======================================= T H E N E W F O N E E X P R E S S ======================================= The newsletter of the Society for the Freedom of Information (SFI) Electronic Edition Central distribution site is Secret Society BBS (314) 831-9039, WWIVNet 3460, 24hrs ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The publisher, SFI, distribution site(s), and authors contributing to the NFX are protected by the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution, which specifically protects freedom of speech and freedom of the press. The information provided in this magazine is for informational purposes only, and the publisher, SFI, distribution site(s) and authors are not responsible for any problems resulting from the use or publication of this information. Nor is SFI responsible for consequences resulting from authors' actions. This disclaimer is retroactive to all previous issues of the NFX. We accept article submissions of nearly any sort, about hack/phreak/anarchy/gov't/nets/etc. Send mail to the publisher (The Cavalier) at any of these addresses: WWIVnet [15@3460] WWIVlink [442@13468] VMB (301) 771-1151. hit #, then 140. Ripco [send mail to Silicon Avalanche] Project Phusion [send mail to Silicon Avalanche] The printed edition of the newsletter is available for $14 (U.S.) per year on paper. Send mail to the New Fone Express, Box 639, 15405 Michigan Rd., Woodbridge, VA 22191. Don't forget your name and address. To download the New Fone Express, call Secret Society at 314-831-9039 and log on as NFX, password NFX, phone# 0000, or see the distribution list elsewhere in this magazine. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Highlights for Issue #4/September 1991 ====================================== * Gas Tank Blues ... by Antisocial (see article #1) * Astrolite ... by Maelmord (see article #2) * Updated SS7 Area Table ... edited (see article #3) * Distribution Site List ... by the Cavalier (see article #4) * AS/400 Product List ... by the Cavalier (see article #5) * Cracking Confidentials ... by Doc Scurlock (see article #6) * Trendwatcher ... edited (see article #7) * Editorial ... by the Cavalier (see article #8) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Gas Tank Blues Equipment: Wooden bowl Paper towel Wooden spoon Glass bottle Blender Gel Capsule Funnel Plastic container Coffee filter Sublimed Sulfur 2 Cups of hot water Methscopolamine Nitrate Paper plate Procedure: 1. Mix one part Methscopolamine Nitrate and two parts Sublimed Sulfur into the wood bowl. (Total: 3/4 cup of powder) 2. Mix the powders together with the wooden spoon until all the lumps are ground into a very fine powder. 3. Pour 3/4 a cup of the powder into the blender and add the two cups of hot water. 4. Blend the substance until the powder is completely saturated in the water. 5. While the substance is being mixed by the blender take a coffee filter and lay it flat to form a circle. 6. Fold the filter by fourths into a triangle and place it in the funnel. 7. Place the funnel with the filter in the neck of the bottle. 8. Turn off the blender and pour the yellowish liquid into the funnel (with the filter present) 9. If you folded the filter correctly a mushy yellow powder shall form in the funnel. 10. Remove the funnel from the neck of the bottle and throw the bottle with the liquid away. 11. Take the paper towel and place it on the paper plate. 12. Remove the filter from the funnel and spread the mushy yellow powder evenly on the plate that contains the paper towel. 13. Let the powder sun dry for one full day or until the substance is dry. 14. Make sure that the substance is fully dry. Test this by letting the powder fall from your hand, if the powder forms clumps then you should retry step 13. 15. Pack the powder tightly into the gel capsule without breaking the capsule itself. 16. Store the capsules in a dry place for further use. 17. Store any extra powder in a plastic container. Use: When placed into a gas tank of any motor vehicle the gel capsule will be dissolved, when the gas makes contact with the powder it will expand and form a very hard substance. When the car is started and the gas, along with substance, is pumped through the system more damage will occur than if you placed sugar or sand in the gas tank. If the car is not started then the substance will begin to eat away at the metal of the gas tank, thus causing damage and having the victim not being able to replace gas into his tank until he or she has it fixed. Typed, Tested, and Produced by: ANTISOCIAL [TC: Antisocial can be reached through WWIVNet as ANTISOCIAL@3460.] >< ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Astrolite Astrolite is a liquid explosive known as the most explosive reaction known to man short of a nuclear explosion. Astrolite is a clear, odor-less compound formed by the mixing of Ammonium Nitrate and Anhydrous Hydrazine to form Astrolite-G and the addition of fine mesh Aluminum to form Astrolite A-1-5. It is considered moderately to fairly stable and retains its explosivity even when mixed with other substances. If Astrolite is poured into sand, its qualities are unchanged and a liquid land mine is formed. Astrolite is detonated by electric charge, but unpredictable results may develop if exposed to flame or heat including sporadic burning and explosions. Due to the nature of the chemicals involved and their relative toxicity, MSDS sheets have been consulted and important information has been taken from them. **WARNING** The information given concerning these chemicals is NOT complete. The most relevant information is included. Ammonium Nitrate * Ammonium Saltpeter * Herco Prils * NA 1942 (DOT) * Nitric Acid, Ammonium Salt * UN 0222 (DOT) * UN 1942 (DOT) * UN 2426 (DOT) * Varioform I Acute Effects: May be harmful by inhalation, ingestion, or skin absorption. Causes eye and skin irritation. Material is irritating to mucous membranes and upper respiratory tract. Target Organs: Blood Central Nervous System To the best of our knowledge, the chemical, physical, and toxicological properties have not been thoroughly investigated. First Aid: In case of contact flush eyes or skin with copious amounts of water for at least 15 minutes. Remove contaminated articles of clothing. If inhaled, remove to fresh air. If ingested call a physician and wash out mouth if person is conscious. Extinguishing Media: Water Spray Incompatibilities: Strong reducing agents Strong acids Finely powdered metals Combustion or Decomposition: Nitrogen oxides Ammonia The following metals react explosively with fused Ammonium Nitrate below 200 C: ALUMINUM, ANTIMONY, BISMUTH, CADMIUM, CHROMIUM, COBALT, COPPER, IRON, LEAD, MAGNESIUM, MANGANESE, POTASSIUM, SODIUM, NICKEL, TIN, ZINC, TITANIUM, as well as BRASS and STAINLESS STEEL. Ignites or reacts on contact with: PHOSPHORUS, UREA, SULPHUR, POTASSIUM NITRATE, SAWDUST, SUGAR, TRINITROANISOLE, CHARCOAL, CYANOGUANIDINE, POTASSIUM PERMANGANATE, ACETIC ACID, ACETIC ANHYDRIDE. Anhydrous Hydrozine * Diamide * Diamine * Hydrazine (ACGIH,DOT,OSHA) * Hydrazyna (Polish) * RCRA Waste Number U133 * UN 2029 (DOT) * UN 2030 (DOT) Note: You may have heard about the incident in California concerning a tanker truck of this substance involved in an accident. This substance is also known as rocket fuel, and is extremely toxic. You now have a more clear knowledge of the far-reaching effects of such an accident, and if you haven't heard, you now know why. (What? Me, make a remark about possible government cover-ups? NEVER!...) Target Organ Data: (fun, isn't it?) Sense organs and special senses (Olfaction Tumors) Sense organs and special senses (Other eye effects) Behavioral (Convulsions or effect on seizure threshold) Lungs, thorax or respiration (Dyspnea) (Tumors) Gastrointestinal (Colon tumors) Liver (Tumors) Endocrine (Thyroid tumors) Blood (Tumors) (Leukemia) (Lymphoma including Hodgkin's Disease) Paternal Effects (Testes, Epididymis, Sperm Duct) Maternal Effects (Ovaries, Fallopian Tubes) Effects on Fertility (Post-implantation Mortality) Effects on embryo or fetus (Fetotoxicity) (Fetal Death) Specific Developmental Abnormalities (Central Nervous System) (Musculoskeletal System) (Urogenital System) Effects on newborn (Viability index) Tumorigenic (Carcinogenic by RTECS Criteria) (Neoplastic by RTECS Criteria) (Equivocal Tumorigenic Agent by RTECS Criteria) Acute Effects: May be fatal if inhaled, swallowed, or absorbed through skin. Material Is extremely destructive to tissue of the mucous membranes and upper respiratory tract,eyes and skin. Inhalation may be fatal as a result of spasm, inflammation and edema of the larynx and bronchi, chemical pneumonitis and pulmonary edema. Symptoms of exposure may include burning sensation, coughing, wheezing, laryngitis, shortness of breath, headache, nausea, vomiting and death. Vomiting May cause allergic reaction Can cause CNS depression Exposure can cause: Damage to: Eyes Liver Kidneys Lungs Chronic Effects: Carcinogen May alter genetic material Target Organs: Nerves, Blood, Liver, Kidneys First Aid: In case of contact flush eyes or skin for at least 15 minutes. Remove contaminated clothing and shoes. Assure adequate flushing of eyes by separating the eyelids with fingers. If inhaled, remove to fresh air. If not breathing, give artificial respiration. Call a physician Discard contaminated clothing and shoes Appearance and odor: Clear colorless liquid Explosion level Information: Lower Explosion Level: 4.7% Upper Explosion Level: 99.99% Extinguishing Media: Water Spray Carbon Dioxide Dry Chemical Powder Fire and Explosion Hazards: Flammable Liquid Vapor may travel considerable distance to source of ignition and flash back. Catches fire if exposed to air. May explode when heated. Reducing Agent. Incompatibilities: Oxidizing Agents Oxygen Copper Zinc Organic Materials Combustion or Decomposition: Nitrogen Oxides Handling and storage precautions: Faceshield (8-inch minimum) Do not breathe vapor Do not get in eyes, on skin, on clothing Avoid prolonged or repeated exposure Wash thoroughly after handling Highly toxic Corrosive Carcinogen Mutagen Keep tightly closed Keep away from heat, sparks, and open flame Store in a cool dry place. WARNING: Hydrazine vapor in air is flammable at 4.7 to 100% Hydrazine by volume - handle under nitrogen! Some metals and alloys including monel, bronze, brass, cadmium, gold, molybdenum and stainless steel with more than 0.5% molybdenum or rust cause decomposition of Hydrazine. Instructions for the Formation of Astrolite Astrolite G ** All measurements are by weight ** 2:1 chemical ratio 2 Parts Ammonium Nitrate to 1 Part Anhydrous Hydrazine 1. Put the 2 parts Ammonium Nitrate in a large beaker with sufficient space to accommodate the bubbling reaction with the addition of Anhydrous Hydrazine. 2. Slowly and carefully add the Anhydrous Hydrazine. 3. The effervescent reaction liberates ammonia gas. 4. When the reaction slows, stir carefully and slowly for at least 5 minutes. 5. The Astrolite G is finished. The compound formed is Hydrazonium Nitrate. Astrolite A-1-5 Add to the Ammonium Nitrate 20% by weight of the Ammonium Nitrate 100 mesh or finer Aluminum. Astrolite A-1-5 has a higher power than Astrolite G due to electrons donated by the Aluminum, but has a lesser velocity than Astrolite G. This article falls under disclaimers found elsewhere in this newsletter and those disclaimers which are retro-active and/or forward acting. Maelmord >< disclaimers found elsewhere [TC: Maelmord may be contacted through WWIVnet at MAELMORD@3460.] >< ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Updated SS7 Area Table (Areas with SS7 as of 08/91) Area / Telco ============================/======================== Dallas, TX / Southwestern Bell Atlanta, GA / BellSouth Tampa, FL / BellSouth?/GTE Boise, ID / USWest All of New Jersey / United & NJ Bell Las Vegas, NV / Centel Virginia / Contel/C&P Washington, D.C. / Contel/C&P Kentucky / GTE Austin, TX / Southwestern Bell Olathe, KS / Southwestern Bell Los Angeles, CA / Pacific Bell Maine / Bell Atlantic? Vermont / Bell Atlantic? Michigan / Ameritech Maryland / Contel/C&P Nebraska / Ameritech Tennessee / BellSouth? South Carolina / BellSouth? West Virginia / Contel/C&P New Orleans, LA / GTE? ============================/======================== >< ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Distribution Sites As of 08/91, the public distribution sites with the New Fone Express include: * Secret Society The Logic Board (314) 831-9039 (518) 356-5711 3/1200 bps 3/12/2400 bps WWIVNet 3460 WWIVnet 5852 Central Distribution Site Solsbury Hill The Portal/Angel Station (301) 428-3268 (314) 434-4873 3/12/24/9600HST 3/12/24/9600HST Usenet feed FidoNet: 1:100/445 1500+ text files Official EFF/CUD Archive Site A * indicates a system with a 'captive account,' or an account specifically for downloading the NFX. Solsbury Hill may be supporting one in the near future. Many thanks to the sysops supporting the NFX, and free speech in general. >< ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ AS/400 Product Line IBM's relatively new line of midrange 'computing solutions' are rapidly gaining acceptance in medium- to large- sized businesses. This article provides a quick rundown on the AS/400 models currently in production and some common software products. However, most business-specific applications seem to be either custom-written or vertical-market types provided by IBM. This article deals with the D models. Note: Each successive model entry builds on the last in the same processor line. In other words, within the 9404 processor models, the D25 has all the features of the D20, and the D20 has all the features of the D10. Also, DASD is a form of a hard drive storage array. The AS/400s are built at IBM's Rochester, Minnesota facility. AS/400 9402 Models D04 and D06 These two models are a 'low-cost introduction' to the AS/400 line. Both come with 8 Mb of RAM standard, an 800-Mb DASD (Direct Access Storage Device), a 120-Mb quarter-inch tape backup, a communications adapter and either a twinax or an ASCII workstation controller. (Twinax is a type of cabling.) The D04 is expandable to 16MB RAM, 1.6GB DASD, and up to 28 twinax or 12 ASCII workstations. The D06 supports up to 20MB of RAM, 1.6GB DASD, and up to 54 workstations. They are both slightly smaller than a tower AT system. The base price for the D04 is $12,500, and the base D06 costs $16,500. AS/400 9404 Models D10, D20, D25 These three models are the low- to mid-range of the AS/400 line. The D10 comes with 8 MB standard, and is expandable to 32MB. It includes a 525Mb quarter-inch tape backup and 800Mb of DASD. The DASD is expandable to 4.8GB. Optionally, the D04 can handle 80 local twinax workstations, 72 ASCII workstations, and two LAN connections. The D20 is a D10 with RAM expandability to 40MB, thereby increasing the machine's transaction capability. The D25 allows for memory expandability to 64MB, thanks to a 32MB main storage card. The D20 and D25 have a sister tower about as large as the main unit, the same size as the D04. The D25 has a box-like protrusion on the top of the sister tower. The base prices are $14,600 for the D10, $28,500 for the D12, and $61,900 for the D25. AS/400 9406 Models D35, D45, D50, D60, D70 and D80 These six models are the top of the AS/400 line, ranging in size from the 'five-drawer file cabinet' size of the D35 to the 'large' D80, probably about 6« feet high, 4 feet deep and 30 feet long. All six are rack-mounted and come with two communication lines standard, one used for 'Electronic Customer Support,' another IBM 'innovation.' They have standard battery backup and 1.28GB of DASD storage. They use fiber-optic buses, which allow for higher speeds and the capability to place DASD storage units up to 100 meters away from the CPU. The D35's RAM can be expanded up to 72MB of RAM, 28.7GB of DASD, and supports up to 240 local workstations, 16 communications lines, 4 LANS and up to 8 optical dataservers (probably jukeboxes), each with a capacity of 19.5GB. It also supports two direct bus connections. The D45 can be expanded to support up to 400 local twinax workstations, 8 optical dataservers and 32 communications lines. According to IBM's estimate, the D45 handles up to 45% more transactions than the D35. The D50 has a 128MB RAM capacity. along with DASD expandability of 49.3GB. It supports up to 600 twinax workstations, 4 LANs, 32 communication lines, 14 optical dataservers and 3 bus connections. All models starting with the D50 also use "high-speed, intelligent memory," probably a processor cache. The D60 is expandable to 192MB RAM, 76.7GB of DASD storage, 800 twinax workstations, 4 LANs, 32 communication lines, 14 optical dataservers and 5 bus connections. The D70 is expandable up to 256MB RAM, 76.7GB of DASD, and supports DASD mirroring for a maximum DASD capacity of 38.3GB, if the system is fully mirrored. It supports up to 1200 twinax workstations and 48 communication lines. The D80 is the top of IBM's AS/400 line, incorporating not only 2,000 local twinax workstations, 64 communication lines, 124.3GB of DASD, 384MB of main memory and up to seven bus connections, but also IBM's N-WAY Multiprocessor Architecture, which consists of two processors 'arranged in parallel fashion.' (I'd guess it's a shared-memory system.) Base prices: D35, $30,000; D45, $62,700; D50, $105,000; D60, $200,000; D70, $310,000; D80, $595,000. Operating System/400 The OS/400 product is the 'only IBM-supported' operating system that the AS/400 line runs on. Currently up to version 2 release 1, OS/400 supports SAA, mirroring, auxiliary DASD storage pools, and concurrent maintenance (allowing malfunctioning hard drives to be replaced while the mirrored system stays online). Summary Many important and interesting applications run on AS/400s, such as Callpath/400 or perhaps the ATM Network application. They are definitely worth looking into. A list of commands for OS/400 can be found on Angel Station or Secret Society. (See the list above this article of NFX Distribution Sites.) >< ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Cracking Confidentials Welcome to a new corner in the newsletter this month. I have decided to start posting some info about the IBM Pirate world in addition to the Phreak world info that is available here. What I hope to due in the future is offer you the chance to see what new games are out and what new games are planning to come out. Well the long-awaited "Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe" is out now. After over nine months of delays Lucasfilm has finally started shipping copies of the game directly out to customers. You can order it directly by calling 1-800-STARWARS, and it should retail at around $40 from what I have heard. Also expected to ship this month is Mega Fortress, which is based on the book "Flight of the Old Dog." Origin Systems has also announced that Wing Commander 2 is due out on software shelves of Babbages stores by the end of the month. This comes after much hyping of the game and a push back of a few months. America On-Line has also introduced a new D&D on-line game. You must download from them the game and then run it external from the AOL software that they provide to you. It allows you to operate in the familiar AD&D Gold Box environment that SSI has made very popular. The game cost $19.95 to down, but there is no additional charge to play it on-line. You are also supposed to be able to interact with other players that are on-line in a real-time environment to allow groups to explore the game together. Rumors have that due to America On-Line's interactive graphical games, Genie also has similar plans in the works. It seems that they have contracted Kesmai to develop a new multi-play MechWarrior to run on the Genie network. It is supposed to encompass some of the politics between the houses and it is supposed to allow players to join and form units to accomplish missions or simply challenge other players to duels. There is even supposed to be a way to announce these challenges over the net and allow players to place bets on the outcome for more gaming money. Apparently it is being play- tested on a VAX right now. There is also going to be a Harpoon on-line multi-player game on Genie. It seems that Don Gilman, who is the creator of the PC version, has play-tested it and is quite impressed with the work. There is no word at this time though when it will be made available to the public. It seems that Data East has picked up the license from FASA to create a computer game of their popular Shadowrun cyberpunk role-playing game. Also speaking of cyberpunk games, Dynamix was please enough with the response they got from Rise of the Dragon, that they are planning on going to do a sequel to it. Here is a list of the new games that have come out in the last few months. A-10 Tank Killer 1.5 Armageddon 2525 Back to the Future 3 Castles Corporation Rock 'n Roll Tom & the Ghost Moonshine Racers D-Generation (Beta version) Forgotten Worlds Mario Andretti's Racing Challenge The Terminator Vengeance of Excalibur Gateway to the Savage Empire Lemmings Xenocide Chuck Yeager's Combat Simulator Martian Dreams Eagle Rider Transworld Team Yankee Predator 2 Falcon 3.0 (Demo) Wing Commander 2 (Demo) Leisure Suit Larry 5 (Demo) Might & Magic 3 (Demo) Rules of Engagement MegaTraveller 2 Gold of the Aztecs Worlds at War Where in America's Past is Carmen This is just a few of the games that have come out in the last few month. I'm not even going to try and include all of the imports that have been coming in because that would about double the above list. Ok let's look at some of the new games that are planning on coming out. Tony La Russa's Baseball Magic Candle 2 Bard's Tale Construction Set Pool of Darkness (AD&D) F-117A Stealth Fighter Conflict: Middle East Legends of Robin Hood The Rocketeer Conspiracy Ultima VII - The Black Gate Romance of the 3 Kingdoms 2 L'Empereur The Perfect General The Lost Admiral World Class Soccer Thunder Hawk Might & Magic 3 Leisure Suit Larry 5 Megafortress Wordtris (3rd in line of Tetris) Pro Tennis Tour 2 Murder Conan the Cimmerian Shuttle Wing Commander 2 Falcon 3.0 Indiana Jones & The Fate of Atlantis Police Quest 3: The Kindred Secret of Money Island: LeChuck's Earthlin Codename: White Shadow Strike Commander Sim-Ant (it's really a game) SimCity 2 Civilization Crisis in the Kremlin UltraBot:Sancation Earth Some of the games listed above have ads in the magazines showing what they should look like once they are out, and others are games that I have read about from insider columns that talk about games that are scheduled to be brought out. If you would like to know more about a game, or possibly see a review of a game, let us know and we will try to do our best. Thanks. by- Doc Scurlock [TC: Doc Scurlock can be reached c/o The Cavalier in one of the addresses in the header.] >< ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Trendwatcher Note: Special thanks to Doc Scurlock and Silicon Avalanche for some of the information contained herein. Baron Majette, the first person to be charged in the Operation Sundevil investigation, was sentenced last week to 120 days in a "shock incarceration" center and five years' probation and was ordered to pay restitution of nearly $20,000. Majette, who authorities said used the handle of Doc Savage, was charged in March with telephone and credit-card fraud, among other crimes. Majette pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of a single felony in May. (Computerworld, July 22, 1991) Better erase all those pirated copies of Autocad -- Autodesk, the maker of the computer-aided design package, has been busting organizations right and left. One of the more prominent is Southern Technical College, which among other penalties, was forced to pay a "six-figure settlement" to Autodesk. Borland has recently purchased Ashton-Tate, the maker of dBase. Comsec, the security firm founded by former members of the Legion of Doom, recently social-engineered several security firms, claiming to be an executive from Landmark Graphics, a Houston, TX-based software publisher. A Next computer at the Electronic Frontier Foundation was recently hacked into through rexd (a remote-execution daemon), according to Effector. Apple Computer has put in a request to the FCC to allocate the 1850 to 1990 MHz band for its wireless LAN, called Data-PCS. This frequency band, in contrast to the 18-GHz band used by the Altair LAN, is a lot easier to interfere with or monitor. Automatic teller machines, or ATMs, exchange data at 2400 BPS over a packet network. The machines change their DES-based encryption keys every 10 minutes, based on an initial seed value supplied in a call by the net handler when the machine powers up. CompuCom is selling a $200 module for their modems that will automatically supply Caller ID information to the computer when called. LTC Telephone, which serves Texas, Massachusetts, Nevada, and New Mexico, has been calling around recently to inquire about calls that could be 'double-billed,' and asking if the callee can supply the phone number and/or name of the person that called them. THG has been busted by Novell. Two THG boards are down, Red Dot and Wishlist, and THG thinks there are more busts planned. Knight Lightning has graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and is going off to Washington D.C. to be an EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) lobbyist. The FCC has voted 5-0 to relax regulation on AT&T's long-haul communication products, such as the ASDS line and private digital lines. AT&T is taking a $1.5 billion writeoff to modernize its PBX product line in response to challenges from Northern Telecom in the form of its Meridian One Option 11 PBX (mentioned in NFX #2). AT&T is discontinuing the Merlin 2, Merlin Plus, and the System 25 low-end PBXs, along with the mid-range System 75 and 85 switches. The new AT&T low/mid-range PBX, the Merlin Legend, is capable of interfacing with AT&T's high-end Definity switches. The U.S. Government is expected to file its response to a lawsuit lodged against law enforcers in the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Secret Service and a security chief at Bellcore. The suit, which cites a variety of First- and Fourth-Amendment violations, was filed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation in May. The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill that would impose criminal penalties for software copyright infringement. The bill would impose a fine of up to $250,000 and a prison term of up to two years for illegal reproduction or distribution of 11 to 49 software copies. Currently, first-time piracy is a misdemeanor. (Both from Computerworld, August 12, 1991) In a brilliant display of true IBM foresight, IBM is discontinuing the 8514/A graphics card on Oct. 2, because it has been outmoded (quite literally) by IBM's XGA card. >< ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Editorial "The U.S.S.R. and rolling..." News: We've dropped our subscription price $10! Since it's now cheaper for us to copy it, it's now cheaper for you to buy it. Check out the header for more info. The Soviet Union (if it's still a union at the time I'm writing this) is starting to dip into mass chaos. Now, call me opportunistic, but wouldn't it be great to get some Russians into hack/phreak? (more like, call me crazy.) No, but seriously: their telephone network is not worth the wire that connects it. And since there's no shortage of genuine shit-disturbers in the USSR, why not? Oh well, 'twas an idea..... This issue has turned out a lot better than I thought it would. For one thing, we now have a regular piracy column written by Doc Scurlock: "Cracking Confidentials." Check it out, along with the article written by Antisocial on "Gas Tank Blues." Maelmord got really gung-ho and typed in the better part of the Material Safety Data Sheets for Ammonium Nitrate and Anhydrous Hydrazine (wonderful stuff, eh?), along with instructions on what to do with 'em. As for Silicon Avalanche's Pick Tutorial installment, that has been postponed until next month. I don't have that much to say this month, other than to say this: If you write an article for us and you're willing to give us your name and address, you'll get a FREE printed edition of the issue your article is in. Thanks in advance if you decide to. Until next time.. "Thanks for your support." ><