ees1ae@moria.ee.surrey.ac.uk (Ata Etemadi) (04/22/91)
Dear Colleagues In this message I will try to be brief and to the point. If interested, please contact me for further information. Would you be willing to help Russian space scientists ? The problem is one of shortage of computing facilities. There is very little capital available. Mostly what is needed is hardware for analysing the years of wonderful spacecraft data just gathering dust. I am asking for contributions of hardware and/or software of any type, age or description. Your old terminals, your PC's gathering dust in the basement, any old tape drives, any micros or minis of whatever make, in short anything that works but you no longer need, or use. On the S/W front the same things apply. All contributions are welcome. We have managed to overcome the problem of delivering the items to the scientists. When I know what maybe on offer I can check further about export licences etc.. Also its possible there may be funds for obtaining any cheap second-hand equipment on offer. Arrangements maybe made for sharing the spacecraft data in return. PLEASE HELP!! Just imagine the data from the fleet which met Halley. regards Dr A. Etemadi =============================================================================== Dr. A. Etemadi, | Phone: (0483) 571-281 Ext. 2311 V.S.S.P. Group, | Fax : (0483) 300-803 Dept. of Electronic and Electrical Eng., | Email: University of Surrey, | Janet: a.etemadi@ee.surrey.ac.uk Guildford, | ata@c.mssl.ucl.ac.uk Surrey GU2 5XH | SPAN : ata@mssl United Kingdom | ata@msslc ===============================================================================
gene@cs.bu.edu (Gene Itkis) (05/01/91)
In article <1991Apr21.234214.28955@EE.Surrey.Ac.UK> ees1ae@moria.ee.surrey.ac.uk (Ata Etemadi) writes: >Would you be willing to help Russian space scientists ? >The problem is one of shortage of computing facilities. >There is very little capital available. Mostly what is >needed is hardware for analysing the years of wonderful >spacecraft data just gathering dust. > >I am asking for contributions of hardware and/or software >of any type, age or description. etc... I would like to add a word of caution. It may be possible that your equipment will never get to be used in the ways in which you intended it when donating. Space research is closely tied with the military and that may be who you'll end up supplying. Also you should take into account the corraption and possibities of redirecting goods to black market (remember that Moscow black markets were full of Red Cross buckets and blankets after Armenia's earthquake). I would suggest that a more efficient way to help may be to invite the scientists with their data to visit your institutions. The fate of the wonderful spacecraft data may not depend on your contributions and may continue gathering dust even after your contribution enhanced the military or made someone rich. I do mean this notice as a word of caution and not as a slander of the good-will initiative. I am no expert on the subject but I had a first hand knowledge of the soviet corruption (as anyone who lived there). -- Gene Itkis (gene@cs.bu.edu)
A.Etemadi@ee.surrey.ac.uk (Ata Etemadi) (05/02/91)
In article <80607@bu.edu.bu.edu> of 1 May 91 14:06:48 GMT Gene Itkis writes: >I would like to add a word of caution. It may be possible that your equipment >will never get to be used in the ways in which you intended it when donating. >Space research is closely tied with the military and that may be who you'll end >up supplying. Also you should take into account the corraption and possibities >of redirecting goods to black market (remember that Moscow black markets were >full of Red Cross buckets and blankets after Armenia's earthquake). Dear Gene I know the poeple personally, and they are not associated with the military. At any rate I think the Russian military have better computers than the second-hand ones we're asking for. This is pretty certain since there is no export problems. Also other colleagues visit the institutes often and for months at a time so there will be little chance of these items ending up on the black market. I did consider this possibility as a worst-case scenario, but its I think better to allow people buying on the black market a chance to use computers than to just junk them. We have arranged for the use of the Russian data (which is worth far far more than a bunch of second-hand computers). The problem is they need computers to calibrate and prepare the data for distribution. Thanks for your concern. regards Dr A. Etemadi -- =============================================================================== Dr. A. Etemadi, | Phone: (0483) 571-281 Ext. 2311 V.S.S.P. Group, | Fax : (0483) 300-803 Dept. of Electronic and Electrical Eng., | Email: University of Surrey, | Janet: a.etemadi@ee.surrey.ac.uk Guildford, | ata@c.mssl.ucl.ac.uk Surrey GU2 5XH | SPAN : ata@mssl United Kingdom | ata@msslc ===============================================================================
wgh@ubbpc.UUCP (William G. Hutchison) (05/04/91)
In article <80607@bu.edu.bu.edu>, gene@cs.bu.edu (Gene Itkis) writes: > In article <1991Apr21.234214.28955@EE.Surrey.Ac.UK> ees1ae@moria.ee.surrey.ac.uk (Ata Etemadi) writes: > > >Would you be willing to help Russian space scientists ? [ ... ] > >I am asking for contributions of hardware and/or software > >of any type, age or description. etc... > > I would like to add a word of caution. It may be possible that your equipment > will never get to be used in the ways in which you intended it when donating. > Space research is closely tied with the military and that may be who you'll end > up supplying. [ ... ] I agree with Gene Itkis that one should be cautious about responding positively to this request (I am not suggesting that Etemadi is not sincere). Personally, I am only interested in assisting the Soviet Empire (not Union) in two ways: (1) Dismantling the Soviet Empire's thermonuclear and nuclear warheads, and (2) Dismantling the Soviet Empire. -- Bill Hutchison, DP Consultant psuvax1!burdvax!ubbpc!wgh (work) Unisys UNIX Portation Center uunet!eidolon!wgh (home) P.O. Box 500, M.S. B121 "At the moment I feel more like arguing than Blue Bell, PA 19424 being good" Raymond Smullyan _The Tao is Silent_
gillies@m.cs.uiuc.edu (Don Gillies) (05/07/91)
>In article <80607@bu.edu.bu.edu> of 1 May 91 14:06:48 GMT Gene Itkis writes: >I would like to add a word of caution. It may be possible that your >equipment will never get to be used in the ways in which you intended >it when donating. Space research is closely tied with the military >and that may be who you'll end up supplying. Also you should take >into account the corraption and possibities of redirecting goods to >black market (remember that Moscow black markets were full of Red >Cross buckets and blankets after Armenia's earthquake). I would like to add a word of caution to this word of caution. Considering the amount of computer science research that is funded by military means (ONR, DARPA, etc), if you are in America and donate equipment, chances are it will be used LESS for military research, than if you leave it in the United States. --