1049 lines
53 KiB
Plaintext
1049 lines
53 KiB
Plaintext
Volume 5, Number 36 5 September 1988
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+---------------------------------------------------------------+
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| / \ |
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| /|oo \ |
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| - FidoNews - (_| /_) |
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| _`@/_ \ _ |
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| International | | \ \\ |
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| FidoNet Association | (*) | \ )) |
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| Newsletter ______ |__U__| / \// |
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| / FIDO \ _//|| _\ / |
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| (________) (_/(_|(____/ |
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| (jm) |
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+---------------------------------------------------------------+
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Editor in Chief Dale Lovell
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Editor Emeritus: Thom Henderson
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Chief Procrastinator Emeritus: Tom Jennings
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Contributing Editors: Al Arango
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FidoNews is published weekly by the International FidoNet
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Association as its official newsletter. You are encouraged to
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submit articles for publication in FidoNews. Article submission
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standards are contained in the file ARTSPEC.DOC, available from
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node 1:1/1.
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Copyright 1988 by the International FidoNet Association. All
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rights reserved. Duplication and/or distribution permitted for
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noncommercial purposes only. For use in other circumstances,
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please contact IFNA at (314) 576-4067. IFNA may also be contacted
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at PO Box 41143, St. Louis, MO 63141.
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Fido and FidoNet are registered trademarks of Tom Jennings of
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Fido Software, 164 Shipley Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94107 and
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are used with permission.
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The contents of the articles contained here are not our
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responsibility, nor do we necessarily agree with them.
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Everything here is subject to debate. We publish EVERYTHING
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received.
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Table of Contents
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1. ARTICLES ................................................. 1
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Fidonet - Alternet Technical Agreement ................... 1
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Religious Ignorance. Is It Too Late? ..................... 2
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To Disassemble The Machine ............................... 4
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2. COLUMNS .................................................. 13
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Rogel's Corner: Backing Up is Hard to Do ................. 13
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Let's YACK about The Joys of FidoNet ..................... 17
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3. NOTICES .................................................. 18
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The Interrupt Stack ...................................... 18
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NEW (Again) Region 18 REC! ............................... 18
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Latest Software Versions ................................. 18
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FidoNews 5-36 Page 1 5 Sep 1988
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=================================================================
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ARTICLES
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=================================================================
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Fidonet - Alternet Technical Agreement
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David Dodell FidoNet 1:1/0
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Ben Baker Alternet 7:44/76
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FidoNet and Alternet have agreed in principal to jointly
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establish an official communications gateway. While the zonegate
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mechanism may not be the most desirable method, it is never the
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less one which existing software can support without
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modification. Therefore, zonegates connecting the two networks
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will be installed in the respective nodelists effective September
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16th.
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FidoNet and Alternet have further agreed to jointly define a
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specification for a more appropriate interconnection mechanism.
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This agreement was arrived at through meetings between officials
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of the two networks. It is a technical agreement, not a
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political one. Each network believes that its interests can best
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be served by facilitating communication and encouraging technical
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cooperation.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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FidoNews 5-36 Page 2 5 Sep 1988
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I am a Pagan. This is my humble opinion only, and does not
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relect in any way anyone elses opinion, including the editor of
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Fido News, or any group other than me, myself, and I. They are
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NOT the opinions of the author of the Christian Hate Series.
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Hi! I would like to mimic, perhaps at the expense of sounding
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argumentive, the concern some have expressed regarding the
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Christian Hate Series. Some have said that such a project shows
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those who would condemn us that we are truly out to get them
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after all, and thus their exertions against us are justified.
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Still others opinion that such a collection of religious
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intolerances is valueless because those who follow such Paths
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care little for what we think of them (save that we fear them in
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some cases). And still more could say that the Series is nothing
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more than name-calling, though since the files are for the most
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part written by those who wish individual thought and expression
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ill, this stance I cannot see being a valid one.
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I spent may hours going through the collection, and my mind reels
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with the vast fusion of incredulity, disbelief, grief, and, above
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all, a great deal of, well, staggering disappointment. What has
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happened to the basic, mortal, human capacity for compassion and
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courtesy? I read and am dismayed! Such base, malignant hate,
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fear, and contriving force pointed, aimed, like a pistol at the
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heart of all that should, must, be held inviolate!
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The hate that darkens the mind and makes it slave to Despite.
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Worse, the cancerous growth of such execrate grows deep within
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those who are powerless to beat against such strong a wind as
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religious intolerance, growing there like a child got by rape,
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deep within their belly. They have no idea they've been sorely
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violated by those who would use them, like the pawns they are,
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for their own ends.
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I feel powerless, impotent, in the face of such ignorance. I do
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fear. . . greatly fear. . . that the battle is already lost.
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Such ill Power walks unhindered, untouched, through our towns,
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cities, and even our own hearts, and we must keep silent or get
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stepped on. Panic threatens to choke me, vowing pain and grief
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in the place of resolution.
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I think of what we could become. As human beings, we are
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capable of so much love, warmth, passion, affection. Then I
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think of what we might allow us to become. And I weep.
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If nothing more, the Christain Hate Series has pointed out to me
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that what we value most can so easily be rended from us. This is
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why I feel this Series has value. It seeks not to call Others
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Than Us nasty names. It does not demand Others Than Us to treat
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us with the respect due any thinking, living, being-- To demand
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that which is already ours by Right. It's basic Function, rather,
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is to hold up and display, to all who would see, the Great Enemy
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that faces not only us, but the very same people who would take
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from us the freedom to choose, think, be, and become, what we
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would, unfettered by constraints of what others would have us be.
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FidoNews 5-36 Page 3 5 Sep 1988
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Is it too late? Read the Christian Hate Series, and then tell me.
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David Rice, 09/03/88 Sysop, (1:103/503.0)
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[P.S. The Christian Hate Series is available on The Astro-Net,
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and is the work of Michelle Klein-Hass, who has done a darn good
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job collecting these files. You may File Request them here at The
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Astro-Net as X-HATE2.ARC X-HATE3.ARC X-HATE4.ARC and XIANHATE.ARC
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or get them from the author at (1:102/862.0)]
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
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FidoNews 5-36 Page 4 5 Sep 1988
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To Disassemble The Machine
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Fredric L. Rice
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(103/503.3)
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Quite a few of us consider nuclear war a high possibility
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and pause to consider its ramifications; the consensus seems
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to indicate a desire to be among the first few hundred
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millions to vaporize into a whiff of carbon and not a little
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ozone when the big ones start dropping.
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These considerations should, however, be set onto the back
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burner for now and replaced with yet another, and more
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probable threat. The threat of a large quake along the San
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Andreas fault line. Such a quake, being on the order of
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some 8.25 magnitude, has the same destructive power of a
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fifty megaton nuclear bomb. Though 50 megatons is
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considered a pony bomb by today's standards, it is still
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enough to stop California's commerce, and hence livability,
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cold for years.
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Yet this threat, and those that arise from its realization,
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are not taken seriously except by those insurance companies
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and engineering firms who make it their business to
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understand and determine the risk to hopefully minimize
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damage and fatalities. One of these businesses is the
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nuclear power plant manufactures; manufacturers such as
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General Electric and Westinghouse.
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- - -
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Strain along the infamous San Andrea fault line can be
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measured with accuracy by automated equipment. As pressures
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increase or decrease, the direction of movement and the
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amount of built-up pressure is radioed to receiving
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equipment and examined by computer and human alike for
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indications on the possibility of a destructive release.
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Recent readings show areas of the fault to contain some 36
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feet of stress, ranging through Palmsprings, Palmdale, and
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Lancaster. Other areas of the fault contain much more while
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others show much less; on the average of some 15 feet or so.
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In 1857 there was a fling along the San Bernadino line of
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the San Andreas fault of 13 feet. This caused much
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destruction and loss of life. If the fault were to break
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loose today, releasing even a minute amount of the strain
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along its length, the 8 point or greater quake would occur.
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In the event of an 8.25 quake occurring on the San Andreas
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fault line, there would be anywhere from three thousand to
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fourteen thousand people killed. Hundreds of thousands of
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people would become homeless and many more would die if
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national assistance is slow to respond with medical aid and
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water. In 1971, "Quake Proof" dams were built to replace
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the older earth dams that were in use around the Southern
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FidoNews 5-36 Page 5 5 Sep 1988
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California area. These dams are designed to retain water in
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the event of regional disaster such that little to no water
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would be lost due to possible damage.
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It is the water ducts, however, that are engineers main
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concern. California is mostly an unlivable wasteland,
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relying on these water ducts for the irrigation of the huge
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sediment rich basins we live in. In an 8 point or greater
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quake, we can expect that two of the three ducts would be
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destroyed, bringing them down for six months or more. These
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two ducts go deep under ground at some points in their
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journey and it's likely that those under ground passages
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would be sealed off, making repairs a difficult; even for
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the Army Core of Engineers who's assistance would be needed
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elsewhere.
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Fire is not thought to be a major hazard when the big one
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occurs. This is unless there are Santa Ana winds present in
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which case fire will be a real hazard. The threat of fire
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was realize in the 1906 quake in San Francisco where fire,
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more than the quake, totally destroyed the city. In times
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of high quake probability, fire departments make city-wide
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rounds, checking on the availability of water dumps and
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tanks. The amount of water available for use in fighting
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fires are correlated into a series of maps which comprise a
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earthquake contigency plan.
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It's somewhat comforting to note that many hospitals, even
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fairly minor ones, maintain their own source of power
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generators, fuel, and water. I know that the city of
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Glendoras "Foothill Presbyterian Hospital" maintain power
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generators that switch over automatically when ground
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movement is first detected. This "seismic trip" assures a
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structured cross-over from the external power grid to a safe
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internally contained power source, allowing the surgeon to
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use her operating equipment without interruption.
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The need for self contained power systems in the event of a
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quake is readily apparent when you consider where it is that
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power comes from. I might also note that a secondary source
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of fresh water comes from the same place.
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There are a bewildering number of nuclear reactors strung
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along the California coast line. The placement of these
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piles are dictated by their needs for huge amounts of
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cooling water though in a very few years this need is to
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change somewhat.
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Currently, water is drawn into the nuclear system through
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underground pipes that usually contain a series of filters
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to remove the unwanted plants, silt, and marine life which
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might make it to the reactors intake.
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This water is brought to the pile core and is circulated
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around the fuel rods, (usually Zirconium Allow cladding),
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which are at high temperature, causing the water to expand
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FidoNews 5-36 Page 6 5 Sep 1988
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into steam. This steam is drawn off of the core to drive
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turbofans which turn the electric generators. The steam is
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usually brought to condensers and then released, warmed,
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back into the ocean. I should also note that if there are
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breakages in the fuel rod cladding, a large amount and
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variety of fission by-products are released into the water
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and hence will be released into the ocean only miles from
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our shores, (Zirconium alloy, Zircalloy, has its problems as
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does steel and most metals when subjected to harsh
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radiations, pressure, and heat over periods of time, and
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breakage is often cause for expensive replacements. Because
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of the cost, however, the Atomic Energy Commission will
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allow leaky fuel rods to remain in operation until the rad
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count rises to well beyond the legal limit. Not health
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limit; any release of radiation is a health hazard).
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The result is a lot of power and, if the condensed steam is
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retained, fresh water; water and power both badly needed by
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Californians. This need for water will place nuclear piles
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very close to the coast line to reduce water transportation
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costs. There is under development, and even in operation,
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liquid metal cooled nuclear reactors. The "sodium cooled
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reactors" represent perhaps a greater threat to life in
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California than the threat of nuclear war. Situated far
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from water sources because there is no great need for
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cooling water and land is cheaper, these reactors are
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brought as close to the cities as economically feasible to
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bring power transmission costs down. Without a back-up
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source of water to cool them in the event of a loss of
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coolant accident, (LOCA), some fairly elaborate schemes to
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contain the explosions are developed, (the usual containment
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vessel is not enough when dealing with liquid sodium as it
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reacts violently with both water and air).
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Most people agree that nuclear reactors are unsafe, except,
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of course, those of the power companies themselves. We in
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California have our share of them and it has been seen that
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California coats line is the worst place to put them.
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A LOCA, such as the case of Three Mile Island, can be
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disastrous. In that event, a stuck-open pourve, (sp), was
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the initial cause for the environmental hazard alert issued
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throughout the plant. It was the technicians lack skills,
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then, after the problem was started that cause much of the
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concern. Dealing with a stuck open valve was commonplace in
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simulations; the understanding of the cause for the reactor
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scram under actual conditions was absent.
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In this LOCA, during the investigation that took place after
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the scram, NRA officers asked one of the technicians what
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would have happened if the pile had been allowed to operate
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uncovered for a minute or two more than it did.
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"It would have disassembled the machine", was his answer,
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meaning a nuclear explosion of course.
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FidoNews 5-36 Page 7 5 Sep 1988
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This type of accident, those where human operators are
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controlling the system, can be disastrous. When a quake
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breaks open the containment environment of a nuclear pile,
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however, the result can be much worse. Pipes which bring
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the coolant in, though usually designed for redundancy, can
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be severed causing an automatic reactor scram. There have
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been some indications that during a seismic event, some
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reactors have been designed to shut down at the onset. The
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reason this is not too desirable a trait in a nuclear power
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plant is, of course, one of expense. It is cost which was
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and remains the overriding concern of businesses, not
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safety.
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When reactor manufactures which to make application for the
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building of a nuclear power plant, their engineers must
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submit a "maximum hazard summary report" to the Atomic
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Energy Commission, (AEC). Some of these, (and they are a
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matter for public record in some states), are truthful while
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most of them describe no loss of life in the event of an
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earthquake; trusting on the redundancy of multiply-backed-up
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subsystems and elaborate designed tailored to containment of
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the explosion in the event all else fails.
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It has always been a good idea to accept everything you read
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about nuclear power plants to be biased one way or the
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other. Indeed, you might have noticed a slightly negative
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bent within this article. Considering this, I'd like to
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detail an event which
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could occur at the San Onofre power plant which would by no
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means be typical. It is, however, plausible. This didn't
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happen.
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On the morning of May 17'th, 1987, scientist at the United
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States Geological Survey team in Pasadena detect minor
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quakes ranged along the southern sections of the San Andreas
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fault line, affecting San Diego, Carlsbad, and Camp
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Pendelton. From some 250 pressure monitors along the fault
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come pressure readings which are rising quickly. Argon
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levels from wells quickly rise as water levels drop in some
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parts of the state and rises in others. From the Los
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Angeles area down to San Diego, ion counts pick up and
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within minutes have doubled.
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The USGS and other authorities are faced with a moral
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decision that may affect the population of the Southern
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California area: the may report the heightened quake
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condition and bring the civil defence and fire departments
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of the area to an alert condition two, or they may choose
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not to say anything. In their past decisions, problems have
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arisen from BOTH sides of the coin. When alerts reach the
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public and nothing happens, authorities are flooded with
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complaints. When damage occurs and loss of life is realized
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when people are not alerted, it brings cries of "what are
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you people being paid for?" from the populace.
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As the morning progresses and all indications strengthen,
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FidoNews 5-36 Page 8 5 Sep 1988
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authorities make the decision not to alert the news medias
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but to bring fire departments and national guardsmen to
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alert con 3. At firehouses throughout the cities affected,
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water availability is tabulated as is medical supplies and a
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condition of readiness is ascertained. The National Guard
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alerts its commanding officers to wait for possible ground
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movement and are told of the most likely location of the
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zone of fling.
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Nothing happens during the working day of May 17'th and
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pressure monitors have stabilized at high levels. Towards
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the evening, they start to drop slightly and by morning have
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dropped a few points.
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- - Authors note: These pressure readings, random
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measurements, well water depth, and ion counters are real
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and information obtained from them are radioed through the
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Ham Radio community of the Southern California area. The
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signature which often precursor quake activity show steady
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increase, a leveling off, two or three days of slow decline,
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and then a quake. Graphs of the pressure readings show
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signatures which can be used by the Ham Radio community to
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indicate an alert condition.
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On the morning of the 18'th, at 3:28 local time, a section
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of the San Andreas fault line breaks off, flinging the two
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opposing plates fifteen feet along each side. The result is
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a 7.6 magnitude quake which is centered six miles from
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Carlsbad. The epicenter is some six miles from Carlsbad and
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much damage is encountered there. Over two thousand people
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are homeless and the fatality count starts at 137. Their
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problems aren't over with yet, as unknown to them, not far
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away, a reactor is having problems of its own.
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At Camp Pendelton, marines are awakened to the rocking of
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their barracks and not a few are knocked to the floor. As
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the ground swells roll through the camp, the water tower
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breaks at the base and crashes down on the officers mess,
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killing three and injuring another dozen. Along the camps
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western side, the sea reacts violently to the quake and
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fifteen foot swells travel along the coast line and swim
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away out to sea. A helicopter which was landing suddenly
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finds the ground rocking and thinks there's something wrong
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with the helicopters landing gear. As he lifts off, the
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ground quivers again tipping the craft slightly; hovering,
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the pilot radios for a visual check of his landing struts
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but will have to wait; the flight control tower operator is
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sitting on the floor waiting for the small stubby tower to
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stop shaking.
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Throughout the Southern California area, various degrees of
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ground movements are recorded. Along the Foothills of San
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Bernadino, the ground waves bounce off the mountains and
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head back to give those communities which are at its base a
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second treatment to the quake, prolonging the quake. There
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is major damage ten miles from the epicenter, minor damage
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||
FidoNews 5-36 Page 9 5 Sep 1988
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thirty miles away, and noticeable ground movement up to one
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hundred miles away.
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And at the San Onofre power plant, the extent of the damage
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is still to be noticed. During the quake, sensors along the
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property lines pick up the sonic waves that precede the
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quake and alert the automated equipment just seconds before
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the ground waves. Under the reactors water intake and
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purification building, several pipes break, causing the
|
||
dumping of water being pumped in from the sea. As the pumps
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||
are automatically brought off line, air makes its way into
|
||
the intake system and is churned into the water oxidizing
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it. The broken pipe is sealed from the reactor and pumps
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are brought up on secondary intake pipes.
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During the first ten seconds of the quake, the reactor site
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is still completely intact. The broken pipes have been
|
||
bypassed and the backups have been taken on line. The
|
||
monitoring operator who is even now on his knees beside his
|
||
bed pulling a shirt on with one hand and steadying himself
|
||
with the other, quickly tries to get dressed to make it to
|
||
the control room. Other operators who are on duty and watch
|
||
over the automated system are still frozen, waiting for the
|
||
quake to stop.
|
||
|
||
As the first few large swells pass within the first ten
|
||
seconds, smaller swells come through the reactor site, rise
|
||
in intensity, and then resume their strength. The aerated
|
||
water condenses in the reactor circulatory system, causing
|
||
an air bubble to be loosed through the pumps. As the water
|
||
alternately compresses and rarefies the trapped air, the
|
||
pipes internal to the reactor building start to cavitate,
|
||
thudding the twenty ton pipe fittings against the concrete
|
||
floors and walls. The reactor is in a state of scram due to
|
||
the intensity of the quake but has not been fast enough to
|
||
stop what comes next.
|
||
|
||
As the final ground swells sweep through the site, the pipe
|
||
fittings deep within the reactor core housing cracks open
|
||
and widens before the air is purged through this crack. As
|
||
the pipe stop jumping, the hot water spurts into the reactor
|
||
housing and turns to steam, releasing much heat into the
|
||
building.
|
||
|
||
The reactor operators hear the environmental hazard warning
|
||
horns blaring through out the site as they make it to the
|
||
control room and cycle themselves through the security
|
||
devices. Even as they enter the room one by one or in
|
||
pairs, they are looking at and evaluating the rash of red
|
||
actuators ranged along three of the walls, trying to see
|
||
where the damage is and what the automated equipment has
|
||
done, what should be done, and what the automated equipment
|
||
should not have done. They quickly notice the reactors
|
||
automated systems have inserted the quick-drop dampening
|
||
rods into the core and that the slower-dropping rods are all
|
||
on the way down. Unknown to them, however, is the fact that
|
||
FidoNews 5-36 Page 10 5 Sep 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
the intake water is no longer circulating throughout the
|
||
reactor and that water existing in the system is being
|
||
forced out as the temperature rises through several valves.
|
||
|
||
Seven minutes after the quake, the first signs that
|
||
something really wrong is taking place is realized. As the
|
||
dampening rods hit bottom and reactor temperatures in some
|
||
areas of the core continue to rise, it's realized that some
|
||
of the fuel rods have been exposed and have melted into an
|
||
unstable configuration. There are hasty conclusions made
|
||
which attempt to find why the reactor was uncovered and it's
|
||
cause is quickly observed by camera. Though the picture is
|
||
wet and steamed, a picture into the reactor housing shows
|
||
deep water on the floor; more water than the emergency
|
||
drains can expel safely.
|
||
|
||
At 5:00 on the morning of May the 18'th, all nonessential
|
||
personnel are ordered off the site and the governor is
|
||
alerted to a possible disaster at the San Onofre site. A
|
||
quick description of the problem is enough to make the
|
||
governor declare a quiet state of emergency and a call to
|
||
the USGS to ascertain the possibility of aftershocks.
|
||
Though pressure readings dropped to all-time lows
|
||
immediately after the quake, they are rising again at
|
||
exponential rates. The possibility of aftershocks are very
|
||
high.
|
||
|
||
At the site, several hydrogen explosions are recorded under
|
||
the pressure dome over the reactor core. Air inside the
|
||
core is heated and compressed past the flash point and the
|
||
thousand ton dome bounces eighteen inches into the air,
|
||
landing flat in its suspension pool. The record shows this
|
||
may have happened four or five times, no one who remained at
|
||
the site could agree on the readings, before the final
|
||
explosion.
|
||
|
||
Attempts are made to cool the reactor by using high volume
|
||
sprays set into the containment dome. When brought on line,
|
||
however, all fail to work because of the severing of their
|
||
feed lines when the containment moved. Emergency coolant
|
||
has been pumped into the reactor core but not all parts of
|
||
the core are accessible due to its melted configuration;
|
||
some areas are quite cold while others are molten.
|
||
|
||
At 5:27, a reactor operator sees something that makes him
|
||
leave the control room unauthorized. The operator has
|
||
viewed molten uranium dripping from a crack in the core onto
|
||
the concrete floor. As the operator hops into his American
|
||
Made car an operator monitors the reactor's progress, at
|
||
exactly 5:30 am, the reactor disassembles itself, seeding
|
||
all those within three miles with am immediate and lethal
|
||
dose of harsh gamma radiation. As the containment dome
|
||
comes back down the twenty five feet it has risen, it does
|
||
so at an angle, making it crash and fragment upon the top of
|
||
the reactor housing. Much of the tonnage holds the heavy
|
||
particles of the lethal radiation in but still a lot escapes
|
||
FidoNews 5-36 Page 11 5 Sep 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
in the form of liquid products, gas products, and solid
|
||
products borne on the winds and shrewn into the air.
|
||
|
||
Up to twenty-five miles away, people in such places as San
|
||
Diego, Camp Pendelton, and Carlsbad are treated to heavy
|
||
doses of quick and dirty gamma particles. The slower betas
|
||
hammer through the cities causing burning and bruising of
|
||
flesh. This flesh will never heal; the cells have been
|
||
traumatized into forming cancer cells by the destruction of
|
||
their DNA molecules. Many cancer deaths will be recorded
|
||
this year and those that follow for the remaining years of
|
||
life for the survivors.
|
||
|
||
For up to 1500 miles from the site, dangerously high
|
||
readings of radiation is encountered in the soil which the
|
||
cattle graze on and which the people of Los Angeles walk on,
|
||
play baseball on, and generally live on. It can't be
|
||
scrubbed from the air, scraped from the ground, or taken
|
||
from the bones of the animals we eat, or from the leaves of
|
||
the plants we eat.
|
||
|
||
The explosion has blown the reactor fuels into many
|
||
non-critical fragments, much of which sits at the base of
|
||
the core melted and then reformed along a shallow pyramid of
|
||
zirconium. This pyramid insures that if a melt down occurs,
|
||
the reforming of the molten uranium will not freeze into a
|
||
critical mass and cause a small nuclear detonation. Its
|
||
likely to remain in this condition for many years to come.
|
||
It may even remain so for hundreds of years after engineers
|
||
decide to simply cover the thing with concrete and forget
|
||
about it.
|
||
|
||
- - -
|
||
|
||
Even a "minor" quake like the one described above can
|
||
rupture a reactor. In this hypothetical example, it wasn't
|
||
the actual quake which triggered the destruction of the
|
||
containment but its effects. In the quake Californians are
|
||
expecting, an 8.25 or more, the quake will be over one
|
||
hundred times stronger than a 7 point quake.
|
||
|
||
It's also important to note why radiation causes the
|
||
problems it does.
|
||
|
||
When an atomic particle passes through your body, it will
|
||
encounter many cells by colliding violently with them. The
|
||
molecules within the cell have, as you know, electrons in
|
||
orbit around a nucleus. If the atomic particle hits an
|
||
electron, it may strip it away from its orbit, causing the
|
||
molecule to become ionized. If the atomic particle hits the
|
||
nucleus, it can break that atom into its parts; neutrons,
|
||
protons, and electrons. Some times the cell may recover.
|
||
Most of the times, however, the cell dies.
|
||
|
||
It is when a cell recovers where the problem starts. A cell
|
||
that has been traumatized in such a manor may have had its
|
||
FidoNews 5-36 Page 12 5 Sep 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
DNA code altered by the collision. In this case, its
|
||
reproduction facilities may or may not work. If not, then
|
||
the cell becomes cancerous and is slowly or quickly removed
|
||
from the organ depending on where it occurs in the body. If
|
||
the reproduction facilities are intact, then the cell goes
|
||
onto rebuilding many copies of its altered self, using
|
||
materials which surround the altered cell.
|
||
|
||
A dose of radiation may not cause immediate damage. When an
|
||
atomic particle enters an object, it may become imbedded
|
||
within it. Certainly plant life collects such radiation in
|
||
this way. When a large area of radiated plant life is
|
||
eatten by an animal, the accumulated radiation is compressed
|
||
into neat little packets which are further compressed by
|
||
other animals and also dispersed by still others.
|
||
|
||
In the event of a particle becoming lodged in a human bone,
|
||
it may well stay their for thirty years before it decides to
|
||
decay and release a ray. This ray proceeds out of the human
|
||
body crashing its way through and ionizing a trail of flesh.
|
||
|
||
What can be done about nuclear power by the general public?
|
||
Nothing. We are stuck with it because of the demand for
|
||
more and more power and water than does not tie us tighter
|
||
with unfriendly nations. If the public was willing to pay
|
||
greatly for their power and fresh water, nuclear power
|
||
plants could be made safe and clean. As it is, however, we
|
||
are not yet ready to pay the price financially. We are,
|
||
however, willing to pay the price in other, less civilized
|
||
ways.
|
||
|
||
- As usual, comments, suggestions and corrections should be
|
||
posted to FidoNews. If you wish, send them directly to me
|
||
at 1:103/503.0, The Astro-Net at (714)-662-2294, Fredric
|
||
Rice.
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 5-36 Page 13 5 Sep 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
COLUMNS
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
---------------------------------------------
|
||
| ROGEL'S CORNER: BACKING UP IS HARD TO DO |
|
||
---------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Copyright @ 1988, by Todd S. Rogel. [Permission is granted
|
||
to copy this article for noncommercial purposes only. Any
|
||
other reproduction or use is strictly prohibited without the
|
||
express written permission of the author, Todd S. Rogel]
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
I know, I know, backup my hard disk. There are all sorts of
|
||
great reasons to do it and every issue of every computer
|
||
magazine contains at least one article, column or
|
||
advertisement plucking on the ol' guilt string. But have you
|
||
tried backing up with DOS? It's a royal pain in the big toe.
|
||
|
||
Sure, there are backup tape systems, Bernoulli boxes, and
|
||
other high tech alternatives. But these gems are expensive
|
||
so I don't have of these convenient devices.
|
||
|
||
So I procrastinate, quickly flip past the "have you backed up
|
||
today?" stuff in the magazines, and swear to myself that I
|
||
will indeed backup . . . someday.
|
||
|
||
But my guilt complex has become almost unbearable. So it was
|
||
with great interest -- and relief -- that I had a chance to
|
||
try out Fast Back Plus by Fifth Generation Systems, Inc..
|
||
This program has received good marks from most of the major
|
||
computer magazines and is available for under $100.
|
||
|
||
The documentation is very readable, well organized and
|
||
instructive. The menuing system combined with the
|
||
context-sensitive help makes the use of this program so easy,
|
||
however, that you really don't have to resort to the manual.
|
||
|
||
Three user levels are selectable: beginner, experienced, and
|
||
advanced. The higher the user level, the greater the number
|
||
of options available; conversely, the help screens are more
|
||
detailed as you lower the user level.
|
||
|
||
In addition to a "Full Backup", you can choose "Full Copy"
|
||
(make a copy of your backup without changing the archive
|
||
bit), "Differential" (backup of files changed since the last
|
||
full backup), and "Incremental" (backup of files changed
|
||
since the last incremental backup). You may also select or
|
||
deselect subdirectories and files for backup purposes.
|
||
|
||
You do not need to have formatted disks on hand. Fast Back
|
||
Plus will do the formatting for you, although this will take
|
||
FidoNews 5-36 Page 14 5 Sep 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
some additional time. This is a nice feature, particularly
|
||
for those of us who have had to abort a lengthy DOS backup
|
||
because we have discovered towards the end of the backup that
|
||
we do not have any more formatted floppies. It also will
|
||
reject floppy disks with bad sectors -- a real confidence
|
||
booster.
|
||
|
||
More than one drive can be designated and different drive
|
||
formats are accommodated. If you have two disk drives, this
|
||
will considerably speed up your backup since Fast Back Plus
|
||
does not have to wait for you to change floppies -- it will
|
||
backup on one drive, while you change the floppy disk on the
|
||
other.
|
||
|
||
Fast Back Plus contains some truly helpful features. For
|
||
example, it offers data compression. You can either choose
|
||
to "save time" or "save disks". The "save time" option
|
||
compresses data during idle processor time. On the other
|
||
hand, the "save disks" option takes whatever time is
|
||
necessary to compress the data which, according to Fifth
|
||
Generation Systems, Inc., can result in up to a 77% file
|
||
compression.
|
||
|
||
There also is an "Advanced Error Correction System". By
|
||
writing extra correction information to disk, Fast Back Plus
|
||
can recover missing data should the disk later become
|
||
damaged. The manual claims that up to 13% damage to disk
|
||
surface can be tolerated, depending upon the media.
|
||
|
||
A "Write Verify" option also is available. This feature will
|
||
cause Fast Back Plus to compare every byte of backed up data
|
||
with every byte of data copied from the hard disk. The
|
||
manual observes that "this option provides absolute
|
||
certainty as to the integrity" of the backup. The cost,
|
||
however, is that you will double your backup time.
|
||
|
||
inally, Fast Back Plus has a powerful macro capability.
|
||
This can be accessed from within the program, itself, to save
|
||
steps in using repetitive features. You can also invoke this
|
||
capability from DOS, which will allow you to create a simple
|
||
batch program to run a daily backup with ease.
|
||
|
||
For my first run on Fast Back Plus, I decided to backup my
|
||
entire hard drive with the exception of one particular
|
||
directory and its subdirectories (it was very large,
|
||
contained nonessential information and programs, and I
|
||
already had a backup). The "exclusion" process is fairly
|
||
simple. All I had to do was ask for directory tree to be
|
||
displayed and then I deselected the directory by the
|
||
point-and-shoot method.
|
||
|
||
On the other hand, it took quite some time for Fast Back Plus
|
||
to read my disk before it could present the directory tree.
|
||
Ordinarily I would not complain but I had previously invoked
|
||
a directory tree whie I was playing around with some of the
|
||
program's features and it seems to me that Fast Back Plus
|
||
FidoNews 5-36 Page 15 5 Sep 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
should not have to take the time to read the disk more than
|
||
once during a session. Fast Back Plus's need to read the
|
||
hard disk each time you want a directory tree could be
|
||
tiresome if you wanted to first selectively include certain
|
||
subdirectories/files and then exclude some
|
||
subdirectories/files from that group.
|
||
|
||
fter I made my backup deselection, I requested an "estimate"
|
||
of the amount of time and floppy disks that would be required
|
||
for my backup session. I was amazed at the speed with which
|
||
Fast Back Plus presented me with this estimate.
|
||
|
||
However, the estimate was woefully inaccurate. I was told
|
||
that 55 floppies would be required and that the backup would
|
||
take 10:51 minutes. In fact, I only used 28 floppies but it
|
||
took over 51 minutes for the backup. According to the
|
||
Manual, the estimate "will usually be pretty close [to the
|
||
actual backup requirements], although the Time: may be longer
|
||
if you used unformatted floppy disks, or changed diskettes
|
||
slowly." However, my floppy disks were already formatted and
|
||
I immediately changed diskettes -- long before Fast Back Plus
|
||
finished writing to my other floppy disk drive.
|
||
|
||
The estimate also does not reflect the options chosen. I
|
||
received exactly the same estimate when I selected the data
|
||
compression option ("Disk Save") as when I did not select a
|
||
data compression option. Certainly the estimate should take
|
||
into account the use of options that will affect the number
|
||
of floppies or the amount of time required for a backup.
|
||
|
||
I was impressed by the data compression "Disk Save" option.
|
||
Over 50 disks were required when I tried a backup without
|
||
selecting data compression. As I mentioned earlier, with the
|
||
"Disk Save" option, I only needed 28 floppies.
|
||
|
||
Notwithstanding my criticisms, Fast Back Plus is easy to use,
|
||
reliable, and economic. So remember: brush your teeth after
|
||
every meal, never take candy from a stranger, always say
|
||
thank you and . . . never ever forget to backup your hard
|
||
drive -- with Fast Back Plus!
|
||
|
||
Rogel's Wrap-Up
|
||
+======================================================+
|
||
| Product: Fast Back Plus Version 1.01 |
|
||
| Price: |
|
||
| Lists for $189 (mail-order prices range around |
|
||
| $90-$99). |
|
||
| Product description: |
|
||
| Hard disk backup program; not copy protected |
|
||
| System Requirements: |
|
||
| DOS system |
|
||
| Comments: |
|
||
| Extremely easy to use, reliable backup utility. |
|
||
| Minor complaints: estimator (terrific idea) is |
|
||
| inaccurate; cumbersome select/exclude |
|
||
| subdirectories/files option |
|
||
FidoNews 5-36 Page 16 5 Sep 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
| For more information, contact: |
|
||
| Fifth Generation Systems, Inc., 11200 |
|
||
| Industriplex Boulevard, Baton Rouge, Louisiana |
|
||
| 70809; sales office: 1322 Bell Avenue, Suite |
|
||
| 1A, Tustin, California 92680 (800) 225-2775, |
|
||
| (714) 553-0111; technical support: (504) |
|
||
| 291-7283 |
|
||
+======================================================+
|
||
|
||
Sincerely,
|
||
|
||
Todd Rogel
|
||
Raleigh, North Carolina
|
||
August 4, 1988
|
||
|
||
Office 919 828-1396
|
||
Home 919 851-2103
|
||
MMS 919 779-6674 [151/102]
|
||
NCC 919 851-8460 [151/100]
|
||
|
||
Next Month
|
||
+----------------------------------------------------------+
|
||
| |
|
||
| October, 1988 of Rogel's Corner: Pedal-to-the-metal |
|
||
| review of Two Powerful Automatic Document Assembly |
|
||
| Programs: GPS (by Campbell U. Law School's Prof. |
|
||
| Richard T. Rodgers) and OverDrive (by TurboSoft) |
|
||
+----------------------------------------------------------+
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 5-36 Page 17 5 Sep 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
YACK
|
||
Yet Another Complicated Komment
|
||
|
||
by Steven K. Hoskin
|
||
( STEVE HOSKIN at 1:128/31 )
|
||
|
||
Episode 8: The Joys of FidoNet
|
||
|
||
Oh, I love FidoNet!
|
||
|
||
As a veteran BBS user, I just love the expanded abilities
|
||
offered by FidoNet! Boy! I don't have to hunt around every time
|
||
I move to find a good BBS. One where the users are polite, the
|
||
SysOps are friendly, the conversations are good, and once in
|
||
awhile there's some good software out there to try, maybe keep.
|
||
All I have to do is snag a copy of the local NodeList before I
|
||
move and get on a FidoNode when I get there!
|
||
|
||
I've 'subscribed' to quite a few boards in my day, ranging
|
||
from that old TRS-80 software all the way up to a Vax-driven
|
||
system. And there's been some real DEAD boards out there. SysOp
|
||
responses over a month's worth of waiting; users (have we got
|
||
more than 10 yet?); message base (what's that? Nobody _talks_ on
|
||
a BBS?!) or message bases that resemble the Mojavah.
|
||
|
||
Not anymore. BBSs are getting accepted, and the BBSaholics
|
||
proliferate enough to make it easy to find a board to talk on.
|
||
And then along came EchoMail.
|
||
|
||
EchoMail may cause the majority of the problems in the
|
||
Network these days, but it is also greatly responsible for the
|
||
popularity of BBSs. Perhaps the users can't EXPLAIN why they
|
||
like EchoMail, but if they could explain it then I'd say they're
|
||
probably not having fun at it -- they're rationalizing.
|
||
|
||
I just LIKE echomail; getting to converse with people in
|
||
this strange medium I've never met. Oh, sure, now I am half of a
|
||
software development company where having FidoNet access is nice.
|
||
Sure, it gives us a place to show off our EagleTech software,
|
||
especially our PD and shareware utilities. And these are better
|
||
reasons than 'I like it', but they are not the important ones.
|
||
Just the fact that I look forward to those messages in my
|
||
frequented echoes and that occasional NetMail message is the best
|
||
reason to have it. It's FUN. No whytos or whereabouts to it.
|
||
It's just...plain...fun.
|
||
|
||
Now I'm a SysOp; has this changed? No. What has?
|
||
|
||
Well, for starters, now I can CHOOSE which Echos I wish to
|
||
have access to. I'm into flying; I can get into the National
|
||
FLYING echo. You don't find many boards that support that. And
|
||
there's a little tingly feeling about being a SysOp. I can't
|
||
explain it. But it's there, bigger 'n life, and I for one am
|
||
going to enjoy it. Here's to you, FidoNet. Thanks.
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
FidoNews 5-36 Page 18 5 Sep 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
NOTICES
|
||
=================================================================
|
||
|
||
The Interrupt Stack
|
||
|
||
|
||
24 Aug 1989
|
||
Voyager 2 passes Neptune.
|
||
|
||
5 Oct 1989
|
||
20th Anniversary of "Monty Python's Flying Circus"
|
||
|
||
If you have something which you would like to see on this
|
||
calendar, please send a message to FidoNet node 1:1/1.
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
|
||
Christopher Baker
|
||
Region 18 Coordinator
|
||
135/14 (18/0)
|
||
|
||
30 Aug 88
|
||
|
||
NOTICE: Region 18 has a NEW Region Echomail Coordinator.
|
||
|
||
Ken Shackelford at 133/1 has taken over the duties
|
||
of REC for Region 18. This change may be noted in
|
||
the current Nodelist. The listing for 1/218 will
|
||
be correct when it reflects this information.
|
||
|
||
Please update your system accordingly. The change
|
||
in 1/218 should be reflected in Nodelist.246.
|
||
|
||
133/1 is set up will ALL of the Echo control
|
||
files from 123/12. The Alternate Hubs in Region 18
|
||
are unaffected as of this writing.
|
||
|
||
Thank you, Jon Hall at 123/12, for holding down
|
||
the fort while the baton was passed. Thank you,
|
||
Ken, for volunteering to resume the duties of REC
|
||
for this Region.
|
||
|
||
Thank you.
|
||
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
Latest Software Versions
|
||
|
||
BBS Systems Node List Other
|
||
& Mailers Version Utilities Version Utilities Version
|
||
|
||
Dutchie 2.90b* EditNL 4.00 ARC 5.22*
|
||
Fido 12h MakeNL 2.12 ARCmail 1.1
|
||
FidoNews 5-36 Page 19 5 Sep 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
Opus 1.03b Prune 1.40 ConfMail 4.00*
|
||
SEAdog 4.10 XlatList 2.86 EchoMail 1.31
|
||
TBBS 2.0M XlaxNode 2.10 MGM 1.1
|
||
BinkleyTerm 2.00* XlaxDiff 2.10
|
||
QuickBBS 2.01 ParseList 1.20*
|
||
|
||
* Recently changed
|
||
|
||
Utility authors: Please help keep this list up to date by
|
||
reporting new versions to 1:1/1. It is not our intent to list
|
||
all utilities here, only those which verge on necessity.
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 5-36 Page 20 5 Sep 1988
|
||
|
||
|
||
OFFICERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL FIDONET ASSOCIATION
|
||
|
||
Hal DuPrie 101/106 Chairman of the Board
|
||
Bob Rudolph 261/628 President
|
||
Matt Whelan 3:3/1 Vice President
|
||
Ray Gwinn 109/650 Vice President - Technical Coordinator
|
||
David Garrett 103/501 Secretary
|
||
Steve Bonine 115/777 Treasurer
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
IFNA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
|
||
|
||
DIVISION AT-LARGE
|
||
|
||
10 Courtney Harris 102/732? Don Daniels 107/210
|
||
11 Bill Allbritten 11/301 Hal DuPrie 101/106
|
||
12 Bill Bolton 3:54/61 Mark Grennan 147/1
|
||
13 Rick Siegel 107/27 Steve Bonine 115/777
|
||
14 Ken Kaplan 100/22 Ted Polczyinski 154/5
|
||
15 Larry Kayser 104/739? Matt Whelan 3:3/1
|
||
16 Vince Perriello 141/491 Robert Rudolph 261/628
|
||
17 Rob Barker 138/34 Steve Jordan 102/2871
|
||
18 Christopher Baker 135/14 Bob Swift 140/24
|
||
19 David Drexler 19/1 Larry Wall 15/18
|
||
2 Henk Wevers 2:500/1 David Melnik 107/233
|
||
|
||
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|
||
|
||
|