alt.politics.clinton
alt.politics.org.misc
alt.politics.reform
alt.politics.usa.misc
alt.news-media
alt.activism
talk.politics.misc
Indirect Distribution
misc.activism.progressive
cmu.soc.politics
assocs.clinton-gore-92
2. On CompuServe: GO WHITEHOUSE
3. On America Online: keyword WHITEHOUSE or THE WHITEHOUSE or CLINTON
4. On The WELL: type whitehouse
5. On MCI: type VIEW WHITE HOUSE
6. On Fidonet: See Echomail WHITEHOUSE
7. On Peacenet or Econet: See pol.govinfo.usa.
8. On The Meta Network: Go Whitehouse
9. On GEnie: Type WHITEHOUSE or WHRT, or MOVE 1600
10. On CompuServe, see the Democratic Forum: Go Democrats
IIb. NOTES ON WIDELY AVAILABLE SOURCES
2. CompuServe's White House Forum (GO WHITEHOUSE) is devoted to
discussion of the Clinton administration's policies and
activities. The forum's library consists of news releases and
twice daily media briefings from the White House Office of Media
Affairs. CompuServe members can exchange information and
opinions with each other in the 17 sections in the forum's
message area. The message board spans a broad range of topics,
including international and United Nations activities, defense,
health care, the economy and the deficit, housing and
urban development, the environment, and education and national
service.
3. On America Online, the posts are sent to the White House Forum,
located in the News & Finance Department of the service or
accessible via keywords: "white house" or "clinton". The White
House Forum on America Online contains the press releases from
the White House, divided into the categories "Appointments",
"Budget", "Congress", "Education", "Economy", "Foreign Policy",
"Health Care", "Housing", "Labor", "Law and Order", "Meetings &
Speeches", "Proclamations", "Technology", and "Vice President".
The area features a message board so you can discuss the
releases with other AOL members, a searchable database for easy
retrieval of releases that interest you, a Library for longer
releases from the White House, and a library that members can
upload files of interest for other members.
4. MCI Mail users access daily information on the administration's
programs provided by the White House through MCI Mail bulletin
boards. The available boards are: WHITE HOUSE ECONOMIC, WHITE
HOUSE FOREIGN, WHITE HOUSE SOCIAL, WHITE HOUSE SPEECHES and
WHITE HOUSE NEWS. A listing of these boards can also be
obtained by simply typing VIEW WHITE HOUSE at the COMMAND
prompt.
5. On The Meta Network, material is posted in the White house
conference and is accessible via keywords (matching on document
titles and subject categories) as well as full text search.
Discussions on specific initiatives take place in special
interest forums, e.g. health, technology, and reinventing
government.
9. GEnie's White House RoundTable has been established to
distribute and discuss the official press releases and files
relating to the White House and the Clinton Administration. The
files library holds all of the press releases on the official
mailing list, and the Bulletin Board has Categories set up with
topics relating to all aspects of the Administration and
Executive Branch of government. Letters to the White House can
be entered easily online with a menu option on the WHITEHOUSE
page.
10. CompuServe's Democratic Forum (GO DEMOCRATS) is the Democratic
Party's online information service covering the activities of
the Clinton administration. The sysops of the Democratic Forum
work for the Democratic National Committee, and are directly
involved in managing the forum and responding to online
questions. The Democratic Forum provides access to documents
from the White House Office of Media Affairs, with vigorous
discussion and debate in the message sections about the impact
of the Clinton Administration's policies and proposals. The
Democratic Forum also holds a regular weekly online conference
with special guests on current topics.
IIc. DIRECT EMAIL DISTRIBUTION
If you don't have access to the these accounts or if you would prefer to
receive the releases via email, then this section details how to
sign up for this service. The server is not set up to answer email
letters, comments or requests for specific information. To reach this
MIT server, send email:
To: Clinton-Info@Campaign92.Org
Subject: Help
The server works by reading the subject line of the incoming message and
taking whatever action that line calls for. If you want to sign up to
automatically receive press releases, then your subject line would begin
with the word RECEIVE. You can then specify what kind of information
you are interested in receiving. The categories of information are:
ECONOMY
Get releases related to the economy such as budget
news, technology policy review, etc.
FOREIGN
Get releases related to foreign policy such as
statements on Bosnian airdrop, Haitian refugee status,
etc.
HEALTH Get releases related to health care policy, without
receiving any other social issues. Use this instead
of social.
SOCIAL
Get releases related to social issues like National
Service (Student Loan) program, abortion, welfare
reform, etc.
SPEECHES
All speeches made by the President and important
speeches made by other Administration officials.
NEWS
Transcripts of press conferences released by the White
House Communications office, as well as the
President's remarks in photo ops and other Q&A
sessions.
ALL All of the above
So, if you wanted to sign up to get releases related to the economy
your email message would look like this:
To: Clinton-Info@Campaign92.Org
Subject: RECEIVE ECONOMY
When you send a signup message to the clinton-info server, it sends you
back a status message letting you know what distribution streams you are
signed up for. If you ever want to check on what groups you are signed
up for send the following message:
To: Clinton-Info@Campaign92.Org
Subject: STATUS
*****You can stop receiving email releases by sending a REMOVE message
to the clinton-info server. The word REMOVE would be followed by
whatever distribution stream you wanted to drop. If you wanted to stop
receiving message about the ECONOMY then your mail would look like this:
To: Clinton-Info@Campaign92.Org
Subject: REMOVE ECONOMY
You could substitute SOCIAL, FOREIGN, HEALTH, SPEECHES, NEWS or ALL for
ECONOMY in the above message and you would be dropped from that
distribution list. If you send the subject line REMOVE ALL, then you
will be taken off the email distribution system all together and will
not receive further releases of any kind.
You can also ask for help from the automated server. Send an email
query as follows:
To: Clinton-Info@Campaign92.Org
Subject: HELP
The server will respond by sending you a detailed form that will guide
you through the process of signing up for the various distribution
streams. As you will quickly discover, there is a automatic form
processing interface that parallel the quick and easy subject line
commands discussed here. More detailed help is available by sending an
email query as follows:
To: Clinton-Info@Campaign92.Org
Subject: Please Help!
Finally, if you want to search and retrieve documents, but you do not
have access to the retrieval methods discussed in section II, you can do
this via email through the MIT server. You can obtain the WAIS query
form by sending an email query as follows:
To: Clinton-Info@Campaign92.Org
Subject: WAIS
Once you have identified the documents that you want, be careful not
to request them all at once, because you may be sent a message
containing all the documents and this message may be too big for some
mail delivery systems between the email server and you.
D. EMAIL SUMMARY SERVICE
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%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
REDEFINING THE MODEM USER:
HOW THE MEDIA TOOK TWO PERFECTLY HARMLESS WORDS AND RUINED THEM
By Ed Cavazos
Computer telecommunication hobbyists always seem to find themselves
being labeled by the media in ways which help spread fear and
misunderstanding. For some reason, there is no term in the vernacular to
describe someone who uses their computer and modem not as a tool to
perpetrate illegal activities, but as an electronic link to the world.
Whenever one comes along, it gets used in a way which always implies
illicit behavior.
"Hacker": From Computer Guru to Computer Terrorist
The word "hacker" is already lost. When Stephen Levy's 1984 book
"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution" was published, the word was
used in a way that was devoid of the negative associations prevalent today.
In fact, the blurb on the back cover of the paperback described hackers as:
"Spellbound explorers totally committed to
experimenting with the infinite new possibilities
of the computer.."
And Levy himself (in the Preface) described his subjects as "those computer
programmers and designers who regard computing as the most important thing
in the world." Levy was concerned that some were using the term as a
derogatory one to describe someone who wrote bad code. This innocent
definition of the word could be traced back to the days when MIT Model
Railroad enthusiasts were described that way.
But those days are gone. Listen to what the National Law Journal
(September 16, 1991) noticed:
"...there is a widespread public perception that so-called
computer hackers get their kicks out of breaking into top-secret
government computer systems and wreaking havoc with destructive
programs called computer viruses."
And Katie Hafner a computer crime journalist was quoted in Waldensoftware's
Computer Newslink,( Autumn 1991, Vol. 6, Issue 1) as remarking:
"With the release of the movie "War Games" in 1983, in which a
teenager almost triggers World War III from his little home
computer, the definition of hacker changed overnight. Suddenly,
hacker took on a very negative connotation. Now it's defined in
Webster's as somebody who tries to break into computers."
The media has helped turn what was at one time considered a complimentary
term into something that connotes violence, illegality and destruction.
To be called a hacker today is an accusation. Through misuse, the media is
warping the word even further. When Geraldo Rivera interviewed Craig
Neidorf for his television show "Now it Can Be Told" he referred to Craig
(an electronic publisher) as "The Mad Hacker." Geraldo's loose usage of
the term ignores the fact that Craig was never accused of breaking into a
system, or gaining illegal access anywhere.
Cyberpunk: From Science Fiction to Sensationalism
When William Gibson, Bruce Sterling and other science fiction writers
began writing a new type of science fiction in the 1980's, critics searched
for a way to describe it. They settled (to the disappointment of some of
the very writers they were describing) on "Cyberpunk." The term still
refers to a genre of science fiction. "Science fiction with an attitude,"
is how the April 20, 1990 Washington Post described it. At the stretches of
its usage, it describes a new world view which is composed of a collage of
computers and information, of countercultural electronic expression.
But, as happened before, the media decided that definition wasn't good
enough. When Katie Hafner and John Markoff decided to write a book on
computer crime, they stole the term for their cover. "Cyberpunk: Outlaws
and Hackers on the Computer Frontier" was the result. Now, all of a sudden,
Cyberpunk doesn't refer to a sci-fi or cultural movement, it refers to a
cynical hacker. When asked to describe a "typical Cyberpunk" Hafner
explains:
"They are typically alienated suburban teenage boys who find an
alternative world in computers. Pengo, who we wrote about in the book,
is a pretty good example. He lives in Berlin and dresses in black.
Then again, who in Berlin doesn't? But he was almost a caricature of
himself. He smoked hand-rolled cigarettes. When he worked at his
computer, he had his headphones on all the time listening to
synthesized music. He started hacking when he was fifteen and by
seventeen he started spying for the KGB by hacking over the networks."
(Waldensoftware's Computer Newslink, August 1991)
Even William Gibson, Cyberpunk's founding father, who wrote of
cyberspace and a new society noticed it. "I've been credited of inspiring a
whole new generation of techno-delinquents," he remarks in the February 19,
1989 Boston Globe. If only we could hear Gibson's reaction two years
later, when the term which once described his writing style is now being
used to describe computer criminals.
The word "Cyberpunk" had a real mystique to it. To turn it into a
term to describe the "alienated suburban teenage boy" is to ruin some of
that feel. Moreover, it serves to confuse and concern a public which is
already paranoid and somewhat hysterical about anybody who admits to using
a computer and modem for long periods of time. Responsible journalists
should shy away from sensationalistic tactics like misusing an already well
defined term like this.
The Need for A New Word
What is needed is new terminology. There are a myriad of totally
legal and legitimate uses for modems and personal computers. People do
everything online from perusing library card catalogs to meeting their
perfect romantic match. On BBS's there are livid discussions of issues
ranging from politics to religion -- from art to science. And online
services like Prodigy and Compuserve are watching their user base swell
annually. Soon, perhaps the media will accept a word that describes a
person interested in communicating electronically without implying illegal
activity. "Hacker" and "Cyberpunk" are ruined. "Modem Enthusiast" sounds
too much like a term fresh from the pages of Reader's Digest. Hopefully,
someone will provide us with a new term which truly describes the millions
of modem users who "live, play and thrive" in cyberspace. Until that time,
we can only sit and watch as the mainstream media stumbles along trying to
understand and describe a phenomenon one gets the feeling it knows very
little about.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION OF TEXAS
REQUESTS COMMENTS ON INTEGRATED SERVICES DIGITAL NETWORK (ISDN)
The Public Utility Commission of Texas (the Commission) has
established a project (Project No. 12756) to examine Integrated
Services Digital Network (ISDN) issues. The Commission seeks comments
from interested parties in response to the following questions. If
your answers would differ depending upon time-frame considerations,
please provide answers for each time-frame. Parties are requested to
organize their comments to address the specific questions asked in the
order asked and are encouraged to include an executive summary
emphasizing the main points of their comments to each question.
Comments (13 paper copies) should contain a reference to Project No.
12756 and should be submitted to John M. Renfrow, Secretary of the
Commission, Public Utility Commission of Texas, 7800 Shoal Creek
Boulevard, Austin, Texas 78757, no later than April 30, 1994.
Informal comments may be sent to Ms. Pam Whittington at the Commission
via e-mail addressed to:
pam.tel@email.puc.texas.gov
Or you may call her at (512) 458-0100.
1. To which local exchange carriers (LECs) should a rule on ISDN
apply? Why?
2. Should ISDN-based services be considered to be a replacement of or
successor for "plain old telephone service"? Why?
3. Should all Texas customers and customer classes have access to
ISDN? Why? If not, why not? What policies should be adopted by the
Commission regarding customer access to ISDN? Why?
4. What are the policies which the Commission should adopt regarding
the determination of costs and the pricing of ISDN and ISDN-based
services? Explain why. Provide detailed cost information for each
position if available.
5. Should the manner in which ISDN is deployed affect the price? How?
6. Should the Commission grant regulatory incentives, penalties, or
flexibility in exchange for a LEC's provision of ISDN? Why? If yes,
describe the incentives, penalties, or flexibility.
7. Does the Commission have jurisdiction to compel the provision of
ISDN? Why? Explain the legal basis for your position.
8. Should the LECs be required to provide ISDN services in a manner
that is conducive to competition in the provision of ISDN? Why? If
so, how?
9. What policies should the Commission adopt regarding the deployment
of ISDN? Should the Commission directly mandate deployment, require
deployment to be driven by customer demand, or require deployment in
some other manner? Why? Describe in detail how.
10. Describe in detail how these policies regarding deployment should
be implemented and enforced.
11. If customer driven demand deployment was ordered by the Commission,
should the trigger for deployment be thirty customer requests for ISDN
per central office? Why? If not, why not, and provide evidence to
support your position. If thirty requests is not the appropriate
number, explain what is.
12. Should LEC compliance with deployment requirements be monitored on
a periodic basis by the Commission? If so, explain in detail how and
why.
13. What are the appropriate time frames for completion of deployment
of ISDN in a LEC's service territory and in the entire state respectively?
Why?
14. What are the technological options of the LECs with respect to the
system upgrades necessary to deploy ISDN within their service areas?
Explain in detail how the costs should be determined and reported to
the Commission.
15. Are there any other policies, aspects, technical characteristics,
costs, or obstacles (e.g. switch architecture, software, or SS7)
regarding deployment that the Commission should consider? If yes,
list and describe each and explain why. Provide detailed cost
information for each item if available.
16. What policies regarding ISDN standards should be adopted by the
Commission? Why?
17. To what standards (e.g. National ISDN, ITU-T standards, etc.)
should the Commission require ISDN be deployed and provided? Why?
18. What specific service capabilities (e.g. bearer services,
teleservices, supplementary services, etc.) should be required to be
provided to customers? Why?
19. How should the policies regarding ISDN be implemented by the
Commission? Why? If tariff filings were required, what should they
contain? Why?
20. What end-user applications (e.g. telemedicine, distance learning,
telecommuting, and video conferencing) using ISDN are available? Will
these applications be available using technology other than ISDN?
Should the Commission consider this in its rulemaking? Why?
21. Does Texas need ISDN to compete with other states? Why?
22. Would the widespread availability of ISDN have a beneficial impact
(e.g., through telecommuting, video conferencing, etc.) on Texas'
compliance with the Clean Air Act? Explain how.
23. Are there any other aspects or characteristics of providing ISDN
that should be considered by the Commission? If yes, describe each
and explain why.
Parties interested in providing additional comments are welcome to do
so. The Commission also welcomes data and documentation supporting
the parties' comments. General Counsel and staff will review the
comments and use them in preparing a recommendation to the Commission.
Comments (13 paper copies) should contain a reference to Project No.
12756 and should be submitted to John M. Renfrow, Secretary of the
Commission, Public Utility Commission of Texas, 7800 Shoal Creek
Boulevard, Austin, Texas 78757, by April 30, 1994.
Informal comments may be sent to Ms. Pam Whittington at the Commission
via e-mail addressed to:
pam.tel@email.puc.texas.gov
Or you may call her at (512) 458-0100.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
EXAM PAPERS
[Editor's Note: These are supposed to be actual answers from the tests of
some students. There were no indications as to which grade-level they were
in...but just between me and you, I hope that they weren't college kids.
If so, ...I weep for the future.]
ACTUAL EXCERPTS FROM STUDENT EXAM PAPERS:
- Charles Darwin was a naturalist who wrote the organ of the species.
- Benjamin Franklin produced electricity by rubbing cats backwards
- The theory of evolution was greatly objected to because it made man think.
- Three kinds of blood vessels are arteries, vanes, and caterpillars.
- The dodo is a bird that is almost decent by now.
- To remove air from a flask, fill it with water, tip the water out, and
put the cork in quick before the air can get back in.
- The process of turning steam back into water again is called conversation.
- A magnet is something you find crawling over a dead cat.
- The Earth makes one resolution every 24 hours.
- The cuckoo bird does not lay his own eggs.
- To prevent conception when having intercourse, the male wears a
condominium.
- To collect fumes of sulfur, hold a deacon over a flame in a test tube.
- Parallel lines never meet, unless you bend one or both of them.
- Algebraical symbols are used when you do not know what you are talking
about.
- Geometry teaches us to bisex angles.
- A circle is a line which meets its other end without ending.
- The pistol of a flower is its only protection against insects.
- The moon is a planet just like the Earth, only it is even deader.
- Artificial insemination is when the farmer does it to the cow instead of
the bull.
- An example of animal breeding is the farmer who mated a bull that gave a
great deal of milk with a bull with good meat.
- We believe that the reptiles came from the amphibians by spontaneous
- generation and the study of rocks.
- English sparrows and starlings eat the farmers grain and soil his corpse.
- By self-pollination, the farmer may get a flock of long-haired sheep.
- If conditions are not favorable, bacteria go into a period of adolescence.
- Dew is formed on leaves when the sun shines down on them and makes them
perspire.
- Vegetative propagation is the process by which one individual manufactures
another individual by accident.
- A super-saturated solution is one that holds more than it can hold.
- A triangle which has an angle of 135 degrees is called an obscene
triangle.
- Blood flows down one leg and up the other.
- A person should take a bath once in the summer, and not quite so often in
the winter.
- The hookworm larvae enters the human body through the soul.
- When you haven't got enough iodine in your blood you get a glacier.
- It is a well-known fact that a deceased body harms the mind.
- Humans are more intelligent than beasts because human branes have more
convulsions.
- For fainting: rub the person's chest, or if a lady, rub her arm above the
hand, instead.
- For fractures: to see if the limb is broken, wiggle it gently back and
forth.
- For a dog bite: put the dog away for several days. If he has not
recovered, then kill it.
- For a nosebleed: put the nose much lower than the body.
- For drowning: climb on top of the person and move up and down to make
artificial perspiration.
- To remove dust from the eye, pull the eye down over the nose.
- For head colds: use an agonizer to spray the nose until it drops into
your throat.
- For snakebites: bleed the wound and rape the victim in a blanket for shock.
- For asphixiation: apply artificial respiration until the patient is dead.
- Before giving a blood transfusion, find out if the blood is affirmative or
negative.
- Bar magnets have north and south poles, horseshoe magnets have east and west
poles.
- When water freezes you can walk on it. That is what Christ did long ago in
wintertime.
- When you smell an odorless gas, it is probably carbon monoxide.
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
Interview with Tom Jennings
by Jon Lebkowsky, jonl@io.com
reprinted with permission
Originally published in Fringe Ware Review #1, ISSN 1069-5656.
Copyright (c)1993 by the author. All rights reserved.
For more details, contact: fringeware@io.com
Our FWI prez recently had a chance to chat with Tom Jennings, who commented
afterwards: "Think you can mention somewhere that I'm a fag anarcho nerd
troublemaker/activist? It is important, and to me as well. It always gets
buried. Lots of people like to know, especially scared people with no
images of people who are gay and reasonably functional in some way." Tis
our pleasure to honor Tom, whose work has been so brilliant and so far out
on the Fringe, that when the US gov't precluded computer technology exports
during the Cold War, they basically forgot/ignored a certain fag anarcho
nerd from the Bay Area... As a result, Tom's FidoNet now provides the basis
for computer networking in Eastern Europe, former USSR and most of the
Third World, as well as a extraordinary conduit throughout the rest of the
world.
Tom: This people tracking stuff... what little I know of it sounds very
creepy. I don't want a box that reports where the hell I am all the time,
when I walk in the room, it can tell some local machine I'm there. It's
none of anyone's goddamn business. It's the corporate culture invasion on
real life, like the top 1% who make all the money, and think everyone's
gonna live like them.
Jon: Well, if you're living in an ivory tower, after you live there for a
while, you start to think, not that it's YOUR enviro
nment, but it's THE
environment.
T: Yeah, it is reality, but it's a local one. Everyone they know is like
that... well, they don't know everybody.
J: In a conversation I had the other day with Allucquere Rosanne Stone, she
talked about ubiquitous computing, that computers or computing will be
invisible, it will be so omnipresent...
T: That's what Alan Kay pointed out years ago, that when technology gets
done right, you don't even see it. When you walk in a room, your hand
flicks a switch... how much thought do you give to that stupid light
switch? Hopefully very little. The light comes on, and... Telephones are
getting close to that.
J: Even better, there's some rooms you walk into and the light switches on
automatically, because there's motion detectors.
T: Yeah.
Anarchy In The A-C-K
J: Tell me about FidoNet. As I said, I'm sorta ignorant on the subject...
T: I have a weird point of view on it, of course, having designed it...
February or March of '94 will be it's tenth year. It is a network, a
collection of bulletin boards. It is a loose confederation, and it is
completely and thoroughly and utterly decentralized. There is literally no
top. Most of it's members have a narrow view of it because they have this
particular reality filter on all the time from living amongst hierarchy
addicts. But FidoNet's most basic element is a bulletin board. What FidoNet
is, is a set of protocols that lets the bulletin boards communicate.
FidoNet started as a bunch of bulletin boards, running my Fido software.
FidoNet was added later, to allow point-to-point email between Fido boards.
J: Did you start with just a single BBS?
T: It started with my system. I was writing software for Phoenix Software,
which is now Phoenix Technologies. I was their first employee. I did all
their portable MS-DOS stuff prior to the ROM BIOS they did, which was
partly based on my previous work with "portable" MS-DOS... we were doing
MS-DOS installations in three days, and charging exorbitant sums... and
delivering really good stuff, people got their money's worth, and got it
damn fast! We had it down to an art of just totally portable stuff. So I
had this portable attitude toward hardware, and wrote a bulletin board sort
of based on it.
FidoNet is more importantly a social mechanism. It was pretty obvious from
the start that it was going to be a social monster, almost more so than a
technical thing. And it had to do with the original environment of bulletin
boards, which were around for quite a while by the time I got around to
doing Fido. Every bulletin board was completely different, run by some
cantankerous person who ran their board the way that they saw fit, period.
So FidoNet had to fit in that environment.
J: A very anarchic environment.
T: Yes, explicitly anarchic. Most people just ran them for their own
reasons, and they were just separated by large distances of time and space,
so they remained locally oriented. I just ran across old interviews and old
documentation from '83 - '84, and we were saying it then. It was just...
people didn't hear it, it just went in one ear and out the other. They
think 'Oh, anarchism, that means throwing rocks at the cops!' Well
sometimes, I suppose, but that's mostly a cop's definition of it.
The Revolution Will Be Packetized
J: The sense of the bomb throwing anarchist, I guess, is sort of in the
sense of political disorder...
T: ...which was a specific event in the 20's in San Francisco having to do
with union labor busts. And blackmail... this guy Tom Mooney, a bomb was
planted and blame arranged to fall on Tom Mooney, tossing his ass in jail,
putting the blame squarely on the anarchists.
J: Anarchy has this sorta bad connotation, but anarchy itself is not unlike
what so many seem to want to embrace now. I think the libertarian
philosophy is fairly anarchic, and you find it widespread throughout the
net. It's basically a hands-off philosophy.
T: I think people often take it too seriously, like various anarchist camps
that have more rules than not. I consider it a personal philosophy, not a
political thing at all. It has nothing to do with party-type politics.
J: If it becomes overtly political, it ceases to be anarchy...
T: Yeah, more or less, and I don't really care about what's considered
politics per se, it's personal interaction, how I treat other people and
how they treat me, and my relations to other people, it's anarchism... I
always call it Paul Goodman style, which is the principle that people work
together better if they're cooperating than if they're coerced. Very
simple, nothing to do with goddamn party politics. It has to do with how
you treat people that you have to work with. And that's what FidoNet was
based on, very explicitly. It was sort of laid over the top of a lot of
Fido bulletin boards, and let them talk to each other in a straightforward
point-to-point manner.
Just How Big Is It?
J: Was it just Fido boards?
T: Just Fido at the time, because it required a fairly low-level of
restructuring of the innards, message bases and stuff. And Fido is a pretty
good bulletin board, has been for years, though now it's definitely old
fashioned. I haven't done a revision to Fido for over two years.
J: Are you thinking about doing that?
T: No, I'm thinking about dropping it. <laughter> I've thought about it,
and it's over. So FidoNet started up in spring of '84 with two systems, me
and my friend John Madill and within four months there were twenty or
fifty... by the end of the year, it was approaching 100 by the next
February, in nine months. It started growing really fast. And every single
one was run by somebody for their own reasons in their own manner for their
own purposes, so FidoNet had to accommodate this. And this is nothing
unusual, in one sense. All computer networks are essentially run this way.
The Internet is. There's no central Internet authority where you go to get
a system in Internet, you just put it online, and find people to help you,
register with the NIC [Network Information Center] which is just a
convention for handling names.
J: Sort of ideally cooperative.
T: Yeah, it's quite cooperative, and you don't really get kicked out unless
you technically screw up, or do something massively illegal or glaringly
obvious. Most likely technical, like don't answer mail for a long time.
Most electronic things are like that. It didn't start to take off until
Echomail came by, which was done by this guy named Jeff Rush in Dallas as a
way to talk among Dallas sysops about organizing pizza parties. It's a
fully distributed, redundant database using FidoNet netmail to transport
the records in the distributed database. It's functionally equivalent to
Usenet, they gate back and forth very easily.
J: Can you link FidoNet very easily to Internet or UUCP Mail?
T: There's gateways between [FidoNet and UUCP] operating. You can just set
up the UFGate package... [FidoNet and the Internet] they have totally
different paradigms. IP, the Internet stuff, is fully connected all the
time. When you want to connect to a system in Finland, you just rub packets
with them and they come back in generally under a second. FidoNet is all
store and forward, offline processing...
J: How big is it now?
T: Just short of 20,000 systems.
J: Wow, that's a lot...
T: It's doubled in a year... I think more than doubled in a year. It's been
doubling every year for a long time <laughs>.
QQBEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCKQQ
J: There's a lot of discussion today of encryption schemes, are you
involved in that?
T: Actually, yeah, I use it routinely.
J: Using PGP?
T: Yeah. FidoNet was pretty intentionally involved in getting PGP
ubiquitous the first time around... an intentional, conscious quick-dump of
about 10,000 copies in a week, starting on a Monday, just to be sure that
it was unstoppable, and it spread very quickly. Now there's all kinds of
arguments over whether it's legal, or whether it's going to incriminate me
to use PGP, and the traffic into the network itself...
J: It wouldn't be a criminal issue...
T: People believe all kinds of crazy nonsense.
J: Somebody has a patent on the algorithm, is that it?
T: Yeah, and some people are afraid that if they send or pass encrypted
data, that the police will bust into the house and steal the computer, all
this kind of stuff... FidoNet sprung up fully-formed out of seeming nowhere
into the rest of the computer world. Most people on the Internet have
access to it through schools or industry. They went to school, then they
got a job, and they grew up with maintained Internet connectivity... they
were brought up into the sort of Internet-hood.
J: I think that's changing a bit...
T: Oh, it is changing, it will continue to change, and someday it will be
incomprehensible that it was this way, but as of today, it's sort of how it
is. FidoNet did not come from that direction at all. It came from... the
usual white guys who could afford a computer :-), but in the best tradition
of radio and astronomy, they were at least amateurs, it's truly an amateur
network. It is not professional, as in "profession"... "professional" is
frequently used to mean legitimate, as opposed to amateur...
J: You mean "hobbyist?"
T: Yeah, amateur as a word became disparaging, but we mean it actually in
the older sense, like the radio amateur sense. We don't do it for money,
it's done for the sake of itself. So for the most part, FidoNet members
never had that traditional kind of connectivity, and also didn't have the
corporate culture, and didn't have the computer network culture, so it
basically formed in the dark, on its own.
550 Flavors of Culture
J: Speaking of the word "culture," do you find that within the FidoNet
universe, there's a particular set of cultural predilections? Does there
tend to be a general kind of group or community that uses FidoNet?
T: Well, it's like any of those things, it's really subjective. But, yeah,
there do seem to be, in my travels on Internet and FidoNet, distinct
flavors. One is not better than the other, I can tell you that, culturally
speaking. The Internet people say, "Oh, but the flame level on FidoNet is
so awful." Bullshit. The flame level on the Internet is just as high. It's
in loftier language, five line signatures, and all that kind of crap... but
I'm sorry, it's not any better, it's just different. What it is, is less
alien to them, more comfortable... and vice-versa from the FidoNet side.
It's more comfortable, it's more familiar, the language used and the
acronyms and the smiley faces, all of that junk.
There is a FidoNet flavor, through the usual sociological things. The
people who originally populated it defined this vague common set, and
people who come onto it self-select ("Oh, I like that!") and join it, and
then enhance it, or they're sort of neutral and they come in and they just
absorb it because... you know, you start hanging out with people, and you
pick up their manner of speaking. And there are people, of course, who are
utterly opposed to this, and want to make it professional and some just
don't care, and live in a corner of it.
But yeah, there are things in common, and I have a hard time putting my
finger on what they are. It is fiercely independent, utterly, fiercely
independent. It is viciously anti-commercialization. It has a long history
of some nasty politics, some really enlightened politics, and I think in a
lot of ways they have more pragmatic view, and a better view Q better
meaning more functional in today's world Q than people who haven't had to
pay their own phone bills.
J: Some people argue that you can't have strictly online community, and
others believe that you can. Some feel that there has to be some kind of
face-to-face interaction. In the Internet there has not been as much of
that until it began to become more broadly accessible to regular people...
T: The Internet is still completely and thoroughly inaccessible... I'm
sorry, it is simply not accessible. You have to have a large amount of
hardware or an intimate relationship with someone who does, like you have
to go to school or something. Otherwise you're paying money... and there
are people who fall through the cracks...
J: How about public access Internet?
T: Yeah, but if there's more than 100 terminals in the U.S. that any
average person could walk up to and figure out how to use in less than a
week, I would be surprised. It still takes huge amounts of specialized
knowledge.
J: But the technical side is fairly dense...
T: Oh, yeah... I've been an SWTP, CP/M, DOS hacker and hardware hacker for
fifteen fucking years, twenty years, and UNIX is so intimidating,
arbitrarily difficult to use... a lot of the users have this macho attitude
that "Well, you should have to plow through it, I did." The whole
priesthood nonsense. It's stupid. And the argument whether online culture
is possible or not, that ain't where it's gonna get decided. It either gets
made or it doesn't. I think there are online communities. The people who
are doing it aren't asking themselves, "Are we an online community?"
They're just going about their business. They're not tangible enough to
really get documented except in hindsight, you look back and say "Oh, yeah,
those people are" or "No, they really weren't, when push came to shove,
they didn't stay together."
J: At EFF-Austin we've been a little more self-conscious about it, we've
actually been trying to do some community-building, to try to structure an
online community in Austin where we'd have some force to get things done,
various projects. One of the things we're doing that other EFF-related
groups haven't been doing is arts projects, and in doing those things, in
talking to some of the people who are interested in doing that, I realized
that there are a lot of writers and artists who are hungry to get online.
They know it's there, they'd like to be using it, but they can't get access
to it because they can't, unless they stumble into it, find a system
that'll give them an account. It's kind of like what you were saying about
barriers... but I wonder if, in the FidoNet world, you find writers and
artists using FidoNet to share information and to form arts communities?
T: Well, there's a lot more less-technical people involved, because you can
put a $300 system together, line cord to phone jack. That just means that
the entry level is a lot lower. And it's functional as hell! I mean, So
what if it's slow? 5 seconds or 100 milliseconds, what's the difference to
most people?
All Look Completely Different
J: The link, the network, is strictly for email? Or do you have some other
stuff, file transfer... ?
T: Oh, there's lots of file transfer stuff. In some ways it's a lot more
sophisticated than the FTP stuff from the user's point of view. There's
this thing called the SDN, the Software Distribution Network, which looks
like a conference for files, where the objects are not messages, but files.
And they're stored in a redundant manner, some locally concentrated, some
far away and scattered. It's kind of nebulous, like most network things
are. They do monthly announcements of new files, and most of it's
shareware, or free. You can do things like file attach (send with a
message), and file requests (file fetch via message).
FidoNet doesn't have the problem that a lot of older networks have, with
seven bit channels and all that crap. We have eight bit channels with 32
bit CRCs. We do run into the alien system problems... ASCII character sets
vs. the cyrillic alphabets and all that kinda stuff. Those problems are
about as chaotic as they are anywhere else.
J: How about remote login?
T: No... the systems in FidoNet are radically different. There's Radio
Shack color computers, there's CP/M machines, Apple IIs, giant DOS
machines, giant LANs of UNIX boxes, all running common protocols in a far
broader hardware base than most, even UNIX boxes. There's no unified
operating system, there's a set of protocols, there's 40 or 50 different
mailers, and FidoNet interfaces in bulletin boards, and they all look
completely different. So it's at a much higher level of abstraction than
the FidoNet gets defined at. I bet a lot of the Internet, some huge
proportion, is UNIX...
J: You certainly need some kind of standard to be interoperable to the
extent that the Internet is, don't you?
T: No, where the real compatibility is is the TCP/IP layer, and that's rock
solid, and that's the thing in common. All the rlogin, telnet, and ftp
stuff partly user paradigm, rather than just a set of protocols. It's well,
and fine, and wonderful, and I love it, but it does put a real crimp on
style.
[Ed Cavazos, almost-attorney and vice-prez of EFF-Austin, shows up and
settles in to listen. The conversation continues.]
The Color Of Money
T: A lot of FidoNet is so radically different, you can't get people to
either hear it or understand what's going on, because it's NOT like any of
the others, and it was intentionally not made like the others, and some of
the really basic principles that seem random are intentional... they're in
writing, and have been in writing for seven years. The strictly American
anarchist principles that it's based on are written into the policy
documents.
We actually had in '85, '86, '87 an attempted takeover by a corporation
that was formed from within, it was like a cancer that became a giant boil
on the surface, called IFNA, the International FidoNet Association, that
was sort of a good idea, or a potentially good idea, when we started it at
the 200 node level. By the time it got around to being implemented, at 500
nodes, the world had utterly changed. With 200 people, you can run it like
a club. It was 90% U.S., 90% white guys with computers, and at the 500 node
level, it was about 20% European and definitely, obviously growing. It
hopped the puddle, with systems appearing in South America, scattered, but
you know how that goes... when you get one, then you get two, and then
four, and they start to grow.
We were very naive, and I was right in the middle of it. Some of us learned
quickly, this isn't going to work! But this corporation grew, and became a
501(c)(3), and like all of those things, they get power-hungry, and they
get grabby of territory, and we had to fight it off, and it was fought off
by the constituents of the network... and it was killed off. They had
gained control of the copyright and the trademarks, and they were fought
off. The network, instead of dying, like everyone predicted, thrived.
J: So how did this fight go?
T: It was fought by lawyers and proxy votes and all the usual crap, in a
goddamn hotel in San Jose, was the final straw...
J: Were you a part of this corporation at all?
T: Well, a bunch of us started it... at first, we were brainstorming what
we could do... deals on modems, some obvious stuff. And we'd have a
spokesperson from FidoNet who'd attend the EMA meetings once a year and
represent bulletin board operators and FidoNet members in electronic
privacy things and the technical trade stuff and the obvious things. And
those are still lacking, we still need them. But it was established really
early that everyone not only retains control of their system, but they're
expected to do their part to run it, because there is no one else to run
it. And as simple as it sounds, it's a really radical act to get that
across, so that people don't just sit on their butts. And of course, the
usual 10% does the work, and 90% sits on their butts, but that's fine, too.
Double Plus Plus Good
T: FidoNet's a little odd, unlike the Internet, which has a domain name
system... you say "Connect to toad.com," it says, ".com, okay, over there,
toad... here's the address," and you go after it. FidoNet has what appears
to be a centralized database that every system in the net has, a copy of
this at the moment 2 megabyte long ASCII database, with 20,000 records in
it. And it's updated every week, it contains the full physical and logical
information about the entire network... phone number, system name,
restrictions on use, protocols supported, some ASCII text, like system
name, and city, all that kind of junk. It contains the hierarchical
addressing scheme of the network, and it contains a lot of redundancy.
J: Given that there's no central authority, who maintains this database?
T: A local autonomous unit in FidoNet... First... the terminology in
FidoNet is point-node-net-zone. Points aren't really part of FidoNet,
they're a peculiar thing... a node is the basic unit, it is a bulletin
board or a mail-only site, generally a phone number with a modem on it. A
net is a cluster of Fidos, a cluster of nodes, like San Francisco has Net
125, SFBay Net, 75-80 systems. A node in a net is the basic social
organizational unit. It was designed to be small enough to comprehend in
regular old terms, like we all know and love, clubs and that kind of
group... when they get too big they tend to fragment into pieces, which
become autonomous units, then nets are collected into the real-life
geography of continents.
The North American phone system is alien to the Western European ones, and
they have lots of mutually-alien phone systems. The North Americans tend to
be a lot less political... Zone 1 encompasses Mexico, U.S., and Canada, and
nobody ever batted an eye over it. It's like, "Oh, okay, that makes sense."
In Europe, they're fiercely defensive of the political boundaries, and it's
really silly. Local autonomy was the critical thing to make it work,
because who's going to allow somebody in New Jersey to dictate how they're
going to run their system? There'd be no way to exert any kind of control,
and once you start getting into control wars, you spend all your time doing
that.
So the way the node list is made is that every net fragment makes its own
chunk of the node list, which is a very straightforward task, even though
it ends up being work. They're passed up through regional coordinators who
take these fragments, and everybody gets a copy of everybody else's weekly
list, and each of them compiles a giant list, then they do a difference,
this week from last week, and mail out that difference back down the tree.
So if you chopped off half the network and smashed it flat, it would
regenerate itself. It's a balance of terror, that's what it is. It's a
genuine balance of terror in responsibility and power. What you get for
that redundancy is that no one can cut you out of the network, no one can
declare that you can't communicate.
In the UUCP world none of this happens because the social environment is
much more substantial... universities, Hewlett Packard... Your neighbors,
in theory, can cut you off, and you disappear, no one knows about you, if
you're eliminated from the bang path, no one can talk to you, and that's
it, you don't exist, it's as simple as that.
In FidoNet, and this has happened recently in England... a bunch of
religious fundamentalists by just hammering away gained control of large
chunks of the FidoNet in the U.K., and they started having fits... "Why,
there's perverts on this board, and we're not gonna have 'em in FidoNet!"
<laughter> And they clipped them out of the goddamn list, they removed the
entries from the U.K. list. You sort of noticed they disappeared, but those
people can still communicate, they can mail you their fragment,
hand-generated if necessary, and all the node list processors let you
incorporate private lists, and you can reply back, just like that. No one
can be cut out of the network.
If you start thinking about it, you realize that there are a number of good
and bad side effects from this. Like, if you have some real asshole
troublemaker, there's nothing you can do about it. Like, unless somebody
comes in and pulls out a gun or something, it's kinda hard to get someone
kicked out of a more or less public place... well, [here in] the hotel
would be relatively easy, but out in the street, you've just gotta live
with your neighbors. And the same is true in the FidoNet. You have to learn
to live with your neighbors, and vice versa. The flaming assholes have to
learn how to behave well enough to not be utterly censured. Which is what
generally happens to them... people just ignore them.
There was one guy, he was another fundamentalist Christian nut case. He was
amusing, actually. He was a "true Bible" believer, this was called
pre-rapture, or something or other, some pre-rapture network... he was
persecuted by all sides, and he loved it. He was mailing everybody this
gibberish, pages and pages of gibberish. And there's programs that just
filter out mail, and you say, I don't wanna see mail from this address...
J: A bozofilter.
T: Yeah, basically, it's a bozofilter, we've had 'em for a long time. And
there's also another one that's called bounce... whenever you get anything
from this guy, bounce it back. It appends a bit of text that says "This
message is refused at site so-and-so, have it back," which IRRITATES
people! But it just works out that people, even the crazy ones are social
organisms. We don't really like to be disliked too widely, we like to have
an audience, if nothing else. So that's the underpinnings...
FidoNet has been very flexible technically. When technological changes or
opportunities come by, within a year half the net supports them. In about
'85 U.S.JRobotics very smartly discovered bulletin boards, and they
realized the way it works is, even though there's a relatively small number
of bulletin board sysops, if you're bulletin board caller, who do you look
to to see what hardware to buy? The sysop. And they ask, "What kind of
modem do you have... oh, it must be pretty good if you use it," because
when it's bad, they mouth off to hundreds of people about it.
So USR basically courted the FidoNet, and said "What do you want to see in
a modem?" The first modem they did this with was the Courier 2400, which
was 600 bucks new at the time, or 700 bucks. They offered a 50% off deal,
down to about 300 or 400 dollars, which was a bargain, relatively speaking.
We wanted true flow control, and a symmetrical modem with basic AT command
set, and they did it. It was an instant success. And then they did the HST,
much to most of the industry's annoyance, they did this kludgey proprietary
asymmetrical protocol 9600 one way, 300 baud the other way... they came to
us again, and we worked out more handshake stuff, and started changing
protocols on our side.
FidoNet was originally based on xmodem, which is amazingly similar to
X.25's packet ack, like Kermit, only much more efficient than Kermit, and
very much like UUCP-G, only it's not windowed... block ack block ack block
ack... it's fine at 2400 baud and below, above 2400 baud it was not good.
We had asymmetrical modems that collapsed. So there had been another
protocol called Wazoo around, and it instantly became hot, because it did
protocol negotiation when you started a session, and it could pick ZMODEM
[trademark Chuck Forseberg], which is fully-windowed, screaming fast, you
can run it ackless. You could work the hell out of an HST in ways that
other protocols couldn't. Internet protocols and UUCP-G were just useless,
in other words, the modem was useless for existing protocols. So FidoNet's
historically been very flexible, technology-wise.
McLuhanites: Myopy, My Opium
Ed: Are you familiar with John Quarterman? Have you seen his maps of
FidoNet?
T: No, I haven't seen his maps of FidoNet. [Quarterman did show 'em off
later in the conference.] I talk to him occasionally, I republished one of
his articles in FidoNews a while ago... FidoNews is a weird phenomenon in
itself... a 20,000 circulation weekly newsletter in its tenth year. It sort
of goes unacknowledged... FidoNet has a giant credibility problem, because
it sprang forth fully-formed 'way outside all traditional computer things,
and because it works on PCs and Radio Shack Color Computers (which actually
turns out to be a nice processor, it runs OS9 on a 6809... you can run
multiusers on a $99 packaged machine). It's really some amazing software.
FidoNews was designed in '84 in the first year as the meta-net, to discuss
the net itself, to discuss the social end of the net. In the first issue
was a retired Air Force colonel or something, whining about the military
retirement process, and people instantly said, "This is supposed to be a
technical newsletter, this is FidoNet..." and I said, "No, bullshit, it's
not. I'm tired of just this techie crap. Do you talk on the phone about
your telephone all the time? 'Gee, I've got a great new phone, it's got all
these pushbuttons...' and you get bored very quickly. It's like radio
amateurs talking about their goddamn antennas." Who wants to put up with
that stuff?
J: We've been talking about that a lot. There's three or four magazines
devoted to online cultures, cultures of the Matrix, that focus on the
Internet a lot. Wired is one, Mondo in a real different way, and
bOING-bOING, of course, in a REAL different way. And we realized that a lot
of the articles are preoccupied with the carrier, with the technology for
carrying messages, and not so much with the messages themselves or the
cultures themselves, the sorts of cultures that are evolving.
T: Yeah, they forget that what we're making is a goddamn conduit; it's a
medium, it's not content! A content comes with it, because they're brand
new mediums, they fail a lot, and they need to be developed... all software
sucks, and all hardware sucks, so you end up talking about it a lot, but
yeah, that's not the point.
J: What's really more fascinating is what's at either end of the conduit...
T: Yeah, the telephone proved that. It's actually a way to convey social
information, emotion, that's why telephones worked, you can talk over them.
How many ways can you say "No" with a keyboard? Not very many. 25 or 50 if
you're incredibly ingenious. Smiley faces and uppercase... All the cultural
information is stripped. And a lot of it has simply been access. Those at
the gates determine who comes in. If you own the $5,000 PC...
J: Is that what brings you here [to the fourth conference on Computers,
Freedom, and Privacy), access issues?
T: Yeah, that's why I'm always skeptical of large-scale networks. While I'm
on the Internet, I don't have any pretensions of being... "Why, the world
is connected!" No, one percent of one percent is connected, barely, and the
tools really suck. Through no fault of the authors, they're incredible
works, the foundation to a world. But they're hardly accessible to everyone
in the world.
J: I had to buy my access to the Internet, at first. The WELL...
T: Mine I get because I'm managing a small IP cooperative, and I get it
sort of as a perk to my $400 to $500 salary for what is essentially a
full-time job.
J: Actually, I've been able to pick up other accounts since, but the only
way that I could have got in in the first place was by buying access,
because I'm not really very technical. My interests are more
sociopolitical, I guess...
T: I don't really have any serious problems with the way things exist. For
better or worse, that's the way that all complicated things have been
developed in our little Western history timeline. It takes resources and
effort and energy, and they do spread out, eventually. And they get defined
along the way, they definitely have basic cultural assumptions glued into
them at the very base.
J: It allows a more distributed way of organizing and doing things...
T: We'll see if it's ever as good as the telephone is. It doesn't get much
better than the telephone, when you think about its position in society.
Like Bruce said in his Hacker Crackdown, you notice them when you don't
have one, they're so ubiquitous, they're like light switches. You don't
think of a telephone, it's not an exciting object.
J: I can remember when there was a single phone in the house, and it was a
big deal to have a second phone, which was usually on the same line. And
now I have three phone lines, and one is a dedicated data line. I don't
think I know many people who don't have at least two or three phones in
their house.
T: I'm down to two, and I consider that rarefied... I only need two lines
now, after having six at one point, all these bulletin boards and data
lines, now it's like, oh, a voice line, and a data line...
J: I prefer asynchronous text swapping, but I'm not sure why, maybe a
personal idiosyncrasy. It seems funny to me, because Matisse Enzer, the
support guy on the WELL... when we're having a problem, and we can't quite
figure out how to communicate about it, he always says, "Well look, why
don't I call you up, and we'll talk about it." And I always say, "No, wait,
I don't wanna talk, I just wanna text!" <laughter>
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Originally published in Fringe Ware Review #1, ISSN 1069-5656.
Copyright (c)1993 by the author. All rights reserved.
For more details, contact: fringeware@io.com
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