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D a m a g e , I N C .| | | | | | | |___ | | | | | \_ _/ | | |__/
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N e w s l e t t e r |__|__|___\ |_______|_____|_____|___\ |__|__|___\ |__|
Volume 2, Issue #14
(Released: 02/26/99)
"Zombies and thinkers."
http://surf.to/damage_inc
email: damage_inc@dope.org
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C O N T E N T S :
<EFBFBD> INTRODUCTION - An Introduction to the Damage, INC. Newsletter.
<EFBFBD> ADVISORIES - Telco Merger Madness.
<20> Search String: {ADVISORIES}
<EFBFBD> BIG BROTHER BASHING - Big Brother taps into cellular phones.
<20> Search String: {BIG BROTHER}
<EFBFBD> BLACKENED'S TIP OF THE MONTH - Exchange Scanning revisited.
<20> Search String: {BLACKENED}
<EFBFBD> CONSPIRACIES AND COVERUPS - Bob Lazar/Area S-4 Part 1: One decade later.
<20> Search String: {COVERUPS}
<EFBFBD> CROSSED WIRES - Advertisement for pOwerraGe BBS.
<20> Search String: {WIRES}
<EFBFBD> DRUGS DISCUSSION - Trippin' on LSD with psychedelic hallucinations.
<20> Search String: {DRUGS}
<EFBFBD> H/P INFORMATION AND NEWS - LAC, NOC and more ways to get CN/A info.
<20> Search String: {H/P}
<EFBFBD> INTERVIEWS AND INTERROGATIONS - An interview with Metabolis.
<20> Search String: {INTERVIEWS}
<EFBFBD> OBJECTIVE OPINIONS - Zombies and thinkers.
<20> Search String: {OPINIONS}
<EFBFBD> REPORTS FROM THE FRONT - Apple's iMac turns purple, Bell Atlantic info & more.
<20> Search String: {REPORTS}
<EFBFBD> THC PHREAK'S TOP TEN LIST - Reasons why dope is better than warez.
<20> Search String: {TOP TEN}
<EFBFBD> THOUGHTS, POEMS AND CREATIVE WRITING - Rant on the future.
<20> Search String: {WRITING}
<EFBFBD> CLOSING COMMENTS - Blackie Lawless' Revolutionary Closing Comments.
<20> Search String: {CLOSING}
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< DISCLAIMER >
All articles contained in the Damage, INC. Newsletter are for informational
purposes only. Damage, INC. is not responsible for how any of the information
presented is used. It is not intended to be a manual with instructions to be
followed. We won't be held responsible for any damages caused, illegal acts
committed etc. by our readers. If/how you use the information given is entirely
up to you.
< COPYRIGHT NOTICE >
All articles and source code contained within this file are (C) Copyright by
Damage, INC. (unless stated otherwise). No part of this work can be modified,
reproduced or changed in any way without the expressed written consent of
Damage, INC. That means, electronically or otherwise, in part or in whole
this file must not be altered. It cannot be included with any other releases.
You cannot claim that you wrote it, or alter any articles and source code that
has been written and Copyrighted by us. Also, do *not* distribute any
Damage, INC. releases in "packages" with other text files or utilities. They
must only be distributed alone in their present, original form. You are
permitted to read and distribute the Damage, INC. Newsletter freely to quality
h/p boards only.
Copyright 1999 by Damage, INC.
All Rights Reserved.
_______________________________________________________________________________
INTRODUCTION: Yeah, we're still around and keepin' it real in '99.
I've got my mind on Damage, INC. and Damage, INC. on my mind.
The Damage, INC. Newsletter and the staff involved have all
aged, grown and matured in ways that I cannot begin to describe.
With our goals firmly set, our minds expanded and our thirst
for knowledge entrenched in us, we won't be deprived or denied.
No matter what hand fate holds for us, or no matter what this
completely random universe can throw at us, we will endure.
The odds might be stacked against us, but we'll continue going
against the grain. Of that, you can be damn sure.
Of course, this isn't the beginning. Nor is it the end.
Nonetheless, the journey remains. There are still many topics
of importance to speak on and things to defend.
Nothing is assured. Then again, nothing is gained if an attempt
isn't made. So, instead of overstating what we've done thus
far, we will look forward to what's ahead. There are so many
possibilities to explore -- new regions, systems and open minds
that we can potentially invade.
Now is not a time to reflect on the past. Sure, it's the final
year of this millennium. However, just because it's 1999 doesn't
mean that we should look back on everything that's happened in
the last thousand years. There's no need to make lists, rate
the accomplishments of others, rank the famous, mark the great
achievements, etc. Obviously, that's going to be a big trend
this year and the mass media will do that to death. Therefore,
Damage, INC. isn't going to concentrate on that. Instead, we'll
think about the future and the possibilities that the next
millennium will bring. We will watch what develops, rather
than just commenting on what's been done over the past centuries.
In my opinion, it's more productive to think about what's going
to happen rather than constantly discussing what has already
happened. So, that's my mindset. That's my outlook and part
of my philosophy as we rapidly move towards the year 2000. If
you look back for too long, you won't end up going in the right
direction and that can result in disaster. That's the only
advice that I'll venture to bestow upon you in this issue.
Hopefully it's well taken. If this Introduction doesn't properly
set the tone for what's to follow, don't complain too much as
it's actually my first attempt at writing one. But alas, I've
stood on the soapbox long enough to make a once captivated
audience fall asleep. There's no more anticipation, so go
ahead and dive into the issue full force.
ADVISORIES - {ADVISORIES}
Telco Merger Madness.
The main players in the large mergers discussed in this article are AT&T, TCI,
MCI, WorldCom, Bell Atlantic, GTE, SBC and Ameritech. Most people are probably
already familiar with the names of those telcos, but they may not know much
about the history of their past mergers or the details of upcoming mergers.
Therefore, in an effort to inform our readers, we've chosen to outline some
of the events that may affect or interest you. This article isn't so much
about their profits as it is about their expensive purchases and their
anti-competitive nature. With less competition in the telecommunications
markets, obviously it is the consumers that suffer. The fewer choices there
are for customers, the more power and control the telcos will once again attain.
And that is what leads to the formation of huge monopolies, which is exactly
what was supposed to be eliminated when Bell was split into smaller Regional
Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs). But the 'era of the monopoly' is back now.
It's back with a vengeance. It seems as though anything goes in the 90s and
any newly proposed mergers are permitted. They conquest and they conquer.
This is unacceptable and customers need to be informed about their intentions
and what's really happening with all of these mergers.
AT&T/TCI Merger:
After approximately 7<> years of informal talks and a scant 10 days of
formal negotiations, AT&T Corp. (ugly Ma Bell) and Tele-Communications Inc.
(TCI - A giant U.S. cable company) announced on June 24, 1998 that they
planned to merge. The deal is reportedly worth $48 billion, which is the
fourth "richest" transaction in history.
Here is a brief breakdown of this proposed merger: AT&T will pay about $32
billion for TCI's cable properties, $5.5 billion for other assets such as
its stake in the At Home Internet cable venture. AT&T will also buy
Liberty Media Group, TCI's cable programming arm, which will be headed up
separately by John Malone, current CEO of TCI. This deal will supposedly
(perhaps through imaginative accounting) put the new AT&T $11 billion in debt.
If the merger is approved by the FCC the combined AT&T/TCI form yet another
AT&T subsidiary called AT&T Consumer Services. It will combine each
company's Internet holdings, AT&T's long-distance and wireless services,
and TCI's cable, programming and businesses. It will reportedly be
controlled by AT&T Vice Chairman and President John Zeglis.
What AT&T would gain is direct access to a reported 33 million American
homes though the cable network infrastructure owned by TCI and its
affiliates. This would mark AT&T's return to providing direct local
service... the first time since Ma Bell had to let her fat "Baby" Bells go.
AT&T would then spend more money to research and implement a plan to convert
TCI's cable lines from the standard one-way transmission into two-way lines
that carry voice and data transmissions.
AT&T/TCI claimed that this merger isn't about saving costs and cutting
employees. "We need every single employee we've got," said Malone during a
press conference shortly after the merger was announced. "This isn't like
two big banks getting together and deciding what percentage of the staff
they can shoot." The truth of the matter is that the combined AT&T/TCI
will dominate the cable industry as it evolves.
AT&T shareholders definitely believe all of the corporate rhetoric they've
been fed. On February 19, 1999 AT&T shareholders approved of the merger
proposal. Later that day, TCI shareholders also passed the deal. If AT&T
is to be believed, "approximately 99 percent of the shares that were voted
approved the merger. More than 72 percent of the outstanding shares cast a
favorable vote, the highest level ever recorded for a company proposal in
AT&T's history."
The merger has received approval from the Department of Justice and virtually
all of the required states and municipalities. The company expects to close
the merger in the first quarter (2000), following approvals (rubber stamping)
from the Federal Communications Commission, the remaining few municipalities
and the state of California. Not only with AT&T get bigger, but they'll
have influence and control over yet another industry.
A brief history of AT&T, NCR, Bell Labs and Lucent Technologies:
In an attempt to shake the stigma of being viewed as a big, fat cat
company, AT&T actually split two portions of itself into "independent"
companies in late 1995. Ma Bell split-off its equipment manufacturing
(phones, switching gear, computer chips) and a great portion of Bell
Laboratories. While Bell Labs lives on, a subsidiary named Lucent Technologies
was created out of AT&T's gesture to make itself look trimmer to investors.
This deal was advertised as the greatest corporate split-up ever. Interestingly
enough though, AT&T still advertises Lucent Technologies and NCR on its web site
by listing toll free numbers for those so-called "independent" companies. Just
as, NCR's own 1-800 bulletin board still carries a great amount of information
on AT&T systems, etc. They've made no attempt whatsoever to rid themselves of
AT&T. In fact, I believe NCR still views AT&T with admiration and affection as
their big brother. The real reason for NCR being dumped by AT&T is that NCR's
computer systems weren't selling and they were no longer deemed competitive.
So, AT&T hastily decided to throw them in the trash like a broken disposable
camera that hadn't fulfilled its obligations to them or served its purpose.
Basically, NCR wasn't profitable to AT&T and therefore it had to go.
It also rid itself of its Global Information Solutions division, formerly
and now currently known as NCR Corp. Back then NCR was a manufacturer of
computer systems (PCs). During the late 90s, NCR has changed its focus to
creating ATMs, Cash dispensing machines, Financial services machines like
cheque sorters, etc. It also still creates database software and other
"solutions" as they term them.
AT&T claims that it felt uncomfortable supplying and enabling they publicly
claim are their competitors, the "Baby" Bells through their ownership of
Bell Labs. Conversely the RBOCs didn't want to enrich AT&T by buying their
digital switches, etc. That is their weak reasoning for dumping the highly
profitable Bell Labratories.
They were also competing with their own customers (through NCR and Bell
Labs/Lucent Technologies), which they stated weren't very good business
practices. (AT&T doesn't like competing period... let alone competing with
their own customers).
Despite their boasts that NCR and Bell Labs/Lucent are independent
corporations, AT&T has a lot of influence in both companies. AT&T owned
Bell Labs for many decades, and spent $7.4 billion in the hostile takeover
of NCR in 1991. First of all Richard McGinn, CEO of Bell Labs/Lucent
and Lars Nyberg, CEO of NCR were first and foremost executives in AT&T and
were bred in that culture. NCR employees are told that NCR is in no way
affiliated with AT&T. Yet, Nyberg is still there. Half of the employee
orientation documents given to temp workers have AT&T letterhead on them
still. Hell, while scanning Damage, INC. found many NCR numbers that still
contain "ATT" in their phone numbers (check out our list of scans in the
H/P INFORMATION AND NEWS section of this issue for evidence of this). NCR's
business focus might have changed, but from what we've seen their business
affiliations definitely haven't. In fact, it's very difficult to distinguish
them from each other. Lucent Technologies' television commercials show
(albeit in fine print at the bottom of the screen) that they're owned by
Bell Labs. And that admission on their part won't just go unnoticed by us.
MCI Worldcom Merger:
On November 10, 1997, Worldcom, Inc. announced that it received approval to
purchase MCI Communications Corp. This merger deal was worth a reported a
$37 billion. British Telecom (BT) also agreed to this merger. This is an
important fact because BT and MCI agreed to a $17 billion merger agreement.
In return for giving up MCI, BT shareholders received $51 for each share of
MCI stock they sold to Worldcom. CNN reported that BT itself received a
$465 million termination fee from Worldcom in addition to all the alleged
$6.9 billion they wanted for their stake in MCI.
The new company, called MCI Worldcom was born on September 14, 1998. MCI
Worldcom claims to be "a premier provider of facilities-based and fully
integrated local, long distance, international and Internet services. MCI
WorldCom's global networks, including its state-of-the-art pan-European
network and transoceanic cable systems, provide end-to-end high-capacity
connectivity to more than 35,000 buildings worldwide." MCI Worldcom is
one of the few remaining "players" in the US telecommunications market after
all of these corporate mergers wipe out small competitors through undercutting
and stonewalling by the RBOCs. Why did Worldcom buy MCI? Here are the words
of Bernard J. Ebbers, CEO of Worldcom. "The benefits of this merger are
compelling for the stockholders of both MCI and WorldCom -- powerful synergies
and ownership in the best performing communications stock over the past decade.
This merger is about growth -- value for stockholders, enhanced products and
services for customers and new opportunities for employees." Stockholders are
first and foremost on his mind. The only saving grace for Ebbers is that he
didn't claim it would increase competition. But it did boast that the merger
would provide enhanced products and services for customers. Perhaps hackers
aren't the only ones that "brag, boast and strut" as the mass media so often
claims. Evidently, many CEOs of large corporations are proficient in the art
of bragging and strutting their stuff as well. And apparently, they aren't
too shy about using the media as their instrument for bragging. They're
attention seekers. The only difference is that the mass media coddles and
embraces them with open arms, hanging on every word they speak.
Worldcom hasn't ended with MCI when it comes to buying up companies. On January
31, 1998, through a full subsidiary, merged with CompuServe Corporation
(provider of online network services). The same day, Worldcom purchased
ANS Communications Inc. from America Online, Inc. They've also cut a deal
with America Online: MCI Worldcom offered a five year contract with AOL
under which WorldCom and its subsidiaries will provide network services to AOL
(collectively, the "AOL Transaction"). As part of the AOL Transaction, AOL
acquired CompuServe's Interactive Services Division and received a $175 million
cash payment from WorldCom. WorldCom retained the CompuServe Network Services
("CNS") division. ANS provides Internet access to AOL and AOL's subscribers in
the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Japan, and also
designs, develops and operates high performance wide-area networks for
business, research, education and governmental organizations.
Bell Atlantic/GTE Merger:
On July 28, 1998, Bell Atlantic Corp. announced that it is buying GTE Corp.
in a deal worth $52.8 billion, bringing together Bell Atlantic's local and
wireless phone service with GTE's local, long-distance, wireless and
Internet businesses. That's right, the biggest "Baby" Bell plans on using
GTE to reenter the long distance market, as well as using its wireless
assets to become a big player in the U.S wireless telecommunications market.
That is, they want to expand the range and consumer base of Bell Atlantic
Mobile by using GTE. This is the case in spite of being dumped in the trash
by AirTouch (read the REPORTS FROM THE FRONT section for more details).
Bell Atlantic has already proven in the past that they aren't afraid to test
the waters of the merger market, since they acquired NYNEX in a bold move.
Eliminating their competition was always one of their main goals. However,
their new goal is to move into new markets, and compete with companies that
offer long distance services, etc.
It will be interesting to see if the FCC delays at all in giving this
merger the ol' rubber stamp. After all, being a RBOC, Bell Atlantic isn't
supposed to be able to compete in the long distance market... however GTE
is. Not only that, but GTE and BA compete with each other in the wireless
and Internet services market. BA is effectively eliminating a competitor
(and another choice for consumers) and bulking up its own network. For
Bell Atlantic's outlook and the financial implications of this merger (like
GTE's stock will go down in value, while BA's will go up!) check out the
REPORTS FROM THE FRONT section in this issue. Or, call Bell Atlantic's
Employee Newsline at 1-800-647-NEWS to keep track of the events as they unfold.
If you a Canadian, this merger may affect you. In Canada, GTE has an
86.39% voting interest in Anglo-Canadian Telephone Co., which controls
50.7% of BC Telecom Inc. BC Telecom owns BC Tel and other communications BC
Tel and Qu<51>bec-T<>l<EFBFBD>phone assets in that province. Anglo-Canadian also
controls Qu<51>bec-T<>l<EFBFBD>phone. With all of these huge mergers, you never know
when your telco will become a subsidiary of a subsidiary. :(
BC TELECOM/TELUS Merger:
Burnaby, BC and Edmonton, AB - BC TELECOM Inc. and TELUS Corp. announced
plans to merge and create a new, growth-oriented telecommunications company.
In a joint announcement, the two companies emphasized this proposed merger
of equals is the first step toward becoming a leading, national
telecommunications provider.
"We're excited about the opportunities for growth this merger presents to our
customers, to our employees and to our shareholders," said Brian Canfield,
BC TELECOM chairman. "Our combined size and financial strength, along with
the expertise and commitment of our people, position us to become a
communications provider of choice for Canadians."
"When we talk about growth, we mean a number of things," said George Petty,
TELUS president and chief executive officer. "We mean accelerating the pace
at which we expand into fast-growing, new businesses such as advanced data
services, voice over the Internet and electronic commerce. We also mean
building upon our existing network infrastructure and most importantly,
expanding our customer base beyond our provincial borders."
The timeline of the events:
January 21, 1999
BC TELECOM shareholders approve merger with TELUS
December 17, 1998
Proposed board of BCT.TELUS announced
November 2, 1998
BC TELECOM and TELUS announce senior executive team
October 29, 1998
BC TELECOM and TELUS approve amendment to merger proposal
October 19, 1998
BC TELECOM and TELUS to merge
January 21, 1999
BC TELECOM shareholders approve merger with TELUS
Burnaby, BC - BC TELECOM shareholders today voted 99.99 per cent in favour of a
merger between BC TELECOM Inc. and TELUS Corporation. The vote took place this
morning at a special meeting of shareholders in Vancouver. Earlier this week,
TELUS shareholders voted 99.4 per cent in favor of the merger.
"Today's vote in support of a merger with TELUS changes the face of competition
in the Canadian telecommunications industry," said Brian Canfield, chairman of
BC TELECOM and chairman designate of BCT.TELUS Communications Inc., the company
that will result from the merger of BC TELECOM and TELUS. "This merger brings
together two great companies, each with a proud past, to create a dynamic new
company with a bold future.
"The opportunities for growth this merger presents to our customers, to our
employees and to our shareholders are significant. Our combined size and
financial strength, along with the expertise and commitment of our people,
position us to become a national communications provider of choice for
Canadians."
The two companies also announced that an agreement has been signed to acquire
fibre-optic links in eastern Canada from Ledcor Industries. Ledcor will provide
a fibre ring through southern Ontario and Quebec as well as links from Vancouver
to Seattle, from Montreal to Albany and from Toronto to Albany which will have
the ability to connect to GTE's national backbone network.
The new company is named BCT.TELUS Communications Inc. and began trading
on Monday, February 1 on the Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Alberta stock
exchanges. The trading symbol for the company is BTS.
Combined their annual revenues are almost $6 billion with assets of more than
$8 billion. BCT.TELUS Communications Inc. is expected to achieve annual
synergies by the third year of approximately $250 million in operating expenses
and $115 million in capital expenses.
Terms of the merger agreement:
The agreement calls for TELUS shareholders to receive .7773 of a share in the
resulting merged company for each TELUS share they currently own. BC TELECOM
shares will become shares of the merged company. As a result, BC TELECOM
shareholders will continue to have one share of the merged company for each
BC TELECOM share they currently own. This transaction, which is a merger of
equals, will be accounted for as a pooling of interests.
As part of the transaction, GTE, which currently owns just over 50 per cent of
BC TELECOM, will hold just over 26 per cent of the voting shares of the merged
company. GTE has advised both BC TELECOM and TELUS that it supports the
transaction and intends to vote in favor of the merger. The ownership of the
merged company will comply with Canadian foreign ownership rules and regulations
under the Telecommunications Act and the Broadcasting Act. The merged company
will take all steps necessary to ensure such compliance, including ensuring that
non-resident share ownership levels are within the levels permitted.
Under the terms of the merger agreement, the chairman will be Brian Canfield and
the president and chief executive officer will be George Petty. The new board
will be made up of 16 members, with an equal number coming from BC TELECOM's and
TELUS' existing boards.
"Clearly, the key to this merger is how it positions us for future growth," said
Petty. "Maintaining the status quo simply doesn't give us the growth
opportunities we need in today's intensely competitive marketplace. We are
already working together, looking at ways to create operating efficiencies as
well as ways to complement our existing national services and alliances. These
options include further expansion of our existing networks through acquisitions
or investments in new facilities, or by forming new alliances with other
communications companies."
"This proposed merger is good news for customers, particularly customers who
have business operations or personal ties across the country or around the
world," said Don Calder, BC TELECOM president and chief executive officer.
"The merged company will provide new high-speed data and Internet services to
make businesses more competitive. It will also give consumers faster access
to the latest products and services at competitive prices."
"An integral part of this proposed merger is to build upon our longstanding
relationship with GTE," said Canfield. "As part of this agreement, GTE will
offer access to its global resources including its branding strategies,
technology agreements and intellectual property rights. These rights cover
new and emerging services as well as support systems such as billing, customer
contact and network management. Our relationship with GTE will also allow us,
over time, to achieve greater economies of scale and scope."
"GTE intends to support the BC TELECOM-TELUS merger and the new company in every
way possible," said Mike Masin, GTE vice-chairman and president - international
operations. "BC TELECOM has been an important part of the GTE family for many
years. This merger is an important strategic step for the two companies. The
combination of BC TELECOM and TELUS will be a value creator for shareholders of
both companies."
This merger combines the complementary capabilities of BC TELECOM and TELUS in
their respective operating areas. Of Canada's top 750 businesses, 24 per cent
have headquarters in the areas served by BC TELECOM and TELUS.
Together, the two companies have 4.4 million access lines in British Columbia
and Alberta, which is 25 per cent of the total access lines in Canada. The
companies have approximately 70 per cent of the long-distance market in their
operating territories.
BC TELECOM and TELUS are leaders in Canada's wireless communications market,
providing advanced digital and analog wireless services to more than 900,000
customers throughout B.C. and Alberta. This represents a combined market
share of 63 per cent and an industry-leading penetration rate of 13.5 per cent
of the population in B.C. and Alberta.
They also have a combined total of 180,000 Internet users, which makes them
the leading ISP in the region. BC TELECOM and TELUS provide high-speed data
and advanced Internet services, using the most sophisticated networks available
in Canada today. As part of the transaction, GTE will provide access to a suite
of new applications and services not yet available in Canada.
Both BC TELECOM and TELUS will continue to leverage the strengths of their
existing brands in their respective operating areas until a new branding
strategy is developed. The new company will also have access to GTE's global
branding strategies. In July, GTE announced a merger with Bell Atlantic, which
makes them even larger.
BC TELECOM and TELUS have a combined workforce of more than 25,000 people with
approximately 14,000 employees from BC TELECOM and 11,000 employees of TELUS.
"Obviously, when you put two companies of this size together, there are likely
to be some overlapping positions - particularly at the senior management
levels," said Petty. "However, since we are talking about expanding into new
territories by delivering new services, we expect to create new employment and
professional opportunities." Don't mince words Petty (what a fitting name),
the axe will fall on some of the senior and middle management employees.
"This proposed merger is a critical first step in providing Canadians with even
greater market-based choices," said Jim Palmer, TELUS chairman. Choices?
I think Palmer means *less* choices. Afterall, it's not actually a new
company, but a merger between two existing companies. "We are already competing
against very aggressive national and international players in our home markets
of British Columbia and Alberta. We are eager to combine our existing strengths
as a springboard for growth."
What does the merger of BC TEL and TELUS into BCT.TELUS Communications Inc.
mean? In reality, it means that two former Canadian telcos are being merged
with Bell Atlantic and GTE (which already owned 50% of BC TELECOM previous to
this merger). And it will mean changes for Canadian customers, especially
those in Alberta and British Columbia in the next few years.
More information about the two companies can be found on the BC TELECOM web site
at www.bctel.com and the TELUS web site at www.telus.com. The GTE web site is
located at www.gte.com.
SBC/Ameritech Merger:
On May 12, 1998 yet another telco merger was announced. SBC, Inc. a telco
holding company that already possesses SouthWestern Bell, Nevada Bell,
Pacific Bell, and Cellular One wants to add Ameritech to its collection of
RBOCs. This deal is reportedly worth $62 billion.
The combined company will be called SBC and will be approximately 56 percent
owned by SBC's existing shareowners and 44 percent by Ameritech's existing
shareowners. It appears that SBC is attempting to recreate "old Ma Bell" in
its own image. The merged company will provide an related books integrated
mix of local, long distance, Internet, and high-speed data services in 30 U.S.
markets outside its traditional 13-state local region, said Edward Print
Whitacre, chairman and CEO of SBC. Once the transaction is completed, Whitacre
will remain as chairman and CEO of SBC, and Robert Notebaert will remain as
chairman and CEO of Ameritech. Upon closing of the merger, SBC's board of
directors will be expanded to include Notebaert and four other Ameritech
directors to oversee operations.
In a smaller merger compared to the SBC/Ameritech deal, SBC acquired
Southern New England Telecommunications Corp. (SNET) for $4 billion. This
deal was finalized with FCC approval on October 26, 1998. SNET will give
SBC traditional wireline, wireless, long distance, Internet and data in
Connecticut. It also provides wireless service in Rhode Island and western
Massachusetts.
In conclusion, it's obvious that their logic is that bigger=better. Not
only do they seek quantity in relation to profits, but they want to expand
in size and move into new markets (such as the RBOCs like Bell Atlantic that
want to offer nationwide long distance, Internet and wireless services).
The purpose of this article was to educate people about these mergers and
show them the truth. Hopefully we've managed to do that. There are also other
alliances (such as AT&T, Cantel, Rogers and Shaw Cable) which weren't mentioned
in this article. Perhaps we'll discuss Rogers Communications (a new Canadian
monopoly that's still in the early stages of creation) once we have more
detailed information. We also intend to pass along more information about NCR
to you, including some "inside information". With mergers taking place at such
a fast and furious rate though, it can be difficult to stay informed about
every transaction, acquisition and aspect of what's going on. However, we will
continue to try our best to ensure that accurate information on these topics is
published as timely as possible.
Written by Shatazar and BLACKENED <20> Damage, INC. (C)opyright 1999.
BIG BROTHER BASHING - {BIG BROTHER}
Big Brother taps into cellular phones.
As we approach the next millennium, the number of people that possess and use
cellular phones will continue to grow. Many cell phone users praise the
flexibility and freedom that this technology provides them. However, these
people fail to think or realize that cellular phones offer no more privacy and
anonymity as their home telephone. Big Brother has been working hard to make
sure that he can tap cell phone conversations, as well as the ability to track
down the location of a cellular phone user.
There is a proposal founded by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to
give law enforcement agencies, like the FBI, additional wiretapping methods to
deal with the exploding use of cellular phones. Once again Big Brother is using
the "crime excuse" to destroy the right to privacy that we are entitled to. The
FBI claims that they need broader authority to tap cell phones so that they can
more easily locate drug dealers, terrorists, kidnappers, etc. In my opinion,
the notorious FBI will abuse cell phone tapping like they abuse their standard
telephone tapping powers.
The U.S. "Justice" Department is also lobbying for the FBI and other agencies to
have more powers to tap cell phones. "We think this is a positive step
forward," said Stephen Colgate, the Justice Department's assistant attorney
general for administration. "In many kidnapping cases, it would have been very
helpful to have location information." Colgate's words align himself with Big
Brother's strategy to use crime as a weapon to eliminate all meaningful
assurances of privacy and freedom in the United States.
As it stands for now, the Thought Police must obtain a court order from a judge
(an official rubber stamp from a member of The Party) in order to tap a cellular
phone. In some instances, they may also petition to get a court order to trace
the location of the tapped cell phone user. However, not all cell phone
companies have the technology to give Big Brother this information. Big Brother
is poised to shut these privacy-protecting companies down. Big Brother has
setup a nationwide requirement that all cell phone providers must provide the
Thought Police with the ability to pinpoint the location of all cellular phones.
Not only must it be technically possible to obtain a cell phone user's location,
but a Thought cop only needs to prove that it is relevant to his
"investigation." The judicial rubber stamping is getting even easier for the
Thought Police to obtain.
Anonymous cell phone industry sources have stated that the cops would be able
to ascertain the cellular phone user's location at the beginning and end of
a cellular phone call. The origin and ending call location information of the
tapped call would be provided to the cops via the user's cell site. The cell
phone user's location can be supposedly fixed within several city blocks in an
urban area. Out in rural areas, the range would be within a few hundred square
miles. Big Brother isn't satisfied at all with the huge range that their
Thought Police would have to search for the cell phone user. The FBI has
slammed the current location trace as being too broad, and want to be able to
pinpoint the user's "exact" location.
Another one of Big Brother's agencies, the FCC has jumped into the fray to aid
the FBI and other law enforcement agencies. Sources report that the FCC will
come to the conclusion that agencies like the FBI need additional cell tapping
capabilities because current capabilities like the cell user location I
mentioned above can thwart the intended purpose of a legal tap. In oldspeak,
the FCC is saying that cell phones give people more privacy because movement
tracing isn't pinpoint accurate (enough for Big Brother)... so more intrusive
tapping and location tracing are required. I was unable to find out which
"additional capabilities" the FCC has in mind.
The FBI wasn't so bashful though. They want the ability to listen in on the
conversations of all parties to a conference call, even if they would only be
"legally" allowed to tap one member of the conference. They want this power
even if their tapped mark is on hold or is no longer involved in the
conversation. I'm very sure that this additional tapping "capability" is only
one of many that Big Brother will make legal... even though the FBI does
whatever the fuck they want.
In fact, Big Brother has already used his influence to make it easy for him to
monitor cellular phone conversations. There are a multitude of exploits
available on how phreaks and pigs have used cellular scanners to listen in on or
clone analog cell phones. However, just because you have a digital cell phone
with encryption doesn't mean that you have privacy or security. On April 14,
1998 the New York Times reported that digital cell phones that rely on the
French Groupe Speciale Mobile encryption standard are at risk. G.S.M. is
reportedly used in 80 million cellular phones throughout the world, with around
2 million within the United States. G.S.M. was broken by two researchers at
the University of California at Berkeley. They claim to have done it by using a
computer to determine the identity number stored in the Subscriber Identity
Module, or S.I.M., a credit card-like device inside the phone. With this
number, it is quite easy to clone digital cell phones that use G.S.M. What is
most interesting is that the researchers believe that a digital key used by
G.S.M. was intentionally weakened. The key, known as A5, is a 64-bit encryption
system generally an extremely difficult code to crack. The researchers
determined that the last 10 digits were actually zeros! That means that with
the powerful computers available to national intelligence agencies, it would be
possible to decode a voice conversation relatively quickly. Big Brother's plan
for cell phone encryption is obvious. Make it strong enough to hinder the
public, but weak enough for the Thought Police so that they can easily violate
the privacy of those cell phone users.
The only "freedom" cellular phones offer is of physical movement. However,
physical movement definitely doesn't mean that Big Brother can't track you down.
Big Brother can still listen in on your most intimate conversations, whether
they monitor your POTS line or your cell phone. I hope all cell phone
newbies have been able to take some information from this article, because
it was written for you. If you are a cell phone user, don't ever assume
that Big Brother isn't listening in on you.
Written by Shatazar <20> Damage, INC. (C)opyright 1999.
BLACKENED'S TIP OF THE MONTH - {BLACKENED}
Exchange Scanning revisited.
This article will only include tips on scanning 1-800s. So, if you're
trying to find information on X.25 packet switching network scanning, then
look elsewhere. The main focus of this article is on organizing scans,
how to scan intelligently, what things to experiment with and how to identify
systems that are found. Basically, it's nothing "new" and it isn't very
exciting, but it might be helpful to those out there that want to learn how
to scan and how to find things while scanning. There's no point in scanning
if you don't use anything that you find. ;)
Okay, so you're scanning 1-800-555-XXXX (or random 800 exchanges) and you find
the following:
Carriers - Simply denote them as "CARRIER" in your scan. After your finished
scanning, search through your scan list for Carriers and call them back via
modem to identify them properly. We plan on including an article on identifying
systems to better help newbies that aren't familiar with many systems or how
to connect to them, etc. Instead of interrupting your scanning to call them
back, it actually saves time if you complete your scanning first. Also, don't
try to hack any 1-800 systems from home unless you divert... as they have ANI.
So, if you want to take the risk of getting caught, that's your choice.
Otherwise, go field phreaking with a list of carriers that you want to try
to access and explore.
Diverters and Extenders - If you find an extender or a diverter while scanning,
check to see if it diverts by calling an ANI. Or call a friend that has
Caller-ID and ask what number is shown. Just remember not to use any 1-800
extenders without diverting first. ;)
FAX back services - These are usually found on information lines setup by
large corporations, telcos, etc. so that people can get info about products
and services via FAX. Usually you'll have to navigate through a serious of
automated menus to reach the FAX back portion of the system. So, it's a
good idea to log the number sequences that are required to access it, for
future reference. As in, to get information via FAX from Micro$oft, you
need to press this series of numbers (*,1,1,AC,NUM,#,5,0). Sometimes it
takes a little exploring to find where the FAX back option is, but it's
well worth it.
LD Carrier/calling card access lines - If you do any scanning at all, you
will encounter many of these. Most often they ask for a PIN or calling
card number. Usually the PIN if 4 digits and many of them will ask you
to enter a 4 digit PIN, so they basically identify themselves. Meaning,
they need the last four digits of the calling card number to be used. However,
you might also need to know the company that owns it before trying to use it.
Having more information is always better than using something that you know
nothing about. So, just log what it reports to you and *never* try to hack
PINs using your own line.
PBXs - These are basically self-explanatory... and articles have already
been written on PBXs. However, you might run across some 1-800 PBXs that
just give you a dialtone while scanning. Not all of them are PBXs though.
Just as, not all of them will divert if you dial out using them. So, don't
experiment with them too much while scanning from home. More information
will be given in a future article dedicated to this topic.
Telcos - If an operator answers (such as with Op assisted ld calling), ask
a few questions about their services, prices, etc. and social engineer them
for some info. Or, if it's a RBOC (Regional Bell Operating Company) rather
than just a long distance carrier telco, tell them you need another number.
As in, say that you're trying to reach Repair, or the Billing office. Usually
they'll be willing to give you that information freely without any questions.
;)
Teleconferencing - If you find a few numbers for teleconferencing services,
don't go and setup a conference right away if you're at home, unless you
want to get billed for it. ;) Just log it and the next time you're out
field phreaking, you can then setup a conference using the methods discussed
in Blackie Lawless' article on Conferencing.
VMBs - If the VMB that you find while scanning identifies itself (such as a
Meridian Mail, Audix, etc.) then your task has been made easy. If not,
simply describe it as a VMB and call it back later. Don't waste time trying
to find valid box numbers, hack boxes, etc. while you're scanning. Unless
of course that's your only intention. ;) Some systems have an after hours
VMS... and other automated systems (such as telco info and demonstration lines)
have a hidden VMS. Many of Bell's use "*" to access it, as shown in the list
of Bell numbers further down in this issue. Sometimes you just have to
experiment in order to find hidden options such as that.
If you don't want to dial numbers in which people are constantly answering
voice, then do your 1-800 scanning late at night (well past normal business
hours). Scanning on weekends is also a good idea since many business offices
are closed. That way, you'll usually just find their after hours VMS handling
calls. However, no matter what time/day you scan, there will always be some
voice answers due to 24 hour ordering lines, hotlines, customer service, telcos,
etc. It's unavoidable, but the number can be diminished somewhat if you avoid
scanning during business hours. Also, if you scan after 11PM Pacific Time,
most places on the west coast will be closed, excluding the above. But that's
good for several reasons. One is that if they're closed and have a VMS, you
will still be able to know what company owns that 800 number. Or they may
just have an automated system, or message that directs your call to another
number (in the case of many telcos). So, you won't miss anything that's
useful anyways. And when a telco Op answers voice, it's not a bother since
you can ask them questions, social engineer them for other numbers, etc. ;)
Bonus Tip:
Ringbacks - Let's say you want to make a phone ring. Other than certain
pay phones (ahem, Bell Canada's Millenniums for example), it's an easy
task if you know the ringback number for your NPA. And it's completely
safe to use ringbacks anywhere (including from your own phone line). So,
there's absolutely no reason to be paranoid. ;) Ringbacks are used by
the telco for testing lines, but we can also use them for our own purposes.
The ringback number for 519 (and most other areas in Ontario, Canada) is
999-XXX-XXXX and for 514 (Montreal, Quebec) it's 320-XXX-XXXX. Substitute
the seven digits of the line's phone number for the Xs in each case. In
other words, if your phone number were (519) 555-1234 then you would dial
999-555-1234 as your ringback. However, other area codes obviously don't
use the same number/format. Many U.S. cities use 958, 958-XXXX (the last
four digits of your phone number) or something else. Download Voyager's
alt.2600/#hack FAQ and refer to the section on Ringbacks. It has a fairly
complete list of ringback numbers for various cities/NPAs.
Once you have the correct ringback code for your area, dial it and you'll
hear a normal sounding ESS "dialtone". If you want to perform a lineman's
test on the line using DTMF tones, press "1234567890" within a time span of
15 seconds. Obviously, that requires a touch tone phone to do. So, if
you're still using an old rotary dial Bell phone, you're fucked. ;) Anyways,
if you do that and hear a double burst of a single tone then the line is
functioning properly. Otherwise, if you dialed a digit wrong in that string,
the test will reset in another 15 seconds with a single tone repeated. I've
tried doing that, and that's the only way that it can be explained in simple
terms. In most cases, a Bell linesman will test a newly installed phone line
by dialing a ringback to make sure that it's working. Many people just
don't watch them carefully enough to notice what they're doing, otherwise
they'd have a little code to play with as soon as they have a phone line.
If you don't want to test the line and just want to use it to make a phone
ring, dial the ringback and at the "dialtone" flash the hook switch (meaning,
hang up/press and release it quickly) and you should hear a fairly loud,
consistent, single tone. At this point, hang up (put the phone back on hook)
and the phone will start ringing. If you're deaf, use your terminal program
and watch for the "RING", "RING" to appear or use an external modem to view
the AA light flashing. Anyways, that's how to activate a ringback. It'll
keep ringing until you terminate the procedure by either picking up the phone
and hanging again or going on hook and pressing a button. If you want to
repeat the process, pick up when it rings, flash again, then hang up and
it'll start ringing all over again. ;) Hopefully that's easy enough to
understand as it's just retracing your steps.
If you're lucky enough to live in an area in which the ringback doesn't
require entering a 7 digit phone number or the last 4 digits, then you may
be able to use it while beige boxing. For example, it would be very useful
if you didn't have a 1-800 or local ANI, but knew that the ringback number
was XXX (958, 957, 220, or whatever). That is, if your beige box were
equipped with Caller-ID, you could dial the ringback, hang up, and when it
rings you'd know the number of the line. ;) That's just a little trick
I thought of that may or may not work. Unfortunately it cannot be tested in
this particular NPA due to the format of the ringback number.
Written by BLACKENED <20> Damage, INC. (C)opyright 1999.
CONSPIRACIES AND COVERUPS - {COVERUPS}
Bob Lazar/Area S-4 Part 1: One decade later.
There have been many bizarre tales and sightings of what people believe to be
alien flying saucers under American control from the Nevada Test Site. In fact,
Area 51 of the Nevada Test Site is widely believed to be covering up the
existence of alien beings and technology. When did awareness of the Nevada Test
Site become widespread? I personally believe a major catalyst was introduced
during 1989 when a physicist named Bob Lazar came forward with his experiences
while he worked in an area called Area S-4.
For many readers, this article about Bob Lazar and Area S-4 will be a review of
information that has been available for a decade. There are others that don't
know what Bob Lazar claims to have seen and why he publicly exposed the secrets
of Area S-4. Over the past decade, there are those that believe Lazar, but many
people in the U.S. Government and the media have attempted to debunk him at
every turn. In the next two articles in this section of the Damage, INC.
Newsletter, I will write about what was said and revealed in 1989, and my own
personal opinions on this conspiracy. Then you'll be able to form your own
opinions on the subject... or to continue not to have one if you're a zombie.
About Bob Lazar:
---------------
Bob Lazar was employed as a physicist for the Los Alamos National Labs. One
day, Lazar was told by an associate to drop his resume off at the U.S. Navy.
Lazar must have had credentials that interested someone at Area S-4, because he
was interviewed by people who claimed to be part of the U.S. Navy. He wasn't
told very much about the position he "applied" for, other than that it was a
"high technology job that he'd be very interested in."
Lazar accepted the job offer, and was told the location in Las Vegas where an
airplane would fly him into the ultra top secret facility he would be working
at. When Lazar disembarked from the plane, he found himself at the Groom Lake
facility within the Nevada Test Site. It is also known as Area 51. From there,
Lazar was put on a bus with no windows. He claims to have been driven down a
"good dirt road" to where he believes is Papoose Lake, which is 12 miles SSW of
Area 51.
When Lazar got off the bus, he arrived at an installation that is referred to
as Area S-4. Here is Bob Lazar's description of S-4's exterior: "A very
interesting building. It's got a slope of probably about 30 degrees which are
hangar doors, and it has textured paint on it, but it looks like sand. It's
made to look like the side of the mountain that it is in, whether it's to
disguise it from satellite photographs or what...." According to Lazar's
description, Area S-4 would have to be on the east side of the Papoose Lake dry
bed. A sliver of the mountain that is closest to the dry lake bed extends into
the lake. It is possible that the facility was built into this extension of the
mountain.
On Lazar's first day, he was told to read many briefings, reports, etc. Lazar
quickly became aware that the technology that was being researched was well
beyond what human science could come up with. Subject matters in the briefings
dealt with a variety of subjects; gravitational propulsion, elements that are
beyond our ability to create (Element 115), anti-matter reactions, etc. He even
claims to have read reports on autopsy of alien beings, alien craft and other
extraterrestrial subjects.
During his employment at Area S-4, which lasted only a few months, Lazar saw
technologies that he considers to be of purely alien origin. He was a member of
a team of scientists. Their objective to examine the nine advanced space craft,
and successfully reverse engineer them. Upon further investigation, Lazar
confirmed in his own mind that the craft were alien in nature. He was enthraled
by testing gravitational reactors, repulsion fields, anti-matter generators,
super heavy elements that he claims are beyond our capabilities to create.
However, these fantastic experiences had a very heavy price.
Bob Lazar faced severe oppression from the Area S-4 security forces. They
subjected him to many psychologically stressful situations. Day after day,
M-16s were put to his head. He was yelled at loudly and often. He was pushed
around, fingers were harshly thrusted into his chest. It is obvious that they
were using fear and intimidation to break Lazar, so that he would be very
reluctant to reveal to the public what he had seen, touched, and used. S-4
security didn't end at the base though. Since Lazar had first-hand with one of
Big Brother's most secret programs, he was being watched *extremely* closely.
Frequently, Lazar would have to endure random searches of his home. They'd
threaten his and his wife's lives regularly. This was happening even after he
ended his employment at Area S-4 due to philosophical differences and the very
harsh treatment he endured.
Gene Huff, a close friend of Lazar, who was interviewed stated that Lazar didn't
tell him [Huff] about his experiences at S-4 for a long time. Huff defended
Lazar's integrity by saying that Lazar "didn't just run right out and spill the
beans." However, Lazar did take Huff and other trusted people into the desert,
as close to the boundaries of Area S-4 as he felt was safe to see saucer test
flights for themselves. A total of five witnesses on two consecutive weeks
managed to dodge security patrols long enough to see the strange glowing object
lift above the mountain. During his interview, Huff related this experience;
"Uh, it came up above the same mountain. It moved around. It did a step
move -- it actually went up in the air like this [showing details with hands]
and it hovered then dropped way down then it just floated around and cruised
around. It starts coming up the mountain range...." They even video taped the
incidents, but all that can be seen in the darkness is a bright blip floating
and manoeuvring. The most the tape proves is that Lazar knew that something
unusual, whether if it was of alien origin or not, did occur near Area S-4
according to the witnesses.
Big Brother wouldn't take kindly to one of his drones revealing his secrets. In
addition to a barrage of death threats, agent and telephone surveillance, etc.,
Big Brother exerted his power in a preemptive strike. Bob Lazar's past was
disappearing. On the matter of the disappearance of his past, Lazar said in an
interview, "What had happened was, I sent in a request for my birth certificate,
and as it turned out it wasn't there anymore, that I wasn't born at the
hospital! And that kind of got me wondering what's going on. I put in a
request for some other information, previous jobs, and that was also gone, and I
thought something had to be done before I disappeared." That includes Los
Alamos National Labs, the position that he held previous to his employment at
Area S-4.
At this point, Lazar was feeling extremely vulnerable. He was frightened of
fading away. At this point, in order to protect himself via full disclosure,
and to share his ideals in regards to science, Bob Lazar went public. Through
mutually trusted persons, Lazar agreed to be interviewed (at first under the
alias of "Dennis") by George Knapp, who worked for KLAS-TV in Las Vegas, a CBS
affiliate. The first interview occurred in May 1989 and created a lot of
international interest. In fact, the Japanese televised the special nationally,
and six European countries also broadcasted portions of the "Dennis" interview.
There wasn't very much exposure in the American media, since it is controlled by
Big Brother. In November 1989, Lazar revealed his identity in another interview
with George Knapp. After that, he did several more television and radio
interviews. In all of his interviews, Lazar was outspoken against the U.S.
Government and their secrecy. "It's just unfair, outright, not to put it in the
hands of the overall scientific community. There are people much more capable
of dealing with this information, and by this time would have gotten a lot
further along than this small select group of people working out in the middle
of the desert. They don't even have the facilities, really, to completely
analyze what they're dealing with." In one of his final interviews, Knapp asked
him if he was still being harassed after doing the series of interviews. Lazar
replied, "They let me know that they were around by doing stupid, childish
little things. But nothing serious, no."
It was obvious after Bob Lazar uncovered the U.S. Government's Area S-4
conspiracy, they couldn't just eliminate him. Doing that would make some people
believe that he was killed for what he said, and therefore was telling the
truth. Big Brother employed other well tested tactics. Their first tactic was
to debunk everything that Lazar was saying. I mentioned above how they made
Lazar's past disappear in order to damage his credibility. I also believe that
they indirectly put pressure on Lazar to take a polygraph test. Lazar's first
polygraph examination concluded that he told the truth on one test, but was
lying during a second test. Since the results of these tests are inconclusive,
Lazar was sent to a second polygrapher named Terry Tabernetti. He put Lazar
through four tests and concluded there were no attempts to deceive. Tabernetti
shared Lazar's test results with a colleague that agreed with Tabernetti's
conclusion. Lazar's polygraph charts were then sent to another polygrapher, who
believed that Lazar was relating a story he learned about second-hand, instead
of experiencing it himself. Tabernetti believes the difficulty in determining
Lazar's truthfulness stems from the fear that was drilled into him. To the
mainstream media, Bob Lazar was a man that lied about his credentials, and that
his polygraph examinations didn't prove that he told the truth.
Another tactic that Big Brother uses to stop people from further uncovering this
great conspiracy is simple denial. "We don't have any files on blah blah blah"
is the typical response to a Freedom of Information Act request. That is
something that George Knapp mentioned when he was interviewed by Chuck Harder,
a radio program host that worked for the Sun Radio Network during 1989. Knapp
said, "We put these questions [about Lazar, Area S-4, alien craft, etc.] to the
Navy, who Lazar says he worked for up there -- we made Freedom of Information
Act requests for information about the various specific programs [Lazar]
mentioned, of course the Navy denied having any information on the programs.
Of course in those requests we also asked for other information about UFOs,
stuff the Navy has already released and they denied having that information as
well -- so I don't put a lot of faith in the FOIA requests." By lying and
covering up the information, the U.S. Government itself attempts to discredit
Lazar and his story. Afterall, zombies believe everything Big Brother tells
them. Especially since the majority of "society" has been conditioned to
ridicule and disbelieve people that claim to have an alien/UFO experience of any
kind.
Over the past decade, very little new information has been revealed. Bob Lazar,
having told his story in its entirety, more or less resumed as normal a
lifestyle as someone with his notoriety can. The U.S. Government still denies
the existence of Area S-4, and any alien technology research occurring anywhere
on the Nevada Test Site. Despite their denials, it hasn't stopped them from
annexing more and more land around Area 51. There is one benefit of Lazar's
public uncovering of Area S-4. That is there is much more interest in what is
happening at the Nevada Test Site. More people are investigating, trying to
dig up hard evidence of the government's coverup. In my opinion, if the full
truth does come out, it will be a very long time from now...but at least Lazar
has given us a glimpse of what is happening at Area S-4.
Now, you could possibly be thinking "but Blackie Lawless, why didn't you tell us
very much about what Bob Lazar claims to have experienced during his employment
at Area S-4?" Well, that is what will be the focus of my next Conspiracies
and Coverups article that will appear in the next issue of the Damage, INC.
Newsletter. I felt that an article dedicated to giving you background
information on Bob Lazar and Area S-4 would possibly open up some minds before
I write about what Lazar experienced.
Written by Blackie Lawless <20> Damage, INC. (C)opyright 1998.
CROSSED WIRES - {WIRES}
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LandNet + Dark Rhythms International + DoRENet
Tons Of Online Games - MANY InterBBS Doors
Cable Modem / 4 Inbound Telnet Nodes
mailto:powerrage@mindless.com
DRUGS DISCUSSION - {DRUGS}
Trippin' on LSD with psychedelic hallucinations.
This article is an introduction to LSD. There are many myths and misconceptions
regarding the drug, so I felt that it was necessary to inform our readers by
giving them the facts. However, since some of the information is from the
DEA, it might not be accurate. Some of you may know LSD by another name, so
I've included some terminology, courtesy of the DEA's web site.
U.S. Department of Justice
Drug Enforcement Administration
LSD in the United States
------------------------------------------------------------------------
LSD-Related Street Terminology
a, acid, animal, barrels, battery acid, beast, Big D, black acid, black
star, black sunshine, black tabs, blotter, blotter acid, blotter cube, blue
acid, blue barrels, blue chairs, blue cheers, blue heaven, blue microdot,
blue mist, blue moons, blue star, blue vials, brown bombers, brown dots,
California sunshine, cap, chief, chocolate chips, cid, coffee, conductor,
contact lens, crackers, crystal tea, cubes, cupcakes, d, deeda, domes,
dots, double dome, electric Kool-Aid, fields, flash, flat blues, ghost,
God's flesh, golden dragon, goofy's, grape parfait, green double domes,
green single domes, green wedge, grey shields, hats, hawaiian sunshine,
hawk, haze, headlights, heavenly blue, instant zen, l, lason sa daga, LBJ,
lens, lime acid, little smoke, logor, lucy in the sky with diamonds,
lysergide, mellow yellow, mickey's, microdot, mighty Quinn, mind detergent,
one way, optical illusions, orange barrels, orange cubes, orange haze,
orange micro, orange wedges, Owsley, Owsley's acid, pane, paper acid,
peace, peace tablets, pearly gates, pellets, pink blotters, pink Owsley,
pink panther, pink robots, pink wedge, pink witches, potato, pure love,
purple barrels, purple flats, purple haze, purple hearts, purple ozoline,
recycle, royal blues, Russian sickles, sacrament, sandoz, smears, snowmen,
squirrel, strawberries, strawberry fields, sugar, sugar cubes, sugar lumps,
sunshine, tabs, tail lights, ticket, trip, twenty-five, vodka acid, wedding
bells, wedges, white dust, white lightning, white Owsley's, window glass,
window pane, yellow, yellow dimples, yellow sunshine, zen, zig zag man.
acid head - LSD user.
babysit - guide someone through first drug experience.
backbreakers - LSD and strychnine.
black acid - LSD or LSD and phencyclidine.
businessman's LSD - dimethyltryptamine.
come home - end a trip on LSD.
explorers club - group of LSD users.
frisco special, frisco speedball - heroin and LSD.
ground control - the guide or caretaker during a hallucinogenic experience.
hits - dosage units of LSD; usually paper squares.
lay the sheets - applying LSD to sheets of paper.
outer limits - crack and LSD.
satch - papers, letters, cards, clothing, etc., saturated with drug solution;
used to smuggle drugs into prisons or hospitals.
sheet rocking - crack and LSD.
trails - LSD-induced perception that moving objects leave multiple images or trails
behind them. travel agent - LSD supplier.
trips - dosage units of LSD; usually paper squares.
utopiates - hallucinogens.
yellow submarine - brand name for LSD sold in tablet or liquid in Illinois.
yen sleep - restless, drowsy state after LSD use.
U.S. Department of Justice
Drug Enforcement Administration
LSD in the United States
------------------------------------------------------------------------
LSD Use and Effects
Use
LSD is ingested orally. A microdot tablet or square of the perforated LSD
paper is placed in the user's mouth, chewed or swallowed, and the chemical
is absorbed from the individual's gastrointestinal system. Paper squares
are the preferred medium because their small size makes them easy to
conceal and ingest. Also, because LSD is not injected or smoked,
paraphernalia are not required.
The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse data for LSD are limited to
estimates of lifetime use, defined as the use of LSD at least once in a
person's lifetime. During 1993, 13.2 million Americans, 12 years of age and
older, reported having used LSD at least once compared to 8.1 million in
1985, an increase of more than 60 percent. In addition to the steady
increase in LSD use since 1990, the data reveal two significant expansions
in the number of lifetime users of LSD; one expansion occurred from 1985 to
1988 and the other from 1990 to 1991.
According to the 1994 Monitoring the Future Study, lifetime, past-year, and
past-month use of LSD among seniors in the class of 1994 increased to the
highest level since at least 1985. Moreover, the survey revealed that LSD
use has increased in every category (except daily use) at every grade
level. In addition, the proportions of students associating great risk with
the use of LSD and other drugs have been declining significantly.
The Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) indicates that the number of
LSD-related hospital emergencies remains low compared to those related to
cocaine, heroin, marijuana, methamphetamine, phencyclidine, and other major
illicit drugs of abuse. For example, over the past 5 years, the number of
LSD-related hospital emergencies has not exceeded 3,900 in any given year
while the number of cocaine-related hospital emergencies has approached
125,000 per year during that same time frame. The low number of LSD-related
hospital emergencies most likely is due to the fewer adverse reactions
generated by the low-potency LSD that has been produced since the late
1970's. As a result, the DAWN figures do not reflect the increases in LSD
use measured by other indicators such as the National Household Survey on
Drug Abuse and the Monitoring the Future Survey.
DAWN data also reveal that the majority of LSD abusers are in their late
teens and early twenties and usually are white males. This general profile
of LSD users has been a common characteristic associated with the drug
since it became popular as a substance of abuse and, for the most part, has
been unchanged since at least 1989. In 1993, LSD-related emergency room
episodes ranked fourth among youths aged 6 to 19, after alcohol in
combination with other drugs, marijuana, and cocaine.
Effects
LSD generates a wide variety of effects, the intensity of which are related
to the size of the dose ingested, the mental state of the user, and the
setting in which it is used. Although the minimum dose required to induce
effects is considered to be 25 micrograms, a dose of as little as 10
micrograms can relax inhibitions and produce mild euphoria. As the dosage
is increased, the effects become more pronounced and more prolonged. The
LSD high is uncontrollable once the drug has been ingested because there is
no antidote.
LSD is absorbed easily from the gastrointestinal tract, and rapidly reaches
a high concentration in the blood. It is circulated throughout the body
and, subsequently, to the brain. LSD is metabolized in the liver and is
excreted in the urine in about 24 hours.
Several factors provide LSD with a virtually inherent governor to its
regular use, meaning that the drug will never become as frequently abused
as other drugs, most notably, crack cocaine. First, the duration of the
effects, which may persist for up to 12 hours or more, ensures that the
user will not need to purchase the drug on a rapidly recurring basis.
Second, tolerance to the drug develops rapidly if used daily, rendering its
repeated ingestion useless, and cannot be overcome by ingestion of
increased dosages. Third, the uncertain and mixed effects, especially
adverse reactions, lead to erratic instances of LSD use. Finally, the
extremely powerful and intense hallucinations often prompt users to abstain
from LSD ingestion as they require periods of reorientation.
Physical Effects
LSD use can produce a number of physical changes: mydriasis (prolonged
dilation of the pupil of the eye), raised body temperature, rapid
heartbeat, elevated blood pressure, increased blood sugar, salivation,
tingling in fingers and toes, weakness, tremors, palpitations, facial
flushing, chills, gooseflesh, profuse perspiration, nausea, dizziness,
inappropriate speech, blurred vision, and intense anxiety. Death caused
by the direct effect of LSD on the body is virtually impossible. However,
death related to LSD abuse has occurred as a result of the panic reactions,
hallucinations, delusions, and paranoia experienced by users.
LSD distorts electrical messages sent to and from various parts of the
brain, primarily those pertaining to visual information. Messages from any
of the senses can be perceived as merged together, creating a sensation
known as synesthesia. This most commonly is represented as hearing
colors or seeing sounds.
LSD also affects moods and emotions and suppresses memory centers and other
higher cerebral functions, such as judgment, reason, behavior control, and
self-awareness. The combination and intensity of these factors create the
profound mental effects most closely associated with LSD.
Mental Effects
The mental effects most commonly associated with LSD use, particularly at
high doses, are visual images or hallucinations, often involving simulated
philosophical or religious connotations. It is this artificial imagery
which has been advocated erroneously as providing true psychological
insight and benefit.
The cause of most LSD-related problems is the intense visual illusions
triggered that seem real and become overpowering, prompting the user to
want to withdraw from the drug state immediately. Initially, at lower
dosage levels, the visual images are intensified in color or flashes of
light are seen. The visual images progress to brightly colored geometric
designs and become distorted. At higher dosages, images appear as
distortions of reality or as completely new visual images and can be seen
with the eyes open or closed.
Hallucinations also take other forms: thoughts become dreamlike or
free-flowing, perception of time can become slowed or distorted, and
out-of-body experiences may occur or the perception that one<6E>s body has
merged with another person or object.
Emotional responses to the vivid hallucinations can be wide-ranging, from
euphoria and contentment to disturbing feelings of confusion, fear, and
despair. Moods can change profoundly in a short period of time, from
excitability to tranquility.
The consequences of LSD use can be deleterious, not merely benign as is
commonly perceived. Powerful hallucinations can lead to acute panic
reactions when the mental effects cannot be controlled and when the user
wishes to end the drug-induced state. While these panic reactions more
often than not are resolved successfully over time, prolonged anxiety and
psychotic reactions have been reported. The mental effects can cause
psychotic crises and compound existing psychiatric problems.
Flashbacks
Flashbacks are one of the most dangerous side effects of LSD use. They are
recurrences of images or effects that were experienced during a previous
LSD administration and they can vary in frequency and duration. Flashbacks
can occur spontaneously or they can be spurred by the use of other drugs
(particularly marijuana or hashish), emotional stress, fatigue, or movement
from a light to a dark environment. These flashbacks can last from a few
seconds to several hours. Ironically, some experienced LSD users do not
consider flashbacks to be an adverse consequence of LSD use and actually
enjoy the renewed perceptions or images as a free trip.
Of course the DEA wants to portray LSD and its effects in a bad light. They
don't exactly promote its usage and want it seen as being dangerous and
harmful. That's why I've included some other material to show the other
side of LSD.
----------
From: lamont@hyperreal.com
Newsgroups: alt.rave
Subject: Re: LSD The facts!
Date: 31 Aug 1992 02:43:19 GMT
THE FACTS.
I don't have this thing referenced, I don't have anywhere near the time...
LSD does not cause any chronic physiological or neurological damage. period.
LSD does not produce a psychotic state. LSD is not a psychotomimetic
drug in the literal use of the word. I've experienced true drug psychosis
before, and LSD just ain't close...
LSD may produce chronic visual "tracers" -- probably as a result of receptor
changes in the sensory pathways of the brain. This is not damage. Some
people have these naturally, particularly in the morning. I've gotten
them from prescription drugs, which caused this and enhanced my vision at
the same time (QED, I'm not complaining...).
LSD may cause mild "flashbacks" (IMHO a misuse of the word) which is really
just state-dependent learning. Users sometimes can get themselves into a
slightly shifted perspective when a stimulus is similar to one experienced
while on LSD, or if one is familiar enough with the LSD state they can
sometimes create this mild perspective shift themself.
LSD may produce thick chronic visual "tracers" which interfere with vision.
This is very rare, and is not "damage" per se since it is reversible with
drug therapy (probably neuroleptics, but I'm not positive). Most users if
they report anything report the benign type.
LSD may produce a sydrome resembling Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This
is due to a massively bad trip... Here is where you get your honest-to-god
flashbacks from. Its also not very common.
LSD may produce a schizophrenic break in someone already suscpetible to
schizophrenia, again due to the psychological trauma of an extraordinarly
bad trip. This, however, is a case of "if it didn't happen on LSD, it
would've happened at some point".
The frequency of the above three chronic effects is less than 2:1000 which
is about the same as the *normal* frequency of schizophrenia in the
population. Conclusion: normal people that drop LSD remain normal people,
people with schizophrenic tendencies or other psychological disorders get
more fucked up. And I bet the guy who was distributing that pamphlet on the
evils of LSD probably had a schizophrenic break which is why he was so
damn concerned with it changing your personality...
----------
Quote from the LSD FAQ:
LSD - Generic name for the hallucinogen lysergic acid diethylamide-25.
Discovered by Dr. Albert Hofmann in 1938, LSD is one of the most potent
mind-altering chemicals known. A white, odorless powder usually taken
orally, its effects are highly variable and begin within one hour and
generally last 8-12 hours, gradually tapering off.
----------
Dispelling the Myths:
There's been a tremendous amount of scientific research and studies conducted
on LSD and its effects. It hasn't been proven to be addictive. It hasn't
been proven to cause schizophrenia or any other disease. The mind altering
affects aren't permanent. It doesn't destroy brain cells. It won't make you
stupid. The drug itself won't kill you, as long as it's pure and not tainted
by some other chemicals. It won't make you psychotic. It doesn't change
your personality. And there aren't any permanent effects that'll stay with
you for your lifetime. You won't overdose on a single hit of acid. It will
make you hallucinate, as it's a hallucinogen. Most hits aren't as potent as
the LSD of the 1960s. And it shouldn't be classified with drugs such as
cocaine, heroin, etc.
Final Comments:
I've ingested LSD on a semi-frequent basis for several years without
observing any ill effects of the drug. I've yet to experience a "bad trip"
and none of the flashbacks have caused any great harm to me, nor did they
adversely affect what I was doing. From my own experience, I would have to
say that LSD is a lot safer than many people believe it to be. For more
information, I suggest you do your own "research" (and I don't just mean
reading text files!) So, start trippin' and have phun. If you want to read
some material first, I recommend the LSD FAQ and the web sites that are
listed at the bottom of this article.
References and Sources of Drug Information:
My friends that have dropped acid with some frequency and my own personal
experiences with LSD. :)
Addiction Research Foundation (ARF) (Telephone 1-800-661-1111, 416-595-6059,
1-800-INFO-ARF (1-800-463-6273) and www.arf.org
U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) web site.
alt.drugs newsgroup
The Usenet alt.drugs LSD FAQ
www.druglibrary.org (The Drug Library)
http://lycaeum.org
http://hyperreal.com (Hyperreal)
www.lsd25.com
Written by THC Phreak <20> Damage, INC. (C)opyright 1999.
H/P INFORMATION AND NEWS - {H/P}
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LAC, NOC and more ways to get CN/A info.
(This is Part 2 of my Social Engineering article.)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This article describes various ways of social engineering to get CN/A info.
While my previous article in Issue #13 explained a few ways of getting that
information, it relied on the person's ability to social engineer an Op.
I mentioned that there are other ways of accomplishing it, so I decided to
write another on the topic to show people how it can be done in case you
don't have a list of numbers to CN/A offices or the one in your NPA.
First, I want to cover what LAC and NOC are and how they can be used. So,
here's some basic information on them.
The Network Operations Center (NOC) is the place that telco repair workers
call and use to get information. There's usually one NOC dedicated to each
NPA (some only cover certain exchanges within the NPA) and they handle requests
within their own area. If you scan your local exchanges, you should be able to
find it by the way they identify themselves. If not, you may be able to get
the number to the NOC through your local RBOC. Ask them for the NOC that covers
your NPA (or NPA+XXX where the Xs represent your exchange). There's no harm
in requesting that information. If that fails, go trashing at the Central
Office (CO) and see if you can find documents that list the locations and
numbers to them. Or, if you know the number to a NOC that doesn't cover your
exchange, call them. After they tell you that they don't service your area,
ask for the number to the NOC that does.
The Line Assignment Center (LAC) is just the reverse of a CN/A office. In
other words, you provide them with a person's full address and they will
give you the phone number. Obviously, they have a database that contains
the name, address and phone number of each line... thus the name LAC. :)
There's also a LAC dedicated to each NPA. However, unlike most NOCs, some
LACs have a toll free 1-800 number. If the LAC you have doesn't handle your
particular NPA, ask them for the number to the one that does, or ask to be
transferred to control. Then tell them what NPA you need the LAC for and
they should comply with that request. All that's required of you to do is
call and say "Hello, this is Joe Hax0r with repair and I need the number and
cable pair to 555 Richmond Street, Buffalo, NY." or whatever the full address
of the person is. Asking for the cable pair isn't necessary, but it'll make
you sound more like a telco employee.
At this point, you might be wondering why you'd need to call the LAC for
that info. Yes, you could search for the number using an internet search
engine that uses the white pages (like 555-1212 or any of the others). Or,
you could dial 1-800-555-1212 for Customer Assistance and ask for the
person's number. However, those don't have unlisted numbers, so if you
need access to a number that's not listed, the LAC is the best option that's
available. And you may want to find business numbers that aren't listed
instead of just that of residential customers. Also, it is possible to
call a LAC and get CN/A info by providing them with the phone number... but
you have to social engineer them into thinking that your job is telco related.
So, it's not quite as easy as just using a CN/A office.
If you can't find the LAC that handles your NPA, call your local RBOC and
pretend you're a telco worker and social engineer them for it.
You: "Hi, this is Joe Hax0r at station 13 repair. There seems to be a misprint
in my manual for the LAC that handles XXX (whatever NPA you need)."
Op: "What does it show for the LAC number?"
You: "It shows XXX-XXXX" (give them a number that's not in service).
Op: "Okay. You need the LAC for which area?"
You: "I need the LAC that handles NPA, exchange XXX."
That should be enough to obtain the LAC number that you need. Or you can
call up the Customer Sales and Service Center and ask them for the LAC number,
and CN/A office number. (not at the same time during the same call!) AT&T's
Customer Sales and Service number is 1-800-222-0300 and toll free numbers
to other telcos are listed below. Choose whatever one is appropriate to use
and make up an identity. Meaning, if you call AT&T, pretend to be from an
AT&T office (like the Residential Services office) in another state or
something. Another option is to say you're Joe Hax0r with Bell Labs or
Lucent Technologies Equipment Repair and it might even work. Hopefully it works
to your advantage. :) If that doesn't work, try calling the RBOC's Billing
Office and talk with an Op. Tell them that there's some type of mistake, and
that the Billing Office number is listed beside the LAC in your manual. Say
that you've been trying to reach the LAC and ask if they can be of assistance
to you. If they question you, tell them that you're with Sales and Leasing
or something.
Getting CN/A the social engineering way:
If you have an unlisted phone number but need the customer's name and address,
there are a few ways of obtaining that information, without calling the local
CN/A office (or paying to call one that charges for providing that service).
Plus, it can be a real hassle if you don't have a valid employee code to give
when the Op asks for it to verify (if the unlisted number is flagged, they'll
usually want to call you back and ask for your employee code, etc.) Plus
the internet reverse-search engine tools won't be able to find CN/A info for
unlisted numbers. So, here are some other ways of getting it that just
rely on social engineering zombies. Think fast! :)
Scenarios:
Call the number of the mark and tell them that they've won a free dinner
(pick a local restaurant, that's not a fast food shithouse), a free trip to
Mexico (radio contest, name the station of your choice when identifying
yourself), 3 free movie rentals/tickets or a free large pizza. For this
to work, you have to be field phreaking and sound convincing. The mark
might get suspicious and want to call you back. So, have the number ready
to give them to call you at and answer them with the appropriate response.
It won't work if you sound like a warez kiddie and start laughing either.
Here's a sample conversation:
You: "Hi, this is Mark Johnson from Blockbuster video. You've been selected
as the winner of our weekly promotional contest! Your prize is 3 free movie
rentals of your choice."
Them: "Great! Can I pick them up right now and watch them tonight?"
You: "Yes, you can. I'll need your name and address first though sir."
Them: "Why?"
You: "We need to have that information so that when you rent the movies
you won't be charged for them."
Them: "Okay, my name is Rob Market, address 234 Westbrook Drive."
You: "Thanks. All you have to do is show up at any Blockbuster location
in [City Name] to claim your prize."
Them: "Thank you. Goodbye."
Or, instead of asking for the address using that method, you can tell them
that they have a delivery (Federal Express) and need the proper address.
Explain that you're the driver and are lost, and usually they'll tell you
where to deliver it. Just make sure it's within normal business hours for
deliveries so that the mark doesn't get suspicious.
If that doesn't work, look up the numbers to the local video stores, pizza
places and department stores (like Sears, etc.) in the yellow pages. If
you're not from that person's city, use an internet search engine to find
them. Then call up the local Pizza Hut and order a few pizzas to be
delivered. They'll ask for your phone number. Give the mark's number to
them. If they don't read your address and ask to confirm that you live
there, and instead ask for your address... ask them which address they have.
Explain that you've moved recently. If their information isn't there, try
another pizza place or a video store. If you call the video store, just
ask them if you have any outstanding charges for movies that weren't returned.
Give them the phone number and they'll probably confirm it with the person's
address. Make up a story about a friend using your video card or something
to throw them off.
If none of that works, you can always just go back to calling the mark
again and pretend to be a telco worker. Tell them that there's a problem
with their line, or that their calling card has been abused. Make up
a bogus amount that they're going to be billed if they don't confirm that
they own the line (by providing you with their name and address). Ask
if they've made any calling card calls recently, and how many long distance
calls they've made in the last 2 days. Once they're worried and in panic
mode, they will give you almost any information that you want.
Finally, there's the ol' tried and tested method of calling the mark and
asking when they want call waiting, call forwarding, etc. installed on their
phone line. Say that you have a service order and are just calling to confirm
that they want those additional pay features. Ask for their name and address.
If they say they didn't ask for them and don't want them, tell them that
you still need their information to cancel the service call. Explain to
them that the service call is $50 and that if a telco worker shows up, they
will get billed regardless. As soon as they hear that they'll get billed
for it, they'll be happy to comply with the request for CN/A. :) There are
many other ways to scam them, but I'm sure you can think of some ideas to
try on your own.
In future articles, I plan to explain how to connect to and identify different
types of systems while scanning for carriers. I also want to write articles
on packet switching networks (PSNs), voice mail systems, HP-UX systems, etc.
I may dedicate an article to SprintNet and its features, local dialups,
PAD to PAD, etc. Basically, there's a lot of information that I want to
release and a few lists that I'm working on assembling.
Written by Blackie Lawless <20> Damage, INC. (C)opyright 1999.
Here's a list of numbers for the Kanadian K0d3z Kiddies to play around with.
Most of these 1-800s can be reached from the U.S. as well, but I just wanted
to say that. If you can't call one of the numbers from your area, dial out
using a PBX or figure out another way.
The following numbers are courtesy of Blamerica Phreaky Industries and the
vast Damage, INC. Scan Archives. They are provided to you, free of charge,
without any restrictions. Feel free to use/misuse/abuse them in whatever
fucking ways you want. However, if you use them for the purposes of carding
or any other illegal activities and get caught, then you're responsible. We
make no claims other than that these numbers have been scanned and verified
recently (as of 01/25/99) and are as described in the listing. So, they should
still be active and properly identified. In other words, the information was
completely accurate at the time of its release. You'll notice that many of
the numbers included are 800-XXX-2255 and 800-225-5XXX due to some of our most
recent scans in the 225 exchange and every 800 exchange ending with an extension
of 2255 (which is obviously CALL). There are also quite a numbers from our
scans of 800-483-XXXX (GTE), 800-455-XXXX, 800-475-XXXX, a few Bell numbers,
Sprint Canada numbers ending with 3279 (EASY) listed, etc. If you have any
questions, send Email to damage_inc@dope.org and Blackie Lawless or THC Phreak
will respond. Other than that, start exploring and have phun. :) Also, since
we've been scanning like maniacs lately, we have decided to put together a
collection of our scans and release them in a large compilation on a seasonal
basis. So, be sure to look for the Damage, INC. Phreaky Field Phreaking List
to be released in the next couple of months. And you can expect Spring, Summer,
Fall and Winter editions of it for 1999. If you want to contribute, you can
send us anything interesting and useful you've found while scanning or trashing
in Email to damage_inc@dope.org
AT&T:
1-800-201-2355 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-218-2255 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-222-0300 AT&T Customer Sales and Service.
1-800-222-0400 AT&T Sales Automated Response System.
1-800-222-1000 AT&T Customer Care Center.
1-800-225-5022 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-225-5100 AT&T Corporate Teleconferencing.
1-800-225-5120 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-225-5162 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-225-5177 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-225-5207 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-225-5288 (1-800-CALL-ATT)
1-800-225-5318 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-255-5328 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-225-5396 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-225-5511 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-225-5533 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-225-5569 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-225-5573 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-225-5624 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-225-5640 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-225-5680 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-225-5700 AT&T Teleconferencing.
1-800-225-5705 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-225-5905 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-230-2355 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-235-0900 AT&T Teleconferencing. (Spanish and English)
1-800-242-6005 AT&T Internet Services.
1-800-288-8916 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-348-8288 AT&T Shareholder Services.
1-800-386-2255 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-390-2355 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-421-2355 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-423-4343 AT&T Universal Card.
1-800-425-5288 AT&T Products and Services.
1-800-428-8669 (1-800-4ATT-NOW) AT&T Personal Network Sales Center.
1-800-428-8468 AT&T Global Services Center.
1-800-432-6600 AT&T Customer Information Center.
1-800-443-8288 (1-800-GIFT-ATT) AT&T Gift Certificates.
1-800-444-7785 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-446-7466 (1-800-4GOPHONE) AT&T Wireless GoPhone Services.
1-800-450-8120 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-455-1620 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-455-1779 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-455-2156 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-455-2379 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-455-3110 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-455-3471 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-455-5496 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-455-5631 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-455-6291 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-455-7623 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-455-7944 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-455-7962 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-455-9169 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-455-9828 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-1944 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-1962 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-2085 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-2610 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-2769 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-2811 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-2849 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-3096 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-3135 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-3177 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-3213 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-3396 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-3744 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-4719 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-4767 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-4797 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-4875 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-5262 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-5288 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-5970 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-6006 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-6201 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-6456 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-6729 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-6747 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-7347 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-7359 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-7575 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-7857 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-8013 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-8103 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-475-9492 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-483-1023 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-483-1161 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-483-1353 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-483-2394 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-483-2787 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-483-2820 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-483-2864 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-483-2946 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-483-2967 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-483-3261 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-483-3708 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-483-4338 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-483-5232 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-483-6288 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-483-6381 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-483-6399 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-483-7311 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-483-7338 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-483-7932 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-483-7938 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-483-8196 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-483-8349 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-483-8553 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-483-8748 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-483-9288 AT&T and Texaco's Information Line.
1-800-483-9537 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-522-2157 AT&T Investigations Department.
1-800-525-7955 AT&T Direct Call Cards.
1-800-538-5345 AT&T Slamming Resolution Center.
1-800-555-6897 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-555-8111 AT&T Consumer Lease Services.
1-800-562-7288 (1-800-JOBS-ATT) AT&T Employee Line. (U.S. only.)
1-800-575-9765 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-634-8078 AT&T Billing Office/Accounts info.
1-800-643-2255 AT&T Translation Service. (Foreign languages only)
1-800-662-6214 AT&T Calling Card Protection line.
1-800-732-2255 AT&T High Seas Radio Telephone and Mobile Satellite Services.
1-800-820-6464 AT&T Digital Long Distance/ISDN Services.
1-800-829-2355 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-833-3232 AT&T ACS Long Distance Bill Inquiries.
1-800-840-2355 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-842-2355 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-852-6338 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-855-1155 AT&T Long Distance Relay Service (TTY Carrier for the deaf)
1-800-855-2880 AT&T Long Distance Relay Service (TTY)
1-800-855-2881 AT&T Long Distance Relay Service (automated/voice)
1-800-855-2882 AT&T Long Distance Relay Service (TTY)
1-800-855-2883 AT&T Long Distance Relay Service (TTY)
1-800-878-3123 (1-800-TRUE-123) AT&T True Messages Service.
1-800-887-1111 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-901-2355 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-958-2255 AT&T Canada Long Distance Services.
1-800-967-2355 AT&T Easy Reach 800.
1-800-998-3947 AT&T Authorized Stocking Distributor/Zack Electronics.
1-800-WORLDNET (1-800-96753638) AT&T Canada Internet Service.
1-888-928-8932 (1-888-9ATT-WEB) AT&T Online Customer Service.
Ameritech:
1-800-221-0994 Ameritech Cellular and Paging.
1-800-244-4444 Ameritech Customer Billing Office (works outside of Illinois)
1-800-AMERITECH Ameritech.
1-800-323-7311 Ameritech Capital Services.
1-800-327-3470 Ameritech Advertising Services.
1-800-475-7449 Ameritech Pay Phone Repair.
1-800-493-7243 Ameritech Quick Reach Pager Services.
1-800-553-9591 Ameritech Pages Plus Advertising.
1-800-660-3000 Ameritech Small Business Services.
1-800-821-0173 Ameritech Cellular and Paging Services.
1-800-832-6328 Ameritech Team Data Support Center (press 6,2,1,2,AC,NUM,1)
(pressing 6 transfers you to the Ameritech Team Data Information Server which
you can use to obtain telco info via FAX back)
1-800-873-5501 Ameritech's automated billing (RBOC)
1-888-AMERITECH Ameritech.
Bell:
310-BELL Bell Canada Customer Services. (toll free)
1-416-555-1313 Bell's local CN/A office for Toronto.
1-800-225-5180 Bell Canada Client Service Center.
1-800-225-5400 Bell Atlantic.
1-800-225-5792 Southwestern Bell Wireless National Services.
1-800-237-0192 Bell Atlantic Caller-ID.
1-800-238-8636 Bell Labs.
1-800-253-5011 Bell Mobility Paging.
1-800-257-5554 Bell Atlantic Services/Computer Repair.
1-800-263-3899 Bell Mobility Customer Service.
1-800-263-8394 Bell Mobility.
1-800-265-0123 Bell Mobility Ardis Division Sales.
1-800-267-0123 Bell Mobility's Automated Express Lane System. (reports EST)
1-800-267-6574 Bell Canada Datapac Service Center.
1-800-267-7640 Bell Canada's Ident-a-call demonstration line. (You can access
their VMS by pressing "*")
1-800-268-9160 Bell Canada Information Service Line.
1-800-275-2355 (1-800-275-BELL) Bell Atlantic Repair.
1-888-308-5640 Bell Mobility Paging.
1-800-327-8412 Bell Atlantic Professional Services.
1-800-345-8505 Bell Atlantic Caller-ID.
1-800-363-9612 Bell Technical Services.
1-800-387-9571 Bell Mobility Radio.
1-800-416-9639 Bell Atlantic Help Desk.
1-800-441-1267 Southwestern Bell Yellow Pages.
1-800-443-6200 Southwestern Bell Yellow Pages.
1-800-447-2688 BC Tel Mobility's EasyTouch Service.
1-800-451-6549 Bell South Customer Service.
1-800-453-4539 Pacific Bell Directory Major Market. (U.S. only)
1-800-461-2921 Bell Canada Smart Touch Information Line.
1-800-468-6792 (1-800-GO-TO-SWB) Southwestern Bell's Employee Locator.
1-800-4PB-ISDN Pacific Bell FasTrak DSL Center. (U.S. only)
1-800-479-2977 Southwestern Bell Yellow Pages.
1-800-521-2673 Bellcore.
1-800-522-6909 Southwestern Bell Yellow Pages and Advertising Services.
1-800-526-4611 Bell Atlantic Telecom Vendor's Service Leasing Dept.
1-800-538-4747 Bell Atlantic Mobile.
1-800-541-1229 Bell South Financial Services.
1-800-555-1111 Bell Long Distance.
1-800-561-4459 NBTel's NBNet Support line.
1-800-565-4737 IslandTel Business Office.
1-800-611-6500 Bell Mobility Cellular.
1-800-647-NEWS Bell Atlantic Employee News line. (Daily recorded messages)
1-800-663-1440 BC Tel Call Center/Accounts.
1-800-663-2455 BC Tel Mobility Customer Service Department.
1-800-667-0123 Bell Mobility's Automated Express Lane System.
1-800-667-5801 SaskTel International Head Office.
1-800-668-0911 BCE Mobile Communications Inc.
1-800-668-6878 Bell Direct. (U.S. and Canada)
1-800-668-9090 Bell Information Systems Repair Service.
1-800-668-9716 Bell Canada Employment Centre. (Press "*" to access VMS)
1-800-727-2231 Bell Atlantic.
1-800-735-3030 Cincinnati Bell Long Distance.
1-800-773-2121 Sympatico Customer Service. (Bell Canada's internet service)
1-800-792-2665 (1-800-SWB-BOOK) Southwestern Bell Directory Source.
1-800-832-6338 Bell South Memory Call Service.
1-800-842-1558 Bell South Benefits Service Center.
1-800-843-2255 Bell Atlantic Small Business Direct Response Center.
1-800-848-8000 Pacific Bell Directory Smart Resource. (U.S. only)
1-800-922-0204 Bell Atlantic Mobile.
1-800-925-0049 Bell South Equipment/Customer Changes. (U.S. only)
1-800-925-2525 Bell South Business.
1-800-934-2255 Bell Atlantic.
1-877-344-3330 BC Tel Mobility.
1-877-FIRSTRATE Bell FirstRate Interactive Information and Enrollment Service.
1-877-4PERCALL Bell Canada's (Dis)Advantage Per Call.
1-877-723-4400 Bell Mobility Totalcom.
1-888-217-6540 Bell Mobility Service.
1-888-221-BELL Bell Atlantic.
1-888-223-BELL Bell Atlantic.
1-888-CELLPHONE Cellular One.
1-888-264-2355 (1-888-ANI-BELL) Bell Atlantic Caller-ID.
1-888-333-4454 Bell Equipement D Imprimerie.
1-888-388-BELL Bell Direct in Canada. (the same as 310-BELL)
1-888-442-0222 Bell Mobility Accounts Receivable.
1-888-4-662453 (1-888-4-MOBILE) Bell Mobility Cellular.
1-888-522-BELL Cellular One.
1-888-677-BELL Bell Atlantic View at One Support.
1-888-685-BELL BC Tel Multiple Option Messaging.
1-888-739-2737 (1-888-REWARDS) Bell Canada.
1-888-755-BELL Pacific Bell Equipment.
1-888-775-BELL Pacific Bell Equipment.
1-888-837-1668 Bell South Telecom Rental Services.
1-888-867-7587 (1-888-TMS-PLUS) Telus.
1-888-905-2284 BC Tel Interactive Business Solutions.
1-888-969-BELL Bell Atlantic.
GTE:
1-800-225-5160 GTE Corporation Teleservicing System.
1-800-225-5483 (1-800-CALL-GTE) GTE Long Distance.
1-800-272-3466 GTE Telecom.
1-800-346-5800 GTE Business Sales Center.
1-800-347-5665 GTE Express. (Cellular)
1-800-366-5665 GTE Express. (Cellular)
1-800-428-8722 GTE Superpages Internet Services.
1-800-445-5288 GTE Business Sales Center.
1-800-483-1000 (1-800-GTE-1000) GTE Repair Center.
1-800-483-2273 (1-800-GTE-CARD) GTE Calling Card Services.
1-800-483-3000 GTE Billing Center.
1-800-483-3600 GTE North Customer Billing Center.
1-800-483-4000 GTE California Customer Service Ordering Center.
1-800-483-4839 GTE Business Response Center.
1-800-483-5000 GTE California Business Sales Center.
1-800-483-5288 GTE Headquarters in Irving, TX.
1-800-483-5400 GTE Business Sales Center.
1-800-483-5559 GTE.
1-800-483-5781 GTE Wireless.
1-800-483-7243 (1-800-GTE-PAGE) GTE Paging.
1-800-483-7479 GTE Hawaiian Tel's Business Sales Center.
1-800-527-2558 GTE Business Response Center.
1-800-643-0997 GTE Bank Card Center.
1-800-670-9320 GTE Paging.
1-800-787-9689 GTE Customer Service.
1-800-877-5665 GTE Express. (Cellular)
1-800-888-8448 GTE Directory Order Center.
MCI:
1-800-225-5888 MCI WorldCom Operator Services.
1-800-254-8991 MCI WorldCom Customer Service. (U.S. only)
1-800-264-1000 MCI WorldCom Customer Service.
1-800-275-0200 MCI WorldCom Residential/Business Customer Service.
1-800-275-1234 MCI WorldCom.
1-800-333-1000 MCI WorldCom Commercial Customer Service.
1-800-333-2000 MCI WorldCom.
1-800-333-5000 MCI WorldCom Residential Service.
1-800-336-0149 MCI WorldCom Global Product Support.
1-800-432-4557 MCI WorldCom Account Services. (U.S. only)
1-800-444-1111 MCI WorldCom's Global Technical Service Center.
1-800-444-3333 MCI Customer Service. (U.S. only)
1-800-444-6242 MCI.
1-800-444-6245 MCI Mail Messaging and Technical Support.
1-800-444-7000 MCI WorldCom St. Louis Business Market Sales Office.
1-800-455-1605 Network MCI System.
1-800-455-2957 Network MCI System.
1-800-455-4215 Network MCI System.
1-800-455-5469 Network MCI System.
1-800-455-6084 Network MCI Interactive Paging Service.
1-800-455-6504 Network MCI System.
1-800-455-6513 Network MCI System.
1-800-455-6780 Network MCI System.
1-800-455-6813 Jack Hogan of MCI WorldCom's Pager.
1-800-455-6834 Network MCI System.
1-800-455-7806 Network MCI System.
1-800-455-7854 Network MCI System.
1-800-455-7920 Network MCI System.
1-800-475-5628 MCI WorldCom Paging System.
1-800-475-9321 MCI WorldCom.
1-800-483-4929 Network MCI System.
1-800-483-8784 Network MCI System.
1-800-539-2000 MCI WorldCom Business Services.
1-800-555-4668 Network MCI System.
1-888-624-2355 MCI WorldCom.
1-800-627-2355 MCI WorldCom Administrative Offices.
1-800-637-2255 MCI WorldCom.
1-800-645-2355 MCI WorldCom.
1-800-674-2355 MCI WorldCom (calling card calls)
1-800-688-4889 MCI National Relay Service in the U.S. (TTY)
1-800-701-9358 MCI WorldCom. (U.S. only)
1-800-724-3624 (1-800-PAGE-MCI) MCI WorldCom Paging System.
1-800-727-5555 MCI Small Business Accounts. (U.S. only)
1-800-848-4480 MCI WorldCom Network Assistance. (modem)
1-800-864-4060 MCI WorldCom Wholesale Services.
1-800-872-7654 MCI WorldCom's EDI Group.
1-800-877-9320 Network MCI.
1-800-888-8000 MCI WorldCom automated calling card calls.
1-800-944-0700 MCI WorldCom Wireless.
1-800-947-8642 MCI National Relay Service in the U.S. (voice)
1-800-WORLDCOM WorldCom.
1-800-COLLECT MCI WorldCom automated collect calls.
1-800-SUNDAYS MCI WorldCom.
1-888-655-2355 Network MCI Contact.
1-888-724-3624 (1-888-PAGE-MCI) MCI WorldCom Paging System.
Sprint:
1-800-277-7468 Sprint Phone Card and Collect calls.
1-800-359-2255 Sprint Voice Phone Card.
1-800-366-0707 Sprint Pre-Paid Card Customer Service.
1-800-366-2255 Sprint automated LD calling (U.S. and Canada)
1-800-FON-CARD Sprint's automated calling.
1-800-455-4602 Sprint PCS.
1-800-456-9711 Sprint Canada Customer Service.
1-800-467-7746 Sprint.
1-800-480-4727 (1-800-480-4PCS) Sprint PCS.
1-800-506-8268 Sprint Canada.
1-800-515-6678 (1-800-515-MOST) Sprint Canada.
1-800-522-9320 Sprint Canada.
1-800-540-4516 Sprint Canada.
1-800-546-2500 Sprint's online directory of SprintNet local access numbers.
1-800-546-6000 SprintNet's In-WATS Service.
1-800-548-8120 Sprint Canada.
1-800-570-2255 Sprint Business Service Center.
1-800-571-6678 (1-800-571-MOST) Sprint Canada.
1-800-575-2255 Sprint Canada's Business Sales Office.
1-800-597-1195 Sprint Canada.
1-800-597-9765 Sprint Canada.
1-800-680-6678 (1-800-680-MOST) Sprint Canada.
1-800-736-1130 SprintNet data network products and services.
1-800-746-3767 (1-800-PIN-DROP) Sprint. (U.S. only)
1-800-777-4681 (1-800-SPRINT-1) Sprint Paging.
1-800-777-4683 (1-800-SPRINT-3) Sprint Selections.
1-800-801-6678 (1-800-801-MOST) Sprint Canada.
1-800-827-4685 Sprint's Global One Customer Service Center.
1-800-843-6678 (1-800-THE-MOST) Sprint Canada.
1-800-873-9350 Sprint Canada.
1-800-874-5069 Sprint Canada.
1-800-877-4453 Sprint Employee News line. (U.S. only. Updated daily)
1-800-877-4646 Sprint Account/Rewards/Calling Card customer services.
1-800-877-5045 Sprint Service Management Center.
1-800-877-8000 Sprint Operator assisted calls.
1-800-877-8973 Sprint National Relay Service in the U.S. (voice/TTY)
1-800-994-6678 (1-800-994-MOST) Sprint Canada.
1-888-254-0701 Sprint Canada's "The Most" Online.
1-888-254-2927 Sprint Canada.
1-888-276-2179 Sprint PCS.
1-888-490-3279 (1-888-490-EASY) Sprint Canada's "The Most" Online.
1-888-510-3279 Sprint Canada.
1-888-670-3279 Sprint Canada.
1-888-675-3279 Sprint Canada.
1-888-689-3279 Sprint Canada's "The Most" Online.
1-888-710-3279 Sprint Canada's "The Most" Online.
1-888-790-3279 Sprint Canada.
1-888-777468-249 (1-888-SPRINT-BIZ) Sprint Business Flex line.
US West:
1-800-227-2209 Enterprise US West Employee Help Line.
1-800-238-7848 US West "Air Touch" Cellular.
1-800-244-1111 US West Communications.
1-800-338-0018 US West Direct Yellow Pages.
1-800-422-8793 US West Directory Source.
1-800-455-8706 US West Repair Center for AT&T.
1-800-4US-WEST US West Card Services.
1-800-626-6611 US West "Air Touch" Cellular Customer Service.
1-800-856-3376 US West Dispatch. (U.S. only)
1-800-883-6171 US West Completions and Translations. (U.S. only)
Miscellaneous:
1-303-499-7111 Atomic Clock in Colorado.
1-800-221-2255 American Airlines VMS.
1-800-222-5161 IBM Program Headquarters.
1-800-225-4288 ATN Communications. (collect, credit, calling card)
1-800-225-5128 NOS automated collect, credit and calling card calls.
1-800-225-5152 Nationwide Messaging.
1-800-225-5228 ATN Communications. (collect, credit, calling card)
1-800-225-5233 NOS automated collect, credit and calling card calls.
1-800-225-5249 (1-800-CALL-AIX) IBM AIX Support.
1-800-225-5265 1-800-COLLECT.
1-800-225-5268 ATN Communications. (collect, credit, calling card)
1-800-225-5373 3M Electronic Products Information.
1-800-225-5385 Compaq Computer Corporation.
1-800-225-5438 IDT Long Distance/Internet Services.
1-800-225-5463 Directory Assistance (800-CALL-INFO)
1-800-225-5500 Teleconference Assistance.
1-800-225-5627 (1-800-CALL-NCR) NCR Customer Support.
1-800-227-3663 (1-800-CAR-FONE) Ericsson.
1-800-229-1103 Gateway Technical Support Tutorial Credit Card Line.
1-800-233-3382 Novell Education Programs.
1-800-235-4008 Information America's Client Support.
1-800-242-0080 Compaq Corporation.
1-800-263-0656 NCR.
1-800-263-1121 Canon.
1-800-263-2244 Sanyo On-Site.
1-800-263-3394 Apple Canada.
1-800-263-7536 Nokia Mobile Phones.
1-800-264-2255 InComNet National Telephone and Communications.
1-800-264-2355 (1-800-ANI-BELL) Cellular South Answer Center.
1-800-265-0977 NCR.
1-800-268-3997 NEC.
1-800-274-3127 MobileCom's National Customer Service Center.
1-800-284-2255 ATN Communications. (collect, credit, calling card)
1-800-294-0020 US Tel. (phone repairs and sales)
1-800-320-3488 Motorola Radio Network Services in San Diego, CA.
1-800-321-4044 Intel Overdrive/Microprocessor Support Line.
1-800-323-6586 Tandy Retail/Technical Services Fax-Back. (order Tandy docs!)
1-800-324-1234 CTI Long Distance Customer Service.
1-877-326-2826 NCR Bell Help Desk.
1-800-331-9922 General Motors Shareholder's Services.
1-800-332-2717 Intel Technical Support.
1-800-332-4636 Compaq Computer Corporation.
1-800-333-9967 Communication Options.
1-800-334-2255 GE Information Services Center.
1-800-334-2564 (1-800-3-DIALOG) Dialog Information Service WHQ.
1-800-336-0220 Credit Card Service Bureau.
1-800-339-6181 Toshiba.
1-800-344-4825 Compaq Canada.
1-800-354-9000 Compaq Customer Services.
1-800-360-2255 Century 21 Realty VMS.
1-800-365-0696 Genecom Corporation (Digital Printer Support. It also has
a FAX back service.)
1-800-367-2346 Motorola Telecommunications Administration.
1-800-369-2255 Silent line.
1-800-374-2776 Ericsson Mobile Phones Customer Care Center.
1-800-381-7707 Rogers Cantel Service Barrie.
1-800-387-8240 NCR.
1-800-387-8300 NCR Help Desk and Call Management Center.
1-800-388-7478 SPA Anti-Piracy Hotline. (the official warez d00d ratline)
1-800-395-4656 ITC Telecom Dispatch Service.
1-800-405-6543 American Mobile Customer Accounts Support Center.
1-800-425-1111 Pepsi Cola Atlantic Customer Service.
1-800-426-2255 (IBM-CALL) IBM Customer Support.
1-800-426-4682 IBM Performance Management and Capacity Planning Services.
1-800-426-4968 (IBM-4YOU) IBM Products, Services and Technical Support.
1-800-426-7378 (IBM-SERV) IBM Hardware/Software technical information.
1-800-428-3929 (1-800-GATEWAY) Gateway in South Dakota.
1-800-444-3556 (1-800-HI-HELLO) Hello Direct. (Mail-order telphonics equipment,
pre-paid phone cards, etc.)
1-800-446-6744 Motorola Supplier/Customer Training Services.
1-800-448-2244 (1-800-HITACHI) Hitachi.
1-800-453-0920 Motorola IDEN Customer Services.
1-800-455-5958 ITC Telecom.
1-800-456-3333 Skytel National Sales Center.
1-800-4-LUCENT Lucent Technologies.
1-800-460-1111 Qwest Customer Service.
1-800-460-2222 Qwest.
1-800-460-3333 Qwest.
1-800-461-5161 NCR Canada Emergency Parts Order Desk.
1-800-466-7835 (1-800-4-NORTEL) Nortel Networks. (Northern Telecom)
1-800-468-3548 (1-800-INTEL-IT) Intel Product Repair Service.
1-800-475-3107 Joanne Wilson from IBM Global Services Pager.
1-800-475-4455 Conference Calling Center.
1-800-477-9692 ATN Information and Customer Service.
1-800-483-1170 3Com's Customer Service after hours VMB.
1-800-483-1288 IBM Work Group Services.
1-800-483-4444 FirsTel Advanced Communications Customer Service Center.
1-800-483-6681 StarTech telco.
1-800-485-2255 Ring + Trunk Busy Signal.
1-800-509-1800 Novell's Customer Response Center.
1-800-525-5288 ATN Communications.
1-800-542-7279 (1-800-LIBRARY) The Teleconnect Dictionary (Telecom Books,
Glossary of Terms, Acronyms and Jargon)
1-800-555-1212 Toll Free Directory Assistance/Info.
1-800-555-1560 Audix VMB.
1-800-555-2052 Gateway 2000 International Department.
1-800-555-2091 Gateway 2000 International Department.
1-800-555-3012 Gateway Direct Line.
1-800-555-3696 Silent line.
1-800-555-7665 TelAmerica.
1-800-563-9048 Micro$oft Canada Sales and Information Centre.
1-800-565-2237 Acer America Corporation.
1-800-567-1616 Compaq.
1-800-576-2255 Frontier Communications Customer Service.
1-800-580-5585 WesTel Incorporated Customer Service.
1-800-588-1111 ActionTel.
1-800-588-2222 ActionTel Customer Service.
1-800-594-3000 Call-Home America.
1-800-595-8480 Rogers@Home.
1-800-625-5288 Teleconference Playback Center.
1-800-627-2303 (1-800-NCR-2303) NCR Corporation Shareholder Services.
1-800-627-5609 Conquest Customer Service.
1-800-628-2888 Lucent Technologies National Customer Care Center.
1-800-628-8686 Intel Customer Service.
1-800-628-9526 Compaq Support Line.
1-800-633-2255 NOS automated collect, credit and calling card calls.
1-800-638-9273 Novell Customer Support.
1-800-638-9636 Genie Online Service.
1-800-639-8359 (1-800-NEXTEL-9)
1-800-652-6672 (1-800-OK-COMPAQ) Compaq Computer Corporation Technical Support.
1-800-658-5199 AccessData Corporation. (data recovery)
1-800-663-7780 NCR Invoicing Department.
1-800-684-2255 Nortel's Meridian Home Office Support/Info.
1-800-725-5288 ATN Communications.
1-800-726-7864 (1-800-SAMSUNG) Samsung Information Line.
1-800-733-9673 (1-800-RED-WORD) Novell Developer's Support.
1-800-741-2255 ATN Communications. (collect, credit, calling card, op assisted.)
1-800-SKY-USER Skytel Customer Service. (press 3 for FAX on demand for docs)
1-800-SKY-PAGE SkyPager (Skytel Numeric Paging)
1-800-SKY-GRAM Skyward (Skytel Alpha-Numeric Paging)
1-800-SKY-TALK SkyTalk (Skytel Voice Mail)
1-800-SKY-FAXE SkyFax (Skytel Faxing)
1-800-SKY-8888 Skytel System Access.
1-800-777-2255 Phone Works VMS.
1-800-777-3278 Fujitsu Network Communications Inc.
1-800-777-4343 Digital Equipment Corp.
1-800-783-1414 Frontier Access Card.
1-800-783-2020 Frontier Communications Customer Service.
1-800-786-0404 (1-800-SUN-0404) Sun Express (supplier of Sun Microsystems)
1-800-788-8588 Working Assets Long Distance.
1-800-800-8800 Target Directory.
1-800-822-2000 Lucent Technologies.
1-800-825-2255 Metro-Call Customer Service. (pager service)
1-800-828-3362 Novell Authorization Department.
1-800-833-7477 Nortel Networks.
1-800-835-7788 US Telecom International.
1-800-842-2255 American Express VMS (Audix)
1-800-846-2301 Gateway Technical Support Line.
1-800-847-4096 DELL Canada's Service and Support Hot Line.
1-800-848-0955 Williams Communications Solutions. (Meridian, OcTel info etc.)
1-800-848-8199 CompuServe.
1-800-848-8990 CompuServe.
1-800-858-4000 Novell Technical Support.
1-800-860-2255 Qwest/LCI.
1-800-860-4444 Qwest Communications. (calling card calls)
1-800-862-6338 Blast of noise down the trunk. Some type of test line.
1-800-864-7000 Premier World Link Access Number.
1-800-866-2770 MobileCom. (pager service)
1-800-872-6222 American Mobile Satellite Communications Products. (U.S. only)
1-800-874-6387 Trellis Communications.
1-800-879-3782 NOS (automated collect, credit, calling card calls)
1-800-879-7660 Iomega's Instant Access Help System.
1-800-887-2255 Trellis Premier Voice Mail and Paging.
1-800-888-4848 Subway's VMS.
1-800-925-6278 (1-800-WAL-MART) WAL-MART Directory.
1-800-42562563 (1-800-4-BLOCKME) VRS Billing Systems and IntegriTel offers
free 1-800 blocking and ANAC.
1-877-CELLPHONE Travel Phone (Cellular phone company)
1-877-240-1267 Cantel Centre De Communication Tech.
1-877-393285465 (1-877-EXECULINK) ExecuLink Internet Services.
1-877-396-3939 Union Telecom.
1-877-4-LUCENT Lucent Technologies.
1-877-677-4687 (1-877-6-PRIMUS) Primus Canada Long Distance Services.
1-877-742-7722 Sharp Canada Customer Care Center.
1-877-ROGERS-1 Rogers Corporation.
1-877-875-2762 Pioneer Help Line.
1-877-WIRELESS Cellular Depot.
1-877-925-6278 (1-800-WAL-MART) Customer and Associates Service Hotline.
1-888-229-4443 Cantel AT&T Canada.
1-888-CELL-BOOK CellCom and PageCom.
1-888-256-5678 NCR AlertLine.
1-888-257-8826 Cantel Centre de Communication.
1-888-265-4357 (1-888-AOL-HELP) AOL Canada (only call for free 3<>" AOL disks)
1-888-349-6972 Micron Electronics Technical Support.
1-888-478-2730 I-Star Internet Incorporated.
1-888-481-FIDO Fido PCS Services.
1-888-582-3686 (1-888-LUCENT6) Lucent Technologies Shareholder Services.
1-888-638-2355 Cantel AT&T.
1-888-673-8925 Micro$oft's Y2K Disclosure Line.
1-888-736-8567 Motorola.
1-888-ROGERS-1 Rogers Cable.
1-888-ROGERS-2 Rogers Connection.
1-888-839-9295 IBM Haliburton Service Desk.
1-888-877-2355 Comcev Communications.
1-888-879-2355 Portable Communications. (home of the Phone Man)
1-888-WIRELESS Page USA.
1-888-Y-TOP-TEN ATN's Top Ten reasons why you should get a toll free number.
Carriers:
1-800-225-5124 [28.8] HP-UX sager B.10.10 U 9000/800 (ttyt2)
1-800-225-5231 [28.8] Username:
1-800-225-5275 [28.8] @ Userid:
1-800-225-5307 [28.8] Scott-Levin Online BBS (PCBoard)
1-800-225-5850 [14.4] Renex TMS-5, SN-00500114
1-800-504-2255 [33.6] Starting Radius Authentication... @ Userid:
1-800-565-8805 Datapac WATS access number.
<EFBFBD> - NEWS FROM THE TRENCHES - <20>
The LoU (Legions of the Underground), a group of hackers, have recently
stirred up a little controversy due to some statements that were made.
However, they've said that some of the comments, hacks and declaration
of a CyberWar on networks in Iraq and China don't represent the group.
Apparently, some individuals that aren't part of LoU were falsely claiming
that they were and making comments on behalf of the group, etc. For more
information on the whole situation, visit www.legions.org. To read the
statements released by other groups, visit www.hackernews.com (Hacker News
Network).
A friend of mine recently called Bell Canada and requested that they install
Private Name Display on his line. Since there's no LASS code dedicated to
enabling/removing it, you must call Bell and speak with an Operator in order
to have it installed on a line... and wait 24 hours, even though it's a free
Bell feature. Anyways, after waiting on hold for more than 20 minutes, he
was finally able to speak with an Op. She was ignorant (or pretended not to
have any knowledge of that feature, even though it's listed right in the front
of Bell Canada's phone books)... and kept trying to sell him Caller-ID. After
explaining the feature to her, she finally said "It won't block your number,
just your name." He assured her that he knows how to use *67, and explained
to her again that he wants his name blocked as well for privacy reasons. She
then told him that it'd be put on his line within the next 24 hours. Several
days passed. He didn't check to see if Private Name Display was on his line
yet. Then a Bell Op called his house and wanted to speak with him about it.
As far as I know, the Bell zombies still haven't installed it on his line,
thus proving their ignorance, incompetence and lack of respect for customers.
They pretend to offer free services and features, yet they deny knowing of
their existence when a customer calls them. I just thought I'd share this
story with everyone to teach you a little about Bell Canada and their overly
paid, poorly trained, uneducated, bitchy, influencing employees. By the way,
if you want to call Bell and totally confuse them, ask a question and tell them
to consult their manual. They're so disorganized, uniformed and clueless about
their own job, they'll either say "What's that? Which manual is that?" or be
searching for it for the next 6 months. ;)
Apple introduces five new flavours... err colours... for their iMac. Yeah,
that's right, you now have a choice of translucent blueberry, grape, tangerine,
lime and strawberry! Wow, what a surprise. Colours can influence zombies
into buying computers. The colour of a system is more important to the masses
than the megahertz and gigabytes. Who would've thought it? For more info,
read the article that's included in the REPORTS FROM THE FRONT section.
Information on new Damage, INC. Dist. Sites:
name: pOwerraGe BBS
telnet://powerrage.nws.net
For complete information, see the Crossed Wires advertisement.
name: Green Estate Mansion
number: (632) 655-6786
sysop: Realthor
country: Philippines
nets: CCi, InfiNet, etc.
name: factor de necrosis tumoral bbs
number: +54 11 4 611 3608
sysop: zxyx
city: Flores, capital del bizarre
country: Argentina
nets: CCi, InfiNet.
name: Utopia BBS
number: +48-22-6692785
sysop: Drixter
country: Poland
baud: 2400-33600(V90C)
hours: 22:00-06:00 every day in CET (Central European Time)
distro: PCi-Team PHQ
nets: CCi
INTERVIEWS AND INTERROGATIONS - {INTERVIEWS}
An interview with Metabolis.
<B> = BLACKENED
Metabolis' answers and comments are underneath what I wrote.
<B> - Introduce yourself to the readers of the Damage, INC. Newsletter...
Once upon a time after several failed attempts at creating groups, I decided it
was time to attempt an entry into the virus scene. I chose the name VLAD and
set out to find me some codeslaves who would make it so. It was 1993 and I was
on several warez boards, so I sent out some messages asking if anyone might be
interested in joining up.
I received a message from a sysop telling me he knew a guy who might be
interested. Eventually I got to mail the guy (Qark) and he became the first
vlad coder. At that time I had no knowledge of x86 asm myself, and it wasn't
till a year later when Qark sat down and schooled me that I actually coded
something semi-worthy for the mag myself.
My "position" in the group was the editor and leader. I kept everyone motivated
and whipped butt till I got enough together for an issue.
Two or three virus groups were active in Australia at the time. AIH (Australian
Institute of Hackers) and NuKE are the only that come to mind at this time.
There was also a coder by the name of Terminator Z (Harry McBungus/Talon) who
later joined the group NuKE pretty much before they died out. His viruses still
make up the largest amount of infections within Australia. Sadly he passed away
of a heroin overdose two years ago.
<B> - How long have you been involved in the virus scene? What were some
of the memorable virus exchange (VX) nets that you used to post in?
In the early days we used to post to NuKEnet and fidonet's VIRUS_NFO and
VIRUS_INFO. We stopped posting after a couple of years as things kinda died out
what with the sudden emergence of the internet in everyone's homes.
<B> - When was VLAD started? How was the group formed? Why did you decide
to start a virus zine? What was the main purpose of VLAD magazine? Did
you choose the name Virus Laboratories and Distribution for any significant
reason?
The main purpose of the VLAD magazine was always to educate. Our stance on
writing no intentionally destructive code was dissed originally as most coders
at the time really got into data trashing. We achieved our fame through
superior coding techniques not through fear as the NuKE group harnessed.
I can't really remember why I chose the name VLAD (Virus Laboratories &
Distribution).. I think I was just looking for a recognizable word that started
with V. heh.
<B> - How much did VLAD change and evolve since the first issue was released?
And what was the response like when Bizatch, the world's first Win95 virus
was released?
From issue one of the magazine to its end we set ourselves challenges. From
writing the first tsr win3.1 virus, to the hugely media hyped win95 virus
Bizatch (which was named Boza by the AV community).
Unfortunately with the rush that usually occured around release time and the
fact that most of the source is rather uncomprehensible to anyone other than the
author quite a number of VLAD viruses were released with bugs.
Still, the advances that we made were picked up by coders worldwide and the
virus scene flourished just as we did.
<B> - As the editor of VLAD, did you find it difficult to get people to write
articles, send in virus source and contribute art, etc.?
No. :) I dunno, it's just something I seem to be good at.
<B> - What do you think VLAD accomplished? Was the overall experience
enjoyable for you?
All I wanted out of VLAD really was something I could be proud of in the future,
and I think I achieved that.
There were good times, and there were also bad times. For some time I immersed
myself in the internet and the furthering of VLAD, and neglected to get on with
anything else.
I have no regrets.
<B> - What do you think of the current AV community? Also, what do you
think of people that ripoff source code and claim they wrote a unique virus?
The antivirus community as it stands right now I'm not really aware of. In some
sectors there is perhaps greater recognition for the coding skills virus authors
have. But there are also the "ah, they're just a bunch of punk kids.." still
around.
I wouldn't say things have changed much at all. It all comes down to the dollar
and that's what they're after. If they have to create a hype about a virus
which will not infect hardly anyone at all just to create more software buys,
they will do it.
As for people who rip code and claim it's their own, I think the same applies in
any field of coding. Demo, unix, whatever.. it's plain lame.
<B> - Where are issues of VLAD available to download? How can you be
contacted?
The VLAD homepage is currently located at http://www.virusexchange.org/vlad
You can email me at meta@virusexchange.org
<B> - Are you still actively involved in programming viruses or the virus
scene in general?
I hang around like a bad smell, but I'm not really all that active.
<B> - Which virus groups and zines, if any, do you respect?
Phalcon/Skism and Immortal Riot/Genesis were the only two groups providing any
real competition at the time VLAD was in full swing. The group Trident also
deserves a mention.
<B> - If you wouldn't have started VLAD, which virus group would you have
wanted to join?
I don't join groups. I create them. You know what they say, if you want
something done properly.. do it yourself. ;)
I wouldn't have learned to code assembler if I hadn't formed VLAD so I probably
wouldn't have joined any group. When we first started we had no contact with
any other virus groups at all.
<B> - Do you want to share any memorable virus related stories and experiences?
The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper once reported that VLAD was a team of over
50 people.
<B> - Do you want to mention any VX boards that you call/called or people in
the scene that you know?
Some greetings.. (it's 7am and I haven't slept all night, I can hardly remember
my own name atm, if I miss you.. know that I still love ya)
Rhincewind (get in touch man!@), Antigen, Absolute Overlord, Darkman, Coke,
Quantum, Qark, Priest, Memory Lapse, Retch, Sepultura, Automag, NCL,
The Unforgiven, Omega, Dark Fiber, Australian Parasite, Halflife, Ripmax,
Levski, Rebyc, CaptZero, TheFloyd, Gatton, Subcube, Euclid, Stormbringer,
Dark Angel, Napoleon, Shaman, Rilo
<B> - Are there any other comments you want to make about the virus scene
or anything else that you want to mention?
April 10th 1997
Clinton Haines RIP
aka Terminator Z/Harry McBungus/Talon
I'm proud to have known him, and will never forget.
<B> - Thanks for agreeing to be interviewed Metabolis. VLAD was one of my
personal favourite zines to read. ;) And to all of our readers that aspire
to become proficient assembly programmers, check out issues of VLAD and study
the source code. Even if your goal isn't to learn how to code viruses, you can
still learn many valuable techniques such as how to utilize the ports for
reading/writing, encryption, 386 code, etc. Their viruses also demonstrate how
to program nice, small, tight, assembly code...
OBJECTIVE OPINIONS - {OPINIONS}
Zombies and thinkers.
Zombies are mindless sub-human creatures. They are the ignorant, the
indifferent, opinionless followers that are born to conform. They
are filled with self-blame. They support the party and dutifully vote
in each election. They believe that it's their obligation. They
follow the government and look at their oppressors with adoration. They
are the fools. They are an inferior race that exist without living.
They follow a routine everyday and become company men. They are loyal
only to themselves, their government and their employer. They act without
thought and make decisions without logic. They reject individualism and
uniqueness and strive for total conformity. They respect liars and despise
those that are truthful and honest. They are naive, gullible and extremely
easy to influence. They are the prey of "society" and enjoy being sheep to
their leaders. Zombies can also be arrogant towards people with intelligence.
They refuse to learn the hard way, yet don't become bitter when they are
destroyed. To them, their own self-worth and happiness are determined by
"the system" and to go against that would be sacrilege. Instead of fighting
against it, they admire and respect it at all costs. They see "society" as
being more important than themselves. If they are told to believe that
something was done for the good of all, then they accept that without question.
Going with the ideas of others is their motto. Never stand apart from the
rest is their war cry. They exist to serve "society" and they perform their
set roles well. From the cradle to the grave they never stand out and
never stray from believing in the propaganda that they've been taught. It
angers them to be told that they're brainwashed. They don't like being
labelled as zombies. Instead, they'd rather be called patriots of the
New World Order, citizens of their country or supporters of the party. They
love their country more than themselves. They take nationalism to the extreme.
They are blind to their surroundings and choose not to see the truth, the
wrongs and the injustices. They need to feel the same and fear being different.
Their pathetic need to fit in and be all things to all people drives them
to mimic others around them in their small, close minded area. Openness, open
mindedness and creativity aren't acceptable to zombies. They see those things
as individuality, which is outlawed. The laws that are made for them are
there to be followed and respected. To question that would be to question
"society" itself. That's a death sentence for a zombie. For them, there's
no need for a strong mind when they can rely on influence and pure instinct.
There's no reason to contemplate things when they can just ask what they
should believe. There's no reason to think, only reason to work as a slave
in ignorant bliss. Work is acceptance. Why spend precious time out of
your routine thinking while you could be working for someone else? Why
appreciate what you have when you can envy what others have? Why say or do
something about a wrong when you can just ignore it and do nothing? Why
even consider what an outsider says when listening to what the party says
is so much easier? Why bother with the hassle of reading the words of
opposition when you can always revert to what the party has already told you?
Why not just remain a zombie and let someone else do the thinking for you?
Afterall, there's nothing more gratifying than living in ignorance and
serving "the system" as an obedient citizen/zombie. There's no reason to
rock the boat and upset it, is there? So, they remain as they are. Year
after year their minds stagnate and the ruts of their routines grow deeper
while their own shallowness increases exponentially. That is the life of
a zombie. Propaganda is their truth. They wouldn't have it any other way.
They're very content with being uninformed and reject the idea that knowledge,
individuality and freedom are more important than "society" itself. The very
notion that an individual citizen should have the rights to personal freedom,
to stand out from the crowd, to reject what is popular amongst the masses, to
speak their mind and have their *own* opinions is well beyond their grasp.
In fact, it's so far beyond that they can't even comprehend why a person
would want those aforementioned things. And they don't want to understand
why either. If it doesn't affect them directly, they aren't interested.
Whenever in doubt, they just refer back to what "society" would think and
act accordingly. They judge their own decisions and conduct on what is
considered to be politically correct, rather than on what they think or
believe. Apparently, they are unable to form their own thoughts and develop
their own opinions and beliefs. But that's just the way they want it as
they pose no resistance to being conditioned and brainwashed. They welcome
influence with open arms and greet their enemies with fondness. Pathetic?
Yes. But such is the life of a typical zombie.
Obviously thinkers are quite different. They are creative individualists
by nature. They are the innovators that reject government controls. They
are the inventors, the artists, the philosophers, the poets, the political
activists, the libertarians, the freedom fighters, the people that are willing
to experiment. Thinkers are people that look at things differently. They have
their own thoughts and ideas. They don't just want to know how something works,
or why, but how it'd work if they changed it. They are the people that ask
"What would happen if I did this?" and "How can I make this work better?"
Those questions don't just apply to machines and technology, but to almost
everything else. We owe much to thinkers. Without them this form of
communication wouldn't exist. Neither would this electronic magazine. If
there weren't thinkers, people that are different, we'd still be using the
telegraph instead of telephones, modems, fax machines, etc. Thinkers are
responsible for looking past the current limitations and creating something
new. What they do isn't always accepted, applauded, admired and looked at
fondly by others. Sometimes what they create isn't even understood or wanted
by anyone until much later. And they don't always get/take credit for their
inventions. Nor do they always profit from them.
As for modern day thinkers, there are many. Too many to list. But I'll
choose a few people as examples: Stephen Hawking, Linus Torvalds, Mich Kapor,
Albert Einstein, Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr, Carl Sagan, Albert
Hoffman, Timothy Leary, Jack Kerouac, Francis Ford Copola, Alexander Grahm Bell,
Thomas Edison, Orson Wells, Isaac Asimov, George Orwell and almost countless
other poets, authors and lesser known people. Also, anyone that uses technology
to their benefit, to learn, explore and gain knowledge is a thinker. So, by
that definition, hackers and phreaks are *thinkers*. They have to be, since you
have to possess the ability to think of possibilities, theories (theoretical
exploits and the like) in order to explore systems and the telco system, which
is the largest integrated system of all. If you can't think, you can't
hack/phreak. And so, there are many recognizable names of hackers and phreaks
that I could have listed, but chose not to. There's no reason to single some
of them out to make a point. And I couldn't list them all in this article
anyways. Basically, it's natural to be born wanting to know. Those that seek
out knowledge and take steps to gain it are the thinkers. They are literally
"born hackers". It's not something that they can easily change, or just quit
being even if they wanted to. It may eventually cause them conflict (especially
in this modern, technological "society"), but they will still pursue what they
want... many times regardless of the consequences. It's only natural to them,
and without doing harm, destruction, or causing monetary losses to anyone, they
don't feel that it's wrong. They feel justified in exploring freely.
Personally, I don't think that's morally, ethically wrong. It's not criminal to
want to have information or possess knowledge. What's so terribly wrong with
wanting to know about what's hidden/restricted from us? It's only natural and
logical to want to explore those areas. The unknown isn't feared by thinkers.
Quite the opposite. It's the very thing that makes them want to find out. It's
like the need of an adopted child to find out who their biological parents are.
It goes beyond wanting. It can become an obsession to learn. So, why fight the
compulsion to go out and do just that? Think about it. If certain people
hadn't done that, this world would be a very different place right now. And so,
before the zombies in power try to restrict freedom of thought (thus stifling
the true thinkers), perhaps they should take that into consideration. A wide
eyed kid that uses his computer and modem to explore a few systems isn't a
threat to anyone. Why should anyone hold back his imagination and natural
curiosity? If he doesn't harm anything, then there's no great loss or reason
to hamper his intellectual pursuits. Doing so could mean a real loss to
"society" if they are prevented from learning, and enjoying the process of
learning on their own. Holding them back could effectively that prevent
them from achieving what they were born to be.
Thinkers are a strange group of people. They aren't the same as everyone
else, nor do they strive to be that. They don't always watch what other
people are doing, or think what others are thinking. They go out on their
own, into the unknown, and take risks. They risk failure, but they are
willing to take chances. Thinkers are willing to allow themselves to think
about things that nobody else has thought about. They don't limit themselves
to one perspective or way of thinking. They don't just imitate and re-create,
they invent. Their ideas are unique. Their inventions are unique. And
they aren't always what is asked of them. For example, the telephone wasn't
originally wanted or accepted by the masses. At first, the usefulness of the
device as a means of communication wasn't even understood. People didn't
even think that it was needed. They thought the telegraph was adequate and
that people didn't need telephones in their homes. But now, it's taken
for granted. The same goes for electricity and light bulbs. Nobody gives
them a second thought. That wasn't always the case though. The same can
be said about many other inventions, ideas, philosophies and ways of life.
Acceptance isn't instantaneous. It has to be realized.
In conclusion, everything starts with an idea. I have pointed out a number
of differences between zombies and thinkers. However, those are just a few
of the more glaring, obvious ones. Just as, the names of the people that
I listed are recognizable, but by no means are they the only modern thinkers.
They represent my view of who a thinker is, thus showing my personal bias.
But I can't help but mention some of the people that I personally respect.
Of course, there are many other great thinkers that lived during and before
this century. But I've already explained the reasons for only mentioning a
limited amount. Thinkers are from all classes, races, countries, professions
and backgrounds. They can be poor, physically disabled, misunderstood,
misjudged, underestimated and overlooked. As for zombies, they are everywhere.
They're the troglodytes of "society" that want to remain in ignorance. So, in
the end it's up to you to decide which you want to become. You have to be your
own person and make your own choices. I'm not telling anyone what to do.
The goal of this article was just to outline and explain the differences between
the two and allow you to see the truth. I believe I've managed to do that.
Written by Blackie Lawless <20> Damage, INC. (C)opyright 1999.
REPORTS FROM THE FRONT - {REPORTS}
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Experts Say iMac Colors Are Safe Bets
(01/08/99, 6:42 p.m. ET)
By Mo Krochmal, TechWeb
Blue, blue, my Mac was blue. Not the words to an oldie-goldie tune but a
good-bye ditty for a ground-breaking color scheme for Apple Computer's iMac.
In the world of fashion, color marches on. Earlier this week, Apple unveiled a
new color scheme for the iMac, actually a bouquet of transparent colors --
blueberry, grape, tangerine, lime, and strawberry. Consumers buying the wildly
popular computer will now have a choice of colors.
"Color is going to be extremely important in the consumer market," said Russell
Brady, an Apple spokesman. "Different colors will appeal to different people."
The original blue-green iMac color, Bondi Blue, which ignited a trend when it
was introduced last July, has been retired and the new technicolor iMacs are
en route to retail stores, Brady said.
The use of color is not a simple decision engendered by an art director or a
marketer. Color selection is a sophisticated process, combining psychology and
marketing.
While colorful computers may seem revolutionary for an industry with a
traditionally conservative color palette of gray, black, or beige, Apple is not
taking a big risk, said an expert in the psychology of color.
"The only real risk may be if all of a sudden people don't want to use color any
more," said Leatrice Eiseman, director of the Pantone Color Institute and the
author of a new book, Colors For Your Every Mood. "I don't see that happening in
the next few years unless the economy totally crashes or the millennium bug
really bites us hard."
The colors Apple has chosen are popular, said Eiseman.
"It's the color palette of brights that we have been seeing in the 1990s and
extends into the year 2000," she said. "The only risky color is the lime. It's
the iffiest. It's been very hot in the middle to latter 1990s, but it's a color
that is losing momentum."
Eiseman and others help businesses pick color schemes for logos and advertising
as well as for products. Their predictions vary. Pantone sees such blues as
Bleached Denim and True Navy as important for 1999 as well as Crabapple and
Bridal Rose.
The Color Marketing Group also likes blue, in ocean and sea shades, while the
Color Association of the U.S. picks ocean blues as well as warm hues like
apricot. The Color Council is hyping pinks -- "Shocking" and "Think Pink."
But, on the streets of New York, regarded as one of the fashion capitals of the
world, as the millennium approaches, the "it" color is a dozen shades of gray, a
shade that works well with the palettes of manufacturers like Hewlett-Packard,
which uses several shades -- "quartz" and "flint" -- in producing its Pavilion
line of consumer machines. [TW]
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bell Atlantic Backs Away From AirTouch
(01/15/99, 7:07 p.m. ET)
By Reuters
Local telephone powerhouse Bell Atlantic said late Friday that it had ended its
merger talks with AirTouch Communications, the world's largest wireless company.
Vodafone Group, Britain's biggest mobile-phone company, and Bell Atlantic
had been in a bidding battle for the company, reportedly offering $55 billion
and $45 billion, respectively.
Analysts had said earlier in the day that Vodafone had the most flexibility in
terms of sweetening its bid without hurting its earnings, while Bell Atlantic's
current bid was already expected to hurt earnings in the short term.
AirTouch's reach through both international and U.S. networks made it an
attractive acquisition candidate in a consolidating telecommunications industry.
By acquiring AirTouch, Bell Atlantic would have gained a presence in the western
United States, letting the New York-based company expand outside the East Coast.
For Vodafone, AirTouch would make a strong international fit and give the
British company a foothold in the United States.
AirTouch's stock closed Friday up 4 9/16 at 83 3/8 on the New York Stock
Exchange. Bell Atlantic closed down 11/16 at 53 1/8, also on the New York
Stock Exchange.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Proposed Merger with GTE
PRE-FILED STATEMENT JAMES R. YOUNG
DECEMBER 14,1998
EN BANC
My name is Jim Young, and I am Executive Vice President and General Counsel of
Bell Atlantic. I appreciate the opportunity to appear before the Commission to
discuss our proposed merger with GTE.
The merger of Bell Atlantic Corporation and GTE Corporation is strongly in the
public interest because it will promote vigorous competition in all
telecommunications markets across the country, and make possible the widespread
deployment of new services and other benefits for consumers nationwide.
By combining the complementary capabilities of Bell Atlantic and GTE, this
merger will add an important new competitor to the top tier of national
providers that can offer consumers a full bundle of advanced telecommunications
services in all major markets. The Big Three long distance carriers
-MCI/WorldCom/MFS/UUNet, AT&T/TCI/Teleport, and Sprint/Deutsche Telekom/France
Telecom -already recognize the critical importance of this developing national
market, and have been busily assembling the capabilities to roll out national
bundled offerings. The merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE will create a fourth new
competitor with the necessary scale and scope to compete with the Big Three in
this emerging national market for bundled services. The new company will have a
national customer base, the full array of competitive offerings in key markets
across the country, and the ability to create a national brand to rival AT&T's
or MCI WorldCom's.
Local service: The merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE will combine in one company
the necessary capabilities to enter the markets of the other Bell companies on
a widespread and effective basis, which neither company can do alone.
The Commission has concluded in recent orders that the Bell companies may be
among the most significant potential competitors to each other in major
metropolitan markets where their geographic regions are contiguous. However,
Bell Atlantic today is not a significant potential competitor to any of the
other Bell companies. Its service areas are geographically separated from the
major service areas of the other Bells. And it lacks the national presence
and the national data and long distance assets that it needs to enter and
compete effectively with the Big Three in key out-of-region markets.
With its local telephone facilities broadly dispersed throughout the United
States, GTE provides the combined company with the national presence that Bell
Atlantic lacks. One glance at the attached map of GTE's service territories
verifies this fact. In addition, GTE has begun to deploy its own new national
facilities-based network, known as the "Global Network Infrastructure," that is
critical to effectively compete with the Big Three national facilities-based
carriers for major business customers.
Unlike the Big Three, however, GTE lacks an established relationship with many
of the major business customers outside its service area who themselves operate
on a nationwide basis. These customers are critical to entry into the major
markets of the other Bell companies, since they will provide the anchor
customers that make expansion into the broader market possible. The merger with
Bell Atlantic helps to fill this gap. Many of the nation's largest business
customers are headquartered or have a significant presence in the Bell Atlantic
region. The merged company will be able to draw on Bell Atlantic's existing
relationships and established sales channels to offer these customers a full
menu of local, data, and long distance services across the country, just as
the Big Three already can do, and to attract the key anchor customers that it
needs to succeed in entering the markets of the other Bells.
Moreover, these substantial pro-competitive benefits will far outweigh any
minimal loss in potential competition inside the Bell Atlantic region, where
the existing local service areas of the two companies do not overlap and where
neither company is a significant potential competitor to the other.
Internet and data services. The merger will greatly enhance the competitive
strength of GTE's Internet backbone, and permit the widespread deployment of
new Internet and data services. By doing so, it will promote healthy
competition in these critical markets.
GTE Internetworking (formerly BBN) is currently a distant fourth to the most
significant providers of Internet backbone services, behind the much larger
MCI WorldCom, MCI's successor Cable & Wireless, and Sprint. AT&T is now on
the verge of joining the top ranks of Internet backbone providers. By combining
Bell Atlantic's existing sales channels to reach its concentrated urban
customer base with GTE Internetworking's existing backbone business, the
combined company will become a much more potent competitor to the larger
backbones and AT&T. The merger will allow the combined company to expand the
volume of data and Internet traffic on its backbone, and increase the number of
valuable Web sites and customers connected to its backbone. This will accelerate
the transition of GTE's backbone to the combined company's own facilities-based
network and away from dependence on MCI WorldCom. It also will make possible the
widespread rollout of new Internet products and services, stimulating the
creation of vibrant new markets and the entry of new competitors.
In addition, with large-business customer relationships across the country, the
combined company will be able to market national data offerings like frame
relay, ATM and VPN services that neither company alone currently has the
national customer base to offer.
Long distance. The merger will increase competition in the general long distance
market by speeding up GTE's deployment of a new national long distance network
to compete with the Big Three facilities-based providers. With the MCI-WorldCom
merger, there are only three fully national facilities-based long distance
carriers. Although GTE hopes to migrate some of its long distance traffic onto
its own planned network, the "Global Network Infrastructure," GTE's customer
base alone will not generate sufficient long distance traffic to deploy a
full-fledged national network. By adding Bell Atlantic's long distance business
to the traffic that will be carried over the network, the merger will reduce
unit costs and provide the scale necessary to allow the combined company more
quickly to deploy a national network to compete against the Big Three.
Wireless and international. Finally, the merger will combine fully complementary
wireless and international assets to enable the new company to offer a broader
range of services more efficiently to more customers.
The synergies created by the merger will provide the resources to fund many of
the competitive initiatives described above, and to continue to provide high
quality service to all our customers. The new company will achieve significant
cost savings through combined equipment procurement, joint software development
and other cost synergies. The merger will also generate enhanced revenue
opportunities through the deployment of new products and services. These are the
same types of synergies that Bell Atlantic predicted and delivered in its
previous merger with NYNEX, and that already have benefited consumers.
All in all, the combination of Bell Atlantic and GTE promises to unleash a new
generation of choices for consumers throughout the telecommunications arena and
to fulfill the pro-competitive vision embodied in the Telecommunications Act of
1996. Far from raising competitive problems, the merger of Bell Atlantic and GTE
will be an important affirmative step in transforming into reality the promise
of vigorous competition in all relevant markets for telecommunications services.
Copyright (C) 1998 Bell Atlantic Corporation
Check http://www.ba.com for more information.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bell Atlantic - GTE Fact Sheet
Financial Profile
Domestic Wireline Profile
Domestic Wireless Profile
Financial Profile
($ in Billions, except per share amounts) Pro Forma
(Unaudited)
Bell Atlantic GTE Combined
---------------------------------------------------------
1997
Revenues $30 $23 $53
EBITDA* $13 $9 $22
Net Income* $3.9 $3.0 $6.9
Earnings per Share
(diluted)* $2.45 $2.90 $2.51
Wghtd. Avg. Shares
(diluted) (M) 1,571.1 962.0 2,744.7
Assets $54 $42 $96
Capital Expenditures:
Domestic Wireline $5.5 $3.6 $9.1
Domestic Wireless 0.9 0.3 1.2
All Other 0.2 1.2 1.4
--------------------------------
Total $6.6 $5.1 $11.7
--------------------------------
June 30, 1998
Domestic Access Lines
(M) 40.8 22.4 63.2
Domestic Wireless
Customers (M) ** 6.0 4.6 10.6
Employees 142,500 117,500 260,000
* Excludes special items
** Includes proportionate share of PrimeCo Personal
Communications
----------------------------------------------------------
Domestic Wireline Profile
Pro Forma
($ in Billions) (Unaudited)
Bell Atlantic GTE Combined
---------------------------------------------------------
1997
Operating Revenue $27.0 $15.1 $42.1
Operating Income $6.8 $4.5 $11.3
Operating Cash Flow $11.8 $7.2 $19.0
Operating Cash Flow
Margin 43.7% 47.7% 45.1%
Capital Expenditures $5.5 $3.6 $9.1
Employees 131,30068,700 200,000
June 30, 1998
Access Lines (000)
Residence (incl. Public) 26,26213,335 39,597
Business 14,565 8,992 23,557
-------------------------------
Total 40,82722,327 63,154
-------------------------------
Access Minutes of Use
(M) 84,95843,327 128,285
----------------------------------------------------------
Domestic Wireless Profile
Pro Forma
($ in Millions) (Unaudited)
Bell AtlanticGTE ** Combined
---------------------------------------------------------
1997
Revenues $3,098$2,742 $5,840
Service Revenues $2,722$2,549 $5,271
Operating Income $740 $449 $1,189
Operating Cash Flow $1,159 $854 $2,013
Operating Cash Flow
Margin 43% 34% 38%
Capital Expenditures $915 $297 $1,212
June 30, 1998($ in
Millions)
Cellular Subscribers 5.7 M
PCS Subscribers 0.3 M
-------------------------------
Total Subscribers * 6.0 M 4.6 M 10.6 M
Proportionate POPs *** * 85.5 M61.9 M 147.4 M
Penetration 10% 9%
Churn Rate 1.75% 2.30%
Revenue per Subscriber $50 $48
* Includes proportionate share of PrimeCo Personal
Communications
** Includes GTE MobileNet cellular and PCS
*** Includes conflicted properties
----------------------------------------------------------
Copyright (C) 1999 Bell Atlantic Corporation
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1/4/99
Privacy: See what they have wrought? And what we want to avoid!
EU: FEAR RAISED BY EURO POLICE COMPUTER.
02-01-1999 By Roger Boyes in Bonn.
THE new year opens the door not only for the euro but also for
Europol, the fledgeling 15-nation police intelligence agency that
will use the first part of its new computer system to fight crime
across the union.
TECS - The Europol Computer System - is a policeman's dream and a
nightmare for civil rights activists. At present the computer is
defined as an interim system but will soon provide the police
agency with full analytical data not only on convicted criminals
and suspects but also victims, potential victims, those with
suspected criminal contacts and probably even witnesses. Data on
health and race can also be stored.
Eventually, TECS will be expanded to provide a more general data
bank with a capacity to store information on about a million or
more people. The German Government - especially the Green Party -
has become very nervous about its introduction. Germany has the
strictest data protection laws in Europe and the question of
access to the stored information is particularly sensitive. At
first only Europol officials - nationally delegated detectives
who work in The Hague - will be able to use the data base. When
the system expands, however, policemen from every country will be
able to tap into the Europol data bank. A French policeman could
thus discover private aspects of a German's life and behave more
freely with that information than a German policeman.
The arrest of a Belgian policeman on suspicion of selling
information from the Schengen information system to the Mafia
sent alarm bells ringing in Germany. The question of storing
information on witnesses is particularly controversial.
Europol officers cannot, as yet, function in the manner of a
federal police force, and the head of Europol is a well-respected
German detective. However, the data question is likely to become
a flashpoint.
Infowar.Com & Interpact, Inc. WebWarrior@Infowar.Com
Submit articles to: infowar@infowar.com
Voice: 727.393.6600 Fax: 727.393.6361
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The 1998 UK Big Brother Awards
London, 26 October 1998
In October 1998, Privacy International presented the first annual "Big
Brother" awards to the government and private sector organisations that
have done the most to invade personal privacy in Britain.
The awards were bestowed at a special event on 26 October at the London
School of Economics. "Winston" awards were given to individuals and
organisations which have made an outstanding contribution to the protection
of privacy, as well as to people who have been victims of privacy invasion.
Three "Big Brother" awards were presented to:
* the government agency
* the company
* the initiative
which have done most to invade personal privacy. A "lifetime achievement"
award was also presented.
The awards were judged by a panel of experts, comprising lawyers,
academics, consultants, journalists and civil rights activists based on
nominations from members of the public. The nominations received covered a
wide spectrum, ranging from large, well-known institutions, to smaller
organisations which specialise in surveillance. Nominations included
private investigators, police agencies, telecommunications companies,
national security operations, and companies which export surveillance
technology to overseas military regimes.
1998 UK Award Winners
PRODUCT AWARD
HARLEQUIN which has created the WatCall telephone traffic
analysis system, which allows police to analyse telephone records
to create "friendship networks" which are then linked to existing
police intelligence systems to automatically target people who
are of interest. This activity takes place without the issue of
any warrant.
CORPORATE AWARD
PROCUREMENT SERVICES INTERNATIONAL. One of the more malodorous UK
organisations exporting surveillance equipment to such military
regimes as Indonesia and Nigeria. Its equipment has been used to
aid the genocide of the East Timor population.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT AWARD
NEWHAM COUNCIL for its Mandrake automatic face recognition
system. The council has installed this software for the areas 140
cameras. It intends to automatically identify people "of
interest" to authorities.
NATIONAL GOVERNMENT AWARD
THE DEPARTMENT OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY for its promotion of bad
encryption policy, particularly the farcical white paper on
Trusted Third Parties in 1997.
PEOPLE'S CHOICE WINNER
JACK STRAW For invasion of privacy above and beyond the call of
duty. Justification includes the Police Act, treatment of asylum
seekers, extension of police powers and information gathering
practices, secret activities within the European K4 (Justice and
Home Affairs) Committee, and the development of "conflict
management" strategies that allow police to store information on
protesters, travellers or anybody else they believe may threaten
public order.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
MENWITH HILL SIGNALS INTELLIGENCE BASE (Yorkshire), the world
largest spy station, built and operated by the US National
Security Agency. Its ECEHLON keyword recognition system, used to
dragnet global communications, was last month debated by the
European Parliament.
THE WINSTON AWARDS
SCHNEWS is a Brighton based weekly newsletter which for the past
three years has done a great deal to raise awareness of privacy
and surveillance issues, particularly those which the mainstream
media refuse to touch. Its small team works on a voluntary basis,
and the publication (which is free) is seen as one of the most
influential civil liberties organs in Britain.
LINDIS PERCY has for many years fought to raise awareness of the
activities of the US National Security Agency, particularly
relating to Menwith Hill, the agencies key spy base, located in
Yorkshire. She has been arrested more than 150 times, and has
recently been jailed for her actions, despite being a quaker and
a pacifist. ALAN LODGE is a Leeds photographer who has spent more
than a decade raising awareness of front-line police surveillance
activities, particularly the endemic practice of photographing
demonstrators and activists.
ESTHER BULL is a 19-year-old student who last year discovered
that her landlord had placed a video camera behind a two-way
mirror in her bathroom. Esther had been filmed secretly for
nearly two years, but the lack of a privacy law meant that the
perpetrator could only be prosecuted under the "bad landlord"
laws. She has helped form the "Operation Peeping Tom" campaign to
encourage other victims to tell their story.
HARRY COHEN is a Labour MP who has consistently worked to
strengthen data protection by introducing private members bills.
He has frequently been a lone voice in Parliament on this issue.
Future Awards
The event was the first of its kind in the world, taking place on the 50th
anniversary of the writing of George Orwell's 1984. The event will be
staged every year. Privacy International is also planning to extend the
award throughout Europe, Asia and North America. The US awards will be
presented at the Computers, Freedom and Privacy '99 Conference in
Washington, DC, 6-8 April 1999.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THC PHREAK'S TOP TEN LIST - {TOP TEN}
Reasons why dope is better than warez:
1. You can't impress your friends with how many warez you have, unless
they're all warez d00ds. Collecting warez is a waste of time. But,
if you have a big stash of dope, they will be impressed and you'll
suddenly have friends that you never knew you had.
2. Dope makes you feel good and will get you high without making you
addicted. Warez can't get you high, won't make you feel good
and some of them can be addictive.
3. Dope smells good. Dope tastes good. Dope is good.
4. You can smoke dope. You can't smoke warez.
5. You don't need any expensive equipment to smoke dope and you
can grow your own. You can't grow your own warez and they
require some type of play system with a storage device.
6. Smoking dope with others is a social activity that helps develop
your interpersonal skills and relationships with people. Playing
warez might develop your hand-eye co-ordination motor skills, but
won't help with personal skills or popularity.
7. If you smoke dope daily, it can benefit your health and your mind.
If you play warez daily, your health won't be benefitted in any way.
In fact, it promotes laziness and stupidity. If you play warez
everyday, there's a good chance you'll become an ignorant fat ass
that just sits inside all day playing warez. Aren't there enough
of those people around already?
8. You won't get your ass kicked for smoking dope at school.
9. Dope is cool. Warez aren't. What would you rather have in your
hand, a nice fat joint or a fucking purple joystick with 20 buttons?
10. Dope never gets boring.
;The following shit is actually working code. If you are bored, stupid or
;insane enough to want to compile this, use TASM /M blurb.asm and then
;TLINK /T blurb.obj to create a useless blurb.com file.
;Written by THC Phreak (C) Copyright 1999.
blurb segment
assume cs:blurb, ss:blurb, ds:blurb, es:blurb
org 100h
shit:
mov ah,9
mov dx,offset dope
int 21h
phreakoff:
mov ax,4C00h
int 21h
;THE UNBELIEVABLY SARCASTIC, USELESS, HILARIOUS BLURB DATA IS BELOW.
dope db '',13,10
db 'The Dope Blurb:',13,10,13,10
db 'Expand your mind. Improve your social life. Smoke dope.',13,10
db 'This message has been brought to you by Damage, INC. It',13,10
db 'was paid for and powered by dope. No animals, humans,',13,10
db 'plants, buds or bongs were harmed in the making of this',13,10
db 'Top Ten List. If in doubt, read the disclaimer again. If',13,10
db 'you feel this material is questionable, blatantly humourless',13,10
db 'or you simply object to it for any reason, send me Email.',13,10
db 'This was written at 3am, Tuesday January 26th while drinking',13,10
db 'massive quantities of vodka and smoking dope. If it''s',13,10
db 'incoherent, it''s your fault, not mine. It''s sponsored by',13,10
db 'my Hewlett-Packard 233 system, kick ass Yamaha stereo, fast',13,10
db 'motorcycle, Bell Mobilitie and the really k3wl CDs that I''m',13,10
db 'listening to while typing this shit. So, if you find this to',13,10
db 'be senseless, witless drivel, phreak off. <insert every',13,10
db 'other overused cliche imaginable>',13,10,13,10
db 'By the way, this assembly blurb shit wasn''t even my idea.',13,10
db 'So don''t blame me if you think it looks stupid!',13,10,'$'
blurb ends
end shit
THOUGHTS, POEMS AND CREATIVE WRITING - {WRITING}
Rant on the future:
I admit it. The approach of a new millennium in less than a year has
directed my thoughts to the future and made me focus on it. Perhaps it's
unavoidable living in this media driven, techno world. Maybe it is something
that inevitably everyone has to face. Nonetheless, I have recently devoted a
considerable amount of time to thinking about what the future will be like.
And that can be somewhat frightening to anyone that's willing to be honest
with themselves because the future is such a vast thing for one to ponder.
Our very existence depends on there being a future to consider, but the
uncertainty of it makes us imagine all kinds of possibilities. Some of
them are good, others aren't. Obviously, there are literally infinite
possibilities. However, we can't contemplate even the smallest number of
them. So, we normally avoid thinking about what could be, try to make
predictions or we just hope for the best. We can prophesize and develop
theories about what might happen, but can we change the future? How can
we affect it?
If you're a realist and not a naive optimist, then hoping for the best isn't
an option. So, instead of relying on blind faith that things will work
out, you explore and consider the possibilities that could apply to you in a
logical manner. It can be overwhelming to think about what your future, say
the next 10 years of your life, could be like. It's difficult for a person
to imagine how they and the world will change during that time span. Yet, in
all seriousness, that's what I began to do early in 1999. I started setting
goals, making plans, thinking of ways to change and progress, etc. It's a
personal thing and not easy by any means. But it's not impossible. However,
it requires effort and a long term commitment. Afterall, you can't expect to
change your own future without doing anything.
What if the future is already happening right now? We tend to think of time
as a straight line. As in, the PAST ---> PRESENT ---> FUTURE. That timeline
could be totally wrong though. Here's a concept. The future could occupy the
same time and space as the present and past. But this isn't about space-time
continuum theories or physics. ;)
What will the year 2000 and beyond be like? Will the Y2K bug be a bang or
a bust? What major changes will occur in the world and "society"? What
will music, entertainment, business, politics and computer technology be like
in the next millennium? Who will be the next president of the United States?
Fuck, I don't know. I'm not a psychic. ;)
I don't have all of the answers. I've just been thinking about these things
and wanted to express that in an article. If I seem incoherent, there's
an explanation for that, but it's one that I'm not willing to share. If
my thoughts seem erratic or irrational, well... that's your fucking problem
if you can't understand what I'm saying. I realize that I haven't expressed
myself very clearly and that this type of article is a departure from what
usually appears in this section. Again, that's by design. I wanted to
write something that's unique, regardless of how it would be later viewed.
The future just is. It's something that we can prepare for, approach
cautiously and make predictions about, but in the end we just have to face
it and accept whatever happens. There's no sense in worrying about it.
Either there's a future waiting for you, or there isn't. Whatever the case,
whether fate exists or not, you have a future or you don't. You may have
an attitude of "Fuck the future!" That's cool. Just remember that you may
still have to deal with shit when it happens. So, think about it, believe what
you will and decide what you want. Just don't fall prey to the millennium
madness that the mass media wants everyone to buy into.
Those are just some of my thoughts on the subject at this particular moment
in time. Of course, they're subject to change without notice. ;)
Written by BLACKENED <20> Damage, INC. (C)opyright 1999.
CLOSING COMMENTS - {CLOSING}
Blackie Lawless' Revolutionary Closing Comments:
"It's evolution baby!" - Pearl Jam
As a race, how do we evolve? One way is through revolution. I don't think
that evolution is limited to our physical and mental development. As in, I
believe that revolution is a part of evolution. Throughout history, we've
revolted in order to enact change and that process has helped us to continue
evolving. To me, the path is clear. Now and in the years ahead that lead
us into the next millennium, we must not allow ourselves to become complacent
and thereby forget what it has taken to get to this point. We simply can't
allow our rights, such as privacy and the freedom of speech to be stripped away.
And we have to be vigilant in the causes that we strongly believe in if we
want to effect change. This is not an easy task, but it's an important one.
Technology is evolving at a rapid pace, and we must also evolve. Also, if
we want things to change, we must change. Indifference has to be eliminated.
People have to stand up and voice their opinions before they can be heard.
So, that's what I'm calling on everyone to do. In my opinion, it's something
that anyone can and should do.
There are two distinct classes of beings on this planet and they aren't
separated by income, status or race. There are zombies and thinkers, nothing
more. You aren't born as either. It's your own choice as to which you
become. If you choose to ignore logic, believe lies and turn a blind eye to
the truth, then you should gladly put yourself into the zombie category because
that's exactly where you belong. However, if you want to learn, aren't naive
and spend time dedicated to thought, then perhaps you can become a thinker. It
isn't automatic though and requires a great deal of determination to make a
transition such as that. Even though it may seem like I'm generalizing and
presenting things in black and white terms, I can assure you that I'm not. I
did simplify the two classes though. I don't deny that there are many shades
of grey and a middle ground. But the fact remains that there's still a huge
distinction between a zombie and a thinker. Hopefully that's apparent to you
already. I've only been attempting to clarify it as much as possible for
everyone in these closing words.
As for this issue, my goal was to establish a theme, starting with the
Introduction and carry it through until the end. I believe I've done that.
There was an image in my mind of what I wanted this issue to be about when I
selected the quote. Although it's not easy to follow an image and put it
into words, I put a lot of effort into doing just that with relative success.
It has been a difficult but enjoyable experience at the same time. Perhaps
that is why I enjoyed it, because of the responsibility I was given and the
difficulties that I encountered. It opened my mind and my eyes to what is
involved with putting an issue of the Damage, INC. Newsletter together.
Basically, it was my first chance to organize an entire issue and I took the
opportunity to learn something. I'm glad that I was given the chance to do so
since it forced me to evolve.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"Do you remember *that* conference? It lasted forever." - Blackie Lawless.
"Ma Bell is nothing more than a petty, cheap, dirty whore!" - THC Phreak
"They're not asleep at the switch man. CAMA is in a coma." - BLACKENED
"...a party line with an answering machine. Then they got a private line."
- Shatazar
Check out M$OFT2.JPG. It's an alternative to the original "Boycott Micro$oft"
banner that was included in the last issue. :)
- EOF