209 lines
7.2 KiB
Plaintext
209 lines
7.2 KiB
Plaintext
Date: Thu, 8 Apr 93 11:49:24 PDT
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Reply-To: <surfpunk@osc.versant.com>
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Return-Path: <cocot@osc.versant.com>
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Message-ID: <surfpunk-0077@SURFPUNK.Technical.Journal>
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Mime-Version: 1.0
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Content-Type: text/plain
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From: surfpunk@osc.versant.com (pbzchgre fcrpvnyvfgf va fcnpr)
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To: surfpunk@osc.versant.com (SURFPUNK Technical Journal)
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Subject: [surfpunk-0077] 1APR: Sun just got HAD by their russian counterparts
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A SURFPUNK correspondent writes:
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> This is absolutely fantastic. Sun just got HAD by their russian
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> counterparts. It's amazing how far up the chain of command this prank
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> got before it was discovered.
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>
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> Some background info: Sun has a great tradition of April Fool's
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> jokes. The company has recently hired a fairly large and respected
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> group of scientists in Russia. This group is is headed by Boris
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> Babaian, who is sometimes called "the Russian Seymour Cray." Boris is
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> a very big deal and a very respected scientist in his country. Boris
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> also seems to have perfected the art of the prank.
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________________________________________________________________________
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________________________________________________________________________
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>From: dave@cisc (Dave Ditzel)
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To: sunlabs@smli
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Subject: Russian April 1
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Perhaps the best April 1 joke I saw this year was provided by our
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team in Russia. Best because the joke was taken very seriously
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by several people for quite a while. For those of you who weren't
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in on it, here is the replay of Russia's offer to put a person
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from Sun Microsystems on thier next space flight.
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- dave ditzel
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>From: Boris A. Babaian <bob@ipmce.su>
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To: bill.walster@Eng, bruce.crawford@Eng, dave.ditzel@Eng
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Cc: dc@Eng, malcolm.wing@Eng
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Subject: contest
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Dave, Bill and Bruce!
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Several minutes ago we had a very important phone talk with the NPO
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"Energia" (research & development enterprise "Energy") Deputy
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designers-in-chief V.N. Branets and V.G. Kravets informed us that the
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new Space expedition is preparing now. It was decided that the
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computer specialist should take part in this team. The expedition
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managers have decided to suggest the Sun Microsystems representative to
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participate in this flight.
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Now very urgently they ask you to organize some kind of contest to
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choose the best candidate.
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We are looking forward your agreement.
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More information after your positive answer.
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Boris, Sasha.
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04.01.93
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(the following after being told the first time that this was a joke)
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>From walster Thu Apr 1 12:30:25 1993
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To: walster@gww, jek@tools
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Subject: Re: contest
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Cc: schmidt@tools
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No, its real.
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I talked to Boris on the phone. He is going to alert the Yeltsin
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team. I have sent the information through Dave Birnstein to
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the Clinton team, so it is possible we may hear something about
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this at the summit.
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Later ...
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I just got off the phone with Lew Franklin, a colleague of Dave
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Birnstein. He is going to contact Dan Golden the director of
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NASA, who is a personal friend. Dan and Scott know each other.
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Lew suggested that we should give Scott a heads up so he knows what
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is in the works when he gets a call from Dan. Lew thinks Dan
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might call and say something like: "Hey Scott, what do you think
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about .... ?"
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Lew also said that we should try to keep this confidential because
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we do not want this in the press prior to the summit meeting, in
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case something breaks there.
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He gave me a list of questions to ask Boris tonight when I call
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him, so that he can give Dan Golden more detailed information about
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the parameters of the flight.
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Dave Ditzel and Bruce Crawford want to meet today at 1:00. I'll
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fill them in on everything I know.
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-- Bill Walster
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>From: walster@gww
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Date: Fri, 2 Apr 93 08:34:23 PST
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To: bob@ipmce.su
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Subject: Re: contest
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Well Boris,
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You got me. I bought the whole idea. In fact, after I got your email,
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I immediately called you to get more details and to find out if there
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was a possibility that this might come up at the summit this weekend.
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You were totally convincing. (During the day when people raised the
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possibility that it might be an April Fool's joke, I said, "But I
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talked to Boris on the phone!") After I talked to you, I called David
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Birnstein at the Center for International Security and Arms Control at
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Stanford and convinced him. He then referred me to a colleague, Lew
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Franklin, who is involved in the space program and who knows the
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director of NASA, Don Golden. He put in a call to Don and suggested
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that we make sure that Scott be informed, because Don might give Scott
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a call - they know each other. In addition, he thought it might be
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important to let the Clinton administration know about this
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possibility, in case it came up at the summit this weekend. I had
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already called you about this possibility.
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Bruce Crawford alerted his management and I alerted Jon and Eric and
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Pattie Walters in our PR department. Jon and Eric were skeptical.
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Bruce, Dave Ditzel and I then had a meeting at which Dave raised the
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real possibility that this was a joke. Once I found the date at the
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bottom of your original email, I began to believe it might be as well.
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I called Dave Birnstein and Lew Franklin to alert them and then, when
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I called you last night, I found out. Lew had asked me to call him at
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home to give him the news, in case he got a return call from Don
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Golden.
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No harm was done. Sun has a tradition of April Fool's pranks. You may
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have seen some of them in the 10 year anniversary book. Yours is right
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up there with the best. Next year I think I will stay home on April 1.
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-- Bill Walster
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________________________________________________________________________
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________________________________________________________________________
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The SURFPUNK Technical Journal is a dangerous multinational hacker zine
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originating near BARRNET in the fashionable western arm of the northern
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California matrix. Quantum Californians appear in one of two states,
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spin surf or spin punk. Undetected, we are both, or might be neither.
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________________________________________________________________________
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Send postings to <surfpunk@osc.versant.com>, subscription requests
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to <surfpunk-request@osc.versant.com>. MIME encouraged.
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Xanalogical archive access soon. SURFPUNK -- the final frontier.
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________________________________________________________________________
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________________________________________________________________________
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COMMAND ? ph100pt3^M
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^M
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NO. RANGE ANGLE^M
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1 99 30^M
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(2)^M
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^M
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RESERVE =300 LOCKED ON - 0^M
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PHASERS =400 TORPS =20^M
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SHIELDS =191 ANGLE =144^M
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WARP = 3 X= 8863 Y= 2215^M
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^M
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COMMAND ? an30^M
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UNKNOWN COMMAND - AN^M
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PLAYER 1 HIT YOU WITH 400 STROMS.^M
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^M
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NO. RANGE ANGLE^M
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1 978 211^M
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(2)^M
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^M
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RESERVE =172 LOCKED ON - 0^M
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PHASERS =400 TORPS =20^M
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SHIELDS = 0 ANGLE =144^M
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WARP = 3 X= 8831 Y= 2238^M
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^M
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COMMAND ? sc^M
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*--------SCAN--------*^M
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^M
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2^M
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1^M
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^M
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*--------------------*^M
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^M
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PLAYER 1 HIT YOU WITH 105 STROMS.^M
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PLAYER 1 HIT YOU WITH 357 STROMS.^M
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YOU HAVE BEEN DESTROYED.^M
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YOUR RATING IS NOW 938^M
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$EXIT.CALLER*THANKS FOR PLAYING TEGAMES*^M
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