spok@gs6.sp.cs.cmu.edu (John Ockerbloom) (09/30/89)
A few days ago, a blank article with this signature appeared on rec.arts.misc: >--+--+ +------+ Internet: Steve.Saroff.lac00001@tlsi.FIDONET.ORG > | | | | UUCP : ...!attctc!tlsi!Steve.Saroff.lac00001 > | | +---+ | Note : TLSI is a FREE gateway for mail between > | | | | : Usenet and Fidonet. For more informations > + +----+---+ + : write to root@tlsi or attctc!tlsi!root >TLSI: The Hard Drive Specialists - (214) 263-0707. We repair most brands. Steve Saroff later wrote back that he had not posted it and had no knowledge of who had. Just now, a similar article attributed to Charley Wingate (normally mangoe@mimsy.umd.edu) appeared on talk.religion.misc: [blank body] >--+--+ +------+ Internet: Charley.Wingate@tlsi.FIDONET.ORG > | | | | UUCP : ...!attctc!tlsi!Charley.Wingate > | | +---+ | Note : TLSI is a FREE gateway for mail between > | | | | : Usenet and Fidonet. For more informations > + +----+---+ + : write to root@tlsi or attctc!tlsi!root >TLSI: The Hard Drive Specialists - (214) 263-0707. We repair most brands. Anybody from TLSI (or who knows the origins of these posts) want to explain what's going on? John Ockerbloom -- ========================================================================== ockerbloom@cs.cmu.edu ...!uunet!cs.cmu.edu!ockerbloom ocker@yalecs.bitnet (forwarded) 4209 Murray Ave., Pittsburgh PA 15217
GA.JRG@forsythe.stanford.edu (June Genis) (09/30/89)
A week or so ago I saw one of those attributed to me (I forget on what list) but it had no content so didn't bother to make an issue if it. Maybe it's time to call someone at the offered number and find out what's going on. /June
jeffw@midas.WR.TEK.COM (Jeff Winslow) (09/30/89)
You're lucky. It's probably just somebody's software spewing random things it shouldn't. Don't get excited until they come with a body declaring "I am an idiot". Forgeries, foo. Don't be so paranoid. Jeff Winslow
dww@stl.stc.co.uk (David Wright) (09/30/89)
In article <6348@pt.cs.cmu.edu> spok@gs6.sp.cs.cmu.edu (John Ockerbloom) writes:
#A few days ago, a blank article with this signature appeared ...
From time to time either blank postings or (worse) followups containing the
whole original article but no further comment appear on the net. I wondered
how people could be so dumb, till I did it myself :-) (fortunately I noticed
and cancelled it).
The problem lies in vi: if you save to a file, then exit without further
change, vi won't alter the original file, EVEN IF YOU SAVED TO A DIFFERENT
FILE. So if you make yourself a 'security copy' just before you exit
and post your article, you won't post what you thought you'd posted :-)
Whether this is the cause of the case cited I don't know, but it is
certainly a "gotya" to watch out for. And maybe warn about somewhere
where new users might just see it?
--
Regards, "Just 'cos you CAN send messages everywhere, doesn't mean you HAVE to"
David Wright STL, London Road, Harlow, Essex CM17 9NA, UK
dww@stl.stc.co.uk <or> ...uunet!mcvax!ukc!stl!dww <or> PSI%234237100122::DWWdattier@jolnet.ORPK.IL.US (David W. Tamkin) (09/30/89)
John Ockerbloom wrote in <6348@pt.cs.cmu.edu> about the blank articles coming out of TLSI with other people's names: | A few days ago, a blank article with this signature appeared on rec.arts.misc: | | [standard TLSI .signature with Steve Saroff's name inserted] | | Steve Saroff later wrote back that he had not posted it and had no | knowledge of who had. | | Just now, a similar article attributed to Charley Wingate | (normally mangoe@mimsy.umd.edu) appeared on talk.religion.misc: | | [blank body] | [standard TLSI .signature with Charley Wingate's name inserted] | | Anybody from TLSI (or who knows the origins of these posts) | want to explain what's going on? Keith Dickinson of TLSI has apologized for these before, but apparently his software still isn't under control. Mark Woodruff (who runs mamab) has also had this problem. It would be easier on all of us if, until he gets it fixed, Dickinson could at least shorten the six-line default .signature it is picking up to something much briefer: one line or even null if possible. David Tamkin dattier@jolnet.orpk.il.us {attctc,netsys,ddsw1}!jolnet!dattier P. O. Box 813 Rosemont, Illinois 60018-0813 (312) 693-0591 (708) 518-6769 BIX: dattier GEnie: D.W.TAMKIN CIS: 73720,1570 Jolnet is a public access system, where every user expresses personal opinions.
Nanook@tlsi.FIDONET.ORG (Keith Dickinson) (10/01/89)
In an article of <29 Sep 89 21:10:19 GMT>, spok@gs6.sp.cs.cmu.edu (John Ockerbloom) writes: >A few days ago, a blank article with this signature appeared on >rec.arts.misc: > >>--+--+ +------+ Internet: Steve.Saroff.lac00001@tlsi.FIDONET.ORG >> | | | | UUCP : ...!attctc!tlsi!Steve.Saroff.lac00001 >> | | +---+ | Note : TLSI is a FREE gateway for mail between >> | | | | : Usenet and Fidonet. For more informations >> + +----+---+ + : write to root@tlsi or attctc!tlsi!root >>TLSI: The Hard Drive Specialists - (214) 263-0707. We repair most >brands. > >Steve Saroff later wrote back that he had not posted it and had no >knowledge of who had. > >Just now, a similar article attributed to Charley Wingate >(normally mangoe@mimsy.umd.edu) appeared on talk.religion.misc: > >[blank body] >>--+--+ +------+ Internet: Charley.Wingate@tlsi.FIDONET.ORG >> | | | | UUCP : ...!attctc!tlsi!Charley.Wingate >> | | +---+ | Note : TLSI is a FREE gateway for mail between >> | | | | : Usenet and Fidonet. For more informations >> + +----+---+ + : write to root@tlsi or attctc!tlsi!root >>TLSI: The Hard Drive Specialists - (214) 263-0707. We repair most >brands. > >Anybody from TLSI (or who knows the origins of these posts) >want to explain what's going on? > >John Ockerbloom Yes.. My machine was having a nervous breakdown. It would take a name from some other message and tack it on to an empty message going outbound. Since I believe the problem is power related, I've ordered a UPS that should be here in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, please ignore any "empty" messages that you see coming from my system (assuming Texas P&L continues using my system for a surge endurance test bed! :) Keith Dickinson ROOT@TLSI --- msged 1.99S ZTC * Origin: TLSI: The DFW/Usenet Gateway (1:124/2202) -- Fidonet : 124/2202 [(214) 399-0094 PEP] | TLSI is a FREE gateway Internet: nanook@TLSI.Fidonet.Org | for Fidonet. For more or : nanook@f124.n2202.z1.Fidonet.Org | information on how to UUCP : attctc!tlsi!nanook | send/recieve mail write USnail : 2725 W. Pioneer #208, Irving Tx. 75061| to attctc!tlsi!nanook
coren@speed (Robert Coren) (10/03/89)
From article <2235@stl.stc.co.uk>, by dww@stl.stc.co.uk (David Wright): > In article <6348@pt.cs.cmu.edu> spok@gs6.sp.cs.cmu.edu (John Ockerbloom) writes: > #A few days ago, a blank article with this signature appeared ... > > From time to time either blank postings or (worse) followups containing the > whole original article but no further comment appear on the net. I wondered > how people could be so dumb, till I did it myself :-) (fortunately I noticed > and cancelled it). [followed by explanation of how a misfeature of vi can cause blank articles] No, there is something else going on here. These articles have attributions with the names of real people, but generally not with those people's correct login IDs. (Another instance was just cited on another newsgroup that I attend.) Hard to see how somebody's erroneous software could be doing that all by itself. Looks more like somebody is doing some clumsy experiments. Whatever it is, it would be nice if it would stop. Robert