216 lines
9.3 KiB
Plaintext
216 lines
9.3 KiB
Plaintext
Path: merk!spdcc!mintaka!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!usc!samsung!munnari.oz.au!metro!macuni!sunc!ifarqhar
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From: ifarqhar@sunc.mqcc.mq.oz.au (Ian Farquhar)
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Newsgroups: sci.crypt
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Subject: Re: Cloning Razor Blades
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Keywords: Signatures, Authorization
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Message-ID: <807@macuni.mqcc.mq.oz>
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Date: 27 Nov 90 22:04:11 GMT
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References: <1990Nov23.202021.5567@weitek.COM>
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Sender: news@macuni.mqcc.mq.oz
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Organization: Macquarie University, Sydney
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Lines: 39
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In article <1990Nov23.202021.5567@weitek.COM> wallis@weitek.UUCP (Bob Wallis) writes:
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>My question is, does anyone know of a way to do this that imposes
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>minimal overhead on the authenticator? Are there other commercial
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>products that try to do this? It is OK to put a big burden on the
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>originator, since the signing part is done only once at the factory.
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The Atari Lynx reportedly uses RSA or something close. An image of the ROM
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(probably some sort of checksum) is apparently encrypted during manufacture
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using a private key, and the image is sorted in the ROM. When the cartridge
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is booted, a small ROM routine produces the checksum image, and decrypts
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(using the public key) the checksum sorted on the cart. If they compare
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properly, the cartridge is run. If not, the cartridge does not run.
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They Lynx has quite a bit of computing power, so the authentication does
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not take long (about 8 - 12 secs). It is only done at the start of the
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boot process, before any code in the cartridge has run, so you cannot
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perform any software hacks to avoid this authentication.
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Only the public key is contained in the Lynx ROMS, and unless you have a
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fast method of factorising numbers into primes (I am 99% sure that
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such a system exists and is known to the NSA and similarly paranoid
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orginisations). Additionally, Atari places a level of legal protection
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over the top, as developers have to sign a legal agreement that would
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prevent them producing cartridges even if they knew the private key.
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Even so, Atari do not tell developers any of this, and all I have said
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is from piecing together reports and a bit of common sense.
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There was also an article on the Internet News that stated that NCSA
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permission was obtained to export this technology, which makes sense.
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Please note that Atari Computers (manufacturers of the Lynx) and Atari
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Games (arcade machines and HES carts) are separate companies. The
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authentication system itself as well as they Lynx as a whole was
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developed by Epyx, who were reportedly using the authentication as a way
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of ensuring game quality.
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--
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Ian Farquhar Phone : 61 2 805-9404
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Office of Computing Services Fax : 61 2 805-7433
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Macquarie University NSW 2109 Also : 61 2 805-7205
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Australia EMail : ifarqhar@suna.mqcc.mq.oz.au
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From: mae@vygr.Eng.Sun.COM (Mike Ekberg, Sun {DSGG.DGDO.Mid-Range Graphics.Egret(GS)} MS 8-04)
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Newsgroups: sci.crypt
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Subject: Re: Cloning Razor Blades
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Keywords: Signatures, Authorization
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Message-ID: <3738@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM>
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Date: 29 Nov 90 23:57:34 GMT
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References: <1990Nov23.202021.5567@weitek.COM>
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Sender: news@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM
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Organization: Sun Microsystems, Mt. View, Ca.
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Lines: 28
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In article <1990Nov23.202021.5567@weitek.COM> wallis@weitek.UUCP (Bob Wallis) writes:
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>I was told that when Nintendo came out with their newest video game
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>system, they intended to sell the box cheap, but really soak the
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>customers for the game cartriges (the razor blades). In order protect
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Nintendo actually chose a simpler method. They patented the
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mechanical connection of the cartridge with the box. I believe the
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Atari suite was patent infringement on the cart packaging.
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When you think about it, this is an elegant solution.
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Nintendo liscenses the cartridge mechanisms to 3rd parties at this
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point. I think they originally actually supplied the physical
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cartridges, which allowed them to restrict competition by
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limiting the numbers of carts sold, but were sued for restraint of trade.
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As an aside, quite out of net.crypt subject range, people thought Atari
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did the same thing w/ the VCS (i.e. cheap box, "expensive" carts). This
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was not true. They actually made a good margin on the box as well.
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It was just 6507(?), about $2.00 at the time, plus a small VLSI (TIA), and
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some glue logic and plastic and connectors.
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I imagine Nintendo is the same, with possibly some VRAM added.
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--
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# mike (sun!mae), M/S 8-04
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"The people are the water, the army are the fish" Mao Tse-tung
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From: ts@cup.portal.com (Tim W Smith)
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Newsgroups: sci.crypt
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Subject: Re: Cloning Razor Blades
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Message-ID: <36423@cup.portal.com>
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Date: 1 Dec 90 11:28:22 GMT
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References: <1990Nov23.202021.5567@weitek.COM> <3738@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM>
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Organization: The Portal System (TM)
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Lines: 22
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The Atari VCS was also one of the ugliest things to program imaginable.
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Software was responsible for various critical timing aspects in a
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game, requiring various branches through the code to take exactly
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the same time, requiring the programmer to stuff NOPs in to keep
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things balanced.
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The Intellivision (sp?), on the other hand, was quite a bit more
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sophisticated. 10 or 16 bit processor (depending on how you looked
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at it)(yes, I really said 10 bits back there). An operating system
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that handled object motion, animation, and interaction, and managed
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the controls for the programmer. And the screwiest graphics format
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I've every seen.
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To tie this into sci.crypt, there were people working on the
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Intellivision III who wanted to use some sort of cryptography
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system to prevent others from producing cartridges. If the video
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game industry had not nearly died, prompting Mattel to get out
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of that market, this would have been a neat machine. 68000 and
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custom graphics chips. In fact, the prototype was in many ways
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similar to the Amiga, but in 1983.
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Tim Smith
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From: ts@cup.portal.com (Tim W Smith)
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Newsgroups: sci.crypt
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Subject: Re: Cloning Razor Blades
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Message-ID: <36513@cup.portal.com>
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Date: 4 Dec 90 02:37:56 GMT
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References: <1990Nov23.202021.5567@weitek.COM> <3738@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM>
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<36423@cup.portal.com>
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Organization: The Portal System (TM)
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Lines: 9
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Oops. Where I said Intellivison III in the previous article, I
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meant the machine that would have been released after the
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Intellivision III. The Intellivision III used the same processor
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as the Intellivision (GI 1600 - the chip from hell).
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This has no relevance to sci.crypt, but I felt I should correct
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this factual error in my previous posting.
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Tim Smith
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From: mae@vygr.Eng.Sun.COM (Mike Ekberg, Sun {DSGG.DGDO.Mid-Range Graphics.Egret(GS)} MS 8-04)
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Newsgroups: sci.crypt
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Subject: Re: Cloning Razor Blades
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Keywords: Signatures, Authorization
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Message-ID: <4176@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM>
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Date: 7 Dec 90 22:46:53 GMT
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References: <1990Nov23.202021.5567@weitek.COM> <3738@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM>
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Sender: news@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM
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Organization: Sun Microsystems, Mt. View, Ca.
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Lines: 34
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In article <3738@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM> mae@vygr.Eng.Sun.COM (Mike Ekberg, Sun {DSGG.DGDO.Mid-Range Grahics.Egret(GS)} MS 8-04) writes:
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>Nintendo actually chose a simpler method. They patented the
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>mechanical connection of the cartridge with the box. I believe the
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>Atari suite was patent infringement on the cart packaging.
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After thinking about what I wrote, I realized that I did
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not mean to imply that Nintendo did not use encryption.
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And of course the next weekend, the S.F. Chronicle (Dec. 2, 1990, This
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World, p. 7) had an article on Nintnedo by David Sheff.
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"Atari Games claimed to have "unlocked the lockout chip, "
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as a Tengen [an Atari Games Corp. subsidary] spokesman puts it,
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and made its own games and sent them to stores. Nintendo
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claims to have proof that Atari Games illegally
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obtained specifications and codes of Nintendo's patented chip
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from the U.S. Patent Office in Washinton.
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...
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In Kyoto, Imanishi [Nintendo General Manger]says it is the
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Japanese headquarters that pushed for putting the [lockout]
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chip inside the U.S. bound machines (there is no such chip in Japan)."
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On a side note, is it legal to import encryption technology into the
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US?
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--
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# mike \(sun!mae\), M/S 8-04
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"Paying more for petroleum is still cheaper than one day
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of fighting in the Mideast." Henry Kissinger, quoted
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in "Managing in Turbulent Times" Drucker 1980
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X-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-X
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Another file downloaded from: NIRVANAnet(tm)
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& the Temple of the Screaming Electron Jeff Hunter 510-935-5845
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Rat Head Ratsnatcher 510-524-3649
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Burn This Flag Zardoz 408-363-9766
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realitycheck Poindexter Fortran 415-567-7043
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Lies Unlimited Mick Freen 415-583-4102
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Specializing in conversations, obscure information, high explosives,
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arcane knowledge, political extremism, diversive sexuality,
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insane speculation, and wild rumours. ALL-TEXT BBS SYSTEMS.
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Full access for first-time callers. We don't want to know who you are,
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where you live, or what your phone number is. We are not Big Brother.
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"Raw Data for Raw Nerves"
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