ллл ллл лллл ллл ллл ллл February ллл ллллл ллл ллл ллл Volume 02 1995 ллл ллл лллллл ллл ллл ллл Number 02 ллл ллл ллл ллл ллл ллллл ллл ллл ллл лллллл ллл ллл ллл ллл ллл ллллл ллл ллл ллллллллл ллл ллл лллл ллл ллл ллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллллл (Formally published under EMag) "The electronic magazine filled with Interesting & Informative Articles" Editor Mark Bylok Data (416)663-7044 EMail link@tor250.org Fax (416)663-4113 FidoNet 1:250/808 Copyright 1995 by Mark Bylok, All Rights Reserved Views expressed do not necessarilly express the views of the Editor ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- TABLE OF CONTENTS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Page Editorial: Welcome to LiNK 1 Letters to the Editor 2 Why Your Telephone Bill May Rise 3 Russia Shows Its True Colours 5 Margarine is Actually White! 6 Why We Need a Space Station 7 The Players are Wrong 10 Picking up LiNK 11 LiNK Information 12 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Editorial: Welcome to LiNK by Mark Bylok (mb@tor250.org) Well, here it is, LiNK - "The e-magazine filled with Interesting & Informative articles." Hope you guys (politically incorrect term referring to men and women) like the new look, although it hasn't changed much from EMag. The first issue of EMag was released on December of '93, and through the months the magazine slowly began developing an identity. LiNK is that identity, which I hope will continue to develop as the months continue to pass. LiNK:95/02 Page: 2 Many of the e-mags that I read are filled with entertaining short stories, or specific news about BBSing or computers. LiNK isn't like that. I'm interested in articles you won't find anywhere else: Those articles that make you say "Hmm, I didn't know that" or "Gee, really?". I hope to publish some articles that will heat up your emotions, or others that will cause a few chuckles. I believe articles are a reflection of a certain part of the author, but not an entire part. My views are very strong in certain areas, but I also consider myself a very fair person that is able to see other sides of the story. I guess my point is: I don't want LiNK to become limited to people that only agree with what I have to say. The magazine comes to you for free, which is great since people like receiving free things, but that also means I can't pay people to write articles. Sure, it would be nice to receive a few dollars for your work, but there are other satisfactions from submitted your articles. LiNK has about thirty official distribution sites, but there are many more bulletin boards that receive it each month through EP-MAG, and soon, FTP sites. Having an article published in LiNK will reward you with the knowledge that hundreds of people will read it, and consider what you have to say ;-). Read, Enjoy, and Contribute ... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Letters to the Editor From : clarge@timewarp.island.net To : Emag Staff Subj : finally thanks for the file. finally got the mag online. took a bout an hour to get it up. i have one bitch about it thought. it took me so long to get it up and running because the darn thing would not load locally. Finnally tried a remote logg in and it worked. on thing to think about for the next version of the reader. oh one other thing could you sort the bbs list by area code. i would make it a bit easier to read. thanks once again for the mag. --- rep. The DORINFO1.DEF file that comes with the executables is actually set-up for a local log-on, but you're right, an option should be added. The new LiNK:95/02 Page: 3 door reader, ELINKDR.EXE, allows for an "L" in the parameters for local mode. An excellent idea for the BBS list. As you can see I've implemented the idea for the February issue of LiNK. MB To : Mark Bylok From : Goo Subj : Emag If you're wondering why your mag doesn't gain a wider following, just think about some of your articles. I'm referring in particular to "The Truth About Men" by Jason Phillips. What an embarassment. --- rep. I don't think you're being fair, Goo. Jason Phillips has always written articles that had a strange view on reality. Sure, he might have taken common cheap shots at men, but I got a short snicker out of it. BTW, LiNK (EMag) hasn't done so bad! MB ----------------- Send your "Letters to the Editor" to link@tor250.org or LiNK Staff at 1:250/808 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Why your Telephone Bill may Rise! Two years ago the FCC tried and (with your help and letters of protest) failed to institute regulations that would impose additional costs on modem users for data communications. Now, they are at it again. A new regulation that the FCC is quietly working on will directly affect you as the user of a computer and modem. The FCC proposes that users of modems should pay extra charges for use of the public telephone network which carry their data. In addition, computer network services such as CompuServ, Tymnet, & Telenet would also be charged as much as $6.00 per hour per user for use of the public telephone network. These charges would very likely be passed on to the subscribers. The money is to be collected and given to the telephone company in an effort to raise funds lost to deregulation. Jim Eason of KGO newstalk radio (San LiNK:95/02 Page: 4 Francisco, CA) commented on the proposal during his afternoon radio program during which, he said he learned of the new regulation in an article in the New York Times. Jim took the time to gather addresses which are given below. Here's what you should do (NOW!): 1-Pass this information on. Capture the information which contains the text you are reading now. Find other BBS's that are not carrying this information. Upload the ASCII text in a public message on the BBS, and also upload the file itself so others can easily get a copy to pass along. 2-Print out three copies of the letter which follows (or write yours down) and send a signed copy to each of the following: Chairman of the FCC 1919 M Street N.W. Washington, D.C. 20554 Chairman, Senate Communication Subcommittee SH-227 Hart Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Chairman, House Telecommunication Subcommittee B-331 Rayburn Building Here's the suggested text of the letter to send: Dear Sir: Please allow me to express my displeasure with the FCC proposal which would authorize a surcharge for the use of modems on the telephone network. This regulation is nothing less than an attempt to restrict the free exchange of information among the growing number of computer users. Calls placed using modems require no special telephone equipment, and users of modems pay the phone company for use of the network in the form of a monthly bill. In short, a modem call is the same as a voice call and therefore should not be subject to any additional regulation. Sincerely, It is important that you act now. The bureaucrats already have it in their heads that modem users should subsidize the phone company and are now listening to public comment. Please stand up and make it clear that we will not stand for any government restriction on the free exchange of information. Please deal with this in a TIMELY manner. We can't wait and watch, or we will be walked over by government regulations that are trying to strangle us. LiNK:95/02 Page: 5 For more info, mail Kenn Webster at The Wild Kingdom (410)679-5642 Joppatowne, MD (1:261/1302). ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Russia Shows Its True Colours by Mark Bylok (mb@tor250.org) Communism is slowly disappearing around the world. We once had a cold war with a bad infection that would not go away, and now that the cold war is over, there are more personal matters that cause fighting inside countries. Many sad examples of this can be seen easily, and almost all have a common theme: Two sides destroying their country for small pieces of land. It's more then that, of course, but none of it justifies killing. Russia is, by far, is the worst example. When the USSR was no more, and a more democratic system of politics prevailed, the world cheered. Most of the world, but not everyone. My parents lived under communism for most of their lives, and were lucky enough to escape (with me) in the early 80's from Poland. I can't thank them enough for that. My parents did not cheer the introduction of democracy into Russia because they did not believe it. Russia would do anything for money, my parents had said, even by creating the illusion that communism was dead so the West could reward it with billions of dollars. Did the money given go to help the people? Probably not. Years ago Poland received millions of dollars from the West so that help might be brought to the people. That money did not stay in Poland for very long; it was quickly rushed off to Moscow where it was used to build armies. We never saw the money given to us by the US, and yet we now owe them money that will probably never be re-payed. It's not the fault of the people, they had nothing to do with it, it was the fault of a communist government. Even now, at a time where Poland is 'free', communism rules inside the walls. Not officially, of course, but never think for a minute that one communist gave up a good salary for democracy. It still rages on in Poland, and will continue to do so like the case of a flue that never wants to go away. In Russia, the people might have chosen the current leader, but it was only a choice between one communist and another. Their news stations are still monitored, and sometimes puppeteered, and only a few older people dare to start quiet protests. Companies that were previously managed by communists are now owned by those LiNK:95/02 Page: 6 communists and the civilians still work for them under the same conditions. McDonald's might had entered through the iron curtain, and Russia might have released many hidden secrets, but it was all a trade-off for money. This brings me back to the original point. My parents understood the tactics of communism, and understood that the communists inside Russia would never give up their land, and although I did not truly believe them at first, the recent bombing of innocent people has showed me the truth. For soldiers to do battle on a field is one thing, but to bomb civilian targets is barbaric. It would have been easier to accept it if the Russian parliament actually had some control over their army, but they don't seem too. Russia has enough power to destroy the world, and yet I don't believe anyone knows which organisation is closest to the button. I don't blame the UN for not trying to stop the slaughter, such a move could quickly lead to another world war, but I blame the West for giving those communists a penny of our money. The threat of war has not yet disappeared, and although I do not think we should live in fear, I also do not believe we should be ignorant to the facts. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Margarine Is Actually White! by Mark Bylok (mb@tor250.org) For over twenty years people in Canada have been using Margarine as a healthier substitute for butter. Ok, maybe health wasn't the biggest issue, a lower fat content probably prevailed over any other reason, but that's not the point. For these twenty years Margarine looked like butter, but had a strong yellow colour. This was fine, who were we to dispute the colour our food. Fellow consumers, we were lied too! Margarine is not actually yellow. It seems that the majority of margarine products look very similar in colour as butter. The Margarine industry spent two million dollars a year putting colouring into margarine in order to make it look yellow. Why, you might ask. Because the government told them too! When margarine first came into production the butter companies bitched about the product because it looked like butter. The government decided to resolve this problem by forcing companies that produce margarine to put a yellow colouring inside the mixture. This way, margarine would not look the same as butter so consumer would not confuse the two different products. LiNK:95/02 Page: 7 I ask a simple question. Are we that dumb as a society that reading is something beyond our capabilities. Everyday the consumer is fooled through tricks that cost us money, either by the government or by businesses. Instead of going after the real crooks (like mechanics, for example) they decide to take a special interest in margarine. Some times it just makes you want to cry. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Space Station Freedom or Life in the Future by Chris Cancilla Many people, perhaps even you..the reader, wonder WHY do we need a Space Station. Well, please read on and I hope that I can answer this question. Space Station Freedom is essential for advancing the human exploration of space, and Freedom is the essential next step to accomplish this goal. Freedom is also going to serve as a permanent Earth-orbiting laboratory. It will allow human beings, from many countries, the time and capability to routinely study, develop, and employ the potential resources available to us in space. Aboard Freedom, scientists and engineers will do work and research in the microgravity environment of orbital space for a prolonged period of time. This research may provide the cure for a currently terminal illness. The mission of Freedom will be to provide a permanent outpost where we can learn to live and work productively in the harsh environment of space. We need years of experience in space, not just days, weeks, or months. Freedom will provide an advanced research laboratory to explore space and employ its resources for the benefit of all humanity. Freedom will be a permanent multi-purpose research laboratory/outpost in space unsurpassed in equipment and capabilities and the constant presence of a hands-on crew for learning how to use the unique microgravity of space, enabling the study of new materials, new medicines, and new technologies. Freedom will provide the opportunity to learn to build, operate, and maintain systems in space. It will be an engineering test-bed located in low Earth orbit. Freedom will perfect our ability to live and function, to allow development of the systems, the logistics, the knowledge, and the talents required for the full-scale utilization and exploration of space. The Schedule: As of today, Freedom is slated to begin it journey into the future in early 1995, with a total of 17 shuttle missions to put the LiNK:95/02 Page: 8 station into orbit. After the first four flights, the station will be operational in the Man-Attended stage. The station crew will use the shuttle for its life support and quarters for a maximum of 13 days. Then remote and automatic experiments can be set up and the continuous flow of data to the ground links, at a rate of 50 mega-baud (50 million bits of information per second) will be activated, till the arrival of the next shuttle crew to modify, change out, or continue the experiments. In June of 1997, the Japanese Lab module will be placed into orbit. This module will be for research, development, and 2creation of not only new and stronger materials; but also the redevelopment of materials that we now use. To give an example of this; computer speed is based on a crystal, the speed of the crystal is..let's say...60 megahertz (60 million cycles per second), with the microgravity environment of space, it is theoretically possible to surpass that speed 20 fold. The cost would, at first, be great. But as the process becomes more routine, the cost would be lowered to a point were the average person will be able to afford one of these new breed of super-computers. To illustrate this, let us refer to Velcro. Developed for the space program and with a cost of $2000 per foot. Now however, we are reaping the benefit of the Research and Developement programs of NASA, and Velcro is available to ANYONE at a cost of pennies and any discount store. NASA is working out the problems that they will have on Freedom. Air and Water are their main concern. In space, unlike on Earth, when we exhale the "old" are goes somewhere else. Through gravity, Earth's rotation, or wind. But on Freedom, if an astronaut is asleep in their quarters, when they exhale the "old" air would remain in front of their mouth and nose. When they inhaled they would take in the same air that they just exhaled. After enough times the oxygen level would fall to a dangerously low point and the life of the astronaut would be in jeopardy. So, to remove this threat, NASA and Boeing are performing research right now at the Marshall Space Flight Center in the engineering mock-up of Space Station Freedom. The module is sealed, as it would be in space, and hydrogen bubbles are released in the cabin. Their movement is monitored on a closed-circuit television to ensure that ALL of the "old" air is cleaned on a very frequent basis. The other problem, water, is handled a bit differently. The astronauts, on the first mission, will bring up a given quantity of water. This water will be reused/recycled and will be used by all subsequent residents of Freedom. The shower, restrooms, sinks, air conditioner, and perspiration collectors will be attached to the recycling plant. The restroom, solid waste, will be dehydrated and the liquid sent to the plant and the solids sent to storage for disposal after returning to Earth. The water created is purer than any water found on Earth. One engineer said to me, "Our motto is, if you want some tomorrow....you gotta' make some today!" He told me that with the funniest grin on his face too!! Each astronaut that takes up residence aboard Freedom will be given their own personal bedroom. The reason for a personal room is simple; LiNK:95/02 Page: 9 humans need seclusion. This way, a Freedomite can get away from the rest of the crew and retire to their room to play Nintendo, watch TV or a movie (tape), or read a book, sleep, or listen to music. NASA will secure any item, with in reason, in the room so the astronaut can have what they want. One stipulation though, the astronaut brings their own personal "stuff" to be placed in the room. This makes the personal space, personal! This will occur AFTER the habitation module is in place and operational, June 1998. After this date, there WILL be permanent residence on Freedom for up to 6 months. But NASA right now is shooting for a 90 day crew rotation due to the stresses. In space - microgravity - your heart muscle gets smaller, your blood volume decreases, muscle mass decreases, calcium is not needed so it leaves your body (through urine). These stresses can take their toll on an astronaut as we learned from the Soviets that spent a year in the MIR station. Both astronauts are dead, of complication resulting from osteoperosis. Yes, it is the old age disease but an astronaut that spends 6 months in space will show signs of it. We are, at this time, learning new ways to combat this illness, and Freedom will be the petree dish to develop that cure/treatment. The capabilities of Freedom, around the turn of the century, will be as follows: 1) Fully outfitted U.S., European, and Japanese laboratories. 2) Fully outfitted U.S. Habitation module. 3) Year-round life sciences, microgravity, and technology research. 4) 42 International Standard Payload Racks, 28 are available to U.S. users. 5) 56,000 watts total power with 30,000 watts average available to users. 6) 4 person permanent crew with 2 crew persons dedicated to experimentation. The crew size can increase with the addition of an additional Habitation module. 7) 4 attachment points on the truss for payloads that need to be exposed to the harsh environment of space. 8) Regular shuttle resupply visits, 4-5 per year. Additionally, there will be an Assured Crew Return Vehicle which will serve as a life boat in the event of an emergency. It will be an Apollo style capsule, and will reenter the atmosphere in the same manner as its predecessor. Space Station Freedom will directly and indirectly employ about 70,000 people, tapping professional services of more than 2,000 businesses in most of the states in our country. At this writing, 3 states are not on this list; Alaska and Hawaii due to their location, and Arkansas because they did not want to get involved. Alaska and Hawaii will be joining soon. Nothing is known as to Arkansas. The jobs that Freedom will create/use will contribute new ideas, new knowledge, and new products to our economy. Current NASA budget is a LiNK:95/02 Page: 10 mere 1% of the Federal Budget. The total cost of Space Station Freedom will be 1/700th of the Federal Budget. This is less than HALF of the cost of the Apollo moon exploration missions. If we step back for a moment and look at the new products and technologies from Apollo, even with its limited life-span; Freedom will create technologies that even now we are just beginning to imagine. SPACE STATION FREEDOM...... ......YOUR LINK TO AMERICA'S FUTURE ! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Players are Wrong by Mark Bylok (mb@tor250.org) When the original news of the baseball strike came, and then the hockey strike, I sat on the fence. On the one hand I felt the owners should keep wages down through a salary cap (luxury tax). On the other hand I felt the owners might be making large profits that they should be sharing with the players. Both strikes have lasted a long time, and after some time to think about it, I believe the players are wrong with their demands. First off, I should say I do not believe in unions because I feel they take advantage of their position. It seems to me that unions can be compared to bad lawyers: They try to squeeze as much as they can. Owners seem to negotiate with good faith, but the unions don't seem to care about the company or the workers, they just want to win. The two strikes are an excellent example of that. Salary cap is necessary in both sports. The NBA and NFL both implemented the idea to slow down wage increases; it's only natural that the MLB and NFL do the same. Wages have increased astronomically in the last ten years, and they will continue to do so if there is no salary cap. The richer teams might be able to afford it, but not every team is blessed with a large city for support. Free-agency is a problem as well. With free-agency players can sit around and let the teams bid for them. The players might like it, but again, the team with the most money will have the better team. Free-agency without a salary cap is insane. At least with a salary cap each team is limited in how much they could bid, based on the money they have already spent on players. Without it, wages could go as high as one team is willing to take them. LiNK:95/02 Page: 11 I like the salary cap for one simple reason: Equally matched teams. The wage of a player does not necessarily reflect the players worth on the ice, but it usually does. If each team can only spend thirty million dollars on player wages, this should make the teams very even in skill. The NFL had its best season this year with twenty teams still having a chance for the play-offs in the final two or three weeks. Coincidence? I think not. Without free-agency and with a salary cap the personal skills of a general manager decide how good the team is through trades, not how much money the owners can spend. Sure, it doesn't make for good business, but it makes for a good sport. I believe that's the biggest disappointment for fans. We like seeing our favourite team as a sport team, not a local business. Not very many people are likely to cheer for their local McDonald's when they break a new sales record, why would they do the same for a sport business. If these large leagues don't smarten up, neither the players nor the owners will have very much money to earn. Hockey owners backed down giving the players almost what they wanted (don't let them fool you saying they gave up more), we'll see how the MLB strike is resolved. Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing some farm league players in the majors. It might make for an interesting season. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Picking up LiNK LiNK is officially released on the 1st of every month, and can be picked up in a variety of different ways. The sure fire ways are: FidoNet ~~~~~~~ File Requesting from FidoNet 1:250/808 under the following: LINKE LiNK executable files and current issue (DOS & Door version) LINK LiNK current issue (requires executable files) LINKT LiNK current issue on plain ASCII text. LINKA Both the data files and plain ASCII text. InterNet ~~~~~~~~ Send e-mail to "link@tor250.org" requesting issues to be delivered to you through e-mail. FTP site will be announced shortly. LiNK:95/02 Page: 12 Software Distributing Systems ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Some FidoNet nodes might be able to receive LiNK through EPubNet's EP-MAG. Other ~~~~~ BBSLIST.ASC contains a list of BBSes where issues may be picked up. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ LiNK "The electronic magazine filled with Interesting & Informartive artilces" Publisher & Editor Mark Bylok Copyright 1995, All Rights Reserved LiNK is a non-profit electronic magazine that has been designed to entertain and inform the reader. We encourage amateur writers to send in their articles for future issues of LiNK. LiNK rests the responsibility of plagiarism and other copyright infringements on the individual authors, and in no way supports any illegal material. All articles and ideas sent to LiNK remain the property of the author, but LiNK does reserve the right to make minor grammar, spelling, and/or format corrections. LiNK is distributed on the 1st of every month twelve times a year. All articles should be submitted before the 20th of every month in order to insure printing in the next issue. There is no limit on the topic of the article. Articles and/or comments on LiNK can be sent through one of the following means: FidoNet 1:250/808 LiNK Staff Data (416)663-7044 78 Fletcherdon Cres. Fax (416)663-4113 Downsview, ON, Canada M3N 1S3 Or you can reach us through InterNet at: link@tor250.org