December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

IP: DNA-Powered Computers: Patent Received
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: believer(a)telepath.com Subject: IP: DNA-Powered Computers: Patent Received Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1998 10:31:49 -0500 To: believer(a)telepath.com Source: New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/yr/mo/day/news/financial/patents.html September 14, 1998 PATENTS Solve Computer Problems With DNA By TERESA RIORDAN Four years ago, Dr. Leonard Adleman raised the exciting possibility of DNA-powered supercomputers when he wrote in the journal Science that he had solved a computational problem essentially by stirring up some DNA in a test tube, using building blocks of DNA as computing symbols. The technique, in concept, involves the use of DNA -- strands of genetic code -- as a stand-in for computer software code. Adleman, a professor at the University of Southern California, set up his problem by synthesizing DNA in a certain sequence and then letting DNA molecules react in a test tube so they ultimately produce a molecule whose sequence is the answer to the problem. He used the chemical units of DNA rather than electronic 1s and 0s to solve a single, relatively simple problem: figuring out the shortest distance someone would have to travel to visit a number of different cities -- similar to a standard math problem referred to as the "traveling salesman tour problem." But last week Dr. Warren Smith and Dr. Allan Schweitzer, two scientists at the NEC Research Institute in Princeton, N.J., received what appears to be the first patent covering a DNA computing process that at least theoretically can solve not just a single problem but a broad array of problems, just as a conventional desktop computer might. The patent describes a way to concoct a vat of DNA molecules that have been manipulated by standard biotechnology techniques -- such as the cutting, splicing and growing of DNA strands -- to behave like miniature computers. All these molecular-size computers would operate in parallel, with each one exploring different possible computational paths to solve a problem, potentially speeding up computing time greatly. The patent details a way to use genetic material to construct a large number of what are called Turing machines, all running in parallel, with each exploring different possible computational paths. (A Turing machine is a theoretical construct, first proposed in 1937 by the British computer scientist Alan Turing, that provides the schematic outline upon which digital computers are based.) Despite the new patent, Smith does not sound optimistic these days about the patented technique. "Some of the DNA molecules do the right step," he said in an interview, describing the process. "But then some other fraction just dissolve and get flushed down the drain." This and other problems lead to an exponential buildup in errors during the calculations. In addition, the operations of this DNA computing so far are slow-going, taking hours. "This does appear to be the first patent to issue in this area," said David Waltz, an NEC vice president. "But will this be the basis of a new industry, and will everyone have to take out a license on it in the future? That's not so clear." Smith and Schweitzer received patent number 5,804,373. Patents are available by number for $3 from the Patent and Trademark Office, Washington, D.C. 20231. Copyright 1998 The New York Times Company ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- ********************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address ********************************************** www.telepath.com/believer **********************************************

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SNET: [FP] FW: Want to Travel? Not W/O Your Biometric Passport
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: "ScanThisNews" <mcdonalds(a)airnet.net> (by way of jeremy.compton(a)stonebow.otago.ac.nz (Jeremy Compton)) Subject: SNET: [FP] FW: Want to Travel? Not W/O Your Biometric Passport Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1998 15:01:38 +1200 To: snetnews(a)world.std.com -> SNETNEWS Mailing List ====================================================================== SCAN THIS NEWS 9/15/98 [forwarded message] US Takes Immigration in Hand by Theta Pavis http://www.wired.com/news/news/technology/story/15014.html Sep 15, 1998 It's been 44 years since Ellis Island closed shop, but immigration can still be a long, tiresome process. In an effort to speed the process for international travelers, the US Immigration and Naturalization Service is offering a biometric system for willing frequent flyers. So far, 71,000 people in six airports have signed up for the system, called INSPASS. It employs a biometric kiosk to scan and match the geometric dimensions of travelers' hands, verify their identities, and perform standard background checks. The INS plans to expand the program to four additional airports by the end of the year. "It creates a fast lane for people," said James Wayman, head of the federally funded National Biometric Test Center at San Jose State University. The kiosks were integrated by EDS, which has had a US$300 million contract with the INS for automation support and software development since 1994. This summer, the INS awarded a new, five-year information-technology contract worth $750 million to EDS and four other companies. Ann Cohen, an EDS vice president in the government services group, said the fact that so many people have signed up for the INSPASS system shows that biometrics are becoming more popular and could be commonplace in the future. "Were getting over that 'Big Brother' hurdle," Cohen said. As e-commerce develops and terrorism grows, biometrics increasingly are the "only sure way to get security." US and Canadian citizens flying overseas on business at least three times a year are eligible for the free INSPASS program. People from Bermuda and 26 other countries that have visa-waiver agreements with the United States are also eligible. The INSPASS kiosks, which look like ATM machines, were recently installed at the Los Angeles International Airport, where more than 1,000 people have enrolled in the program. Rico Cabrera, a spokesman with the INS Los Angeles regional office, said travelers like the fact that INSPASS can check their identity in 16 to 60 seconds, a process that can take up to three hours at some airports. The largest group of INSPASS users at LAX are US citizens, followed by Australians and New Zealanders. After filling out a one-page form and passing a background check, travelers can be issued a Port Pass card with their picture and a 12-number ID on it. A traveler inserts the card in the kiosk, which reads the ID number and links to a centralized database run by US Customs. A geometric hand template is called up from the database and transferred to the kiosk. After a green light flashes, the right hand is placed on a reflective surface -- the ID-3D Handkey, made by Recognition Systems. The HandKey uses a video camera to take a geometric image of the traveler's hand and fingers, and the data is converted using compression algorithms. If it matches the template of the hand stored in the database, the traveler is in. INSPASS kiosks are also in use at airports in Newark, Miami, Kennedy (New York), Pearson (Toronto), and Vancouver, British Columbia. The INS eventually plans to install them at most busy international airports around the country, including Washington, San Francisco, Seattle, and Honolulu. The department has geared the programtoward business travelers, diplomats, airline personnel, and other "low-risk" visitors. Some argue that the INS hasn't done enough to market the program. Jeffrey Betts, WorldWide Solution Manager for IBM -- which has developed FastGate, a kiosk similar to INSPASS -- said people aren't enrolling fast enough in the INS system. International arrivals at airports across the globe are growing every year by 7 to 10 percent, Betts said, but border control resources are flat or declining. In 1996, some 65,000 people were enrolled in the INSPASS program, but the program has added just 6,000 new users since then. IBM, which has been running a small pilot program of FastGate in Bermuda for the past year, is building a system where people can swipe a credit card through a kiosk at the airport and connect with a database where the biometrics are stored. "Governments will have to find ways to do more with less or force travelers to queue like cattle," Betts said. While the government plans on marketing INSPASS more aggressively in the future, Schmidt said, INS is counting on word of mouth to get new people enrolled. "We don't really have the budget for a huge marketing campaign," she said. -----Original Message----- From: Patrick Poole [mailto:ppoole@fcref.org] Sent: Tuesday, September 15, 1998 5:09 PM Subject: Want to Travel? Not W/O Your Biometric Passport ======================================================================= Don't believe anything you read on the Net unless: 1) you can confirm it with another source, and/or 2) it is consistent with what you already know to be true. ======================================================================= Reply to: <fingerprint(a)networkusa.org> ======================================================================= To subscribe to the free Scan This News newsletter, send a message to <majordomo(a)efga.org> and type "subscribe scan" in the BODY. Or, to be removed type "unsubscribe scan" in the message BODY. For additional instructions see www.efga.org/about/maillist.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------- "Scan This News" is Sponsored by S.C.A.N. Host of the "FIGHT THE FINGERPRINT!" web page: www.networkusa.org/fingerprint.shtml ======================================================================= -> Send "subscribe snetnews " to majordomo(a)world.std.com -> Posted by: "ScanThisNews" <mcdonalds(a)airnet.net> (by way of jeremy.compton(a)stonebow.otago.ac.nz (Jeremy Compton))

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SNET: [FP] FW: Arkansas: Digital/Biometric Drivers License System
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: "ScanThisNews" <mcdonalds(a)airnet.net> (by way of jeremy.compton(a)stonebow.otago.ac.nz (Jeremy Compton)) Subject: SNET: [FP] FW: Arkansas: Digital/Biometric Drivers License System Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1998 15:01:36 +1200 To: snetnews(a)world.std.com -> SNETNEWS Mailing List [forwarded message] Source: PR Newswire http://www.prnewswire.com Viisage Technology, Inc. to Provide Statewide Digital Drivers License System In Arkansas LITTLETON, Mass., Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Viisage Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: VISG), a leader in the emerging field of biometrics technology and in providing digital identification systems and solutions, has been awarded a $10.4 million contract by the State of Arkansas to provide a new digital drivers license system with 158 locations across the State. Mike Munns, Arkansas Administrator of Driver Services, said, "We conducted a comprehensive process to identify the best system value for Arkansas drivers while seeking to improve the quality of service in our offices and obtain the best technology available. Viisage not only met these requirements, they also demonstrated an understanding of our needs and a commitment to be a true partner in this important project." Tom Colatosti, Viisage Vice President and COO, said, "We are pleased about the opportunity to partner with the Arkansas Office of Driver Services to provide Arkansas drivers with leadership technology and the most secure licenses available. The Arkansas contract will be managed by the company's systems integration and identification card division that was established in May 1998 when the company reorganized to create separate systems integration and biometrics divisions. This contract increases the company's market share in the drivers license business and will contribute to the growth and profitability of the systems integration and identification card division." Bob Hughes, Viisage President and CEO, said, "The biometrics division will continue to raise capital and invest profits, as needed, to develop its unique facial recognition technology and products. These products will be sold through channels, including the company's systems integration division, for identification, verification, security and other biometric applications. Biometrics technology and, in particular, Viisage's facial recognition technology are receiving intense interest from many market segments. Viisage seeks to achieve long term growth and profitability by penetrating these new markets and developing products to meet market needs." With the Arkansas contract, Viisage systems provide more than 100 million digital identification cards under contracts for drivers license programs in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin, and for social services programs in Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York. Other Viisage projects include voter registration programs in Jamaica and the Philippines and programs with the Ohio Department of Corrections and the U.S. Department of Treasury's Immigration and Naturalization Service. Viisage also has the world's largest facial recognition database with projects in Massachusetts and Illinois. Viisage is a leading provider of digital identification systems and solutions intended to improve personal convenience and security, deter fraud and reduce identification program costs. The company combines its systems integration and software design capabilities with its proprietary software and hardware products to create custom solutions in a wide range of applications that can include national ID's, drivers licenses, law enforcement, voter registration, social services, access control and information, healthcare, financial services and retail. Viisage has also devoted significant resources to become a leader in the emerging field of biometrics with particular emphasis on patented facial recognition technology for real-time and large database identification and verification of individuals. Viisage can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.viisage.com. This news release may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this document and those made from time to time by the Company through its senior management are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements concerning future plans or results are necessarily only estimates and actual results could differ materially from expectations. Certain factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, among other things, potential fluctuations in quarterly results, the size and timing of award and performance on contracts, dependence on large contracts and a limited number of customers, lengthy sales and implementation cycles, changes in management estimates incident to accounting for contracts, availability and cost of key components, market acceptance of new or enhanced products and services, proprietary technology and changing technology, competitive conditions, system performance, management of growth, dependence on key personnel and general economic and political conditions and other factors affecting spending by customers. SOURCE Viisage Technology, Inc. Web Site: http://www.viisage.com ©1998 PR Newswire. ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- -----Original Message----- From: believer(a)telepath.com [mailto:believer@telepath.com] Sent: Tuesday, September 15, 1998 9:51 AM To: believer(a)telepath.com Subject: Arkansas: Digital/Biometric Drivers License System -> Send "subscribe snetnews " to majordomo(a)world.std.com -> Posted by: "ScanThisNews" <mcdonalds(a)airnet.net> (by way of jeremy.compton(a)stonebow.otago.ac.nz (Jeremy Compton))

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IP: [Fwd: Newspapers that have called for President Clinton'sresignation.]
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: jlbtexas <jlbtexas(a)swbell.net> Subject: IP: [Fwd: Newspapers that have called for President Clinton'sresignation.] Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1998 19:22:09 -0500 To: Ignition Point <Ignition-Point(a)majordomo.pobox.com> This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --------------748814E7F8CA61AC43FE785D Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit --------------748814E7F8CA61AC43FE785D Content-Type: message/rfc822 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline Return-Path: <spiker(a)amnix.com> Received: from mail-gw1adm.rcsntx.swbell.net (mail-gw1adm.rcsntx.swbell.net [151.164.60.101]) by mail1.rcsntx.swbell.net (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id TAA04511; Tue, 15 Sep 1998 19:23:25 -0500 (CDT) Received: from smokies.amnix.com (smokies.amnix.com [207.174.29.6]) by mail-gw1adm.rcsntx.swbell.net (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id TAA08204; Tue, 15 Sep 1998 19:23:24 -0500 (CDT) Received: from x (ppp-15.dialup2.den.amnix.com [207.174.29.147]) by smokies.amnix.com (8.8.8/8.8.8) with SMTP id SAA06718; Tue, 15 Sep 1998 18:09:30 -0600 (MDT) (envelope-from spiker(a)amnix.com) Message-Id: <4.0.1.19980915180207.0115aa20(a)amnix.com> X-Sender: spiker(a)amnix.com X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Pro Version 4.0.1 Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1998 18:18:49 -0600 To: repub-d(a)u.washington.edu (New Republican Discussion List) From: spiker <spiker(a)amnix.com> Subject: Newspapers that have called for President Clinton's resignation. Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; types="text/plain,text/html"; boundary="=====================_41497386==_.ALT" --=====================_41497386==_.ALT Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Newspapers that have called for President Clinton's resignation. AP Sept. 15=20 (AP) =97 Newspapers that have called for President Clinton's resignation. Some of those listed did so before the release of Kenneth Starr's report on Sept.= 11.=20 NATIONAL:=20 USA Today=20 ALABAMA:=20 The Dothan Eagle=20 The Mobile Register=20 Montgomery Advertiser=20 ARIZONA:=20 The Daily Dispatch of Douglas=20 CALIFORNIA:=20 San Jose Mercury News=20 COLORADO:=20 The Denver Post=20 CONNECTICUT:=20 The Day of New London=20 Norwich Bulletin=20 FLORIDA:=20 Tampa Tribune=20 GEORGIA:=20 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution=20 The Augusta Chronicle.=20 The Daily Citizen-News, Dalton=20 ILLINOIS:=20 Chicago Tribune=20 INDIANA:=20 The Indianapolis Star=20 The Reporter of Lebanon=20 Chronicle-Tribune of Marion=20 IOWA:=20 The Des Moines Register=20 LOUISIANA:=20 The Times-Picayune of New Orleans=20 MICHIGAN:=20 The Grand Rapids Press=20 MINNESOTA:=20 Post-Bulletin of Rochester=20 MISSISSIPPI:=20 Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo=20 NEBRASKA:=20 Lincoln Journal Star=20 NEVADA:=20 Reno Gazette-Journal=20 NEW MEXICO:=20 Albuquerque Journal=20 NEW YORK:=20 Sunday Freeman of Kingston=20 Utica Observer-Dispatch=20 NORTH CAROLINA:=20 The Herald-Sun of Durham=20 Winston-Salem Journal=20 OHIO:=20 The Repository, Canton=20 The Cincinnati Enquirer=20 The News-Messenger, Fremont=20 News Journal, Mansfield=20 News-Herald, Port Clinton=20 OKLAHOMA:=20 Tulsa World=20 OREGON:=20 Statesman Journal, Salem=20 PENNSYLVANIA:=20 The Sentinel, Carlisle=20 The Daily Intelligencer, Doylestown=20 Standard-Speaker, Hazleton=20 The Philadelphia Inquirer=20 The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette=20 Daily American, Somerset=20 SOUTH CAROLINA:=20 The State, Columbia=20 SOUTH DAKOTA:=20 Argus Leader, Sioux Falls=20 TENNESSEE:=20 The Knoxville News-Sentinel=20 The Commercial Appeal, Memphis=20 TEXAS:=20 The Facts of Brazoria County=20 San Antonio Express-News=20 Tyler Morning Telegraph=20 UTAH:=20 Standard-Examiner, Ogden=20 The Spectrum, St. George=20 The Salt Lake City Tribune=20 WASHINGTON:=20 The Seattle Times=20 WISCONSIN:=20 The Post-Crescent, Appleton=20 The Journal Times, Racine=20 --=====================_41497386==_.ALT Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <html> Newspapers that have called for President Clinton's resignation. AP Sept. 15 (AP) =97 Newspapers that have called for President Clinton's resignation. Some of those listed did so before the release of Kenneth Starr's report on Sept. 11. NATIONAL: USA Today ALABAMA: The Dothan Eagle The Mobile Register Montgomery Advertiser ARIZONA: The Daily Dispatch of Douglas CALIFORNIA: San Jose Mercury News COLORADO: The Denver Post CONNECTICUT: The Day of New London Norwich Bulletin FLORIDA: Tampa Tribune GEORGIA: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution The Augusta Chronicle. The Daily Citizen-News, Dalton ILLINOIS: Chicago Tribune INDIANA: The Indianapolis Star The Reporter of Lebanon Chronicle-Tribune of Marion IOWA: The Des Moines Register LOUISIANA: The Times-Picayune of New Orleans MICHIGAN: The Grand Rapids Press MINNESOTA: Post-Bulletin of Rochester MISSISSIPPI: Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, Tupelo NEBRASKA: Lincoln Journal Star NEVADA: Reno Gazette-Journal NEW MEXICO: Albuquerque Journal NEW YORK: Sunday Freeman of Kingston Utica Observer-Dispatch NORTH CAROLINA: The Herald-Sun of Durham Winston-Salem Journal OHIO: The Repository, Canton The Cincinnati Enquirer The News-Messenger, Fremont News Journal, Mansfield News-Herald, Port Clinton OKLAHOMA: Tulsa World OREGON: Statesman Journal, Salem PENNSYLVANIA: The Sentinel, Carlisle The Daily Intelligencer, Doylestown Standard-Speaker, Hazleton The Philadelphia Inquirer The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Daily American, Somerset SOUTH CAROLINA: The State, Columbia SOUTH DAKOTA: Argus Leader, Sioux Falls TENNESSEE: The Knoxville News-Sentinel The Commercial Appeal, Memphis TEXAS: The Facts of Brazoria County San Antonio Express-News Tyler Morning Telegraph UTAH: Standard-Examiner, Ogden The Spectrum, St. George The Salt Lake City Tribune WASHINGTON: The Seattle Times WISCONSIN: The Post-Crescent, Appleton The Journal Times, Racine </html> --=====================_41497386==_.ALT-- --------------748814E7F8CA61AC43FE785D-- ********************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address ********************************************** www.telepath.com/believer **********************************************

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----> http://stuffed.net/98/9/16/ <----
by STUFFED NEWS DAILY 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Welcome to today's issue of Stuffed. To read it you should click on the URL above. If it is not made clickable by your email program you will need to use your mouse to highlight the URL, copy it and then paste it into your browser (then press Return). This email is never sent unsolicited. Stuffed is the supplement for the Eureka newsletter you subscribed to. Full instructions on unsubscribing are in every issue of Eureka! ----> http://stuffed.net/98/9/16/ <----

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Re: Democracy...
by Vivek Vaidya 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

>At Tuesday, you wrote: >>> 1)Love the Lord, with all your heart, with all you soul with all your >>> mind and all your strength >>> 2)Love you neibour as yourself. >>> >>> Everything else hangs on these. >>> >>Ever heard of seperation of church and state? Democracy? the rights >>of the individual? While you certainly have the right to practice >>your religion in what ever manner you so choose demanding that >>everyone else does, or that the president of the us of ais subject >>to you PERSONAL faith decisions is outragous > >I believe you are confusing church with religion. >Religion has nothing to do with Churches and the dogmas they follow. >Like Ethics have nothing to do with Law. > >The reference made is more related with ethics than with religion >(even if a reference to God is made) and certainly no related at all >with any Church. > >May I note also that crude atheism is more related with a Church >with its dogmas. They all create a fixed mind and the reduction >of human dignity that follows. > >To avoid equivokes: >Religion has nothing to do with 'faith' or 'Churches' >A man may be an atheist and be religious. It is a more intimate >characteristic than beliefs. >A prist may not be religious at all... as often happens. > >(The equivoke will happen to those who have no insight on the word >'religion'... only of its use and misuse.) > >And it will always surprise me to see words used in the inverse >sense of themselves, like the use of the word 'freedom' in its >inverse sense. > >May be because of this that todays Big-tyrants and small ones all >using words they do not understand and being elected or posting >angry replies in the name of what they insidiously destroy. > >I'm not condemning, only noting. >And this because it is simply a question of understanding. >After all... we all carry our private prisons with us. > >Regards, (yes, why not?) >Dutra de Lacerda. I agree with you completely when you state that religion, ethics, and law are distinct and different things. Unfortunately in the United States they have a strong tendency to become intertwined. The law as it stands is that impeachment is only to be used in cases of high crimes and misdemeanors. Now I have not read the entire Starr report nor do I have a sophisticated background in law nevertheless nothing Bill has done seems to qualify as worthy of impeachment under the law. However, the sexual acts and behaviour exhibited by him is deeply repugnant to many on ethical grounds and particularly repugnant to Christians specifically. I do not have any problem at all with those who are disgusted by the presidents behaviour on ethical or religious grounds, I personally find it repulsive. I do however feel, as I believe you are saying also, that the law is law. It should be executed in a fair and just manner and according to the letter ( which may or may not lead to impeachment ). The previous poster to which I replied seemed to be very clearly stating that his personal religious code of ethics took precedence over american legal codes, a viewpoint which I cannot agree with. All debate on the precice origin and validity of 'seperation of church and state' aside I cannot recall any part of the constitution which invokes divine justice. The impeachment issue is not one of ethics or religion, simply law and law alone. Vivek Vaidya ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

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Re: Larry Gilbert, AOLers, and the Hyper-real flamer
by Rain Dog 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

AIMSX(a)aol.com wrote: > > Actually.. I am getting a SunOS Shell account this weekend. AOL has > improved > service somewhat, and it is now possible to use Netscape (or any other > browser) along with it. Of course, 32-bit AOL allows you to use all the TCP/IP protocols... > As for me paying it... I just became old enough to work (finally) > about a month ago, and I am only making minimum wage, and the hours > are not good enough for me to be able to keep up my hobbies of paintball, > computer upgrades, and Internet alone. Do you follow these hobbies simultaneously, or do you do 'Internet-ing' as a separate activity to paintballing your upgrades? Isn't 'Internet-ing' similar to 'road-ing' or 'railway-ing'? > Therefore... she pays for it, I wash dishes... These two are related? > ...not all AOLers are stupid warez lovers that don't know cu from cd. Fine. Obvious. Not all arabs mug me in the streets of Jerusalem. Enough have tried to make me wary. Why not shut the hell up bitching about how much we hate AOL-ers and demonstrate some reason for being on this list in the first place, other than 'Internet-ing'. Tim G ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

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Investigators find "assassination" page on the Web
by Steve Mynott 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

http://cnn.com/TECH/computing/9809/15/internet.hit.list.ap/index.html Investigators find "assassination" page on the Web hit.list September 15, 1998 Web posted at 4:07 PM ET Portland, Oregon (AP) -- Three Internal Revenue Service agents and a federal magistrate are the targets on what's described as an Internet "assassination" Web page. All four have prices on their heads -- in unusual amounts like 512 dollars and two cents. IRS investigators think it was posted by a patient in a federal mental hospital. The page is thought to be from an essay called "Assassination Politics." That essay -- written by a jailed tax protester -- describes a supposedly risk-free way to reward those who assassinate public officials. Anyone who wants to see someone killed contributes to a fund which -- when large enough -- attracts a killer who predicts the date, time and location for the deed to be done. If it happens, the killer is paid with untraceable digital money. -- pgp 1024/D9C69DF9 1997/10/14 steve mynott <steve(a)tightrope.demon.co.uk>

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RE: Predictions: Crime and Criminal Justice in the 21st Century
by Brown, R Ken 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

>Sunder wrote: >> >> nnburk wrote: >> > >> > Predictions: Crime and Criminal Justice in the 21st Century >> > ... >> > 2. As the large pool of young people born in the early 1990s >> > become teenagers and young adults, there will be a dramatic >> > increase in violent crime around the year 2005-2010. >> >> I don't necessarily see this. What do you base this on? > >Um, actually, not _my_ predictions. Source was local LEA, obtained by them from some >nameless seminar. (Sorry. Should have made that point clear earlier.) It's pretty standard I think - as most crime is committed by young men aged between 15 and 25, the more of them there are around the more crime there is. So sociologists predict more crime 20 years after a surge in the birth rate. AFAIR it's also been observed that violent crime goes up in times of increasing prosperity but crime against property goes up in bad economic times. Of course none of that explains the huge secular trends in crime. In UK crime of all sorts fell almost continually from about 1700 (& there are no real records much before then) till the middle of this century. Since then it has been rising. Who knows why? And how come the US murder rate is maybe 8 or 10 times the UK? (actually that is unfair because the definition of "murder" is stricter here, but it is at least 4 times different). Are we nicer people? Not likely - the rape & indecent assault are no better here, & burglary is worse. > > > 5. As faith in the criminal justice system declines, there > > > will be a rise in vigilante-based incidents where citizens take > > > the enforcement of crime problems into their own hands. > > > > The rest of your prediction sounds like you've watched Robocop a few > times too > > many and actually BELIEVED it! :) Care to back it up with reasons? > > > > See above. <grin> Actually, haven't seen Robocop! >

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[NYT] Bell-South charging access fees for phone-over-Internet
by bill.stewart＠pobox.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

INTERNET FEES CHARGED [New York Times, C5.] Ever since April, when the Federal Communications Commission reported to Congress that telephone calls made from one phone to another using the Internet could become subject to network access fees, the industry has been waiting for a test case. BellSouth has now provided the test. The company has written to a half-dozen Internet service providers in its region saying that in November, BellSouth will start levying access fees for voice conversations the Internet companies transmit. The fees are the same sort that local phone companies like BellSouth charge to AT&T and MCI for connecting calls to the local network. Internet traffic has never been subject to such fees. But the Internet telephony companies are not ready to give in. In some ways, BellSouth's move may be largely symbolic, since most Internet voice traffic so far involves attempts to avoid the high charges for international long-distance calls, in which local access fees are a relatively minor part of the price. And yet, BellSouth is trying to close what many in the telephone industry have seen as a loophole in networking pricing regulations. Thanks! Bill Bill Stewart, bill.stewart(a)pobox.com PGP Fingerprint D454 E202 CBC8 40BF 3C85 B884 0ABE 4639

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