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System Failure 9
System Failure Issue 9
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we've got a systemfailure. aaanarchist/satire
.----------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| System Failure: Issue #9 |
`----------------------------------------------------------------------------'
Yeah, we're lazy. Pinguino's here visiting, the domain's down (it's being
moved to a new office, and will be back up a few days after the release of
this issue), and we've been slacking off. But here it is. System Failure #9.
Issue 10 will hopefully be out in late March, but if not, look for it sometime
in April. You can now reach us at our sysfail.org address as well as our
regular addresses. Thanks to Anarchist once again for the opening ascii.
Enjoy the issue!
--Logic Box [3/5/98]
When inspiration and motivation hit an artist, back off because you'll be
flooded with a raging explosion of new perspectives and artistic flow. Pent
up emotions and lamentations will manifest into a visible shape. Alternative
Press Expo, Urban Regulators, Scattered Comics, SysFail staff, and my dear
rave family have brought me to this new level of creativity. APE showed me
that comic book creators don't give up, and neither do their fans. Urban
Regulators is now publishing for Penguin Palace and promoting our new
material. Jason Dube from Scattered has inspired me beyond belief, and we are
doing a joint graphic novel using characters from his book and SysFail's new
artistic creation, Dewdle #uno. Chilling with Logic, Cactus, and the people of
the bay area has given me insight into their "characters," so I may portray
them better in my stories. And on the 28th of February I met a female artist
from Germany named Leena who totally dug my art style, and at the same time
reunited with an old friend and brought him back into Penguin Palace (vYrus).
System Failure was going to create a movie and have it ready for DefCon, but a
friend totally flaked on us. He was supposed to provide pro-quality television
equipment and act as one of the main characters in the film. He went to Kansas
to visit a friend with another of our friends, and is completely avoiding us.
If you're reading this: Me and Logic aren't mad at you or anything, we just
want an apology.
Rather than track down a home camcorder, we decided to make a photo-comic
called "B0rk3d," which will be the same story. It will be professionally
printed, -probably- 32 pages greyscale with a color cover on white offset.
This takes us to another problem. I'm pumping out sooo much mad crazy dewdly
artwork that we can't release it all in "B0rk3d." Available now is "Dewdle
#uno" which is a xeroxed compilation of all my System Failure strips and
drawings. Send us $3 (includes S/H and tax) and it's yours.
We also made System Failure shirts. Remember the silver/black/red VGA from
SysFail #3 of the celtic dog? That's on the front of the shirt. On the back is
the poem from SysFail #1 in inverse. The shirts are black, XL. They're fucking
cool. After this batch is sold, we ARE reordering more. I've already got half
this batch claimed for in preorders. They're $21 (includes priority mail
costs) each. If you have any other shirt ideas or special-orders on size,
e-mail pinguino@leper.org.
..xXx..
Penguin Palace: System Failure
PO Box 836853
Richardson, TX 75083
..xXx..
Checks & money orders made out to: Joyce Kolb
Enjoy this issue of System Failure and check out our new comic book type
stuff!@@!~! -Pinguino [3/5/98]
.----------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| http://www.sysfail.org/ |
| [sysfail@syfail.org] |
`----------------------------------------------------------------------------'
End of a Line
by Pinguino (pinguino@sysfail.org)
Internal wars are no longer
snide remarks and petty insults
boiling over within each involved,
hitting players rather than the teams
Groups now a loose coalition
not the family that existed before
eventually the leaders graduated
the newer generation now left lost
ridiculing others for their inadequecies
unforgiving of their own
Qualities which set each apart
merged into a brown muddled puddle
each a renaissance man
jack of all trades, if you wish
and those who excelled shunned to hiding
unwilling to take the responsibilities
of keeping their genre vibrant and alive.
.----------------------------------------------------------------------------.
| CONTENTS |
| SysInfoTrade by Pinguino |
| Understanding Phones by Skrike |
| Pinguino's Travels, Part 1 by Pinguino |
| Gadgets and Gizmos: Intro to Lasers by Secret Squirrel |
| FLIR in Your Future? by Pinguino |
| Using PTC Payphones to Your Advantage by Inviz |
| Computing in the 90's by Skrike |
| Alternative Press Expo by Pinguino |
`----------------------------------------------------------------------------'
<-------+
| SysInfoTrade
+----------------> pinguino@sysfail.org
--System Failure shirts are now available. Remember my red and silver celtic
dog drawing that was a part of issue three? We're getting that
silkscreened on quality black tshirts, with the poem from issue one printed
on the back in white text. XL only. $21, includes shipping and handling. If
you want a "System Failure" or "Thank You For Abusing AT&T" sticker, add a
dollar.
--Pentagon gets hacked by a couple of kids who didn't cover their tracks, and
then they wake up and say, "wow, the internet has security holes! Nothing is
completely secure." Starting at an ISP called Netdex, they jumped to a few
other accounts on the east coast, and used some custom scripts.
According to CNN:
"The boys, who are about 15 years old, were not arrested. One
showed up for school at Cloverdale High Thursday saying he hadn't
been able to do his homework because the FBI spent the night
searching his house, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat said."
--Clinton released a moratorium about the Internet last week that proclaimed
his support for internet commerce.
"There should be no special breaks for the Internet,
but we can't allow unfair taxation to weight it down
and stunt the development of the most promising new
economic opportunity in decades," said Clinton.
He is opposed by individual state governers, who feel like they're being
ripped off by net-based businesses registered in their states who don't have
to pay a sales tax. The day this information was released, stocks for both
Amazon.com and barnes & noble jumped considerably.
--Sun is suing Microsoft over the corporate giant's claims that IE4 is "java
compatible," when Sun says it isn't. Sun's angle on the case is that it makes
them look bad when some Java applets don't work in IE4.
--Wanna take a train ride? In a previous issue, PBXphreak tells us of the
exact proceedure on carding a ticket. Why bother? There's a 2 for one special
going on that some hippy told me about, and apparently if you hang out in
the area and talk to people, you can find a single person going to the same
destination who will write you down as their second passenger.
--Logic and I figured out how to get cheaper Blockbuster videos.. usually I
avoid "previously viewed movies" because I thought they were old movies that
everyone and their mom has touched. Anything that just releases is sold for
around $99.99. That's not always so. Say for example, that I wanted the
movie, "Spawn" for $20.00. I wait for it to release, and the next Monday or
Tuesday I trek back over to Blockbusters and there's a copy in the previously
viewed movies area. This happens because when a _new_ "S" title comes in,
they need to condense the shelves by removing one or more copies of every
other "S" titled movie. Also, if you were a bad evil thief, the magnetic
strip is under the "Blockbuster" label along the side of the movie.
--Check out Toxic Church's industrial CD "Systems Failure," from MTF Records.
We'll be selling a few copies of this CD sometime soon.
--The school system seems to think they can violate our freedom of speech. A
certain individual from #peng, after putting up a domain (yes, an entire
domain) dedicated to expressing his distaste for a certain faculty member at
his high school--all through the description of actual incidents involving
this faculty member, with no fabricated stories--was suspended from school for
two weeks after they learned of this site. The site was at
http://www.raymondsucks.org/ and hosted by Omni-NET Internet Services
(http://www.omni-net.net/).
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Understanding Phones
by Skrike (skrike@ida.net)
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For those of you first entering the "scene," welcome. In this article I aim my
attentions at you who do not understand many basic principles of our lovely
phone system.
All modern communication devices rely on the electromagnetic spectrum to send
and manipulate data. In order to understand how this works, first picture a
wave. A starting point, rising to a crest and then dipping into a trough and
rising again. These waves can be described in 2 different ways; the key
characteristics of an analog signal are made up of this.
Strength, or amplitude of the wave (the vertical distance between a wave
trough and crest) and the frequency (the number of times per second the wave
cycle repeats). Most telephones work by copying the variations of sound waves
generated at the transmitting end onto analog electromagnetic waves, which are
converted back into sound waves when they arrive at the recieving end. The
specific qualities of a sound--its loudness and its pitch, for example--depend
on the waves' amplitude, or strength, and on their frequency, or how closely
together waves are spaced (measured in cycles per second, called hertz). The
electromagnetic spectrum ranges from extremely low-frequency radio waves of 30
hertz--with a wave length of the Earth's diameter--to high frequency cosmic
rays of more than 10 million hertz, with wavelengths smaller than the nucleus
of an atom.
The range of frequencies making up a signal is called a bandwidth. The human
voice, for example, can typically generate frequencies from 100 to 10,000
hertz, for a bandwidth of 9,900 hertz; laser optical fibers, in contrast,
operate over a band off 200 trillion hertz. Because the ear does not require a
vast range of frequencies to elicit meaning from ordinary speech, the phone
company typically allots a total bandwidth of 4,000 hertz for voice
transmission. The wide bands of fiber optics and other high frequency media,
such as microwaves, can thus accomodate many phone conversations, once the
signal has been translated to a higher frequency.
Phone transmissions are implemented by multiplexing. This multiplexing allows
multiple streams of electronic messages to be transmitted over the same
connection in the time otherwise required for one message. Multiplexing is
effected in two major ways: frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) and time-
division multiplexing (TDM). The older of the two, FDM, is used with analog
transmission. The analog signal is impressed on another analog signal of
different frequency--a carrier--altering the carrier's shape so that it bears
the pattern of the message. The carrier frequency generally remains constant;
only its amplitude varies, at a rate corresponding to that of the message
signal.
Since each carrier has a different frequency, carriers can be stacked one atop
the other and sent together over a cable or microwave radio link capable of
carrying a broad range of frequencies; the carriers are then separated at the
other end. The greater the medium's bandwidth, the more carriers it can
transmit, and the more messages it can handle simultaneously.
Time division multiplexing operates by a kind of round robin, employing a
device that scans individual channels in rotation--taking a byte from each
channel and transmitting the bytes in a string, according to a sequence
determined at the outset. In the TDM method, each byte is also condensed so
that many can be sent during the time ordinarilly required for one: Each byte
is briefly stored in a buffer, then released as a series of much shorter
pulses, leaving a space of unused time between series. Into these spaces,
similarly condensed bytes from other channels can be inserted.
TDM is implemented on digital transmissions. It works on a principal simular
to a token ring network.
I hope this helped you a little. More on phones next month.
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Pinguino's Travels, Part 1
by Pinguino (pinguino@sysfail.org)
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Horror stories surround Greyhound. I've always thought there'd be a lot of
homeless people and gangstahs on them or something. I've also heard that the
seats were super uncomfortable. Neither rumor was true. I made it to the first
stop by reading comics, then at that stop I ended up talking to an Arabian
woman about her homeland and the American perception of it. Then, someone
walked up to me who thought he recognized me, but it turns out we didn't know
each other. He was a hippie/raver named Brian who travelled a lot. Turns out
he knows a guy named Jamal whose friend I was gonna go visit. He gave me a
tiger's eye that Jamal had given him on a bus trip. I missed my bus and
switched to another heading towards Los Angeles. I asked the guy in front of
me what time it was, and we started talking. I switched seats to sit next to
him and found out that he was Carey, lead singer and guitarist from the
Swingers!@# I'd read of him in a zine called Spank, so I pulled it out and we
read the new issue together (great zine, check it out sometime). The Shivers
broke up from internal conflicts and he was on his way to Portland to set up a
new band. Keep a look out for it. At Los Angeles, we split and I slept most of
the way to my destination, San Jose. Unfortunately, they had run out of buses
and were running an hour and a half late. We got on some rickety old bus they
had dug up from the bus graveyard. It had really comfortable, big plush seats,
even better than First Class airport seats.
When Logic and Cactus came to get me, it was like a cheesy movie. We ran
slowly at each other and did the group hug thing. I met Cactus's dad and we
ended up at Logic's house. Logic had to go to work, so me and Cactus wandered
around in the rain. When Logic returned, we went to NeWarrior's house
(NeWarrior from #peng, who Logic swears looks like a girl; I don't think he
does). We ended up at some small goth club called the Cactus Club. Basically
me and Logic paid $5 to talk about what SysFail needed for DefCon.
Hasslich came over the next day, and we meandered our way to Berkeley. I think
Cactus scared Hasslich, cuz we haven't seen him since. =) The campus was
REALLY hard to find. We circled around some ghetto like five quadrillion
times. No, we don't believe in maps. They're a figment of your imagination,
get over it.
After asking a few confused pedestrians for directions (BTW, we named my
penguin backpack "Pedestrian" a few days later), we made it to Comic Relief.
If you're ever in that area, GO to that store. It rules. They always have
incredible ComiCon booths, complete with hard-to-find graphic novels and books
of assorted weirdness. The employees were really cool and they had way too
much merchandise that I wanted to read =). A guy walked in and asked me, "Are
you Pinguino?" He was Greg, someone I talked to on alt.radio.swap about
getting a modded ham radio. I gave him the cash and he gave me a beautiful
Yaesu FT-530. He showed me how to use a few of the functions and left, and I
went back to the comic book realm to pay for my books. I got a Death graphic
novel, 3 Geeks special, a few _old_ TMNT books, and Samurai Penguin #2. As we
were leaving, the person at the register gave us free passes to see "Dark
City" at a special free preview screening. With four of us and two tickets, we
kinda panicked, but the guy who gave them to us said to chill and that they'd
prolly let the rest of us in. Have you ever felt that melodic wave of
friendliness pass through your body?
His name was Joe, and he worked at Comic Relief. We thanked him and found out
that he was going to APE that weekend, which is one of the reasons why I
bussed out to San Jose in the first place. We also got info on a guy who could
hook us up with a good t-shirt deal: Steve Lafner from Cat Head Comics. His
number is 510-848-9926 if you're interested. He's way cool. The number on his
webpage is not in service.
To kill an hour, Hasslich, Logic, Cactus, and I went to a Vientnamese
resteraunt, where Logic decided to be very closed-minded and insult our waiter
and order nothing. I was just ignorant; I've never had that type of food
before (which was really yummy). The waiter was cool with Hass and Cactus
though.
DARK CITY was an incredible movie. The entire point of the movie is that you
don't know what is going to happen next. It's directed by Alex Proyas, whose
credits include THE CROW (the first movie, not the second, I've heard). The
acting by Rufus Sewell, Keifer Sutherland, Jennifer Connelley, and William
Hurt was phenomenal. Definitely check this out the first day it releases
before someone spoils the suprise for you (http://www.darkcity.com/).
When we returned, me and Logic got on our blades and went trashing. Found some
stuff, but nothing too interesting. Good way to learn your way around a
neighborhood.
The next day, we spent all day trying to hook up with Eddie, my old friend
from San Diego who ran a group called TAG (Tuffmen Against Guns). He was the
person who brought me up to San Jose last time I came here. He was too busy to
have dinner with us, so we headed over to Pizza Hut, and on our way back, some
crazy 36-year-old drunk old lady started blabbing at us about her dog and
shit. She had some kinda purebred dog whose life she saved, named Fox. He was
actually a very cool, friendly dog. She made me and Logic watch her beer while
she got cigarettes, so we jetted. Dumb lady. She thought we were making up the
sXe thing.
Came back, watched Mallrats, then made up some flyers and stuff for the con. I
think we did some HTMLing or something too. Fun Penguin Palace type stuff. I
miss working on pointless propaganda with people.
Did I mention that this entire time I was on some kinda soup fixation? I dunno
what's up with me, but soup is good food! Good for you too. Made Logic make me
some chicken newdle soup in the morning even. I dunno.
Next day, Logic and I head to Taco Hell to scan for their fast food frequency.
They gave us a free drink (I dunno why, they prolly felt sorry for us cuz all
we got were 2 nachos and a small soda) and we sat there for like 30 minutes
waiting for a car to go through the drive through. Must have been the wrong
time of day, cuz everyone walked in and ordered. Guess the best fun comes when
you're not looking for it.
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Gadgets and Gizmos: Intro to Lasers
by Secret Squirrel (secsquirrel@yahoo.com)
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Hi, Secret Squirrel here.. if you don't know who Secret Squirrel is, you
really should watch some of the older Hanna-Barbera cartoons, they rock. :)
Anyway, Secret Squirrel is a secret agent, and in that spirit I am going to be
writing some articles for all of you to help you be that super spy you always
wanted to be!
Some of the gadgets that I will be covering include:
* Laser Listening Devices
* Making Holograms (just like Visa!)
* Laser Light Show (to distract people while you get their secrets :)
* Modem Taps
* ISDN Taps
* And much more! :)
I am going to start with lasers first. In case you didn't know already, laser
is an acronym. It stands for Light Amplification of Stimulated Emmission of
Radiation. By breaking this down a bit, it should be easier to understand how
a laser works, as the concept really isn't that difficult.
Stimulated emmision of radiation was something that Einstein theorized about
in 1916. Einstein deduced that if a photon hits an atom in an excited state,
the atom would release a photon. As new photons are released, the chance of
more photons hitting atoms was increased, so more photons would be released,
and the chain reaction would continue until the original power source was
terminated. The photons given off would be similar to the one that hit the
atom (like a clone, phase, wavelength, and polarity are the same)..
If there is nothing to hold the photons in, they will simply escape, and the
reaction will end. If, however, you place a mirror around the photons, they
will continue to bounce merrily, until they can escape, or until there is so
much energy inside that stuff starts to melt. :)
The first known solid laser was invented by Theodore Maiman at Hughes
Laboratories in Malibu, California on July 7, 1960. It used a ruby rod
(synthetic) with mirrors at each end, a spiral \-shaped photographic strobe
lamp, wrapped around the ruby rod, and a power supply. It was really simple,
and compact.
This laser worked by sending a flash of light to the ruby rod. The chromium
atoms (which give the ruby its red color) would absorb only the blue and green
sections of the spectrum. This extra energy raised the state of the atoms.
They would eventually drop back to the unexcited state, and as they do they
release photons. Because there are mirrors at the ends (one is not a full
mirror, but semi-reflective), the photons bounce back and forth, hitting other
excited atoms, causing them to also give off photons, and the extra photons
hit more atoms and the chain reaction continues.
After a bit, some of the photons would come out of the end that is semi-
reflective. The whole process lasts less than a few hundredths of a second.
Now that we basically know how a laser works, let's delve into what you can
make a laser out of. We know that there are 4 types of matter: solid, liquid,
gas, and plasma (most people forget this one :). Of those, you can make a
laser with the first three.
There are a few componets that are common to all lasers, no matter what
they are made out of:
* Power Supply: Some power supplies go up to 50,000 volts
* Pumping Device: This can vary; some lasers use other lasers, rf
oscillator, photo flash, or the power supply
* Lasing Medium: This is what generates the laser light; it can
be solid, liquid, or gas.. even jello works :)
* Optical Resonant Cavity: This is what the lasing medium is enclosed in;
in the case of Mirman's laser, it was the two
mirrors at the ends of his ruby cylinder
You can make your laser out of just about anything; however, since technology
allows us to have a solid-state laser without keeping it in a bath of liquid
nitrogen to prevent overheating, I will focus on this type (it's smaller,
cheaper, etc.. it is the type that is used in CD players, most laser pens,
etc.). The lasing medium here is a LED, hardly complex. :)
If you do use a gas laser, when shutting down the laser, remove the power
supply, and then short the annode and cathode ends together (with a 1M ohm
resistor) to discharge it. If you cannot do this, short the annode and ground
together. Remember to remove the power supply FIRST. :)
Terms that may be used in my documents about lasers (as they apply here):
* aberration A defect in an optical component that can degrade the purity
of the light passing through it.
* amplitude The relative strength (usually voltage) of an analog signal.
* analog A continous electrical signal that has an infinite number of
amplitude levels.
* angstrom A unit of measurement used to describe wavelength or size
equaling 100 billionths of a meter (.0000000001 meters).
* anode Positive terminal of a diode.
* antihalation A semi-opaque material or coating applied to the back side of
backing photographic film that prevents the spreading (halo) of light
during exposures.
* attenuation The restriction or loss of electrical or optical power through
a medium or circuit. Optical attenuation occurs when light
passes through a length of optical fiber.
* axial ray A ray of light that travels along the optical axis.
* band-pass A filter that blocks both high and low frequencies but passes
filter a middle band. Can pertain to both electrical signal or light.
* birefringence The property of splitting a beam of light in two directions
due to double refraction.
* blackbody A substance or medium that asorbs light and thermal energy
completely. A blackbody is a technical impossiblity, but is
often used as an ideal model for light and temperature
studies.
* bleeder A resistor placed across the output of a power supply to drain
resistor the current from the filtering capacitors when power is
removed.
* Brewster's The angle at which a transparent material, such as glass or
Angle quartz, is placed with respect to the normal of incidnt light
so that both refracted and reflected rays are perpendicular.
Brewster's Angle windows placed in gas lasers cause the light
output to be polarized in one plane.
* cathode The negative terminal of a diode.
* chromaticn A type of lens distortion where colors are focused at
aberration different points becuase of refraction.
* clad A refractive coating over the interior core of an optical
fiber.
* coherence The property of identical phase and time relationships.
* concave lens A type of lens with at least one surface that curves inward.
A concave lens diverges parallel light rays into a virtual
focal point.
* convex lens A type of lens with at least one surface that curves outward.
A convex lens converges parallel light rays to a common real
focal point.
* diffraction A change in the direction of a beam of light when encountering
an edge or opening of an object.
* diode laser Solid-state injection laser, simmilar to a LED.
* etalon An extremly flat optical component with parallel surfaces
engineered to increase the coherence length of a laser by
eliminating modes that are slightly out of phase.
* f/number A number that expresses the relative light-gathering power of
a lens. The f/number is calculated by dividing the diameter of
the lens by the focal length of the lens.
* focus coil An electromechanical coil, often used in compact disc players
that moves an objective lens up and down for proper focus.
* focal length The distance from the center of a lens or curved mirror to the
point where light converges to a popint. Lenses with a
positive focal point cause the light rays to form at a
specific point. Lenses with a negative focal point only appear
to focus at an imaginary point.
* Gabor zone Usually a photographic film made from the pattern formed by a
plate plane wave interfering with a spherical wave. One of the many
types of holograms.
* impedance The degree of resistance that a current will encounter when
passing through a circuit, device, or wire. Impedance is
expressed in ohms.
* injection Synonymous with diode laser.
laser
* lasing The process of producing laser light.
* micron A unit of metric measurement used to define one millionth of a
meter, or .000001 meter. Also referred to as micrometer.
* normal In optics, an imaginary line drawn perpendicular to the
surface of a lens, mirror, or other optical component. Often
referred to as line normal.
* objective The lens used to focus a beam of light on a subject.
lens
* optical axis The path taken by light rays as it passes through or reflects
off the components of an optical system.
* parallax the shift in the perspective of an object when the viewing
position is slightly changed
* paraxial ray A ray that's close to, and nearly parallel with, the optical
axis.
* phase the position in time of a sound, electrical, or light wave in
relation to another wave.
* polarized An optical component used in some compact disc players that
beam consists of 2 prisms with a common 45 degree face. Polarizing
splitter elements in the beam splitter are oriented so that only
properly polarized light passes through.
* Q-switch A mechanism that inhibits oscillation within a laser until a
certain amount of energy is stored. When the desired energy
level is reached, the laser is permitted to output its light
as a short, high-output pulse.
* quantum A bundle of energy; photons.
* quarter wave An optical component that shifts the polarity of light 90
plate degrees.
* rectilinear Radiation traveling in a straight line.
propagation
* reflection The bouncing of light off the surface of a medium.
* refraction The bending of light as it passes from one medium to another.
Refraction occurs because the velocity of light changes
depending on the density of the medium it is passing through.
* servo An electronic circuit that modifies its output in accordance
to a constantly varying input signal.
* skew ray A ray that does not cross or come into contact with the
optical axis.
* temporal The uniformity of electromagnetic waves over time.
coherence
* transverse A wave that oscillates at right angles to the path along which
wave the wave travels. Most light waves are transverse, as opposed
to logitudinal.
* waist The diameter of a laser beam.
* wavelet The leading edge of a wave that combines with the leading
edges of neighboring waves to form a wavefront.
Some final notes: never shine a laser in your eye.. the reason for this is
becuase a laser is a focused light. You know that a pin can pierce your skin
easily, but a brick cannot. This is because while the force is the same, the
surface area that the pin covers is much less than a brick. Well, the same
principle applies with a laser. It's focused, so the same power light can do a
lot more damage.
In some states in the US (I don't know about anywhere else) shining a laser at
someone is considered assault. I am not sure of the full reasons, however it
would be best that you don't do this. At the very least, your laser may be
taken away; at worst, you get arrested. A good spy is certainly not one in
jail. :)
In the next issue, expect to find information on a laser listening device. You
just shine a laser on a window, get a receiver, and listen to what is being
said inside the room. No physical access required.
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FLIR in Your Future?
by Pinguino (pinguino@sysfail.org)
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The cops are watching. They're looking straight into cars with the same
technology developed during the Gulf War. Meet FLIR: Forward Looking InfraRed.
I don't know a whole lot about this, but it's being beta-tested in many areas
of Texas. Here are some quick rumors that I've picked up:
FLIR can't penetrate glass. It can, however, show your body heat radiating
outside the glass border.
FLIR can't penetrate the beams of your foglights. Again, heat can be seen
radiating outside it.
Cop cars equipped with FLIR have a large white box on top of their siren
lights. It's the size of a cat (from what I can tell). Actually it comes in
different sizes, down to a 4" radius, and rotates. It has image stabilization
technology and is housed in a weatherproof casing. It has a panoramic option,
plus zoom features.
FLIR requires no light and gives a detailed picture, ideal for helicopters,
military, and police.
FLIR technology was created by the military and is now available for
commercial use. Anyone can buy a FLIR system, such as the AGEMA 1000 series
that I suspect is the same used by cops. They have handheld models as well.
Currently they are in use by night security and airports.
As I said earlier, I don't know too much about FLIR. This is just to give you
a general idea of what it can do. For more information, go to the FLIR
Systems, Inc. website at http://www.flir.com/
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Using PTC Payphones to Your Advantage
by Inviz (inviz@underworld.net)
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PTC is a company which owns COCOTs (customer-owned coin-operated telephones).
These phones are located in several states, and will all have a PTC logo. The
purpose of this article is to explain how you can use the numbers of these
phones to make long distance calls.
General Steps to the Use of PTC Payphones
-----------------------------------------
1. Locate a PTC payphone
2. Copy its phone number or get it from an ANI read-back
3. Dial the PTC 1-800 access number
4. Enter NPA+prefix+suffix of the payphone number
5. Enter 0+NPA+prefix+suffix of the number you wish to call
6. If using a credit card:
a. Enter card number
b. Enter MM-YY of expiration date
7. If using 3rd-party billing:
a. Press 0 for an operator
b. Give the operator the number of the place to which you wish to bill your
call
8. If using a calling card:
a. Press 0 for an operator
b. Give the operator your calling-card number
Acquiring a PTC Payphone Number
-------------------------------
The first thing you will need to do is to get the phone number of a PTC
payphone. This can be done in one of three ways. Note: if you find PTC phones
in any other NPA, please e-mail me with the NPA and state ID.
Method 1: From a Friend
The easiest way is to get your numbers from someone who has access to several
PTC phones. They are located in several states, including Florida (941, 954),
California (805), and Alabama (205).
Method 2: Searching for Them Yourself
You could also get numbers yourself, especially if you are in an area with
many PTC phones. Just look for a phone with a PTC logo and get its number. If
you have access to the phone itself, either copy the number from the phone or
dial an ANI read-back and get it from that. Note: An ANI read-back is located
in the list of commonly-used numbers, at the end of this article.
Method 3: Trying Various Numbers with the PTC Access Number
You can also try various payphone numbers and see if they are PTC. Refer to
the next section on using PTC payphone numbers, and substitute any payphone
number you may have as the 'PTC number.' You may also wish to scan around
valid PTC numbers and see if any neighboring numbers are valid. Note: The PTC
access number is located in the list of commonly-used numbers, at the end of
this article.
Dialing PTC and Entering the Payphone Number
--------------------------------------------
You will now need to dial the PTC access number, which is 1-800-569-5360.
After dialing this, you will hear a steady single-frequency tone. At this
tone, enter NPA+prefix+suffix of the PTC payphone number. You will now hear a
dialtone. Enter 0+NPA+prefix+suffix of the number you wish to call. If the
payphone number was valid, you will hear a recording either saying PTC or
TELETRUST, followed by a fading dialtone. If the payphone number was not
valid, you will get an automated operator. At this point, you can only place a
collect call.
Methods of Placing Your Call
----------------------------
There are three ways of billing your call when using PTC: with a credit card,
3rd-party billing, or via a calling card. All of these methods assume you have
a valid PTC payphone number and are at the tone, reached after entering the
number you wish to call.
Method 1: Using a Credit Card
The easiest way is to use a credit card number. PTC will accept MasterCard-5,
American Express-3, and Discover-6. They will not accept Visa-4. Note: The
digits after the card types correspond to the first digit of the card. After
the tone, enter the credit card number. PTC will prompt you for the expiration
date, which you should then enter. If the card is valid, your call will be
placed. If it is not, you will be informed of this and asked for a different
card number.
Method 2: Using 3rd-Party Billing
PTC operators will place calls billed to a 3rd number, if they can have
verification of the number. What they actually need is to hear a voice tell
them that 3rd-party billing is accepted. If this is a recording, it needs to
either match your voice or be very close to matching it. The easiest way to
get this to work is to take over someone's answering machine and record a new
greeting. Make it something like the following: "Hello, you've reached the
Johnson residence at 313-3769. I'm not currently here to take your call, so
please leave your name and number and I'll return it. I accept any 3rd-party
calls from myself, Scott Johnson." You might not need to include the last
sentence, as some operators will complete the call just by your voice. If you
do include it, you are explicitly telling the operator that the owner of the
line gives permission to 3rd-party bill to it.
Method 3: Using a Calling Card
Using a calling card is as easy as a credit card. At the tone, simply press 0.
The operator will ask how you wish to bill your call. Simply say "with a
calling card," and give the number to the operator.
Examples
--------
Here are a few examples to help you in placing your PTC calls. In all of
these, the following is true:
a. Your PTC payphone number is 954-954-9549
b. You wish to dial 501-794-0123 and tell Chris Luellen that LOD is
watching him
c. A credit card number you have is 5678-9012-3456-7890, whose expiration
date is 10-98
d. A billing number you have is 215-794-3401
e. A calling card number you have is 541-234-5678-9012
Example 1: Credit Card Call
You : Dial 1-800-569-5360
PTC : Steady tone
You : 954-954-9549
PTC : Dialtone
You : 0-501-794-0123
PTC : PTC tone
You : 5678-9012-3456-7890
PTC : Please enter the credit card expiration date.
You : 1098
(if valid):
PTC : Thank you for using PTC.
(if not valid):
PTC : The credit card number you have entered is invalid.
Example 2: 3rd-Party Billed Call
You : Dial 1-800-569-5360
PTC : Steady tone
You : 954-954-9549
PTC : Dialtone
You : 0-501-794-0123
PTC : PTC tone
You : 0
Oper: PTC operator, this is Jennie, how may I bill your call?
You : I'd like to bill this call to my home number.
Oper: Is someone there for verification?
You : I believe so, but if not there is a machine with my voice.
Oper: What is that number?
You : It's 215-794-3401.
Oper: One moment while I verify the billing.
PTC : click, click, click
(if valid):
PTC : ring, (call was placed)
(if not valid):
Oper: I'm sorry, billing wasn't accepted.
Example 3: Calling Card Call
You : dial 1-800-569-5360
PTC : Steady tone
You : 954-954-9549
PTC : Dialtone
You : 0-501-794-0123
PTC : PTC tone
You : 0
Oper: PTC operator, this is Jennie, how may I bill your call?
You : I'd like to use my calling card.
Oper: Your card number, please?
You : 541-234-5678-9012
Oper: One moment while I verify that card.
(if valid):
Oper: Thank you for using PTC.
(if not valid):
Oper: I'm sorry, that card is invalid. Would you like to try your call another
way?
Notes
-----
1. When using a credit card, PTC keeps track of the amount of money in the
account. When all of it is gone, you will hear two short tones and your
call will be disconnected. If this happens, simply use another card. This
doesn't appear to be a problem when using 3rd-party calls. I haven't
experienced this when using a calling card, but it would probably be a
problem with those as well.
2. PTC operators sometimes will and sometimes won't 3rd party bill if there is
just an answering machine in your voice. If one operator says there needs
to be a live person to accept charges, call back and get a different
operator.
Commonly-Used Numbers
---------------------
ANI Read-Back: 800-487-9240
PTC Access Number: 800-569-5360
A Story of 3rd-Party Verification
---------------------------------
This happened, I believe, in November of 1996. I was at my grandmother's house
and needed to make a call somewhere. I didn't have anything with me, except
for a PTC number which I had memorized. I knew that the only thing I could use
was 3rd-party billing, but I needed something in my voice. I called a few
random local numbers, looking for an answering machine to liberate. I didn't
find any. Finally, I dialed a random number in 909, just to see if it could
possibly work. It was, to my astonishment, an answering machine. I was also
able to mimic the voice. I quickly wrote down that number and tried it with
PTC. It worked. I used that number for at least two weeks. I made tons of
calls with it. I called Digex POPs, partylines, friends, conference bridges,
random numbers, etc. It was very fun. Well, one day Digex hung up on me
because of idle time. I thought, hey. No problem, I'll just use this guy's
number again.
Oper: PTC operator, this is Jennie, how may I bill your call?
Me : I'd like to bill it 3rd-party to my home.
Oper: And the number?
Me : 909-xxx-xxxx.
Oper: And your name please?
Me : Scott (guy's last name).
Oper: One moment please.
PTC : click click click
Oper: I'm sorry, the person who answered says he doesn't know a Scott.
Me : Strange. Well, thanks anyway.
I guess whoever it was had been on vacation or something. I'd love to have
read their phone bill for that month.
In Closing
----------
I believe all of the information in this article is correct. If something is
wrong, please e-mail and tell me. The address is located at the top of the
article. Also, if you wish to e-mail me anything else, like PTC numbers
(hinthint), please feel free to do so.
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Computing in the 90s
by Skrike (skrike@ida.net)
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Well as some of you know, I'm a college student majoring in computer science.
Computer science is a funny major these days. Many of those who are are truly
interested in computers and know a lot about them, probably will never make it
to college, and let's face it, it's because we're all underachievers. School
bores us, we already know this stuff, let's learn something challenging,
right? Well, the problem is, while we do this and dwindle further away from
our educational responsibilities, our grades suffer and there comes a point
where further progression isn't as easy as it used to be. I'm surprised I made
it into the college that I am in. But that's not what this article is about,
let me get to the point here.
Studies have show that demand for "computer scientists" and those
knowledgeable in the field has increased in exponential numbers in the past
years. Think about it, what company can you think of that DOESN'T use
computers or a network? I dont expect a reply or anything, so if you think of
one, good job. But seriously, there are so many jobs available for network
administrators, security experts, programmers, technicians; the list is
endless. And yet although the demand is high, studies have also proven that
the supply, rather than increasing with the demand, is slowly decreasing. Why
is this? Well, some surveys have shown that teenagers are afraid of what their
friends will say when they get interested in computers, the common "I don't
want to be a nerd" syndrome.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not calling any of you nerds, because I'd be
calling myself a nerd (my mommy said I was special). But the general image of
anyone who works with a computer often lies in that general direction. So
what's the result of this? How many of you have controlling parents? How many
of you hear everyday that you need to get a job that makes the most money
possible? In my classes, there are a few people like me, who devour everything
the teacher says, and ask for more. And then there are people who come into
computer science strictly for the money, and nothing else. It seems lately,
and in general, the "quality" of the students in computer science classes
seem to be less and less involved with computers, and more and more about the
money. Well, many of you might be saying, "So? As long as they produce who
cares why they are where they are?" OK, this is a valid arguement, and to put
it to rest let me put an excerpt in from one of my classes that I just
happened to have had scripted for your reading enjoyment. Shall we?
Prof. X: Welcome class, please take your seats. Today we are going to learn
how to declare variables in C.
Skrike : Ummmm, Prof. X, this is the third month of class.
Prof. X: Well, I think we need a bit of review, the class seems to be lacking
a few of the basic concepts.
Skrike : (grumble)
Prof. X: OK, now in C, you need to declare variables at the beginning of your
program....
Lamer 1: Ummmm Prof. X, could you define program for the class?
Skrike : You've got to be kidding.
Prof. X: Ok, Lamer 1, a program is what you make with the C language.
Lamer 2: You mean like a Windows95?
Prof. X: No Lamer 2, that's an operating system.
Lamer 3: I thought this was computer science, not like medical stuff.
Prof. X: No Lamer 3, an operating system is what runs on your computer....
Lamer 2: I ran on my computer once, my mom got really mad and she like took
this big...
Skrike : Shut up lamer.
Prof. X: As I was saying, variables need to be declared at the beginning of
your code.
Lamer 1: I thought you said the beginning of your program?
Prof. X: Yes, the code is what you write the program with.
Lamer 1: I thought you write programs with Sea.
Skrike : That's C, moron.
Lamer 1: That's what I said.
Prof. X: When you write programs in C, what you have written is called code.
(class scribbles furiously in their notes)
Lamer 3: Ummm is this gonna be on the final?
Prof. X: No. OK, on with the lesson. There are three different types of
variables: integers, floating point, and characters.
Lamer 3: Wait, I thought this was computer science. Are you talking about
acting now?
Prof. X: No Lamer 3, characters are....
Lamer 2: I know, I know!!! They're like alphabet letters, right?
Prof. X: Very good, lamer. Extra credit on your next assignment.
(Lamer 2 turns to Skrike)
Lamer 2: Haha, I know more than you.
Skrike : *sigh*
Prof. X: On with the lesson. The syntax of the declaration...
Lamer 3: Wait, you're talking about taxes now?
Prof. X: No Lamer 3, syntax is the way you write and arrange your code.
Lamer 1: Code is a program, right?
Prof. X: No, code is what you write your programs with.
Lamer 2: I knew that.
Prof. X: So, at the beginning of your program, if you declare an integer
variable, you type int variable...
Lamer 1: Wait, I thought we were declaring integers, what is int?
Lamer 2: I know, I know! It's like integer, but only like the first three
letters!
Prof. X: Very good, Lamer 2. Another point of extra credit.
(Lamer 2 sticks his tongue out at Skrike)
Skrike : Ummm, Prof. X, could you go over the syntax and the uses of prototype
declarations?
Prof. X: Umm Skrike, look it up please.
Lamer 2: Haha.
Prof. X: As I was saying about variables..
Lamer 3: Prof. X, it's time to go.
Prof. X: OK, class next week, we'll go over how to use a printf statement to
make the hello world program.
Skrike : Ummm Prof. X...
Prof. X: Not now, Skrike.
(class files out)
Lamer 2: Dude, Skrike, I got this really cool program for Windows95, it's
called Winnuke, have your heard of it?
Skrike : Yeah, it's lame.
Lamer 2: Whatever, you couldn't do it.
Skrike : *sigh*
Seriously, that was pretty frickin close to an actual class. I urge you, I
plead you, if you're still in high school and you're getting bad grades, STOP
IT! Graduate! Go to college! Help our fading world!
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Alternative Press Expo
by Pinguino (pinguino@sysfail.org)
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B0RK3D was originally a System Failure movie, but because of the shortcomings
of a certain cast member, it transformed into a photo-comic. At APE this year,
I didn't get a booth, but was able to talk to other creators and retailers.
You will see more action from Penguin Palace, for I have been inspired. Part
of the B0RK3D story takes place at APE, with appearances by Jhonen Vasquez
(creator of JOHNNY THE HOMICIDAL MANIAC and SQUEE), Mike Allred (creator of
MADMAN and RED ROCKET 7), and Jason Dube (creator of SCATTERED COMICS). This
is a pivotal moment in our comic book, which will be in stores this summer
(shameless plug) and at DefCon.
We (Pinguino, Logic Box, and NeWarrior) attended the seminars about Mike
Allred and Jhonen Vasquez. Personally, I found them highly inspirational. For
instance, when Mike told the audience that he spent a lot of time looking
towards film as his only future, then realized writing comics was "the poor
man's movie," and totally jumped into comics, I completely understood what he
was talking about. Your dreams could be staring you in the face.
Jhonen's seminar was pretty cool too. Dan Vado (Slave Labor Graphics chief)
interviewed him about how he started and stuff. An interesting thing we
learned was that someone presented him a box with some raw meat in it, just
saying "It is meat. Open it afterwards." and walked away a few hours prior.
Savages in this town..
We hung out with Jason Dube quite a bit.. Penguin Palace might be doing
something with them to cross-promote. He was really enthusiastic. He's up to
#30 in his series. I also I hung out with Mike Meyers from TWIST&SHOUT COMICS.
He's got a neat program going where he trades comics with other independent
publishers and sells their stuff along with his at conventions. He has a lot
of new material out (DIRTBAG and X-FLIES) and has my friend Lance Gueck
writing for him. Yay!
It was a good convention, and the new book B0RK3D should be pretty good.
Everyone's hyped, I'm motivated and inspired, and the new comic book mini-
series by the smaller companies are doing better than ever!
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