------------------------------ From: Ah, Sordid Subject: From the Mailbag Date: March 12, 1991 ******************************************************************** *** CuD #3.08: File 2 of 6: From the Mailbag *** ******************************************************************** Subject: SWBell PUC ruling a bad precedent. Date: Fri, 8 Mar 91 16:11:22 CST From: peter@taronga.hackercorp.com (Peter da Silva) > From: Visualize Whirled Peas > Subject: Sounds good... court ruling on BBS in SW Bell The associated ruling is *not* a good precedent for future cases or law, because it establishes that the phone company can charge based on the type of information shipped over a phone line, rather than on the usage patterns, whether the customer is running a business, or one of the established bases for discriminating between customers. With the phone companies trying to get into the information provider business this is a bad precedent indeed. I understand that Hirsch and co had other concerns, but we're all going to have to watch the various PUCs like a hawk for references to this. Don't let it become an accepted practice, or the future may see BBSes charged out of existence while the phone companies push videotext services like Prodigy or SWBell's "Sourceline". -- Peter da Silva. `-_-' peter@ferranti.com +1 713 274 5180. 'U` "Have you hugged your wolf today?" ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ From: P.A.Taylor@EDINBURGH.AC.UK Subject: Re: QUick quesiton Date: 09 Mar 91 13:04:32 gmt Hi, I'm a 2nd year postgrad doing a PhD on the rise of the computer security industry, system break-ins, browsing and viruses. 1. Would any of you be prepared to answer a questionnaire with the possibility of a more in-depth e-mail discussion if you are amenable to it? 2. Is there anyone out there in The Netherlands or Germany who would be prepared to brave a face-to-face interview with me. I was planning to go to those countries in 3-4 weeks time and possibly again in the summer. Obviously, I would also be keen to interview anyone in the U.K. at any time. ALL RESPONSES ETC. WILL BE TREATED WITH THE UTMOST CONFIDENCE AND ANY FINDINGS WILL ONLY BE USED FOR ACADEMIC PURPOSES AND NEVER WITHOUT THE PRIOR CONSENT OF THE SUBJECT. I CAN SUPPLY BONA FIDES OF MY ACADEMIC STATUS IF REQUESTED. Thanks very much in advance, Paul A. Taylor Department of Politics, Edinburgh University. P.S. I WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO *BOTH* SIDES OF THE SECURITY DEBATE. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ From: zane@DDSW1.MCS.COM Subject: Civil Disobedience" and Freedom in the 90's Date: Sun, 20 Jan 91 19:54:47 CST Our freedoms today are being rapidly eaten up. The RICO laws and Operation Sundevil are examples of this. Eric Postpischil (edp@jareth.enet.dec.com) has written a very good article giving examples of our rights and how the government is observing them in this the 200th anniversary of the Bill of Rights. But I will not dwell on what is going wrong; I think that many of you already know that we live in a near-police state and those of you who don't are quite the optimists. Many people are complaining about these rights and their loss, yet no one seems to be doing anything. On the RipCo, I was commended for my bravery for writing a letter to my Senator. There is nothing brave about this. What is brave is actively protesting, such as those who are currently protesting the War in Iraq, or, even more brave, those who are trying to make their views on abortion known, from lying in the paths of potential abortions, to simply marching on the capitol. We in the Electronic Frontier have no such people. Most people in the Electronic Frontier are people who WANT something done, but are not willing to go about doing it. The Electronic Frontier Foundation is a prime example. The EFF has done quite a bit for Freedom in the Electronic Frontier, but it is just waiting, waiting for change to come about slowly by petitioning the legislator. This is very slow, and by the time that works, it will be out of date. I had thought that what the EFF was doing was good enough, until I read "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau. Then I realized that more must be done. One person can make a difference, and we are many. We do not have to wait until we convince the majority, says Thoreau, all we have to do is do what we feel is right, and change will come about. Thoreau, because he did not want to pledge his allegiance to the State, did not pay his poll tax for six years. He did not like the actions of the government, so therefore did not want to support them with his money. (The actions at that time were the Mexican-American War, and slavery.) He did not wait until his petitions to his legislators were answered, they are sluggish. He constituted a "majority of one." Something must be done to protect our freedoms in this nation. We have a great code in our Bill of Rights. We must protect that. That is our obligation as citizens and patriots. Current actions are very slow, and more MUST be done. "Civil Disobedience" can be obtained at the CuD archive at cudarch@chsun1.uchicago.edu, ftp.cs.widener.edu, or by archive server at archive-server@chsun1.uchicago.edu. Read it. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ From: Rambo Pacifist Subject: Computers, Movies, Media, and Madness Date: Sun, 10 Mar 91 21:28:21 PST Bob Izenberg's summary of bad computer flix reminded of a few others. Who can forget that giant system in the tv show The Prisoner? Anybody ever see that system, that probably didn't have the capacity of a 386 s/x, actually DO anything? And what about the computer banks in all those B-movies? Lots of lights with some poor schlub sitting in front of them--what are all those lights for? They're all designed alike. Wonder if AT&T owns the proprietary source code for the set design. There is a merciful god, because I've forgotten the name of the flick where the computer falls in love with some kid and tries to subvert his romance with a real-life bimbette who prances around with mindless dialogue and rice-pudding for brains--the sad thing is, it's not intended to be so mindless. And anybody remember the Lost in Space computer? But my favorite all time computer is from Bad Science--I'm typing this during a thunder storm hoping something will get zapped and it will clone another Rachel Ward. With my luck, tho, I'd get a coupla' Unix. ******************************************************************** >> END OF THIS FILE << ***************************************************************************