1710 lines
80 KiB
Plaintext
1710 lines
80 KiB
Plaintext
![]() |
F I D O N E W S -- Vol.11 No.21 (23-May-1994)
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+----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
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| A newsletter of the | ISSN 1198-4589 |
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| FidoNet BBS community | Published by: |
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| _ | |
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| / \ | "FidoNews" BBS |
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| /|oo \ | +1-519-570-4176 1:1/23 |
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| (_| /_) | |
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| _`@/_ \ _ | Editors: |
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| | | \ \\ | Sylvia Maxwell 1:221/194 |
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| | (*) | \ )) | Donald Tees 1:221/192 |
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| |__U__| / \// | Tim Pozar 1:125/555 |
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| _//|| _\ / | |
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| (_/(_|(____/ | |
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| (jm) | Newspapers should have no friends. |
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| | -- JOSEPH PULITZER |
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+----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
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| Submission address: editors 1:1/23 |
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+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
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| Internet addresses: |
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| |
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| Sylvia -- max@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca |
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| Donald -- donald@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca |
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| Tim -- pozar@kumr.lns.com |
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| Both Don & Sylvia (submission address) |
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| editor@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca |
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+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
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| For information, copyrights, article submissions, |
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| obtaining copies and other boring but important details, |
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| please refer to the end of this file. |
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+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
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========================================================================
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Table of Contents
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========================================================================
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1. Editorial..................................................... 2
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2. Articles...................................................... 2
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Dear Madam Emilia........................................... 2
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Subject: The Italian Crackdown?? (fwd)...................... 4
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FidoNet Crackdown in Italy.................................. 5
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BBS-PR Set for Rewrite...................................... 7
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The Power Freaks are at it AGAIN!........................... 8
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On the Subject of Fluff..................................... 9
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Dear Net Citizen:........................................... 21
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Ever Feel Like You're Being Watched?........................ 25
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Nodelist Size (again)....................................... 28
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INTERGREEK: An echo about Greek things and people........... 29
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3. Fidonews Information.......................................... 30
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FidoNews 11-21 Page: 2 23 May 1994
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========================================================================
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Editorial
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========================================================================
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I spent all day in the garden, re-arranging weeds. I dug things
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up in one place, and poured water on them in another. I'm not
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sure yet, if this experiment will work. If everything keeps
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growing, with more room around it an in a manner conducive to it
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being itself, then it will work.
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We received a lot of somewhat duplicated news about problems
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Fidonet is having in Italy. Apparently none of the Fidonet
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nodes in Italy exist anymore. This is distressing.
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It's interesting, to read the headers and trailers on all of
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the relevent messages. Same topic, utterly diverse geographical
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sources. The world is getting very small.
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========================================================================
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Articles
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========================================================================
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Dear Madam Emilia
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Q: Dear Emilia, please help me. I feel left out and nerdish,
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because all my friends on the Internet belong to clans, and I do
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not even know what clans are. My friends are laughing at me
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because I do not know how to belong with them.
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A: Darling silly one, you are a member of Fidonet, and are
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beautifully innocent in your ignorance. Clans appear to be
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prestigious and important, and they are. This is not as
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appealing as it seems. Consider the meaning of the term,
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"old boys' network", and how bigotry and mindless exclusivity
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have historically been perpetuated by such organizations.
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Fortunately, our home-grown Fidonet is relatively free of
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such pompous nonsense.
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Q: But Emilia, prestigious clans are the movers and shakers
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of the electronic-super-duper! I want to be able to help build
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our new e-world. I don't want to sit in a lonely corner all by
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myself, twitching.
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A: If all you want to do is help build the e-world, then simply
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correspond with people you like, and say what you really mean,
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and help protect everyone's ability to do the same. Always help
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anyone who wants to learn how to BBS with any spare time
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available to you. "Rebels" who form groups and give themselves
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titles primarily to distinguish themselves from other people are
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wannabe terrorists, or inefficient fashion mongers. Real rebels
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are mere honest humans who enjoy other humans, while finding funny
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hats and secret decoder rings to be unnecessary.
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Q: Oh, Emilia.. I have been reading "Stranger in a Strange
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Land" by Heinlein, and .. um.. um.. I have a crush on Mike the
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Martian. I am enamoured by his reverence for inter-personal
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relations and his honesty and his utter failure to understand
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FidoNews 11-21 Page: 3 23 May 1994
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the nastier aspects of human culture. What should I do? I'm
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DESPERATE!
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A: Of course you are in love with Mike, dear. He is the only
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character in Heinlein's book who does not objectify all women as
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bubble-heads capable only of preparing and being meals. Mike
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groks anyone who grocks, regardless of gender.
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Q: but...dear Emilia, several of the female characters in the
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book are brilliant. How can you suggest that Heinlein's writing
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is sexist? You are desecrating my second favorite hero!
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A: Sure some female characterrs are portrayed as having enough
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brains to do what they are told to do. If they are so smart,
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why are *all* authority figures in the book male? Heinlein is
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just a tad dated, that's all. For example, the main authority
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figure refers to "homosexual" males as "misguided". Use of this
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term, "misguided", is very strange. It presumes that everyone
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should be guided.
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Q: I think you're hung up on ra-ra feminismism so you don't
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grok the POINT of the book, which is epitomized by Mike. BTW, I
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find the last cover of WIRED bears an uncanny resemblance to
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Mike. Have you met Mike?
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A: No. He's fictional.
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Q: Stop being blasphemous! "Politeness" (you're an etiquette
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expert, right?) requires tolerance and sensitivity towards other
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peoples' idols. Or lack of idols. So, will you please gimme a break?
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A: Sure, dear. You can talk to me all you like. I can always
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press a page down key. But if you are truly writing from your
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heart I probably won't. Everything else is boring, including
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your namby-pamby "oh poor little me, I want to please you"
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schtik.
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Q; Do you think it is wrong of me to enjoy a book which
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propogates a few totally misguided presumptions about gender
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issues?
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A: Yes. But, so what? Edit the nasty parts from your mind if
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you don't like them.
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FidoNews 11-21 Page: 4 23 May 1994
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Subject: The Italian Crackdown?? (fwd)
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From: Stanton McCandlish <mech@eff.org>
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Message-Id: <199405161703.NAA26233@eff.org>
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Subject: The Italian Crackdown?? (fwd)
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To: eff-activists@eff.org, comp-org-eff-talk@cs.utexas.edu (eff.talk)
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Date: Mon, 16 May 1994 13:03:15 -0400 (EDT)
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Cc: alt-society-resistance@cs.utexas.edu (alt.society.resistance),
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Cc:
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[notes in brackets are mine. - mech@eff.org]
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Forwarded message:
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Date: Mon, 16 May 1994 12:29:14 +0200 (MET DST)
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From: Fabrizio Sala <fsala@varano.ing.unico.it>
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Subject: The Italian Crackdown??
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To: BBS-L@SAUPM00.ing.unico.it
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Cc: eff@eff.org
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Hello. I'm the Sysop of one of the BBSs in Italy.
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I'm writing this message in this list to inform you, the BBS
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community, of what is going on in Italy.
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Some days ago,starting from Pesaro (Italy), our Police started a
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large perquisition through [inquisition against] many Amatorial
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[amateur] BBSs, mostly connected to the main networks (One for
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all: Fidonet... but also PeaceNet and many others)
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They're getting everything they can find: computers, monitors,
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drives, hard disks, floppy, cdrom, streamer tapes ...
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everything, without looking if they are or not in any way
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"illegal" ...
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Generally, every network in Italy is now full of holes... and
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many of us lost everything "in the name of the anti-piracy"...
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Nobody of us is doing anything in any way illegal, but they are
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still getting everything...
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They got more than 50 BBS and Police's work is still going on...
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I hope that everyone diffuses this message ... or in any way
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tells everybody what's going on ...
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...and if you have any way to help us...please do it!
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We made our best to make the italian telecommunication scene
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working... they are killing us!
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See you later... if they don't get me!
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_ end fwd _
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Stanton McCandlish * mech@eff.org * Electronic Frontier Found.
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FidoNews 11-21 Page: 5 23 May 1994
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OnlineActivist "In a Time/CNN poll of 1,000 Americans conducted
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last week by Yankelovich Partners, two-thirds said it was more
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important to protect the privacy of phone calls than to preserve
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the ability of police to conduct wiretaps. When informed about
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the Clipper Chip, 80% said they opposed it." - Philip
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Elmer-Dewitt, "Who Should Keep the Keys", TIME, Mar. 14 1994
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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FidoNet Crackdown in Italy
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forwarded by Nigel Allen, 1:250/438
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Here is a message that was posted to the misc.activism.progressive
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newsgroup on Usenet. It should be of concern to sysops everywhere.
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Contact the original poster, Cesare Dieni (cease@gn.apc.org),
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if you need more information.
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/* Written 7:03 PM May 18, 1994 by gn:cesare in igc:gn.announcemen */
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/* ---------- "Fidonet Crackdown in Italy" ---------- */
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From: Cesare Dieni <cesare@gn.apc.org>
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Subject: Fidonet Crackdown in Italy
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For your information I report what's happening in Italy at the moment
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(N.B. after the last election a fascist governement succeded)....
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Fidonet Crackdown in Italy
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On May 10-12 1994, the first nationwide crackdown on telecom nets was
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operated by Italian police.
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Acting after a warrant issued by a Prosecutor in Pesaro, about 60
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Bullentin Board Systems throughout the country have been visited and
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searched by police officials.
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Dozens of people were formally accused of "distribution of illegally
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copied software and appropriation of secret passwords" under the law
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approved by Italian Parliament in January this year.
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In several cases police officials didn't know what to search for,
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thus seizing computers, floppy disks, modems along with electric
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outlets, answering machines, audiotapes, personal effects.
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The raids also hit private houses and belongings, and in some places
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sleeping people were abruptly woken up facing machine guns.
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After searching probably around one third of the entire network -
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that includes more than 300 BBSes - police officials closed several
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Fidonet nodes, but no arrests were made.
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A still inaccurate figure of people were charged with software
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piracy, and dozens of computers and related devices were seized -
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along with thousands of floppy disks, CD-Roms, W.O.R.M.S.
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Moving after a suspected software piracy ring run by people involved
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FidoNews 11-21 Page: 6 23 May 1994
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in a Fidonet node, the crackdown started in the night between May 10
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and 11 in Milano, targeting in the two following days BBSes in
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Pesaro, Modena, Bologna, Ancona, Pisa and other cities.
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Fidonet Italia, member of the worldwide Fidonet network, is a
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non-profit organization devoted to distribution of shareware and
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freeware programs as well as to electronic forums on topics ranging
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from technological to social issues. An essential communication tool
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for several groups and individuals throughout the country, Fidonet
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Italia became an active multi-cultural vessel and distributor of
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several different nodes dedicated to specific issues: Peacelink
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(solidarity, human rights), Cybernet (cyberpunk), Ludonet (games),
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Scoutnet, Amynet, and others. For thousands of Italian people,
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Fidonet BBSes today are invaluable tools of information-exchange,
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social activism and professional activities.
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The network policy strictly prohibits any distribution of illegally
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copied software and fraudulent appropriation of secret passwords.
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Also, Fidonet is one of the few International organizations which has
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always stated and pursued a clear position against unauthorized
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copying software.
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At the moment, the raids seems to be motivated by accusations against
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two people involved in a Pesaro-based BBS who were using Fidonet
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contacts to allegedly distribute illegal copies of computer programs.
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However, there are no reasons for such a vast law enforcement
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operation. Most likely the prosecutor acted simply on the basis of
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the Fidonet telephone numbers list (publicly available) owned by the
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two suspected of software piracy. The vast majority of the people
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searched don't have any kind of relationship with the suspected, and
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many of the search warrants stated a generic "conspiracy with
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unknown" for the crime of software piracy.
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Particularly, the random and arbitrary seizures of floppy disks and
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personal computers are completely unmotivated, because every BBS is a
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completely independent structure and each sysop is running his/her
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own hardware and software.
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The seizures will resolve in a great economic loss for these people
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and their professional activities will be surely affected from
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negative publicity. Some of them own small computer-related companies
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while others are physicians, hobbyists, students who risk personal
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savings to run their services.
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Because police officials also seized electronic and paper archives
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containing data and numbers of the people who logged onto Fidonet
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nodes, it is evident that investigations are going even further -
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thus violating the constitutional right to privacy.
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The first result of this crackdown is that many Fidonet operators
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decided to shut down immediately their systems all over the country,
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fearing heavier police intrusions in both their public activities and
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private lives.
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FidoNews 11-21 Page: 7 23 May 1994
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While the Italian Parliament recently approved specific laws about
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copyright and piracy of computer software, there are still no rules
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to protect personal privacy in the electronic medium. This
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legislative void inevitably makes the sysop the only responsible
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person about anything happens onto and around his/her own BBS.
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Fidonet operators do not want and can not be the target of
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undiscriminated raids that, forcing them to closing down their
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activities, cause serious damages to themselves as well as to the
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entire community.
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In an article published Friday 13 by the newspaper "La Repubblica",
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Alessandro Marescotti, Peacelink spokesperson, said: "Just when the
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worldwide BBS scene is gaining general respect for its important role
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at the community level, in Italy the law hits those networks that
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have always been strongly against software piracy. Charging dozens of
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honest operators with unmotivated accusations, the main goal of this
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crackdown is directed against the social activities of small
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community nets - thus clearing the space for commercial networking."
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While terms and figures of the entire operation should still be
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clarified, on Sunday 15 Fidonet Italia operators will meet in Bologna
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to study any possible legal counter-action.
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-- End of forwarded message -------
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--
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Cesare
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-- End of text from cdp:headlines --
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--------------------------------------------------------------------
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This material came from PeaceNet, a non-profit progressive networking
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service. For more information, send a message to
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peacenet-info@igc.apc.org
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--------------------------------------------------------------------
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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X-Genie-From: R.Parson
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BBS-PR Set for Rewrite
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The next version of the Computer Bulletin Board Guide to Public
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Relations is scheduled to be released 7-1-94. Author Robert Parson
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says he is solicting comments and suggestions. "Several Sysops have
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asked questions and have made suggestions since its first public
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release. It's time for some adjustments."
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Robert wrote the Guide to assist Sysops in dealing with the Media.
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News Releases, Finding Media Outlets, and Why Sysops should have
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Business Cards and Stationary are among the topics covered.
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The next version will include more information on Crisis Management,
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more News Releases that can actually be used by Sysops, and a new
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section on Market Research.
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The current version is BBS-PR15.ZIP, available at Paradox of Arkansas
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FidoNews 11-21 Page: 8 23 May 1994
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|||
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|
|||
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BBS 501 484 0944 (Fred Ayers, Sysop), and has also been distributed
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on SDN. It is supported in the BBS Public Relations Conference on
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|||
|
Paradox.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Robert Parson is a Broadcast Journalist with over 15 years of
|
|||
|
experience, and has been an active particpant in his local BBS
|
|||
|
Community for over five years.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Robert can be reached at:
|
|||
|
GEnie R.Parson
|
|||
|
Internet R.Parson@genie.geis.com
|
|||
|
Fido 1:3822/1
|
|||
|
voice 501 646 9332
|
|||
|
mail 2501 Phoenix
|
|||
|
Fort Smith, AR 72901
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The Power Freaks are at it AGAIN!
|
|||
|
Steve Winter
|
|||
|
FidoNet 1:18/98
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
ALL MODERATORS BEWARE!!! They're at it AGAIN!!!
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
I hope that everyone can look beyond the initial appearance of the
|
|||
|
recent BOP. It's the same old thing. The RECs (or a handful of
|
|||
|
power freaks that are influencing them) want to declare themselves
|
|||
|
the owners of the backbone they are merely supposed to coordinate the
|
|||
|
distribution of. The Postmasters want to be the editor-n-chiefs of
|
|||
|
the magazines they help distribute (and hardly even that now with
|
|||
|
Planet Connect on the scene).
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Item 3 in the BOP 105 for "removing" an echo from the backbone reads:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
3) There are no longer three RBCs requesting that the Backbone
|
|||
|
distribute the conference to their regions.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
A bit presumptious since Planet Connect is now distributing the
|
|||
|
backbone. An echo could have a tremendous amount of traffic and be
|
|||
|
invisible to the "RBC"s. Just think of the absolute ownership that
|
|||
|
this would give to the technically obsolete REC's. This handful
|
|||
|
would then have absolute ownership of hundreds of echos that
|
|||
|
moderators built up (some like myself with years of work and great
|
|||
|
expense).
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Then, we have the real cute one, where a handful of people could
|
|||
|
(instead of voting with their feet, or starting their own echo, like
|
|||
|
I DID), they could mount a letter writing campaign and just trash an
|
|||
|
echo until it generated enough complaints that: BINGO: We find item
|
|||
|
#5 for removing an echo:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
5) When such an excessive number of complaints about the conference
|
|||
|
or its Moderator are received by the RBCs that a majority of them
|
|||
|
vote to remove the conference from the Backbone.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
FidoNews 11-21 Page: 9 23 May 1994
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
THE POSTMASTERS of FidoNet DO NOT have any authority to remove a
|
|||
|
valid echo with a valid moderator just because its controversial and
|
|||
|
a certain portion of SysOps don't like it.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
IF you don't like an echo, DON'T CARRY IT, but don't force the issue
|
|||
|
into a Federal court room by playing a few games and thinking that
|
|||
|
new BOP is going to transfer ownership of echos from the moderators
|
|||
|
to the "ZBC" or whatever.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
I've watched as a handful of false christians tried to steal my echo,
|
|||
|
then when they couldn't do that, they stole their echo name from my
|
|||
|
echo description, they even sleazed it onto the backbone, but I think
|
|||
|
they found out that building an echo is a bit more work and expense
|
|||
|
than they had *ever* imagined.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
No "BBC" club has the right to remove an established backbone echo
|
|||
|
regardless of how many whiners they can get for an ongoing letter
|
|||
|
writing campaign.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
This sham is the SAME OLD WINE and not even hardly a brand new bottle.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The RECs are technically obsolete as is the ZEC in many respects. To
|
|||
|
think that they can grab absolete ownership of the backbone by a
|
|||
|
quick "BOP"... IT'S THE SAME old trip that has been tried and tried
|
|||
|
before.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The Postmasters want to be editor-n-chiefs!!!!
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Don't FALL FOR IT!! No group in FidoNet has the right to just vote
|
|||
|
some moderator's echo off of the backbone. I can't imagine a
|
|||
|
moderator worth his salt that would not take action if that were to
|
|||
|
happen. It could be the end of FidoNet as a practical entity.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The MODERATORs are the owners of the echos, they always have been;
|
|||
|
NOT the stars (now obsolete) or the coordinators (just about as
|
|||
|
obsolete).
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
A handful of people, yet again, want to steal the ownership of the
|
|||
|
FidoNet backbone echos from the moderators that built them from the
|
|||
|
ground up.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Don't fall for it!!
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Steve Winter PreRapture BBS 919-286-3606 USR-H16/V.32T
|
|||
|
Moderator/founder HOLY_BIBLE (The Wholly Bible Echo)
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
On the Subject of Fluff
|
|||
|
by Rick Castle, 1:352/23
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
"Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our
|
|||
|
attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an
|
|||
|
unimproved end, an end which it was already but too easy to arrive at;
|
|||
|
as railroads lead to Boston or New York. We are in great haste to
|
|||
|
FidoNews 11-21 Page: 10 23 May 1994
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
construct a magnetic telegraph from Maine to Texas; but Maine and Texas,
|
|||
|
it may be, have nothing important to communicate. Either is in such a
|
|||
|
predicament as the man who was earnest to be introduced to a
|
|||
|
distinguished deaf woman, but when he was presented, and one end of her
|
|||
|
ear trumpet was put in his hand, had nothing to say. As if the main
|
|||
|
object were to talk fast and not to talk sensibly. We are eager to
|
|||
|
tunnel under the Atlantic and bring the Old World some weeks nearer to
|
|||
|
the New; but perchance the first news that will leak through into the
|
|||
|
broad, flapping American ear will be that Princess Adelaide has the
|
|||
|
whooping cough. After all, the man whose horse trots a mile in a minute
|
|||
|
does not carry the most important messages; he is not an evangelist, nor
|
|||
|
does he come round eating locusts and wild honey."
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
-- Henry David Thoreau, from Walden, published 1854
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The Problem of Fluff
|
|||
|
--------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
In the middle of the 19th Century, the telegraph became a very important
|
|||
|
communication medium. As wires were stretched across North America,
|
|||
|
information began to flow instantaneously. Telegraph offices became a
|
|||
|
place where even isolated towns and villages could receive news as to
|
|||
|
what was going on in the rest of the world.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
It is hard to imagine a time when news and information sometimes took
|
|||
|
days or weeks to arrive at its destination. We have telephones, fax
|
|||
|
machines, television, radio and online computer services all linked
|
|||
|
together with arrays of wires, fiber optics and satellites. The
|
|||
|
quantity of the information is staggering.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Thoreau, when he wrote his journals at Walden Pond, was concerned not so
|
|||
|
much as to whether Maine and Texas could communicate, but whether they
|
|||
|
had anything useful to communicate. This became evident after the
|
|||
|
invention of the telephone, when people would sit for hours talking to
|
|||
|
someone about nothing in general.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The trend continues even on today's online services and bulletin boards.
|
|||
|
There is so much idle chit-chat, users complain about the fact they read
|
|||
|
a hundred messages, but only one or two messages, if any, have anything
|
|||
|
of interest to them. This is actually quite good for the pay services.
|
|||
|
They can bill more time to the user.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The problem which affects these services and networks is most of the
|
|||
|
communication flow is fluff. Fluff is a message (or a portion of a
|
|||
|
message) with information which isn't relevant to anything in the
|
|||
|
conference. The person posting the message and the intended recipient
|
|||
|
probably it doesn't care if it's relevant, either. It's just filler to
|
|||
|
keep a conversation going. It is safe to assume that nearly 80% of
|
|||
|
network message content contains fluff.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
You've seen messages which contain fluff. They are present in just
|
|||
|
about every conference on every online service and network. Its
|
|||
|
presence is epidemic in proportion. Just ask any moderator of any
|
|||
|
conference who has problems keeping discussions on topic. Generally all
|
|||
|
topics degenerate into some kind of fluff over time.
|
|||
|
FidoNews 11-21 Page: 11 23 May 1994
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Fluff comes in many forms. Theory indicates the number of varieties may
|
|||
|
be infinite. This is due to the dynamic nature of humankind and their
|
|||
|
relationships to each other. When one person works to build something
|
|||
|
of value, someone else will gunk it up with fluff. Whether this is
|
|||
|
intentional or accidental is irrelevant. Everyone would like to think
|
|||
|
they have something important to say. But those who have given a great
|
|||
|
deal of thought to how we communicate with each other, knows this is a
|
|||
|
fallacy. The greatest offenders in our current society are lawyers,
|
|||
|
news media and government agencies.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Now with the electronic services providing a forum for anyone who can
|
|||
|
get to a computer with a modem, the problem is growing exponentially.
|
|||
|
Almost anyone can log on to an online service and voice their opinion.
|
|||
|
They speak their mind with whatever authority they feel they have. They
|
|||
|
sit back and wait for the recognition they feel they deserve. Sometimes
|
|||
|
they are surprised to find out most don't really care about what they
|
|||
|
said, and those who do will start feeding back some fluff.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
We will discuss the more common varieties. Let's begin now starting
|
|||
|
with the most common form.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Flame Fluff
|
|||
|
-----------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
I was always taught, "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say
|
|||
|
it at all." It is important to keep your temper to at least a low boil
|
|||
|
when dealing with someone who's opinions don't mix with yours. Most
|
|||
|
folks do just fine with keeping their cool. Some go off so fast, you
|
|||
|
don't know what's happened until you realize you're covered with manure.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Any discussion has the potential to escalate into a flame war. It is
|
|||
|
difficult to understand why some debates go on for weeks with nary a
|
|||
|
harsh word, while other crash, explode and burn with just a few
|
|||
|
messages. (This is common among the participants of the WELDING
|
|||
|
conference. For example, "Grab your rods, Roy, and let's go get the
|
|||
|
#$$*@&%!")
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Flame messages are fluff, pure and simple. They are the most common
|
|||
|
form of it and normally don't contain any useful information. (An
|
|||
|
exception is when one of the participant's sister's mating habits is
|
|||
|
mentioned, which can be quite useful, especially when a phone number is
|
|||
|
included.)
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Some forms of flame fluff are illegal in some states. In fact, flame
|
|||
|
fluff tends feed in itself until it grows out of control, sucking other
|
|||
|
people into the conflict. Many of these new participants are merely
|
|||
|
trying to put out the flames, eventually getting so deep they begin
|
|||
|
spouting their own expletives. This is called Two-Alarm Flame Fluff.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Eventually, the conference moderator jumps in. He tries every possible
|
|||
|
way to find a peaceful solution to the problem. Sometimes, the
|
|||
|
moderator becomes involved in the "discussion". He threatens the
|
|||
|
offending parties with loss of access to the conference. This will
|
|||
|
either stop the problem or begin a new phase of messages where the
|
|||
|
FidoNews 11-21 Page: 12 23 May 1994
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
moderator is called names such as Net-Nazi or Control Freak. This is
|
|||
|
when the fluff has degenerated to Three-Alarm Flame Fluff.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
By this time, it is quite possible the discussion has become noticed in
|
|||
|
other conferences. Quite possibly one of the offending parties has gone
|
|||
|
to one of these areas to rally support for his cause. Pretty soon there
|
|||
|
are several moderators involved. Participants begin to lose their
|
|||
|
access. Threats of legal action are thrown around. Law enforcement
|
|||
|
becomes interested because of death threats. The discussion is now a
|
|||
|
full fledged war spanning several conferences. People who had nothing
|
|||
|
to do with the original disagreement are now having their own
|
|||
|
disagreements. The messages are now at the Four-Alarm Flame Fluff
|
|||
|
stage.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Now we come to the final stage. Five-Alarm Flame Fluff really is no
|
|||
|
longer a form of fluff directly related to the subject which caused the
|
|||
|
disagreements. All offending parties have lost access to the
|
|||
|
conferences they were posting in. Five-Alarm Fluff comes in the form of
|
|||
|
short notices and newspaper articles about the lawsuits, no-contact
|
|||
|
orders and drive-by shootings which resulted from the electronic verbal
|
|||
|
conflagration.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
At this point, government agencies begin think about regulating
|
|||
|
electronic communications. The proposals for modem licensing appear.
|
|||
|
The legislation restricting our communications begin to flow through
|
|||
|
congress and state legislatures.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
It is best to avoid all forms Flame Fluff. Some networks provide
|
|||
|
special conferences where people can vent their frustrations, keeping
|
|||
|
other conferences clear of unnecessary clutter.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Intellectual Fluff
|
|||
|
------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Intellectual fluff is generally produced by people who are trying to
|
|||
|
intelligently participate in a discussion, but who fail miserably.
|
|||
|
These discussions generally involve subjects such as politics, religion
|
|||
|
or economics, where a participant must have at least a rudimentary
|
|||
|
knowledge of what it being discussed.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
All of us would like to think of ourselves as intelligent. We want to
|
|||
|
be looked upon as competent. We want to project ourselves in our
|
|||
|
communications as people who can answer questions with authority. At
|
|||
|
least this is our view.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
In reality, many people look like complete idiots (see Idiot Fluff
|
|||
|
below). They convey their ideas using poor spelling and bad grammar.
|
|||
|
Their logic is usually flawed, ending up being torn to shreds with a
|
|||
|
single sentence by someone who knows what they are talking about.
|
|||
|
Needless to say, the participant who gets the short end of the stick in
|
|||
|
these exchanges usually resorts to flame fluff.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
How do we keep things from escalating to this point? Keep the
|
|||
|
discussions succinct and to the point. If you want to discuss the finer
|
|||
|
point of Nietzsche, go to the NIETZSCHE conference. If you want to
|
|||
|
FidoNews 11-21 Page: 13 23 May 1994
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
discuss the aesthetics of welded furniture, go to the WELDING
|
|||
|
conference. If you want to start flaming, go to a flame conference and
|
|||
|
beat yourselves to death. If you want to be involved in highly
|
|||
|
intellectual exchanges, but can't deal with the demands of thinking,
|
|||
|
just don't say anything.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Small Talk Fluff
|
|||
|
----------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Small talk fluff is tiny little messages sent between two people. These
|
|||
|
messages usually contain no quotations of the previous message, so
|
|||
|
keeping dialogue continuity can be difficult. A typical conversation
|
|||
|
using this kind of fluff is best depicted using an example.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
USER 1: Did you go to the movies?
|
|||
|
USER 2: Yes.
|
|||
|
USER 1: What did you see?
|
|||
|
USER 2: Jurassic Park.
|
|||
|
USER 1: Did you like it?
|
|||
|
USER 2: It was great. I liked the special effects.
|
|||
|
USER 1: They were great.
|
|||
|
USER 2: I wonder how they did it.
|
|||
|
USER 1: I think they used computers.
|
|||
|
USER 2: I wish I had a computer like that.
|
|||
|
USER 1: I might get a new computer.
|
|||
|
USER 2: What kind of computer?
|
|||
|
USER 1: I don't know. What's a good one?
|
|||
|
USER 2: Well, I would only get one which would run Windows.
|
|||
|
USER 1: Is that good?
|
|||
|
USER 2: It means you will have a machine which can run about anything.
|
|||
|
USER 1: What's so good about Windows?
|
|||
|
USER 2: It makes the computer easier to use.
|
|||
|
USER 1: Oh. Are you going to another movie, soon?
|
|||
|
USER 2: Yes. I'll tell you about it when I do.
|
|||
|
USER 1: That will be great.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
This entire exchange was passed around a few thousand systems, all
|
|||
|
around the world, over a period of several weeks, with the subject line
|
|||
|
of Cannibals of the East Indies, and was posted in the WELDING
|
|||
|
conference. Obviously, the moderator was either napping or, perhaps,
|
|||
|
visiting the East Indies.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Liars' Fluff
|
|||
|
------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
We now have a very curious form of fluff. Liars' fluff is used by
|
|||
|
individuals with hidden agendas. It is basically just plain lies. The
|
|||
|
motivation could be political, financial or for just plain fun.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Think about it. You can drop a hot piece of inside information
|
|||
|
(Economic Fluff) about a company in a stocks conference. Or how about a
|
|||
|
juicy tidbit (Electoral Fluff) about someone running for a political
|
|||
|
office? Or even better, how about some information (Promiscuity
|
|||
|
Fluff) about someone's sister? Like the person who just flamed you in
|
|||
|
the WELDING conference.
|
|||
|
FidoNews 11-21 Page: 14 23 May 1994
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Sometimes two individuals will begin a cooperative effort to create the
|
|||
|
appearance they are having a disagreement. This form of Liars' Fluff is
|
|||
|
called Pseudo-flame Fluff. In reality, there is no disagreement, but a
|
|||
|
carefully choreographed discussion. This is usually done to give one or
|
|||
|
both of the parties an appearance of a position on an issue when the
|
|||
|
opposite is really true.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Most forms of Liars' Fluff is generally posted using an alias name so
|
|||
|
the real person can deny they did it.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Appointment Fluff
|
|||
|
-----------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
This is a very curious kind of fluff and very difficult to understand.
|
|||
|
So let's get a picture of what is happening.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Two people are having a discussion. One of the parties decides it would
|
|||
|
be great if they met for lunch sometime. The other agrees. So the
|
|||
|
first party sends a message to second party at 10:00 AM to meet for
|
|||
|
lunch at 12:00 noon. Now, the first party goes to the designated
|
|||
|
location and waits for the second party.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
That evening, the second party gets the message, and states they just
|
|||
|
received the message. The first party is quite upset because they were
|
|||
|
stood up and begins to apply liberal helpings of flame fluff.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
And so it goes on and on.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Why can't these people just pick up the phone and set the lunch date?
|
|||
|
The technology we use is quite sophisticated and enjoyable to use, but
|
|||
|
some things are better communicated through more traditional means,
|
|||
|
like, for example, the telephone. It is a far better approach than
|
|||
|
announcing to the whole world you're doing lunch.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Technical Fluff
|
|||
|
---------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Generally, most technical discussions are kept inside their own
|
|||
|
conference. This is so the technical people (who populate every corner
|
|||
|
of a computer network or online service) can discuss their obsession
|
|||
|
with odd words and acronyms without fear of being laughed at. (Rumor
|
|||
|
has they don't even use English but programming languages to convey
|
|||
|
ideas.)
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Problems arise when some of these discussions originate in conferences
|
|||
|
where large gathering of non-technical people are sending messages
|
|||
|
containing intellectual, appointment or small talk fluff. Most of these
|
|||
|
users stay away from anything which contains an acronym. This is wise.
|
|||
|
But what about those bold few who dare to display their technical
|
|||
|
prowess without the slightest idea what they are talking about?
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The result is technical fluff. Take the following exchange as an
|
|||
|
example:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
FidoNews 11-21 Page: 15 23 May 1994
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
TECH: Okay, to solve your modem problem, you will want to reset it
|
|||
|
with the ATZ command from your term program. You should then
|
|||
|
type ATS0=0 so it will not automatically answer the phone. You
|
|||
|
can then issue the AT&W command to save the settings.
|
|||
|
USER 1: Okay, thanks. My mom was getting quite upset when she heard
|
|||
|
the noise when the modem answered the phone. Thanks again.
|
|||
|
USER 2: Um, I am having a problem with my modem. I would like to fix
|
|||
|
it but I can't find the problem.
|
|||
|
TECH: What is the problem?
|
|||
|
USER 2: Well, it's making a kind of scraping sound.
|
|||
|
TECH: I don't think you have a problem with your modem. It doesn't
|
|||
|
have any parts which could make a scraping sound.
|
|||
|
USER 2: It's got to be the modem. Whenever I log in, and try to
|
|||
|
download a file, I get an error message.
|
|||
|
TECH: What kind of error message?
|
|||
|
USER 2: I don't know. Just an error message. I think it is the way
|
|||
|
the modem is hooked into the disk. I read about it somewhere
|
|||
|
in a library book. I think it was from Time-Life. There was a
|
|||
|
little line in a picture which went from the modem to this
|
|||
|
little square marked CPU and back to the disk. I think that is
|
|||
|
where the problem is. I would recommend the book to anyone. I
|
|||
|
learned a lot from it.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The tech who managed to get entangled with this person is probably
|
|||
|
kicking himself for even responding. He is probably thinking about
|
|||
|
distributing some flame fluff. Most likely he won't even respond to any
|
|||
|
more messages from this person. Technical people are like that.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
A good rule of thumb is to never try and prove your technical abilities,
|
|||
|
unless you have an unusual ability to use odd words and acronyms. Even
|
|||
|
if you do have some technical knowledge, keep in mind there will always
|
|||
|
be someone out there to prove you wrong. Technical people are elitists
|
|||
|
by nature. They don't like having to explain themselves to people who
|
|||
|
think they know what they are talking about.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Avoid the use of intellectual fluff when working with these people.
|
|||
|
They don't like wasting time debating philosophy. Most technical people
|
|||
|
have a difficult time with these kinds of subjects and will probably
|
|||
|
ignore you.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Plagiarism Fluff
|
|||
|
----------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
This is perhaps one of the most insidious forms of fluff. No, the
|
|||
|
person entering the message hasn't stolen his message from someone else.
|
|||
|
There's too much danger in getting caught. They post messages quoting
|
|||
|
every line of a previous message. They then enter their response with a
|
|||
|
one-liner comment.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The most common form of abuse is when someone else has entered an
|
|||
|
emotional retort to a message with abundant quantities of foul language.
|
|||
|
Someone takes offense, quotes the entire message, to the letter, and
|
|||
|
says that they are offended. They may as well go out and preempt
|
|||
|
television and radio broadcasts to make sure everyone knew someone said
|
|||
|
a bad word. This does draw attention, but usually to the one taking
|
|||
|
FidoNews 11-21 Page: 16 23 May 1994
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
offense which results in Flame Fluff being generated.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
There also is the situation where someone has entered a multiple message
|
|||
|
post. The respondent quotes, in full, all of the messages and cheerfully
|
|||
|
adds at the very end of the very last message, "I agree".
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Snort.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
First Amendment Fluff
|
|||
|
---------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
When a person who takes pride in his views and presents them in a
|
|||
|
precise way, they are generally regarded favorable light by most of the
|
|||
|
people reading them. Any debates with this individual are generally
|
|||
|
interesting, thought-provoking and a joy to participate in whether all
|
|||
|
parties agree or not. These individuals will use their real names
|
|||
|
because even though they may be controversial, they are willing to stand
|
|||
|
up for what they believe in an open, honest and accountable way.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
On the other hand, there are those who stir up controversy for the sake
|
|||
|
of stirring it up. They usually hide behind an alias name and deny any
|
|||
|
association between the "other" and the real person. When they are
|
|||
|
attacked, they begin to quote constitutional law. This is known as
|
|||
|
First Amendment Fluff.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
First Amendment Fluff is a hybrid between Flame Fluff, Liars Fluff and
|
|||
|
Intellectual Fluff, because it almost always involves a malicious
|
|||
|
attack, usually contains false information and attempts unsuccessfully
|
|||
|
to intellectually justify its existence. It is usually always
|
|||
|
intermixed with Flame Fluff. The person using this form of fluff has a
|
|||
|
stalker mentality, finding a particular person to attack. Sometimes
|
|||
|
these attacks can last for years, unless intervention occurs from law
|
|||
|
enforcement.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
In all sincerity, I don't believe the founding fathers of the United
|
|||
|
States had the intention of allowing freedom of speech to include
|
|||
|
freedom to spout innuendo and lies. Its intent was to keep people from
|
|||
|
being persecuted by the government for voicing their opinions. Ethical
|
|||
|
principles are important when discussing controversial views. Those who
|
|||
|
spout First Amendment Fluff tend to be in short supply of any form of
|
|||
|
ethics.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Idiot Fluff
|
|||
|
-----------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
At one point or another, one comes across a message which makes no sense
|
|||
|
whatsoever. No matter how you look at it, no matter how you read it, no
|
|||
|
matter how you rescramble the words, it is virtually impossible to get
|
|||
|
the meaning of what was said. This is called Idiot Fluff because the
|
|||
|
person doing the posting was obviously an idiot. Here is an example:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Date: 22 Sep 93 14:06:04
|
|||
|
From: John Doe
|
|||
|
To: All
|
|||
|
Subj: Hello
|
|||
|
FidoNews 11-21 Page: 17 23 May 1994
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
--------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
i just got this computer have trouble log on and the messages
|
|||
|
don't work right i am cannot find a job is there anybody who
|
|||
|
knows why i will work for food thanks
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The first question which arises is why does someone who is unemployed,
|
|||
|
illiterate, hungry and not technically inclined posting a message
|
|||
|
proving his unemployability, illiteracy, hunger and technical ignorance?
|
|||
|
The answer is simply because he is an idiot. And what do idiots post?
|
|||
|
They post Idiot Fluff.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Okay, I don't want to come across as someone who is insensitive to
|
|||
|
people who have lost their jobs for economic reasons. Unemployed people
|
|||
|
are not all idiots. It's just in today's competitive economy, more
|
|||
|
idiots are being flushed out of their jobs. Just look at the last
|
|||
|
election and all those in Congress who didn't return.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The major sub-type of Idiot Fluff is Illiteracy Fluff. Have you ever
|
|||
|
noticed in most English based conferences, messages from Europe are far
|
|||
|
better spelled and have better sentence structure than messages coming
|
|||
|
from America? For most of these people, English is a second language.
|
|||
|
It simply doesn't make sense. America is the number one supplier of
|
|||
|
Illiteracy Fluff.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Now, Illiteracy Fluff is a sub-type of Idiot Fluff. Americans post the
|
|||
|
most Illiteracy Fluff. When we put these facts together, the conclusion
|
|||
|
is obvious.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Americans look like a bunch of idiots to the rest of the world.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Argument Fluff
|
|||
|
--------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The purpose of most electronic conferences is to have the ability to
|
|||
|
discuss various points on a subject. Most conferences have a subject or
|
|||
|
theme which keeps the discussion to a particular area of interest (i.e.,
|
|||
|
religion, computer programming welding, etc.). Sometimes, a debate will
|
|||
|
stray from the central issue. Usually the person who is losing the
|
|||
|
battle will sidetrack a discussion on a minor point, mostly to avoid the
|
|||
|
embarrassment of losing the debate on the main point. This is called
|
|||
|
Argument Fluff.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Argument Fluff is sometimes difficult to detect because of its
|
|||
|
similarity to other types of fluff. Flame Fluff, Liars' Fluff and
|
|||
|
Intellectual Fluff are particularly prone to be disguised as Argument
|
|||
|
Fluff. An alert participant in a debate will be able to see this ruse
|
|||
|
and reverse the move.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Most of these diversions are performed by making claims which could not
|
|||
|
possibly be proved or disproved. For example, with the sub-type of
|
|||
|
Deity Fluff the comment such as "My God's better than your God" may be
|
|||
|
made. There is no way for either party to positively prove this fact,
|
|||
|
because it is a remark based on faith. It is hoped by the losing side
|
|||
|
in the debate that this will cause the other party to drop his argument
|
|||
|
and take the offensive with this as a new argument. A shrewd person
|
|||
|
FidoNews 11-21 Page: 18 23 May 1994
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
would not be baited by this tactic. They would ignore it and continue.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
One-Liner Fluff is a hybrid of Argument Fluff and Small Talk Fluff. Here
|
|||
|
a person "defends" their position with comments such as "No, it doesn't"
|
|||
|
or "On a cold day in hell". It is important to note the person posting
|
|||
|
this kind of fluff will most likely be ignored. Eventually, they will
|
|||
|
be frustrated to the point where they will post Flame Fluff in order to
|
|||
|
get the attention they feel they deserve.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Political Fluff is a hybrid of Argument Fluff and Liars' Fluff. This is
|
|||
|
prevalent in conferences where a lot of political debating is going on.
|
|||
|
It is also common in election campaigns. There are a lot of promises
|
|||
|
made, with no intent on keeping them.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Treatment for Fluff
|
|||
|
-------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Fluff is best described as the conference version of the stuff that
|
|||
|
grows under your bed. It will always appear and, eventually, you will
|
|||
|
have clean it up.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Now that we have some categories of fluff defined, we can now look at
|
|||
|
how we deal with it. We must be careful, however. In treating fluff,
|
|||
|
we can wipe out a conference. Once you remove it from these areas, there
|
|||
|
is usually nothing left. So it is safe to say, a little fluff is good
|
|||
|
for a conference. It adds something to an otherwise void and sterile
|
|||
|
environment.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
We also need to be careful that the treatment doesn't end up being
|
|||
|
legislated by the government. We all know it is difficult to get good
|
|||
|
ethical policy from elected officials. We need to find a way which will
|
|||
|
minimize government involvement.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Generally, conference content is policed by the moderator, if there is
|
|||
|
one. Sometimes, several people will declare they are the rightful
|
|||
|
moderator for a conference, and there will be a lot of flame fluff
|
|||
|
generated. This is especially true in the WELDING conference, where the
|
|||
|
moderator of the UNION conference and the moderator of the SCAB
|
|||
|
conference are constantly fighting for control.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Once a moderator has been established, they must be careful to not be
|
|||
|
too restrictive or flame fluff will generate. If they are too passive,
|
|||
|
then all kinds of fluff will form spontaneously. Balance is key to
|
|||
|
moderating a conference.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Some moderators can only create fluff. They sit quietly behind their
|
|||
|
keyboards waiting to pounce on any indiscretion. When they find one,
|
|||
|
they post messages which ask the offending parties to end the topic.
|
|||
|
Some even go as far as sending private fluff e-mail to the originator.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
These moderators are called fluffballs. (This name is not popular with
|
|||
|
the moderators of the WELDING conference.) This conjures up an image of
|
|||
|
someone soft and warm. This is a gross error for some fluffballs have
|
|||
|
been known to carry semi-automatic weapons.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
FidoNews 11-21 Page: 19 23 May 1994
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
One treatment for fluff involves removing these fluffballs, replacing
|
|||
|
them with someone less fluffy. This does cause confusion for users of a
|
|||
|
conference because the rules can sometimes change without notice. This
|
|||
|
kind of extreme action needs to be avoided at all costs.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Another treatment involves the use of automated message packet scanners.
|
|||
|
These kinds of programs have been in use for many years, primarily to
|
|||
|
render flame fluff benign. A much more sophisticated scanner is needed
|
|||
|
to detect and properly correct messages for other types.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Now, free speech advocates will probably dislike what is about to be
|
|||
|
discussed (generating a large amount of First Amendment Fluff). Please
|
|||
|
finish reading this discourse before jumping to conclusions. What I am
|
|||
|
proposing is a fast and efficient way to automatically deal with the
|
|||
|
problem of fluff.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The Fluff Finder
|
|||
|
----------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The Fluff Finder is software used to scan message packets and message
|
|||
|
areas for fluff. At this time, its existence is purely theoretical.
|
|||
|
Its development will involve many man-years of programming effort, so it
|
|||
|
will be a few years before it can become a reality.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The heart of the program is the Fluff Engine. It's basically a library
|
|||
|
of programs designed to support the scanning of messages for fluff
|
|||
|
content. The rules of good taste and conferencing etiquette are its
|
|||
|
main features. Who's good taste and etiquette it will support depends
|
|||
|
on who develops the final product.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The Fluff Engine is designed to be transportable between platforms. A
|
|||
|
shell is all that needs to be programmed if you were to move it from,
|
|||
|
say, an MS-DOS platform to a MacIntosh or VAX. The core program will
|
|||
|
remain uniform and consistent.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The engine is built using artificial intelligence techniques and so it
|
|||
|
is more sophisticated than the traditional search and replace message
|
|||
|
scanners. It can literally understand what you have entered, either
|
|||
|
removing superfluous content or change it something less fluffy.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The program can scan for particular kinds of messages. In the case of
|
|||
|
Small Talk and Appointment Fluff, it is very easy to scan messages for
|
|||
|
brevity or lunch times. The engine can very easily transform the
|
|||
|
statement "I'll meet you for lunch at noon on Wednesday" to "Call me so
|
|||
|
we can do lunch." This saves other users from having to worry if anyone
|
|||
|
actually showed up. Everyone is confident there will be no flame fluff
|
|||
|
generated.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Advanced versions of the software can also transform actual meanings of
|
|||
|
ideas within messages. This involves a lot of complex programming and a
|
|||
|
database, called the Fluff Finder Fact File. Using this, the program
|
|||
|
can search for meanings of common phrases and concepts. With recent
|
|||
|
breakthroughs in artificial intelligence technology, and the continuing
|
|||
|
drop in the cost of computer hardware, this feature will be well within
|
|||
|
the reach of everyone very soon.
|
|||
|
FidoNews 11-21 Page: 20 23 May 1994
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Intellectual and Liars Fluff will be able to be handled by placing all
|
|||
|
the works of humanity in the facts database. No point can be presented
|
|||
|
without the Fluff Finder being able to check its validity. If the topic
|
|||
|
is about someone's sister, which would probably not be in the database,
|
|||
|
then the Fluff Finder calls the person's sister for verification. This
|
|||
|
information is then stored in the database and used to modify or remove
|
|||
|
the message.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Technical Fluff would be handled in a similar way. Because the Fluff
|
|||
|
Finder is created by technicians, the software itself would be allowed
|
|||
|
to generate an appropriate response. This leaves technical people time
|
|||
|
to come up with new and improved software designs.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Idiot Fluff can only be deleted. It doesn't make sense, except for
|
|||
|
maybe the person posting the message. But that makes no difference. It
|
|||
|
gives them something to do while in the unemployment line.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
A major feature of the Fluff Finder is where Flame Fluff would be
|
|||
|
converted to something more helpful and positive. This can disarm many
|
|||
|
potential conflicts. Let's illustrate this with an example. The
|
|||
|
following message was a result of an unmonitored dialogue between two
|
|||
|
users which got out of control. (NOTE: Offensive words and phrases
|
|||
|
have been replaced with asterisks, using a crude word scanner, as to not
|
|||
|
offend sensitive readers.)
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Date: 22 Sep 93 14:06:04
|
|||
|
From: John Doe on 1:352/23 Dimension 23 in Olympia WA
|
|||
|
To: David Smith on 1:352/23.1 Point 23 in Olympia WA
|
|||
|
Subj: Your sister
|
|||
|
-------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
Hello, David!
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
I think you are probably one of the most arrogant ******** that I
|
|||
|
have ever seen. You obviously can't comprehend the advanced
|
|||
|
concepts discussed in this area recently. A lobotomy would do you
|
|||
|
no good what you need is a good *** ******* with a rasp file and a
|
|||
|
stick of dynamite.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
What this all means is, *** ****** you ****** ****** ******* *** **
|
|||
|
* *****!
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Obviously, this contains a liberal amount of flame fluff. This message
|
|||
|
would appear as depicted above when only using a simple message scanner.
|
|||
|
(The original text will not be made available.)
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Now, we will see what happens when this message is scanned by the Fluff
|
|||
|
Finder.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Date: 22 Sep 93 14:06:04
|
|||
|
From: John Doe on 1:352/23 Dimension 23 in Olympia WA
|
|||
|
To: David Smith on 1:352/23.1 Point 23 in Olympia WA
|
|||
|
Subj: Your sister
|
|||
|
-------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
Hello, David!
|
|||
|
FidoNews 11-21 Page: 21 23 May 1994
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
In all my past experiences, you have proven to me that your
|
|||
|
intellect is only surpassed by your rectal qualities. Your
|
|||
|
inexperience has severely impaired your ability in debating the
|
|||
|
concepts recently discussed. Perhaps you should get a rasp file and
|
|||
|
dynamite enema because a lobotomy would quite probably be
|
|||
|
ineffective.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
As the offspring of a female dog with Oedipus syndrome, maybe you
|
|||
|
should go seek a sexual encounter!
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
See how much more fluid and cheerful this message is? And there is not
|
|||
|
one offensive word. It changes a very destructive and potentially
|
|||
|
harmful flame fluff message into a very friendly, helpful and positive
|
|||
|
statement with lots of good advice. You can see the smile on David's
|
|||
|
face right now, can't you?
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The Fluff Finder technology promises to make the nearly impossible task
|
|||
|
of monitoring all conversation a reality. Online services and networks
|
|||
|
will rest easier knowing that any potentially problematic conversation
|
|||
|
will be dealt with a minimum of human effort.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The Future
|
|||
|
----------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
In summary, the solution to this problem is two-fold. First, in order
|
|||
|
to properly define what is needed to help solve the problem of fluff, it
|
|||
|
needs to be defined. This document is merely a beginning to that end.
|
|||
|
Only a few types have been discussed and illustrated here. Many more
|
|||
|
still exist.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Once all the varieties of fluff are defined, then a specification for
|
|||
|
the Fluff Finder can be compiled. It will be the task of dedicated
|
|||
|
programmers to build it. The best way to accomplish this is through
|
|||
|
financing via government program. The project could be overseen by a
|
|||
|
citizen committee of people with good ethical standing. The end product
|
|||
|
would be in the public domain, free to be used in a variety of software
|
|||
|
products without cost to software developers.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
With the Fluff Finder in hand, we can go into the future, confident the
|
|||
|
rules of good taste will be taken care of for us. Only then can we
|
|||
|
conference with our friends around the world, in a way Henry David
|
|||
|
Thoreau would have been proud. Our communications will be concise, have
|
|||
|
meaning, be without error, and, best of all, without offense!
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
(...sysop now removes tongue from cheek...)
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
"Brock Meeks really is an A#1 type person. The LIttle Garden is
|
|||
|
going to send some money." -Tom Jennings
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Dear Net Citizen:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
FidoNews 11-21 Page: 22 23 May 1994
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
How do you put a price on free and open dialogue on the Net?
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
How much are you willing to spend to preserve the concept of roboust
|
|||
|
and open debate that have become a part of the Internet's culture?
|
|||
|
$100? $50? $20?
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
What if the cost of helping to preserve an open and robust Net was
|
|||
|
no more than $1.29? That's right, less than the cost of a fast
|
|||
|
food hamburger. Freedom on the Internet for only $1.29... cheap
|
|||
|
at twice the price.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
A joke? Hardly. The free and open speech, indeed the First Amendment
|
|||
|
rights of the Internet -- rights we've all enjoyed for decades -- are
|
|||
|
now being challenged in court.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
CyberWire Dispatch, the well-respected online newswire written and
|
|||
|
developed for the Internet community by journalist Brock Meeks, is
|
|||
|
the subject of a libel suit. CyberWire Dispatch has been at the
|
|||
|
forefront of bringing the Net community timely and insightful
|
|||
|
articles.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
This suit was highlighted in a _Wall St. Journal_ article (April
|
|||
|
22, page B1). The subject of a Dispatch investigation is suing
|
|||
|
Meeks for simply doing what journalists in the traditional print
|
|||
|
medium have done since the founding of newspapers: Print the
|
|||
|
facts and let the public decide the outcome.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Brock and the Cyperwire Dispatch are examples of the "bottom up"
|
|||
|
journalism that charachterizes the Net, where anyone with a modem can
|
|||
|
compete with the traditional press. Of course, most of us don't come
|
|||
|
to the Net with a lawyer in tow, or the resources to defend a legal
|
|||
|
action taken against us in courts located hundreds of miles from our
|
|||
|
homes.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
This libel action is one of the earliest cases of libel involving
|
|||
|
alleged defamatory statements published over a computer network.
|
|||
|
It raises the extremely important legal and policy issues. It's impact
|
|||
|
may well determine how and to what extent anyone feels free to express
|
|||
|
strong opinions on the Net, wihtout being put at risk of legal action.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
It is crucial that Brock have a strong defense and that the principles
|
|||
|
that come out of this case provide the maximum protection to the
|
|||
|
exercise of free and open speech as possible.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
CyberWire Dispatch is unique because it's distributed solely in
|
|||
|
electronic form. A service for the Net community at large. And
|
|||
|
all CyberWire Dispatch articles are free. Meeks neither charges
|
|||
|
anyone for receiving them; he gets paid nothing to write them.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
For all these efforts, he's being sued. And being sued by a
|
|||
|
company with a large financial backing. Meeks, on the other hand,
|
|||
|
has no such resources. His attorney, Bruce Sanford of Baker &
|
|||
|
Hostetler is arguably the finest First Amendment lawyer in the
|
|||
|
U.S.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
FidoNews 11-21 Page: 23 23 May 1994
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
And although he has agreed to represent Meeks at a reduced rate,
|
|||
|
the cost of defending against this unmerited suit will not be
|
|||
|
cheap.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
We have formed this committee to lend our support in helping him
|
|||
|
raise money for his legal defense. And all we're asking you to
|
|||
|
send is $1.29. That's it. Why that price? The math is easy: $1
|
|||
|
in an envelope with a 29 cent stamp applied.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Who can't afford $1.29 to help save the great freedoms we all
|
|||
|
enjoy here today?
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Can you send more? Of course. Any contributions will be
|
|||
|
welcomed and accepted. Tax deductible donations also are
|
|||
|
possible by following the instructions below.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
All money sent for Meeks' legal defense fund will be go to that
|
|||
|
purpose. All the administrative services for administering the
|
|||
|
fund are being donated; 100% of your money goes to defer the
|
|||
|
legal costs of this case.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
You are encouraged to repost this message. But please, we urge
|
|||
|
you to keep proper Net protocol in mind when reposting or cross
|
|||
|
posting this message.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Thanks for your time. On behalf of Brock and for future
|
|||
|
generations of electronic journalists, we appreciate your
|
|||
|
contributions and support.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Sincerely,
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Samuel A. Simon
|
|||
|
President, Issue Dynmics, Inc.*
|
|||
|
ssimon@idi.net
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Mitch Kapor
|
|||
|
Chair, Electronic Frontier Foundation*
|
|||
|
Kapor@eff.org
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
David Farber
|
|||
|
The Alfred Fitler Moore Professor of Telecommunications Systems
|
|||
|
University of Pennsylvania*
|
|||
|
farber@central.cis.upenn.edu
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Philip Elmer-DeWitt
|
|||
|
Senior Writer
|
|||
|
TIME Magazine*
|
|||
|
ped@panix.com
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Marc Rotenberg
|
|||
|
Electronic Infomation Privacy Center*
|
|||
|
epic@cpsr.org
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Nicholas Johnson
|
|||
|
Former FCC Commissoner*
|
|||
|
FidoNews 11-21 Page: 24 23 May 1994
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
103-5393@mcimail.com
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Jerry Berman
|
|||
|
Electronic Frontier Foundation*
|
|||
|
jbeman@eff.org
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Mike Godwin
|
|||
|
Electronic Frontier Foundation*
|
|||
|
mnemonic@eff.org
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
*AFFILIATION IS FOR INDENTIFICATION PURPOSE ONLY
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
For Tax Deductible Donations:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Make Checks out to "Point Foundation" and clearly annotate on the check:
|
|||
|
"For Legal Defense Fund."
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Send those checks to:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Meeks Defense Fund
|
|||
|
c/o Point Foundation
|
|||
|
27 Gate Five Road
|
|||
|
Sausalito, CA 94965
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
For those who don't care about the tax deductible status, send
|
|||
|
contributions to:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Meeks Defense Fund
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
c/o IDI
|
|||
|
901 15th St. NW
|
|||
|
Suite 230
|
|||
|
Washington, DC 20005
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
####################################################################
|
|||
|
# Meeks Defense Fund | Internet: fund@idi.net #
|
|||
|
# ---------------------------------------------------------------- #
|
|||
|
# c/o IDI c/o Point Foundation #
|
|||
|
# 901 15th St. NW 27 Gate Five Road #
|
|||
|
# Suite 230 Sausalito, CA 9465 #
|
|||
|
# Washington, DC 20005 #
|
|||
|
####################################################################
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
Samuel A. Simon
|
|||
|
IDI (Issue Dynamics Inc) | Internet: ssimon@idi.net
|
|||
|
901 15th St. NW Suite 230
|
|||
|
Washington, DC 20005
|
|||
|
(202)408-1400 (v/tdd)
|
|||
|
(202)408-1134 (fax)
|
|||
|
(202)408-1163 (BBS)
|
|||
|
---------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
FidoNews 11-21 Page: 25 23 May 1994
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Ever Feel Like You're Being Watched?
|
|||
|
You Will...
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Digital Media has learned that the Clinton administration is debating
|
|||
|
not if, but how, to create a card that every American will need in
|
|||
|
order to interact with any federal government agency. Combined with
|
|||
|
two potential executive orders and the Postal Service's designs on
|
|||
|
putting its stamp on personal and business electronic transactions,
|
|||
|
the card could open a window on every nuance of American personal and
|
|||
|
business life.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The wrangling among the administration, the U.S. Postal Service, the
|
|||
|
Internal Revenue Service and Department of Defense, emerged into the
|
|||
|
public eye at this April's CardTech/SecureTech Conference. The
|
|||
|
gathering of security experts was convened to discuss applications
|
|||
|
for smart card and PCMCIA memory card technologies in business and
|
|||
|
government. The Postal Service, at the conference presented a
|
|||
|
proposal for a "general purpose U.S. services smartcard," which
|
|||
|
individuals and companies would use to authenticate their identities
|
|||
|
when sending and receiving electronic mail, transferring funds and
|
|||
|
interacting with government agencies, such as the I.R.S., Veterans
|
|||
|
Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
President Clinton is also considering signing two executive orders
|
|||
|
that would greatly expand the government's access to personal
|
|||
|
records, including an order that would allow the I.R.S. to monitor
|
|||
|
individual bank accounts and automatically collect taxes based on the
|
|||
|
results, said sources close to the White House. The collection
|
|||
|
service will be presented as a convenient way to avoid filling out a
|
|||
|
tax return. The White House did not respond to requests for comments
|
|||
|
about this report.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The Post Office: We deliver for you. The Postal Service's U.S. Card
|
|||
|
would be designed to use either smart cards (plastic cards with an
|
|||
|
embedded microprocessor carrying a unique number that can be read by
|
|||
|
a electromagnetic scanner and linked to computerized records stored
|
|||
|
on a network) or PCMCIA cards, which can contain megabytes of
|
|||
|
personal information. (You've probably seen this type card in AT&T's
|
|||
|
"You Will" ad campaign, which shows a doctor inserting a woman's card
|
|||
|
in a reader in order to access a recording of a sonogram). The Postal
|
|||
|
Service said it is considering AT&T and other companies' smart card
|
|||
|
technologies.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
In a slide presentation at the conference, Postal representative
|
|||
|
Chuck Chamberlain outlined how an individual's U.S. Card would be
|
|||
|
automatically connected with the Department of Health and Human
|
|||
|
Services, the U.S. Treasury, the I.R.S., the banking system, and a
|
|||
|
central database of digital signatures for use in authenticating
|
|||
|
electronic mail and transactions. The U.S. Card is only a proposal,
|
|||
|
Chamberlain insists. Yet the Postal Service is prepared to put more
|
|||
|
than a hundred million of the cards in citizens' pockets within
|
|||
|
months of administration approval, he said.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
"We've been trying to convince people [in the different agencies] to
|
|||
|
FidoNews 11-21 Page: 26 23 May 1994
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
do just one card, otherwise, we're going to end up with two or three
|
|||
|
cards," said Chamberlain. He said in addition to the healthcare card
|
|||
|
proposed by President Clinton last year, various government agencies
|
|||
|
are forwarding plans for a personal records card and a transactions
|
|||
|
(or "e-purse") card. Chamberlain said the I.R.S in particular is
|
|||
|
pursuing plans for an identity card for taxpayers.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Don't leave home without it. Though he did not name the U.S. Card at
|
|||
|
the time, Postmaster General Marvin Runyon suggested that the Postal
|
|||
|
Service offer electronic mail certification services during testimony
|
|||
|
before the Senate Governmental Affairs Subcommittee in March. The
|
|||
|
proposal is clearly intended as a way to sustain the Postal Service's
|
|||
|
national role in the information age, since it would give the agency
|
|||
|
a role in virtually every legally-binding electronic transaction made
|
|||
|
by U.S. citizens. For instance:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
* When sending or receiving electronic mail, U.S. Card users would be
|
|||
|
able to check the authenticity of a digital signature to screen out
|
|||
|
impostors.
|
|||
|
* Banking transactions (notably credit card purchases) that depend on
|
|||
|
authentication of the participants identities and an audit trail,
|
|||
|
would be registered in Postal Service systems.
|
|||
|
* Veterans, or for that matter college students and welfare
|
|||
|
recipients, could check their federal benefits using the
|
|||
|
identification data on their U.S. Cards.
|
|||
|
* Visitors to an emergency room would have instant access to medical
|
|||
|
records at other hospitals, as well as their health insurance
|
|||
|
information.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
These examples may seem benign separately, but collectively they
|
|||
|
paint a picture of a citizen's or business's existence that could be
|
|||
|
meddlesome at best and downright totalitarian at worst. Will buying a
|
|||
|
book at a gay bookstore with a credit card that authenticates the
|
|||
|
transaction through the Postal Service open a Naval officer up to
|
|||
|
court marshal? If you have lunch with a business associate on a
|
|||
|
Saturday at a family restaurant, will the IRS rule the expense
|
|||
|
non-deductible before you can even claim it?
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
"There won't be anything you do in business that won't be collected
|
|||
|
and analyzed by the government," said William Murray, an information
|
|||
|
system security consultant to Deloitte and Touche who saw
|
|||
|
Chamberlain's presentation. "This [National Information
|
|||
|
Infrastructure] is a better surveillance mechanism than Orwell or the
|
|||
|
government could have imagined. This goddamned thing is so pervasive
|
|||
|
and the propensity to connect to it is so great that it's
|
|||
|
unstoppable."
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Deep Roots; Deep Pockets; Long History. Chamberlain said the Postal
|
|||
|
Service has been working for "a couple years" on the information
|
|||
|
system to back up the U.S. Card. He said the project was initiated by
|
|||
|
the Department of Defense, which wanted a civilian agency to create a
|
|||
|
national electronic communications certification authority that could
|
|||
|
be connected to its Defense Messaging System. Chamberlain said the
|
|||
|
Postal Service has also consulted with the National Security Agency,
|
|||
|
proponents of the Clipper encryption chip which hides the contents of
|
|||
|
FidoNews 11-21 Page: 27 23 May 1994
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
messages from all but government agencies, like law enforcement. The
|
|||
|
National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Ames Research
|
|||
|
Laboratories in Mountain View, Calif. carried out the research and
|
|||
|
development work for Clipper.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
"We're designing a national framework for supporting business-quality
|
|||
|
authentication," said John Yin, the engineer heading up the U.S.
|
|||
|
Card- related research for NASA Ames' advanced networking
|
|||
|
applications group. "This is not specifically with just the Postal
|
|||
|
Service. We'll be offering services to other agencies and to
|
|||
|
third-party commercial companies that want to build other services on
|
|||
|
the card." For example, VISA or American Express could link their
|
|||
|
credit services to the U.S. Card.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Yin, who works on Defense Messaging Systems applications, said his
|
|||
|
group has collaborated with "elements of Department of Defense" for
|
|||
|
the past year, but would not confirm the participation of the
|
|||
|
National Security Agency, a Department of Defense agency. The NSA is
|
|||
|
specifically prohibited from creating public encryption systems by
|
|||
|
the Computer Security Act of 1987. Yin also would not comment on the
|
|||
|
budget for the project, which other sources said was quite large and
|
|||
|
has spanned more than two years.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
A false sense of security? According to Yin, the cards would allow
|
|||
|
individuals or businesses to choose any encryption technology. "It's
|
|||
|
not our approach to say, 'Here's the standard, take it our leave it,
|
|||
|
'" he said.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
"We're not trying to create a monopoly, rather it's an infrastructure
|
|||
|
for interoperability on which a whole variety of services can be
|
|||
|
built." Yet, NASA, which is a participant in the CommerceNet electric
|
|||
|
marketplace consortium will "suggest" to its partners that they adopt
|
|||
|
the U.S. Card certification infrastructure, he said.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The reality is that government agencies' buying power usually drives
|
|||
|
the market to adopt a particular technology -- not unlike the way the
|
|||
|
Texas Board of Education, the largest single purchaser of textbooks
|
|||
|
in the U.S., sets the standard for the content of American classroom
|
|||
|
curricula. Since, the administration has already mandated use of
|
|||
|
Clipper and its data-oriented sibling, the Tesserae chip, in federal
|
|||
|
systems it's fairly certain that the law enforcement-endorsed chips
|
|||
|
will find their way into most, if not all, U.S. Cards. Even in the
|
|||
|
unlikely event that one government agency should weather the pressure
|
|||
|
and pass on the Clipper chip, it's still possible to trace the
|
|||
|
source, destination, duration and time of transactions conducted
|
|||
|
between Clippered and non-Clippered devices.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
"Most of this shift [in privacy policy] is apparently being done by
|
|||
|
executive order at the initiative of bureaucracy, and without any
|
|||
|
Congressional oversight or Congressional concurrence, " Murray said.
|
|||
|
"They are not likely to fail. You know, Orwell said that bureaucrats,
|
|||
|
simply doing what bureaucrats do, without motivation or intent, will
|
|||
|
use technology to enslave the people."
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
EDITOR'S NOTE: Digital Media has filed a Freedom of Information Act
|
|||
|
FidoNews 11-21 Page: 28 23 May 1994
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
request for Clinton and Bush Administration, Postal Service, NSA,
|
|||
|
Department of Defense, NASA, I.R.S. and other documents related to
|
|||
|
the creation of the U.S. Card proposal.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
-- Mitch Ratcliffe
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Copyright 1994 by Mitch Ratcliffe and Seybold Publications.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Mitch Ratcliffe
|
|||
|
Editor in Chief
|
|||
|
Digital Media: A Seybold Report
|
|||
|
444 De Haro St., Ste. 128
|
|||
|
San Francisco, Calif. 94107
|
|||
|
415.575.3775 office
|
|||
|
godsdog@netcom.com
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Nodelist Size (again)
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
by Jim Tinlin, 1:212/0
|
|||
|
-= Cutting the Fat =-
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
I agree with Gary Gilmore (FNEWS1118) concerning reducing excess items
|
|||
|
in the nodelist. I am a fledgling NC (NET212 has only been on the
|
|||
|
books for about 2 months now) and learning the ropes quickly and with
|
|||
|
lots of mistakes.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
One item I've always had a difficult time warming up to is the
|
|||
|
nodelist, it's inhumane size and unwieldly stature makes it a real pain
|
|||
|
to work with. I have gone to great lengths to make sure "our" net
|
|||
|
nodelist is devoid of some of the fluff that exists rampant in the full
|
|||
|
nodelist.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
To parallel some items previously discussed, I offer the following
|
|||
|
thoughts:
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
HOLDS - do away with them. Why do we need a HOLD flag located in the
|
|||
|
nodelist for more than a week? I submit the NC (who's
|
|||
|
responsible for the net-nodelist anyway) should remove any
|
|||
|
nodes that exceed this time period. It's just as easy to get
|
|||
|
back into the nodelist anyway.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
FLAGS - get rid of the redundancy. I think most of them are a waste
|
|||
|
and hold over from "older" modems. If the redundancy is
|
|||
|
necessary in specific cases, leave it in...if not, drop the
|
|||
|
V42B if the modem is V32B.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
I also think there should be a move afoot to update the flags
|
|||
|
to today's standards, since 9600 is a bit "slow" by most
|
|||
|
people's systems. Not that it makes a *lot* of difference in
|
|||
|
the nodelist, but it's nice to have accurate information about
|
|||
|
a node that you're calling. I know it would sway me one way or
|
|||
|
the other on some connections (say FREQ'ing a file) if I knew
|
|||
|
the real story about how long I'd be paying LD phone bills to
|
|||
|
FidoNews 11-21 Page: 29 23 May 1994
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
get that important file.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
LISTINGS - I know multiple listings are considered by some to be a
|
|||
|
status symbol or pure waste, but I can see a few situations
|
|||
|
where the additional listing is important. In our net we have
|
|||
|
3 major "hubs" and a Planet Connect location (presently it just
|
|||
|
happens to *be* one of the hubs). This makes our system very
|
|||
|
flexible since a change in ownership of a hub (or the Planet
|
|||
|
Connect node) doesn't require everyone in the net to re-work
|
|||
|
their route files. We just change the nodelist to reflect the
|
|||
|
new person acting as the hub and things keep moving.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
And why do people put "BBS" after the name of the BBS, isn't it
|
|||
|
kinda obvious that it's a BBS??? Well, if it's MO or non-CM
|
|||
|
maybe not, but think of all the bytes that can be saved just by
|
|||
|
shaving off those 3 letters (18,000 times!!!). OK, so this is
|
|||
|
going a bit overboard...and I'm starting to sound like Andy
|
|||
|
Rooney ;^)
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Why did I write this article??? Maybe it's just ego (gee, how many
|
|||
|
people are going to read this article...better yet, how many people
|
|||
|
really care?) or activism...my little piece of bush beating. I don't
|
|||
|
intend to convince *everyone* but maybe this article (and many more)
|
|||
|
will instill the idea that FidoNet has to work together to keep itself
|
|||
|
strong or it will fall upon itself, a crumbling mass of overweight
|
|||
|
structure.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Thanks for taking the time to read this...
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
INTERGREEK: An echo about Greek things and people
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
INTERGREEK announcement
|
|||
|
by Alejandros Diamandidis, 2:410/9.9, adia@eng.auth.gr
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Hello people of Fidonet everywhere! I'd like to inform you of a new
|
|||
|
echo, INTERGREEK. This echo was made so that greek people away from
|
|||
|
Greece (and they are quite a few!) would be able to chat about their
|
|||
|
country, but of course it attracted people who are not of greek origin
|
|||
|
but are interested in matters concerning Greece. We now have regular
|
|||
|
conversations about greek culture and politics with people outside
|
|||
|
Greece.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
The echo was created by Nasos Liagos, 2:410/113, who is the moderator
|
|||
|
(not that a lot of moderation is required, but just in case!). The echo
|
|||
|
currently goes to zones 1, 2, 3 and 5, and about 50 messages are posted
|
|||
|
per week. The nodes to contact about a feed in the U.S. are Steve Laris
|
|||
|
in Astoria, NY (1:278/514), who feeds the echo to Pennsylvania and
|
|||
|
Toronto (Ontario), or Karen Mintzias in Redondo Beach, CA (1:102/125)
|
|||
|
who passes it on to Vancouver (British Columbia). Karen also feeds the
|
|||
|
echo to Chris Keladis (3:712/416) who passes it on to the zone 3
|
|||
|
backbone. In zone 5 you can contact 5:7101/3. Finaly, in
|
|||
|
zone 2, besides being carried by most of the nodes in R41 the echo
|
|||
|
is also carried by 244/3310, 301/813, 310/3 and others throughout
|
|||
|
FidoNews 11-21 Page: 30 23 May 1994
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Europe.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
We'd like more people, both Greek and not, to participate. If you
|
|||
|
know someone who may be interested, please tell them about INTERGREEK!
|
|||
|
If you'd like more information, you can contact the moderator or
|
|||
|
Basilis Tsapas, 2:410/13, who is also the R41C. Thanks for reading
|
|||
|
this announcement!
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
========================================================================
|
|||
|
Fidonews Information
|
|||
|
========================================================================
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
------- FIDONEWS MASTHEAD AND CONTACT INFORMATION ----------------
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Editors: Sylvia Maxwell, Donald Tees
|
|||
|
Editors Emeritii: Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell,
|
|||
|
Vince Perriello, Tim Pozar
|
|||
|
Tom Jennings
|
|||
|
"FidoNews" BBS
|
|||
|
FidoNet 1:1/23
|
|||
|
BBS +1-519-570-4176, 300/1200/2400/14400/V.32bis/HST(DS)
|
|||
|
Internet addresses:
|
|||
|
Don & Sylvia (submission address)
|
|||
|
editor@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca
|
|||
|
Sylvia -- max@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca
|
|||
|
Donald -- donald@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca
|
|||
|
Tim -- pozar@kumr.lns.com
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
(Postal Service mailing address)
|
|||
|
FidoNews
|
|||
|
128 Church St.
|
|||
|
Kitchener, Ontario
|
|||
|
Canada
|
|||
|
N2H 2S4
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Published weekly by and for the members of the FidoNet international
|
|||
|
amateur electronic mail system. It is a compilation of individual
|
|||
|
articles contributed by their authors or their authorized agents. The
|
|||
|
contribution of articles to this compilation does not diminish the
|
|||
|
rights of the authors. Opinions expressed in these articles are those
|
|||
|
of the authors and not necessarily those of FidoNews.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Authors retain copyright on individual works; otherwise FidoNews is
|
|||
|
Copyright 1994 Sylvia Maxwell. All rights reserved. Duplication and/or
|
|||
|
distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes only. For use in
|
|||
|
other circumstances, please contact the original authors, or FidoNews
|
|||
|
(we're easy).
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
OBTAINING COPIES: The-most-recent-issue-ONLY of FidoNews in electronic
|
|||
|
form may be obtained from the FidoNews BBS via manual download or
|
|||
|
Wazoo FileRequest, or from various sites in the FidoNet and Internet.
|
|||
|
PRINTED COPIES may be obtained from Fido Software for $10.00US each
|
|||
|
FidoNews 11-21 Page: 31 23 May 1994
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
PostPaid First Class within North America, or $13.00US elsewhere,
|
|||
|
mailed Air Mail. (US funds drawn upon a US bank only.)
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
INTERNET USERS: FidoNews is available via FTP from ftp.fidonet.org,
|
|||
|
in directory ~ftp/pub/fidonet/fidonews. If you would like a FAQ, or
|
|||
|
have questions regarding FidoNet, or UUCP<==>FidoNet gateways, please
|
|||
|
direct them to David Deitch (1:133/411@fidonet) at
|
|||
|
deitch@gisatl.fidonet.org.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
SUBMISSIONS: You are encouraged to submit articles for publication in
|
|||
|
FidoNews. Article submission requirements are contained in the file
|
|||
|
ARTSPEC.DOC, available from the FidoNews BBS, or Wazoo filerequestable
|
|||
|
from 1:1/23 as file "ARTSPEC.DOC". Please read it.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
"Fido", "FidoNet" and the dog-with-diskette are U.S. registered
|
|||
|
trademarks of Tom Jennings, and are used with permission.
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
Asked what he thought of Western civilization,
|
|||
|
M.K. Gandhi said, "I think it would be an excellent idea".
|
|||
|
-- END
|
|||
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|||
|
|