@DATABASE "CHAP6:"
@index BigDummy.index/MAIN
@Node MAIN "Chapter 6: TELNET (Mining the Net, part 1)"
@TOC BIGDUMMY.GUIDE/MAIN
@NEXT CHAP7/MAIN
@PREV CHAP5/MAIN
     Like any large community, cyberspace has its libraries, places you
can go to look up information or take out a good book.  Telnet is one of
your keys to these libraries.

   @{" What is TELNET?                 " link TELNET                }
   @{" Using TELNET                    " link USETELNET             }
   @{" Library catalogues              " link LIBCAT                }
   @{" Finger                          " link FINGER                }
   @{" When things go wrong            " link WRONG6                }
      >> @{" Telnet sites              " alink TELNETSITE            }
      >> @{" Telnet BBSs               " alink TELNETBBS             }

------------------------
FYI:

     The @{" Usenet " link CHAP3/WHATUSENET} newsgroups alt.internet.services and alt.bbs.internet
can provide pointers to new telnet systems.  Scott Yanoff periodically
posts his "Updated Internet Services List" in the former; Thomas Kreeger
periodically posts "Zamfield's Wonderfully Incomplete, Complete Internet
BBS List" in the latter newsgroup.   The alt.bbs.internet newsgroup is
also where you'll find Aydin Edguer's compendium of Internet-BBS- related
@{" FAQs " link BigDummy.Guide/LINGO 104}.  Peter Scott, who maintains the Hytelnet database, runs a mailing
list about new telnet services and changes in existing ones. To get on
the list, send him a note at scott@sklib.usask.ca.

@EndNode
@NODE TELNET "Chapter 6: Telnet (1 of 5) -- What is TELNET?"
     Telnet is a program that lets you use the power of the Internet to
connect you to databases, library catalogs, and other information
resources around the world.  Want to see what the weather's like in
Vermont? Check on crop conditions in Azerbaijan? Get more information
about somebody whose name you've seen online? Telnet lets you do this,
and more.
     Alas, there's a big "but!''  Unlike the phone system, Internet is
not yet universal;  not everybody can use all of its services.  Almost
all colleges and universities on the Internet provide telnet access.   So
do the @{" WELL " link CHAP1/PUBACCESS 96}, @{" Netcom " link CHAP1/PUBACCESS 82} and the @{" World " link CHAP1/PUBACCESS 152}.  But the Freenet systems do not
give you access to every telnet system.  And if you are using a
public-access @{" UUCP " link BigDummy.Guide/LINGO 327} or @{" Usenet " link CHAP3/WHATUSENET} site, you will not have access to telnet.
     The main reason for this is cost.  Connecting to the Internet can
easily cost $1,000 or more for a leased, high-speed phone line.
     Some databases and file libraries can be queried by e-mail, however;
we'll show you how to do that later on. In the meantime, the rest of this
chapter assumes you are connected to a site with at least partial
Internet access.

@EndNode
@Node USETELNET "Chapter 6: Telnet (2 of 5) -- Using TELNET"
@PREV MAIN
Using TELNET
     Most telnet sites are fairly easy to use and have online help
systems. Most also work best (and in some cases, only) with VT100
emulation. Let's dive right in and try one.
     At your host system's @{" command line " link BigDummy.Guide/LINGO 50}, type

          telnet access.usask.ca

and hit enter.  That's all you have to do to connect to a telnet site! In
this case, you'll be connecting to a service known as Hytelnet, which is
a database of computerized library catalogs and other databases available
through telnet.  You should see something like this:

          Trying 128.233.3.1 ...
          Connected to access.usask.ca.
          Escape character is '^]'.


          Ultrix UNIX (access.usask.ca)

          login:


     Every telnet site has two addresses -- one composed of words that
are easier for people to remember; the other a numerical address better
suited for computers.  The "escape character" is good to remember.  When
all else fails, hitting your control key and the ] key at the same time
will disconnect you and return you to your host system.  At the login
@{" prompt " link BigDummy.Guide/LINGO 254}, type

        hytelnet

and hit enter.  You'll see something like this:

                            Welcome to HYTELNET
                                version 6.2
                            ...................

   What is HYTELNET?         <WHATIS>     .        Up/Down arrows MOVE
   Library catalogs          <SITES1>     .        Left/Right arrows SELECT
   Other resources           <SITES2>     .        ? for HELP anytime
   Help files for catalogs   <OP000>      .
   Catalog interfaces        <SYS000>     .        m returns here
   Internet Glossary         <GLOSSARY>   .        q quits
   Telnet tips               <TELNET>     .
   Telnet/TN3270 escape keys <ESCAPE.KEY> .
   Key-stroke commands       <HELP.TXT>   .


                          ........................
                      HYTELNET 6.2 was written by Peter Scott,
         U of Saskatchewan Libraries, Saskatoon, Sask, Canada.  1992
     Unix and VMS software by Earl Fogel, Computing Services, U of S 1992

      The first choice, "<WHATIS>" will be highlighted.  Use your down
and up arrows to move the cursor among the choices.  Hit enter when you
decide on one.  You'll get another menu, which in turn will bring up text
files telling you how to connect to sites and giving any special commands
or instructions you might need.  Hytelnet does have one quirk. To move
back to where you started (for example, from a sub-menu to a main menu),
hit the left-arrow key on your computer.
     Play with the system.  You might want to turn on your computer's
@{" screen capture " link BigDummy.Guide/LINGO 282}, or at the very least, get out a pen and paper. You're
bound to run across some interesting telnet services that you'll want to
try -- and you'll need their telnet "addresses.''
     As you move around Hytelnet, it may seem as if you haven't left your
host system -- telnet can work that quickly.  Occasionally, when network
loads are heavy, however, you will notice a delay between the time you
type a command or enter a request and the time the remote service
responds.
     To disconnect from Hytelnet and return to your system, hit your q
key and enter.
     Some telnet computers are set up so that you can only access them
through a specific "port."  In those cases, you'll always see a number
after their name, for example:  india.colorado.edu 13. It's important to
include that number, because otherwise, you may not get in.
     In fact, try the above address. Type

                telnet india.colorado.edu 13

and hit enter.  You should see something like this:

                Trying 128.138.140.44 ...

Followed very quickly by this:

               telnet india.colorado.edu 13

                Escape character is '^]'.
                Sun Apr  5 14:11:41 1992
                Connection closed by foreign host.


     What we want is the middle line, which tells you the exact Mountain
Standard Time, as determined by a government-run atomic clock in Boulder,
Colo.


@EndNode
@Node LIBCAT "Chapter 6: Telnet (3 of 5) -- LIBRARY CATALOGS"
LIBRARY CATALOGS

     More than 200 libraries, from the Snohomish Public Library in
Washington State to the Library of Congress and the libraries of Harvard
University, are now available to you through telnet. You can use Hytelnet
to find their names, telnet addresses and use instructions.
     Why would you want to browse a library you can't physically get to?
Many libraries share books, so if yours doesn't have what you're looking
for, you can tell the librarian where he or she can get it.  Or if you
live in an area where the libraries are not yet online, you can use
telnet to do some basic bibliographic research before you head down to
the local branch.
     There are several different database programs in use by online
libraries.  Harvard's is one of the easier ones to use, so let's try it.

               @{" Example search of Harvard catalogue " link HOLLIS }

     A particularly interesting system is the one run by the Colorado
Alliance of Research Libraries, which maintains databases for libraries
throughout Colorado, the West and even in Boston.

     telnet pac.carl.org.

     Follow the simple log-in instructions. When you get a menu, type 72
(even though that is not listed), which takes you to the Pikes Peak Library
District, which serves the city of Colorado Springs.
     Several years ago, its librarians realized they could use their
database program not just for books but for cataloging city records and
community information, as well.  Today, if you want to look up municipal
ordinances or city records, you only have to type in the word you're
looking for and you'll get back citings of the relevant laws or decisions.
     Carl will also connect you to the University of Hawaii library, which,
like the one in Colorado Springs, has more than just bibliographic material
online.  One of its features is an online Hawaiian almanac that can tell
you everything you ever wanted to know about Hawaiians, including the
number injured in boogie-board accidents each year (seven).

@EndNode
@Node HOLLIS "...Catalogues (1 of 1) -- Search of Harvard Library catalogue"
@TOC LIBCAT
@NEXT LIBCAT
@PREV LIBCAT

     Telnet to hollis.harvard.edu.  When you connect, you'll see:

   *****************        H A R V A R D   U N I V E R S I T Y
   *****************         OFFICE FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
   ***    ***    ***
   *** VE *** RI ***
   ***    ***    ***         HOLLIS    (Harvard OnLine LIbrary System)
    *****     *****
     **** TAS ****           HUBS      (Harvard University Basic Services)
       ***   ***
         *****               IU        (Information Utility)
          ***
                             CMS       (VM/CMS Timesharing Service)


             ** HOLLIS IS AVAILABLE WITHOUT ACCESS RESTRICTIONS **
     Access to other applications is limited to individuals who have been
     granted specific permission by an authorized person.

     To select one of the applications above, type its name on the command
     line followed by your user ID, and press RETURN.
                    ** HOLLIS DOES NOT REQUIRE A USERID **

     EXAMPLES:   HOLLIS (press RETURN)  or  HUBS userid (press RETURN)
===>

Type

              hollis

and hit enter.  You'll see several screens flash by quickly until finally the
system stops and you'll get this:

                          WELCOME TO HOLLIS
              (Harvard OnLine Library Information System)

 To begin, type one of the 2-character database codes listed below:

        HU      Union Catalog of the Harvard libraries
        OW      Catalog of Older Widener materials
        LG      Guide to Harvard Libraries and Computing Resources

        AI      Expanded Academic Index (selective 1987-1988, full 1989-  )
        LR      Legal Resource Index (1980-  )
        PA      PAIS International (1985-  )

 To change databases from any place in HOLLIS, type CHOOSE followed by a
 2-character database code, as in:    CHOOSE HU

 For general help in using HOLLIS, type HELP.   For HOLLIS news, type
 HELP NEWS.   For HOLLIS hours of operation, type HELP HOURS.

        ALWAYS PRESS THE ENTER OR RETURN KEY AFTER TYPING YOUR COMMAND

     The first thing to notice is the name of the system: Hollis.
Librarians around the world seem to be inordinately found of cutesy,
anthropomorphized acronyms for their machines (not far from Harvard, the
librarians at Brandeis University came up with Library On-Line User
Information Service, or Louis; MIT has Barton).
     If you want to do some general browsing, probably the best bet on
the Harvard system is to chose HU, which gets you access to their main
holdings, including those of its medical libraries.  Chose that, and
you'll see this:


              THE HARVARD UNIVERSITY LIBRARY UNION CATALOG

 To begin a search, select a search option from the list below and type its
 code on the @{" command line " link BigDummy.Guide/LINGO 50}.  Use either upper or lower case.

                  AU           Author search
                  TI           Title search
                  SU           Subject search
                  ME           Medical subject search
                  KEYWORD      Keyword search options
                  CALL         Call number search options
                  OTHER        Other search options

 For information on the contents of the Union Catalog, type HELP.
 To exit the Union Catalog, type QUIT.

 A search can be entered on the COMMAND line of any screen.

          ALWAYS PRESS THE ENTER OR RETURN KEY AFTER TYPING YOUR COMMAND.

     Say you want to see if Harvard has shed the starchy legacy of the
Puritans, who founded the school.  Why not see if they have "The Joy of
Sex" somewhere in their stacks? Type

               TI Joy of Sex

and hit enter. This comes up:

HU: YOUR SEARCH RETRIEVED NO ITEMS.  Enter new command or HELP.      You typed:
 TI JOY OF SEX
*******************************************************************************



          ALWAYS PRESS THE ENTER OR RETURN KEY AFTER TYPING YOUR COMMAND.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OPTIONS: FIND                          START - search options           HELP
                                       QUIT - exit database
COMMAND?



Oh, well!  Do they have anything that mentions "sex" in the title?  Try
another TI search, but this time just: TI sex.  You get:

 HU GUIDE: SUMMARY OF SEARCH RESULTS        2086 items retrieved by your search:
FIND TI SEX
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
   1    SEX
   2    SEX A
 823    SEXA
 827    SEXBO
 831    SEXCE
 833    SEXDR
 834    SEXE
 879    SEXIE
 928    SEXJA
 929    SEXLE
 930    SEXO
 965    SEXPI
 968    SEXT
1280    SEXUA
2084    SEXWA
2085    SEXY
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
OPTIONS: INDEX (or I 5 etc) to see list of items         HELP
                                                         START - search options
         REDO - edit search                              QUIT - exit database
COMMAND?

If you want to get more information on the first line, type 1 and hit enter:

 HU INDEX: LIST OF ITEMS RETRIEVED          2086 items retrieved by your search:
FIND TI SEX
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SEX
   1 geddes patrick sir 1854 1932/ 1914  bks

SEX A Z
   2 goldenson robert m/ 1987  bks

SEX ABUSE HYSTERIA SALEM WITCH TRIALS REVISITED
   3 gardner richard a/ 1991  bks

SEX AETATES MUNDI ENGLISH AND IRISH
   4 irish sex aetates mundi/ 1983  bks

SEX AFTER SIXTY A GUIDE FOR MEN AND WOMEN FOR THEIR LATER YEARS
   5 butler robert n 1927/ 1976  bks


------------------------------------------------------ (CONTINUES) ------------
OPTIONS: DISPLAY 1 (or D 5 etc) to see a record          HELP
         GUIDE                   MORE - next page        START - search options
         REDO - edit search                              QUIT - exit database
COMMAND?


     Most library systems give you a way to log off and return to your host
system.  On Hollis, hit escape followed by

          xx

@EndNode
@Node FINGER "Chapter 6: Telnet (4 of 5) -- FINGER"
FINGER

     This is a handy little program which lets you tell others more about
you -- and which you can sometimes use to find out more about people
whose names you see on the Net.
     It uses the same concept as telnet or @{" ftp " link Chap7/FTP 0}. But it works with only
one file, called .plan (yes, with a period in front).  This is a text
file you create with a text editor in your home directory.  You can put
your phone number in there, or your address, or anything at all.
     To finger somebody else's .plan file, type this at the
@{" command line " link BigDummy.Guide/LINGO 50}:

     finger email-address

where email-address is the person's @{" e-mail " link BigDummy.Guide/LINGO 96} address.  You'll get back a
display that shows the last time the person was online, whether they've
gotten any new mail since that time and what, if anything, is in their
.plan file.
     Some people and institutions have come up with creative uses for
these .plan files, letting you do everything from checking the weather in
Massachusetts to getting the latest baseball standings.  Try fingering
these e-mail addresses:

weather@cirrus.mit.edu            Latest National Weather Service weather
                                  forecasts for regions in Massachusetts.

quake@geophys.washington.edu      Locations and magnitudes of recent
                                  earthquakes around the world.

jtchern@ocf.berkeley.edu          Current major-league baseball standings and
                                  results of the previous day's games.

nasanews@space.mit.edu            The day's events at NASA.

@EndNode
@Node WRONG6 "Chapter 6: Telnet (5 of 5) -- Telnet problems"
@Next MAIN
WHEN THINGS GO WRONG:

     * Nothing happens when you try to connect to a telnet site.  The
site could be down for maintenance or problems.
     * You get a "host unavailable" message.  The telnet site is down
for some reason.  Try again later.
     * You get a "host unknown" message.  Check your spelling of the
site name.
     * You type in a password on a telnet site that requires one, and
you get a "login incorrect" message.  Try logging in again.  If you get
the message again, hit your control and ] keys at the same time to
disengage and return to your host system.
     * You can't seem to disconnect from a telnet site.  Use control-]
to disengage and return to your host system.


@EndNode
@Node TELNETSITE "TELNET SITES"
TELNET SITES


AGRICULTURE

     PENPages, run by Pennsylvania State University's College of
Agricultural Sciences, provides weekly world weather and crop reports
from the the U.S. Department of Agriculture. These reports detail
everything from the effect of the weather on palm trees in Malaysia to
the state of the Ukrainian wheat crop. Reports from Pennsylvania country
extension officers offer tips for improving farm life. One database lists
Pennsylvania hay distributors by county -- and rates the quality of their
hay!
     The service lets you search for information two different ways. A
menu system gives you quick access to reports that change frequently,
such as the weekly crop/weather reports. An index system lets you search
through several thousand online documents by keyword. At the main menu,
you can either browse through an online manual or chose "PENPages,''
which puts you into the agriculture system.
     Telnet: psupen.psu.edu
     User name: PNOTPA

     California State University's Advanced Technology Information
Network provides similar information as PENPages, only focusing on
California crops. It also maintains lists of upcoming California trade
shows and carries updates on biotechnology.
     Telnet:  caticsuf.cati.csufresno.edu
     Log in:  public

    You will then be asked to register and will be given a user name and
password.  Hit "a'' at the main menu for agricultural information. Hit
"d'' to call up a menu that includes a biweekly biotechnology report.



AIDS

     The University of Miami maintains a database of AIDS health
providers in southern Florida.
     Telnet:  callcat.med.miami.edu
     Log in:  library

     At the main menu, select P (for "AIDS providers" and you'll be able
to search for doctors, hospitals and other providers that care for
patients with AIDS.  You can also search by speciality.

     See also under Health and Conversation.


AMATEUR RADIO:

     The National Ham Radio Call-Sign Callbook lets you search for
American amateur operators by callsign, city, last name or Zip code. A
successful search will give you the ham's name, address, callsign, age,
type of license and when they got it.
     Telnet:  callsign.buffalo.edu 2000 or ham.njit.edu 2000.
     When you connect, you tell the system how you want to search and
what you're looking for. For example, if you want to search for hams by
city, you would type

          city city name

and hit enter (for example: city Kankakee).
     Other search choices are "call" (after which you would type a ham's
name), "name," and "zip" (which you would follow with a Zip code).  Be
careful when searching for hams in a large city; there doesn't seem to be
anyway to shut off the list once it starts except by using control-].
Otherwise, when done, type

               quit

and hit enter to disconnect.


ANIMALS

     See under Health.


ART

     The National Gallery of Art in Washington maintains a database of
its holdings, which you can search by artist (Van Gogh, for example) or
medium (watercolor, say). You can see when specific paintings were
completed, what medium they are in, how large they are and who donated it
to the gallery.
     Telnet:  ursus.maine.edu
     Login: ursus
     At the main menu, hit your b key and then 4 to connect to the
gallery database.


CALCULATORS

     Hewlett-Packard maintains a free service on which you can seek
advice about their line of calculators.
     Telnet: hpcvbbs.cv.hp.com
     No log-in is needed.


CONGRESS

     The Library of Congress Information Service lets you search current
and past legislation (dating to 1982).
     Telnet: locis.loc.gov
     Password: none needed.
     When you connect, you'll get a main menu that lets you select from
several databases, including the Library of Congress card catalog (with
book entries dating to 1978) and a database of information on copyright
laws.
     For the congressional database, select the number next to its entry
and hit enter.  You'll then be asekd to choose which legislative year to
search. After that, a menu similar to this will come up:

  ***C103- THE LEGISLATIVE INFORMATION FILE FOR THE 103RD CONGRESS,
           which was updated on 05/10/93 and contains 4,044 records,
           is now available for your search.

   CURRENCY: All information is NOT current through the above date, which is
             machine generated when ANY information is added to the file.
             Bill numbers, official titles, sponsors, and status (STEP) added
             within 48 hours.  Indexing terms and digests added later, in
             some cases several weeks after the bill is added to the file.

    TO START   RETRIEVE to find:                    EXAMPLES:
    SEARCH:    member name  -------------->    retrieve rep gingrich
                                               retrieve sen kennedy
               bill number  -------------->    retrieve h.r. 1
               subject keywords  --------->    retrieve day care

    FOR HELP:  Type the word HELP and press the ENTER key.


    READY FOR NEW COMMAND:


CONVERSATION

     Communications Canada, a Canadian government agency is developing
Conversational Hypertext Access Technology (CHAT) is a system being
developed by Communications Canada to provide easy database access to
people with little or no computer experience, using what are known as
hypertext links.  Instead of cryptic computer commands, users type
questions in English.
    Telnet:  debra.doc.ca
    Log in:  chat
    You chose one of the three databases now online, one on AIDS, and
then ask questions in English.
    Ask the AIDS database, "When was AIDS first discovered?'' and it
answers:
    "The first case of AIDS in North America was diagnosed in 1979.
Before that, it existed in Africa, probably beginning in the 1950's.
AIDS was discovered in North America when a number of young men with a
history of homosexuality developed a rare type of cancer called
Kaposi's sarcoma.''
    Sometimes, you do have to rephrase your question. For example,
when asked "What is the link between AIDS and drug use?'' the computer
responds:
    "I know two things about drugs: the drugs that are used to treat
people with AIDS, and the risks that drug users have in getting AIDS.
Please ask about treatments or drug users.''


COPYRIGHT LAW

     See under Congress.

CURRENT EVENTS

     Every year, the CIA publishes a Fact Book that is essentially an
almanac of all the world's countries and international organizations,
including such information as major products, type of government and
names of its leaders.  It's available for searching through the
University of Maryland Info Database.
     Telnet: info.umd.edu
     User name:  info
     Chose a terminal type and hit enter (or just hit enter if you are
using VT100).  At the main menu, choose the number next to "Government"
and hit enter.  One of your options will then be for "Factbook."  Chose
that one, and you can then search by country or agency.


DICTIONARY

     Rutgers University's Campus-Wide Information Service has an online
dictionary, thesaurus and database of familiar quotations, as well as
online copies of the Bible, the Koran and the Book of Mormon and the
U.S. Constitution.

Note: the dictionaries and thesaurus at Rutgers are now available only to
students of the university.

     Telnet: info.rutgers.edu.
     No log-in name is needed.
     At the main menu, type

               reference

     and hit enter.  You'll see a menu like this:

  Online reference material
  Menu Commands...

  Command              Purpose
  -------              -------
  Dictionary           Concise Oxford Dictionary, 8th Ed.
  Thesaurus            Oxford Thesaurus
  Familiar             Oxford Dictionary of Familiar Quotations (and Modern Q.)
  World                CIA World Factbook
  US                   US government: Constitution, etc.
  Religion             Bible, Book of Mormon, Koran

     For more information you may look under Libraries in the main menu

  Previous             Return to previous menu
  Find                 Search for information
  Source               Age and provider of information.  Where to go for more.
  Quit                 Go back to main menu

  Online reference material
  Menu>

To access any of them, type its name (dictionary, for example) and hit
enter.  You'll then be asked for the word to look for.  If, instead,
you type
              religion

and hit enter, you'll be able to search for a word or passage from the
Bible, the Koran or the Book of Mormon.


ENVIRONMENT

     The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency maintains online
databases of materials related to hazardous waste, the Clean Lakes
program and cleanup efforts in New England.  The agency plans to
eventually include cleanup work in other regions, as well.  The
database is actually a computerized card catalog of EPA documents --
you can look the documents up, but you'll still have to visit your
regional EPA office to see them.
     Telnet: epaibm.rtpnc.epa.gov
     No password or user name is needed.  At the main menu, type

          public

and hit enter (there are other listed choices, but they are only for
use by EPA employees).  You'll then see a one-line menu.  Type

          ols

and hit enter, and you'll see something like this:

 NET-106 Logon to TSO04    in progress.

    DATABASES:
        N     NATIONAL CATALOG         CH    CHEMICAL COLL. SYSTEM
        H     HAZARDOUS WASTE          1     REGION I
        L     CLEAN LAKES

    OTHER OPTIONS:
        ?     HELP
        Q     QUIT

  ENTER SELECTION -->

     Choose one and you'll get a menu that lets you search by document
title, keyword, year of publication or corporation.  After you enter
the search word and hit enter, you'll be told how many matches were
found.  Hit 1 and then enter to see a list of the entries.  To view
the bibliographic record for a specifice entry, hit V and enter and
then type the number of the record.

     The University of Michigan maintains a database of newspaper and
magazine articles related to the environment, with the emphasis on
Michigan, dating back to 1980.
     Telnet:  hermes.merit.edu
     Host:  mirlyn
     Log in: meem

GEOGRAPHY

     The University of Michigan Geographic Name Server can provide
basic information, such as population, latitude and longitude of U.S.
cities and many mountains, rivers and other geographic features.
     Telnet: martini.eecs.umich.edu 3000
     No password or user name is needed. Type in the name of a city, a
Zip code or a geographic feature (Mt. McKinley, for example) and hit
enter.
     By typing in a town's name or zip code, you can find out a
community's county, Zip code and longitude and latitude. Not all
geographic features are yet included in the database.


GOVERNMENT

     See under Dictionary and Current Events.


HEALTH

      The U.S. Food and Drug Adminstration runs a database of health-
related information.
      Telnet:  fdabbs.fda.gov
      Log in:  bbs

      You'll then be asked for your name and a password you want to use
in the future.  After that, type

           topics

and hit enter.  You'll see this:

     TOPICS       DESCRIPTION

     *  NEWS         News releases
     *  ENFORCE      Enforcement Report
     *  APPROVALS    Drug and Device Product Approvals list
     *  CDRH         Centers for Devices and Radiological Health Bulletins
     *  BULLETIN     Text from Drug Bulletin
     *  AIDS         Current Information on AIDS
     *  CONSUMER     FDA Consumer magazine index and selected articles
     *  SUBJ-REG     FDA Federal Register Summaries by Subject
     *  ANSWERS      Summaries of FDA information
     *  INDEX        Index of News Releases and Answers
     *  DATE-REG     FDA Federal Register Summaries by Publication Date
     *  CONGRESS     Text of Testimony at FDA Congressional Hearings
     *  SPEECH       Speeches Given by FDA Commissioner and Deputy
     *  VETNEWS      Veterinary Medicine News
     *  MEETINGS     Upcoming FDA Meetings
     *  IMPORT       Import Alerts
     *  MANUAL       On-Line User's Manual

     You'll be able to search these topics by key word or
chronologically. It's probably a good idea, however, to capture a copy
of the manual, first, because the way searching works on the system is a
little odd.  To capture a copy, type

          manual

and hit enter.  Then type

         scan

and hit enter.  You'll see this:

     FOR LIST OF AVAILABLE TOPICS TYPE TOPICS
     OR ENTER THE TOPIC YOU DESIRE ==>

     MANUAL
     BBSUSER
     08-OCT-91
     1  BBS User Manual

At this point, turn on your own computer's @{" screen capture " link BigDummy.Guide/LINGO 282} or logging
function and hit your 1 key and then enter.  The manual will begin to
scroll on your screen, pausing every 24 lines.

HIRING AND COLLEGE PROGRAM INFORMATION

     The Federal Information Exchange in Gaithersburg, Md, runs two
systems at the same address: FEDIX and MOLIS. FEDIX offers research,
scholarship and service information for several federal agencies,
including NASA, the Department of Energy and the Federal Aviation
Administration. Several more federal agencies provide minority hiring
and scholarship inforamtion. MOLIS provides information about minority
colleges, their programs and professors.
     Telnet: fedix.fie.com
     User name:  fedix (for the federal hiring database) or
                 molis (for the minority-college system)
     Both use easy menus to get you to information.

HISTORY

     Stanford University maintains a database of documents related to
Martin Luthor King.
     Telnet:  forsythetn.stanford.edu
     Account: socrates

     At the main menu, type

        select mlk

and hit enter.


QUOTATIONS

     See under Dictionary.

RELIGION

     See under Dictionary.

SKI REPORTS

     See under weather.

SPACE

     NASA Spacelink in Huntsville, Ala.,  provides all sorts of
reports and data about NASA, its history and its various missions,
past and present.  You'll find detailed reports on every single probe,
satellite and mission NASA has ever launched along with daily updates
and lesson plans for teachers.
     The system maintains a large file library of @{" GIF " link BigDummy.Guide/LINGO 138}-format space
graphics, but  you can't @{" download " link BigDummy.Guide/LINGO 84} these through telnet. If you want
them, you have to dial the system directly, at (205) 895-0028.
     Telnet: spacelink.msfc.nasa.gov
     When you connect, you'll be given an overview of the system and
asked to register and chose a password.

     The NED-NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database lists data on more than
100,000 galaxies, quasars and other objects outside the Milky Way.
     Telnet:  ipac.caltech.edu.
     Log in:  ned

     You can learn more than you ever wanted to about quasars, novae and
related objects on a system run by the Smithsonian Astrophysical
Observatory in Cambridge, Mass.
     Telnet:  cfa204.harvard.edu
     Log in:  einline

     The physics department at the University of Massachusetts at
Amherst runs a bulletin-board system that provides extensive conferences
and document libraries related to space.
     Telnet: spacemet.phast.umass.edu
     Log on with your name and a password.

SUPREME COURT DECISIONS

     The University of Maryland Info Database maintains U.S. Supreme
Court decisions from 1991 on in its Government area.
     Telnet:  info.umd.edu
     User name:  info

and hit enter.  Chose a terminal type and hit enter (or just hit enter
if you are using VT100).  At the main menu, choose the number next to
"Government"  and hit enter.  One of your options will then be for
"US."  Select that number and then, at the next menu, choose the one
next to "Supreme Court."

TELNET

     Hytelnet, at the University of Saskatchewan, is an online guide to
hundreds of telnet sites around the world.
     Telnet:  access.usask.ca
     Log in:  hytelnet.


THESAURUS

     See under Dictionary.


TIME

     To find out the exact time:

     Telnet: india.colorado.edu 13

     You'll see something like this:


                Escape character is '^]'.
                Sun Apr  5 14:11:41 1992
                Connection closed by foreign host.

     The middle line tells you the date and exact Mountain Standard
     Time, as determined by a federal atomic clock.

     If you want a more philosophical approach to your time, the U.S.
Naval Observatory's Automated Data Service has copies of detailed papers
on such things as "the nature of time."  It also carries information on
how to buy a clock, along with arcana on such things as "leap seconds."
     Telnet: tycho.usno.navy.mil
     Log on: ads
     After you log in and register, you'll get the following menu:

     MAIN OPTIONS: info, note, ptti, exp, internet, nav, aust, tco, gps,
     loran, omega, series, transit, astro, tv, soft, vlf, goes, gpsftp,
     PAGE(/), HELP(?), COMMENT, EXIT(Bye)

Type
                 info

and hit enter for many of the text files.


WEATHER

     The University of Michigan's Department of Atmospheric,
Oceanographic and Space Sciences supplies weather forecasts for U.S. and
foreign cities, along with skiiing and hurricane reports.
     Telnet: madlab.sprl.umich.edu 3000 (note the 3000).
     No log-in name is needed.
     Also see under Weather in the @{" FTP list " link CHAP1/PUBACCESS 0} for information on
@{" downloading " link BigDummy.guide/LINGO 84} satellite and radar weather images.


@EndNode
@Node TELNETBBS "TELNET BBSs"
TELNET BBSs


     You might think that @{" Usenet " link CHAP3/WHATUSENET}, with its hundreds of @{" newsgroups " link Chap3/NEWSGROUPS 0},
would be enough to satisfy the most dedicated of online communicators.
     But there are a number of "bulletin-board" and other systems that
provide even more conferences or other services, many not found directly
on the Net.  Some are free; others charge for access.  They include:

      Cimarron.  Run by the Instituto Technical in Monterey, Mexico, this
system has Spanish conferences, but English commands, as you can see from
this menu of available conferences:

          List of Boards
            Name                 Title
            General              Board general
            Dudas                Dudas de Cimarron
            Comentarios          Comentarios al SYSOP
            Musica               Para los afinados........
            Libros               El sano arte de leer.....
            Sistemas             Sistemas Operativos en General.
            Virus                Su peor enemigo......
            Cultural             Espacio Cultural de Cimarron
            NeXT                 El Mundo de NeXT
            Ciencias             Solo apto para Nerds.
            Inspiracion          Para los Romanticos e Inspirados.
            Deportes             Discusiones Deportivas

     To be able to write messages and gain access to files, you have to
leave a note to SYSOP with your name, address, occupation and phone
number.  To do this, at any @{" prompt " link BigDummy.Guide/LINGO 254}, hit your M key and then enter,
which will bring up the mail system. Hitting H brings up a list of
commands and how to use them.
     Telnet: bugs.mty.itesm.mx (8 p.m. to 10 a.m., Eastern time, only).
     At the "login:" @{" prompt " link BigDummy.Guide/LINGO 254}, type

               bbs

and hit enter.


    Cleveland Free-Net.  The first of a series of Freenets, this
represents an ambitious attempt to bring the Net to the public.
Originally an in-hospital help network, it is now sponsored by Case
Western Reserve University, the city of Cleveland, the state of Ohio and
IBM. It uses simple menus, similar to those found on CompuServe, but
organized like a city:

          <<< CLEVELAND FREE-NET DIRECTORY >>>

            1 The Administration Building
            2 The Post Office
            3 Public Square
            4 The Courthouse & Government Center
            5 The Arts Building
            6 Science and Technology Center
            7 The Medical Arts Building
            8 The Schoolhouse (Academy One)
            9 The Community Center & Recreation Area
           10 The Business and Industrial Park
           11 The Library
           12 University Circle
           13 The Teleport
           14 The Communications Center
           15 NPTN/USA TODAY HEADLINE NEWS
          ------------------------------------------------
          h=Help, x=Exit Free-Net, "go help"=extended help

          Your Choice ==>

     The system has a vast and growing collection of public documents,
from copies of U.S. and Ohio Supreme Court decisions to the Magna Carta
and the U.S. Constitution.  It links residents to various government
agencies and has daily stories from USA Today. Beyond @{" Usenet " link CHAP3/WHATUSENET} (found in
the Teleport area), it has a large collection of local conferences on
everything from pets to politics.  And yes, it's free!
     Telnet: freenet-in-a.cwru.edu or
             freenet-in-b.cwru.edu

     When you connect to Free-Net, you can look around the system.
However, if you want to be able to post messages in its conferences or
use @{" e-mail " link BigDummy.Guide/LINGO 96}, you will have to apply in writing for an account.
Information on this is available when you connect.


     Dialog.  This commercial service offers access to a large variety of
databases -- for a fairly sizable fee.  You need a Dialog account to use
the system through the Net.
     Telnet: dialog.com


     DUBBS.  This is a bulletin-board system in Delft in the Netherlands.
The conferences and files are mostly in Dutch, but the help files and the
system commands themselves are in English.
     Telnet: tudrwa.tudelft.nl


     ISCA BBS.  Run by the Iowa Student Computer Association, it has more
than 100 conferences, including several in foreign languages. After you
register, hit K for a list of available conferences and then J to join a
particular conference (you have to type in the name of the conference,
not the number next to it).  Hitting H brings up information about
commands.
     Telnet bbs.isca.uiowa.edu
     At the "login:" @{" prompt " link BigDummy.Guide/LINGO 254}, type

                bbs

and hit enter.


     Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link (WELL). Itself a major Net access point
in the San Francisco area, the WELL is also a unique online community
that maintains dozens of conferences on every imaginable topic (seven
devoted just to the Grateful Dead).  WELL users are intelligent and
opinionated; discussions are often fast and furious. The Electronic
Frontier Foundation was basically started in a series of online
conversations on the WELL. Although it has a serious San Francisco
flavor, it has users from across the country (enough to support both East
Coast and Midwest conferences).
     For its conferences, the WELL uses PicoSpan software, which presents
messages differently than rn or nn.   When you enter a conference, you
can call up a list of "topics."  Enter a topic number, and all of the
messages start scrolling down the screen, sort of like the music on an
old-fashioned player-piano.  There is some online help, but new users are
sent a written manual. See @{" Chapter 2 " link CHAP2/MAIN} for information on access charges
(one advantage to connecting to the WELL through telnet is that unless
you live in the Bay Area, it is likely to be much cheaper than other
access methods).
     Telnet: well.sf.ca.us


     Youngstown Free-Net.  The people who created Cleveland Free-Net sell
their software for $1 to anybody willing to set up a similar system. A
number of cities now have their own Free-Nets, including Youngstown,
Ohio. Telnet: yfn.ysu.edu At the "login:" @{" prompt " link BigDummy.Guide/LINGO 254}, type

               visitor

and hit enter.


@EndNode
