Copy Link
Add to Bookmark
Report
The WorldView Volume 02 Issue 09
Der Weltanschauung (The WorldView) Origin: AUSTIN, TEXAS USA
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
% %
% T H E W O R L D V I E W M A G A Z I N E %
% %
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
November 24, 1992 Volume 2, Issue 9 FTP: ftp.eff.org pub/cud/wview
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
Published and Distributed By Fennec Information Systems And Consulting
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
Material Written By Computer And Telecommunications Hobbyists World Wide
Promoting the publication of Features, Editorials, etc...
To submit material, or to subscribe to the magazine contact this address:
dfox@wixer.cactus.org
"Let us arise, let us arise against the oppressors of humanity; all kings,
emperors, presidents of republics, priests of all religions are the true
enemies of the people; let us destroy along with them all juridical,
political, civil and religious institutions."
-Manifesto of anarchists in the Romagna, 1878
@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@
The World View Staff: InterNet Address:
The Desert Fox [Editor] dfox@wixer.cactus.org
Subscription Requests dfox@wixer.cactus.org
FTP SITE: ftp.eff.org /pub/cud/wview
@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@
It is the policy of The World View to review any material that is
received by us for the purpose of distribution. We respect the rights of
all authors/contributors under the Constitution of the United States, and
we will honor all requests for anonymity. Any inquiries regarding the
questionable content of an article written by someone other than the
editors of this publication should be directed to the author. A return E-
mail address will be provided if applicable. Reprinting of material from
this magazine is highly encouraged. Please site the source of the material,
and gain permission from the author when refering to submitted articles.
@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1) [[(=- 3rd Annual HoHo Con Announcement -=)]]............Drunkfux/CDC
2) Global Access To The World..............................Dfox
@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 92 07:49:15 -0600
Subject: HoHoCon announcement
Originator: riddle@aahsa.tic.com
X-Submissions: eff-austin@tic.com
To: eff-austin@tic.com
[Updated Announcement - October 27, 1992]
dFx International Digest and cDc - Cult Of The Dead Cow proudly present :
The Third Annual
X M A S C O N
AKA
H 0 H 0 C O N
"WE KAN'T BE ST0PPED!"
Who: All Hackers, Journalists, Security Personnel, Federal Agents,
Lawyers, Authors and Other Interested Parties.
Where: Allen Park Inn
2121 Allen Parkway
Houston, Texas 77019
U.S.A.
Tel: (800) 231-6310
Hou: (713) 521-9321
Fax: (713) 521-9321, Ext. 350
When: Friday December 18 through Sunday December 20, 1992
HoJo's Says NoNo To HoHo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HAY!^@!*%!$1#&! We beat our own record! This year, thanks to one certain
person's complete stupidity and ignorance, we managed to get kicked out of
our first chosen hotel 4 months in advance. Needless to say, this caused
some serious confusion for those who called to make reservations and were
told the conference had been canceled. Well.. it hasn't been. The story
is long, but if you wish to read exactly what happened, check out CuD 4.45.
The conference dates are still the same, but the hotel has changed since
what was originally reported in the first update, which made it's way
throughout Usenet and numerous other places, including CuD 4.40. If you
haven't heard about the new location, please make a note of the information
listed above.
What Exactly Is HoHoCon?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HoHoCon is something you have to experience to truly understand. It is the
largest annual gathering of those in, related to, or wishing to know more
about the computer underground (or those just looking for another excuse
to party). Attendees generally include some of the most notable members of
the "hacking/telecom" community, journalists, authors, security
professionals, lawyers, and a host of others. Last year's speakers ranged
from Bruce Sterling to Chris Goggans and Scot Chasin of Comsec/LoD. The
conference is also one of the very few that is completely open to the
public and we encourage anyone who is interested to attend.
Or, as Jim Thomas put it in CuD 4.45:
"For the past few years, a conference called "XmasCon" (or HoHoCon) has
been held in Texas in December. As reported previously (CuD #4.40), it will
be held again this year from 18-21 December. For those unfamiliar with it,
XmasCon is a national meeting of curious computer aficionados,
journalists, scholars, computer professionals, and others, who meet for
three days and do what people do at other conferences: Discuss common
interests and relax."
Hotel Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Allen Park Inn is located along Buffalo Bayou and is approximately
three minutes away from Downtown Houston. The HoHoCon group room rates
are $49.00 plus tax (15%) per night, your choice of either single or
double. As usual, when making reservations you will need to tell the
hotel you are with the HoHoCon Conference to receive the group rate.
Unlike our previously chosen joke of a hotel, the Allen Park Inn is not
situated next to an airport and this may cause a small inconvenience for
those of you who will be flying to the conference. The hotel is centrally
located so you can fly in to either Intercontinental or Hobby airport but
we are recommending Hobby as it is 15 miles closer and much easier to get
to from the hotel. Here's where it may get a little confusing -
If you arrive at Hobby, you will need to take the Downtown Hyatt Airport
Shuttle to the Hyatt, which departs every 30 minutes and will cost you
$6.00. When you get to the Hyatt, get out of the shuttle with your luggage
(for those who may not of figured that out yet) and use any of the nearby
payphones to call the Allen Park Inn (521-9321) and tell them you need a
ride. It's just like calling Mom when you need a ride home from glee club!
The hotel shuttle will be around shortly to pick you up and take you to the
aforementioned elite meeting place, and that ride is free. If all this is
too much for you, you can always take a cab directly to the hotel which
will run you about $20.
If you arrive at Intercontinental, you will need to board the Airport
Express bus and take it to the Downtown Hyatt ($9). Once there, just follow
the same instructions listed above.
We are in the process of trying to get the hotel to provide constant
airport transportation during the conference, but they've yet to give us a
definite answer. It is quite possible that we will have our own shuttle to
bus people between the airports and hotel, so if you'd prefer a faster and
more direct method of transportation, it would be helpful to mail and let
us know what time you'll be arriving and at what airport. This will give
us a chance to coordinate things more efficiently.
Check-in is 3:00 p.m. and check-out is 12:00 noon. Earlier check-in is
available if there are unoccupied rooms ready. Free local calls are
provided, so bring dem 'puterz. I don't know if cable is free also, so
those who wish to rekindle the memories of yesteryear may want to bring
their screwdrivers. The hotel has both 24 hour room service, and a 24 hour
restaurant, The Nashville Room. Call it a wacky coincidence, but the hotel
bar is called the ATI room and like most of Houston's similar
establishments, closes at 2 a.m. Good thing Tony still works at Spec's...
This time around, the hotel is placing the conference guests in the rooms
surrounding the courtyard/pool area. We are once again encouraging people
to make their reservations as soon as possible for two reasons - first,
we were told that if you wait too long and the courtyard rooms are all
taken, there is a chance that you'll be situated at the complete opposite
end of the hotel, which isn't so bad if you don't mind walking all that
way back and forth outside in December. Secondly, there is no other hotel
exactly next door to this one (the closest is about 5 minutes away or so),
so if for some odd reason all the rooms get rented, you'll get to do some
nifty traveling every night.
Directions
~~~~~~~~~~
For those of you who will be driving to the conference, the following is a
list of directions on how to get to the hotel from most of Houston's major
freeways that bring traffic in from out of town:
I-45 North or South: Exit Allen Parkway on the inside (left side) of the
freeway. Take the Studemont/Montrose exit off Allen Parkway, then make a
u-turn at the bridge and head back towards downtown. The hotel will be on
the right hand side.
290: Take 290 to 610 South, then take I-10 East towards downtown. Exit
Studemont. Right on Studemont, left on Allen Parkway. The hotel will be on
the right hand side.
I-10 West: Exit Studemont. Right on Studemont, left on Allen Parkway. The
hotel will be on the right hand side.
I-10 East: Take I-10 East to I-45 South and follow the same directions from
I-45 listed above.
I-59 North or South: Take I-59 to I-45 North and follow the same directions
from I-45 listed above.
Call the hotel if these aren't complete enough or if you need additional
information.
Conference Details
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HoHoCon will last 3 days, with the actual conference being held on
Saturday, December 19 in the Hermitage Room, starting at 11:00 a.m. and
continuing until 5 p.m. or earlier depending on the number of speakers.
We are still in the planning stages at the moment, primarily due to time
lost in finding a new hotel and getting contracts signed. We have a number
of speakers confirmed (yes, Goggans will be speaking again) and will try to
finalize the list and include it in the next update. We are definitely
still looking for people to speak and welcome diverse topics (except for
"The wonders and joys of ANSI, and how it changed my life"). If you're
interested in rattling away, please contact us as soon as possible and let
us know who you are, who you represent (if anyone), the topic you wish to
speak on, a rough estimate of how long you will need, and whether or not
you will be needing any audio-visual aids.
We would like to have people bring interesting items and videos again this
year. If you have anything you think people would enjoy having the chance
to see, please let us know ahead of time, and tell us if you will need any
help getting it to the conference. If all else fails, just bring it to the
con and give it to us when you arrive. We will also include a list of items
and videos that will be present in a future update.
If anyone requires any additional information, needs to ask any questions,
wants to RSVP, or would like to be added to the mailing list to receive the
HoHoCon updates, you may mail us at:
dfx@nuchat.sccsi.com
drunkfux@freeside.com
drunkfux@ashpool.freeside.com
359@7354 (WWIV Net)
or via sluggo mail at:
FREESIDE DATA NETWORK
Attn: HoHoCon/dFx
11504 Hughes Road
Suite 124
Houston, Texas
77089
We also have a VMB which includes all the conference information and is
probably the fastest way to get updated reports. The number is:
713-866-4884
You may also download any of the conference announcements and related
materials by calling 713-492-2783 and using the username "unix", which is
unpassworded. The files will be in the "hohocon" directory. Type "biscuit"
if you wish to gain an account on the system. You can find us there too.
Conference information and updates will most likely also be found in most
computer underground related publications, including CuD, Informatik, NIA,
Mondo 2000, 2600, Phrack, World View, etc. We completely encourage people
to use, reprint, and distribute any information in this file.
Stupid Ending Statement To Make Us Look Good
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HoHoCon '92 will be a priceless learning experience for professionals
(yeah, right) and gives journalists a chance to gather information and
ideas direct from the source. It is also one of the very few times when all
the members of the computer underground can come together for a realistic
purpose. We urge people not to miss out on an event of this caliber, which
doesn't happen very often. If you've ever wanted to meet some of the most
famous people from the hacking community, this may be your one and only
chance. Don't wait to read about it in all the magazines and then wish you
had been there, make your plans to attend now! Be a part of what we hope to
be our largest and greatest conference ever.
Remember, to make your reservations, call (800) 231-6310 and tell them
you're with HoHoCon.
@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@
Global Access To The World
Breaking The University Barrier
By The Desert Fox
dfox@wixer.cactus.org
It's three o' clock in the morning on any given night of the week.
Most of the free world is sleeping. Office buildings and city streets
resemble ghost towns, not to come to life for another four hours.
The New York Stock Exchange has died...it's final bell sounding eleven hours
ago. A lone security guard is the only sign of life in most corporate
buildings and other establishments. A University on the west coast of
America closed hours ago. However a system administrator responsible for
the resident Unix machines is wide awake. His purpose is to monitor the
hundreds of machines on campus while they process the data entered on the
previous day. His desk is not unusual. It is cluttered with mounds of
papers, a half cup of coffee, and a personal computer. The attribute that
makes this desk different from most is that his computer is equipped with
a direct link to the world...essentially, the ultimate power of computing
at his fingertips. This is the Internet.
From a FTP> prompt, the system administrator types the following:
"aiku.gw.tohoku.jp." In less time that it takes to make a local call on a
standard telephone, the computer has linked to a computer in Japan--4,000
miles away. Suddenly, without the knowledge of a single sole, besides
himself, a stagnant screen on a Unix workstation in Japan comes alive,
spewing out data at speeds unfathomable by the technology of 10 years ago.
The user logs in, and for the next two hours, these computers linked
by a global network will be dedicated to transferring files and information
requested by the user in America.
The scenario you have just digested is not an uncommon occurrence.
Computer networks are the hub of the 1990's technology, and Texas is playing
a major part in civilizing the 'Virtual World'.
The Internet is a global network of computer systems. The major
center for it's usage is Universities and computer-related businesses.
It serves the global computing community with high-speed file transfer
and the eccentric exchange of information of all types. It is estimated
that the Internet has approximately twelve million users, and access to
the net spans the globe reaching upwards of 100 countries. The United
States is the largest "net-civilized" region in the world, with every
state having some type of access to these facilities.
One dominant trend in the evolution of global networking is
the expansion of small "bulletin board" type systems which have the
ability to furnish users with an electronic mail account that is globally
accessible via the Internet and the servers which obtain connections
from it. Usually, this access is granted to the end user for free. However,
if a charge is incurred, it is very nominal. The force that drives
individuals and small companies to provide free access to such a system is a
concept known as "Free-Net". The Internet is sometimes referred to as "The
biggest secret in the world" since access to the network is maintained by
university students, faculty, and employees of large corporations.
The average computer user does not have any way of obtaining access
of any kind if they do not fit that criteria. "Free-Net" has become
a buzword in the network industry. As more and more computer
enthusiast learn about the concept, miniature networks are beginning
to spring into action all over the nation.
These secondary elements of the network are more commonly
referred to as UUCP (Unix-to-Unix-system CoPy) sites.
UUCP machines are smaller machines designed to execute certain code
for the purpose of transferring information between sites in an individual
network. But at the same time, still render the same services that a
conventional bulletin board system does, such as access to files and
local message bases. These sites are not usually linked to the Internet,
as the concept behind the UUCP idea is somewhat deviating to that of the
larger sites. From a global perspective, UUCP sites are small sprouting
branches of a large tree, but accomplishes much of the same tasks as the
larger branches...but to a much lesser scale.
The first UUCP system was developed in 1976 for the purpose of
transferring information between a small number of machines. As the
years past, and technology grew, so did the UUCP concept. A prime
example of the "Free-Net" concept is located in Houston, Texas.
Besides access via Universities, users in the Houston area have access
to approximately ten UUCP sites. The primary "server" of the group is
provided by South Coast Computing Services, Inc. (sccsi.com) This machine
is linked with the University of Houston by a slip-feed. This site does,
for a nominal fee, provide the user with a reliable electronic mail
account, as well as File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and Telnet, which is
the capacity to login to another system anywhere in the world on the
condition that the destination system is on the Internet, and the user has a
valid account. The largest free domain in Houston is named "Freeside". The
server in this domain (rivdell.freeside.com), is serviced through South
Coast Computing Services. And in turn, there are approximately six systems
linked through the Freeside server. Each of these systems (Tessier, Ashpool,
Village, Jack, among others) are used in a "slave" role, as their purpose is
to poll the primary server (Rivdell) as mail and other news comes in from
other systems that are linked directly to the Internet. The creators of
this local village of machines, Stephen Palmer and George Phillips, have
spent many hours and money out of their own pocket to guarantee that users
in Houston would have free access to the Internet via electronic mail
and Internet news (USENET).
As Houston expands using the "Free-Net" concept, other cities
are implementing the same concept for it's denizens. Soon, access to the
Internet will be even easier to procure. It is the long-term goal of many
people in the computing industry to be able to provide access to the networks
to anyone who wishes to have it. From one perspective, it may not seem fair
that the majority of the users of this global village are students and
employees of large corporations. That, in effect, leaves out those who have
the desire to explore and learn about this phenomenon, and can seem like
the potential of the net would be greatly limited.
The success of the Internet thus far can be attributed to thousands
of pioneers from every walk of life. But there are thousands more who have
the ability to help in the expansion of computer networks.
The United States Government has recently made an effort to provide
Americans with access to several databases containing information that
affects all of us. The program is called 'The Gateway To Government'.
Access to this program would provide information regarding the financial
status of every aspect of government, full documentation and status on every
House and Senate bill, information on every U.S. Patent, documentation on
every Federal court decision, executive orders, public statutes, and
information pertaining to research conducted by the government.
This plan is funded with American tax dollars, and pressure to get the bill
passed is being applied by computer enthusiasts, journalists, freedom
activists, among others. The bill has been promoted by the Democratic
platform and efforts to block it's implementation have been attempted by
the Republicans. The primary sponsor of the bill is (D) Senator Al Gore
of Tennessee.
As one can tell, the government can play a large part in the
promotion of access to networks and other information. The networks are
funded by money that ultimately comes from the pockets of working Americans.
But as usual, the two parties have conflicting interests.
"The world's biggest secret" is getting out as more individuals put
their own time and money into expanding the global network with smaller,
less-complex domains that can essentially provide some of the related
services that the large universities and corporations render. And the
premise of the concept, to provide low-cost or free access to the Internet,
will become more protuberant as the need for access grows. Encouragement
of your government can play a large part in obtaining the use of existing
technology and more access to systems that were paid for by the public
sector. I encourage you to write letters to your public officials demanding
action on the pending bills and ideas that would promote education and
access to these networks. By not passing legislation regarding the
distribution of access to the great technology that sits at our fingertips,
the government is prohibiting education and denying people the right to
explore an age-old concept that has grown and benefited us all in many
ways. They are limiting the people from effectively taking part in the
process which governs us all. Technology, like poverty and homelessness
is an issue that impacts everyone. And in order to get a grasp on what is
happening, the American people must take charge and solve the problem.
@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@-==-@
