491 lines
22 KiB
Plaintext
491 lines
22 KiB
Plaintext
F I D O N E W S -- Vol.12 No.28 (10-Jul-1995)
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+----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
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| A newsletter of the | ISSN 1198-4589 Published by: |
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| FidoNet BBS community | "FidoNews" BBS |
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| _ | +1-519-570-4176 |
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| / \ | |
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| /|oo \ | |
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| (_| /_) | |
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| _`@/_ \ _ | |
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| | | \ \\ | Editors: |
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| | (*) | \ )) | Donald Tees 1:221/192 |
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| |__U__| / \// | Sylvia 1:221/194 |
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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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| MORE addresses: |
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| |
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| submissions=> editor@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca |
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| Don -- don@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca |
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| Sylvia max@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca |
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+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
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| For information, copyrights, article submissions, |
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| obtaining copies of fidonews or the internet gateway faq |
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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..................................................... 1
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2. Articles...................................................... 2
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Echomod: An Echo Moderator's Utility........................ 2
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Don't miss this opportunity ................................ 4
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Disney Images............................................... 5
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Backbone Echo Changes [May-Jun]............................. 6
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Simple NetwOrk Oversight Protocol........................... 8
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3. Fidonews Information.......................................... 8
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========================================================================
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Editorial
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========================================================================
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FidoNews 12-28 Page: 2 10 Jul 1995
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Well it had to happen eventually. We arrived back from a
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sunday afternoon do well after midnight, and we are late with
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the snooze. This is going out at 3:00 A.M. instead of midnight.
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If that screws up anybody's delivery, sorry.
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Here is the snooze.
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========================================================================
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Articles
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========================================================================
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Echomod: An Echo Moderator's Utility
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by Dana Bell
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ECHOMOD - An Echo Moderator's Utility
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While some are engaged in legal (or illegal) battles and others are
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working on getting the FidoNet echolist together, I thought some of
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you might want to try this little utility. ECHOMOD will allow
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moderators or appropriate messengers for the echolist, to maintain
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their own database of echoes from which they can automatically submit
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updates to either ECHOBASE or the FidoNet-based ELIST.
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The options here are primarily intended to assist moderators in their
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duties to keep the echolist up-to-date. It might look like it, but
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this isn't the manual. It's just seemed to be a good way to show and
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tell what ECHOMOD is and does. Since the Echolist requirements and
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products are changing, I'm constantly making changes here to support
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them. Since it's also a new concept, I'm getting new ideas for it all
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the time. All that means, of course, is that there is a greater
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possibility of you finding bugs in the program until everything
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settles down.
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If you want to give it a shot, FReq ECHOMOD from someone near you that
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has it, or from me at 1:3801/6. NOTE: ANSI.SYS is required and (so
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far) ECHOMOD uses FD style messages. With a little manipulation you
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might also be able to use it with your BBS program.
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ECHOMOD Abstract begins here:
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ECHOMOD CONFIG
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The ECHOMOD configuration allows you to identify yourself, some paths,
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and then designate a ListKeeper you want to submit MOD UPDs to. In
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FidoNet, it would be ECHOLIST at 1:1/201@fidonet.org. Once a
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configuration file has been created with the ECHOMOD CONFIG command,
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the primary options that facilitate this are:
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ADD
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EDIT <areatag>
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SUBMIT <areatag> to <address>
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AUTO
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POST RULES <areatag>
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ELIST <filespec>
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FidoNews 12-28 Page: 3 10 Jul 1995
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ECHOMOD ADD <areatag>
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This command is used to ADD echoes to the database. In additions you
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will be prompted for each field. Once a conference has been added to
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the database, you can later edit it with the EDIT command or while in
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BROWSE mode.
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ECHOMOD EDIT <areatag>
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The EDIT option allows you to make changes in the echo's entry. This
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will also allow you to update the echo, as well as change the Active
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Status of the echo. This is also the only way to "change" the areatag
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of an echo. To edit the Long Description press F4.
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ECHOMOD SUBMIT <areatag> to <address>
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This is the "magic" of this program. This option will submit the echo
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to the ECHOLIST as defined in the configuration. This option creates
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a netmail in the keyword/key information format that can be processed
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by Echobase or ELIST. The information is taken from the echobase
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database. If an address is listed on the command-line, the message
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will be sent to ECHOLIST at that address. Otherwise, the netmail
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message will be sent to the address specified in the ECHOMOD
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configuration. A line will be displayed when a submission message has
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been generated with the message number. You can go to the message to
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check and/or edit it. Note: Submissions can also be made while in
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Browse mode, by selecting F3 (update & submit) or F6 (submit).
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ECHOMOD AUTO
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This is some more of the magic. When this option is run, ECHOMOD will
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check the database for echoes that haven't been updated in
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<UpdatePeriod> days, updates them and submits them to the ListKeeper.
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ECHOMOD POST RULES <areatag>
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The post option can be used to post the designated rule file for a
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conference as a message in that conference. Ideally, the designated
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file should be a plain text file and should not contain echomail
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control characters or sequences such as "---", $EEN-BY, etc.
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ECHOBASE ELIST <filespec>
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This is an import function that will convert entries found in
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<filespec> (or ELIST.CUT) and in the format of the International
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Echolist and add them to the database CONVERTS.DAT. This function
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will convert each entry found, display it and prompt to save and go to
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next, skip or edit the entry. You can use this to cut your current
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entry out of the International Echolist and then convert it to use in
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the database. Of course, this is also a handy way to create a
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"browse-able" version of the EList.
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ECHOMOD BROWSE <database>
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This displays a scrollable list of echoes in the echobase. Select the
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echo to edit and press enter to edit. When finished editing, the
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scrollable list will be re-displayed. Press ESC to quit. When in
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BROWSE mode, you can page through the echoes and edit any that need
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modifications. Before paging to the next echo, however, you will be
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prompted to save if anything has been changed. Browse mode will also
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allow you to SUBMIT an echo by pressing either F3 (update then
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FidoNews 12-28 Page: 4 10 Jul 1995
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submit), or F6 (submit).
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Other options are also available for the manipulation and
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maintenance of the database.
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ECHOMOD DISPLAY <areatag> <LIKE [format file]>
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ECHOMOD DROP <areatag>
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ECHOMOD SORT
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ECHOMOD PACK
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ECHOMOD COPY spec <database> /<U|S|A>
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spec = <tagspec|ALL|DELETED|@group|^moderator|~messenger|
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![areafile]/#node>
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ECHOMOD IMPORT <database> /<U|S>
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ECHOMOD TRAFFIC <filespec>
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ECHOMOD LIST <SHORT/LONG/LIKE [format file]/DELETED/
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ACTIVE/INACTIVE/@group/![areafile]/#node>^moderator>
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The current version of ECHOMOD can be FileRequested from Baby Blue BBS
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at 1:3801/6.
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Don't miss this opportunity ...
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preface ... I wanted to let you know about a project I'm starting.
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The Snooze seemed like an appropriate place to announce it, since
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it's one of the primary sources of inspiration. Also, special thanks
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go to the Bobs ... Chalmers, Moravsik and Germer in no particular
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order.
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so ... here's the drum roll ....
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ANNOUNCING
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THE GET A LIFE FOUNDATION
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A special program created by and for Fidonet Sysops. You can
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become a member and plankowner in the GET A LIFE foundation by
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submitting your listing to the Fidonet Phone Book (aka nodelist)
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before 12/31/95. (Members who submit 3am Christmas morning will
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receive special consideration for any LIVES which become available.)
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Membership in the GET A LIFE FOUNDATION offers the following
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benefits:
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Your name will be added to the fishbowl for the FOUNDATION's monthly
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drawing for A LIFE.
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Access to Inspirational stories of other sysops who GOT LIVES.
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Photographs and videos of A LIFE are available at a disounted rate
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to members.
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GAL members get one free session with a cybertherapist who will
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make you feel better by reminding you that it's your parent's fault
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you DON'T HAVE A LIFE.
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GAL members get one free session with a cybercounselor who will
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make you feel better by reminding you that it's your spouse's fault
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you DON'T HAVE A LIFE.
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GAL members also get a session with our cyberattorney ... who will
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FidoNews 12-28 Page: 5 10 Jul 1995
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charge you $250 for NOT HAVING A LIFE.
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and many additional benefits, which you will discover as they are
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dropped on your doorstep. (BTW, sign up before 9/15 and receive a
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free benefit-scooper!)
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If by some freak chance, you have aquired A LIFE and are still a
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member of FIDONET, you will be able to ...
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Feel good about helping others discover what A LIFE is.
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Gloat because you HAVE A LIFE. (oops! ... nevermind)
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If you're not happy with your LIFE, you can donate it to our
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monthly drawing ... much cheaper than divorcing your wife :)
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I urge all of you to get your name into the nodelist and GET A
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LIFE today ...
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grins.
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Eileen Turner
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1:326/431
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Disney Images
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by Jerry Schwartz 1:142/928
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Disney Images
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Ha! Fooled you all, this is really about lawsuits!
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Our Planet Connect downlink went into REM sleep while its master
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was away for the day, so I have no echomail to read at the
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moment. Those of you who have read my previous articles here
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know what that means: I spent an hour catching up on FidoNews,
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and that has given me an irresistable urge to punish you all with
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yet another contribution.
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Actually, Disney images are what I was thinking about. In my
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youth, the Disney empire (merely a vigorous duchy in those olden
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times) had a weekly television show which provided a mix of
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drama, cartoons, nature documentaries, and so forth. One of my
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most vivid memories is of the time-lapse photography which they
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often showcased: in a matter of moments you could watch a beehive
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being constructed, a bird build a nest, or a flower bloom and
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die. (This was decades before the VCR, which allows anyone with
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a remote control to see a mountain of fast food bloom and die.)
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Time-lapse photography provides a remarkable perspective.
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Imagine what your life would look like if it were compressed into
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two minutes. If that isn't depressing enough, imagine what two
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months of FidoNews looks like when similarly compressed.
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I guess the hot issue is lawsuits. Well, be forewarned that I am
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NOT a lawyer, nor do I play one in BMW commercials. However I
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FidoNews 12-28 Page: 6 10 Jul 1995
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do, as a matter of prudence, have a $1,000,000 personal liability
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umbrella policy; so sue me. I'm sure my insurance company can
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find a decent lawyer: one who knows the meaning of the term
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"barratry".
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More Disney images: the whole exchange between Messrs. Germer et
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al reminds me of nothing so much as a Disney cartoon, one of the
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ones where the two chipmunks, Chip and Dale, are pestering Donald
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Duck. Chip and Dale are always stealing Donald's apples, nesting
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in his slippers, or something equally "bad." Donald Duck always
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throws a truly spectacular tantrum. This, of course, delights
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Chip and Dale, and incites them to yet more outrages. Donald
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brings out the traps, the guns, the high explosives, and even
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more spectacular tantrums; and so it goes. The chipmunks usually
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win, of course, because Donald eventually succumbs to exhaustion.
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My mind has no trouble at all recasting the cartoons in modern
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times, with Chip and Dale playing to the jury while Donald raises
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objection after objection before the bench.
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So now you all know how I see this business. It's a pity that
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the participants can't see themselves through Disney's lens; of
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course, if they could then none of this would come to light. I
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don't know what went on between Mr. Germer and his antagonists;
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but I can see that both the pompous, self-righteous Donald Duck
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and the devil may care, hit him with an apple core and see him
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foam at the mouth chipmunks share the blame for what happens.
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When I hear children arguing, it amazes and amuses me that "I'll
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sue you" has replaced "I'll tell my father" as the ultimate
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threat.
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"Ma, he's looking at me!"
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"So sue him for harassment."
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I suspect that if you hear yourself talking like your children,
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you should think about what you're saying.
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Backbone Echo Changes [May-Jun]
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by Lisa Gronke, 1:105/6
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lisa@m2xenix.psg.com
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Summary of backbone & quasi-backbone echo changes during May & Jun.
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Brought to you courtesy of (unix) diff.
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diff (fidonet.na + fidonet.no) 30-Apr-95 (ditto) 02-Jul-95 [edited]
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Added to the backbone
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---------------------
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> AAOS American Atheist Online Services Echo
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> ADAPTEK Adaptive Technology for the DisABLED
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FidoNews 12-28 Page: 7 10 Jul 1995
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> ADEPTSOFT Adept
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> BARBIE Barbie Echo
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> BBSCON BBS Conventions Conference
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> BEAD-JEWEL Beading and Jewelry Making Discussion
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> BIBLE-STUDY BIBLE_STUDY
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> BOCA_MODEMS Discussion of Boca Modems
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> CB_RADIO General CB_RADIO discussion echo
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> CELERITY Celerity BBS Software Support Conference
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> CHILD_ABUSE_ISSUES Prevention, Detection, Legal Aspects, more
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> CONSCIOUSNESS The Consciousness Echo
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> CONSTITUTIONAL Constitution issues Federal & State
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> F_KNIGHT Chatter on the TV Show Forever Knight
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> MTG_TRADE MtG and other deckmaster-like card games
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> NON-FICTION Non-Fiction Writers' Conference
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> POGS Pog (milkcap game) discussion and trading echo
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> RACING_SIMS Racing Sims
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> REMOVE_BOB_SATTI *C's are not elected for life
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> REMOVE_GEORGE_PEACE *C's are not elected for life
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> SCN-CHEAT Computer game cheats - no cracks!
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> SPITFIRE_CHAT Global Spitfire BBS Chat Echo
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> STAMPS Stamp collectors discussion
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> STS (not in EchoList since 6/1/95)
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> THUNDERBYTE Thunderbyte Anti-Virus software support
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> TWINS DOUBLE TROUBLE Conference
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> USR_SPORTSTERS Technical Discussions of USR Sportster Modems
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> VOCAL Victims Of Child Abuse Legislation
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NOTE: BIBLE-STUDY was originally added as BIBLE_STUDY (underscore)
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but was later changed to BIBLE-STUDY (dash) because of an
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echotag conflict with a FamilyNet echo.
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Removed from the backbone or quasi-backbone
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-------------------------------------------
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< EC_UTIL Ezycom Utilities Echo
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< FIDOBILL FIDOBILL Software Support Echo
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< GO_PROD_SUP Green/Ortiz Product Support Echo
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< LATINO (not in EchoList since 2/1/95)
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< PDREVIEW (not in EchoList since 2/1/95)
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< PEP TeleBit Modem & PEP Topics
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< RBBSPLUS_DEV RBBS development projects & ideas
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< REC_SUPPORT Remote Echo Control Software Support
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< STEP_PARENTS STEP_PARENTS
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< TRAPFAX Trapfax support
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< USS_LIBERTY USS Liberty Attack By Israeli Defense Forces
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< Z1_WINTERS Discusss Steve Winter Here
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o There are 782 echos in fidonet.na [02-Jul-95] (up 18)
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o There are 18 echos in fidonet.no [02-Jul-95] (down 2)
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o for a total of 800 backbone & quasi-backbone echos (up 16)
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FidoNews 12-28 Page: 8 10 Jul 1995
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Simple NetwOrk Oversight Protocol
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From: Speaker to Fundies (1:102/890)
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The SNOOP project is nearly finished. I need two software
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engineers willing to form a small work group which will review
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the design and first implimentation and then take over the
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maintenance of the project. I also need a series of sites to
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perform Beta testing for SNOOP.EXE.
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If anyone is interested in being in the work group or being a
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Beta sites, please let me know. SNOOP is running on my system
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and appears to be working according to the first design
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specification set forth but it can't be released until it has
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been finished and tested.
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Information on the SNOOP project (which helps FidoNetters get
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an idea on the amount of Echo mail they never see) can be found
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by downloading SNOOP.DOC.
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Fredric L. Rice
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The Skeptic Tank 1:102/890.0
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(818) 335-9601
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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========================================================================
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Fidonews Information
|
||
========================================================================
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------- FIDONEWS MASTHEAD AND CONTACT INFORMATION ----------------
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Editors: Donald Tees, Sylvia Maxwell
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Editors Emeritii: Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell,
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Vince Perriello, Tim Pozar
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Tom Jennings
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"FidoNews" BBS
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FidoNet 1:1/23
|
||
BBS +1-519-570-4176, 300/1200/2400/14400/V.32bis/HST(DS)
|
||
|
||
more addresses:
|
||
Don -- 1:221/192, don@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca
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||
Sylvia- 1:221/194, max@exlibris.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca
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|
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(Postal Service mailing address)
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||
FidoNews
|
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128 Church St.
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Kitchener, Ontario
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Canada
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N2H 2S4
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voice: (519) 570-3137
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sylvia: (519) 579-8029
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FidoNews 12-28 Page: 9 10 Jul 1995
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Fidonews is published weekly by and for the members of the FIDONET
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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 1995 Donald Tees. All rights reserved. Duplication
|
||
and/or distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes only. For use
|
||
in other circumstances, please contact the original authors, or the eds.
|
||
|
||
OBTAINING COPIES: The most recent issue 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 by sending SASE to the above paper-mail
|
||
address.
|
||
|
||
INTERNET USERS: FidoNews is available via FTP from ftp.fidonet.org,
|
||
in directory ~ftp/pub/fidonet/fidonews.
|
||
|
||
Anyone interested in getting a copy of the INTERNET GATEWAY FAQ may
|
||
freq GISFAQ.ZIP from 1:133/411.0, or send an internet message to
|
||
fidofaq@gisatl.fidonet.org. No message or text or subject is
|
||
necessary. The address is a keyword that will trigger the automated
|
||
response. People wishing to send inquiries directly to David Deitch
|
||
should now mail to fidonet@gisatl.fidonet.org rather than the
|
||
previously listed address.
|
||
|
||
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.
|
||
|
||
' ' disgreement is actually necessary,
|
||
or we'd all have to get in fights
|
||
or semethin to amuse ourselves,,
|
||
and create the requisite chaos."
|
||
-Tom Jennings
|
||
-- END
|
||
---------------------------------ooh----------------------------------
|
||
|
||
|
||
FidoNews 12-28 Page: 10 10 Jul 1995
|
||
|
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