Human-Nets-Request%rutgers@brl-bmd.UUCP (Human-Nets-Request@rutgers) (09/24/83)
HUMAN-NETS Digest Thursday, 22 Sep 1983 Volume 6 : Issue 60
Today's Topics:
Queries - Info on on-line help &
Arpanet as Database??? &
"Network Revolution" &
NSA monitoring International calls?,
Computers and People - Teaching about Computers &
Trendiness enhanced by Worldnet?
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Date: Tuesday, 13 September 1983 09:27:52 EDT
From: Nathaniel.Borenstein@CMU-CS-G
Subject: Info on on-line help
Have you ever used a computer system (editor, mailer, etc.) that had a
particularly good or unusually bad on-line help system? If so, I'd be
grateful if you'd send me mail telling me what the system was and what
features, in your opinion, made it so useful or useless. More general
comments on what makes a good help system are also welcome. Please
send replies to Borenstein@CMU-CS-G.
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Date: 18 September 1983 02:53 EDT
From: Robert Elton Maas <REM @ MIT-MC>
Subject: Newsweek again, hackers and Arpanet/MILNET split
Newsweek for Sept. 5, page 44, refers to Arpanet and Telenet as
"powerful database networks". I've never heard either network referred
to in that way. Does anybody know what that means? Except for the host
tables and some minor private files, I don't know of any true
databases on this network. I'd hardly refer to the whole network as a
"database network" since none of its primary purposes is to access
databases. Rather it's to obtain remote computer access, to transfer
files (usually free-form text files, not databases), and to exchange
electronic messages.
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Date: 22 September 1983 01:32 edt
From: TMPLee.DODCSC at MIT-MULTICS
Subject: Book: "Network Revolution" & NPR radio discussion
I just caught snippets of an interview on one of our local "public
radio" stations (KBEM, Minneapolis/St. Paul) with the author of a book
entitled "(the) Network Revolution". The interview was produced by,
or part of, "New Dimensions", which gave an address for cassettes etc.
that I missed. Don't know if the "New Dimensions" series is an NPR
offering or a syndicated effort. Anyway, it sounded like both the
book and the interview are something that the HNets readers might be
interested in. (I don't think I've seen it discussed here.) The
author had a French-like accent and I think his name was Jacques
Foulet; not sure of the last name. In the few minutes I was able to
catch, he made an eloquent case for how communicating via computer
networks was entirely different from everything else -- he gave some
examples from the use of networks for mining projects (really --
something about people lugging terminals on their backs up mountains
in South America). He talked about how the ability to throw out an
idea to a large, diverse -- international, in his cases -- audience
for comment -- as is done here from time to time -- was something that
none of the traditional means of communication (telephone, telegraph,
in person meeting) could come close to matching -- the telephone, or
in person meeting, demands an immediate answer, without time for true
reflection, telegrams are too formal, and anything else too slow. He
also apparently gives case histories of various hackers using networks
(generally benignly) almost to establish new social orders.
Question(s): can anyone (don't all speak at once) comment on the book?
Did anyone else hear the whole interview, can comment on it, and
know whether transcripts are available (if worthwhile)?
Ted Lee
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Date: 18 September 1983 13:04 EDT
From: Robert Elton Maas <REM @ MIT-MC>
Subject: NSA and Orwellian mind-dictatorship
According to today's newspaper (Family Weekly <supplement> p.13), last
year "a Federal Court of Appeals ruled that (the NSA) is entitled to
record any of the millions of telephone and telegraph messages that
travel across the borders of the U.S. and then turn them over to the
F.B.I. -- even if there is no evidence that the person sending or
receiving the call is a criminal or a spy."
Can somebody substantiate this? Do we have to resort to encryption
whenever we communicate out of the USA to protect our privacy? Can the
mere use of encryption to protect our privacy be used to "prove" we
are spies conducting illegal business?
Later the article refers to computerized mass-mailings, where
different appeals are made to different people to fit what they want
to hear. These messages "are private and not under the scrutiny of the
press". Perhaps whenever we get a mass-mailing appealing to our
personal prejudices and asking for money we should turn the letters
over to a newspaper for publishing? Then if different things are said
to different people, that fact will be found out?
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Date: 15 Sep 83 16:37:56-EDT (Thu)
From: The padded cell of Gene Spafford <spaf%gatech@UDel-Relay>
Subject: Teaching novices
It is difficult indeed to view things through the eyes of a novice.
A successful teacher is one who can understand the confusion and
hesitancy of her/his students.
Overcoming fear of "hurting" the computer is important. The first
time I ever taught a programming course, I told my students that not
only could they not hurt the computer, but I would give extra credit
to anyone finding bugs in the system. As a result, a number of people
felt comfortable trying all sorts of things they never would have
tried before. We also located some (trivial) system bugs; no one
managed to crash the computer.
One important point that teachers must believe and must stress --
THERE ARE NO SUCH THINGS AS SINCERE, STUPID QUESTIONS!!! If someone
is being disruptive, they may ask stupid questions. If someone isn't
used to thinking or listening, they may ask somewhat trivial
questions. But NEVER intimidate a student because they ask a
question. The answer may appear obvious to you -- possibly trivial --
but the answer is not obvious to the questioner!
CAI systems make better teachers sometimes because they have infinite
patience, and they don't evidence exasperation or embarrass a
questioner. Just remember: your students aren't "dumber" than you are
-- they just haven't learned as much as you ... yet. None of us can
afford to be elitist, especially when it comes to computers.
----
Gene Spafford School of ICS, Georgia Tech, Atlanta GA
CSNet: Spaf @ GATech ARPA: Spaf.GATech @ UDel-Relay
uucp: ...!{akgua,allegra,rlgvax,sb1,ut-ngp,ut-sally}!gatech!spaf
...!duke!mcnc!msdc!gatech!spaf
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Date: 22 Sep 83 01:57:30 EDT
From: Ron <FISCHER@RUTGERS.ARPA>
Subject: Trendiness enhanced by Worldnet?
I want to try relate a current effect and a possible future cause.
Currently there are fashions in popular music, clothing, etc. The
movement of fashion seems tread a path from discovery to
normalization. First a group expresses somewhat radical opinions,
likes, and dislikes. They are alienated at first, but gain
"followers" who agree with them. Sometime later this fashion trend is
rediscovered and again comes into the public eye, this time being seen
as "unique" or "creative," and then later becomes generally accepted
(this happens in conjunction with some kind of commercialization, i.e.
when Sears sells the things that were previously being jibed at).
This is a simplistic model. Can someone with experience in sociology
formalize this?
The end result is that some people in our society do as Alvin Toffler
suggested in "Future Shock," they purchase "superproducts," lifestyles
that help them make decisions about how to interact with people, what
to believe, what to buy, etc. The condition reached is one where
appearance is all important. Maintenance of such images can be very
stifling to the individual and cause persons to judge themselves on a
very artificial basis.
Could trendiness be enhanced (in the sense of the cycles being speeded
up) by technologically enhanced public forums, such as widely
distributed computer bboards?
The usual positive aspects of computer mail communication become ways
of reinforcing a trend and hastening its travel from fad to past
history. A computer mail group is a large easily accessible peer
group. "Radical" subgroups can be easily formed. Immediacy makes
presentation of a new fashion to a wide group possible, discussion and
reinforcement can also take place quickly in the subgroup.
Representation can be done easily and at an appropriate moment. Then
commercialism can take hold and wider popularization can take place.
I have not been able to see a definite trend build and die on the
bboards, certainly not one that deeply affected the lives of many
people (except perhaps the constant streaming of Worldnet propaganda
that occurs on Human-Nets). In the (somewhat) analogous area of
misinformation there have been discussions on some of the unmoderated
bboards which started, gained momentum, had reality intrude, and then
died. It seems to take some time before the readers of the easily
accessible bboard are willing to actually go out and check on a
purported fact.
Probably the grossest real example of commericalized trendiness is
currently the "Teenbeat" sort of magazine for overenthusiastic
underage females. We'll have some really unfortunate people reading
future bboards moderated by salespeople interested in hawking 8 by 10
inch glossies of "fave" TV stars... Or, what would the National
Enquirer do with a nationwide network as its publishing media! Talk
about widespread misinformation!
(ron)
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End of HUMAN-NETS Digest
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