F I D O N E W S Volume 16, Number 44 01 Nov 1999

F I D O N E W S Volume 16, Number 44 01 Nov 1999
+----------------------------+---------------------------------------+
| The newsletter of the | ISSN 1198-4589 Published by: |
| FidoNet community | "FidoNews" |
| _ | 1-717-732-6820 1:270/720 |
| / \ | |
| /|oo \ | |
| (_| /_) | |
| _`@/_ \ _ | |
| | | \ \\ | Editor: Douglas Myers, 1:270/720 |
| | (*) | \ )) | [email protected] |
| |__U__| / \// | |
| _//|| _\ / | |
| (_/(_|(____/ | |
| (jm) | Newspapers should have no friends. |
| | -- JOSEPH PULITZER |
+----------------------------+---------------------------------------+

Table of Contents
1. HEADLINES ................................................ 1
New Fidonews Columnist ................................... 1
2. EDITORIAL ................................................ 2
The New MODERATOR Moderator .............................. 2
3. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR .................................... 3
Zone 3 Coordinator Resigns ............................... 3
4. ARTICLES ................................................. 5
Z2C's IP node hostility .................................. 5
5. COLUMNS .................................................. 6
Ol'WDB: Engineering Design Principles .................... 6
Fidonet-related sites .................................... 6
6. NET HUMOR ................................................ 11
The Last Chocolate Chip .................................. 11
7. NOTICES .................................................. 12
Future History ........................................... 12
8. FIDONEWS INFORMATION ..................................... 13
Masthead ................................................. 13
FIDONEWS 16-44 Page 1 1 Nov 1999

=================================================================
HEADLINES
=================================================================

New Fidonews Columnist

Fidonews welcomes Warren D. Bonner to the Fidonews staff as a
feature columnist. Warren writes under the pen name of "Ol'WDB" and
specializes in history and humor.

Ol'WDB revealed that he maintains a collection of "keepers," such as
the articles he published last week and this, in conjunction with
his work as a free-lance writer. Warren is currently working on a
historical manuscript about the true high seas battles in the
Atlantic Campaign of World War II. His latest book, "The Mighty
`E'astwind" is due for publication soon by the U. S. Government
Press.

Warren is a member of Net 103 along with Joe Jared, Fidonews
columnist who has done such a great job in keeping the Internet
information current and accurate. Speaking of Joe, catch his column
this week. He's been looking at the Fidonet sites and identified
some which don't respond or don't appear to be related to Fidonet.
If you operate one of these sites and are experiencing temporary
difficulties, now is a good time to talk with Joe before your site
is deleted. Joe has also added information about Internet Relay
Chat and Newsservers.

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FIDONEWS 16-44 Page 2 1 Nov 1999

=================================================================
EDITORIAL
=================================================================

The New MODERATOR Moderator

Last week, even as Fidonews was being put together, Kent Anderson
announced that Tom Knowles had resigned as moderator of the echo
MODERATOR and named Kent to the job. Tom, presumably, had found
personal issues would limit his further involvement in Fidonet...
though many speculated that charges of ELIST tampering may have
influenced his decision.

Kent Anderson has been a moderator's moderator for some time on
Fidonet. He's well known for his even approach in the echoes he
moderates, and his helpfulness to other moderators in general.
Already, Kent has defused most of the unrest in the MODERATOR echo
brought about by Tom Knowles authoritarian style.

As Tom Knowles - either the real person or the alter ego - becomes
but a dim memory in Fidonet, I expect the ELIST tampering issue to
fade also... unresolved. Like most unresolved issues, though, it
will rise Phoenix-like from it's own ashes, at the most inconvenient
times.

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FIDONEWS 16-44 Page 3 1 Nov 1999

=================================================================
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
=================================================================

Zone 3 Coordinator Resigns

Many thanks to Steve Asher (3:800/432) for relaying this message
from his local echomail bases:

===================================================================

Area : ZONE3_SYSOP

Date : Sun Oct 24, 12:43
From : David Hales 3:801/200
To : All
Subj : Z3C

Hi All

Jackson Harding has asked me to pass on the following information
due to his system having crashed.

The other day his system had a fatal failure. The system is beyond
immediate repair and due to work committments (possibly overseas for
a few months) available time to make such repairs is in short
supply.

As such and the fact he can not get on line to tell you personally,
he has asked me to make this post.

Jackson has stated he will not be returning to the net. That he has
formally resigned as Z3C as of now.

He wishes all of us well and has asked me to contact the RCs (which
has been done) to organise a replacement.

As for the nodelist, well, if its on his machine we may be up the
creek for trying to retrive it. I have put it to the RCs perhaps
whoever replaces Jackson should give us a FULL list asap and we can
go from there.

You will no doubt be hearing from the RCs soon. In the conversations
I have had with them it looks like Malcolm Miles will be a good
prospect to take the caretaker role pending an election.

I suggested that if everyone is happy with Malcolm that we just get
on with it (forego an election). We have just had one recently and
there is no point to re-invent the wheel so soon unless there is
severe discontent. (sorry Malcolm, I've put you in it).

This is all of course is all subject to Malcolm and the majority of
RCs being in agreement.

Even though Jackson can not read this I think a thank-you is in
order from us here in SA and on behalf of the member boards here
FIDONEWS 16-44 Page 4 1 Nov 1999

best wishes with the future.

I suppose this is all that really needs to be said at this point and
it will now be up to the RCs and input from the rest of us.

David Hales
NC801
3:801/200
email: [email protected]

-!-
! Origin: (3:801/200)
===================================================================

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FIDONEWS 16-44 Page 5 1 Nov 1999

=================================================================
ARTICLES
=================================================================

Z2C's IP node hostility
By Peter Karlsson, 2:206/221.0

About a month ago, I got a netmail from the Z2C stating that my IP
node, 2:206/222.0, wasn't allowed to be listed according to the
specifications used in the nodelist and recently documented by the
FTSC:

"To make a long story very short, in Z3 '000' is the number to alert
the emergency-services. Whether or not dial-translation should take
care of that in the nodelist is irrelevant because there always will
be buggy systems that may create havoc; when we have an opportunity
to avoid potential problems we shouldn't dismiss it, therefore I
support Jackson Harding (the ZC/3) in his actions."

"Therefore I am now instructing you, nodes/hubs/hosts/NCs/RCs that
are involved in zone-2, to deal with this issue and get rid of the
'000-'-entries. You have until Nov.1 1999 to do this, after that
date the '000-'-number will systematically be replaced by
'-unpublished-' and a 'Pvt' inserted in front."

This is utter stupidity. IP nodes are here to stay, and we have a
standard of listing them that is actually supported by both mailers
and nodelist compilers. Why should people that can't configure their
mailers properly stop that?

Oh, and if anyone wonders why I'm writing this here instead of
taking it up with the Z2C, let me quote the ending paragraph in the
netmail:

"Anyone that doesn't agree may make himself heard but unless a
loaded and cocked hotgun points to my delicate parts I am not
inclined to move on this one."

Oh, well. Guess I'll see in the next nodelist whether my nodelisting
of 2:206/222.0 is gone or not. And if it is, well... I'm seriously
considering leaving Fidonet after over five years of active
participation. :-(

\\//
Live long and prosper,
Peter Karlsson

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FIDONEWS 16-44 Page 6 1 Nov 1999

=================================================================
COLUMNS
=================================================================

Subject: Root of Modern Engineering Design Principles
From: Ol'WDB

The US standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4
feet 8.5 inches. That's an exceedingly odd number. Why was that
gauge used? Because that's the way they built them in England, and
the US railroads were built by English expatriates. Why did the
English build them like that? Because the first rail lines were
built by the same people who built the pre-railroad tramways, and
that's the gauge they used. Why did 'they' use that gauge then?
Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and
tools that they used for building wagons, which used that wheel
spacing. Okay! Why did the wagons have that particular odd wheel
spacing? Well, if they tried to use any other spacing the wagon
wheels would break on some of the old, long distance roads in
England, because that's the spacing of the wheel ruts.So who built
those old rutted roads? The first long distance roads in Europe (and
England) were built by Imperial Rome for their legions. The roads
have been used ever since. And the ruts? The initial ruts, which
everyone else had to match for fear of destroying their wagon wheels
and wagons, were first made by Roman war chariots. Since the
chariots were made for, or by Imperial Rome, they were all alike in
the matter of wheel spacing. Thus, we have the answer to the
original question. The United States standard railroad gauge of 4
feet, 8.5 inches derives from the original specification for an
Imperial Roman war chariot. Specifications and bureaucracies live
forever. So the next time you are handed a specification and wonder
what horses ass came up with it, you may be exactly right--because
the Imperial Roman war chariots were made just wide enough to
accommodate the back ends of two war horses. Now the twist to the
story.............. There's an interesting extension to the story
about railroad gauges and horses' behinds. When we see a Space
Shuttle sitting on its launch pad, there are two big booster rockets
attached to the sides of the main fuel tank. These are solid rocket
boosters, or SRBs. The SRBs are made by Thiokol at their factory at
Utah. The engineers who designed the SRBs might have preferred to
make them a bit fatter, but the SRBs had to be shipped by train from
the factory to the launch site. The railroad line from the factory
had to run through a tunnel in the mountains. The SRBs had to fit
through that tunnel. The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad
track, and the railroad track is about as wide as two horses
behinds. So, the major design feature of what is arguably the
world's most advanced transportation system was determined by the
width of a Horse' Ass!

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------------------------------------------------------

! = New entries this week
? = not responding
FIDONEWS 16-44 Page 7 1 Nov 1999

?? = unknown content, doesn't look like fidonet

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FIDONEWS 16-44 Page 8 1 Nov 1999

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Fidonet Via Internet Hubs

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[email protected] will automatically route to the
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would still be [email protected], but you get the idea.

v-email flag [email protected]
Node# | Operator | Facilities (*) | Speed | Basic Rate
-----------+-------------------+----------------+-------+------------
Zone 1 | | | |
10/3 @ Brenda Donovan | FTP,UUE,BinkP | T1? | $??/$10
12/12 | Ken Wilson | FTP | T1 | $24mo.
13/25 @ Jim Balcom | FTP | 56k | $20mo.
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FIDONEWS 16-44 Page 9 1 Nov 1999

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--------------------------------------------------------------
Zone 2 |
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--------------------------------------------------------------
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--
* FTP = Internet File Transfer Protocol
* VMoT = Virtual Mailer over Telnet (various)
* UUE = uuencode<->email type transfers
* BinkP = front end mailer for TCPIP networks

----------------------------------------------
Fidonet oriented news servers

FIDONEWS 16-44 Page 10 1 Nov 1999

news.osirusoft.com (US west coast)
agnese.fidoitalia.net (Italy)

Fidonet oriented chat rooms.

room #fidonet 5PM (PDT 10AM GMT) Sundays
irc.isonline.com
irc.killaz-r-us.com
irc.korombos.org

----------------------------------------------

Please send updates, corrections and suggestions to
Joe Jared, 1:103/301, [email protected], and
complaints to [email protected] .

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FIDONEWS 16-44 Page 11 1 Nov 1999

=================================================================
NET HUMOR
=================================================================

The Last Chocolate Chip
Thanks to Roy Reed
[email protected]

An elderly man lay dying in his bed.

In death's agony, he suddenly smelled the aroma of his favorite
chocolate chip cookies wafting up the stairs. He gathered his
remaining strength, and lifted himself from the bed.

Leaning against the wall, he slowly made his way out of the bedroom,
and with even greater effort forced himself down the stairs,
gripping the railing with both hands, he crawled downstairs.

With labored breath, he leaned against the door-frame, gazing into
the kitchen. Were it not for death's agony, he would have thought
himself already in heaven: there, spread out upon waxed paper on the
kitchen table were literally hundreds of his favorite chocolate chip
cookies.

Was it heaven? Or was it one final act of heroic love from his
devoted wife, seeing to it that he left this world a happy man?

Mustering one great final effort, he threw himself toward the table,
landing on his knees in a rumpled posture. His parched lips parted:
the wondrous taste of the cookie was already in his mouth, seemingly
bringing him back to life.

The aged and withered hand trembled on its way to a cookie at the
edge of the table, when it was suddenly smacked with a spatula by
his wife.

"Stay out of those," she said, "they're for the funeral."

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FIDONEWS 16-44 Page 12 1 Nov 1999

=================================================================
NOTICES
=================================================================

Future History

31 Dec 1999
Hogmanay, Scotland. The New Year that can't be missed.

1 Jan 2000
The 20th Century, C.E., is still taking place thru 31 Dec.

1 Jun 2000
EXPO 2000 World Exposition in Hannover (Germany) opens.

15 Sep 2000
Sydney (Australia) Summer Olympiad opens.

21 Sep 2000
10 years of FidoNet in +7 (xUSSR)

1 Jan 2001
This is the actual start of the new millennium, C.E.

-- If YOU have something which you would like to see in this
Future History, please send a note to the FidoNews Editor.

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FIDONEWS 16-44 Page 13 1 Nov 1999

=================================================================
FIDONEWS INFORMATION
=================================================================

FIDONEWS MASTHEAD

Fidonews Staff:
Editor: Douglas Myers, 1:270/720, [email protected]
Webmaster: Jim Barchuk, [email protected]
Columnist: Joe Jared, 1:103/0, [email protected]
(Fido Via Internet Hubs column)
Columnist: Warren D. Bonner, 1:103/401, [email protected]
(Warren uses the pen name "Ol'WDB")
Editors Emeriti: Tom Jennings, Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell,
Vince Perriello, Tim Pozar, Sylvia Maxwell,
Donald Tees, Christopher Baker, Zorch Frezberg,
Henk Wolsink

------------------------------------------------------

FidoNews is published weekly by and for the members of the FIDONET
INTERNATIONAL AMATEUR ELECTRONIC MAIL system. It is a compilation
of individual articles contributed by their authors or their
authorized agents. The contribution of articles to this compilation
does not diminish the rights of the authors. OPINIONS EXPRESSED in
these articles ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHORS and not necessarily those of
FidoNews and/or the Editor.

Authors retain copyright on individual works; otherwise FidoNews is
Copyright (C) 1999 Douglas Myers. All rights reserved. Duplication
and/or distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes only. For
use in other circumstances, please contact the original authors, or
the Editor.

=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=

OBTAINING COPIES: The most recent issue of FidoNews in electronic
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STAR SOURCE for all past issues:
Available for FReq from 1:396/1 or by anonymous FTP from:

ftp://ftp.sstar.com/fidonet/fnews/

Each yearly archive also contains a listing of the Table-of-Contents
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INTERNET USERS: FidoNews is available via:

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And in non-English formats via:
FIDONEWS 16-44 Page 14 1 Nov 1999

http://www.fidonet.pp.se/sfnews (Swedish)

*=*=*

You may obtain an email subscription to FidoNews by sending an email
as shown:

========
To: [email protected]
Subject: help

lists
end
========

A return message will explain the details of three possible
distribution list formats.

*

You may retrieve current and previous Issues of FidoNews via FTPMail
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with a Subject line of: help

FTPMail will immediately send a reply containing details and
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*=*=*

You can read the current FidoNews Issue in HTML format at:

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and in the FIDONEWS echo.

=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=

SUBMISSIONS: You are encouraged to submit articles for publication
in FidoNews. In general, send your articles in ASCII (text) format
via netmail or email to the addresses listed above for the editor.
The exact article submission requirements for the Fidonews software
are contained in the file ARTSPEC.DOC, available from most Fidonet
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the editor will normally take care of the technical requirements.

"Fido", "FidoNet" and the dog-with-diskette are U.S. registered
trademarks of Tom Jennings, P.O. Box 410923, San Francisco, CA 94141,
and are used with permission.

FIDONEWS 16-44 Page 15 1 Nov 1999

"Disagreement is actually necessary,
or we'd all have to get in fights
or something to amuse ourselves
and create the requisite chaos."
-Tom Jennings

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