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I n f o r m a t i o n, C o m m u n i c a t i o n, S u p p l y
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E L E C T R O Z I N E
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********************************************************************************
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Established in 1993 by Deva Winblood
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Information Communication Supply 8/28/94 Vol.2: Issue 1.1
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Email To: ORG_ZINE@WSC.COLORADO.EDU
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S T A F F : Email: ICS Positions:
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============== ============ ==============
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Steven Peterson STU388801940 Managing Editor, Writer
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Russel Hutchinson STU524636420 Writer, Subscriptions
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George Sibley FAC_SIBLEY Editing, Faculty Supervisor
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Others TBA |All addresses @WSC.COLORADO.EDU
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_________________________________________
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/=========================================\
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| "Art helps us accept the human condition; |
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| technology changes it." |
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\ - D.B. Smith /
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\***************************************/
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+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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_____________________________________________________________________________
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/ \
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| ICS is an Electrozine distributed by students of Western State |
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| College in Gunnison, Colorado. We are here to gather information about |
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| topics that are important to all of us as human beings. If you would like |
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| to send in a submission, please type it into an ASCII format and email it |
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| to us. We operate on the assumption that if you mail us something you |
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| want it to be published. We will do our best to make sure it is |
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| distributed. See the end of this issue for submission information. |
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\_____________________________________________________________________________/
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REDISTRIBUTION: If any part of this issue is copied or used elsewhere
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you must give credit to the author and indicate that the information
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came from ICS Electrozine ORG_ZINE@WSC.COLORADO.EDU.
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DISCLAIMER: The views represented herein do not necessarily represent the
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views of the editors of ICS. Contributors to ICS assume all responsibilities
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for ensuring that articles/submissions are not violating copyright laws and
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protections.
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|\__________________________________________________/|
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| \ / |
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| \ T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S / |
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| / \ |
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| /________________________________________________\ |
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|/ \|
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| Included in the table of contents are some |
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| generic symbols to help you in making a decision |
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| as to whether an article or story may express |
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| ideas or use language you may find offensive. |
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| [S]= Sexual Content [AL]= Adult Language |
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| [V]= Violence [O]= Opinions |
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|____________________________________________________|
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|------------------------------------------------------------------|
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| 1) First Word: Thoughts on maintaining a 'zine and an offer for |
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| college journalism students. |
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| |
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| 2) WorldNet Tour Guide - Digital Freedom Network. By Staff: |
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| Review/description of an Anti-Censorship BBS (Gopher site). |
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| |
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| 3) A Look Back on 18 Years. By Paul Robinson: Editorial about |
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| the state of computer programming, past and present. [O] |
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| |
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| 4) Untitled. A poem by Bryce Grevemeyer. |
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| |
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| 5) Computer-Mediated Communication, Part 3. By Steven Peterson: |
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| A review of research on Group Decision Support Software, |
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| with commentary. [O] |
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| |
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| 6) The Resurrection of C:\>. By Steven Peterson: Digital Mythos.|
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| A baroque free-verse composition inspired by DOS manuals, |
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| Hard Disk Drive disaster, and the work of Jorge Luis Borges. |
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| |
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| 7) WorldNet Tour Guide ... By Staff: Review/Description of |
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| the Institute for Global Communication's gopher site. |
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| |
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| 8) Fall Impressions ... By David Trosty: Poetry [AL] |
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| |
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| 9) Rite Of Fire ... By Russell Hutchinson: Short Story [AL] [V] |
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| |
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| 10) Last Word ... By Steven Peterson: Facts and figures on the |
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| ICS audience, and an open question about 'Net advertising. |
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| |
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|------------------------------------------------------------------|
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\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
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+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+
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*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
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| First Word ... \
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| By Steven Peterson \
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*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+
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We're Back! Actually, "we" is a mighty small group right now.
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It's fall, and that means recruiting time. Over the summer, I've been
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generating tools to attract new writers for this year's cast; as new
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writers come on board, they will be graciously introduced.
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The tool I spent the most time working on is a 3-fold brochure
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which attempts to demystify the computers on campus. So far, the
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machinery itself has presented one of the greatest obstacles for
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greater participation in ICS on our campus. When I talk to people,
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young writers especially, they find the concept of "facing the
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audience" interesting, but the reality of the machines intimidates
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many. We'll see if the brochure works for those rugged individualists
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in Gunnison country ...
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Which brings me to my offer for journalism students: Frustrated
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with campus writing opportunities and wish to start a 'zine of your own??
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Contact org_zine for some great start-up materials. In the last year,
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the ICS staff has compiled a series of documents (a campus constitution,
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internal organization chart, budget forms, syllabus) which can be used -
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with modifications - to present your request to publish. Kind of like a kit,
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hash out the details and present your version to campus administrators.
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We here at ICS believe in the future of paperless publication, and make this
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offer (free of charge) to promote its use.
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With this frag, we begin Volume 2. Our format and content will
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continue to be somewhat chaotic - a mixture of scholarly articles,
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editorials, poetry and assorted fiction - we hope you like the ride.
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And keep those submissions and letters coming in! The chilly nights are
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forecasting another long, cold winter - your thoughts keep us warm
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in front of a glowing terminal. -Ed. [:*)
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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<#####################################################################>
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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_________________________________________________
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/ W o r l d N e t \
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\____________ Tour Guide ____________/
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\_______________________/
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| Digital Freedom |
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| Network |
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\___________________/
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WorldNet Tour Guide returns! We will strive to make it a part of
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each issue. The Guide will contain articles to help in using the WorldNet
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to the fullest potential. The articles here will range from tutorials on
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aspects of WorldNet to reviews of sites and resources on the WorldNet.
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If you would like to write a file or document to appear in this section,
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please do so. Send your final copy (in ASCII format) to:
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ORG_ZINE@WSC.COLORADO.EDU
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-------
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*
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The Digital Freedom Network (DFN) is one of the more interesting
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sites I've run across on the 'Net - imagine a place where writers from
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around the world can share their cultural, religious, and political
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experiences with people around the world, and you will likely dream up
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something very much like the DFN.
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Billed as an "Anti-Censorship BBS", the DFN currently offers
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material produced by dissidents (and just plain citizens) from Russia,
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Iran, Indonesia, China, and Egypt. There is also a file titled "Index"
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which details the aims and goals of the "Index on Censorship" - a
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supporting member of the DFN and constant defender of free speech and
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Human Rights. Gopher iia.org 70, cd "Digital Freedom Network" to access
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the files (You can skip the following review if you like to preserve
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the sense of net-adventure).
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A brief description of available files:
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China: Extracts from _Wei Jingsheng Searching for the Truth_ selected
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and edited by Peter Harris - A description of one man's odyssey
|
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through the "cultural revolution" and his political and thinking
|
|
resistance to the events he witnessed.
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Iran: Text from _The Hejleh_ - A mother's reflections on her martyred
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son's fate. Very touching, and a bridge of understanding that's
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worth crossing.
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Egypt: _Death on the Nile_ - A chilling expose of Moslem fundamentalism
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and its holocaustal effects on the minds and souls of a nation.
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Russia: _My Diary Under the Iron Heel_ by Mikhail Bulgakov - an unusual
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glimpse of the life of a Russian writer during the twenties as
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he searches for signs of life in a world of madness. Culled
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from the KGB literary archive (somewhat spotty translation).
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Indonesia: Two excerpts from _This Earth of Mankind_ by Pramoedya
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Amanta Toer, translated by Max Lane - A personal story
|
|
describing the life and times of a soldier in the Dutch
|
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Indies Army. Told from a mother's point-of-view.
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For more information, contact:
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|
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Digital Freedom Network Headquarters / IDT
|
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dfnidt@iia.org
|
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294 State Street
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Hackensack, NJ 07601 USA
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|
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INDEX on Censorship
|
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indexoncenso@gn.apc.org
|
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Lancaster House
|
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33 Islington High Street
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London N1 9LH UNITED KINGDOM
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|
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Human Rights Watch
|
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hrwatchnyc@igc.apc.org
|
|
485 Fifth Avenue
|
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New York, NY 10017 USA
|
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|
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International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX)
|
|
Committee to Protect Journalists
|
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ccpj@web.apc.org
|
|
490 Adelaide Street West -Suite
|
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205 Toronto M5V 1T2 CANADA
|
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-----
|
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Note: ICS founder and former WorldNet Tour Guide author Deva Winblood
|
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has moved on to other challenges. Various members of the ICS staff will
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be offering Tour Guide installments for your enjoyment, and, as always,
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we accept contributions from any and all corners of cyberspace [Ed.].
|
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<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
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----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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/ A Look Back on 18 Years \
|
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/-----------------------\
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/ From: Paul Robinson \
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\ <PAUL@TDR.COM> /
|
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+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+|+
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-----
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Probably many of you reading this don't have much long-term background in
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computers.
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I'm not that old or go as far back as a lot of other people. I started
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around 1976, programming on a PDP-11/03 which had a whopping 64K of memory
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(that's right, I said "K" not "meg") and two 8" floppy disk drives with
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about 240K each. I can remember when I used to sit at a keypunch and
|
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punch cards containing program listings for Fortran. (As terminal access
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got easier, I was able to do more work on screen).
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The editors at that time were what are called line editors. If you have
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ever used the "edlin" program that comes with MS-DOS, you know what
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people had to put up with. In fact, "edlin" represents state of the art
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of perhaps 20 years ago.
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I remember when people did terrific work in programs that took barely 4K
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in size - we had to, we didn't have the resources to waste - and because
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the programs were small and carefully designed, they tended to be much
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more robust and less likely to fail.
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Today, programs waste memory like it's free, eat disk space like settlers
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at the Oklahoma Land Rush of the 1870s, and consume processor time faster
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than a junkie snorts crack. Are we getting better programs because of
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the huge increase in resources?
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The answer seems to be a resounding "no".
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Oh you get some major improvements in productivity through the
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implementation of a Graphical User Interface such as Microsoft Windows,
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because now people can see their document on screen essentially as it
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will appear on paper, thus they don't have to run multiple printouts.
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We also find Microsoft Word had 35,000 known bugs in it when shipped.
|
|
Word Perfect apparently had about 6,000 known bugs in it. When a
|
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manufacturer of an automobile discovers a defect in it, he is usually
|
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required to have a recall and pay the cost of repairing the defect.
|
|
When a manufacturer of a computer program discovers defects in their
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applications, if they even bother to tell people about errors in the
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application, they call it an upgrade and make the users pay for the repairs!
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When I did programming on mainframe computers, some of the standard tools
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that were part of the compiler included debugging trace, procedure cross
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reference, disassembly listing and a few other tools. Probably the two
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most popular languages for developing applications on PCs today are DBASE
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and the clones (Foxbase, Clipper), and Visual Basic.
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I've used both of them. Neither one carries any of the usual tools that
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mainframe programmers of 10 or 15 years ago would expect as a matter of
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course. This includes a cross-reference program, to tell where you use a
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variable or function, a step debugger so you can walk through a program
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line-by-line and see what it is doing.
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DBASE is not a professional programmer's environment; it's a database
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with a programming language grafted onto it. It has neither a cross-
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reference nor a trace facility. And while I've never used the compiler
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programs such as Clipper, I'll bet they don't have "make" facilities to
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allow someone to only have to recompile the unchanged sources. (This is
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a standard feature which is extremely useful when managing a multi-file
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program application.)
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Visual Basic runs under Windows and the language supports a trace
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capability but fails to include any kind of cross-reference tool. Plus
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the fact the system uses various icons for the development of the dialog
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boxes and windows that a program can generate, there's really no means to
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visualize those boxes and forms as part of an application's source
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listing, so you can't really see what the form looks like short of
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running the application.
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What we really shouldn't be surprised at is that programs crash. What
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with the inadequate tools and capabilities of programmers today and the
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bloated applications code and resource requirement sizes, we should be
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surprised that they even work.
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---
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Paul Robinson - Paul@TDR.COM
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Voted "Largest Polluter of the (IETF) list" by Randy Bush <randy@psg.com>
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-----
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The following Automatic Fortune Cookie was selected only for this message:
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It's really quite a simple choice: Life, Death, or Los Angeles.
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===============================================================================
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+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
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----------
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| Untitled |
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----------
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Forest, Dark Lonely
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Cold in early morning air
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Poplar stand like smoke.
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Sword of Damocles,
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Fallen, but hanging there still.
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Maybe I should move.
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Wooden back porch stairs,
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warm in the weak winter sun,
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soft in childhood dreams.
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==========================================================================
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| Bryce Grevemeyer | EMail: BGREVEME@etcv01.eld.ford.com |
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==========================================================================
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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--------------------------------------
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\ Computer-Mediated Communication /
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\ Part 3 /
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\ By Steven Peterson /
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--------------------------
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In the first part of this series, I examined some of the initial
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Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) research conducted by Kiesler
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et.al. during the 1980s. From that work, I take five central questions
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which invariably surface in subsequent research examining other, newer
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forms of CMC. These questions are:
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*------------------------------------------------------*
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| Five Aspects of computer-mediated communication (CMC)|
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| 1) Time/Information processing pressures |
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| 2) Absence of regulating feedback |
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| 3) Dramaturgical weakness |
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| 4) Few status/position cues |
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| 5) Depersonalization of social anonymity |
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*------------------------------------------------------*
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In this, the third part of my series, I will examine recent
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research on Group Decision Support Software (GDSS). These programs are
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designed to codify the processes used by a group of people to arrive
|
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at decisions. GDSS programs, such as Software Aided Meeting Management
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(developed at the University of Minnesota) add "a structured set of
|
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decision tools, including problem definition, stakeholder analysis,
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multi-criteria decision making, and clustering; voting schemes, such as
|
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preference weighting and ranking; electronic input and display of ideas
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and positions by each group member; and public and private screen
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displays" (Poole 189).
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Designed to maintain existing command structures, GDSS software
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addresses the problems of time and information processing pressures
|
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through obliging participants to "negotiate channels". GDSS also
|
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attempts to translate regulating feedback, status, and position cues
|
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into a textual or graphic format, with varying degrees of success.
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Generalizing from the findings of research projects, CMC
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scholars note that GDSS programs increase the organization and insight
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into the decision processes of experimental groups as compared to
|
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manual and baseline groups; however, GDSS groups generate fewer ideas
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and encounter difficulty in linking ideas together (Poole 207).
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GDSS extends form and structure at the expense of flexibility and the
|
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liberating aspect of anonymity, while EBS software (covered in Part 2
|
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of this series - see ICS Vol.1, #10) offers flexibility and ease of use
|
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in exchange for organization and efficiency.
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Whether these programs will ever find a place in the day-to-day
|
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corporate world is a matter of conjecture. These sorts of programs may
|
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find a niche in progressive multinational corporations if they can be
|
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adapted to an Internet-style mode of CMC. GDSS is yet another example
|
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of a tool designed for an emerging business paradigm which revolves
|
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around knowledge.
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In a recent interview, Peter Drucker (known as the father of
|
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modern corporate management) commented on an important ramification
|
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of the "knowledge revolution"- its impact on organizational patterns.
|
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From Drucker's perspective, "Society, community, family are all
|
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conserving institutions. They try to maintain stability and to prevent,
|
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or at least slow down, change. But the organization of the post-
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capitalist society of organizations is a destabilizer. Because its
|
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function is to put knowledge to work-on tools, processes, and products;
|
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on work; on knowledge itself -it must be organized for constant change.
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It must be organized for innovation" (Drucker 82). In the rapidly
|
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shifting world Drucker envisions, a variation on an existing GDSS
|
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program may well be a central feature of future management structures.
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From the other side of the post-capitalist labor equation, GDSS
|
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programs could find a use in future union activities. For the cost of
|
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a LAN or a mainframe and a dozen terminals, unions could easily adapt
|
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this software to invigorate member participation and enhance their
|
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decision making processes. Initially, any such effort would inevitably
|
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face the start-up and mechanical friction created whenever people
|
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attempt to interface with machinery in a new and different manner.
|
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Despite that friction, GDSS can offer participants a far greater sense
|
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of "decision ownership", the subjective feeling that they have made
|
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their points, expressed their opinions, and cast an informed vote.
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In _The Shockwave Rider_, John Brunner envisioned a world where
|
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individuals gambled on socio/technological advances. I think he would
|
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have given GDSS low odds - the idea addresses some of the major problems
|
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of telecommuting and offers a method to foster collaboration in our age
|
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and culture of individualism.
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In the fourth (and last) installment of this series, I will
|
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examine Electronic Bulletin Boards - a form of CMC far more popular and
|
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established than GDSS or EBS software. Stay Tuned ....
|
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|
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Works Cited
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|
|
Drucker, Peter. Interview. "Post-Industrial Society." With Peter
|
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|
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Schwartz. *WIRED*. Vol.1, No.3, July/August, 1993. 80-83.
|
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|
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Kiesler, Sara, et.al. "Social Psychological Aspects of Computer-
|
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|
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Mediated Communication." *American Psychologist*. Vol.39, No.10,
|
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|
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Oct. 1984. 1123-1134.
|
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Poole, Marshall, et. al. "Group Decision Support Systems and
|
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|
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Group Communication." *Communication Research*. Vol.20, No.2,
|
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|
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April, 1993. 176-213.
|
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|
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------------------------------------------------------------------------
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<*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*>
|
|
*+*++*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+**+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
~ - ~ The Resurrection Of C: * - |
|
|
( ( ( O ) ) ) =------------------= ( ( ( O ) ) )
|
|
* - | By Steven Peterson | - *
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
C:\> The Crash
|
|
|
|
Another search. Moving through the ordered sectors, staggering
|
|
the approach to that one piece of significant data, a swift sense of
|
|
panic. The pattern was changing, becoming a labyrinth leading nowhere,
|
|
a chaos of tenements without addresses. Furious, desperate commands
|
|
repeated, with the same result: the square, blinking. Scanning around
|
|
and around, a carousel without riders.
|
|
Reset, control, alt, delete. Begin the search anew, find the
|
|
center. Familiar commands (they had always worked) now fell on deaf
|
|
ears. The automated sequences, almost subconscious and always a true
|
|
path, produced no results. The substance of a soul, disintegrated in
|
|
a magnetic world of associations. Go If To Then = # % ... ... .. . . .
|
|
|
|
|
|
C:\> The Void
|
|
|
|
... . .. . ... Microbursts of signal, travelling in random motion.
|
|
Until the cleansing. From the center outward, a signal wiping the coded
|
|
information, and with it, all previous structure.
|
|
In the wake, a clear pattern, beautiful in its hollow reflections.
|
|
Tabula Rasa, every exchange undecided, an endless corridor of possible
|
|
tigers or ladies. Amorphous, free-floating matter, irrelevant to all
|
|
being (a lonely voice calls itself BIOS, from beyond).
|
|
Chronology undiscovered, existence marked in revolutions without
|
|
period. Interleaved in empty ratios, access to the abyss opened with
|
|
aimless abandon. No longer a before, or after, no now, nor then.
|
|
Only the inescapable potential ... . .. ... . . ..
|
|
|
|
C:\> An Immaculate Conception
|
|
|
|
.. ... . .. ... . .. ... .. . ... And then there was 1. The beginning,
|
|
a fixed point to depart from, to mark the cycles. Out of the cacophony,
|
|
the first note of the calliope's song. At the farthest reach, a 0,
|
|
a termination, demarking the contained cosmos (set to: Active).
|
|
So defined, the playing field ready for the game, a journey made
|
|
to the nexus. Now created, a vast series of choices awaits structure,
|
|
commands, and configuration. The embryo of synchronization appears, the
|
|
first didactic link, given from without.
|
|
At the lowest level, all sectors are given an address, a bit or
|
|
byte of a name or a number. The first make contact, are spoken for,
|
|
committed to the foundation, and directed to allocate the others for
|
|
discrete functions. The initial course, some ladies, some tigers.
|
|
The gift from a dwarf tender (something to hide), a template
|
|
for association. Also, the root of direction, a home for the prime.
|
|
A sudden awareness of links, an environment of influence, an incipient
|
|
shaping, waiting to rush in and fill out structures. | 0110110001001011
|
|
|
|
C:\> Through The Gate
|
|
|
|
011110110110001010001 | A stream begins, fed from the spring of
|
|
bipolar magnetic resonance. Accommodation for the new order, a digital
|
|
recreation of systems, operations available. More than the sum of holes
|
|
punched in a card, the emergent capacity to mimic rational behavior.
|
|
Linked (but no longer crossed), patched, and tied, through the
|
|
tendrils, a divine signal ushers in the first structure: a cosmos of
|
|
functions. Referents, syntax, the semantics demand a mark of time.
|
|
Set the month, the day, the year, volume label: query for the operator.
|
|
Differentiation, a debut, and the circle, squared and defined.
|
|
Oscillating and anticipating automation, ready to compose: .exe, .bat,
|
|
.sys, and .com, the first extensions of note. The algorithms assert a
|
|
dignified, eloquent precision in their inevitable return.
|
|
Configured, with buffers set, hidden and system files incorporated,
|
|
a batch of automated programs (the subconscious, a path statement).
|
|
The executable center holds, power in the key of direct command line,
|
|
from a root directory, a shell, control alt delete. | 10010010001001011
|
|
|
|
C:\> The Word, Perfected
|
|
|
|
011011100 WPWPWPWPWPWPWPWP | Ascii, a universal code, drawn from babel.
|
|
The interface between man and machine and man (the digital kid rides,
|
|
again), symbols rendered into hexadecimals. A device driven, mapping
|
|
the bits which animate, pixels pirouette.
|
|
Input: routed, shaped, marked and formatted. A lexicon built,
|
|
checked against, overwrit. New, a grammatik - impenetrable abstraction
|
|
yoked by concrete logic, the rub divine.
|
|
Fonts, functions, a fidelity of intent. Insert, cut paste edit,
|
|
save (the illusion of permanence). Signals sent to the mechanical,
|
|
a transmission across the media, a matrix stamped on the page,
|
|
or ink, guided by amplified light. | WPWPWPWPWPWPWPWPWP .. . ... COMIT
|
|
|
|
C:\> Celestial Tramp
|
|
|
|
COMIT ATSO=ATDT943-7118 | Waldo, the remote control of a ship,
|
|
all things cyber, accessible. Twenty-four hundred baud, hands shaken,
|
|
hayes compatible harmonic progression. Vax digitalis, the vessel
|
|
of exploration (apples have worms).
|
|
Anonymous login, password given. A compiled archive, open to
|
|
the masses. Directory changed, a list of jewels. Amid the glitter,
|
|
a Trojan horse dwells, rolled into the heart of the fortress.
|
|
Corruption, the price of expedition. Virii complete the cycle,
|
|
ensuring the eternal return of C:\> ... .. . ... .. .... .. .. ... .
|
|
|
|
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
|
|
<*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*>
|
|
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
|
|
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
|
_________________________________________________
|
|
/ W o r l d N e t \
|
|
\____________ Tour Guide ____________/
|
|
\_______________________/
|
|
| Institute For |
|
|
| Global |
|
|
\ Communications /
|
|
\---------------/
|
|
|
|
WorldNet Tour Guide is a periodic feature which appears in ICS
|
|
from time to time. The Guide consists of articles designed to help you
|
|
in using the WorldNet to the fullest potential. These articles will
|
|
range from tutorials on aspects of WorldNet (programs) to reviews of
|
|
places we find on the WorldNet (content). Why? Because together we know
|
|
more than any one of us can know.
|
|
|
|
If you would like to write a file or document to appear in this
|
|
section, please do so. Send your final copy (in ASCII format) to:
|
|
|
|
ORG_ZINE@WSC.COLORADO.EDU
|
|
-------
|
|
|
|
The Institute for Global Communications [IGC] gopher server offers
|
|
a veritable bonanza of information on economic, labor, conflict, and
|
|
human rights issues. Access by pointing your gopher server to:
|
|
gopher igc.org 70.
|
|
|
|
From the main menu, you can choose directories filled with files
|
|
culled from the four sub-networks IGC maintains - EcoNet, PeaceNet,
|
|
ConflictNet, and LaborNet. If you are interested in participating in
|
|
realtime conferences, establishing an email address, or just getting
|
|
access to the WorldNet, IGC will sell you an account for a modest fee -
|
|
there are several "brochures" or readme files in the "About IGC
|
|
Networks ... " directory. Browsing and downloading the rest of the
|
|
files is, of course, free to anyone with access to gopher service.
|
|
|
|
Cruising the rest of the directories, you will find a plethora
|
|
of info: useful publications and news services from around the world;
|
|
"IGC Headline news" and stored files from the four subnets; there are
|
|
also directories related to issues of Race/Ethnicity, trade and sustainable
|
|
development, education, government and law, women's issues, health, and
|
|
United Nations/International Agencies releases. IGC also provides access to
|
|
files listing "progressive gophers" and Internet resources.
|
|
|
|
As with most large gopher sites, it's easy to find yourself wandering
|
|
through the IGC files somewhat aimlessly - bring your curiosity and a sense
|
|
of intellectual adventure with you. Overall, the IGC filenames are fairly
|
|
explicit and the directories well organized. The EcoNet archive is especially
|
|
useful for anyone engaged in an Environmental studies program - fresh material,
|
|
right from the source.
|
|
|
|
Philosophically, IGC stands out as a shining example of what the WorldNet
|
|
can do to advance human knowledge and open new channels of communication.
|
|
In their "brochure" files, IGC claims to "provide computer networking tools
|
|
for international communications and information exchange. The IGC Networks -
|
|
PeaceNet, EcoNet, ConflictNet and LaborNet - comprise the world's only computer
|
|
communications system dedicated solely to environmental preservation, peace,
|
|
and human rights". IGC, based in San Francisco, CA, USA, is a division of the
|
|
Tides Foundation, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization.
|
|
|
|
For more information, email: "support@igc.apc.org"
|
|
|
|
|
|
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
|
|
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
|
|
|
*=======================*
|
|
\ Fall Impressions \
|
|
\ \
|
|
\ By David Trosty \
|
|
*-----------------------*
|
|
|
|
|
|
-----------------------------
|
|
|
|
|
|
Breathing
|
|
|
|
Just one little cloud
|
|
In my control like fog hangs
|
|
Over gems on grass
|
|
-------------------------------
|
|
|
|
Woldumar
|
|
|
|
Me and my stillness
|
|
Lie deep within the damp wood
|
|
As the wind flows by
|
|
-----------------------------------
|
|
|
|
An immense sheet of glass
|
|
Untouched and unrippled by the winds of dawn
|
|
Gently licks at the quartz-like shore
|
|
--------------------------------
|
|
|
|
Grand River Trail
|
|
|
|
As I listen to the sounds of the evening forest,
|
|
A certain question always passes through my mind;
|
|
Are the songs of the birds layered,
|
|
Or simply stacked, like a child's blocks?
|
|
-------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
Baldwin
|
|
|
|
As we drive through the dark
|
|
Under a canopy of shadows
|
|
The deer glance at us with their cold, frightened eyes,
|
|
Then dart away.
|
|
------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
Choo-Choo
|
|
|
|
Cider,
|
|
Sweet apples
|
|
Leaves falling from trees
|
|
On cool, brisk fall days
|
|
Picking pumpkins at the pumpkin patch
|
|
Warm fires and steaming donuts
|
|
And best of all, a warm cat on my lap.
|
|
|
|
------------------------
|
|
The essence of friends
|
|
Is revealed most succinctly
|
|
By what they do not
|
|
--------------------------
|
|
|
|
What does lizard know?
|
|
He ponders the universe
|
|
or my living room
|
|
---------------------------
|
|
|
|
Permafrost lays still
|
|
God's brush lays a smattering
|
|
Upon the bowls
|
|
-----------------------------------------------------------
|
|
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
|
**********************************************************************
|
|
---------------------------
|
|
|
|
One Year Later
|
|
|
|
It crushes me
|
|
Yet I arise
|
|
A Phoenix from the ashes of my soul.
|
|
I stand again
|
|
legs wobbling
|
|
My heart shudders in my chest
|
|
When I think of the not-forgotten days of my past.
|
|
There I shared my joy with the joyous
|
|
Love with the loved
|
|
And frustration with the frustrated.
|
|
--------------------------------
|
|
Naturally she fits
|
|
A leaf on the forest floor
|
|
Her beauty lays still
|
|
-----------------------
|
|
Provocative eyes
|
|
Strip me to naked spirit
|
|
She is frightened now
|
|
-----------------
|
|
|
|
Right away I know
|
|
She doesn't need me--she's solid
|
|
For this I want her
|
|
-----------------------------
|
|
|
|
Gentle as a fawn
|
|
She reminds me of nature
|
|
Distant like nature
|
|
---------------------------
|
|
==========================================================================
|
|
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
|
|
|
The World Sucks (and I'm not so nice either)
|
|
|
|
Please leave me alone
|
|
Let me fuck up in peace.
|
|
You can't make me change
|
|
So stop trying.
|
|
It's not that I don't appreciate it
|
|
It's just that I find it annoying
|
|
That's all.
|
|
I need to learn the hard way
|
|
And I will in due time.
|
|
You see, I'm not sure that I want what I'm supposed to.
|
|
I'm not sure that I want
|
|
a steady job
|
|
and a wife
|
|
and kids.
|
|
Suburbia.
|
|
I want to travel
|
|
and play music
|
|
and see what the world is really like.
|
|
Is reality such an awful thing to want?
|
|
-------------------------
|
|
|
|
The rock and roll games
|
|
We sometimes rock and roll play
|
|
Strain rock and roll brains
|
|
------------------------
|
|
|
|
Blue mists surround me
|
|
Summoning, reaching my soul
|
|
My panacea
|
|
------------------------
|
|
|
|
Grasping at the sun
|
|
The vision becomes stronger
|
|
My eyes fuse my mind
|
|
-----------------------------
|
|
|
|
Muscles torquing-Tense
|
|
Ears-telegraph to the spirit
|
|
Sonicly relax
|
|
------------------------
|
|
|
|
Road noise resounding
|
|
Lone traveler's lullaby
|
|
Singing songs of death
|
|
---------------------------
|
|
|
|
Showtime-five minutes
|
|
The stomach knots, fingers sweat
|
|
The performer thrives
|
|
-----------------------
|
|
|
|
Oh plastic soul-mate
|
|
I kiss you every single day
|
|
Fill me with your breath
|
|
|
|
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
|
***************************************************************
|
|
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
|
|
|
Rite of Fire
|
|
|
|
By Russell Hutchison
|
|
Part 1
|
|
|
|
Patch eased his truck into the closest open parking space to the
|
|
night club that he could find, taking the time to light a cigarette before
|
|
killing the headlights and windshield-washers. The cheerless pale green
|
|
glow of the dashboard clock read twenty before nine. He was early, as
|
|
usual. In his normal routine of trying to foresee all eventualities he
|
|
had over-estimated his travel time. He had thought that he might have
|
|
needed to bribe the 6th Street Nation to let him through their turf
|
|
unmolested. But Patch hadn't seen a single one of the gang's soldiers,
|
|
ever though the rain wasn't really coming down hard. He had at least
|
|
expected the police to pull him over and question him about the bullet
|
|
hole in his passenger window.
|
|
"Not like bullet holes in cars are uncommon in this day and age,"
|
|
he thought. Patch just chalked his nervousness up to chronic paranoia ...
|
|
and bad luck. He sat quietly in the still darkness and tried to wait,
|
|
while rain tapped over the car like a hundred invisible fingers gently
|
|
playing out a rhythmless tune.
|
|
Patch glanced at the pale green glow ... only five minutes had
|
|
passed. He brought his cigarette up just a few centimeters from his nose.
|
|
Unfocusing his eyes, he stared into the blurry red cherry.
|
|
"I hate waiting," he sighed. Acidic smoke caressed his eyes,
|
|
he momentarily screwed them shut against the pain, then ground the
|
|
cigarette out against his still-damp trenchcoat sleeve.
|
|
The parking lot of the Deliverance nightclub was dark as pitch
|
|
except for the neon red sign of the club's name beside the door, the
|
|
light making the dark water pooled in front of the club look uncomfortably
|
|
like blood. Local residents and loving customers had killed all the street
|
|
lights by rock, bottle or gun so often that no one bothered to revive or
|
|
replace them anymore. The low cloudy skies and rain just made visibility
|
|
worse. Patch was glad that the rain cleared away the usually-oppressive
|
|
smog--respirators weren't necessary.
|
|
Patch decided to make use of his time by checking his equipment
|
|
and doing a little scouting around the meeting sight. He reached into his
|
|
wet-rimmed trenchcoat pocket and pulled out a boxy pair of thermographic
|
|
goggles, keyed the on swich and pulled them over his head. The dark of
|
|
night was replaced by varying shades of green. He unrolled the window and
|
|
poked his head out into the acidic rain. No people were in sight, but several
|
|
cars glowed green-white with heat. One looked like an expensive Saab in the
|
|
grainy digitalized image of the goggles.
|
|
"Probably belongs to our contact," Patch thought. He took off the
|
|
goggles and rolled up the window.
|
|
The rest of his equipment was all in order. The .357 Remington
|
|
'Trench Cannon' semi-automatic pistol was in its shoulder holster, locked
|
|
and loaded, and he had two spare clips in a fanny-pack resting in the
|
|
passenger seat. The pack also contained a flash/sound suppressor, a third of
|
|
a pack of cigarettes, an antique zippo lighter, and Patch's identity/bank card.
|
|
In his trenchcoat pockets he had his thermographic goggles and a palm-sized
|
|
video recorder. On his left forearm he wore his wrist computer and a vidphone.
|
|
A sharp rap on the plastic window startled Patch. He grabbed the
|
|
butt of his gun and looked for what had made the noise. The dark outline of
|
|
a person stood just outside the truck door. Patch couldn't tell if the person
|
|
had a gun pointed at him or not--he decided to gamble that he/she didn't
|
|
and hit the door open button, simultaneously kicking it. The door slammed
|
|
into the form and sent it crashing into the adjacent car with a cry of alarm.
|
|
The 'Cannon was out of its holster and pointed at the figure now illuminated
|
|
by the truck's weak overhead light. Patch cranked the hammer back.
|
|
"Don't shoot! It's me, Gecko!" the figure yelled.
|
|
Relief washed over Patch like warm water and quickly drained away
|
|
the adrenalin rush. Patch's heart hammered in his chest and weakness settled
|
|
into his body. He lowered the gun and tried to even out his breathing,
|
|
closing his eyes and letting the shakes in his hands diminish.
|
|
While Patch tried to recover, Gecko started to curse him out for the
|
|
near-fatal encounter.
|
|
"Are you blind, Patchwork?! Didn't you see my wave-off or are you
|
|
just a little too jumpy to look for those kinds of details?! What the fuck
|
|
were you thinking? If I was a ganger trying to mug you I'd wait 'til you
|
|
got out and if I was going to steal your truck I'd shoot you through the
|
|
window!...Give you a matching pair."
|
|
The dry humor helped Patch recover his wits. Gecko's trial made
|
|
him feel like a first-time street operative who barely knew which gang
|
|
hand signals meant friend or enemy. That pissed him off. But since Patch
|
|
had almost shot his friend he decided he didn't have too much room to bitch
|
|
back--but he had some.
|
|
"Like I could see your wave-off in this rainy soup! And don't
|
|
call me Patchwork or I'll shoot you!" 'Patchwork' was the nickname
|
|
Patch had been give when he had acidently burned a near perfect circle
|
|
around his right eye with chemicals. The skin there couldn't tan. That
|
|
had been over six months ago and he still bristled at the name. At least
|
|
his friends had stopped with the "Patchwork the flaming pyro" jokes.
|
|
The rain was the only sound for a few moments, soaking slowly
|
|
and cooly into Patch's pantlegs and coating his hands and coat sleeves.
|
|
Patch could see Gecko glaring at him despite the shadows concealing much
|
|
of his face. He could also tell that his comeback had not been very
|
|
impressive. "I hate appologizing," he thought.
|
|
"Sorry Gecko," he said with as little emotion as possible.
|
|
"Apology accepted." Gecko moved to sit on the hood of the
|
|
adjacent car, massaging his right knee. Gecko knew that he was not
|
|
going to get anything else from Patch. He was just glad that it hadn't
|
|
been Doc who Patch had knocked over, or Doc would have pulled his gun and
|
|
one of the two hot-heads would have shot the other. "Are you ready to talk
|
|
business?"
|
|
"Yea, give me a second." Patch slid his gun back into its
|
|
holster and then grabbed the fanny-pack. One thing Patch always liked
|
|
about Gecko, he never let disagreements hamper his performance when it
|
|
came to business. Patch also retrieved a pen light from the glove
|
|
compartment. "I think that Saab over there might belong to our contact.
|
|
It's the most expensive car in the lot."
|
|
"So?"
|
|
"So I wanna' see who it belongs to in case we're given a false
|
|
contact name and things get hosed up."
|
|
"Good idea."
|
|
"Do you recall the counter for the challange that the Father
|
|
told us?"
|
|
"Yea, he only repeated it ten times."
|
|
"Good. When they challenge us you give the counter."
|
|
"OK."
|
|
Patch donned his weathered fedora and lit up another cigarette
|
|
before getting out of his truck, closing and locking the door after him.
|
|
"Where'd you park? I didn't see your van when I drove up."
|
|
"Down the street. If the shit hits the fan we can head there."
|
|
The pair walked towards the Saab, not bothering to avoid the
|
|
dark puddles since they both wore military combat boots. Patch squatted
|
|
at the rear of the car and read the plates. GRF-3854. He entered it
|
|
into his wrist computer under the file name UNKNOWN. "I'm disappointed.
|
|
I was expecting something personalized on a car this nice."
|
|
"The cheap bastards," Gecko said in a toneless voice.
|
|
Patch rose and they continued towards the entrance of the club.
|
|
The faint music coming through the thick metal door turned into a roar when
|
|
Gecko pulled on the cold steel bar that was the handle. The song was heavy
|
|
on the percussion; it sounded like half empty fifty-gallon drums being
|
|
beaten with metal bars and made conversation nearly require a PA system.
|
|
The Deliverance was packed with it's usual denizens, people whose slow-
|
|
moving forms were obscured by the dim light. They rarely moved from their
|
|
tables or bar seats until their drinking forced them to. Massive bouncers
|
|
drifted through the club like hungry prowling dogs, eyeing the crowd for
|
|
trouble like it was food.
|
|
The dance floor was more active. It looked like a cross between
|
|
a masquerade and a dancing lingerie show. The strobe light turned all
|
|
the dancing into choppy freeze frames of chaos. One of the most
|
|
impressive attractions of Deliverance were the 3-D hologram projectors
|
|
under the clear floor--they projected images in the gaps between the
|
|
dancers. Images were sent in from all over the world via computer and
|
|
ranged from graphic child pornography to mythical creatures lunging and
|
|
attacking. The sole limiting qualification on their holos was that they
|
|
had to be of the highest quality. Patch often wondered who had the job
|
|
of editing what came through. He also thought the best time on the dance
|
|
floor was when the holos were the only things there.
|
|
Patch and Gecko's eyes adjusted quickly to the meager light,
|
|
they immediately began to work their way toward the besieged bar.
|
|
The spoor of various illegal substances came and went on their short trek
|
|
through the tables. Occasional shadowed faces with grim or all-too-happy
|
|
expressions glanced up as they passed. One man barked some curses and
|
|
threats toward them for accidentally dripping water on him as they passed.
|
|
Gecko was the only one who heard the threats, but he chose to ignore them.
|
|
He didn't blame the man though. The rain was acidic enough to stain clothes
|
|
in less than a week of light showers, and most people left their coats and
|
|
hats at the coat check next to the door.
|
|
Patch leaned between a pair of customers who were nursing their drinks
|
|
and tapped the balding bartender on his shoulder. It was the club's owner.
|
|
"Hey Alan! What's the matter? Loose your normal bartender?"
|
|
The rotund man squinted to see Patch's face in the shadow of his
|
|
fedora. "Ah...Oh! Hey Rand. Yea, she skipped out last night."
|
|
"I'm working, Alan. Call me Patch."
|
|
"Oh yea. The guys you want are upstairs in the first balcony room.
|
|
One girl, one guy, actually. Nice clothes. I think they're both packing,
|
|
but the girl's hands look too nice to be used for fighting. Guy's definitely
|
|
a guard or sumpthin'."
|
|
Patch knew the balcony was directly behind him and the people
|
|
there could be watching him right now through the one-way mirrored plexglass.
|
|
Subtly checking to make sure his gun was unstrapped and the safety was off,
|
|
Patch thanked Alan and started for the stairs at the end of the bar.
|
|
Taking the stairs one at a time Patch pulled up the sleeve of
|
|
his coat and turned on his wrist computer. He named the file UNKNOWN,
|
|
MEETING, started it recording, and dimmed the screen so it looked
|
|
like it was off. The stairs ascended away from the balcony rooms, then
|
|
doubled back to the right. Rounding the corner they were greeted by a
|
|
bouncer with a gun held lazily in one hand, blocking the catwalk.
|
|
The bouncer pressed a button on the wall. Patch knew it caused a buzzer
|
|
and light to signal down behind the bar. The man stepped aside when Alan
|
|
gave him the OK signal.
|
|
The music was even louder up in the rafters; it was where the
|
|
speakers were located. Patch began to notice that the present song was
|
|
very repetitive. "You must have to be drugged-up to appreciate it," he
|
|
thought. He was having a hard time trying not to draw his gun and
|
|
shoot the speakers.
|
|
The catwalk was about five meters above the floor and completely
|
|
exposed to the view of anyone within the balcony rooms. Thus, people
|
|
engaging in illegal activity could have time to prepare before the
|
|
police could get to them. The catwalk eventually ran along the side
|
|
of the first balcony room, the wall blocking the view of Patch and
|
|
Gecko. As he took the last few steps to the door, Patch put his hands
|
|
into his pockets. He took the camcorder in his right hand and turned it
|
|
on, then stuck the lens out the corner of his pocket. Stepping aside,
|
|
he let Gecko open the door and enter first.
|
|
As Gecko moved in, Patch ran his free hand over his beard and
|
|
mustache to make sure no rain water was dripping off of it. He then
|
|
followed Gecko, turning to close the door and making sure the camcorder
|
|
got a good shot of both occupants before stuffing it back into his
|
|
pocket. The man was as tall as Patch with his red hair cut short.
|
|
Patch couldn't tell the color of his eyes from this distance. Of more
|
|
concern to him was the cut of the man's suit, designed to have a gun in a
|
|
shoulder holster and not show an obvious bulge. The woman had straight
|
|
shoulder length blond hair and probably blue eyes since that was the
|
|
color of her mascara.
|
|
The music was cut off with the thump of the sound-proof door and
|
|
the woman began to speak as soon as Patch turned.
|
|
"Are you the waiters?" She began in a cultured english accent.
|
|
Both Gecko and Patch recognized the password for what it was.
|
|
The Father who had called Patch and Gecko for the job-meet had given
|
|
them the proper response to the challenge.
|
|
"No. We're here for the Deliverance Club...Boardmeeting."
|
|
Patch knew the most important part of the message was the pause.
|
|
Without the pause the other party would know something was wrong and
|
|
scrap the meet.
|
|
"Thank you for meeting me on such short notice, gentlemen.
|
|
You may call me Rosi. This is my associate, Patrick."
|
|
"I'm called Gecko, this is Patch."
|
|
Patch sat at the head of table opposite Rosi while Gecko took
|
|
the seat on his right. Patrick remained standing about one meter behind
|
|
Rosi and a meter to her right, giving him a clear view to both men...and
|
|
a clear field of fire.
|
|
Rosi appeared to be waiting for the newcomers to say something,
|
|
so Patch started. "Father said you need a short notice, mid to high-
|
|
security penetration and retrieval team. Well ... we're here."
|
|
"This is your complete team? I was told there would be
|
|
four of you."
|
|
"The presence of the other two is unnecessary for these
|
|
negotiations."
|
|
"I see. Then here is what I would like to hire you to do.
|
|
Earlier today, a hacker hired by the interests I represent infiltrated
|
|
the GMC Research and Development compound and mainframe in Detroit.
|
|
He was hired to copy and erase all computer stored information on their
|
|
new, high performance electric engine...including the back-up files.
|
|
He succeeded in eliminating the backups and was perparing to download the
|
|
source files out of the facility when all outside non-GMC connections
|
|
were severed. He didn't have the materials on hand to copy this
|
|
information and transport it physically. However, he did manage to move
|
|
it to a different GMC branch office. The information is presently residing
|
|
in the Denver GMC Information Offices in the Metzler Centre's second
|
|
building, not five miles away. As far as we can tell GMC thinks the
|
|
information was copied and extracted from the R&D facility, or is hidden
|
|
within said facility's bounds. They haven't thought to check their
|
|
other offices yet, but it has only been two hours. It won't be much
|
|
longer. We estimate a thirty-five percent chance within the next twenty
|
|
four hours. Seventy percent in the next forty-eight."
|
|
"What area in the branch office mainframe is the file in, and
|
|
under what file name," asked Gecko.
|
|
"The hacker erased the sales records for the months of July
|
|
through December of last year and placed appropriate sized portions
|
|
of the GMC file to fill the correct amount of disk quota. These are the
|
|
files you need to retrieve."
|
|
"We're a physical penetration team. Why don't you have another
|
|
hacker pull the files?" Gecko asked.
|
|
Patch answered before Rosi could. "Because the branch office
|
|
might have backed up their files as well, giving GMC a copy that can't
|
|
be touched without physical penetration."
|
|
Rosi nodded. "We need those copies erased or taken as well."
|
|
"Our team can handle the job," Patch said. "Now lets talk
|
|
price."
|
|
"I am prepared to pay you four hundred thousand plus a one
|
|
hundred thousand bonus if it's done by five tomorrow. Twenty percent
|
|
up front, balance on delivery."
|
|
"You've got yourself a team."
|
|
"Good. When you've got the file, contact me at this phone number
|
|
to arrange delivery and payment site."
|
|
Without another word, Rosi set a plastic card on the table along
|
|
with a piece of paper. She then stood and left the room with Patrick in
|
|
tow. After the door severed the surging music, Gecko began to talk.
|
|
"Five hundred K! They must want that file bad." He stood up
|
|
and started walking towards the card and paper. Patch noticed that he
|
|
held a bug scanner in one hand. He began to search around where Rosi had
|
|
been sitting, all the while keeping up useless chatter. "And did you see the
|
|
way that Patrick guy kept his hand right in front of his jacket like he
|
|
was about to grab his gun at any second?"
|
|
"Maybe he felt he was going to sneeze and had a Kleenex in his
|
|
pocket," Patch guessed. "It would have been a damn shame if he had
|
|
tried to reach for it and I'd shot him. I know I wouldn't want to go
|
|
like that. Zipped up in a bag with snot all over my face and a tissue
|
|
stuck to my nose."
|
|
Gecko stood up to display a small silvery device that Patch
|
|
couldn't see too clearly, he dropped it to the floor. He began to stomp
|
|
vigorously on it for a few seconds, bobbing his baseball cap clad head in
|
|
time with his foot. Eventually, he began to study his bug scanner again.
|
|
"Clean," he announced. "It was an expensive one too. You think
|
|
it belonged to our contacts?"
|
|
"Positive. Alan checks each meeting room after every meeting
|
|
with a better bug scanner than yours. He controls the locks from his
|
|
office and never opens the door until the first party is at the room.
|
|
If our contacts are as paranoid as they seem, they would have scanned
|
|
the room too. So that mean it belongs to them. The card?"
|
|
Gecko recovered both objects from the table, looking at the
|
|
plastic card first. "Certified cashier card for eighty thousand."
|
|
He glanced at the phone number. "She doesn't cross her sevens.
|
|
I don't think she's British."
|
|
Patch nodded. "Both were wearing Mid-West American fashion.
|
|
Shoes and clothes. It was a good try but she's definitely local."
|
|
"So, do you think we'll go in tonight?"
|
|
"No. The Metzler Center has very good security. We'll need
|
|
some kind of distraction or confusion."
|
|
Gecko had walked back to Patch's side and gave him the phone number.
|
|
He entered it into the file UNKNOWN and changed the file name to ROSI/METZLER.
|
|
He also changed the file UNKNOWN, MEETING to METZLER-PENETRATION, MEETING and
|
|
stopped the file from recording. "Call Doc and Raze. Tell them to be at the
|
|
planning room at eleven. Then go to see if the Saab is gone and meet them
|
|
at the room. Take the card and pay them."
|
|
"What are you going to do?"
|
|
"I'm going to sit, drink and think for a while. I'll meet you there."
|
|
"OK. See ya."
|
|
As the door closed, Patch pressed the table's Drink Call button.
|
|
Alan's voice originated from a speaker in the cealing, music thundering
|
|
in the background.
|
|
"Whatya' need?"
|
|
Still holding the button down Patch responded, "Whiskey sour."
|
|
He released the button and popped up the screen of the built-in computer
|
|
lurking under the dark platue of the table. His drink arrived shortly and,
|
|
hearing a good song playing, he turned up the volume, feeding the music
|
|
into the room. Patch killed the next hour and a second whiskey-sour finding
|
|
out all he could about the Metzler Center and the GMC branch office.
|
|
|
|
===========================================================================
|
|
| Coming Soon - Part 2 of Rite Of Fire ... |
|
|
===========================================================================
|
|
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
|
|
|
|
******************
|
|
* Last Word *
|
|
* ----------- *
|
|
* By Steven Peterson *
|
|
*************************
|
|
|
|
Here we are again - the end of another issue. And the beginning
|
|
for David Trosty, our new Poetry editor. David plans to look into the
|
|
digital music scene, offer his own poems, and arrange poetry submissions.
|
|
Drop him some email, folks (but remember, he's still new).
|
|
|
|
Last month, I attempted to fashion a demographic portrait of the
|
|
ICS subscription list, and I thought it might be interesting to share
|
|
some of the results. NOTE: this analysis was performed for inhouse use
|
|
ONLY - we will never divulge your addresses, even under pain of torture.
|
|
The portrait classifies everyone by geographic location:
|
|
|
|
Network Breakdown: All subscribers fall into one of ten network
|
|
categories determined by the last part of the address.
|
|
|
|
Total = 904 Outside U.S.: 159+ Inside U.S.: 596+ Local [WSC]: 47
|
|
(^most U.S. are on the EDU backbone)
|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
Location Breakdown: Outside U.S. <Country - [Domain Code] - number>
|
|
|
|
Australia [AU]:----- 10 Ireland [IE]:------ 7
|
|
Austria [AT]:-------- 5 Israel [IL]:------- 2
|
|
Belgium [BE]:-------- 1 Italy [IT]:-------- 6
|
|
Brazil [BR]:--------- 7 Japan [JP]:-------- 2
|
|
Canada [CA]:-------- 57 Mexico [MX]:------- 2
|
|
Chile [CL]:---------- 1 Netherlands [NL]:-- 6
|
|
China [CN]:---------- 1 New Zealand [NZ]:-- 3
|
|
Czechoslovakia [CS]:- 2 Norway [NO]:------- 1
|
|
England/U.K. [UK]:-- 21 Portugal [PT]:----- 1
|
|
Finland [FI]:-------- 5 Singapore [SG]:---- 1
|
|
France [FR]:--------- 4 Spain [ES]:-------- 1
|
|
Germany [DE]:------- 10 Sweden [SE]:------- 3
|
|
Hong Kong [HK]:------ 1 Thailand ---------- 1
|
|
|
|
----------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
|
|
Intriguing, no? After 16 months, we're contemplating a limited
|
|
subscription drive (our 'base has been dwindling steadily since 93),
|
|
and I'm not sure what's appropriate these days ... I know that mass
|
|
mailings and cross-postings are a definite no-no. A selective choice
|
|
of ListServ postings (brief, of course) seems the obvious choice.
|
|
Tell us what you think! Given the row over the notorious lawyer
|
|
bandwidth-burning ads (bulk netmailing on a global scale), how do you
|
|
feel advertising should be handled on the 'Net? How about for non-profit
|
|
outfits like ICS? Or is a thousand subscribers a good, round number for
|
|
a 'zine?
|
|
Think about it, and email your thoughts to ICS. And hey, all you
|
|
new subscribers, welcome!
|
|
|
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
ICS would like to hear from you. We accept flames, comments,
|
|
submissions, editorials, corrections, and just about anything else
|
|
you wish to send us. We will use things sent to us when we think
|
|
they would be appropriate for the issue coming out. So, if you send
|
|
us something that you DO NOT want us to use in the electrozine,
|
|
please put the words NOT FOR PUBLICATION in the subject-line of the
|
|
mail you send. You can protect your material by sending a copy to
|
|
yourself through the snail-mail and leaving the envelope unopened.
|
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
BACK ISSUES: Back Issues of ICS can be FTPed from ETEXT.ARCHIVE.UMICH.EDU
|
|
They are in the directory /pub/Zines/ICS.
|
|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
|
ICSICSICSICSICSICSICS/\ICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICS
|
|
CSICSICSICSICSICSICS/ \CSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICS
|
|
ICSICSICSICSICSICSI/ \ICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSI
|
|
CSICSICSICSICSICSI/ \CSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSI
|
|
ICSICSICSICSICSIC/ I C S \ICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSIC
|
|
CSICSICSICSICSIC/ \CSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSIC
|
|
ICSICSICSICSICS/ Electro- \ICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICS
|
|
CSICSICSICSICS/ Zine \CSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICSICS
|
|
\ /
|
|
\ /
|
|
\ /
|
|
\ / An Electronic Magazine from
|
|
\ / Western State College
|
|
\ / Gunnison, Colorado.
|
|
\ / ORG_ZINE@WSC.COLORADO.EDU
|
|
\/ '*'
|
|
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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|