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F I D O N E W S -- | Vol. 9 No. 24 (15 June 1992)
The newsletter of the |
FidoNet BBS community | Published by:
_ |
/ \ | "FidoNews" BBS
/|oo \ | (415)-863-2739
(_| /_) | FidoNet 1:1/1
_`@/_ \ _ | Internet:
| | \ \\ | fidonews@fidonews.fidonet.org
| (*) | \ )) |
|__U__| / \// | Editors:
_//|| _\ / | Tom Jennings
(_/(_|(____/ | Tim Pozar
(jm) |
|
| Newspapers should have no friends.
| -- JOSEPH PULITZER
----------------------------+---------------------------------------
Published weekly by and for the Members of the FidoNet international
amateur network. Copyright 1992, Fido Software. All rights reserved.
Duplication and/or distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes
only. For use in other circumstances, please contact FidoNews.
Electronic Price: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . free!
Paper price: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $10.00US
For more information about FidoNews refer to the end of this file.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents
1. EDITORIAL ..................................................... 1
Editorial: Remotely related ................................... 1
2. ARTICLES ...................................................... 2
The Bit Bucket Churns ......................................... 2
Echomail-Routed Netmail: Who's Responsible? ................... 3
The Commercialization of FidoNet via Support Echoes ........... 5
A COMMUNICATION WORKHORSE ..................................... 6
Welcome To WorldNet ........................................... 7
Postmodern Culture Needs Fidonet Distribution ................. 10
Announcing the CAUCUS echo .................................... 17
Electronic Publishing Echo .................................... 20
Start of the JFK echo ......................................... 22
SYS4SALE Echo ................................................. 22
3. LATEST VERSIONS ............................................... 24
Software Versions List ........................................ 24
4. FIDONEWS INFORMATION .......................................... 25
FidoNews 9-24 Page 1 15 Jun 1992
======================================================================
EDITORIAL
======================================================================
Editorial: Remotely Related
Tom Jennings 1:1/1
Another week far from home. I'm having a great time not being here
(there?) Whatever.
My editorial last issue about lost routed netmail seems to have
generated a flurry of interest... The articles speak for themselves,
but I'll say this in response to one:
Yes, it is true that the NC's responsibility is incoming netmail.
Outgoing netmail is a nicety, a frill, a favor done, an added feature,
and in no way a requirement of FidoNet.
However, volunteering to forward netmail is a responsibility,
regardless of why you might do it. Just because you volunteer does not
let you off the hook. If someone is consistently unable to do the job,
then they should remove themselves from the loop, and if they aren't
capable of even that level of consideration to the rest of the net,
then someone should do it for them.
And as to why "after 8 weeks I should know better", well, I think
that's a pretty arrogant answer. I send out a few dozen messages a
week, and nearly all of them seem to get there, only certain messages
to certain areas seem to get dropped. When I haven't received a
response after a while, I send off another message, without complaint.
To assume I should "put up with" an unusable error rate because
someone doesn't feel like or is incapable of doing a job they
volunteered to do or is an insult to all of us.
Each system listed in the nodelist is responsible for maintaining the
reliability and integrity of the network. If you can't do the job, by
all means give it to someone else who can!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 9-24 Page 2 15 Jun 1992
======================================================================
ARTICLES
======================================================================
Paul J. Henry 1:221/279@fidonet.org
_The Bit Bucket Churns_
The Father of FidoNet was not amused. This was the second time this
week that his netmail messages to "Compu-Chomp: The official doughnut
supplier of the 1992 FidoCon" had gone unanswered. "Why weren't they
answering? Was it something I said? Was it my transfer protocol?" he
thought to himself. "Whatever it is, I'll find it!" Soon BinkleyTerms
worldwide were abuzz with "Remote uses Fido!! (Hi Tom!)" A day passed.
Meanwhile, at the abandoned workshop of Edgar P. Stickney-Stapers III,
software designer, in the tiny midwest town of STEREO (()) WHERE
AVAILABLE, the Bit Bucket burped. Tiny bits of FidoNews(tm) and
invitations to join OtherNet(tm) flew out, sending reverberations
netwide. Tom heard them.
Travelling clear across the country, virtually of course, the Father of
FidoNet arrived at the abandoned shop. Strange Hollywood winds blew,
and the sounds of a mailer churning off in the distance could be heard.
Entering the building, Tom found what he was looking for. It was the
Terminal -- an old DECwriter keyboard, attached to the guts of a Tandy
200 and welded to it -- a CheapoLAN(tm) card. Peering out of the
monitor were the infamous words: "ADDRESS -1:-1/-1 Waiting for
call...." Staring blithely at the screen, the Father of FidoNet invoked
a OS-Shell.
He typed the word: HISTORI. Turning around to be sure that no one had
seen him make a mistake, he silently pressed the RUBOUT key. Off in
Seattle, an OtherNet(tm) sysop named Ed puffed out of existence.
Correcting his mistake, he pressed the RUN key. And this is what he
saw:
PERSONAL JOURNAL OF EDGAR P. STICKNEY-STAPERS III, BfD.
June 3rd: I've begun enhancements on the N'Spice<tm> file compression
system, and I believe, from my initial computations, that I can achieve
file compression up to 1,000 percent.
June 18th: I've progress farther on N'Spice today. I was able to
compress the National Archives so that it occupied (-700,000 bytes) on
my harddrive. I believe that with N'Spice, everyone can have a copy of
the Library of Congress on a 5-1/4" diskette.
July 1st: Today was my first setback. Fluffy the Cat<tm> got caught
in the compression routines and is now trapped in (-7) space. I'm
afraid I'm going to have to go in after her. If I don't come back,
whoever reads this, please pull the RED switch.
FidoNews 9-24 Page 3 15 Jun 1992
-End of Line-
With much melodrama, the Father of FidoNet pulled the BIG RED SWITCH,
shutting down the CheapoLAN server for good, and solving the Big
Mystery<tm>.
But was this the end? Was Fluffy still alive and well in (-7) space?
And what ever happened to the shirts Edgar had left at the cleaners?
These mysteries, it would seem, would have to remain unanswered.
Credits:
_The Bit Bucket Churns_ Copyright (c) 1992 Paul J. Henry (1:221/279)
We gratefully acknowledge the following trademarks used in this story:
Fluffy the Cat<tm> Copyright (c) 1991 Peter G. Zion. (1:249/1)
N'Spice<tm> Copyright (c) 1991 David Slonosky. (1:249/104)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Submitted by Glenn Caleval
In his "editorial" in fido923.nws, Tom Jennings said the following:
"There is apparently a serious problem with routed mail somewhere
between here and there, which is pretty damn near intolerable....
"There's an informal netmail-routing system out there, that seems
to handle netmail similarly to echomail....
"The occasional lost message would be one thing; consistently
killing messages, over a long period of time (8 weeks at least!)
should be grounds for severe treatment at the hands of their fellow
sysops.
"Netmail should be treated like Postal Service mail -- holy,
private, with great care and reliability. If someone in the path
can't handle this, they better get out of the loop."
Mr. Jennings comments raise a number of issue regarding
echomail-routed netmail. The most obvious one off the bat, is, if
one has continuing problems with e-routed netmail, over 8 weeks, no
less, why would one continue to use that routing method? In other
words, perhaps the person who is not receiving the reliability he
would like should be the one to get out of the loop and start going
direct.
By coincidence, similar issues were raised in RGN17 recently and a
very cogent explanation was provided by our resident Olde Pharte. I
warned him at the time that if the matter was raised again I would
plagiarize and herewith I deliver on that promise, with apologies
to the original author, Ken Ganshirt:
FidoNews 9-24 Page 4 15 Jun 1992
The NC's responsibility extends to netmail only, and there is only
an incidental association with echomail, insofar as sysops may,
from time to time, choose to route their netmail via the echomail
distribution topology. The NC's responsibility for topology-related
matters (ie: reliability, timeliness, etc) _ends_ at the point
where the netmail messages get bundled with echomail - in effect,
_becoming_ echomail for the duration of their ride through that
topology. It is quite impossible to distinguish what is contained
in any given compressed mail bundle.
The NC's have no control beyond the point that the netmail enters
the echomail distribution topology, therefore no further
responsibility.
The NEC's responsibility extends to echomail only. There is only
an incidental association with netmail, insofar as some gets routed
through the echomail topology. The sysops who have volunteered to
be part of the echomail distribution topology - including the ?EC's
- have the standard moral obligation to make a reasonable effort to
see that the echomail (which may, from time to time, contain
netmail bundled in with it) eventually gets where it's supposed to
... usually.
Or to be more blunt, any sysops who personally choose to route
netmail via the echomail topology in order to take advantage of the
free ride are on their own as regards reliability and timeliness of
the delivery of their mail, and they should not expect to hold
either the NC or NEC responsible if the result of the mixed service
is ... well ... mixed.
If an NC chooses to take advantage of the echomail topology to get
their net a free ride, or a partial free ride, they should not
expect to hold the NEC, nor anyone in the echomail distribution
structure, responsible to do any more than they normally would in
transporting echomail. And nobody should hold anyone else in the
normal ?C structure responsible for any individual NC's netmail
routing decisions.
The two structures serve two entirely different purposes. They are
constructed and managed to serve those purposes. Neither
Coordinator structure has more than the usual moral obligation to
get along with the other and make reasonable attempts not to screw
up the activities of the other. Neither has more than an
incidental responsibility in the other's domain.
Caleval's addendum: At the end of the day if you're not happy with
echomail routed netmail service, it's up to you to fix it by going
direct or using the "proper" ?C routing structure.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 9-24 Page 5 15 Jun 1992
The Commercialization of FidoNet via Support Echoes
By: Paul Harney @ 1:107/579
Dated: June 13th 1992
Greetings to you fellow FidoNet members,
I wish to discuss a topic that is causing quite a stir in the ZEC
conference at the moment for your consideration and review.
It seems that there is at least one commercial echo, with severel
warming up in the wings waiting to see if this one gets shot down,
that provides direct customer support to the users of a particular
software product FOR A FEE. This fee is the registration of the
software package concerned AND a subscription to the home BBS of the
support echo. No registration, no subscription fee, NO ACCESS to the
conference.
Now while I have absolutly no problem with any company providing as
many ways as possible for their customers to reach out for product
support, the problem with this particular style of customer service is
it is being done VIA THE MAIN FIDONET BACKBONE. I other words, on the
dime of the people who move the mail and support this HOBBY. Now that
is not just the big three or four echomail distributors but all those
that participate in Cost Recovery Programs and BBS Donations.
I have a problem with the precedent being set here. Although it will be
next to immpossible for those that created this echo to keep it from
distribution as a READ ONLY affair without the total cooperation of the
entire backbone, it is still firmly stated in the conference's rules
that there is to be no access to those who have not paid the fees and
that no response will be given, that's no response at all folks, not
just the by the software vendor but by any other participant in the
forum, unless the name of the sender appears on the roles of those that
have fee paid for response.
It has always been my contention that any echo that either provides a
service to a section of the FidoNet community or was general interest
in nature should be allowed on the backbone as long as it met BOP
standards for implimentation of same. In some cases restricted access
may be allowed for, in very limited situations i.e. administration type
echos or special needs echoes, where these echoes can make an argument
that they benifit a segment of the FidoNet community or provide a public
service and are NOT operated for PROFIT. In general ALL backboned
echoes should be availible to ANY FidoNet SysOp in good standing as it
is they who, in one manner or another, provide the means on which the
backbone works.
In this case we have a situation where an echo is being made availble
for a FEE. Access to this echo is to be unavailible without the paying
of this fee. Further it could be argued, with legitimicy, that direct
customer support via this echo can be used as a selling point for the
software package in question, thereby making this forum a sales and
marketing device. Now I have no problem with that IF private
distribution methods are being used but when a not-for-profit hobbiest
distribution method, like our own, is used to move this mail I have to
have serious reservations as to direction this would be taking us in.
FidoNews 9-24 Page 6 15 Jun 1992
The commercialization of FidoNet and its subsidiary backboned echoes is
something, I believe, we must strongly oppose if we are to maintain our
hobbiest/public service ethic. There are very sound and reasonable
reasons for this that go beyond pure ethical considerations. Law makers,
etc, who scrutinize public access media and have sway regarding
legislation that might effect them, have very different criteria for
judging that which is purely hobbiest/public service in orientation from
that which is commercial. It is in our own best interest to remain
strictly within the vien of former of these two directions.
Your review and comments on the issue are welcome. They may be sent to
me at the address above. If you feel strongly on the issue, as I do,
please advise your NC and write to Butch Walker, ZEC of FidoNet
Zone 1 @ 1:157/2.1 and politly inform him that you find the
commercialization of FidoNet in this manner ill advised.
Thanks for hearing this out.
Be well and pax.
Paul H.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
by Scott B. Laughlin, N7NET
MORSE CODE, ONCE THE COMMUNICATIONS WORKHORSE
copyright 1992
Though the word telegraphy can be traced as far back as torch-bearing
Greeks, Western Union usually comes to mind, at least with most older
Americans.
Telegraph became the information backbone for the United States
shortly before the Civil War, setting a standard of communications
excellence. Telegraphers such as Andrew Carnegie, Thomas Edison, and
Horace Greeley were among the thousands who hammered out the messages,
letter-by-letter.
In 1901 the Chicago Western Union office employed 880 telegraphers who
handled an average of 2,327,436 messages each month. Twenty-four years
later, telegraphers kept the world abreast of the Scopes Trial by
hand-keying an average of 175,000 words each day for 11 days. Figures
of this magnitude bear out the fact that telegraphy was accurate and
dependable, proving why it earned the privilege of being America's
primary communications system for more than 120 years.
A scant half-dozen years following Chicago's Western Union marathon,
de Forest, Armstrong, and Marconi, to name but a few, were
experimenting with schemes for transmitting Morse code great distances
with a device called the Wireless. Many of our older radio amateurs,
with headphones pressed to their ears, have witnessed numerous
communications milestones.
FidoNews 9-24 Page 7 15 Jun 1992
Technology has pressed on and telephone lines now carry other sounds
besides the chatter of human voices. Changes in communication concepts
have surpassed man's wildest dreams. The computer, modem, and
fiber-optics have changed the definition of speed forever.
But, Morse code lives on and CW (Continuous Wave) is in regular use,
the world over, by amateur radio operators. The mode is very slow by
todays standards. But, the "Brass Pounders", as they prefer to be
called, take great pride in their "fists" and their abilities to
"copy" when solar conditions have paralyzed all other modes of radio
communications.
Scores of these radio pioneers have witnessed communications history
in the making, up to and including the most modern of communications
protocols, Netmail.
* * * *
Author's note: These "ear-witness" accounts have gone largely
unnoticed. But, during the past two years QNC!, The CW Journal, has
been actively engaged in uncovering and publishing these timeless
experiences before they are lost forever. If you know a CW/Morse code
related story, or know someone else who does I urge you to share it.
You may send files to QNC! via Netmail, or make arrangements for me to
pick them up.
Best regards, Scott, N7NET, Publisher, QNC!.
................. ... ...-....1200 N81N
......................... ... ...-....1200 N81N
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Welcome To WorldNet
===================
Once upon a time there was void. Then, the Great God TJ came upon
the scene and created FidoNet. And it was good.
FidoNet was fruitful and multiplied. Soon it became a monstrous
behemoth, growing and growing and growing. And then... it had
some children.
We know these children today by such names as GoodEggNet,
Alternet, EchoNet, MetroNet, and others (the list is long). To
this day, however, most of them are still regarded as
"children", none of which are nearly as "important" as FidoNet.
Certainly none has approached FidoNet in terms of sheer size.
Why did these "othernets" spring up? There are several reasons,
but the largest of them are these:
FidoNews 9-24 Page 8 15 Jun 1992
1) Dissatisfaction with the "system" and FidoNet's internal
"government" (it's there, even if you don't always see it)
combined with a feeling that "there must be a better way".
2) Dissatisfaction with certain individuals within FidoNet.
3) The desire to join a group of like-minded individuals in a
"genre" network (ie: TREKNET).
One of the first, and biggest, and in my opinion BEST, of these
othernets was the Good Egg Network. It sprang up during some
particularly trying times in FidoNet's infancy. Feelings were
high, and some folks were *REALLY* pissed off at FidoNet and its
leadership. Whoever was "wrong" isn't the issue: the
fundamental problem, it seemed, was in the WAY FidoNet went
about enforcing its rules and moving the mail. The Good Egg
Network was given this name because of the expectation that only
"Good Eggs" would join. The network would be based on a "bottom
up" democratic approach. In fact, EggNet was virtually
"leaderless" in that the "real" power derived, rightfully, from
the sysops who, in effect, owned the network.
For quite some time, things were an "either/or" situation. You
were either in FidoNet or in EggNet, and only a few sysops
joined both simultaneously. Thankfully, tempers cooled and the
software improved, and now dual membership is quite common.
Then, one day, EggNet saw its own rebellion. Democracy, it
seemed, was certainly a good thing: but EggNet's particular
implementation of it was seriously flawed. EggNet's elected
"leaders" were in fact powerless to do anything that was not
explicitly covered by its policy document. Echomail links began
to mysteriously disappear. Routed netmail wasn't arriving at
destinations. A virtual WAVE of apathy engulfed the entire
network and members began dropping like flies. Today's EGGLIST
is at a very low ebb, certain among the lowest membership it has
had in its entire history.
A group of nine sysops, determined not to let the ideals of
EggNet die, formed a group they called "the Diehards" and began
a 3-month process in which an entirely new policy was created.
In fact, this policy would be called the "Charter" and would
provide only rough guidelines for network operation. At the
heart of this Charter was a model of "government" based
(loosely) upon that in use in the United States of America.
This included the equivalents of President, Senate, and Supreme
Court, and a lot of checks and balances to prevent abuse of
"authority" (which still remains, effectively, with the member
sysops). Essentially, it came down to replacing DIRECT
democracy with REPRESENTATIVE democracy. Gone are such EggNet
trademarks as "the vote of the month club", replaced with annual
balloting as well as more-frequent senate votes.
FidoNews 9-24 Page 9 15 Jun 1992
Not explicitly stated was the idea that the network would no
longer be subservient to FidoNet nor any other network. The
network would stand ON ITS OWN. Members would, of course,
certainly be allowed to be members of any other network
(including FidoNet), but the network would be its own entity,
dependant on no-one but itself... serving no-one but itself.
EggNet has yet to vote on the proposal. It became SEVERELY
bogged down in some heavy-duty red tape, both because of flawed
existing policy as well as some errors made by the Diehards (who
goofed on the procedures and therefore caused SIGNIFICANT delays
in the ratification procedure). Additionally, there were some
EggNet sysops who strongly resisted completely throwing away the
old policy document and thus resisted the Charter.
Faced with this, some of the Charter authors decided that it
would be better to form an entirely new network based upon the
Charter, rather than force it on anyone who had not joined the
network with it already in place. The Charter was then slightly
modified (hey, some of that negative feedback produced some good
ideas!), and WorldNet was born. We consider this network to be a
"third generation" network. A lot of thought and effort has gone
into this project, and we believe we have succeeded in creating a
network in which individual system operators can feel comfortable,
can have FUN again, and aren't faced with a myriad of bizarre and
sometimes contradictory rules and regulations. Best of all, an
excellent AMENDMENT procedure exists to allow WorldNet to evolve
as this hobby evolves (is it still a hobby?)
WorldNet is one of *VERY* few networks that was designed, from
the ground up, to be RESPONSIVE to the needs of those who
comprise and own the network. The "framework" is still there
(for things like echomail distribution, such "frameworks" are
necessary) but it's a FLEXIBLE framework, rather than rigid.
And the people that decide the shape of that framework are the
same people who comprise the nodelist.
At present, we're still rather small. We're aiming *BIG*,
however, and already we have a very good selection of echomail
conferences (more are needed, however), some of which have an
amazingly-high interest level (and corresponding traffic level).
How do *YOU* enter into this picture? Simple, really. We want
*YOU* to help us mould WorldNet into the kind of network that we
can all be proud to be a part of. By joining up, you will
literally own a piece of the network and you will have a say in
where it goes. We like what we've done so far but without YOUR
help and support (and ideas!), WorldNet won't realize its full
potential. As the name suggests, we welcome systems (public or
private) from anywhere in the world.
FidoNews 9-24 Page 10 15 Jun 1992
Please file-request WNPOL102.ARJ from the systems noted below.
In it you'll find the latest incarnation of the Charter, a
recent echo list, a recent nodelist, and information on how to
join. One final note about that Charter, though: we realize
that it's not perfect. Yet. If you like most of what you read,
but have some ideas for improvements, we WANT YOU TO TELL US.
Help us build the better mousetrap.
So come join the fun. Bring all of the othernet addresses that
you've got, and bring all the experience (or inexperience) that
you have as well. We've got quite a bit to offer you already,
and once you join we'll have even more to offer to the next
sysop!
You can f'req WNPOL102.ARJ from the following systems:
1:134/42 FidoNet 99:9305/55 GoodEggnet
55:6000/42 WorldNet 55:6000/55 WorldNet
201:5500/42 MetroNet 201:5500/55 MetroNet
(the 42's are HST, the 55's are HST/V32)
- Joey Lindstrom, WorldNet Director
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Postmodern Culture Needs Fidonet Distribution
_Postmodern Culture_, an electronic journal distributed free of charge
to 1900 subscribers in 40 countries, via Bitnet and the internet, is
looking for someone to distribute PMC on Fidonet. We have, in the past,
been available on Fidonet, but our local distribution point is not very
reliable, and we'd like to keep the Fidonet distribution channel open.
PMC is available for anonymous ftp for those with an internet
connection; failing that, we can supply PKZIP files on disk.
PMC appears three times a year and has just completed its second year of
publication. Each issue is 500 Kb to 720 Kb in length, and all files
are plain ASCII text. PMC's copyright statement provides for the
archiving and distribution of the journal by volunteers, provided that
each issue is distributed in its entirety and no fee is charged the
readers.
In order to give you an idea of what the journal pubishes, I'm including
the table of contents for the May, 1992 issue. Please contact me if
you're interested in helping out.
John Unsworth
Co-editor, _Postmodern Culture_
FidoNews 9-24 Page 11 15 Jun 1992
pmc@ncsuvm
pmc@ncsuvm.cc.ncsu.edu
919-834-4735
----------------------------------------------------------------
POSTMODERNCULTUREPOSTMODERNCULTURE
P RNCU REPO ODER E P O S T M O D E R N
P TMOD RNCU U EP S ODER ULTU E C U L T U R E
P RNCU UR OS ODER ULTURE
P TMODERNCU UREPOS ODER ULTU E an electronic journal
P TMODERNCU UREPOS ODER E of interdisciplinary
POSTMODERNCULTUREPOSTMODERNCULTURE criticism
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Volume 2, Number 3 (May, 1992) ISSN: 1053-1920
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Editors: Eyal Amiran
John Unsworth, Issue Editor
Book Review Editor: Jim English
Managing Editor: Nancy Cooke
List Manager: Chris Barrett
Editorial Assistant: Mina Javaher
Editorial Board:
Kathy Acker Chimalum Nwankwo
Sharon Bassett Patrick O'Donnell
Michael Berube Elaine Orr
Marc Chenetier Marjorie Perloff
Greg Dawes David Porush
R. Serge Denisoff Mark Poster
Robert Detweiler Carl Raschke
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Mike Reynolds
Joe Gomez Avital Ronell
Robert Hodge Andrew Ross
bell hooks Jorge Ruffinelli
E. Ann Kaplan Susan M. Schultz
Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett William Spanos
Arthur Kroker Tony Stewart
Neil Larsen Gary Lee Stonum
Jerome J. McGann Chris Straayer
Stuart Moulthrop Paul Trembath
Larysa Mykyta Greg Ulmer
Phil Novak
-----------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 9-24 Page 12 15 Jun 1992
CONTENTS
AUTHOR & TITLE FN FT
Masthead, Contents, Abstracts, CONTENTS 592
Instructions for retrieving files
Russell A. Potter, "Edward Schizohands: POTTER 592
The Postmodern Gothic Body"
Fred Pfeil, "Revolting Yet Conserved: Family PFEIL 592
%Noir% in _Blue Velvet_ and _Terminator 2_"
Tessa Dora Addison and Audrey Extavasia, ADD-EXT 592
"Fucking (With Theory) for Money: Toward
an Interrogation of Escort Prostitution"
Rochelle Owens, "Drum and Whistle" and OWENS 592
"Black Stems," Two Poems from _LUCA:
Discourse on Life & Death_
Donald F. Theall, "Beyond the Orality/Literacy THEALL 592
Dichotomy: James Joyce and the Pre-History
of Cyberspace"
Walter Kalaidjian, "Mainlining Postmodernism: KALAIDJI 592
Jenny Holzer, Barbara Kruger, and the Art
of Intervention"
Paul McCarthy, "Postmodern Pleasure and MCCARTHY 592
Perversity: Scientism and Sadism"
POPULAR CULTURE COLUMN:
Cathy Griggers, "Lesbian Bodies in the Age of POP-CULT 592
(Post)Mechanical Reproduction"
REVIEWS:
Terry Collins, "The Vietnam War, Reascendant REVIEW-1 592
Conservatism, White Victims," review of
_The Vietnam War and American Culture_, ed.
John Carlos and Rick Berg, and _Fourteen
Landing Zones: Approaches to Vietnam War
Literature_, ed. Philip K. Jason.
Michael W. Foley, review of _Post-Modernism REVIEW-2 592
and the Social Sciences: Insights, Inroads,
FidoNews 9-24 Page 13 15 Jun 1992
and Intrusions_, by Pauline Marie Rosenau.
Ursula K. Heise, "Becoming Postmodern?" REVIEW-3 592
review of _Sequel to History: Postmodernism
and the Crisis of Representational Time_, by
Elizabeth Deeds Ermarth.
Edward M. Jennings, "The Text is Dead; Long REVIEW-4 592
Live The Techst," review of _Hypertext: The
Convergence of Contemporary Literary Theory
and Technology_, by George P. Landow.
Matthew Mancini, review of _Thinking Across REVIEW-5 592
the American Grain: Ideology, Intellect,
and the New Pragmatism_, by Giles Gunn.
Meryl Altman and Keith Nightenhelser, review of REVIEW-6 592
_Making Sex: Body and Gender from the Greeks
to Freud_, by Thomas Laqueur.
Mark Poster, review of _Michel Foucault_, by REVIEW-7 592
Didier Eribon.
Linda Ray Pratt, "Speaking in Tongues: Dead REVIEW-8 592
Elvis and the Greil Quest," review of
_Dead Elvis: A Chronicle of a Cultural
Obsession_, by Greil Marcus.
Rei Terada, "The Pressures of Merely REVIEW-9 592
Sublimating," review of _American Sublime:
The Genealogy of a Poetic Genre_, by Rob
Wilson.
Announcements and Advertizements NOTICES 592
-----------------------------------------------------------------
ABSTRACTS
Russell A. Potter, "Edward Schizohands: The Postmodern Gothic
Body"
ABSTRACT: In the conjunction between the gothic body
of Edward in Tim Burton's film _Edward Scissorhands_ and the
anti-Oedipal Body without Organs in Deleuze and Guattari's
_Anti-Oedipus_, this essay posits a common machine, that of
the fragmentary, persecuting Gothic body. Whether in James
Whale's 1931 film _Frankenstein_ or in 1991's _Body Parts_,
the partial body appears again and again as the persecuting
agent of a society founded upon the monolithically Oedipal
FidoNews 9-24 Page 14 15 Jun 1992
nuclear family. This constitution of this body, with its
scars and sutures, is in fact fundamentally Anti-Oedipal;
when organs do not stay in place, where is an erogenous zone
to go? This essay thus offers a reading not only of _Edward
Scissorhands_ and its filmic and novelistic precursors, but
also of the postmodern suburbanity which beings from
Frankenstein to Edward continue to invade. --RAP
Fred Pfeil, "Revolting Yet Conserved: Family %Noir% in _Blue
Velvet_ and _Terminator 2_"
ABSTRACT: In the new Hollywood, quintessential site of
the intersection between the flexible specialization of
post-Fordist production and the free-floating
ideologemes-turned-syntax of postmodernism, the
transgressive energies and subversive formal practices that
first animated and defined %film noir% may be most alive and
well in a new and even perverse combination with other
similarly deracinated formal and thematic elements from
other ex- genres of film. In contrast to classic %noir%,
which was non- or even anti-domestic, this newer %noir%
includes, and indeed is centered on, home and family, even
as it decenters and problematizes both. Through a look at
two successful recent films, _Blue Velvet_ and _Terminator
2_, I mean to show how home and family are being
destabilized, "%noir%-ized" in both--dissolved into a semic
flow or play of boundaries from which, paradoxically, those
same categories re-emerge with renewed half-life. --FP
Tessa Dora Addison and Audrey Extavasia, "Fucking (With Theory)
for Money: Toward an Interrogation of Escort Prostitution"
ABSTRACT: This essay is intended as an introductory
interrogation of the terrain of escort prostitution,
mobilizing terms from both _The Telephone Book_ by Avital
Ronell and _A Thousand Plateaus_ by Gilles Deleuze and Felix
Guattari. --TDA & AE
Donald F. Theall, "Beyond the Orality/Literacy Dichotomy: James
Joyce and the Pre-History of Cyberspace"
ABSTRACT: _Finnegans Wake_ articulates a radical
modernist or postmodernist theory of poetics and
communication, based on gesture and tactility, essential to
understanding cyberspace and the limitations of the
orality/literacy dichotomy. Joyce's impact upon theorists
like Derrida, Eco, or McLuhan contributes to understanding
the development of VR out of electromechanical technologies
FidoNews 9-24 Page 15 15 Jun 1992
and high modernism. --DFT
Walter Kalaidjian, "Mainlining Postmodernism: Jenny Holzer,
Barbara Kruger, and the Art of Intervention"
ABSTRACT: Taking up the "new times" of postmodernity,
this essay considers the political resources and limits of
cultural critique afforded by Kruger's appropriation of
advertising signage and Holzer's work in light emitting
diode board technology, both within museum culture and at
street level. The essay compares their interventions to the
more communal, socioaesthetic praxes of Greenpeace and ACT
UP. --WK
Paul McCarthy, "Postmodern Pleasure and Perversity: Scientism and
Sadism"
ABSTRACT: The project of this essay is to provide a
theoretical basis for ethical-political resistance to
postmodern perversity. Through a comparison of Deleuze &
Guattari's (1987) _A Thousand Plateaus_ to de Sade's
prototypical deconstructionism, this essay traces the nature
and consequences of the circulation of desire in a
postmodern order of things (an order implicitly modeled on a
repressed archetype of the new physics' fluid particle
flows), and it reveals a complicity between scientism, which
underpins the postmodern condition, and the sadism of
incessant deconstruction, which heightens the intensity of
the pleasure-seeking moment in postmodernism. --PM
-----------------------------------------------------------------
TO RETRIEVE SINGLE ITEMS LISTED ABOVE, send a mail message to
listserv@ncsuvm or listserv@ncsuvm.cc.ncsu.edu containing as its
one and only line the command
get [fn ft] pmc-list f=mail
(replace [fn ft] with the filename and filetype, as listed in the
table of contents, for the file you want to receive). There
should be no blank lines, spaces, or other text preceding this
line.
TO RETRIEVE THE WHOLE ISSUE as a package, send a mail message to
listserv@ncsuvm or listserv@ncsuvm.cc.ncsu.edu with the command
get pmcv2n3 package pmc-list f=mail
If you request the issue as a package, please make certain you
have sufficient virtual disk space on your e-mail account to
receive it (at least half a megabyte). More detailed
instructions are available in the file NEWUSER PREFACE: to
retrieve this file, send a mail message to listserv@ncsuvm or
listserv@ncsuvm.cc.ncsu.edu with the command
FidoNews 9-24 Page 16 15 Jun 1992
get newuser preface pmc-list f=mail
If none of the above works for you, contact the editors.
_Postmodern Culture_ uses only ASCII text (the character-code
common to all personal computers): this means that readers can
download the text of the journal from the mainframe (where mail
is received) to any personal computer and import it into almost
all word-processing programs. Text in the journal uses a 65-
character line, so you should set your margins accordingly before
importing journal files into a word-processing program.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
_POSTMODERN CULTURE_ is published three times a year (September,
January, and May) using the Revised LISTSERV program ((c) Eric
Thomas 1986, Ecole Centrale de Paris). It is distributed to
more than 1,800 subscribers worldwide from an IBM mainframe at
North Carolina State University, and is published with support
from the NCSU Libraries, the NCSU Computing Center, the NCSU
Research Office, and the NCSU Department of English. Special
thanks to Chuck Kesler of NCSU Engineering Computer Operations.
_Postmodern Culture_ is a member of the Conference of Editors of
Learned Journals (CELJ) and of the Association of Electronic
Scholarly Journals (AESJ).
-----------------------------------------------------------------
SUBSCRIPTION to the journal in its electronic-mail form is free.
Each issue is available on disk and microfiche as well. Disk and
fiche rates are $15/year for an individual and $30/year for an
institution. For disks or fiche mailed to Canada add $3 postage;
outside North America, add $7. Single issues are available for
$6 (U.S.), $7 (Canada) or $8 (elsewhere). Postal correspondence,
payment for subscription, and books for review should be sent to:
Postmodern Culture
Box 8105
NCSU
Raleigh, NC 27695-8105
Electronic-text submissions and requests for e-mail subscription
can be sent to the journal's editorial address (pmc@ncsuvm or
pmc@ncsuvm.cc.ncsu.edu). Using the same addresses, readers may
also subscribe free of charge to PMC-TALK, an open discussion
group for issues relating to the journal's contents and to post-
modernism in general.
SUBMISSIONS to the journal can be made by electronic mail, on
disk, or in hard copy; disk submissions should be in WordPerfect
or ASCII format, but if this is not possible please indicate the
program and operating system used. The current MLA format is
recommended for documentation in essays; a list of the text-
formatting conventions used by _Postmodern Culture_ for ASCII
text is available on request.
_________________________________________________________________
FidoNews 9-24 Page 17 15 Jun 1992
COPYRIGHT: Unless otherwise noted, copyrights for the texts which
comprise this issue of _Postmodern Culture_ are held by their
authors. The compilation as a whole is Copyright (c) 1992 by
_Postmodern Culture_, all rights reserved. Items published by
_Postmodern Culture_ may be freely shared among individuals, but
they may not be republished in any medium without express written
consent from the author(s) and advance notification of the
editors. Issues of _Postmodern Culture_ may be archived for
public use in electronic or other media, as long as each issue is
archived in its entirety and no fee is charged to the user; any
exception to this restriction requires the written consent of the
editors of _Postmodern Culture_.
-----------------END OF CONTENTS 592 FOR PMC 2.3----------------
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Jack Decker
Fidonet 1:154/8, BIZynet 70:1/17
Announcing CAUCUS-the political
discussion echo for conservati
If you've ever read the Fidonet
"available echo" lists, or
participated in some of the political
echoes, you may have decided
that there are parts of Fidonet where
liberals, and liberal
political viewpoints, are definitely
considered to be more
acceptable and more "correct" than
conservatives and the
conservative point of view. The
problem is that if you are a
liberal or a socialist, you can find a
number of echoes where you
will feel as though you are mostly
among friends, but heaven help
the hapless conservative who stumbles
in to one of those echoes and
says so much as a word in favor of
President Bush or Senator Jesse
Helms, or who admits to listening to
Rush Limbaugh over lunch.
Something about that situation has
always seemed just a bit unfair
to me, and I felt that there ought to
be an echo where those ware politically conservative can come
together and have a
discussion without being constantly
assailed by the vocal liberals
who feel it's their mission on earth
to turn any conversation they
don't agree with into a flame war.
FidoNews 9-24 Page 18 15 Jun 1992
I'm not saying that
conservatives shouldn't participate in
those other echoes if they
want to, but not everyone enjoys being
in what seems a never-ending
debate with those whose world view is
fundamentally different.
For those of you who consider yourself
to be politically
conservative and/or pro-capitalism (as
opposed to pro-socialism),
and would enjoy an honest discussion
with fellow conservatives(without a lot of "noise" from the
other side), I would invite you
to join the CAUCUS echo. CAUCUS
actually originates in BIZynet, a
business-oriented network, but it is
being made available to all
who will agree to restrict access to
real conservatives. If you
run a BBS, you may give read access to
all callers, but you should
probably try to restrict the ability
to post new messages to those
callers that have in some way
identified themselves as
conservatives (particularly if you
already know that you have some
real dyed-in-the-wool liberal users on
your board).
I don't envision CAUCUS as ever being
a Fidonet backbone echo,
since it would be too difficult to
keep track of the distribution
of the echo. Right now, the only way
you can get it is by polling
the host node for it. Any node that
wants it can send an AreaFix
or AreaLink message to Fidonet address
1:202/1008 (a.k.a.
8:7705/8, 50:5010/1008, or 70:1/0; the
phone number is
1-619-283-1721). You may then start
polling for the echo, and
should do so regularly. One you start
getting the echo, we'll try
to find a feed closer to you if you
want one. We do reserve the
right to disconnect any system or
discontinue the feeds to anyone
if problems develop (at your end or at
the feed).
FidoNews 9-24 Page 19 15 Jun 1992
You may pass the CAUCUS echo on to
other systems, but you are
responsible for the conduct of those
you feed. If they are
annoying, you are annoying. We'll
probably cut you some slack so
long as the annoyances happen
infrequently. However, you must make
it clear to those you feed that CAUCUS
is a BIZynet echo, NOT a
Fidonet echo, and that it must not be
sent to the Fidonet echomail
backbone!
A few other things to note: First and
foremost, it is true that
conservatives will often differ on
particular single issues. So
please don't expect that everyone will
agree with you on certain
hot issues (I won't name them; you
probably know what they are
already). But if you take the "wrong"
position on too many issues,
we may start to suspect that you're an
undercover liberal sent to
spy on us, and ask you to tone it
down. :-) Also, please try not
to be repetitive; if you've said
essentially the same thing two or
three times in a row and the other guy
STILL doesn't get it, he
probably isn't going to. And finally,
while the exact definition of
a "conservative" is a bit fluid at
times (just as the definition of
"liberal" and "moderate" is sometimes
a bit hard to pin down), one
thing that "conservative" does NOT
equate to "racist". If you're
the David Duke type of "conservative"
and you want to join the echo
just to solicit new followers, save
yourself the trouble... you'll
get booted out faster than a liberal
would! That isn't
"conservative", that's just nuts.
So, if you'd like to take part in a
discussion by and for
conservatives, send an
Areafix/AreaLink message today, and
then
begin polling for the echo. Remember,
the address to poll is
1:202/1008, a.k.a. 8:7705/8,
FidoNews 9-24 Page 20 15 Jun 1992
50:5010/1008, or 70:1/0. This is the
BIZynet host system, so if you run a
business-oriented BBS, be sure
to leave netmail to the sysop (Chris
Gunn) asking for more info on
BIZynet. But, you do NOT have to be
part of BIZynet to get a feed
of CAUCUS. Hope t
----------------------------------------------------------------------
by Kief Morris
1:3603/210
Electronic Publishing Echo
The fledgling field of Electronic Publishing (E-Pub) is one with great
potential. Publications written, distributed, and even read entirely
on computer, like the one you are reading now, are becoming more and
more common. In the future this will become a thriving industry - in
the present it is a hobby which is striving to find ways to become that
thriving industry.
The E_PUB echo is intended for discussion of both the present and
future of E-Pub, and the means to make that future a reality. Topics
for discussion include current publications, the tools of E-Pub (ie
Hypertext software), efforts at publishing electronically, distribution
of E-pubs, and anything else related to the subject!
Everybody is welcome, whether you are interested in writing,
publishing, distributing, or reading E-Pubs, or even if you aren't
too sure what the concept is all about! The goals of the echo are to
build communication and organization between people in the field,
and to give more people a chance to learn about it and get involved.
Available from 1:3603/210 (Backbone pending ...) please Netmail for
info, even if you don't want to carry the echo until it hits the
backbone.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Tomas Hood
ICDM ZC
1:352/777
77:77/0
Notice: Invitation to Carry ICDM Net
The International Christian Discipleship Ministries (based in
Washington State in the U.S.) is proud to invite new bulletin
boards to the ICDM Network. This is a specialized Network. It
deals with issues such as Liberation Theology, "Missions,"
(dealing with historical missions, and the great evils done in
the name of God), modern Biblical Discipleship, environmentalism
and the disciple, community living, Six Questions, and other
topics that may interest users of subscribing boards. There is
at this time introductory threads and research on Gnosticism and
FidoNews 9-24 Page 21 15 Jun 1992
Christianity, New Age trends, and other "hot" topics. The
traffic is light, but, the messages are informed and intense.
The sysop of a board does not have to subscribe to the "creed" of
the ICDM or to that of any participating board. It is a Network
for the Users of the bulletin board.
The ICDM Network is based on the Bible. But, it deviates from
some of the stereo-type religious expectations and traditions.
Some may call it "mystical christianity." We call it practicle
discipleship to Jesus Christ.
It is open to any board that is FidoNet compatible. It is
compiled as a separate Zone (77), so your software must be Zone
aware. It is open to any faith, any person, regardless of sex,
creed, color, etc. etc.
The HOST is Tomas Hood, 1:352/777, the Zone 77 Co-ordinator. We
now have major Regions across the United States, Canada, and in
Singapore. Australia is being negotiated at this time.
We are looking for any non-North American sysops who would like
this network on their board. We will work with sharing costs to
haul the messages into your country. Please netmail us at
1:352/777 for info on this.
We are also looking for any other sysop and system. All are
welcome if you can abide by the simple rule of love. Respect the
participants, and repect the network. No one is looked upon as
an outsider.
For more information, send netmail to 1:352/777, and request ICDM,
which is an information packet. We are also listed on OTHERNETS.
Thanks for your interest and we look forward to hearing from you.
in Him,
Rev. Tomas Hood
ICDM, (a non-profit ministry)
P.O.Box 2196
Olympia, Washington 98507-2196
U.S.A.
BBS: 1:352/777, 77:77/0, 1-206-866-3621
14400 V.32b/V.42b and 16800 HST
(US Robotics Courier HST Dual Standard)
AGAIN! We are really looking for any transoceanic links. If you
are a sysop outside the of North America, and are interested,
please contact me at 1:352/777. We perhaps can work out a link,
as there are many 9600+ nodes in the network.
FidoNews 9-24 Page 22 15 Jun 1992
(Tomas Hood's bbs is also:
1:352/500
8:2000/777
70:2000/777
96:202/0)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
by Al Saveriano
1:2606/205.0 201-398-6360 NJ
Introducing the JFK echo
As of June 1st 1992, the KENNEDY THEORIES echo (area tag: JFK)
began on the Alche-miga BBS (1:2606/205.0) and will be moderated
by your truly. As a long time follower of this American tragedy
I have seen a major resurgence of interest in the subject.
Please NetMail me for an AreaFix password if you wish to poll
me for it. I am presently beginning the process to bring
JFK to the backbone.
You may FREQ my system for the rules to this echo. Name: JFKRULES.
I look forward to a large participation.
If there really was a coup in our country, wouldn't you like
to know about it?
- al saveriano -
----------------------------------------------------------------------
by Don Maner
Moderator (1:3632/12)
Ed Propes
Moderator (1:360/4)
This article was written to inform you that the new echo, SysOp
For Sale, is now on the Region18 backbone.
The objective of SYS4SALE is to provide a special echo espically
for the advertisment of merchandise that is being offered at
a special price for SysOps. This can include Commercial as well as
Shareware programs. But it's not limited to SysOps. It can include
ANYTHING that is being sold, as long as it is priced at a special
price for SysOps.
The idea for this echo was from Michelle Stewart. Thanks, Michelle!
So, come and join us! If you're in Region 18, request it from your
Hub or NEC. If you're not in Region 18, it can be picked up from
Ed Propes at 360/4 (HST/v.32bis) or me, at 3632/10 (v.32bis).
FidoNews 9-24 Page 23 15 Jun 1992
Thanks, and hope to see you there!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 9-24 Page 24 15 Jun 1992
======================================================================
LATEST VERSIONS
======================================================================
Software Versions List
Please refer to the article in this issue...
----------------------------------------------------------------------
FidoNews 9-24 Page 25 15 Jun 1992
======================================================================
FIDONEWS INFORMATION
======================================================================
------- FIDONEWS MASTHEAD AND CONTACT INFORMATION ----------------
Editors: Tom Jennings, Tim Pozar
Editors Emeritii: Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell, Vince Perriello
"FidoNews" BBS
FidoNet 1:1/1
Internet fidonews@fidonews.fidonet.org
BBS (415)-863-2739 (9600 HST/V32)
(Postal Service mailing address)
FidoNews
Box 77731
San Francisco
CA 94107 USA
Published weekly by and for the Members of the FidoNet international
amateur electronic mail system. It is a compilation of individual
articles contributed by their authors or their authorized agents. The
contribution of articles to this compilation does not diminish the
rights of the authors. Opinions expressed in these articles are those
of the authors and not necessarily those of FidoNews.
FidoNews is copyright 1992 Fido Software. All rights reserved.
Duplication and/or distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes
only. For use in other circumstances, please contact FidoNews (we're
easy).
OBTAINING COPIES: FidoNews in electronic form may be obtained from
the FidoNews BBS via manual download or Wazoo FileRequest, or from
various sites in the FidoNet and via uucp. PRINTED COPIES mailed
may be obtained from Fido Software for $5.00US each PostPaid First
Class within North America, or $7.00US elsewhere, mailed Air Mail.
(US funds drawn upon a US bank only.)
BACK ISSUES: Available from the following sources (and possibly
others), via filerequest or download (consult a recent nodelist for
phone numbers). Back issues are *NOT* available from FidoNews 1:1/1.
FidoNet 1:102/138 (All issues)
FidoNet 1:216/21 (All but 18 issues)
Internet ftp.ieee.org, in directory ~ftp/pub/fidonew/fidonews
SUBMISSIONS: You are encouraged to submit articles for publication in
FidoNews. Article submission requirements are contained in the file
ARTSPEC.DOC, available from the FidoNews BBS, or Wazoo filerequestable
from 1:1/1 as file "ARTSPEC.DOC".
FidoNews 9-24 Page 26 15 Jun 1992
"Fido", "FidoNet" and the dog-with-diskette are U.S. registered
trademarks of Tom Jennings of Fido Software, Box 77731, San Francisco
CA 94107, USA and are used with permission.
Asked what he thought of Western civilization,
M.K. Gandhi said, "I think it would be an excellent idea".
-- END
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Reference in New Issue Copy Permalink