Welcome to the July 1995 Issue of GEnie... __ / ) _ _ _ _ / / (_) ( \ / ) (_) / / _ _ _ ____\ \ /\ / / _ ___ ____ / / / )( \_/ ) / __ )\ \/ \/ / / ) / __)/ __ ) / (__ / / \ / / ___/ \ / / / / / / ___/ (______)(_/ \_/ (____) \_/\_/ (_/ (_/ (____) M a g a z i n e \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\////////////////////////////////// ////////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ GEnie LiveWire Staff """""""""""""""""""" Producer/Editor ................... Peggy Herrington Managing Editor ............................ Jay Kee Associate Editor ......................... Donn King Assistant Editor ..................... Keith Garrett Multimedia Art Director .............. Bruce Robison IBM Multimedia Editor .................... Tom Moran Macintosh Multimedia Editor ........... Jim Flanagan Amiga Multimedia Editor & Artist ....... Walt Meyers Apple IIgs Multimedia Editor .......... Kevin McCann Apple IIgs Artist ...................... Bret Victor Multimedia Artist ..................... Staci Ludwig Multimedia Music Director ............ Howard Wooten Multimedia Musician ................. Scott Garrigus ASCII Text Issue Editor ................ John Peters Publisher .......................... Douglas Perkins Assistant to the Publisher ............. Angie Upton Features """""""" A GEnie with More Power by Peggy Herrington ............................................. [POW] A Headful of Hot Summer Nights by Rex Recall as transmitted to Jay Kee ......................... [SUM] PD/Shareware: Give Your Docs a Massage ........................... [PDS] by Stephen Kahn Online Dating by Keith A. Garrett ............................................. [DAT] Searching the Internet by deb Christensen .............................................. [SEA] Departments """"""""""" From the Editor .................................................... [FRM] NetSearch: Headline News ........................................... [NET] GEnie Magic: GEnie Magic: Electronic Mail .......................... [MAG] ARTIST: Be an Independent ARTIST ................................... [ART] The GEnie Gamer: It's Cool Man ..................................... [GAM] Special Events - July .............................................. [SPC] LiveWire File Finder for July ...................................... [FIN] GEnie's HOT Spots .................................................. [HOT] Joining GEnie is Easy! ............................................. [JOI] Focus On... """"""""""" IBM-Compatible RoundTables . [IBM] Macintosh RoundTable.......... [MAC] Amiga *StarShip* RoundTable [*S*] Atari ST RoundTable........... [AST] Apple II RoundTable ........ [AII] GEnie's Computing RoundTables [COM] [IDX]//////////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ READING LiveWire! LiveWire has incorporated a unique indexing system to """"""""""""""""" help make reading the magazine easier. To utilize this system, load LiveWire into any ASCII word processor or text editor. In the index you will find the following example: From the Editor ....... [FRM] To read this article, set your find or search command to [FRM]. If you want to scan all of the articles, search for [EOA]. [EOF] will take you to the last page, whereas [IDX] will bring you back to the index. \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\///////////////////////////////////// [EOA] [FRM]\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ From the Editor \\ //////////////////////////////////// by Peggy Herrington ```````````````````` _ _ ( \ /\ / ) \ \/ \/ / \ / \_/\_/e predicted that LiveWire would have some exciting news this month, and we we right! Our feature story, "A GEnie with More Power," has details about the UNIX-based upgrade to GEnie that's providing speedier access and doing away with Communications Surcharges starting on August 1st. Don't miss it! TOLEDO, the code name for the technical end of that project, may sound familiar, but even if it doesn't, you can start being a cool cat in August by taking full advantage of the faster system and lower connect rates both during and after GEnie's annual Hot Summer Nights. These changes will also make it possible for you to download LiveWire next month FREE of standard connect charges at up to 14.4K bps! Check out the GEnie story for details. \\\GEnie for Windows You'll benefit from these changes no matter how you \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ sign on, but if you use GEnie for Windows be sure to visit the GEnie for Windows Support RoundTable regularly (Keyword GENIEWIN, Page 1455). It's under new management, and usage charges are waived while you're there, including the live assistance available in Real-Time Conference from 10:00 to 11:00 PM Eastern time on Monday, Wednedsay, and Friday evenings. If you're participating in this open beta project, you may be interested in File 106 BUGRPT1.TXT in the GEnie for Windows Library on Page 1455. It contains a commented list of bugs, many with suggestions for swatting, that may let you navigate GEnie more comfortably until the next program release. \\\Upcoming Stories Among the most popular places in all of cyberspace, \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ GEnie's Science Fiction RoundTables just keep expanding. We'll have the scoop on their plot to take over the universe in an upcoming issue, but in the meantime here's a quick list of what's where with the recent addition of the Fourth SFRT: SFRT4 (GEnie Page 473) Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Writing, Publishing SFRT3 (GEnie Page 472) Fandom, Conventions, Interactive Fiction, Weird Stuff SFRT2 (GEnie Page 471) Fantasy/Horror/SF, Movies, TV, Trek, Babylon 5, Media SFRT1 (GEnie Page 470) Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror, Books, Authors, Reading LiveWire will also publish stories on the Planetary Society RoundTable (GEnie Page 1630, Keyword PLANETS) and the SHHH On-Line RoundTable (Page 1680, Keyword SHHH). You're invitied to drop by and beat us to the punch. \\\LiveWire on the World Wide Web If you have Internet browser access, be \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ sure to visit LiveWire's World Wide Web site at http://www.genie.com/livewire. The magazine has a slightly different perspective there but it's complete with graphics and sound, just like our other multimedia issues. Stay tuned to LiveWire for more developments on GEnie. And write to us at the GE Mail address LIVEWIRE or post a message on the Multimedia RoundTable Bulletin Board in Category 25 on GEnie Page 2000. We'd love to hear from you! Seeya online! ___ | | _ |/ |/ /| /|| | _| |_||_||_||_| _| _| _|/ (/ (/ (/ Peggy Herrington Producer, GEnie LiveWire [EOA] [POW]\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ A GEnie with More Power \\ //////////////////////////////////// by Peggy Herrington ```````````````````` _ / \ / - \ / ___ \ (_/ \_)ugust promises to be SOME month! Along with exciting events celebrating GEnie's annual Hot Summer Nights extravaganza, you'll be paying less for faster access and system response, and enjoying extended benefits that will make the time you spend on GEnie truly more productive and enjoyable. These changes are made be possible by a UNIX-based upgrade to the GEnie system that will be fully operational starting August 1st. Also starting next month, you'll be able to download LiveWire Magazine FREE of standard connect charges at up to 14.4K bps! Read on for details. \\\ Good Riddance to High Speed Surcharges You already know some of this \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ because early last month, Doug Perkins, Vice President of GEnie Services, sent all members an important announcement in GE Mail. In part, Doug said: "Starting August 1st, 9600 bps surcharges will disappear from GEnie! That's right, GEnie will eliminate Communications Surcharges for Sprintnet and GEnie 9600 baud access for both U.S. and Canada. Along with this elimination of high speed surcharges, GEnie announces the availability of 14.4K bps access through SprintNet and the reduction of Canada's Datapac surcharges to CAN $5.00/hour." That's a mouthful of great news in one efficient paragraph, so, with Doug's permission, let me elaborate. First off, the cost of using GEnie during evenings, weekends, and holidays will plummet to $3/hour ($4/hour Canadian) at up to 14.4K bps provided your modem goes that fast and you have local Sprintnet access. (Enter the Keyword PHONES at any GEnie prompt to check on the latter.) If you don't have Sprintnet access, you can still sign on at 9600 bps and enjoy the same low rates by dialing your local GEnie number. These changes go into effect next month. Prime Time surcharges, which were recently reduced as well, will still apply, so weekday business usage will cost only $2/hour more ($3/hour more Canadian), bringing the total to $5/hour ($7/hour Canadian) from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM your local time, Monday through Friday, again at up to 14.4K bps. Lastly, Canadian Datapac callers will be pleased to see that surcharge drop from $6 to $5/hour (Canadian funds). GEnie's rate card with these changes noted (use the Keyword RATES to find it online) is published at the end of this story. \\\ The Whole Enchilada Doug's announcement was just the tip of the \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ enchilada, an image more appropriate than iceburg for Hot Summer Nights. That's because, also beginning in August, we'll all be enjoying a faster, quicker, and (as noted) less costly GEnie. For these details I spoke with GEnie Engineering Manager, John Jamieson. "Faster navigation is coming hand-in-hand with lower GEnie rates, thanks to a change in GEnie's architecture," John explained, "a change that not only lets us directly connect to other networks like Sprintnet, but offers additional benefits as well." He went on to enumerate some of them: More upload protocols will be available: Xmodem-1K, Ymodem, and Zmodem error-checking protocols have long been in use for downloading; they will be available for uploading, or sending files to GEnie, as well. (Zmodem recommended.) Keywords and MOVE commands will work from more places on GEnie: You'll be able to zoom around the system from inside Bulletin Boards, Libraries, and Real-Time Conferences (the latter by preceding commands with a slash). Locate and Notify commands will work from within Real-Time Conferences: Just type a slash (/) before the RTC command. For example, the next time you attend a Conference, see if I'm online by typing: /L P.HERRINGTON Speedier navigation between GEnie services: Your time online will be more productive because you'll spend less time moving between GEnie's products. \\\ LiveWire FREE at 14.4K BPS Last but, as they say, certainly not least, \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ we come to LiveWire, the publication you're reading now. Every month GEnie publishes six different versions of LiveWire, its monthly member magazine. LiveWire was the first multimedia magazine ever produced by an online service. Since its inception in 1993, LiveWire has been available for FREE downloading on evenings, weekends, and holidays. But now, starting in August, you'll be able to download it FREE at up to 14.4K bps! If you're reading a multimedia version now I hope you'll forgive my enthusiasm, but all except the text-only issue are free-standing multimedia productions that feature colorful graphics and animation, with optional music and sound effects. Versions include: IBM-compatible (for MS-DOS or Windows) Color Macintosh Amiga Apple IIgs Text-only New HTML version on GEnie's World Wide Web site at the URL: http://www.genie.com/livewire Stay current on GEnie news and events by downloading LiveWire FREE at up to 14.4K bps starting next month. Enter the Keyword LIVEWIRE at any GEnie prompt to find out more and enjoy quicker access to the entire system while you're at it. If you need assistance or have comments about GEnie or the magazine, feel free to send GE Mail to LIVEWIRE (or Internet mail to livewire@genie.com). GEnie Rates ```````````` +---------------------+---------------------+ GEnie Services [4] | U.S. (U.S.$)[5] | CANADA (CAN $) | +-----------------------------+---------------------+---------------------| | Monthly Subscription Fee | $8.95/month | $10.95/month | + +---------------------+---------------------+ | Includes: | Up to 4 hours of standard | | | connect time [1] | +-----------------------------+---------------------+---------------------+ | Standard Hourly | | | | Connect Charge | $3.00/hour | $4.00/hour | +-----------------------------+---------------------+---------------------+ | GEnie Premium Services | Prices vary per individual service. | | | These include: Charles Schwab Brokerage | | | Services (not available in Canada), Dow | | | Jones News/Retrieval (R), GE Mail to Fax, | | | The Official Airline Guides Electronic | | | Edition (R) Travel Service, QuikNews | | | clipping service, Investment ANALY$T(SM), | | | and other database research services. | +-----------------------------+-------------------------------------------+ Additional Charges (where applicable) [4] +-----------------------------+---------------------+---------------------+ | Prime Time Surcharge [2] | $2.00/hour | $ 3.00/hour | +-----------------------------+---------------------+---------------------+ | 9600 Baud Surcharge [3] | $6.00/hour | $8.00/hour | +-----------------------------+---------------------+---------------------+ | Communications Surcharge: | | | | "800" Service [3] | $6.00/hour | -- | | Extended Network | $2.00/hour | -- | | SprintNet [3] | $2.00/hour | -- | | Datapac | -- | $6.00/hour | +-----------------------------+---------------------+---------------------+ | [1] Your monthly subscription fee includes a credit during your first 4 | | hours of standard $3.00 an hour ($4.00 an hour CAN) connect time | | that month. Unused credit will not be transferred to the next month.| | | | [2] Prime-time: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. local time on weekdays only. The prime- | | time surcharge is in addition to the $3 an hour standard hourly | | connect charge. Prime-time surcharge is waived for selected | | holidays. Residents of Hawaii, Alaska, Indiana, Arizona, Puerto | | Rico, and Nova Scotia, please verify hours with GEnie Client | | Services. | | | | [3] 9600 baud surcharge is waived when using SprintNet or "800" Service.| | | | [4] 9600 baud surcharge is waived when using Datapac (Canada). | | | | [5] State/Local taxes and administrative charges may apply. | | | | [6] International PDN subscribers billed at U.S. rates in U.S. Dollars. | | | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Prices subject to change without notice. Effective as of 04/03/95. | | Copyright (C) 1994, General Electric Company | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Other notes: 1. All times are based on the timezone in which your GEnie account was validated. 2. ALL connect charges are recorded in seconds and billed to the nearest hundredth (.01) of an hour. 3. Effective August 1, 1995 GEnie will eliminate Communication Surcharges for SprintNet and GEnie 9600 baud access for both US and Canada. 4. Effective August 1, 1995 GEnie (Canada) will reduce Datapac surcharges to $5.00/hour. [EOA] [SUM]\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ A Headful of Hot Summer Nights \\ //////////////////////////////////// by Rex Recall as transmitted to Jay Kee ```````````````````````````````````````` _ _ / \/ \ / \ / /\ /\ \ (_/ \/ \_)y name's Recall. Rex Recall. And I've got this problem -- a headful of RID (Really Important Data) that I have to upload well before the first of August. Actually, the problem is that if I don't upload in time, my neural circuits will implode and I'll suffer a complete meltdown. Not a pretty sight. Not even for sore eyes. Talk about DEADlines, man. The other problem is that certain parties would like it very much if I don't make it. This is about HSN, man. Hot Summer Nights. On GEnie. You trace? Think about all the movie theaters, television and radio stations, ballparks, malls, restaurants, nightclubs, amusement parks, water slides, and rodeos that would have to shut down for the entire month of August if a single byte of this RID went public. Not to mention the overload potential on the phone nets -- kazillions of people firing up their PCs and logging on to GEnie. Why, the entire communications grid could short out! Talk about gridlock, man. So, okay. Now you know. I'd love to hang around and chat it up but I'm kind of suffering a major temporal crisis here. If it's all the same to you, I'll just link and u-load and get outta Dodge. You trace? Right. Here we go. Establishing link... NOW. \\\ START TRANS It's here again. GEnie's annual Hot Summer Nights. An \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ online Festival of Fun and Frivolity that runs from August 1st to 31st on the world's favorite international online service. From end to end, there'll be an explosion of activity with celebrity guests, conferences, contests, free weekends, promotions, prizes, fun, and games for the whole family. Here are just a few examples. Exercise caution and restraint during transmission. HSN Data1: Stamps, Lawyers, and Torkaans ````````````````````````````````````````` Among the many attractions and events happening on GEnie during the month of August are a variety of conferences, free weekends, and special events. Something we'd all like to do from time to time will be taking place in the Law RoundTable the first and second Thursday of August: Hang a lawyer, a Hangman-style game with cash prizes awarded to first and second place finishers. There's also talk about an OJ Trivia contest co-sponsored by the Sports RoundTable to be held the last two weeks of August (one week in LAW - one week in SPORTS). But attorneys for both sides hadn't reached final agreement at press time. In the Stamps RoundTable, two real-world stamp conferences will be covered -- STAMPSHOW '95, the American Philatelic Society convention in St. Louis, August 24th to 27th; and AMERICOVER '95, the American First Day Cover Society convention in Irvine, California, August 4th to 6th. Check the Bulletin Board for updates and news on these major national shows. The Outdoors RoundTable will be hosting a free weekend in the Bulletin Board August 26th and 27th, and a free Real-Time Conference on August 7th. The Gay & Lesbian and Music RoundTables will be conducting joint Real-Time Conferences: "Gay Musicians - Or How Sexual Preference Can Influence Your Career," August 6th at 9:30 PM Eastern in the Music RT. And "Musicians in Support of Gay Rights," August 13th at 9:30 PM Eastern in the Gay & Lesbian RT. It's a Hot Summer Nights' tradition. It's GemStone III's month-long Grand Kelfour's Summer Festival. And it's back. With events like the Gladiatorial Games and Merchant Caravans; Torkaan Skinning and Lock Picking competitions; the ever-popular Game Master Dunking Booth, plus mini-quests, open Houses, and the ever-popular Water Tunnel Races. Who could ask for more? HSN Data2: Hangman ``````````````````` Tired of the same old hangups? Well, cheer up. Throughout the month of August, three different RoundTables will be hosting online Real-Time Conference (RTC) Hangman games. First up, the TI and Orphans RoundTable Games August 7, 14, 21, and 28 with topics based on Texas Instruments, Orphan games, Orphan systems, and Adam/Colecovision. Next, the Chemistry RoundTable Games August 8, 15, 22, and 29 with topics on Chemical Elements, Chemical Businesses, Common Household Chemicals, and Leaders in Chemistry providing the fuel. And finally, the CP/M RoundTable Games August 9, 16, 23, and 30 with words drawn from the realm of CP/M Programming Authors, Software Titles, Hardware Components, and Bulletin Board Topics. Prizes of one, two, and three-hour usage credits will be awarded every week to the top three winners in each RoundTable; the Grand Prize winners for highest overall points will receive a 5-hour usage credit. If you're going through an entertainment dry spell, try hanging on until August. You'll be glad you did. HSN Data3: New Age ``````````````````` If you're not positive about your karma, looking for a mantra, or think the attraction is purely metaphysical, the New Age RoundTable has a few potions to soothe your Hot Summer Nights. On August 6, from 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM Eastern time, take in the Fourth Nearly Full Moon Metaphysical Fair -- the New Age RoundTable's very own online metaphysical exposition. You'll find several conference rooms with readers from a variety of disciplines ready to do readings, and all sorts of people eager to chat about the New Age. What are shared dreams? And what can you do to improve your chances of having one? Find out August 9th at 10 PM Eastern, when Marla Franks leads a lively and informative discussion on Shared Dreams. If you're a fan of Tarot, a little apprehensive, or just plain curious, Nina Lee Braden will put your fears to rest and satisfy your curiosity. August 10th at 10:00 PM Eastern, she'll lead a Tarot workshop on Fear of Tarot; then on August 24th at 10:00 PM Eastern, she'll conduct live online Tarot mini-readings. For something slightly less conventional but every bit as fascinating, try some Live Medicine Card readings with Jussta on August 18th, at 10:00 PM Eastern time. Take a walk on the wild side. Let Jussta help you meet the challenges in your life by consulting the Native American Medicine cards. HSN Data4: Internet Gateway ```````````````````````````` GEnie's Internet Gateway is your link to the vast network of cyberspace known as the Internet. And for the entire month of August, the Gateway will be featuring a different Internet hot spot every night. For example, August 1st will feature romance with Newsgroups, Websites, and FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) dedicated to amore. On August 3rd, vacation photography will be highlighted, with a hotlist of Usenet newsgroups that can take you from beginner's basics to advanced techniques. And on August 4th, you'll find all the FAQs about Disneyland and Disney World to help you plan that special summer vacation trip. You probably already know this, but to celebrate Psychic Week the Internet Gateway will open the door on August 7th to some interesting paranormal resources, including the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, and the UFO Directory and Forum. Mulder and Scully would be proud. Speaking of weeks, on August 12th Graceland pilgrims can celebrate Elvis Week with a visit to the Elvis Home Page. On August 14th, diving enthusiasts can celebrate National Recreational Scuba Diving Week and check out the SCUBA Diving Information Page. World travelers can take a virtual vacation in France on August 15th (Napoleon Bonaparte's birthday), or a trip to Antarctica on August 22nd. Of course, what would summer be without baseball? And what better way to celebrate the anniversary of the first televised baseball game on August 26th than checking out two of the Internet's most popular Major League Baseball sites? For a list of Internet Hot Spots for August, drop into GEnie Internet Services on Page 5000, Keyword INTERNET, and use Lynx to access the Hot Summer Nights Web site at: http://www.library.ucsb.edu.hsn2.html ...and wax up that cyber-surfboard. Watch GEnie's Banners when you sign on for a complete listing of ALL of Hot Summer Nights events as we approach August. Or enter the keyword HSN to move directly to that page. END TRANS GEnie Services Mentioned RoundTable Keyword Page ------------------------------------------------------ GEnie Internet Services INTERNET 5000 TI and Orphans RoundTable TI 575 Chemistry RoundTable CHEMISTRY 1876 CP/M RoundTable CPM 685 New Age RoundTable NEWAGE 1122 Stamps Collecting RoundTable STAMPS 1520 Outdoors RoundTable OUTDOORS 180 The Gay & Lesbian RoundTable GAY 1660 Music RoundTable MUSIC 135 Law RoundTable LAW 570 GemStone III GEMSTONE 930 [EQA] [PDS]\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ PD/Shareware \\ //////////////////////////////////// Give Your Docs a Massage ````````````````````````` by Stephen Kahn ```````````````` _ _ / \/ \ / \ / /\ /\ \ (_/ \/ \_)acintosh text editors began as straightforward, no-frills programs for quick editing of ASCII (unformatted) text. In return for eschewing the complexities of formatting, they provided speed, simplicity, and economy. As word processors have become ever more complicated and expensive, a market niche has appeared for hybrids: lean programs that combine fast, efficient text editing with basic formatting capabilities. The key to success for such programs is careful selection of features -- providing essential capabilities needed by most users without becoming bloated by throwing in every possible bell and whistle. \\\ Deep in the Heart of Tex-Ed Tex-Edit is a formidable contender in the \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ hybrid text-editor sweepstakes. The program actually comes in two flavors: Tex-Edit Plus for System 7x users (TEX-EDIT PLUS 1.3.4.SIT, File 34625, Library 16), and Tex-Edit for System 6x users (TEX-EDIT 2.4.1.SIT, File 32272, Library 9). Fortunately for users of "heritage Macs," author Tom Bender pledges to continue supporting the older version as well as the new one. (This review discusses the features of the Tex-Edit Plus version.) Even though the program's name slyly references Bender's home state of Texas, and the program's icon displays the Lone Star state's distinctive outline, the program seemed perfectly at home on my Oregon-based Centris 610. The first question I ask about a text-editor is: How well does it handle the basic task of writing and editing text? The answer I got from Tex-Edit Plus: quite well. Along with all the standard capabilities one might expect, it offers quick selection techniques for sentences (triple click) and paragraphs (quadruple click), as well as a good variety of Option key-based scrolling and scrolling/selection tricks. I became more impressed when I observed smart cut and paste (automatic adjustment of spaces around moved text). But where the program really breaks new ground is by taking advantage of System 7.5's new drag and drop capabilities. Not only can you 'mouse move' text within a document or among multiple windows, but you can even drag clippings to the desktop and store them there. (The program's author keeps his return address as a clipping on the desktop and drags it into a document window whenever he types a letter.) For bulletin board zealots, Tex-Edit Plus also offers quick and easy quoting with indented ">" symbols or any other character you choose, a capability the program labels as "blocking." Moreover, the program provides both basic and innovative file capabilities. To begin with, it transcends the 32K size limitation of Apple's TeachText and other basic text editors. It then moves on to some interesting capabilities, such as establishing hyperlinks between files, inserting files, and changing creator codes as you save (so that other programs recognize files you've created). It can even force open incompatible documents when you need to extract text, even though you don't have the originating program. (When using this command you'll probably have to work around garbage control codes, but in a pinch this option can be better than nothing.) \\\ It's a Keeper Most of the formatting capabilities revolve around font \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ applications, allowing you to apply standard fonts, sizes, and styling options to your text. A couple of other formatting options hidden in the File menu Print Options dialog box allow you to print a document in a double-spaced format, or with running page numbers as bottom center footers. These non-WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) features may briefly disconcert Mac users conditioned to seeing every formatting option on the screen. Rather obscurely hidden in the otherwise excellent documentation, you'll find a note about the ASCII fonts (actually 9- and 12-point versions of Monaco) included with the program, which allow you to see carriage returns and other non-printing characters on your screen. Drop these fonts into the Fonts folder in your System folder. They'll then show up (a bit inscrutably) as 'zt-Mac' on your Font menu. Mention of carriage returns brings us to Tex-Edit's shining glory -- it's ability to 'massage' incoming and outgoing text. Although ASCII text was originally intended to be a universal language for exchanging documents among different computing platforms, different dialects inevitably arose. If you do a lot of document exchanges, the vagaries of line feeds, carriage returns, and special characters can drive you to distraction. Fortunately, the documentation provides a concise, lucid definition of the key issues involved in exchanging text documents, and the program makes it relatively easy to add, remove, or change troublesome characters and codes. It facilitates text exchange with both MS-DOS and UNIX computers, including Project Gutenberg 'etext' documents. Tex-Edit can open and crop PICT pictures (in separate windows, not mixed with text) and link sounds to a document. It can also read a text document 'aloud' using Apple's Sound Manager, a useful option for proofreading documents. I've tried a lot of Macintosh text editors over the years, and none of them really quite hit the spot for me. But this one feels like a keeper. The program displays a lot of attention to detail plus a genuine understanding of, and affection for the Macintosh's capabilities. It's certainly worth a look. And if you, too, decide it's a keeper, the shareware price of only $5 makes it the bargain of the year. \\\ Take A Ski Break If you're a wealthy jet-setter who copes with summer \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ heat by flying to a mountain ski-slope in New Zealand, read no further. The rest of us may have to grab some relief from the heat of hot summer nights by pouring a long cold drink and zooming down the virtual slopes of MacSki (MACSKI.SEA, File 34111, Library 23), a whimsical shareware ski-racing simulation. The game features colorful, smoothly-animated graphics, lively sound-effects, a variety of fantastic (in the sense of peculiar and outlandish) courses that include Slalom, Giant Slalom, Downhill, Penguin Squashing (yes, you read that correctly), Snowman Bashing (ditto), and Stonehenge (just ski between the arches). Just to liven up the courses, you have to avoid trees, rocks, fences, igloos, snow bunnies (rabbit and human varieties), moguls, snowmobiles, wounded skiers on ski patrol stretchers, and other eccentric obstacles. When, not if, you crash, you have to stumble to your feet by frantically clicking your mouse. However, from time to time a merciful St. Bernard shows up to help you out after a fall. The game is crippled in that you can only ski the easy courses without paying your shareware fee (a reasonable $28). You can start one of the more advanced courses, but after a minute or so of skiing, the run stops and a "pay your fee" message pops up. MacSki provides a wide variety of customization options, including adjustable weather conditions (you always wanted to ski in a blizzard, right?), nine types of skis, and a click and drag course editor. As lighthearted as the game is, the developers' lawyer must have solemnly warned them that someone would take it literally, because the program includes the following warning: "Skiing is a very risky and dangerous sport. MacSki is designed for entertainment purposes only, and should not serve as a source of training. If you do not seek professional ski instruction, you could injure yourself very badly and look like a complete idiot in front of family and friends. "Please be careful." Which is good advice for us all, when you get right down to it. You'll find these fine programs in the Macintosh RoundTable Library, Keyword MAC, on GEnie Page 605. [EOA] [DAT]\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Online Dating \\ //////////////////////////////////// by Keith A. Garrett ```````````````````` _____ / _ ) / / ) / / (_/ / (_____/ur coverage of this year's Hot Summer Nights events would not be complete without mentioning the hottest of this year's topics: cyberdating. No, there's no front-end available for this (no front-end PROGRAM, at least), and GEnie doesn't provide any kind of full-body cybersuit, either. (Not yet, anyway; keep watching those press releases.) But then again, there also aren't any painful hardware connections to worry about, either. Online dating simply involves what you use all the time on GEnie -- Bulletin Board messages and GE Mail. But don't be surprised if it also leads to long-distance telephone calls, and possibly even a cross-country trip. \\\ Soft Contacts Unlike computer dating, in which prospective partners are \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ paired up by a computer analysis of their personalities, online dating uses the computer only as a medium for personal contact. That means you biological types gotta do all the work. But it also means you're in full control -- well, as much control as people ever have where interpersonal relationships are concerned. Does this online dating thing really work? If you're reading this, you probably already know how well you can get to know someone simply based on the words they post in public messages or private mail. But if you still need to be convinced, just count the testimonials to computer love in the GEnie User's RoundTable (GENIEUS), Family and Personal Growth RoundTable (FAMILY), and Gay and Lesbian Issues RoundTable (GAY). For example... David: "My online relationship has been going strong for six months now! It's truly amazing to look back on the last six months, especially when we've got our whole 'courtship' documented on disk!" Rosie: "Hiding behind a computer makes being vulnerable a lot easier. Opening up and being vulnerable with another human being is a deep form of intimacy that some people never experience." John in Honolulu: "The major advantage is that you can get to know someone very well before ever meeting in person. If the opportunity ever comes up to get together in person, it will be a whole lot easier to open up since you feel like you know them already. A real boon for shy types like me." Tansy: "Do you fall in love on computer? I don't think I could... but you can meet that way and later on learn to love in person." \\\ Looking For Love If you're single and looking for an online love \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ interest, one of your best resources is the Singles Category (Cat 4) in the Family and Personal Growth RoundTable's Bulletin Board. (And if you're NOT single, then what are you doing looking for a date?) The Singles Category leader, Beverly Morneault, explains why this is the place to be: "Most people who post and lurk there are single, and I know GE Mail between members is generated by thought-provoking discussion on the board. It seems that the best relationships have started because the parties shared part of themselves on an open forum and then took it to GE Mail. And being in a place where the majority of posters are single is probably the best way to start." Topics of note in the Singles Category include "Computer Love" (Topic 39), "Dating Strategies for Modern Singles" (Topic 4), "My Ideal Mate" (Topic 5), "Loneliness in Single Life" (Topic 10), "Dating Etiquette" (Topic 14), "Breaking Up" (Topic 15), and "Single and Shy" (Topic 38). While you're in the Family RoundTable, take a gander at a text file in the Software Library that just might inspire you. It's File 2889 NGAGERTC.TXT, in Library 30 -- a transcript of a Real-Time Conference in which online dater Fritz the Cat proposed to Fredi, his main cyber-squeeze. (A Real-Time Conference for singles is held every Thursday night at 10 PM Eastern time in Room 1.) \\\ In All The Right Places Or, if you want to meet people from ALL over \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ the place, there's always somebody to talk to on the Chat Lines (CHAT). While it might be easier to find someone with similar interests in a particular RoundTable's Real-Time Conference area, a lot of GEnie users like the diversity that Chat provides. Plus there tends to be more of a crowd here, no matter the hour. Charles: "I met my girlfriend here on GEnie, specifically the Chat Lines area which we both frequent. I think that too many people pay attention to the 'how you met' aspect rather than the 'how you get along' part of it. I am happy to say that most people I have had contact with were very positive about it! My sister was quoted as saying: 'I'm going to have to get me a computer and get myself a man!'" Another service that GEnie provides for the online dater is Classified Ads (ADS) -- in particular, the GEnie Personals. Here you can read and reply to ads posted by others, or you can create your own. Ads of your creation can list your GE Mail address or can be posted anonymously, whichever you choose. There is an additional charge for posting ads, which ranges from $0.10 to $0.20 per line, depending on how long you want the ad to stay active. And there is a special section for Valentine's Day ads. If you're worried about getting into a long-distance relationship, you might want to try looking for your online partner in one of the areas on GEnie devoted to your own geographical region. These include the following RoundTables: American West (WEST), British Isles (BRITISH), Canada (CANADA), Deutschland/Europe (GERMANY), Japan (JAPAN), USA East (EAST), and USA MidWest (MIDWEST). (Three Places NOT To Look For Dates: 1. Chemistry RoundTable -- wrong kind of chemistry. 2. Modeling RoundTable -- wrong kind of models. 3. White House RoundTable -- 'Nuff said.) \\\ Leave a Tip Now, before I set you loose to go hunt down your cyberspace \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ cutie, take one last free tip from our favorite font of online dating wisdom... Beverly: "It is probably wise not to become 100% emotionally involved with anyone before taking an ONline relationship OFFline... i.e. phone calls, meeting in person, etc. I, personally, doubt the sanity of those who become engaged to be married before ever meeting face to face." That's all, lovers. Be sure to logon again next month, when our topic will be "Online Weddings." _______________________________________________________ / \ | Guide to Services Mentioned | | | | RoundTable Keyword Page# | | ----------------------------------------------------- | | American West RoundTable WEST 1065 | | British Isles RoundTable BRITISH 720 | | Canada RoundTable CANADA 1225 | | Deutschland/Europe RoundTable GERMANY 725 | | Family and Personal Growth FAMILY 1235 | | RoundTable | | Gay and Lesbian Issues GAY 1660 | | RoundTable | | GEnie Chat Lines CHAT 400 | | GEnie Classified Ads ADS 740 | | GEnie User's RoundTable GENIEUS 150 | | Japan RoundTable JAPAN 225 | | USA East RoundTable EAST 1470 | | USA MidWest RoundTable MIDWEST 1475 | \_______________________________________________________/ [EOA] [SEA]\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Searching the Internet \\ //////////////////////////////////// (For Real-People, No Pocket Protectors Required) ````````````````````````````````````````````````` by deb Christensen (sysmom@genie.com) `````````````````````````````````````` ____ (_ _) / / _/ / (____)t all began last year. I tried the Internet. Overwhelmed, frustrated and confused at the vast new place, I turned the computer off. It was the only revenge I could think of at the time. But then it happened. Do you remember what they say about necessity being the mother of invention and the father of need? One day my sweet little tenth grader came to me, right in front of everyone in the family, and asked me to please help her find something. For a debate. It was tomorrow at school. About ... Euthanasia, believe it or not. She smiled and offered, "Something would be on the Internet, huh, Mom?" I think even the cat was listening for the answer in the silence. "Yes, dear," I heard myself replying to her, horrified. Or maybe it was someone else, but I heard it come out of my mouth! \\\ Pros and Cons Every once in a while something happens at home that you \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ just know requires you to justify all that time, and all that money you spend on the newest gadgets for your favorite collection of silicon. This was one of them. We had to locate information for Becky to present the PROFESSIONAL side of this debate about Euthanasia. I kept thinking it was going to end up with a trip to the library. But like a faithful trooper, I logged onto the Internet and went to the World Wide Web browser, Lynx. Using the 'i' key, I was able to call up the index of basic searching and reference places on the Web. So I selected the first thing on the list under Searching. It was called Yahoo. So far, so good. A list of main categories appeared, but I didn't have any idea where to begin looking. There was a "Search" at the top of the screen, so I used my cursor key to move to it. The next screen I had to use the cursor key to move to the _____ line to fill in for my search, but I could figure that out! I proceeded to enter euthanasia as my term and cursored over to the Search at the end of the line. Aha! This time, Search meant "Submit Form," so I selected it. A few things appeared, none of them what we were looking for. Inwardly, I was relieved! But Becky was not ready to give up. "What now, Mom?" she asked. "Ummm, we just search for another word. Let's try..." And I thought about it a moment, then said, "...Death." It was obvious, at least. Wow! When we repeated the search process with this new word, it generated nine screens of resources, most of them having to do with Rock groups (I didn't have time to explore why), or Grief, or something else. Finally, on the eighth screen of selections, one of the items it located was called DeathNet, which led to a veritable gold mine of Right To Die issues, including a Canadian magazine called "Last Rights." There were papers presented before Senate Committees, speeches, magazine articles, bibliographies, and more. There was even a way provided to write to the editor of the magazine. Becky did. He responded that same night. There were 30 printed pages for her to study. She went to school the next day prepared with only twelve printed-out pages of the highlights of the materials. In fact, she felt so bad about having all the information, she gave the other side of the debate her list of arguments, point by point! Viola! She received an A. She won the debate, too. \\\ For What It's Worth That experience gave me as much confidence as it \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ gave her, I think, and I began to explore just a bit more of the Web. I started with scanning through the hundreds of 'What's New' listings each week, and then became brave enough to follow some of the additional links which were connected to many of these sites. I'm fascinated with some of the odd, complete, idiotic, funny, and just plain interesting things which people have compiled. Whether I agree with them or not. But my real-life adventures got more interesting soon, when my husband, who is enrolled in a special study program to finish his Master's Degree, looked up at me while he was preparing a paper and asked, "Remember that Buffalo Springfield song that went," and then he attempted to sing it, "'Stop, mmmmhmmm, What's that sound, everyone look what's goin' round?'" "I don't think those are the exact words, honey," I told him. "Why?" It turns out he wanted to use it in his paper. He didn't remember the name of the song, and of course, the paper was due -- tomorrow. At that moment, I think my life changed. I uttered for the first time in my life the words, "Oh! I think we can find the exact lyrics and information online on the Internet!" And five minutes later, I DID find it. A quick visit to Yahoo's main page of categories allowed me to select Entertainment, then Music, and then the Lyrics category. There, with a note that there was a World Wide Web Lyrics Service with a search feature, I found it. The Vivarin lyrics server at http://vivarin.pc.cc.cmu.edu/lyrics.html I knew we were looking for a specific group, so I selected "B" for Buffalo Springfield, and there it was on my screen: two songs, the titles of which I didn't recognize at all. I thought it was a dead end, but curiosity led me to select the first one anyway. It was called "For What It's Worth." Seasoned Buffalo Springfield fans from yesteryear will recognize that as the very title of the song we were looking for. So the paper on management relationships began with the correct quote: "I think it's time we stop, children, what's that sound Everybody look what's going down" from "For What It's Worth" as performed by Buffalo Springfield. \\\ In Search Of Estimates put the number of sites on the World Wide Web \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ alone at over 20,000. That number grows by hundreds each week. And it doesn't even include the ftp file transfer sites and the gophers. Remembering that you have seen something, but not how you got there, is going to be more and more common as we all explore the Internet. Knowing where to search for something is more useful than having a photographic memory. This way, someone else has to store the information; you only have to know where to find the tools to find the information. The easy-to-use, categorized presentation of Yahoo allowed me to locate them quickly. And here they are: \\\ Webcrawler This is a simple searching facility. You just give it the \\\\\\\\\\\\\\ keywords you are looking for, adjust the maximum number of entries you want to find, and select Search. There aren't many details, but it is fast. It does give you the option to 'AND' words together, or not. If you select AND (the default) it will look for items which have ALL the words you specified. If you choose not to have this item checked, then the search results will return sites which have ANY of the words in your keywords. Careful thought to selecting words will help you make just the right search. The more specific the words are, the more likely you are to want to try deselecting the AND words feature. But try it first with it on; you're going to be amazed at how many things it can find! \\\ Lycos I have found Lycos to be a tremendous help when I am looking for \\\\\\\\\ something fairly obscure. Search results from Lycos usually give you more than just the name of the site. It will also include a description or the first paragraph or so of the page which matches. It searches more than Web sites, but be warned, some of the search results can be very obscure. Careful use of the Lycos Search Form will let you tailor what it finds. If you use several keywords, Lycos will find documents first which match all the specified keywords. You'll want to set the number of search results to more than the fifteen items it defaults to. The next field on the fill-in form is the minimum number of those search terms you want matched in the search -- I use as many as possible. You will then find a line that says Min-score. This is a score of the EXACTNESS of the match. It defaults to .01, which is pretty low if you ask me. I always change it to .09. Lycos is not as easy as Yahoo, but it is not hard to use and can really dig up things you could not otherwise find. \\\ Global Network Navigator/Whole Internet Catalog (WIC) The WIC is \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ another topical or subject-oriented index. There is no search option, but the grouping of related materials is often handy. Think of it as you would a library's card catalog. Sometimes you find interesting things next to the index card you pull, or sitting on the row above that book you pulled. \\\ CUI's W3 The Searching of the CUI Web database takes in all those \\\\\\\\\\\\ 'What's New' entries on the Web. It houses complete descriptions and links to years' worth of new sites as they register, including subject lists, starting points, library catalogs, and more. It is also case-sensitive, which means that upper and lower case letters count. You may want to try several variations. I have found single terms work better here, but you do get lots of detail without having to run all over the Internet to see if it is an appropriate site first. \\\ Which Tool for Which Job? I find myself using Yahoo first, then Lycos \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ if what I'm looking for is detailed. If I think I have seen it on a linked menu somewhere, I will turn to the Web Crawler until something rings a bell, and if I recall that I read it in "What's New" or another one of the Indexes, I will use CUI's W3 for searches. You'll find all of these resources on GEnie's World Wide Web pages. Type LYNX to use the VT-100 navigation system; once there, the 'i' key always brings up the list of references in the GEnie Index Site. The day the Ebola story broke on the national news, I spent 30 minutes looking over Lycos searches for information resources on the Internet. I found only four references on the Webcrawler, but the Lycos section had extensive cross-references to gopher sites, newsgroups, and mailing lists. By the time I was able to find the key Ebola Page information from David Ornstein at the Indra Ebola page, and link it up to the HotSpots on GEnie's Internet, I had already learned much more than I had from both network news and CNN stories. \\\ And Now For Something Completely Different But the sure sign that Web \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ searches are fun as well as useful came as a reminder from my other teen-age daughter, Wendy, last night. I was staring at the screen of the computer; it sat at the GEnie HotSpots section of the Internet. (OK, I admit, I AM the one who finds a whole new set of interesting places for HotSpots twice a week in that little area.) Wendy looked over my shoulder and saw 'Monty Python' on the screen. She asked about it, so I got up, gave her my chair, and she cruised across the Atlantic ocean to one of the best Python sites on the Net. Within 10 minutes, she had found the movie scripts and was reading through 'The Holy Grail' scene by scene. Reading the lines! Out loud! Then she called her friend to tell her all about it. It was midnight before I could finally peel her away from the monitor screen and convince her she really needed to get some sleep. What's my favorite part of searching for things on the Internet? All of it! The discovery, the fun, the information, the news, and the delightful world that it opens up for everyone. [EOA] [NET]\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ NetSearch \\ //////////////////////////////////// Headline News `````````````` by C. Corey Fisk ````````````````` ____ (_ _) / / / / _/ / (____)t's July and the sweet spring has turned into a scorching summer. What to do, other than turn up the air conditioning and go explore some cool, collected electronic news? Well, you could go to a museum, see a movie, or hang out at the beach -- but GEnie's got information on that, too. Check out dinosaur skeletons, presidential stamps, summer stars, flag etiquette and more. Dive into GEnie's files and you'll be better prepared for those Hot Summer Nights! On a seasonal note, as the United States celebrates the Fourth of July, freedom of speech and the electronic realm has become one of the hottest constitutional issues. Check out the online digests that track developments and issues, all available here on GEnie. Happy NetSearching! Business: Using the Internet to Get Ahead.......................KEYWORD: HOSB """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" PAGE: 370 The first of the "digests" listed in today's NetSearch, this file is one of the neatly packaged summaries of Internet newsgroups of interest to business users. 'Internet Marketing' is an informative discussion on how to use the 'net to advertise, do research, and conduct business on the Information Superhighway. Be sure to check for the latest issue! Internet literacy is useful (and if you don't have it, get yourself over to the Internet Education Center on Page 101, Keyword: INTERNET101). File: 6496 INMKT328.TXT 29,312 bytes Library 28 (Text File) Collecting: "I Am Not a..." Stamp?..........................KEYWORD: STAMPS """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" PAGE: 1520 Some people think he's a crook; others remember his foreign policy advances. To the youngsters among us, he's part of history. Whatever you think of Richard Nixon, he's become part of American culture, to the point of being enshrined on a postage stamp. Do not fold, spindle, or mutilate. Just go directly to the Stamps RoundTable and take a look at this presidential portrait. File: 731 95NIXON.GIF 24,904 bytes Library 11 (GIF File) Education: Can't Get Enough of Dinosaurs?.....................KEYWORD: SPACE """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" PAGE: 460 The three-year-old is bouncing around singing, "I love you, you love me..."; the nine-year-old is playing a game where a fancy car cruises around an Allosaurus, and the thirty-year-old is talking about how retro-hip the episode of The Tick was that had Dinosaur Neal eating replicated DNA. Before you do your own imitation of a T-Rex in order to get them to talk about something else -- anything else! -- bring them over to the Space RoundTable. There, tucked away in Library 22, you'll find dozens of GIFs of restored skeletons and 'modeled' fossils from the Carnegie Museum of Natural History that will delight and inform. File: 7676 TREX01.GIF 265,600 bytes Library 22 (GIF File) Entertainment: Catch that Fox (Mulder, that is!)..............KEYWORD: SFRT2 """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" PAGE: 471 Okay, I admit it. The X-Files is a good show, and one I watch semi-regularly. What I don't understand is the level of fanaticism among its followers! They approach the show with a dedication I normally reserve for, well... Babylon 5. (Maybe I do understand after all.) But whether you're a fanatic or a casual viewer trying to figure out the ins and outs of a sometimes confusing show, the Science Fiction & Fantasy Media RoundTable has the cure for your summer re-run blues. Check out the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) sheet and the X-Files Episode Guide, and get prepared for the mysteries of the fall season. File: 1646 XFILE011.EPG 54,400 bytes Library 3 (Text File) File: 1645 XFILE010.FAQ 59,520 bytes Library 3 (Text File) Flag Day: Displaying the U.S. Flag...............................KEYWORD: PF """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" PAGE: 545 Do you dip a flag? When is it flown at half mast? Is it all right to 'drape' a flag over a podium? How do you dispose of one that's outlived its usefulness? (The answers are: no; upon presidential order; use bunting instead; and by burning it.) These and many more guidelines for the United States flag are listed in this handy file available in the Public Forum*Non Profit Connection File Library. Celebrate Flag Day (July 14th) with your head and flag held high. File: 6471 FLAG-ETT.TXT 12,396 bytes Library 14 (Text File) Health: The Ebola Virus.........................................KEYWORD: PF """"""""""""""""""""""" PAGE: 545 The Ebola Virus has cropped up in Zaire, causing a health crisis and resulting in the World Health Organization sending in emergency teams. Learn the details of this deadly disease in a fact sheet from the Centers for Disease Control, available in the Medical RoundTable. File: 6472 EBOLA.TXT 7,956 bytes Library 11 (Text File) Gardening: Palm Trees Galore...................................KEYWORD: PALM """""""""""""""""""""""""""" PAGE: 780 I have to admit, when I first saw the words "PALM RT" flash by my screen, I assumed it was a support forum for Newtons and Thinkpads and other such hand- held computing devices. I was amazed when it turned out to be an area where the International Palm Society exchanged information on how to grow, cultivate, and enjoy all varieties of the leafy tropical plant. If you're a gardener or just enjoy thinking about being someplace warm enough to see one outdoors, be sure to check out the hundreds of files available. Below is an sample file, dealing with the different varieties of Rhapis Palms. File: 780 RHAPIS.TXT 20,992 bytes Library 1 (Text File) Information Online: Issues of Privacy and Communication..........KEYWORD: PF """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" PAGE: 545 With the Internet and other computer services becoming more and more a part of daily communications, issues of privacy and free speech have come under close scrutiny. From the Exxon bill, to encryption, to worries about extremist groups using the 'net to communicate, the subject has been on the minds of folks who may never have used a computer before. The Public Forum*NonProfit Connection provides two excellent resources on keeping up with legal, moral, and practical debate about electronic expression. The EFFector Online is a publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a group devoted to preserving electronic freedom of speech, while Computer Underground Digest has articles ranging from Noam Chomksy on the Internet to discussions on the problems of digital copyrights. Check for the latest issues under the search terms 'eff' and 'underground', respectively. Examples are listed below. File: 6461 EFF805.TXT 23,832 bytes Library 13 (Text File) File: 6460 CUD737.ZIP 18,060 bytes Library 2 (Zipped Text Files) Pack Up Your Bags: Amtrak.....................................KEYWORD: TRAVEL """""""""""""""""""""""""" PAGE: 560 I hate flying. And driving for hours a day can get claustrophobic. The solution for my summer travel blues? I take the train. You can settle in and watch the landscape pass by, or get a sleeper car and doze your way cross-country. Perfect for last-minute plans when it's too late to get those cheap fares, or when you just want to take your time during the lazy days of summer. These handy tips are a great help for the first-time traveler. File:1898 AMT_TIPS.TXT 27,008 bytes Library 4 (Text File) Sports: The Tao of Baseball..................................KEYWORD: SPORTS """"""""""""""""""""""""""" PAGE: 215 Maybe you haven't yet forgiven your favorite team for the strike -- hey, even my fellow Red Sox fans are finding it hard to cheer as loudly this year, and we're used to being let down. Whether disappointed or happy that the game's back on, any baseball fan will find this wonderful 'translation' by Jeffrey J. Drummond worth reading. The guide to the principles of baseball, by Lao "Lefty" Tzu, will inspire oneness with the universe -- or at least a lot of laughter, which is almost as good. File: 4259 TAO.TXT 46,143 bytes Library 1 (Text File) File: 3660 TAO.ZIP 15,360 bytes Library 1 (Zipped Text File) Stargazing: July Heat Brings August Showers...................KEYWORD: SPACE """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" PAGE: 460 Well, maybe not. But it is time to dust off the telescopes, get out that blanket, and prepare for next month's biggest free show. The meteor showers of 1995 will peak from August 15th to the 17th, and this calendar tells you exactly when and where. The information can be pretty technical, so borrow your favorite twelve-year-old to help interpret it. File: 4620 IMOCAL95.TXT 41,856 bytes Library 3 (Text File) Summer Fashions: Healthy Eating................................KEYWORD: FOOD """"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" PAGE: 1550 A "purple polka-dotted bikini" means just one thing to most people -- sheer panic. If the latest summer fashions pit cellulite against vanity, check out the low-fat recipes available in the Food & Wine RoundTable. Vegetarian and many other recipes are also available, including a few loaded with all that sinful stuff the rest leave out. The file listed is a "digest" from the Internet low fat Newsgroup, an easy-to-read version of the recipes and discussions there. Check the Library for the latest! File: 5785 950505.ELF 27,264 bytes Library 1 (Text File) [EOA] [MAG]\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ GEnie Magic \\ //////////////////////////////////// GEnie Magic: Electronic Mail ````````````````````````````` by Mark D. Hiatt ````````````````` ____ (_ _) / / / / _/ / (____)t's hot outside. It's often hot inside. There are times when I'd like to fire up the Macintosh (or the Compaq) and get some Serious Work done, but I can't, because of the thunderstorm activity going on outside. It's at times like these that I like to fire up the PowerBook, light a fine cigar, pour myself an Adult Beverage, and catch up on correspondence with friends online. Not just on GEnie, but online nearly anywhere. There's the guy I went to school with who runs a little mail-order outfit from his basement, den, and garage in Illinois. There's the writer from Ohio who helped me get my own start writing for Computer Shopper back when that chubby magazine was getting a tan in Florida. And another writer in eastern Pennsylvania, working on his third computer book of the year (maybe he's at work on number five, by the time you read this). There is something really complete about e-mail. With most products and services there seems to be some kind of something lacking. But it's hard to imagine it being any better than it already is. You can write it whenever you feel like -- even during a thunderstorm, if you have a laptop. You can send it whenever it's convenient, like after Prime Time ends, or on weekends or holidays, and it still gets there. The person you're sending it to can read it, if they want, whenever they want. There's no worry about the correct postage and you don't have to dress and go out in the rain and drive down to the post office or hunt around for a mailbox. And more and more people and businesses are available electronically. Open any of the major magazines available at any newsstand these days and you'll likely see at least one letter with an electronic, rather than analog, address. Write your own if you feel strongly about an issue, and in a few weeks your own letter will appear with your signature and address at the bottom. 'Mark.Hiatt@GEnie.GEIS.COM' has appeared in a few magazines, since I started noticing so many magazines are online. In fact, not everyone is online (yet). And not every business has a Fax machine (but most do). You can walk that bridge online, as well, by having your GE Mail sent as a FAX document. You simply tell GEnie what the phone number is when asked for the TO: recipient. You can send copies of the same letter to one or more FAX machines, and/or to people online on GEnie or one of the other computer networks, or to one or more people online and connected via Internet, all at the same time. You can send files to people on GEnie. Files don't travel well, or easily, via Internet or FAX, but if someone has a GEnie account, you can send them through GE Mail and include a computer file with your letter. They'll download it as though it were any file in one of the Software Libraries, and have a copy just like the one you sent. Computer programs, scanned photo images, word processing documents (even entire books) can be sent as file-attached mail. GE Mail is very personal, and very casual. Bulletin Board messages are at least as convenient, but anyone can read them, and not everyone should. Conversations in Chat or Real-Time Conferences or even trading Notifies can be more private, but you both have to be online at the same time for that to work, so it's not as convenient. Libraries are more permanent, but they're not at all interactive. So for many kinds of personal communications, GE Mail is the perfect alternative. Spelling and grammar are always important, but they're not AS important, when you use electronic mail. You wouldn't write "gonna" or "sorta" in a regular letter, but they're okay in GE Mail, prolly. And the best part of electronic mail, I think, is that you can both read and reply at your convenience. And that includes during the middle of a thunderstorm--if you have a laptop! Remember, you can always ask questions about GE Mail, or any aspect of GEnie, in the GENIEus HelpDesk Real-Time Conference. Type M150:2 to get there. If you have any questions about GEnie, or suggested topics we could cover here, I'd like to hear from you. Why not drop me a letter in GE Mail? My address online is MARK.HIATT and I try to respond within a couple of days. I hope you'll have a great time online! [EOA] [ART]\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ ARTIST \\ //////////////////////////////////// Be an Independent ARTIST ````````````````````````` by Donn King ````````````` _ / ) __ / / ( (_/ / \___/uly! A month when Americans celebrate independence. You should too, you know, because everyone else is. And you can become even more independent this month with GEnie's HALF PRICE sale on research in ARTIST's U.S. Federal Center. If that "everyone else" statement made you cringe a bit, it's because you truly do like to be independent. Our nation's founders put a First Amendment in the Constitution because they knew a free flow of information helped ensure the government would stay accountable to the people, keeping it from gaining too much power over the average person. These days, the government has a lot of power -- but so do you, partly because of your computer and a number of services GEnie provides, especially the U.S. Federal Center. \\\ Keep An Eye On Them Simply enter your topic. It may be something about \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ agency regulations, or upcoming legislation, or recent court decisions. The U.S. Federal Center covers national affairs, news, government purchasing, and important publications like the Washington Post and Federal Register. In fact, the U.S. Federal Center has the full text of the Federal Register, the Federal News Service, Tax Notes Today, and the Washington Post. You can search through these and other sources, all at the same time. Want to keep an eye on Uncle Sam? Here's the way to do it. Just ask your question. The computer will quickly search through thousands of journals, magazines, and reports to let you know titles with information on your topic. Review the results online, too -- most databases offer full text. Since the U.S. Federal Center is a GEnie$Premium service, additional charges apply to search and retrieval. Be sure to review the complete listing of applicable prices. Just enter M1248 or the keyword FEDERALCTR at any major GEnie prompt, and you're there! \\\ Information Is Power For instance, if I wanted to find out the latest \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ information about copyright legislation and regulations, I'd crank it up for a search. The first screen inside the U.S. Federal Center shows you the myriad of database choices : U.S. Federal Center Multiple Database Search 1 U.S. Government News & Regulations Groupsearch Mixed $2.50 ($4.50) Individual Database Search 2 Bureau of National Affairs Daily News Full Text $4.50 3 Commerce Business Daily Full Text $3.00 4 Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Full Text $6.00 5 Federal News Service Full Text $4.50 6 Federal Register Full Text $4.50 7 Federal Research in Progress Summary $4.50 8 GPO Publications Summary $3.00 9 Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications Summary $4.50 10 Political Science Journals Summary $3.00 11 Tax Notes Today Full Text $6.00 12 Washington Post Full Text $4.50 Your U.S. Federal Center charges: $0.00 Enter #,

revious, elp or xit U.S. Federal Center? By choosing option 1, I can search all the databases at once. I told the system to search on the term COPYRIGHT and limit the search to 1995. The Knowbot (ARTIST's computerized online "librarian") showed me the list of its findings: U.S. Government News & Regulations Groupsearch Source Results 1 Bureau of Natl. Affairs Daily News (Full Text)......76 2 Washington Post (Full Text)......49 3 Federal Register (Full Text)......16 P Modify this search Your U.S. Federal Center charges: $2.50 Enter #,

revious, elp or xit U.S. Federal Center? Wow! Lots of stuff, just this year alone. (Notice that the Knowbot also keeps me informed about charges.) I have a lot of options here, too. Since I'm looking for the latest information on what the government is doing, I'd probably just go to the list from the Federal Register. Usually the system shows me the most recent information first, so I can breeze right through it and get the full text of anything that I want. When I did this search, I got the full text of two articles, and it all took less than four minutes. Try finding this kind stuff in a few minutes at a library. I can't even get out of my driveway in that time! \\\ The Fine Print The U.S. Federal Center accesses databases from the \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Bureau of National Affairs, the U.S. Government Printing Office, the National Technical Information Service (NTIS), the Washington Post, and Federal Information Systems Corp. It is made available by Dialog Information Services, Inc. and offered through GEnie via Advanced Research Technologies' ARTIST(R) Gateway System. [EOA] [GAM]\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ The GEnie Gamer \\ //////////////////////////////////// The GEnie Gamer: It's Cool, Man ```````````````````````````````` by Jay Kee ``````````` ______ (__ __) / / / / (_/he sun slides into the horizon like a red and orange smear across an indigo sky, heat rises off the rooftops in shimmering waves, ice clinks and clatters as you sip a cool drink, beads of moisture condense on the glass as sweat slowly trickles down your cheek like tears and Robbie Robertson plays in sultry undertones on the stereo. Going to be another hot summer night, you think. "...it was too hot to sleep..." Robertson's voice echoes lyrically in the background. You nod, silently agreeing. A computer screen glows invitingly across the darkening room; modem lights wink at you. An idea forms in your sun-baked mind: Hot Summer Nights. GEnie. You sit down, link up, and log on. The modem screeches and hisses and you're home. \\\ Not Your Kid's MPG All across GEnie this month, Hot Summer Nights \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ celebrations are in full bloom. Romance and adventure are in the air; flights of fancy take wing and soar. It's a time when fantasy becomes reality, and imaginations run wild. A time for fun. A time for play. A time for grown-up games -- games like Federation II, the Adult Space Fantasy (Page 220, Keyword FED). Fed II is not your kid's online multi-player game. It's adult entertainment at its best, a combination science-fiction adventure/fantasy RPG/galactic conquest with a spicy, irreverent, tongue-in-cheek flavor reminiscent of Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The mechanics of the game are simple; anyone familiar with text-based computer or online fantasy RPGs will immediately recognize the verbal GO-GET-TAKE-USE-DROP-EXAMINE interface. But this simplicity is deceptive. Because beneath that humble exterior beats the heart of a complex, multi- dimensional game. Like other roleplaying games, you start out by rolling a character. Unlike other RPGs, however, it's short and to the point -- enter a name, declare the character to be male or female, and distribute 140 development points among four familiar attributes -- strength, stamina, intelligence, and dexterity. Done. Your new persona materializes in the Starship Cantina on Earth, a 'newbod' with 13,000 Imperial Groats, a vac suit, a personal communicator, and not a clue about what to do next. (If you haven't already done it, this would be a perfect place to exit the game and go download the first of three extensive, exhaustive game manuals, 'The Newbod Idiot's Guide to Federation II (Menu item 4 on Page 220). It would also be a good place to download FedTerm, a graphics front-end for Amiga and IBM compatible systems (File 32 FEDTERM.ZIP, Library 1, and File 102 NEWMMTERM142.LHA, Library 7). Although Fed II is a text-based game, FedTerm simplifies things even further with a point-and-click interface and multimedia capability that allows you to include custom sound samples and graphics.) \\\ Ground Hog Day What's Fed II all about, you ask? On one level, it's \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ impossible to define because there are so many things to do -- trading, smuggling, exploring, spying, socializing, romancing, and adventuring in a constantly-changing multi-player environment. It's a universe full of outrageous characters and scandalous behavior, a place that shuns magic and is surprisingly free of violence. At it's heart, however, it's a space-trading RPG where the ultimate objective is achieving the power to create your own planets. Rising to the top in Fed II requires copious quantities of two commodities: Wealth (Imperial Groats) and Status (Trader Credits). The former lets you buy all the neat stuff lying around waiting to be bought; the latter lets you move up through the ranks -- from Commander, to Merchant, and ultimately, to Explorer. And beyond. To get there, one has to start where all lesser mortals start -- at the bottom. In Fed II it's referred to as being a GroundHog. As soon as you get your first ship (real easy), you're elevated to the dizzying heights of Commander. And from there, it's all play and no work (well, maybe a little work). You'll start out taking on milk run deliveries around the solar system, work your way up to the more lucrative assignments available from Transportation Central, take on contracts from player Merchants, and get into trading commodities on the Trading Exchange. (Of course, there's nothing that says you have to play it straight. If your character has the necessary qualities, you can always try smuggling.) As you move up the ladder, you'll be able to make some serious Groats, buying warehouses, building factories, forming companies, and creating your own products for trade. In most games, that would be long and the short of it. Not in Fed II. Here, it's just the beginning, a necessary walk-before-you-can-run phase leading up to the Holy Grail of Fed Dataspace: the power to create your own planets. \\\ Another World Imagine being able to create an entire world, a world \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ other players can visit, explore, and enjoy -- a world with bars, factories, shops, and shipyards that you construct; a world with NPCs (Non-Player Characters) that you create; a world with puzzles and secrets and challenges that you design. In Fed II all of that's possible, and more. You create all the areas, paths and locations for your planet; write the long and short descriptions; create Mobiles (NPCs) that can be helpful, dangerous or purely decorative; produce almost any kind of object, each with unique properties; even design your own fiendishly-clever puzzles, with every kind of risk and reward your fevered imagination can conjure up. All with a simple menu-driven utility called the Explorer's Workbench. Once your newly-minted planet is up and running, you'll need to learn the ins and outs of Planetary Management to earn yet more wealth and fame. Other than increasing your bank account, good management will ultimately lead to bigger and better things. First, get far enough and you'll find yourself being invited to try your hand at the Duke Puzzle. This little side-trip could be a game all by itself. Everything you need for the quest has to be made -- by you -- before you can undertake the final challenge: a TimeWarp that takes you back to the early days of the solar system, where your mission will be nothing less than the salvation of civilization. Once you succeed, you'll be elevated to Dukedom, with the power to form your own planetary Duchy and engage in some serious interplanetary intrigues. Then, with luck and skill (and enough Groats), you could earn a coveted appointment to the Senate, where you'll assist in governing disputes, participate in the development and evolution of Fed Dataspace, and get incredibly, disgustingly rich. In the end, it is entirely possible that you could end up as the next Emperor! \\\ A Flight of Fancy It's hot, too hot to sleep. There's nothing on TV but \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ repeats, nothing in the paper but bad news, nothing in the movies but death and destruction. Get away from it all. Take a flight of fancy on the airline of the imagination -- GEnie. In the immortal words of Bart Simpson, "It's cool, man." [EOA] [SPC]\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Special Events \\ //////////////////////////////////// July 1995 `````````` ____ / ___) / (_ / ___) / (_ (____)nter the keyword -- shown below in CAPITAL LETTERS (for example, CHAT) -- at any GEnie prompt to reach the RoundTable hosting these Special Events. Select Menu Item 2 for the Real-Time Conference area at the specified time. Watch the GEnie Announcements when you sign on for news about other exciting Real-Time Conferences (RTCs). For details, simply type the number of the Announcement you want to know more about. You can also type the keyword NEW, or M100 at any GEnie prompt to see an extended list of What's Happening Online. You are not charged standard connect fees while reading GEnie Announcements. Eastern Time PM Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 8:00 SFRT1 PK BORLAND Poker SCORPIA Night Sierra Hints TSR 8:30 GEOWORKS ENABLE A2PRO A2PRO 9:00 RADIO SHOWBIZ AMIGA MILITARY PCALADDIN AMIGA AMIGA Listening Live Chat Help General House Party Help Help DIY GENEALOGY MAC AMIGA PCALADDIN MAC PCALADDIN UNIX Beginners Help Help Help PCALADDIN GENIEUS SPACE ROMANCE PCALADDIN DBMS EAST Help GEnie Jam MAC:Fights Research Help ROMANCE AMIGA CALC ABLE AMIGA:Help AMIGA MAINFRAME Aspiring HelpDesk WINDOWS TANDY HelpDesk PET Writer MAC Help ST:Help MAC MODEL MAC INVEST WRITERS PCALADDIN PCALADDIN Railrds TRAVEL ROMANCE DIY Help PET TSR PCALADDIN TSR TSR SHOWBIZ CALC CALC WINDOWS TSR TRAVEL FOOD 9:30 IBMPC A2 GERMANY OS2 SCORPIA A2 A2 General New Users Travel A2 A2:TBC Telecom Sm Biz A2 OS2 A2:Guest Hypermedia AUTO A2PRO RADIO II Speak Help SFRT1 AMIALADDIN STALADDIN SFRT3 TSR SFRT3 MAC Writers SCORPIA WP:WordPrt MPGRT FW-Pern Educa- ERT:Parents Ask Sysops WINDOWS MICROSOFT WRITERS tional HomeSchool MICROSOFT MPGRT TSR All Types SCUBA MACPRO MPGRT Air Warrior ROMANCE GEOWORKS SFRT3 Ask Sysops SFRT3 FAMILY SFRT1 OS2 WRITERS MAC Alt.Hist MAC A2PRO Hardware PPCPRO Powerbook MAC OS2 TSR NEEDLE Telecomm Games A2PRO MICROSOFT SFRT3 SFRT2 MACPRO Star Wars DATACOMM SFRT3 NEEDLE A2PRO Waystation TRAVEL MICROSOFT MICROSOFT STAMPS PPCPRO ARTS NEEDLE WRITERS 10:00 AMIGA DISNEY AMIGA HOME AMIGA COMMODORE AMIGA Gathering MIDWEST MMedia Moose Manor Music SFRT1 Party FORTH AMIGA WRITERS AMIGA GERMANY General Helm HISTORY Telecomm Poetry AmiGames AVIATION GENEALOGY COMMODR FOOD ST: Atari COMMODORE ST: Atari MPGRT ROMANCE MOTO CooksChat dtp FOOD Open House GemStone PET BEER MOTO SFRT1 COMICS GERMANY CANADA AMIGA FAMILY COMMODORE Horror MOTO COMMODORE NEWAGE Graphics TSR ASTROLOGY GERMANY GENEALOGY PRO/AM(iga) PET HOME ROMANCE Beginners COMMODORE ROMANCE DIY MOTO Landlords SFRT2 HOSB UNIX FAMILY SFRT2 ERT FAMILY HOME NeXT ARTS On Screen COMICS SHOWBIZ OpenHouse MOTO SFRT2 FOOD SFRT2 Quantum COMICS GENEALOGY Star Trek HISTORY Quantum Leap II SPORTS Heraldic TRAVEL MOTO Leap PROGRAMMING FAMILY MPGRT HOME WINDOWS FOOD GENIEWIN PF FAMILY LAW Help Variety Help ABLE EMERGENCY PET ASTROLOGY CALC MIDI COLLECT WINDOWS FAMILY Fighters ASTROLOGY SFRT2 SPORTS FOOD FAMILY SFRT2 GENIEWIN CALC ARTS JERRY STAMPS Help MULTIMEDIA PET BEER MUSIC GARDEN COLLECT COLLECT Night Owl SHOWBIZ SFRT3 SFRT3 ASTROLOGY Quantum PROGRAMMING ALERT Pros Leap TAX PROGRAMMING STAMPS TSR PF ARTS HOSB COMICS HOSB HISTORY WORKPLACE COMMODORE ABLE HISTORY 10:30 MAC MPGRT SFRT3 MAC PF SFRT3 JAPAN Help DragGate PF Games singles Animation GENIEUS PF SFRT3 Prize 11:00 COMMODORE MAC SCORPIA COMMODORE PHOTO PF COMMODOR PF Help Star Fleet MAC General UNIX PF ORBWARS PF MAC Help MAC MAC WEST New Players PF ABLE Help SFRT2 GENIEUS ORBWARS SFRT2 ORBWARS Prize New Players STAMPS 11:30 SFRT3 Midnight AMIGA AMIGA AMIGA AMIGA AMIGA MOTO AMIGA Help Help Help Help Help FOOD Help AMIGA Help \\\ Conferences of Special Note A2's Conference is open from 2 PM until 8 \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ PM every Sunday, and all night on Friday. SFRT3 conducts Fan Fiction at 6 PM on Sundays and Terran Empire at 7 PM Saturdays. PET holds a Late Night Chat at 1 AM on Tuesday nights. WRITERS meets in the Hot Tub Saturdays at 4 PM, and for Sunday Brunch at 1 PM. GEOWORKS meets Saturdays at 2 PM. Attend MICROSOFT's Q&A conference Sundays at 2 PM and at 9:30 PM. MOTOrcycle hosts Motorcycle Consumer News Magazine on the second Wednesday evening of each month. Home Office/Small Business (HOSB) holds both banter and Watkins RTCs at 2 PM on Sunday. Stamps holds a Kid's Konference every Sunday at 7 PM. The Astrology RoundTable is now offering Vedic astrology classes, taught by Ranjan Bose at 5 PM on Sundays. There is no charge for the classes and no registration required. GENIEus hosts a help desk every night from 8 PM until 3 AM, plus weekends from noon until 6 PM. They also offer a late night Prize RTC at 2 AM Saturday night/Sunday morning. The Internet RoundTable holds an RTC every night, 7 days a week, from 6 PM until 3 AM. Chat Lines hosts a delightful variety of multi-player games and fascinating Theme Chats on weekends, evenings, and during the wee hours, plus Breakfast Chats at 6 AM. Also in Chat Lines, get help with Unix/Internet/DBMS on Sunday at 8 PM and Thursday at 10 PM on Channel 4. Chat Lines offers help with Windows Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday at 9 PM. The Programmer's Cafe meets in the PROGRAMMING RoundTable from 10 PM until midnight on Thursdays and Fridays. The GEnie for Macintosh help desk no longer has set times of operation, but will be happy to set up a time with anyone who needs help. The sysops can be reached by sending GE Mail to GENIEMAC$. Last but certainly NOT least, PCALADDIN's Help Desk is open every night of the week from 9 PM until Midnight. \\\ GEnie Holidays The following is the 1995 GEnie Holiday Schedule when \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ "non-prime time" rates will be in effect all day. A reminder notice is bannered on GEnie before each holiday. July 4 Independence Day September 4 Labor Day November 23 Thanksgiving Day November 24 Day After Thanksgiving December 25 Christmas Day December 26 Christmas Week December 27 Christmas Week December 28 Christmas Week December 29 Christmas Week [EOA] [IBM]\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ IBM-Compatible RoundTables \\ //////////////////////////////////// by Keith A. Garrett """"""""""""""""""" ______ (__ __) / / / / (_/he hottest thing about summer isn't the weather -- it's the movies! And although GEnie doesn't have full-length movies available to download (yet!), there are some little ones, in the form of Video for Windows files (the ones that end in the extension .AVI). These are better than just wimpy little animation files -- AVI files can contain digitized video images (thus the "V" part), and often come with sound, too. To play an AVI file, you'll need to use the Windows Media Player, or some other AVI viewer -- there are plenty in GEnie's Software Libraries. If your system is not set up to use Video for Windows, just download File 1461 VFW11D.EXE from Library 3 of the Multimedia, Desktop Video, and Virtual Reality RoundTable (MULTIMEDIA). This file contains all the drivers you need to make your system AVI-compatible. Now all you need is a list of files to view, huh? Let's see what we can dig up.... In the Windows Software Library (WINDOWS), we have: Lib: 6 File: 1981 HANGLDI.ZIP Hang glider Lib: 21 File: 2479 WINTEN1.ZIP Girl playing tennis Lib: 21 File: 2480 WINTEN2.ZIP The sequel: man playing tennis! And in the Multimedia RoundTable, we find: Lib: 10 File: 483 NFALL.ZIP Niagara Falls Lib: 10 File: 485 ENG_AVI.ZIP Sailboat in trouble Lib: 10 File: 486 SKIER.ZIP Skier wiping out Lib: 10 File: 494 CLINT2.AVI Clinton's lies timetable Lib: 10 File: 495 EARTH.AVI Rotating Earth animation Lib: 10 File: 520 MARSAVI.ZIP Flyby of Olympus Mons, Mars Lib: 10 File: 1043 CAR_RACE.ZIP Car race Lib: 10 File: 1044 CLOUDS.ZIP Sunset over ocean waves Lib: 10 File: 1069 USA-AVI.ZIP American flag animation Many of these AVIs have accompanying sound built in, too. \\\ Cinematic Messages If you're looking for cinematic excitement, you've \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ gotta realize that some of the contents of GEnie's Bulletin Boards and Software Libraries have all the drama, conflict, and excitement of a cinematic blockbuster! \\\ WINDOWS 95 VS. OS/2: THE FINAL BATTLE! To Wit: The contest between \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ operating system superpowers continues in this latest installment of today's hottest techno-thriller. Will Windows 95 infiltrate the Kremlin? Is Bill Gates a closet OS/2 user? And just how fast is Warp speed, anyway? On GEnie, the fight goes on in two Bulletin Boards. In the Windows 95 RoundTable (WINDOWS95), the hot spot is Category 3, Topic 6: "Windows 95 vs OS/2." Don't worry, it's not too violent here -- not nearly as much as the IBM/Amiga Wars. But that's a different movie. The best parts are the information sheets provided by IBM and Microsoft, either attacking or defending one platform or the other. Can you say "propaganda"? Over in the OS/2 RoundTable (OS/2), the happy fight goes on in Category 3, Topic 19: "Windows 95 and Warp." However, it's not nearly as feisty here as over in Windows 95. Come on, OS/2 fans, put up a fight! Then there are the files. In the OS/2 Software Library, try File 3155 OS2CHG_A.EXE in Library 22. This is a detailed technical comparison of OS/2 and Windows 95 in Postscript format. An Ami Pro version is also available; it's File 3156 OS2CHG_L.EXE in the same Library. Back in the Windows 95 Library, take a look at some Windows 95 and OS/2 performance benchmarks in File 39 APERF4.ZIP, Library 2 (the format is ASCII text). Another informative text file in Library 2 is AIWRSP.ZIP, File 43. It's a response to the October 17, 1994 article in InfoWorld titled, "Latest Windows 95 Beta Fast But Flawed." (This document is also available in Microsoft Word format in Library 3, File 63 DIWRSP.ZIP.) \\\ ATTACK OF THE PENTIUM BUG! It's inconspicuous! It's inconvenient! It's \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ insidious! And to most people, it's insignificant! It's the dreaded Pentium Bug! If you want to know how to tell if your Pentium is one of those cursed with the defective floating point unit, what the consequences would be if it is, and what to do about it, do a little reading in one or both of the following topics: IBM PC RoundTable (IBMPC) Category 12, Topic 38, "Intel's Broken Pentium;" or Microsoft RoundTable (MICROSOFT) Category 2, Topic 13, "MS Patches for the Pentium Bug." In the IBM topic, you MUST read what is currently message number 22 -- it's a hilarious collection of "Pentium jokes." I'm afraid we really don't have room to print any of them here. Okay, okay, just one. "Q: According to Intel, the Pentium conforms to the IEEE standards 754 and 854 for floating point arithmetic. If you fly in aircraft designed using a Pentium, what is the correct pronunciation of 'IEEE?' "A: Aaaaaaaiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeee!" Once you've finished laughing, you can also download a program that will test your Pentium to see if it has the bug. Go to the IBM PC RoundTable, where you have your choice of either File 36906 FPU.ZIP, or File 36968 PENBUG.ZIP (both in Library 5). \\\ Once More Onto the Beach No matter what kind of movie you choose to \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ spend your summer with, there will come a time when you have to relate to the outside world. With that in mind, here are a few pointers to help you make it through a long, hot summer. TOP TEN SUMMER FUN TIPS FOR PC USERS ------------------------------------ 10. Try to figure out how to reformat your CD-ROM drive. 9. Put sand in your swivel chair and pretend you're at the beach. 8. Crank up your monitor's brightness so you can get a high-tech tan. 7. See how fast you can type with suntan lotion on your fingers. 6. CDs or Frisbees -- which fly faster? 5. See how many swimsuit GIFs you can fit on the hard disk if you delete everything else. 4. Replace your CPU's cooling fan with one of those window-mounted air conditioners. 3. New input device? CyberSurfboard! 2. Wear your monitor's anti-glare screen instead of sunglasses. 1. Three words: Beach Blanket Backups! [EOA] [MAC]\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Macintosh RoundTable \\ //////////////////////////////////// Check In Any Time You Like ``````````````````````````` by Stephen Kahn ```````````````` _ _ ( \ /\ / ) \ \/ \/ / \ / \_/\_/hat better way to spend a hot summer night than sharing your passion for Macintosh computers with like-minded people? One of the best ways to meet fellow Mac lovers is in the Macintosh RoundTable Real-Time Conferences. For example, on a recent sultry night I dropped by a Conference and met people from around the world and... next door. \\\ Small World First, I met 14-year-old Eric Cash, living with his mom in \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Japan, "learning the language and waiting until my mother gets a new job that'll take her somewhere else." Besides learning Japanese, this precocious young man "fixes, makes software for, and plays with computers." At the same conference, I also met Lee Sheppard, discovering that he lives not far away from me in the Portland, Oregon area. Lee also fixes computers -- professionally as it turns out -- working for Mac Shop Northwest, a local shop that's so renowned for fixing ailing Macintoshes at the component level (instead of resorting to the easier but vastly more expensive board swaps used by many computer dealer service departments) that people send Macs from Japan to Oregon for repairs because it's cheaper than doing it at home. Small world! Lee's an Apple II aficionado as well as a Macintosh fan, and particularly appreciates GEnie's generic log-on procedures that allow virtually any computer to access the network, as opposed to those information services that limit access to only those computers that can run their propietary software. He's also an ambitious young man who's in the middle of setting up his own local bulletin board. The Mac RoundTable Conference schedule runs as follows: Sunday Sunday Night Fights with 'Unk' 10:00 PM ET Rm. 3 Monday Graphiti with Jacq, Judi, and/or Steve 10:00 PM ET Rm. 2 (every other Monday) 1st Tuesday The Latest! with Tara Dillinger 9:30 PM ET Rm. 2 Weeknights The Help Desk with the Daemons 9:00 PM ET Rm. 1 (til Midnight) \\\ A Fantastic Bunch The Macintosh RoundTable Bulletin Boards provide \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ another, more leisurely way to meet congenial Mac'ers. If your interests, like Eric's and Lee's, turn to getting right into the guts of classic Macintosh computers, you'll find fellow enthusiasts -- mouse in one hand, soldering iron in another, and yet another on the keyboard typing scintillating messages (hey, we know all true hardware hackers have at least three hands) -- in Category 20, "Heritage Macintoshes." Speaking of soldering irons, if you always thought that "solder was solder," you'll learn better in Topic 2, "General Discussion and QUICK HELP," where "Hardware Hacker" Harold Hislop comments (rather like a wine connoisseur discussing a fine vintage): "I personally like a very hard-to-find, and expensive solder that is an alloy of tin, lead, antimony, copper, and silver (the copper is in there just to reduce alloy etching of the soldering iron tip). This is basically the same solder that Tektronix supplies with their oscilloscopes for service work. It MIGHT be available from Tektronix. Unfortunately I have lost track of my source for this solder. (I last bought a 5 lb spool of it in 1990, and it cost me around $30.00 / pound, plus shipping, from England.)" The bottom line of this Category (and every one in the RoundTable) is people helping people to solve problems and get the most out of their computers. As Dan Stoicheff so eloquently put it in one message: "Just a brief note of appreciation to the many Mac veterans who have patiently answered my seemingly inane questions these past several months. You are a fantastic bunch of people!" \\\ A Trip to the Library Of course, a Hot Summer's Night is also a good \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ time to get your Macintosh system software tuned up and toned up, and the Macintosh Software Library features some excellent new utilities and programs for just that purpose. For example, File 34668, DEFAULT FOLDER 2.5.4.SIT (Library 10) allows you to set up default folders for applications, provides pop-up file navigation menus in dialog boxes, adds a "rebound" to the last file used feature, offers Get Info from dialogs, and a variety of other time-saving file management features. Another essential utility is File 34666, QUICKPOP(1.2).SIT (Library 10), which assigns up to thirty Hotkeys to open applications, documents, and Apple Menu items, or to change speaker or monitor settings! It also allows you to open a pop-up mouse menu by mouse-key combination. Mostly for fun is File 34655, MENUBALL 2.1.SIT (Library 10), an almost useless control panel that puts a bouncing ball on your menu bar. Still, it has at least one practical use: If the ball stops bouncing, your Mac is probably hung, so you don't need to sit there clicking the mouse and pounding keys. And if you do anyway, maybe your Mac's telling you that even on a hot summer night, the time has come to go to bed. [EOA] [*S*]\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Amiga *StarShip* RoundTable \\ //////////////////////////////////// by Jim Meyer ````````````` ____ (_ _) / / / / _/ / (____)t was hot. Really hot. So hot that my hard drive had turned floppy. So hot that all the bits on my screen had melted down in a puddle at the bottom. So hot that I.... A knock at the door interrupted the cliche-ridden start of my column, and I bounded off the couch to see who was there. "Norman!" I yelled. "Nice of you to drop by!" Norman brushed by me, headed for the refrigerator, and grabbed a soda. "Man, it's hot," he said. "So hot that I..." "That's not going to work, Norm," I interrupted. "I already tried that. Besides, as long as you've already grabbed the refreshments, why don't we head for the Amiga? I have a bunch of new goodies to show you." I punched the power button on my machine and watched Norm, waiting for his reaction. "Hey!" he yelled. "Cool boot screen! How'd you do that?" He was looking at a soothing blue screen with the Amiga rainbow on one side and my system information on the other. "Piece of cake," I explained. "That's AMIGASTART95_5A.LHA, File 25896. It gives you that spiffy start-up graphic -- which you can replace with one of your own choosing -- and displays system information, including CPU, memory, and display." "Hey," said Norm, "you could write a book about this stuff!" "Indeed I could. In fact, if I were going to do such a thing, I could put it out as a booklet, thanks to DJBOOK.LHA, File 25844. This nifty utility, from Hal Feldman (H.FELDMAN2), is the perfect accessory for your DeskJet printer. It takes a text file and formats it into booklet form, printing side-by-side pages in 'landscape' mode. Once the 'front' sides are printed, you take the printed pages and return them to the paper tray. The 'back' pages are automatically printed. Once it's done, all you have to do is fold and staple, and you've got yourself a neat little booklet in 5-1/2 inch by 8-1/2 inch format." Norman was impressed, and he began to nose through my files on his own. One of the first things he came across was PESTEN.LHA, File 25889. This is an adaptation of the European card game UNO. In this game, it's you against the computer. Or maybe it's both of you against a deck of cards. In any event, the object is to get rid of all the cards in your hand before the computer does -- and you're not allowed to simply toss them up in the air. I finally pried Norman away from the game, and he continued to browse through my files. He was having a heck of a time, however, navigating the keyboard with a soda in one hand. "Norm," I said, "you might want to fire up ONEKEY.LZH, File 25856. This is actually an Oldie that was featured on Fish Disk 511; Carolyn Scheppner, the former Technical Manager for Commodore-Amiga Technical Support (CATS) wrote it. Once it's running, any 'qualifier' key that is pressed (Shift, Alt, Ctrl) is applied to the next keystroke. So you can just press Alt and then Q to get the Alt-Q combination. It makes one-handed keyboard navigation a snap." He took another swig from his soda and belched his gratitude. When he noticed my glare, he said, "What? You never make any rude noises? I mean, it's not like I'm gonna be struck by lightning, y'know." "Well, Norm," I answered, "just in case that happens to you, I suggest you download MODEMSAVER.LHA, File 25881. Alan M. Somers (A.SOMERS2) designed this circuit after his modem was fried by a nearby lightning strike. The file describes a simple relay that disconnects your modem from the phone line when you turn your computer off. If, that is, you use a power strip. There's an IFF file with a schematic, and it looks like a pretty simple project." "I dunno," said Norm, "I'm not sure I'm ready to tackle an electronic project. I'm way too disorganized." "Disorganized? Hey, that's not a big problem. Digita, the folks behind WordWorth, are releasing Organizer through Soft-Logik. If you're the kind of person who likes to try before you buy, download ORG_DEMO.LHA, File 25839. This 'test drive' version lets you use almost all of the features of the program. "It's modeled after an organizer notebook, one of those flip-open books with sections for a calendar, diary, address book, and miscellaneous supplements. This version expires on July 31, and boots in PAL. But you might want to keep an eye out for more recent versions; the word is that this won't be the last." "Speaking of last," Norm said, "that's it. I'm out of here. You remember that woman I met on the *StarShip*? Cindy? Well... I've got a hot date with her. This is one summer night I'm not going to spend by myself!" I let Norm go with a quick good-bye, never mentioning Anna. I didn't want to keep him, really, and besides -- I've got that August column to write! [EOA] [AST]\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Atari ST & Jaguar RoundTable \\ //////////////////////////////////// by Wally Wilson """"""""""""""" ____ (_ _) / / / / _/ / (____)n 8 BC, the month of Sextilis was named 'August' in honor of Gaius Julius Caesar Octavius, and given the same number of days as July by borrowing a day from February. Thus, the former sixth month of the year became today's eighth month, and a hot one indeed; the dog days of summer are here. In the Atari ST RoundTable Empire we are hard at work to provide you with a month to remember. Not quite the heraldry of Augustus Caesar, but he wasn't fortunate enough to have a computer or GEnie access. We do, we have, and the STRT Staff have been busy preparing to ease your transition from Summer to Fall. \\\ Check It Out Through the generous sponsorships and donations of our \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ online Atari developers, we are now prepared to "make your day". Before we get too far, I'd like to list, and thank, each of our thoughtful sponsors: Calligrapher Gold, courtesy of John Eidsvoog @ CodeHead Technologies KidPublisher Pro, courtesy of the ever-talented Dorothy Brumleve Calamus, courtesy of Nathan Potechin @ DMC Publishing "AEO at E3" Videotape, courtesy of Travis Guy, Editor of AEO ExtenDOS Pro, courtesy of Roger Burrows @ Anodyne Software Keith Gerdes of TraceTech, and John Trautschold of MissionWare are also hard at work on things that they are pushing to have ready for this event. No joke, check out the banners and the Dog-Days of Summer Topic in the Atari ST RoundTable for more information on this, and all the other happenings. If all this wasn't enough, Wally is offering an autographed photograph of "Wally in Wally's World", and an eight-inch full-frame photo of a Coast Guard helicopter on a beach somewhere in the Gulf of Alaska. This is sure to become a collector's item. \\\ Good Times Get Better Atari Power-Users, Productivity-Pushers, \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Word-Crunchers, and Graphical-Layout Laborers will all be welcomed to Real-Time Conferences concerning the skills and tools of the trade -- even grammar, even. We'll have door prizes from CodeHead Technologies and DMC Publishing. How do you use your computer? Come and tell us. Kids use computers too, and we have the perfect thing for this situation. They're invited to bring their parents to a special Real-Time Conference just for kids and computers (the parents have to help with the typing and commands). We'll be opening a special Topic in the RoundTable for discussions on the Conference, as well as everything else relating to children, computers, and software. Remember to tell your kids that you are invited, too. With all this excitement, August is also the month slated for release of the Jaguar CD. Keep your eyes peeled in the RoundTable for news concerning a special Atari ST and Jaguar Gaming Real-Time Conference for this roll-out celebration. Travis Guy is providing the "AEO at E3" videotape as a door prize. Our Software Library continues to grow, topping over 36,000 files with no problem. Flash II is undergoing major renovations, as is Geneva. Compo has some exciting things in development, and times have never been better in this corner of the Atari computer-user's world. Come join us in the Atari ST and Jaguar RoundTable -- we can kick back, enjoy a cool drink on the porch, and marvel at this good life. The D.O.G. days are indeed here. [EOA] [AII]\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Apple II RoundTable \\ //////////////////////////////////// by Greg Schreurs ````````````````` ____ (_ _) / / / / _/ / (____)t's hot. Blazing hot -- and not a breeze in sight. Inside, the air conditioner pumps away and the ceiling fan traces its lazy, continuous pattern round and round. It's late, but what to do? Well, it's never too late to be cool. So come on over to the Apple II RoundTables for a Hot Summer Night's visit! We invite you to visit the A2 Real-Time Conference (RTC) area any weekday evening (Monday through Thursday) from 9:00 PM to 1:00 AM, Friday evenings from 9:00 PM to 3:00 AM (or sometimes later), Saturday evenings from 3:00 PM to 3:00 AM, and Sunday from 3:00 PM to 1:00 AM (all times Eastern). Someone will always be there to answer those burning Apple II technical questions, or just to shoot the breeze. Come join our friendly staff and patrons for an evening -- or several-- of stimulating conversation. \\\ Mark Your Calendar We also want to invite you to some special events \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ this month. First off, mark July 14th on your calendar. That's the date for our special poker night in the RSCARDS RoundTable (Page M875, Keyword RSCARDS). Join us there for some sparkling social intercourse and spirited poker playing. The evening's high scorer will be awarded free GEnie time. See if you know when to hold 'em, and when to fold 'em. If you have an Apple IIgs, stop by the Library and download the RSCARDS frontend for the IIgs. Other Apple II owners should use the text interface. Another date of interest is Sunday, July 16th, when you're invited to join us for our regular PAUG meeting, right here in our RTC area. PAUG (the Planetary Apple User Group) is an online user group dedicated to cementing the Apple II community together, and to lending support to those who have no local user group. Come on by and see how your friends are using their Apples to solve real problems. \\\ Faces to Names The staff and patrons of A2 want to take this \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ opportunity to invite folks to KansasFest (KFest) -- formerly known as ICONference or the A2-Central Summer Conference. While KFest is for all computer types, it's a REALLY big event for the Apple II. The A2 and A2Pro RoundTables will be well-represented at the conference, and both RoundTables will have continuous coverage of all the activities. Many Apple II luminaries will be making presentations, including Shareware Solutions author Joe Kohn, Steve Disbrow from GS+ magazine, and developer Roger Wagner. If you have always wanted to meet your A2 and A2Pro sysops in the flesh and put faces with names, this is your chance, since many of us will be present too. Join us Thursday through Saturday, July 27-29, at Avila College in Kansas City, Missouri, for LOADS of fun. \\\ A Breath of Fresh Air For your computing pleasure during these Hot \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Summer Nights, accept our invitation to drop by A2 Library and try out some of these really cool games: Multi-player games for the Apple II: File 21839, DEATH.HUNT.BXY, Description: Death Hunt - modem game! File 20298, DUELTRIS.BXY, Description: 2 player game w/ great gfx and snd. File 14952, GALACT.EMP.BXY, Description: Multiplayer strategy game. File 13832, ICE.WAR.BXY, Description: Four player 8-bit strategy game. File 13584, MONOPOLY.BXY, Description: IIe/IIc graphics based Monopoly game. Highly-Recommended Ken Franklin games: File 21013, MS2000.151.BXY, IIgs Car race card game. File 21012, PLUNDER.151.BXY, IIGS Treasure game. File 21011, OAB.151.BXY, GS Slot Machine Strategy Game. More Recommended games: File 22520, NEWTINIES2.BXY, A New patch for The Tinies GS. File 22479, TINIES.PW.BXY, Passwords for The Tinies (corrected). File 22421, THE.TINIES.BXY, The Tinies GS - strategy/arcade game. File 23321, COGITO.BXY, Cogito, a Brutal Deluxe IIGS game. File 23862, BLOCKADE.BXY, Blockade: GS game from Brutal Deluxe. File 19761, SOLARIAN.GS.BXY, Solarian GS Arcade Style Game. Apple II RoundTable Featured Files for July: File 24950, PATRIOTIC3.BXY, SHR Patriotic B/W graphics. File 24949, STAR.STRIPE.BXY, SHR Stars & Stripes graphics. File 16315, PATRIOTIC.1.BXY, Double Hi Res Patriotic Clipart. File 16318, PATRIOTIC.2.BXY, Double Hi Res Patriotic Clipart. File 22745, PI.JULY4.BXY, July 4 greeting for Publish It. File 14537, JULY4.ART.BXY, Fourth of July Clipart for PI3 & GWI File 13446, COUNTRY.TIS.BXY, A Music Construction Set Song Don't rely on ceiling fans or air conditioners to stay cool. GEnie's Hot Summer Nights and the A2 RoundTables are like a breath of fresh air. Enjoy! [EOA] [COM]\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ GEnie's Computing RoundTables \\ //////////////////////////////////// __________________________________________________________________ | | | GEnie's Computing RoundTables | | Type Keyword or M### at any numbered GEnie page prompt | | | | RoundTable Sysop Mail Keyword Page# | |------------------------------------------------------------------| | *StarShip* Amiga STARSHIP$ AMIGA 555 | | Apple II A2.HELP A2 645 | | Atari 8-Bit AT$ ATARI8 665 | | Atari ST INFO$ ST 475 | | BBS & Telecom BIBLIA BBS 610 | | CP/M W8SDZA CPM 685 | | Commodore 64/128 COMMODORE$ COMMODORE 625 | | Database MIKE.NOLAN DBMS 485 | | Data Communications and | | Interconnectivity COMM$ DATACOMM 1450 | | Digital Publishing GENIELAMP DIGIPUB 1395 | | IBM PC IBM$ IBMPC 615 | | IBM Product Support STROM IBMSUPPORT 115 | | IBM PC Programmers | | & Developers IBMPCPRO IBM$ 617 | | Internet JANS INTERNET-RT 1405 | | Macintosh SYNDICOMM$ MAC 605 | | Macintosh Product Support SYNDICOMM$ MACSUPPORT 606 | | Microsoft Products Support TONY.C MICROSOFT 505 | | Microsoft Windows 95 WINDOWS95 96 | | MIDI Worldmusic SM MIDI 430 | | Mini/Mainframe MFRT$ MAINFRAME 1145 | | Multimedia & VR MULTIMEDIA$ CYBERSPACE 2000 | | Newton NEWTON.HELP NEWTON 1540 | | OS/2 OS2$ OS/2 1400 | | PostScript SYNERGETICS PSRT 835 | | PowerPC SYNDICOMM$ PPC 1435 | | Programming & Languages PROG$ PROGRAMMING 1445 | | Special Interest Groups N/A SIGS 516 | | Tandy/TRS 80 HOGAN TANDY 635 | | Technical Support Companies N/A PCSUPPORT 517 | | TI & Orphans TI$ TI 575 | | Unix UNIXSYSOPS$ UNIX 160 | | Windows WIN$ WINDOWS 1335 | | Word Perfect WP.DAVE WP 521 | |------------------------------------------------------------------| | Many of GEnie's computing RoundTables provide a companion | | RoundTable for developer support or dedicate space within | | the main RoundTable for developer issues. | | | | Special Interest Groups and Technical Support Companies are | | too numerous to list here. Each of the listed pages provides | | a menu containing all available technical support companies | | in that RoundTable. | |__________________________________________________________________| [EOA] [FIN]\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ File Finder \\ //////////////////////////////////// LiveWire File Finder for July 1995 """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" ___ ___ (_ )( _) / /_/ / / __ / _/ / / / (___)(__)ere's a handy list of all the Software Library files mentioned in the July 1995 issue of LiveWire. If GEnie is unable to locate a certain file when you try to download it, it is possible that the file has been updated since the article was written. Try a SEARCH of that Library using terms which describe the file. That should locate the latest entry. If all else fails, ask the RoundTable sysops for help -- that's what they're there for! GEnie's Libraries are almost always located on Menu Option 3 on the main RoundTable page. Files can be downloaded either by number or name from Menu Option 6 inside any Library. Remember that uploads to GEnie are free during non-prime time. If you have something to share, upload it for other GEnie members! Library LiveWire Article Keyword Lib# File# File Name Remarks --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Online Dating FAMILY 30 2889 NGAGERTC.TXT PD/Shareware: MAC 16 34625 TEX-EDIT PLUS 1.3.4.SIT 7x Give Your Docs MAC 9 32272 TEX-EDIT 2.4.1.SIT 6x a Massage MAC 23 34111 MACSKI.SEA NetSearch: HOSB 28 6496 INMKT328.TXT Healine News STAMPS 11 731 95NIXON.GIF SPACERT 22 7676 TREX01.GIF SFRT2 3 1646 XFILE011.EPG SFRT2 3 1645 XFILE010.FAQ PF 14 6471 FLAG-ETT.TXT PF 6 6472 EBOLA.TXT PALM 1 3 RHAPIS.TXT PF 13 6461 EFF805.TXT PF 2 6460 CUD737.ZIP TRAVEL 4 1898 AMT_TIPS.TXT SPORTS 1 4259 TAO.TXT SPORTS 1 3660 TAO.ZIP SPACERT 3 4620 IMOCAL95.TXT FOOD 1 5785 950505.ELF GEnie Gamer: It's FED 1 32 FEDTERM.ZIP Cool, Man FED 7 102 NEWMMTERM142.LHA IBM-Compatible MULTIMEDIA 3 1461 VFW11D.EXE RoundTables WINDOWS 6 1981 HANGLDI.ZIP WINDOWS 21 2479 WINTEN1.ZIP WINDOWS 21 2480 WINTEN2.ZIP MULTIMEDIA 10 483 NFALL.ZIP MULTIMEDIA 10 485 ENG_AVI.ZIP MULTIMEDIA 10 486 SKIER.ZIP MULTIMEDIA 10 494 CLINT2.AVI MULTIMEDIA 10 495 EARTH.AVI MULTIMEDIA 10 520 MARSAVI.ZIP MULTIMEDIA 10 1043 CAR_RACE.ZIP MULTIMEDIA 10 1044 CLOUDS.ZIP MULTIMEDIA 10 1069 USA-AVI.ZIP OS/2 22 3155 OS2CHG_A.EXE Postscript OS/2 22 3156 OS2CHG_L.EXE Ami Pro WINDOWS95 2 39 APERF4.ZIP WINDOWS95 2 43 AIWRSP.ZIP IBMPC 5 36906 FPU.ZIP IBMPC 5 36968 PENBUG.ZIP Macintosh MAC 10 34668 DEFAULT FOLDER 2.5.4.SIT RoundTable MAC 10 34666 QUICKPOP(1.2).SIT MAC 10 34655 MENUBALL 2.1.SIT Amiga *StarShip* AMIGA 4 25896 AMIGASTART95_5A.LHA RoundTable AMIGA 4 25844 DJBOOK.LHA AMIGA 9 25889 PESTEN.LHA AMIGA 4 25856 ONEKEY.LZH AMIGA 8 25881 MODEMSAVER.LHA AMIGA 10 25879 ORG_DEMO.LHA Apple II A2 21 21839 DEATH.HUNT.BXY RoundTable A2 21 20298 DUELTRIS.BXY V1.0S A2 33 14952 GALACT.EMP.BXY A2 42 13832 ICE.WAR.BXY A2 33 13584 MONOPOLY.BXY A2 21 21013 MS2000.151.BXY A2 21 21012 PLUNDER.151.BXY A2 21 21011 OAB.151.BXY A2 21 22520 NEWTINIES2.BXY A2 21 22479 TINIES.PW.BXY A2 21 22421 THE.TINIES.BXY A2 21 23321 COGITO.BXY A2 21 23862 BLOCKADE.BXY A2 21 19761 SOLARIAN.GS.BXY V1.0.1 A2 23 24950 PATRIOTIC3.BXY A2 23 24949 STAR.STRIPE.BXY A2 62 16315 PATRIOTIC.1.BXY A2 62 16318 PATRIOTIC.2.BXY A2 62 22745 PI.JULY4.BXY A2 62 14537 JULY4.ART.BXY A2 25 13446 COUNTRY.TIS.BXY [EOA] [HOT]\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ GEnie's HOT Spots \\ //////////////////////////////////// \\\ 911 EMERGENCY Action in July Monday July 3, 10PM Eastern time: Holiday \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Hangman! Celebrate Canada Day and Independence Day with our very own Cheryl. Our regulars know how silly these games can get, but the prizes are a nice addition, 'eh? 1st place garners a $9 GEnie Gift of Time (GOT), while 2nd place wins $6 GOT, both in US funds. Monday July 10: Get together with DisAbilities groups for a lively game! EMERGENCY's rivalry with this group is becoming the stuff from which legends are made, and tonight should be no exception! Monday July 17: Oklahoma City, Three Months Later. Join our VERY special guest, Joe Adamson, who lives in OKC and kept GEnie folks informed up to the minute about the happenings following that senseless tragedy. Joe will tell us what's going on now to repair the psyche of the state of Oklahoma and the rest of the country. Monday July 24: COPS Program. Fort Worth, Texas has a highly successful Citizens On Patrol program, and we are fortunate to have Olan Watkins with us to discuss it. Since its inception, crime in Fort Worth has decreased by 50%. Wouldn't you like this to happen in YOUR area as well? Olan will explain what's involved in starting such a program with your local Police Department. Monday July 31: Storm Chasing/Storm Watchers. Are they crazy, or are they heroes? Perhaps some of both? People who chase storms for photos and excitement, next, on Geral... er... the EMERGENCY RT on GEnie! Monday events start at 10PM Eastern time unless otherwise noted. Enter the Keyword EMERGENCY or move to GEnie Page 911 to join the fun! \\\ Go WEST in July! The USA WEST RoundTAble will be a busy place this \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ July! Here's a quick reference list: Wednesday July 5, Midnight Eastern Time: Play Oxymoron Hangman. Cheryl again takes control of her trusty MacPuter and attempts to keep up with the Oxymorons of the WEST. Let's see how far she gets THIS time, before running away screaming! As with most of our games, 1st place winner are awarded a $9 GEnie Gift of Time (GOT), while 2nd place takes home a $6 GOT, both in US funds. Saturday July 8, 11PM Eastern time: Come to the WEST's Bar and Grille to see what we're serving up for your dining and drinking pleasure! As usual, check all shootin' irons at the door. Your first bowl of chips is on the house, so belly up to the bar! Wednesday July 12 & July 26, 9PM Eastern Time: Youth Council with Native American youth, led by Ableza. We older folks can learn a great deal from these perceptive and vocal youngsters. Try it; you'll like it! Thursday July 13 & July 27, 1AM Eastern time: Hangin' with .MOM. Our lovely, talented and wise .MOM will dispense information on everything from WESTern cooking to the best places, to finding beautiful spots to photograph, to who knows what else? Join .MOM for a fun evening. Saturday July 15, 11PM Eastern time: Member Appreciation Day! We have these once a month, to feature our Member of the Month. The MoM (Not to be confused with .MOM) is always someone who CARES about the WEST, and wants to see others enjoy it too. And come by if it's your birthday -- CyberVixen celebrates her's this month. Monday July 17, 10PM Eastern time: Chief Distant Eagle discusses "Indian vs Indian." There are many different factions of "Indians," and they differ on many things: Reservation vs Non-Res, fullblood vs mixed blood, "elders" vs "warriors," and many other viewpoints. Wednesday July 19, Midnight Eastern time: WESTern Trivia! Join the wacky gang as we try to score points from Tex (Captain MidKnight) in his unusual game of Trivia. [Hint: If unsure of an answer, it's probably either 42 or Texas.] 1st place wins $9 GEnie GOT, and 2nd place wins $6 GOT. Saturday July 22 & July 29, 11PM Eastern time: This time the Bar and Grille will be serving Fog's GOTCHA Chili to the brave souls willing to risk --err taste it without having swallowed a pound of Kevlar first. Drinks are free before the Chili, $10 per after it is served. Sunday July 30th, 4PM Eastern time: Keeping Cool with Kathy. Our resident Cool Person, the one and only Kathy, will share some of her coolness with the rest of us. (Not only is she cool, but she's smart, too!) C'mon down to our Cool Pool Party! Join the fun in WEST on GEnie Page 1065. \\\ Get LiveWire FREE at 9600 bps Beginning August 1st, GEnie members will \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ start downloading LiveWire magazine FREE of standard connect charges at up to 9600 bps -- or 14,400 bps provided your modem and Sprintnet node will get connect you that fast. The only catch is that applicable long distance fees and outlying surcharges cannot be waived. LiveWire, as you know, is GEnie's official member magazine. In it, you will find interesting things to do on GEnie, along with tips on getting the most from the service. LiveWire is published monthly in six different formats: 1. IBM Multimedia requiring VGA graphics 2. Color Macintosh Multimedia 3. Amiga Multimedia, all models 4. Apple IIgs Multimedia 5. Text-only for all computing platforms 6. World Wide Web, available at http://www.genie.com/livewire Join the fun and get the version of LiveWire that's best for you! Multimedia and WWW versions feature colorful graphics and animation with optional music. \\\ Net Notes Yahoo is pronounced with a short 'a' -- "Yah-hoo" \\\\\\\\\\\\\ You will find searching references at the tip of your fingers without having to type in long Internet addresses when you are browsing the web with Lynx on GEnie. Select 'i' to view the INDEX of references, tools, and frequent sites, anytime. Select your choices with the cursor keys, just like you navigate the Web. The above-mentioned HotSpots are a twice-a-week feature of GEnie's Internet, selected and written by yours truly. You'll find these interesting and hot Internet sites listed on GEnie's main Web screen, HotSpots on the Net. If you find something interesting, creative, informative, or just plain entertaining, be sure to drop me a note and nominate it as a HotSpot. This message has been a self-serving advertisement of the author, sysmom@genie.com \\\ Online Dating Extras If you want to learn more about online dating, \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ keep your eyes on the Family and Personal Growth RoundTable. FAMILY is planning a Real-Time Conference with David Fox, author of the book LOVE BYTES: THE ONLINE DATING HANDBOOK (which has a chapter devoted to GEnie). Learn cyberdating tips from the master himself! The original planned date for this Conference was rained out, so check with Family to see the revised schedule for this event. In the meantime, here's an interesting, true story. Dove Tames the Volcano """""""""""""""""""""" A Dove silences a Volcano? How could that be? And what does it have to do with GEnie? Read on, O unbeliever, and see the truth of the matter. \\\ Dantu's Inferno Once upon a time, there was upon Chat a staff member by \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ the name of DANTU. "What's a DANTU?" was a common question, in answer to which he usually responded: "You never heard of DANTU's inferno? Dante was an amateur!" So the legend of Chat's only live Volcano was born. And life was good -- lonely, but good. Into the world of GEnie's Chat one day flew a wayward Dove, who being unwise in the ways of the computer world, alighted upon the Volcano (which we now know is none other than DANTU) to seek guidance. And DANTU, being used to seekers of knowledge, did share what light he had. The Dove, being what some would call a "newbie," was grateful for the learning of the ways, and found in the Volcano something else: an interest, an attraction of some sort. And DANTU, though circumspect, did likewise. \\\ Journey South Time passed, days melted into weeks, the weeks into \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ months, and our Dove and DANTU talked here and there on GEnie Chatlines. Dove also found an abiding interest in a faux de mot, a game featured in the world of Chat by the name of SPEEDWORD. And then did she introduce the Volcano to this new pastime. As time drew on, Dove and DANTU developed a closer and closer relationship, and even took to long distance telephones. You see, the Dove's nest was in Georgia, whilst the Volcano stood in Alberta, Canada. Taking an opportunity, DANTU made a journey to the southern lands, to remove himself from the cold and winter storms of his native habitat. Trekking far distances with his faithful steed, Camry by name, he sojourned with, amongst others, Dove. This meeting went far to bring to the surface what had been simmering in their hearts. What had been unsure, was now made clear; what had been unseen, was now there to be gazed upon; what had been unsaid, was now spoken. The die was cast, decisions made -- save one. When would the two become as one? Whilst our two were communicating, verily the entire time, others on GEnie had been organizing a festival, a meeting, known to the world at large as Atlantafest. This get-together of GEnie members had become an annual affair, with dinners, nights out, and a festive atmosphere as people meet whom they have only heretofore known as mysterious users in GEnie. Knowing of this, and knowing that the Volcano did plan to rejoin Dove (he had already made the trip back to his northern abode), a friend, a very close friend, suggested a tieing of the bonds at Atlantafest. And so it was. Arrangements were made, dates set, dinners planned, deliveries routed. And life was good -- busy, but good. Then the momentous day dawned, and dark clouds gathered on the horizon. Dark clouds by the name of Freedom Fest, known before as Freaknik. This gathering of peoples, most of whom are strangers to the world of GEnie, was also occurring at the selfsame time as Atlantafest. These people of Freedom Fest, being seekers of knowledge in institutions known as Universities, are quite active, quite robust and fun loving. In fact, their actions were active and lively enough to close the venue where Atlantafest had planned to dine. And where Dove and DANTU were to be joined in matrimony! \\\ A Dove Will Not Quail Now, our Dove, not being of the sort that quails \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ at difficulties, flew into action. Whilst getting her hair done, she quickly arranged another place for Atlantafest's dinner (and her marriage). A place was secured, deliveries re-routed (can't forget the cake), and most everyone informed. DANTU, being a volcano, was full of tremors that day; just ask anyone who was there. He did not accomplish much of the new arrangements, but then neither did he have to. And so it came to pass, after a few hectic hours, that everyone gathered in the appointed place and our Dove and the trembling DANTU exchanged vows that bind them forevermore. In truth, they were married! There you have my story, all of it true, all of it real. And as you have seen, a Dove did indeed tame the volcano. (By the way, DANTU is no longer a staff member on Chat. That, however, is another tale.) \\\ Wonderland in Federation II Ever wonder what kind of planet you could \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ build if you had the cash? Or wonder what really goes on in Fed Dataspace? Well, wonder no more, kiddies, because Wonderland -- a special promotional planet -- has arrived in Federation. According to reliable sources, "This planet will take a new twist on the Lewis Caroll classics, introducing new characters, new logic and mathematical puzzles, and new poems." Sounds like fun. The source added that one of the new characters to be introduced into this planet will be unveiled (or unhatched) to celebrate the arrival of Wonderland. "Chrysalis, the cocoon just hanging around Chez Diesel's (Social Center of the Solar System), will hatch (for real this time! Not into a grasshopper either!) and have a 'Coming Out' party." At last, the galaxy will finally discover just what (or who) has been lurking in that pod all this time. Alice would be pleased. \\\ July's File Finder If you're reading a multimedia edition of LiveWire, \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ remember to look for the July File Finder, a text file named LW9507FF.TXT, in the directory on your system where you stored this issue. The File Finder is built into the text edition; check the contents page to locate it. Use LiveWire's File Finder each month as a memory jogger to help recall files mentioned in that issue you want to add to your personal collection. You can even put the File Finder on paper if you have a printer, and make notes on it as you go through LiveWire. As its name indicates, you'll find all the information you need to find a file online: the name of the LiveWire article in which it was mentioned, the keyword for the RoundTable Library it's stored in for direct online navigation, the number and name of every file mentioned in that issue, and occasional remarks with pertinent details. Just be sure you read each file's long description online to be certain your system has the required elements to run everything you download. \\\ Hot Air Balloons Fly in Gallery 44 Gallery 44's continuing Digital \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Exhibit features the exciting work of Artist in Residence Janet Margul. With high flying original graphic images of her flagship works, Hot Air Balloons, you'll be treated to breathtaking art floating hundreds of feet in the air. More than portraits of balloons, her pictures are colorful moments of experience, captured forever for us to enjoy. Not all her time is spent with balloon images, we are treated to her impressionistic and somehow still photo-realistic artist's eyes as she looks at flowers and cityscapes. "It Takes More Than Hot Air..." and Janet Margul takes us there. To our delight and awe, she commits these beautiful gaily painted hot air balloons which fly quietly overhead to the your screen. Gallery 44 is your online art gallery for original art for the computer as a medium. Available at GEnie Page 44, or use the keyword GALLERY to experience this -- and other -- exciting exhibits. [EOA] [JOI]\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Joining GEnie is Easy \\ //////////////////////////////////// Joining GEnie is Easy! """""""""""""""""""""" Use the Special Offer code below when you join, and get $50.00 worth of FREE services your first month! You will get online instantly, too. 1. Dial 1-800-638-8369 and enter JOINGENIE at the prompt. 2. When asked for your Special Offer enter: MKD524 3. Have a major credit card account number ready. In the U.S. you may also use your checking account. GE Mail: LIVEWIRE Internet: LIVEWIRE@GENIE.GEIS.COM GEnie Client Services 1-800-638-9636 GEnie LiveWire is published for subscribers to GEnie online services by GE Information Services, 401 N. Washington St., Rockville, MD 20850. Contents are Copyright (C) 1995 General Electric Company. GEnie LiveWire is freely distributable as long as each issue is kept intact. Inquiries should be sent to GEnie LiveWire, P.O. Box 6413, Rockville, MD 20850, or GE Mail Address LIVEWIRE. (C) 1995 General Electric Company Freely distributable when kept intact. [EOF]