From douglas  Mon Feb  1 08:59:47 1999
From: douglas (Doug Schuler)
Date: Mon, 1 Feb 1999 08:59:47 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Money?
Message-ID: <199902011659.IAA17176@scn.org>


FYI...

>$250,000 (U.S) to the most creative Internet solutions for nonprofit
>communities.
>
>ERICA is the first-ever international award for nonprofits to help
>develop and realize their visions through the power of the Internet.
>ERICA will provide generous funding and support, bridging the worlds
>of nonprofits, web technology and Internet community-building.
>
>For more information, visit http://www.ericsson.com/erica/

-- Doug

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From douglas  Mon Feb  1 14:21:35 1999
From: douglas (Doug Schuler)
Date: Mon, 1 Feb 1999 14:21:35 -0800 (PST)
Subject: new community infrastructure journal
Message-ID: <199902012221.OAA06120@scn.org>

FYI...

---------- Forwarded message ----------

Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1999 19:05:53 -0800 (PST)
From: Jean Armour Polly <mom at netmom.com>
To: publib <publib at sunsite.berkeley.edu>
Subject: NEW JOURNAL, Call for Papers:  Journal of Municipal
Message-ID: <Pine.SOL.3.91.990128190551.10923P-100000 at sunsite.Berkeley.EDU>

Note: I edited this for length, see the web site for complete information.
JP

NEW JOURNAL:  Journal of Municipal Telecommunications
http://www.civic.net/jmt

In April, the Center for Civic Networking will begin publishing a
peer-reviewed Journal of Municipal Telecommunications. - focusing on the
role of local government in developing telecommunications infrastructure.

Local telecommunications issues - wireless antenna siting, construction of
municipally-owned telecom. utilties, cable refranchising, etc. - have
become hotly contentious and surrounded by misinformation.  The Journal
will provide hard data and case studies needed for solid planning and
decision making.

Audience:  Elected Officials, City & Town Managers, Advisory Board
Members, Department Heads, staff members, regulators, attorneys, equipment
and service providers, academics, interested citizens, and members of the
media who are concerned with telecommunications issues.

Articles will be written by practitioners and analysts - decision makers,
staff, attorneys, consultants - with hands-on knowledge of municipal
telecommunications issues.  Information for authors can be found at
http://www.civic.net/jmt/authors

Topics covered will include:  Wireless antenna siting; right-of-way
management;  attachments to poles, ducts, conduits and rights of way;
cable refranchising; telecommunications ordinances; community-wide
telecommunications infrastructure; delivery of municipal services by wire;
use of the Internet to support public policy decisions; organizational
development and change around new information systems; impact of
telecommunications on local economies; state barriers to entry;
strategic partnerships; "smart communities;" and universal service.

In particular, we will focus on case studies of innovative solutions to
contentious issues (e.g. successful antenna ordinances, city-operated
telecommunications utilities).

CALL FOR PAPERS:  Journal of Municipal Telecommunications

Deadlines for Debut Issue (April)
	Feb 15:  send email telling us of intent to submit
	Feb 28:  manuscripts due
	details at www.civic.net/jmt/authors

We seek submissions from practitioners and analysts - decision makers,
staff, attorneys, consultants - with hands-on knowledge of municipal
telecommunications issues.  If you're a city manager who's just lead an
innovative telecommunications effort, you're the kind of author we're
seeking.

We seek 4 to 8 page case studies that detail the problem addressed,
options considered, decisions made (and why), implementation, results, and
recommendations for other communities based on lessons learned.
 ------

The Journal Editor is Miles Fidelman, President of the Center for Civic
Networking, and Director of the Center's Municipal Telecommunications
Strategies Program.

Submissions will be reviewed by our Editorial Review Board, consisting of:

Jim Baller, Esq., Baller Herbst Law Group

Gary Chapman, Director, The 21st Century Project, LBJ School of Public
Affairs, University of Texas; syndicated columnist

Steven Clift, Founder and Board Chair of MN E-Democracy

Kevin Kryzda, Director of Information Services, Martin County, FL

Neil J. Lehto, Esq., O'Reilly, Rancilio, Nitz, Andrews & Turnbull, P.C.

Robert C. Maier, Deputy Directory and Head of Library Development,
Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners

Dr. Lee M. Mandell, Director of Research and Information Technology, North
Carolina League of Municipalities

Lee McKnight, Professor and Director, Edward R. Murrow Center, Fletcher
School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University; Visiting Scholar, MIT
Center for Technology Policy and Industrial Development

Jerry Mechling, Director, Program on Strategic Computing and
Telecommunications in the Public Sector, John F. Kennedy School of
Government, Harvard University

Chet Meek, Planning Analyst, Computer Systems Architecture Planning,
Alberta Ministry of Education, Canada

Brian Moura, Asst. City Mgr., City of San Carlos; Chair of Bd., San Mateo
County Telecom Authority

Barry M. Orton, Professor of Telecommunications, University of Wisconson
at Madison

Randall Reid, Deputy County Adminstrator, Martin County, FL

Alan Richardson, Executive Director, American Public Power Association

Timothy Walter, Project Director, Rural Telecommunications Initiative,
Aspen Institute

For consideration for inclusion in our debut issue, papers must be
received by February 28th, and you must let us know by Feb. 15th of
your intended topic. For detailed instructions to authors, see
http://www.civic.net/jmt/authors
                                 ------
For more information, to be informed when our first issue is available,
and for pre-publication pricing, see http://www.civic.net/jmt or send email to
jmt at civic.net


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


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From douglas  Wed Feb  3 09:00:06 1999
From: douglas (Doug Schuler)
Date: Wed, 3 Feb 1999 09:00:06 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Job posting -- DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC ACCESS TV JOB POSTING
Message-ID: <199902031700.JAA25074@scn.org>


FYI, please distribute as appropriate.

-- Doug

           DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC ACCESS TV JOB POSTING
TCI and the City of Seattle anticipate the creation of a nonprofit 
organization (NPO) to set policy and assume management of Seattle�s 
public access obligation and facilities. This position will report 
directly to the newly formed board of the NPO.

Responsibilities include managing the transition from the current
structure to one that will operate under the direction of the NPO;
managing the daily operation of the public access facilities including a
channel studios, and production and editing equipment as well as
supervision of staff; making personnel, programming, production,
playback, and training decisions; responding to inquiries from the press
and public; working closely with TCI management; public access users
including a producers� group, city, county and other local municipal
staff, and the NPO�s Board of Directors; preparing and administering
approved budgets; maintaining equipment inventory, maintenance and
repair records; ensuring compliance with applicable contracts; staying
informed of trends, issues, events and developments within the public
access field; providing direction/leadership to the formulation and
achievement of the public access center�s philosophy, mission, goals and
objectives.

Requires minimum of five years public access management and television
production experience in a large public access environment including a
good technical knowledge of video and related equipment commonly found
in public access studios; excellent written, verbal, and electronic
communications skills; demonstrated intergovernmental relations
experience; BA or comparable experience; thorough understanding and
proven commitment to public access philosophy and the First Amendment.
Prefer strong background in non-profit administration, volunteer
coordination, and community organizing. Salary range: 40-60K.

Send inquiries to:                      TCI Cablevision of Washington,
Inc.
                                        Personnel Coordinator
                                        1140 N 94th Street
                                        Seattle, WA  98103
 
AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
TCI is actively recruiting women, minorities and people with
disabilities.

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From steve at advocate.net  Wed Feb  3 10:14:06 1999
From: steve at advocate.net (Steve)
Date: Wed, 3 Feb 1999 10:14:06 -0800
Subject: BG  (posted by request)
Message-ID: <199902031824.KAA21438@scn.org>

How Microsoft Wound Up In a Civil War Over Windows

David Bank
Wall Street Journal 2/1/99


REDMOND, Wash. -- In March 1997, Microsoft Corp.'s top managers
crowded into the conference room in headquarters building 27, anxious
to see how Chairman Bill Gates would resolve one of the most profound
internal conflicts in the company's history.

At issue was a growing threat to Mr. Gates's crown jewel, the Windows
operating system that runs 95% of the world's personal computers.
Archrivals Sun Microsystems Inc. and Netscape Communications Corp.
were combining Netscape's best-selling Web browser with Sun's new
Java software, which promised to allow software programs to run on
any kind of computing device. The aim was to create a new operating
system that ran software programs straight from the Web.

As disturbing to Mr. Gates as the competitive threat was an
ideological split among his own ranks. Unbeknownst to the rest of the
world, many of his best programmers had come to believe what plenty of
outsiders were already saying: The advent of Internet computing would
spell the end of Windows.

That a large and vocal insurgent group even existed inside Microsoft
is something of a revelation, given the monolithic image the company
presents to the outside world. The story of their campaign, and the
heated conflict it generated, has been pieced together from hundreds
of e-mail exchanges released in connection with Microsoft's various
court cases, as well as from interviews with a dozen Microsoft
officials. In the end, the conflict not only would affect the
business direction of Microsoft, but also would help fuel the huge
antitrust case the company is now fighting in federal court in
Washington, D.C.

The pro-Internet "doves" were led by the quiet but powerful senior
vice president Brad Silverberg, a bearded programming whiz who had
taken over Microsoft's Internet work after heading development of
Windows 95. Mr. Silverberg saw a way to expand one of his projects,
Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser, into the kind of software Sun
and Netscape were proposing: a "cross platform" system that could run
on Macintosh, Unix and other computers, as well as on Windows PCs.

Instead of cranking out new-and-improved PC operating systems,
Microsoft would beat its rivals in establishing the dominant platform
for Internet computing, Mr. Silverberg posited. The doves pointed to
the surging support for Java from software developers, Microsoft's
key constituency, who wanted to write applications that could run,
without change, on any kind of operating system. Interest was also
high among corporate customers, who sought freedom from the
complexity and cost of running different software on disparate
computer systems.

Two months before the March meeting, one of Mr. Silverberg's top
lieutenants, Ben Slivka, proposed the new strategy in a presentation
titled "Java Is Our Destiny." The group believed the only way for
Microsoft to survive was to execute what one team member called "a
graceful exit plan" from Windows.

To Windows loyalists, led by another powerful senior vice president,
Jim Allchin, such talk was heretical. A hard-core Windows "hawk" and
veteran developer in charge of Microsoft's most advanced operating
system, Windows NT, Mr. Allchin was a fierce protector of Windows. He
regarded advances that helped other operating systems as a distraction
and a mistake.

"In my opinion, Windows is in the process of being exterminated here
at Microsoft," Mr. Allchin fumed in an e-mail to Mr. Gates a month
before the meeting. "I consider this cross-platform issue a disease
within Microsoft."

By early 1997, Mr. Allchin was angling to take over development of
Internet Explorer from Mr. Silverberg and fold it into Windows. He
wanted to put a stop to Microsoft's campaign to push software
partners toward the company's new "Internet platform." As for Java,
he advocated the creation of a "polluted," noncompatible version that
would run well on Windows, but not on other operating systems.

For months, Mr. Gates let the two camps compete, a favorite tactic
when Microsoft confronts a new challenge. By the spring of 1997,
however, he had to make a decision. Microsoft's software customers, as
well as its own developers, were getting mixed messages about whether
to develop for the Web or for Windows, and competitors were gaining
crucial momentum.

For Mr. Gates, the March meeting was a moment of truth. On the one
hand, the doves' plan hewed to one of his core principles: If
customers want an innovation, Microsoft had better provide it, or
another company will. "Someone will execute on the above strategy,"
Mr. Slivka warned in his January presentation. "Windows becomes
irrelevant in bigger and bigger sections of the market."

Nonetheless, the key to Microsoft's great wealth and power had been
its ability to keep software developers tied as tightly as possible
to Windows. The more applications available only on Windows, the more
popular it became, thereby attracting even more developers and
completing what Microsoft calls "the virtuous circle." As Mr. Gates
saw it, according to several Microsoft executives, the Internet was
threatening to break the loop. Without the hooks between software
applications and Windows, he knew, Microsoft's software would be left
to compete solely on its merits and its pricing, putting at risk the
company's tremendous profits. The hawks' plan would protect
Microsoft's existing franchise by tying customers as much as possible
to Windows-only versions of the browser and Java technology.

Safe as that course seemed, Microsoft could lose everything if Sun or
another competitor succeeded in wooing away its customers with true
cross-platform software, because Microsoft had no such product.

Intelligence Work

Yet Mr. Gates was in possession of a crucial bit of intelligence: His
own programmers were having trouble getting cross-platform Java
software code to run well on different computers, company e-mails
show.

As part of his pro-Java campaign, Microsoft's Mr. Slivka had
persuaded two teams to use Java software to develop Microsoft's
Office suite of productivity applications and for a software tool
code-named Vegas. Both teams were "in effect betting that Windows ...
loses and Java wins," one of Mr. Slivka's programmers wrote to him in
February 1997. But the results were disappointing. Code written
specifically for Windows ran three times as fast or more, says one
top-ranking Microsoft executive.

If Microsoft's experts were struggling with Java, Mr. Gates had
reason to believe Sun's were, too. Sure enough, Sun's Java software
later proved slow and often broke down. That was a big plus for Mr.
Allchin's lobbying campaign.

It fell to Mr. Slivka, as the doves' head cheerleader, to present his
team's progress report at the March meeting. Showing up in his usual
Hawaiian shirt and shorts, he clicked up the first slide. There
wasn't any reference in it to Windows.

Mr. Gates pounced. "There's nothing about that slide I like," he
snapped, according to several executives' accounts of the meeting.
Mr. Slivka struggled to recoup, but Mr. Gates soon erupted.

"Why don't you just give up your options and join the Peace Corps?"
Mr. Gates is said to have thundered. "Hasn't anybody here ever heard
of Windows? Windows is what this company is about!" Microsoft declined
to make Mr. Gates available for comment for this article.

Flame Out

The normally brash Mr. Slivka was devastated. Mr. Gates was
"amazingly, unnecessarily rude to me," he complained in one April
e-mail to a colleague. "It is disappointing that Bill chooses to
flame like that without giving me a chance to educate him," he wrote
in another e-mail. "Bill is convinced my group is trying to kill
Windows."

But the die was cast. In no uncertain terms, Mr. Gates had decided to
protect Windows at all cost. "Having cross-platform not be successful
was good news for the Windows group," says one senior Microsoft
executive.

In the months that followed, Mr. Gates decided to follow Mr.
Allchin's suggestion not to fight Sun and Netscape head-to-head with
a cross-platform system. Mr. Allchin argued that Netscape's lead in
browsers was so large that Microsoft could catch up only by making a
browser an integral part of Windows. That, he said, would make
Windows a more compelling and useful product; making the browser part
of Windows would give computer users little reason to buy Netscape's
version.

Meanwhile, Mr. Silverberg took a leave of absence a few months after
the March meeting to bicycle around the Northwest; his Internet
group, which once totaled 2,000 employees, was reassigned. Though he
occasionally consults for Microsoft, he has yet to return full time.
He declined to comment for this article.

By September 1997, the Office and Vegas teams had returned to the
Windows fold. "Do we have any pretense of cross platform left?" asked
Prashant Sridharan, the program manager for the Vegas project, in an
e-mail to a colleague. "Don't care about cross platform in
future-pretense or otherwise," answered Russ Arun, previously an ally
of Mr. Slivka's. Mr. Slivka's Java group was also disbanded, and he
is again working on Windows. Mr. Slivka declined to comment.

"Even at Microsoft, there were some people who drank the Java
Kool-Aid," Mr. Allchin says.

Alternate Future

The decision to follow the hawks' course foreclosed a tantalizing,
alternative future for Microsoft. If Mr. Gates had swung the other
way, the company could have pioneered a new era of computing in which
any software can run on any computer using any operating system.

It also could have avoided a heap of legal trouble. In November, a
U.S. District Court judge in San Jose, Calif., issued a preliminary
injunction requiring the company to reverse many of its efforts to tie
its version of Java to Windows, pending a final ruling on whether
Microsoft violated its license from Sun. Microsoft says it simply gave
developers a choice between the Windows-enhanced version of Java and
the "pure" form endorsed by Sun. In Washington, another federal judge
is hearing the antitrust case brought last year by the Justice
Department and 19 states that charges Microsoft sought to illegally
maintain and extend its monopoly by tying its Web browser to Windows.

Monday, Mr. Allchin will begin testifying in that case, explaining to
Judge Thomas Penfield Jackson that his tactic of integrating Internet
technologies into Windows is a common and even desirable practice in
the software industry. The company is relying on a U.S. Court of
Appeals ruling in a skirmish last year that the integration of
Internet Explorer into Windows 95 doesn't violate antitrust law, as
long as the combination provides some benefit to consumers, even if
other motives are involved. The government may seek to overturn the
ruling.

Despite the legal mess, Mr. Allchin's strategy has so far proved a
boon for Microsoft, and his star is still rising; he is Microsoft's
most important line manager, with responsibility for all Windows
development, including Internet technologies. With the appeal of the
Internet driving a boom in cheap PCs, Windows is more wildly popular
than ever. Last month, Microsoft reported a staggering net profit
margin of 40% and a swelling cash hoard of $19 billion for its most
recent quarter, both the highest of any major corporation. Late last
year, Microsoft overtook Netscape in browser market share. Netscape
has agreed to be acquired by America Online Inc.

Just Buying Time?

Still, Messrs. Gates and Allchin may only have bought Windows some
time. Although Java hasn't delivered all it once promised, the Web
has indeed spawned an explosion of cross-platform software not hooked
to Windows. Increasingly, users take advantage of applications on the
Web -- from e-mail to book-buying to tax preparation -- using simple
browsers rather than complex Windows software.

As Web sites are able to handle more sophisticated transactions, and
high-speed modems from cable and phone companies make the Internet
more useful and reliable, more programs will be written for the Web,
not Windows. One of the goals of AOL's acquisition of Netscape is to
create, in alliance with Sun, a $200 machine that provides access to
applications running on AOL's huge Web servers, through a Java-based
browser, with no Windows software at all.

Mr. Gates himself conceded the diminished importance of Windows on PC
desktops last September in an internal memo describing Microsoft's
efforts to develop a "megaserver" of its own to deliver software and
services over the Internet. Microsoft is already offering several
megaserver-style services, including HotMail, an e-mail service that
stores messages on a central server and delivers them through any Web
browser.

"We have to improve the PC and we have to offer developers a great
reason to build and deploy distributed applications on Windows," Mr.
Gates wrote. "Otherwise they might decide simply to target the basic
browser, ignoring the richness that we offer because it is too hard
and complicated to deal with."

Copyright c 1999 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.






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From steve at advocate.net  Wed Feb  3 10:28:17 1999
From: steve at advocate.net (Steve)
Date: Wed, 3 Feb 1999 10:28:17 -0800
Subject: Juno
Message-ID: <199902031839.KAA26466@scn.org>

x-no-archive: yes



For Some, Free E-Mail Arrives Just Once a Day

Matt Richtel
NY Times 2/3/99


Juno Online Services, a New York company that pioneered the concept
of free e-mail, has lately upset some of its subscribers by
mimicking a key aspect of old-fashioned snail mail. Namely, for
thousands of Juno users, e-mail now only comes once a day. 

Charles Ardai, president of the company, said that because of the
high cost of telecommunications in some regions of the country, Juno
users in those areas will be permitted to sign on only once a day to
obtain e-mail. If users want to check their e-mail more often, they
will have to pay $2.95 per month for the premium service. 

The restriction went into effect Jan. 22. 

Ardai said the change impacts less than 1 percent of Juno's 6.5
million subscribers. At the same time, Ardai did not rule out the
possibility of expanding the limitation nationwide. 

"I have no opinion on that," Ardai said flatly, when asked if he
might expand the scope of the policy in the future. 

Ardai went on to equivocate about the future of
advertising-supported free e-mail, which is a key part of Juno's
business model. The service, which was founded in 1995, subsidizes
free e-mail access by including banner ads above each message a Juno
subscriber sends out or receives. 

Ardai did not say whether he is losing faith in the business model
he helped pioneer, but the company has over the last year begun
emphasizing other sources of revenue, including selling Internet
access for $19.95 a month. 

The company has good reason to modify its strategy, according to
industry analysts, who say the free e-mail model presents serious
challenges. The concept behind free e-mail, as well as free Internet
access, is that a company hopes to amass enough subscribers so that
it can in turn attract an advertising base to market to those
subscribers. Thus the advertising revenue subsidizes the service. 

Unlike some other companies that offer free e-mail, such as Hotmail,
Netscape Communications Corp. and Yahoo, Juno offers free e-mail
accounts without the need to subscribe to an Internet service
provider, or to otherwise have Internet access. Juno subscribers
install proprietary software on their computer, then dial in to one
of roughly 1,400 local phone numbers to download and read e-mail.
This so-called dial-up e-mail service does not include access to
other Internet features, such as the World Wide Web or chat. 

In general, Juno's business model is analogous to that of network
television, in which programming is free, but is interspersed with
commercials. 

However, that strategy has sunk a handful of companies in recent
years, including both e-mail providers and free ISPs. One-time Juno
competitor Freemark Communications Inc., launched a dial-up e-mail
service in 1996 and folded shortly thereafter. Among the free ISPs
that have struggled or folded are Bigger.net of San Jose, which
declared bankruptcy last year, and Tritium Services of Cincinnati,
which "temporarily suspended operations" in October of 1998. The
company could not be reached for comment on its current status. 

The reason for the failures, generally, is that the companies spent
millions of dollars on marketing and technology while unsuccessfully
seeking to amass enough subscribers to attract an advertising base. 

Recognizing the limitations of ad-supported service, Juno in July,
1998 began offering "premium services." For $2.95 a month,
subscribers can use their e-mail account to send and receive files
that are not text-only, like graphics or video. For $19.95,
subscribers receive full Internet access, including access to the
Web. Ardai said the company has attracted "more than 100,000"
subscribers to its Internet access business, which is a healthy
number for a mid-size ISP. 

The change in tactics comes as numerous other entities offer free
e-mail accounts, including many portals and most major search
engines. Hotmail, a free e-mail provider owned by Microsoft Corp.,
claims to have 30 million subscribers. 

Ardai declined to specify how many users will only be able to access
e-mail once a day. He also declined to disclose which areas of the
country are impacted. 

Some subscribers affected by the new limitation expressed
frustration at the change. One subscriber, Wayne Perry, a 62-year-old
retired Sears employee who lives in a small town east of Raleigh,
North Carolina, said he subscribed to Juno more than a year ago and
had come to rely on it for business and personal matters. 

"They're limiting connections to one a day. That's useless for
e-mail service," said Perry, who said he is accustomed to checking
messages as many as a dozen times a day. "This is hard for anybody to
comprehend." 

Perry said he could afford to pay $2.95 a month for premium service,
but he resented the "principle" of being among several thousand
members "singled out" by Juno. "If they said it was all members,
that would have been O.K.," he said. 

In a somewhat unusual community appeal, Ardai in his e-mail message
to subscribers informing them of the change encouraged those who can
afford it to pay $2.95 a month to help subsidize users who cannot. 

"We'd like you to consider signing up for it if you can afford to do
so, thus helping cover the cost of providing free e-mail to those
who could not otherwise afford it," he wrote. He added that
subscribers who agree to pay will help provide service to those who
cannot afford the fee. "You will be helping us to move closer to this
important goal" of providing "free e-mail services to all Americans,"
he wrote. 

Peggy O'Neill, an Internet industry analyst for Dataquest, a market
research company in San Jose, said Ardai might be doing himself
something of a disservice as president of the company, which itself
is seeking a different goal: to become profitable. O'Neill said in
particular that potential investors and subscribers should be
concerned about Ardai's stated ambivalence about the future of the
advertising-supported business model. 

O'Neill also said that Juno is entering "unchartered" territory by
offering e-mail access for $2.95 a month, which she deemed a
"hybrid" model. "I don't think it's going to work," she said. 

Also expressing skepticism is Drew Ianni, online advertising analyst
for Jupiter Communications, a market research firm. He said that
Juno will likely engender hostility from members who expect free
e-mail access but can only check their account once a day. 

Over the long run, however, Ianni is optimistic about the potential
for advertising-supported e-mail and Internet access because he
thinks Internet-based advertising will grow "exponentially." At the
same time, he said, there may not be sufficient advertising revenue
over the next three to four years to make such operations
profitable.

"I'm optimistic with a caveat," Ianni said. "Companies will still
have to survive over the next two to three years...and it's a tough
road to hoe." 

Copyright 1999 The New York Times Company





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From steve at advocate.net  Wed Feb  3 10:43:47 1999
From: steve at advocate.net (Steve)
Date: Wed, 3 Feb 1999 10:43:47 -0800
Subject: Money
Message-ID: <199902031854.KAA01614@scn.org>

x-no-archive: yes


Not exactly directly related to SCN, but interesting...

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

In Pursuit of Affluence, at a High Price

NY Times 2/3/99


The adage that money cannot buy happiness may be familiar, but is
easily forgotten in a consumer society. A much more persistent and
seductive message is beamed from every television screen: Contentment
is available for the price of this car, that computer, a little more
getting and spending. 

Over the last few years, however, psychological researchers have been
amassing an impressive body of data suggesting that satisfaction
simply is not for sale. Not only does having more things prove to be
unfulfilling, but people for whom affluence is a priority in life tend
to experience an unusual degree of anxiety and depression as well as a
lower overall level of well-being. 

Likewise, those who would like nothing more than to be famous or
attractive do not fare as well, psychologically speaking, as those who
primarily want to develop close relationships, become more self-aware,
or contribute to the community. 

Earlier research had demonstrated that neither income nor
attractiveness was strongly correlated with a sense of well-being. But
Dr. Richard Ryan, professor of psychology at the University of
Rochester, and Dr. Tim Kasser, a former student who is now an
assistant professor of psychology at Knox College in Illinois, have
discovered that the news is even worse. 

In three sets of studies published in leading psychology journals
since 1993, with a new article expected later this year in Personality
and Social Psychology Bulletin and still more papers on the way, the
researchers sketch an increasingly bleak portrait of people who value
"extrinsic goals" like money, fame and beauty. 

Such people are not only more depressed than others, but also report
more behavioral problems and physical discomfort, as well as scoring
lower on measures of vitality and self-actualization. While not every
study has investigated the full list of effects, the pattern that
emerges from the research project as a whole is remarkably consistent.


Dr. Ryan and Dr. Kasser said their studies provided a look at the
"dark side of the American dream," noting that the culture in some
ways seemed to be built on precisely what turned out to be detrimental
to mental health. Americans are encouraged to try to strike it rich,
but, "the more we seek satisfactions in material goods, the less we
find them there," Dr. Ryan said. "The satisfaction has a short
half-life; it's very fleeting." 

Moreover, the deterimental effect of extrinsic goals seems to hold
regardless of age or even level of income: A preoccupation with money
bodes ill regardless of how much money one already has. The effects
also appear not to be limited to any one culture. Dr. Kasser and his
associates have now collected data from subjects in 13 countries,
including Germany, Russia and India. The fact that pursuing wealth is
psychologically unhelpful and often destructive, he reports, "comes
through very strongly in every culture I've looked at." 

Affluence, per se, does not necessarily result in an unsatisfying
life. Problems are primarily associated with "living a life where
that's your focus," Dr. Ryan said. Nevertheless, the negative
psychological picture does seem to be associated with the extent to
which people believe they are already on the way to attaining
extrinsic goals. For example, the paper to be published this year
surveyed about 300 youths, some in the United States and some in
Russia. In both countries, lower levels of mental health were found
not only in people who wanted to make a lot of money but also in those
who thought they were likely to succeed at it. 

Another study by the same researchers, not yet accepted for
publication, found that college students who were already "relatively
high in the attainment of appearance, financial success and
popularity" were nevertheless "lower in well-being and self-esteem."
Those who aspired to affluence also had more transient relationships,
watched more television and were more likely to use cigarettes,
alcohol and other drugs than were those who placed less emphasis on
extrinsic goals. 

Apart from its obvious implications for a culture that thrives on
material gain, this whole line of research raises questions about the
proclivity of some psychologists to analyze the dynamics of what is
often called goal-directed behavior while, in effect, ignoring the
nature of the goal. 

Likewise, it challenges homespun advice to "follow one's dream,"
whatever it may be. 

These data strongly suggest that not all goals or dreams are created
equal.

According to the researchers, pursuing goals that reflect genuine
human needs, like wanting to feel connected to others, turns out to be
more psychologically beneficial than spending one's life trying to
impress others or to accumulate trendy clothes, fancy gizmos and the
money to keep buying them. 

The latter quest may amount to using compensation to try to
compensate for something more meaningful. The empirical support for
this piece of the puzzle comes from a particularly provocative study
that Dr. Kasser and Dr. Ryan conducted with Dr. Melvin Zax at the
University of Rochester and Dr. Arnold J. Sameroff at the University
of Michigan. These researchers discovered that 18-year-olds for whom
financial success was especially important turned out to be
disproportionately likely to have mothers who were not very nurturing.
When parents are "cold and controlling," the researchers wrote, "their
children apparently focus on attaining security and a sense of worth
through external sources." 

This seems consistent with anecdotal accounts of very wealthy men who
grew up in troubled homes. Such stories are sometimes cited as
evidence that they made the best of a bad thing, turning out well
despite or because of their unhappy childhoods. The problem with this
interpretation, according to the research, is that they may not have
turned out so well after all. They just turned out wealthy. 

It is not entirely clear why a poor psychological profile would go
hand-in-hand with a quest for extrinsic goals. It may be that unhappy
people are more likely than others to chase after money and fame.
Conversely, the very act of chasing after money and fame may reduce
one's sense of well-being, perhaps because "it makes you ignore the
goals that could lead you to have more satisfying experiences," Dr.
Kasser speculated. Yet a third possibility is that extrinsic goals and
poorer psychological health are symptoms of something else that is
amiss. 

More investigation may be needed to tease apart cause and effect. Some
of that research is being conducted by scholars in the field of
consumer behavior, who have been collecting data about materialism. 

Dr. Aric Rindfleisch, who teaches in the business school at the
University of Arizona, and his colleagues published a paper in 1997
showing that "young adults whose parents were divorced or separated
demonstrated higher levels of both material values and compulsive
buying." This, they argued, suggests that such people "use material
objects as surrogates for absent parents." 

There is a modicum of good news, Dr. Rindfleisch added. In a
still-unpublished study, he and Dr. James Burroughs of Rutgers
University found that while "people who are more materialistic tend to
be unhappy with their lives," this effect may be moderated or even
eliminated for those who have close, caring relationships. 

But the bad news, according to the Ryan-Kasser work, is that close,
caring relationships may be among the casualties of a life devoted to
getting rich. 

Copyright 1999 The New York Times Company 




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From bb140 at scn.org  Wed Feb  3 11:57:27 1999
From: bb140 at scn.org (Barb Weismann)
Date: Wed, 3 Feb 1999 11:57:27 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Join the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee (fwd)
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.96.990203115712.16195D-100000@scn>




---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 3 Feb 1999 13:21:44 -0500
From: Gary Ruskin <gary at essential.org>
To: Multiple recipients of list CONG-REFORM <cong-reform at essential.org>
Subject: Join the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee

Congressional Reform Briefings			February 3, 1999

To subscribe to Congressional Reform Briefings send the message:
subscribe CONG-REFORM your name
to listproc at essential.org

-- Join the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee, and help
shape Internet policy in Washington.

According to its web page, the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory
Committee is "a diverse group of public interest, non profit and
industry groups working to educate the Congress and the public about
important Internet-related policy issues." <http://www.netcaucus.org/>

On January 21, the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee held
its first meeting for the 106th Congress, which was attended by a sea of
corporate and trade association lobbyists, but few members of the public
or public interest groups. (Other than the Congressional Accountability
Project, I saw only the Electronic Frontier Foundation, People for the
American Way, and OMB Watch represented.) This is a problem.  If the
Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee is to help shape the
congressional agenda on Internet issues during the 106th Congress, then
it should not be composed nearly exclusively of corporate lobbyists.

Here's what you can do: join the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory
Committee, and participate in its activities. (If you don't have an
organization, then form one and make yourself the president.  Then join
up.)  At the January 21 meeting, several Hill staffers said that
membership in the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee is
open, and free.

Internet policy is too important to be left in the hands of corporate
lobbyists. Make your voice heard by Internet policy staffers and Members
of Congress.

Here's how to do it: following is a note from Lauren Frazier of Rep.
Boucher's staff about the Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory
Committee.  Rep. Boucher is a co-chair of the Congressional Internet
Caucus.

Subject: Letter Reminder
   Date: Mon, 1 Feb 1999 15:31:53 -0500
   From:"Frazier, Lauren" <Lauren.Frazier at mail.house.gov>
     To:netcauc-adv at cdt.org

> Dear Members-to-be of the Advisory Board:
> 
> This is a reminder of the letters we the co-chair staff requested from you at our meeting on Thursday, January 21.  We have only received about 11 letters-of-intent to date, and we believe that there were more than 11 interested groups at the organizing meeting.
> 
> Please include in the letter:
>       Your intent on being an active part of the Internet Caucus Advisory Board for 106th Congress 
Contact name, phone number, e-mail address 
what forum topics you are interested in working on
>       any other suggestions for the Caucus
> 
> Send to:      	Lauren Frazier
>                       c/o Rep. Rick Boucher
>                       2329 Rayburn HOB
>                       Washington, DC 20515
> (please do not send the letter by e-mail.  We will begin communicating by e-mail once we receive the hard-copy of the letter.)
> 
> We would like to receive the letters as soon as possible so we may move ahead. 
> 
> Thank you very much.  If you have any questions regarding this letter please feel free to contact any of the Co-Chair staff.  (Ben Cline w/ Rep.Goodlatte x-5-5431, Mike Rawson w/ Sen. Burns x4-8250, Ed Pagano w/ Sen.Leahy x4-7703)
> 
> -Lauren  and  Mark 
> 202-225-3861

That is, you can reach Ben Cline at (202) 225-5431, Mike Rawson at (202)
224-8250, and Ed Pagano at (202) 224-7703. You can fax your letter to
Lauren Frazier at (202) 225-0442.

These Hill staffers are asking you to suggest policy issues that the
Congressional Internet Caucus should conduct forums on.  Let them know
what you think.  Some obvious suggestions include, for example: how to
get Congress and the federal government to put their important documents
on the Internet; protecting privacy against commercial spammers and
other corporate predators; what the federal government should do to
counteract Microsoft's anti-competitive practices; and, pricing of
residential digital ISDN lines.  

No illusion, though.  In Washington, access and the cooperation of
Members of Congress is mostly bought or rented.  By joining the
Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee, you probably won't
greatly change the way that Washington does Internet policy.  But, it
certainly could help (and it probably can't get much worse...) So, send
your letters, and join up.
------------------------------------------------
BACKGROUND:
For more details about the computer industry's campaign contributions
that make friends and laws in Washington, see the following excellent
Money in Politics Alert, produced by the Center for Responsive Politics.

MONEY IN POLITICS ALERT
Vol. 5, #2
tel: 202-857-0044, fax: 202-857-7809
February 1, 1999        
email: info at crp.org, web: www.crp.org

A Complicated Web: Faster than the click of a 
mouse, computer companies are increasing their 
clout in Washington, pumping at least $8.1 
million in PAC, soft money and individual 
contributions to federal candidates and parties 
during the 1997-98 elections -- twice what they 
gave in the last mid-term elections. 
Republicans, according to filings, captured 57 
percent of contributions the 1997-98 cycle, 
most of which was given through soft money and 
individual donations.
        Top contributors included many of the 
industry's usual political players, such as 
Microsoft, which ranked No.1 among computer 
companies with $1.2 million in donations, 63 
percent to Republicans. But analysis shows that 
another growing political force in the industry 
is Internet access giant America Online, which 
gave $137,250 in hard and soft money donations 
in 1997-98, 71 percent to Democrats. AOL ranked 
ninth in computer industry political donations, 
while its soon-to-be partner, Netscape 
Communications, ranked seventh, giving nearly 
$224,000 in the last elections, 66 percent to 
Republicans. In contrast, AOL ranked 48th 
during the 1995-96 elections, contributing 
$32,500, and 185th in 1993-94, when the company 
gave only $2,200. Netscape ranked 46th in 1995-
96 and donated $34,499; however, in 1993-94, 
the company made no contributions.
        In the preceding months before AOL and 
Netscape announced merger plans in November 
1998, officials from both companies gave 
sizable soft money donations to both political 
parties. Netscape president and CEO James 
Barksdale contributed $100,000 to the 
Republican National Committee and $25,000 to 
the Democratic Congressional Campaign 
Committee. The donations were Netscape's first 
ever soft money donations. James Kimsey, 
founder and president of AOL, gave $17,000 to 
the National Republican Senatorial Committee 
and $50,000 to the Democratic National 
Committee. The $4.2 billion merger must be 
approved by federal officials
        Around the same time, AOL began lobbying 
members of Congress and the Federal 
Communications Commission to force cable 
companies to open access to their high-speed, 
broadband connection lines, which allows 
cybersurfers to access the Internet 100 times 
faster than dialing up via phone line. The FCC 
last week deferred the decision to Congress, 
which is currently investigating a lack of 
competition in the cable industry.
        Meanwhile, AOL, according to the Wall 
Street Journal, is preparing to wage an 
extensive lobbying war for access to the cable 
lines. The online giant is reportedly 
recruiting consumer groups and companies that 
do business over the Internet to become 
involved with "Open Net," an AOL-founded 
coalition that will urge federal officials to 
open the cable networks to all competitors who 
want to provide high-speed Internet service. 
AOL has tapped Greg Simon, a longtime 
Washington lobbyist and former advisor to Vice 
President Al Gore, and Rich Bond, former 
chairman of the RNC, to lead the effort.
        AOL's push for open access pits the 
company against AT&T, which will gain access to 
millions of potential high-speed Internet 
customers under a proposed merger with cable 
company Tele-Communications Inc. AT&T has 
donated $1.5 million so far in the 1997-98 
election cycle.

Top Ten Computer Industry PAC, Soft Money and 
Individual Campaign Contributors, 1997-98 
Election Cycle*
Company           Amount          Dems      Repubs
Microsoft        $1,154,911     $418,743     $732,668
Gateway 2000     $490,954       $149,500     $341,454
EDS              $355,246       $146,618     $207,628
Oracle Corp      $324,663       $231,413     $93,250
Cisco Systems    $234,750       $106,750     $125,750
Netscape         $223,999       $75,250      $148,499
IDX Systems      $147,750       $131,250     $16,000
JD Edwards & Co  $139,250       $12,750      $126,500
America Online   $137,250       $98,000      $39,250
Telxon           $126,250            $0      $126,250
*Based on data downloaded from the FEC on 
1/1/99

Prepared by Holly Bailey
---------------------------------------------------
BACKGROUND:
Following is another recent e-mail from the Congressional Internet
Caucus.
Subject: Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee
   Date: Thu, 14 Jan 1999 12:05:11 -0500
   From: "Cline, Benjamin" <Benjamin.Cline at mail.house.gov>
     To: netcauc-adv at cdt.org

January 14, 1999

Advisory Committee Members
Congressional Internet Caucus
Washington, D.C. 20515


Dear Advisory Committee Members:

As the co-chairs of the Congressional Internet Caucus, we want to
express our thanks to those Members of the CIC Advisory Committee who
were actively involved in the Caucus during the 105th Congress, and we
also want to welcome those who have expressed an interest in becoming
new Advisory Committee Members for the 106th Congress.  

With the help of the Advisory Committee, the CIC was successful during
the 105th Congress in raising the awareness and understanding of Members
of Congress concerning significant emerging policy matters affecting the
Internet's future.  Several bills to promote the growth of the Internet
were signed into law during the 105th Congress, including Internet tax
moratorium
legislation, securities litigation reform, WIPO implementation/OSP
liability legislation, and Y2K information disclosure legislation.  The
successful passage of these and other bills was due in no small part to
the education of Members of Congress by the Internet Caucus.

We are optimistic that legislation promoting Internet growth will be
equally successful the 106th Congress, and we have set an ambitious
agenda that involves increased participation by Caucus participants and
a higher profile for Caucus events.  We will once again be holding
several forums in 1999 to educate Members about various Internet-related
topics, including privacy,
access, content, and security. 

Staff for the Internet Caucus co-chairs will hold an organizational
meeting with Advisory Committee members at 1:00 PM on January 21 in room
2105 of the Rayburn House Office Building to discuss the Caucus agenda
and events for the 106th Congress. Enclosed is a memo outlining the
Caucus agenda. Please contact Ben Cline with Congressman Goodlatte
(5-5431) or Lauren Frazier with Congressman Boucher (5-3861) with any
questions.

Looking forward to a successful year, 

Congressman Bob Goodlatte                               Congressman Rick
Boucher
Senator Conrad Burns 
Senator Patrick Leahy   


Congressional Internet Caucus--Agenda for the 106th Congress 

        In the 106th Congress the Congressional Internet Caucus will
continue to build upon its established mission of educating Members of
the House and Senate about the promise and potential of the Internet. 
In achieving this goal, the Caucus will work closely with the
Congressional Internet Caucus Advisory Committee on a series of
educational events which focus on major Internet technology and policy
matters.  As detailed below, each forum in 1999 will be structured with
significant Member, senior official and senior public interest and
private sector participation to
raise the profile and effectiveness of the forums as a channel for
discussion of emerging Internet policy matters.  The success of these
forums will depend upon robust Member participation in them and solid
commitment to their planning and execution by Advisory Committee
representatives.  

        Policy Forums

        The Caucus plans to hold four or five educational forums during
1999, with the first forum targeted for March.   One or two Caucus
co-chairs will be assigned to chair each forum and will lead panel
discussions, assisted by other Members of the Caucus that have an
interest in the forum topic and have committed to participate in and
attend the event.  The Member
chair(s) of the forum and staffs will be responsible for overseeing the
organization and implementation of the event with the assistance of
members of the Advisory Committee.

        Priority Topics for 1999

Privacy
Encryption
Content (Spamming/Decency/Filtering/Internet Gambling)
Access (Bandwidth/E-Rate/General Telecom Act)
Digital Signatures

        Advisory Committee Membership Responsibilities

        The Caucus will continue to work closely with an Advisory
Committee comprised of a diverse group of public interest, nonprofit and
industry representatives.  In order to maximize the effectiveness and
efficiency of the Caucus, in 1999, the Caucus will establish criteria
for membership on the Advisory Committee which will based on specified
requirements -- including regular attendance at Advisory Committee
meetings and participation commitments in Caucus events, including
policy forums.   

For example, Advisory Committee members working on a specific policy
forum will be responsible for defined tasks, including working with the
Member co-chair(s) and staff to formulate the event's agenda, to
identify and confirm high level speakers, and to implement other
logistics, including forum cybercasting and appropriate follow up
post-event. Every member of the
Advisory Committee must identify at least one policy forum or other
Caucus event for 1999 in which the Committee member will  play a
planning and participatory role.  A list of these commitments must be
forwarded to and maintained by the Caucus co-chair staff.

        Formulation of Caucus Member Working Groups

        To facilitate greater participation by Members of the Internet
Caucus, the co-chairs of the Caucus and Advisory Committee members will
identify informal working groups of Caucus Members organized by
appropriate areas of interest.   Members of these Working Groups will
participate as leaders at Caucus forums.  These Working Groups may work
with the chairs of
Caucus to plan additional events, including possible regional events in
high-tech corridors of the U.S.

        Caucus Website and Other Administration Functions

        The Center for Democracy, with the help of the Internet
Education Foundation, has taken a significant role in the administrative
responsibilities of the Internet Caucus.  IEF has maintained the Caucus
website and will work with the offices of the Congressional co-chairs to
post up-to-date information including upcoming events, and advisory
committee and Caucus member updates.  Decisions as to other information
and
links will be made in cooperation with the Advisory Committee.

        IEF will continue to sponsor all Caucus events and will also
have an intern designated for the Caucus.  The Caucus will find ways to
continue to recognize and strengthen CDT and IEF involvement.

-----------------------------------------
The Congressional Accountability Project is a Congressional watchdog
group affiliated with Ralph Nader.  For more information about the
Congressional Accountability Project, see
http://www.essential.org/orgs/CAP/CAP.html or send e-mail to
gary at essential.org.

To subscribe to Congressional Reform Briefings send the message:
subscribe CONG-REFORM your name
to listproc at essential.org

PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY
-- 
---------------------------------------------------------------
Gary Ruskin | Congressional Accountability Project
1611 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite #3A | Washington, DC 20009
Phone: (202) 296-2787 | Fax (202) 833-2406
http://www.essential.org/orgs/CAP/CAP.html |
mailto:gary at essential.org |
--------------------------------------------------------------

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From be718 at scn.org  Thu Feb  4 02:28:56 1999
From: be718 at scn.org (Rich Littleton)
Date: Thu, 4 Feb 1999 02:28:56 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Linux free software movement
In-Reply-To: <199901211922.LAA05842@scn.org>
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.96.990204022633.27497A-100000@scn>


This seems like a very good thing to stay in touch with.  

1.	Can the techies, at some point, evaluate the general doability of
this.

2.	Should the board set up a small task force to look into the Linux
options?

Good monitoring, Doug.

Rich

______________________________________________________________________

*****  Unless stated otherwise, this message may be forwarded.  ******

On Thu, 21 Jan 1999, Doug Schuler wrote:

> 
> 
> I'm *definitely* supposed to be doing everything but posting here...
> 
> But..
> 
> I just finished an article on Linux and the free software movement.
> These hackers (from all over the world) are working together to build
> open-source operating system, software tools, and, recently, a public
> domain GUI (called gnome - pronounced guh-nome).  They seem to be taken
> very seriously -- especially in third world countries that can't afford
> version 173.2.1 updates, etc.
> 
> My questions --
> 
> 1. Do *we* (community networkers) offer anything analogous?  (Seems to
> me that the Usenet newsgroups may be the closest thing.  What's our
> connection to THEM?  will the web put THEM out of business?  I wonder
> how their numbers are growing. )
> 
> 2.  How can *we*  build bridges with them?  Is there a natural fit:
> public software, public information, public communication?
> 
> The Technology Review article closed with a quote from Gandhi:
> 
> First they ignore you, then they laugh, then they fight, then they
> lose.
> 
> 
> -- Doug
> 
> BTW, The Peter Kollock and Marc Smith book on "Communities in Cyberspace"
> is now out.  It has lots of empirical study on usenet newsgroups,etc.
> (Routledge)
> 
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From be718 at scn.org  Thu Feb  4 02:31:29 1999
From: be718 at scn.org (Rich Littleton)
Date: Thu, 4 Feb 1999 02:31:29 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Linux free software movement
In-Reply-To: <Pine.A41.4.05.9901211459050.96582-100000@dante08.u.washington.edu>
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.96.990204023103.27497C-100000@scn>


What about an SCN(A) task force or committee to pursue this?

______________________________________________________________________

*****  Unless stated otherwise, this message may be forwarded.  ******

On Thu, 21 Jan 1999, L Winn wrote:

> 
> > 2.  How can *we*  build bridges with them?  Is there a natural fit:
> > public software, public information, public communication?
> 
> Them?  Them is us!  You, me, and anyone who's interested in Linux,
> downloads free software and uses it, writes software and releases it under
> the GPL, or, writes documentation, HOW-TOs and works to spread the word.
> 
> Linux and the Free Software movement is building a better world through
> anarchy.  Sounds like a joke, or a wishful thought, but it is, in fact,
> the hard truth.
> 
> There is no well defined THEM.  And you can be a part of the LInux
> movement and not be a "hacker".  There isn't any clear group to build
> bridges to, execpt the group who hasn't heard of LInux, and has never
> tried free software.
> 
> If you want to find a way to contribute to and spread Free Software,
> I would suggest using SCN to get the word out.
> 
> Here are some resources that tell you more about Linux.  Because of its
> anarchical organization, there are no definitvie sources for information,
> software or news. The foloowing are some well trod paths, however.
> 
> 	The Linux Journals- Linux Resources Page
> 	http://www.ssc.com/linux/
> 	
> 	The Puget Sound Linux User's Group
> 	http://sealinux.itsite.com/
> 
> 	Slashdot:News for Nerds, Stuff that Matters
> 	http://slashdot.org/
> 
> 	Linux Online
> 	http://www.linux.org/
> 
> 	GNU and FSF
> 	http://www.gnu.org/home.html
> 	
> 
> Cheers,
> Lisa Winn
> 
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From douglas  Thu Feb  4 15:14:15 1999
From: douglas (Doug Schuler)
Date: Thu, 4 Feb 1999 15:14:15 -0800 (PST)
Subject: job possibility!
Message-ID: <199902042314.PAA05722@scn.org>


FYI,

> Date: Thu, 04 Feb 1999 17:03:09 -0500
From: Jillaine Smith <jillaine at benton.org>
To: upforgrabs-L at cdinet.com, riders at lists.desktop.org,
        afcn-members at lists.colorado.edu
Subject: JOB: Progressive Technology Project Coordinator

From: Caronatlas at aol.com
Date: Thu, 4 Feb 1999 15:39:38 EST

Please note that the deadline for applying is March 1; this is a reposting 
of the position with increased scope and activity. 

Progressive Technology Project
Job Announcement
Project Coordinator

The Progressive Technology Project (PTP) is a new collaboration that seeks to
raise the scope and scale of technology resources available to grassroots
organizing groups working for progressive social change. 

PTP's goals include developing a program of technical assistance that
addresses the unique needs of organizing groups; building the capacity of
groups to sustain new technology skills; leveraging resources; creating models
that are effectively shared and spread; and creating a place for strategic
discussions about the relationship between technology and grassroots
organizing.  PTP's programs include the support of strategic initiatives in
partnership with organizing collaboratives, a grants pool, and workshops and
other capacity building services.
 
The Progressive Technology Project is seeking a motivated individual to act as
coordinator of its activities.  The position is 3/4 - full-time, to be
negotiated, and will be paid as a salary. Appropriate operational expenses
will be reimbursed.
 
Duties & Responsibilities
 
Program Development
* Act as primary liaison with the PTP advisory board and its committees, with
contractors, and with PTP award applicants and recipients
* Set up and organize PTP grantmaking and contracting processes
* Coordinate the activities of the Grants Committee
* Write RFPs, grant letters and policies as needed, in consultation with the
PTP advisory board
 
External Relations
* Act as PTP�s liaison within the greater non-profit community 
* Be a proactive proponent of the project
 
Administrative Support
* Carry out research, gather and disseminate information
* Maintain project records and contact with fiscal agent
* Develop and monitor budget
* Coordinate communications and other activities of the board
* Coordinate fundraising, including writing proposals and grant reports 
 
Qualifications and Requirements
 
These criteria are listed in order of importance and the PTP understands that
candidates may have a mix of skill levels within these areas. The geographic
location of the candidate is not a strong consideration.
 
* Must be an energetic and organized self-starter
* Must have solid experience in grassroots organizing and a demonstrated
commitment to social justice work
* Need to have excellent writing and editing skills
* Need experience in or strong knowledge of fundraising and technology 
 
Interested applicants should send a resume, including contact information for
references, and a writing sample to:
 
Caron Atlas
Progressive Technology Project
88 Prospect Park West, #3D
Brooklyn, NY  11215

The deadline for receipt of applications is March 1, 1999, with a decision
intended by April 1, 1999. 

The board would like the hired Coordinator to start as soon as possible after
the decision is made. This is a reposting of the position, with increased
scope and activity. All questions regarding this posting should be directed in
writing to the above address or by e-mail to caronatlas at aol.com. Compensation
rate will be negotiated depending on the skills and background of the
Coordinator, but it should be understood that this is a new project with
finite resources.  
 
Candidates of color are strongly encouraged to apply. 
 



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From gtruzzi at scn.org  Fri Feb  5 08:52:22 1999
From: gtruzzi at scn.org (Gianni Truzzi)
Date: Fri, 05 Feb 1999 08:52:22 -0800
Subject: [Fwd: Workparties]
Message-ID: <36BB21C6.6110BC9B@scn.org>


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From gtruzzi at scn.org  Sat Feb  6 20:56:35 1999
From: gtruzzi at scn.org (Gianni Truzzi)
Date: Sat, 06 Feb 1999 20:56:35 -0800
Subject: Amazing Facts
Message-ID: <36BD1D02.E8C2DCA3@scn.org>

To all of our faithful volunteers:

I have just completed transferring all of the registration records and
available donation records into an Access database for easier
record-keeping by the management company we have just engaged to process
our registration forms and incoming donations.

This exercise has been quite eye-opening. The resulting database shows
the following results of SCN's collective effort over the last five
years, which I would like to share with you:

    E-mail accounts:     16,702
    SCN Users:           15,970 (a person may have more than one
account).
    Donations:              6,679 (*)
    Current Members:  514

(*) counts only those that came with a registration or were applied to
an SCNA membership since 12/1/97. Non-registration donations prior to
that I deemed not material to current needs. If I counted all of them, I
suspect the number would be nearly double.

I can't help but reflect on what a staggering achievement this is. Not
all of those e-mail accounts reflects a currently active and satisfied
user, of course. But each one of those accounts had to be processed and
created. That's an enormous number of people who have walked through our
door.

Allow me to put this in some perspective. According to a recent article
in the Seattle Times, Speakeasy boasts 2,200 (paying) users. We, on the
other hand, are now giving out that many e-mail accounts EACH YEAR! And
we do all of this with no paid staff. This is *entirely* the product of
our dedicated volunteers, that is, ALL OF YOU.

We certainly beat ourselves about the head enough about what we are not
doing, what we ought to be doing, what we could be doing better. And
this may be all true. But we seldom look at what we have achieved. We
should be very, very proud of ourselves. All of us. The fact that we are
still going after five years is an accomplishment all by itself. In
addition, we are doing e-mail training, providing modest support, and
other activities at the same time. This is truly amazing.

The fact that we have over 500 members (and yes, I know this is down
from earlier counts), is also very impressive. Any local organization
would greatly envy such a large membership base.

I am very proud to be the President of such an incredible group of
people. In fact, its humbling, and an honor.

Your servant,

Gianni Truzzi
President
Seattle Community Network Association



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From bb140 at scn.org  Sun Feb  7 16:19:27 1999
From: bb140 at scn.org (Barb Weismann)
Date: Sun, 7 Feb 1999 16:19:27 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Amazing Facts
In-Reply-To: <36BD1D02.E8C2DCA3@scn.org>
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.96.990207160719.26325A-100000@scn>


On Sat, 6 Feb 1999, Gianni Truzzi wrote:

>     Donations:              6,679 (*)
>     Current Members:  514
> 
> (*) counts only those that came with a registration or were applied to
> an SCNA membership since 12/1/97. 
Gianni:  Is this a dollar amount, or the number of checks received?  If
the latter, it seems a little off.  It is one year's worth: 514 people we
know, paid.  6,100 something people made donations? Isn't that more than
registered?  

> Non-registration donations prior to that I deemed not material to
> current needs. If I counted all of them, I suspect the number would be
> nearly double. 

Gianni, this is our fund raising history.  One year's worth is usually
sufficient for writing grants.  It's not, for continued tracking.  Get
ebase donor program from desktop.org and see how info is kept on donors
and members.  Very important!!
 
> But we seldom look at what we have achieved. 

Regular record keeping reflects this to all.  You are right, it's vital.
An annual report, prepared from minutes of meetings, is tremendously
important to an organization.  For some, it's the only time they see the
results of their work.  

I hammer on about record keeping, so I hope that many others can
understand how much we need to do so, given this example of Gianni's.

Barb

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From be718 at scn.org  Sun Feb  7 23:01:38 1999
From: be718 at scn.org (Rich Littleton)
Date: Sun, 7 Feb 1999 23:01:38 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Amazing Facts
In-Reply-To: <36BD1D02.E8C2DCA3@scn.org>
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.96.990207225911.26645E-100000@scn>


Good show, Gianni!

Thanks for sharing that info.

Also, thanks for dealing with the database, which can be truly tedious.

Would your database structure be useful to our volunteer efforts?

Later,

Rich

______________________________________________________________________

*****  Unless stated otherwise, this message may be forwarded.  ******

On Sat, 6 Feb 1999, Gianni Truzzi wrote:

> To all of our faithful volunteers:
> 
> I have just completed transferring all of the registration records and
> available donation records into an Access database for easier
> record-keeping by the management company we have just engaged to process
> our registration forms and incoming donations.
> 
> This exercise has been quite eye-opening. The resulting database shows
> the following results of SCN's collective effort over the last five
> years, which I would like to share with you:
> 
>     E-mail accounts:     16,702
>     SCN Users:           15,970 (a person may have more than one
> account).
>     Donations:              6,679 (*)
>     Current Members:  514
> 
> (*) counts only those that came with a registration or were applied to
> an SCNA membership since 12/1/97. Non-registration donations prior to
> that I deemed not material to current needs. If I counted all of them, I
> suspect the number would be nearly double.
> 
> I can't help but reflect on what a staggering achievement this is. Not
> all of those e-mail accounts reflects a currently active and satisfied
> user, of course. But each one of those accounts had to be processed and
> created. That's an enormous number of people who have walked through our
> door.
> 
> Allow me to put this in some perspective. According to a recent article
> in the Seattle Times, Speakeasy boasts 2,200 (paying) users. We, on the
> other hand, are now giving out that many e-mail accounts EACH YEAR! And
> we do all of this with no paid staff. This is *entirely* the product of
> our dedicated volunteers, that is, ALL OF YOU.
> 
> We certainly beat ourselves about the head enough about what we are not
> doing, what we ought to be doing, what we could be doing better. And
> this may be all true. But we seldom look at what we have achieved. We
> should be very, very proud of ourselves. All of us. The fact that we are
> still going after five years is an accomplishment all by itself. In
> addition, we are doing e-mail training, providing modest support, and
> other activities at the same time. This is truly amazing.
> 
> The fact that we have over 500 members (and yes, I know this is down
> from earlier counts), is also very impressive. Any local organization
> would greatly envy such a large membership base.
> 
> I am very proud to be the President of such an incredible group of
> people. In fact, its humbling, and an honor.
> 
> Your servant,
> 
> Gianni Truzzi
> President
> Seattle Community Network Association
> 
> 
> 
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From gtruzzi at scn.org  Mon Feb  8 10:47:25 1999
From: gtruzzi at scn.org (Gianni Truzzi)
Date: Mon, 08 Feb 1999 10:47:25 -0800
Subject: Amazing Facts
References: <Pine.SUN.3.96.990207225911.26645E-100000@scn>
Message-ID: <36BF313D.246E8C45@scn.org>

Rich Littleton wrote:

> Would your database structure be useful to our volunteer efforts?

Perhaps, but not immediately. The mgmt company is maintaining the database,
and must do so exclusively. We will have access to the information, of course.
Our contract with them is limited to registrations and donations, and we
cannot add other duties without paying them more money. Besides, they already
have quite a bit on their plate as it is, and need to find their footing on
those tasks.

One step at a time, friends.

-- Gianni

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From gtruzzi at scn.org  Mon Feb  8 16:07:19 1999
From: gtruzzi at scn.org (Gianni Truzzi)
Date: Mon, 08 Feb 1999 16:07:19 -0800
Subject: Amazing Facts
References: <Pine.SUN.3.96.990207160719.26325A-100000@scn>
Message-ID: <36BF7C36.5CBEFB17@scn.org>

Barb Weismann wrote:

> On Sat, 6 Feb 1999, Gianni Truzzi wrote:
>
> >     Donations:              6,679 (*)
> >     Current Members:  514
> >
> > (*) counts only those that came with a registration or were applied to
> > an SCNA membership since 12/1/97.
> Gianni:  Is this a dollar amount, or the number of checks received?  If
> the latter, it seems a little off.  It is one year's worth: 514 people we
> know, paid.  6,100 something people made donations? Isn't that more than
> registered?
>


Obviously, clarification is needed. It's one year's worth of non-registration
donations that qualified for membership and all donations that came with a
registration since 1994.

An odd (and possibly meaningless) statistic, I realize, but its oddity is a
by-product of what I could practically get into the database.

The goal here was not perfect, but *better*. I realize that is a pretty low
bar. ;)  The expectation is that, with this tool now in place, we will have
more comprehensive records from this point on.

-- Gianni


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From douglas  Tue Feb  9 08:11:08 1999
From: douglas (Doug Schuler)
Date: Tue, 9 Feb 1999 08:11:08 -0800 (PST)
Subject: web mail on "Free-Nets"
Message-ID: <199902091611.IAA26006@scn.org>


FYI,

-- Doug


> Date: Sun, 07 Feb 1999 13:36:45 -0300
> To: <aa033 at pgfn.bc.ca>
> From: John Grogan <grogan at mag-net.com>
> Subject: MEDIA RELEASE, Prince George FreeNet Association
> 
> 
> MEDIA RELEASE
> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE . . .
> 
> February 7, 1999
> 
> The Prince George Free-Net Association is pleased to announce a significant
> advancement in service to the community in offering  Web-based e-mail
> accounts, permitting use of mail readers like Eudora, Netscape
> Mail, etc. for our subscribers.
> 
> "This is a notable improvement for our many free-net users.", said Edel
> Toner-Rogala, President of the Prince George Free-Net Association. "This
> will permit a subscriber to access their mail from any location provided
> the computer they are accessing has a web-browser, as do the vast majority
> of computers on the internet.", she continued.
> 
> The Board of Directors were thrilled by the announcement of this important
> improvement in service at a recent meeting. "This is the best thing that
> has happened around here since we switched our software to Chubucto Suite",
> said David Lott, Vice-President Technical. "The community network model is
> improving service toward universal access to the means to communicate,"
> Lott continued.
> 
> For more information on the Prince George Free-Net, visit via modem (250)
> 563 3977, by public access terminals located in public libraries, Telnet:
> strider.pgfn.bc.ca, or on the World Wide Web http://www.pgfn.bc.ca.
> 
> - 30 -
> 
> End of Media Release
> 
> For further information contact:
> Prince George Free-Net Association
> 210 N. Quinn Street
> Prince George, B.C. V2M 3J5
> Voice: 250 562 9281 (9 a.m. - 5 p.m. only please)
> Fax: 250 562 8463
> 
> Background material attached FYI. . .
> 
> 
>    What is the Community Networks Web Mail System?
> 
>    The Community Networks Web Mail System is a system for checking Email
>    that has been designed by the British Columbia Community Networks
>    Association. The System allows users to check their Email without
>    having to dial or telnet into the Free-Net, as was the case before.
>    All a user needs to check their PGFN Email is access to a web browser,
>    graphical or non-graphical.
> 
>    What are the Benefits of Using the Web Mail System?
> 
>    Before the Web Mail System, PGFN users needed to either dial or telnet
>    into the Free-Net. Dialing into the Free-Net from somewhere other than
>    Prince George incurs long distance costs, and not all internet
>    terminals around Canada and the rest of the world have telnet.
> 
>    This predicament limited the options PGFN users had to check their
>    email while out of town. With the new Web Mail System, the only thing
>    you will need is a web browser that connects to the internet --
>    something that can be found in virtually all public libraries,
>    universities, colleges, internet cafes, etc., in Canada and the rest
>    of the world.
> 
> 
> If you're not sure of the difference between webmail and pop mail in
> general, just go to the help page to find out. It is all listed there
> clearly. It's located at:
> 
> http://www.pgfn.bc.ca/Help/POP/popmail.html
> 
> 
> 
> c:\\pgfn\1999\media release\Feb0799.txt
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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From douglas  Tue Feb  9 14:52:55 1999
From: douglas (Doug Schuler)
Date: Tue, 9 Feb 1999 14:52:55 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Cable legislation
Message-ID: <199902092252.OAA09392@scn.org>


FYI...

> From: "Rona Zevin" <rona.zevin at ci.seattle.wa.us>
> 
> The draft legislation that was introduced yesterday can be read at:
> http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/cable/cableleg.htm
> 
> There are also summaries linked to the press release at
> http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/news/detail.asp?ID=216
> 
> Please note the inclusion of CTTAB representatives in the study
> described in the RESOLUTION.
> 
> Rona
> 
> 
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From mtsvme at scn.org  Tue Feb  9 17:23:58 1999
From: mtsvme at scn.org (SCN User)
Date: Tue, 9 Feb 1999 17:23:58 -0800 (PST)
Subject: anybrowser campaign
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.96.990209172147.4086A-100000@scn>

Here is something I believe SCN should be supporting.

As you may imagine, the idea is to make the web useable with any browser.

More info at: http://www.anybrowser.org/campaign/

Yours,

Thomas

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From steve at advocate.net  Wed Feb 10 23:05:57 1999
From: steve at advocate.net (Steve)
Date: Wed, 10 Feb 1999 23:05:57 -0800
Subject: National security???
Message-ID: <199902110716.XAA09779@scn.org>

x-no-archive: yes




Lawmakers Weigh National Security Issues and the Net

Jeri Clausing
NY Times 2/11/99


In a preview of what promises to be increasing clashes between
national security interests and the Internet, House Commerce
Committee members on Wednesday began debating whether or not
Congress should limit the posting online of unclassified but
sensitive information about potential disasters at the nation's
chemical plants. 

The committee's chairman, Thomas J. Bliley, concerned that plans by
the Environmental Protection Agency to post "worst-case" risk
management plans on the Internet would provide a roadmap for
terrorists, called for the hearing, saying he wanted input for
drafting legislation that would balance public safety concerns with
the public's right to access such information. 

But other committee members at the hearing on Wednesday questioned
whether limiting the electronic dissemination of the information,
which was mandated for public release by the Clean Air Act, would
instead limit the ability of communities and citizens to prepare for
and try to avert a much greater risk -- that of accidental spills of
dangerous chemicals. 

Representative Ron Klink, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, said there
have been no terrorist attacks against chemical plants to date, and
no evidence that they are being targeted. However, he said, there
are 8,000 serious releases every year from chemical plants in this
country, which result in 300 to 400 deaths. 

"This is the known, the documented danger that EPA has been told to
address," he said of the Clean Air Act provision, which also
mandates that the information be available to the public, so
communities and emergency officials know the risks and can plan for
emergencies. 

At issue is a plan developed by the EPA last year to post on the
Internet information about worst-case scenarios in the event of an
accident at one of 66,000 chemical plants and storage sites in the
U.S. The Web site would have offered a searchable database that
would have included potential casualty estimates. The agency dropped
its plans to post the information in November, after Bliley and the
intelligence community expressed fears that making the data so
easily available would make the chemicals plants susceptible to
terrorism. 

But Bliley said the EPA has failed since to "propose a suitable plan
for providing this information to third parties." 

The FBI has suggested making the data available to local and state
emergency and disaster officials through secure government computer
systems. 

Timothy Fields, an emergency response official with the EPA, said
the agency is exploring other options, including the possibility of
releasing the information in a "read-only" CD-ROM that could not be
copied, duplicated or posted on the Internet. 

Other committee members, however, questioned the need for Congress
to interfere. 

Representative Diana DeGette, a Colorado Democrat, said the rules,
which require companies to file the data with the EPA by the end of
June, "were designed to prevent pollution and accidents." 

It is crucial, she said, for residents of rural areas and volunteer
fire departments to have easy access to the information. 

"Are we willing to forsake the health and safety of people who live
near these plants?" she asked. "The benefit to the communities far
outweighs the small risk." 

Advocates of releasing the information are also concerned that any
proposals to limit the distribution of the data electronically will
set a dangerous precedent for picking and choosing how the public
can access non-classified government documents. 

Several committee members pointed out the irony of discussing the
threat in detail in a public committee meeting, referring to written
testimony from E. James Monihan, national volunteer fire council
director for the State of Delaware. 

Monihan called the outskirts of Wilmington a "potential terrorist's
dream" because of a major cluster of industrial structures,
protected solely by volunteers, that includes several chemical
plants, an oil refinery and an electric generator. 

"The information in that testimony will paint an exact roadmap" for
terrorists, said Representative Bart Stupak, a Michigan Democrat.
"The testimony will go on the committee's Web site, which can then be
accessed by anyone in the world." 

On Tuesday a coalition of advocacy groups wrote Bliley a letter
asking that he reconsider plans for introducing legislation to limit
the posting of the EPA data. 

"Rather than taking advantage of the Internet's democratic potential
to allow citizens the ability to access public information, these
proposals view the Internet and its power to distribute information
as a threat," said Ari Schwartz, a policy analyst at the Center for
Democracy and Technology, which sent the letter along with the
American Association of Law Libraries, the American Civil Liberties
Union, the Association of Newspaper Editors, the Electronic Frontier
Foundation and OMB Watch. 

"I think that there are broader issues here," said Rick Blum of OMB
Watch, a government watchdog group based in Washington. 

"I think what this really is is a wedge by industry to restrain
communities' right to know," Blum said. "They are bringing up this
terrorism threat, which is a red herring." 

Bliley, however, insisted he is not trying to limit public access to
hazard prevention information, but is simply trying to strike a sound
balance. 

"Reasonable people can debate how much the terrorist threat to these
communities will be increased by posting worst-case scenarios on the
Internet. But I believe the consequences of a just a single actual
attack could be so deadly, so tragic, that we cannot ignore even a
small increased risk. We are talking about the life or death of real
people, fellow Americans," Bliley said. 

A committee spokesman said Bliley will likely file legislation fairly
soon after reviewing all the testimony from Wednesday's hearing. In
addition to his concerns about what information the EPA posts on its
Web site, Bliley has expressed strong concerns that environmental
groups will get the information through the Freedom of Information
Act and post the data on their own Web sites. Eric J. Wohlschlegel,
deputy press secretary for the committee, said it was too soon to say
whether the proposed legislation would attempt to address the posting
of the sensitive data by third parties.

Copyright 1999 The New York Times Company 






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From bb615 at scn.org  Thu Feb 11 10:25:29 1999
From: bb615 at scn.org (Rod Clark)
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 1999 10:25:29 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Fwd: Pass this on to Young Adult Writers...]
In-Reply-To: <36C2FFB8.75785529@spl.org>
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.96.990211102436.23008A-100000@scn>

On Thu, 11 Feb 1999, Joan Johnson wrote:

> Hello All,
> 
> Do any of you know any young adults who would qualify for this program?
> 
> Joan
> 
> Tracie Hall wrote:
> > 
> > Hey There,
> > 
> > The Seattle Times along with two other organizations is sponsoring a free
> > two week internship prograam for minority youth who are interested in
> > journalism.  The youth will be housed in the dorms at Seattle U. while
> > they learn about the exciting world of journalism.
> > 
> > I have applications here and I will gladly mail them out to you at your
> > request.  The program takes place this summer and applications are due in
> > early March.
> > 
> > The program is open to youth who will be juniors or seniors in Fall 1999.
> > If you would like the application, call me at 386-4186.
> > 
> > Tracie Hall

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From douglas  Thu Feb 11 13:09:13 1999
From: douglas (Doug Schuler)
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 1999 13:09:13 -0800 (PST)
Subject: results from Oregon IRS case
Message-ID: <199902112109.NAA19404@scn.org>


Here is a note from Barry Forbes (via Steve Snow of Charlotte's Web)
about the Oregon IRS.  I'm not sure how this could possibly affect SCN.
(We'll have to ask our lawyers! :-)  )

-- doug

Date: Thu, 11 Feb 1999 15:42:00 -0500 (EST)
From: Steve Snow <shsnow at charweb.org>
To: afcn-members at lists.colorado.edu
Subject: Re: IRS & Community Networking (fwd)

Folks,

Here is a note from Barry Forbes regarding the Oregon IRS case. 
Apologies for cross-posting. Surely, there will be much more to be said 
about this...

steve snow

Barry Forbes wrote more or less: 
:: 
:: To all folks concerned about non-profit community networking:
:: 
:: I've just heard from Shava Nerad of Oregon Public Networking about their
:: problems with the IRS... And the results are not good. There's a press
:: conference this afternoon and an official press release is on its way. But
:: I'd like to give you a "head's up" on what's happened:
:: 
:: At 08:07 PM 2/10/99 -0800, Shava Nerad wrote:
:: >I wish I could say the news is good.  They decided against us, and we have
:: split
:: >the organization in two -- an Oregon state nonprofit (federally for-profit)
:: >for the access lines, and a 501(c)(3) for the "clearly charitable"
:: functions.  One
:: >thing we were told was that if we were doing education in Internet stuff,
:: and that
:: >that a benefit of being in the program was getting a group rate with a
:: commercial
:: >provider, we could do that.  So there's some very complicated
:: manipulations of
:: >who's getting service under what auspices and what corporate entity.  The
:: >state nonprofit is a subsidiary of the (c)(3).  It's terribly baroque.
:: 
:: I'd like to work with folks in developing a legislative strategy to fix to
:: this appalling problem. This is the YMCA/health club battle all over again!
:: Please let me know if an another organization is taking the lead in this --
:: or if you'd like to be included in discussions and actions.
:: 
:: Thanks!
:: 
:: -- Barry
:: 
:: ____________________________________________
:: Barry Forbes, Dir. of Community Programs
:: Civil Rights Forum on Communications Policy
:: 818 18th St, NW, #505, Washington DC 20006
:: Voice: 202-887-0301  Fax: 202-887-0305
:: Web: http://www.civilrightsforum.org
:: 


-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Stephen Snow       | 119 E. Seventh St.  | http://www.charweb.org
Executive Director | Charlotte, NC 28202 | JOIN The Association FOR
Charlotte's Web    | [V] (704) 332-5778  | Community Networking:
shsnow at charweb.org | [F] (704) 332-4752  | http://www.afcn.net
 1996-97 National Information Infrastructure/GII Community Award Winner

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From douglas  Thu Feb 11 15:08:49 1999
From: douglas (Doug Schuler)
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 1999 15:08:49 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Amazing Facts
Message-ID: <199902112308.PAA01939@scn.org>

Gianni,

The way I calculate it the donations we've received over the years
come out to less than ten cents per year of e-mail.  (I realize 
that the dollar amount you mentioned is somewhat of a funny number
but even if it's low, the amount of money that people are paying
to support the service is fairly low.) I would hope that users would be 
able to ante up more than that.

BTW, I really appreciate seeing the numbers.  And the membership
number of over 500 is very impressive.  (I hope we can keep them!)

--- Doug

> Date: Sat, 06 Feb 1999 20:56:35 -0800
> From: Gianni Truzzi <gtruzzi at scn.org>
> To: scn at scn.org, scna-board at scn.org
> Subject: Amazing Facts
> 
> To all of our faithful volunteers:
> 
> I have just completed transferring all of the registration records and
> available donation records into an Access database for easier
> record-keeping by the management company we have just engaged to process
> our registration forms and incoming donations.
> 
> This exercise has been quite eye-opening. The resulting database shows
> the following results of SCN's collective effort over the last five
> years, which I would like to share with you:
> 
>     E-mail accounts:     16,702
>     SCN Users:           15,970 (a person may have more than one
> account).
>     Donations:              6,679 (*)
>     Current Members:  514
> 
> (*) counts only those that came with a registration or were applied to
> an SCNA membership since 12/1/97. Non-registration donations prior to
> that I deemed not material to current needs. If I counted all of them, I
> suspect the number would be nearly double.
> 
> I can't help but reflect on what a staggering achievement this is. Not
> all of those e-mail accounts reflects a currently active and satisfied
> user, of course. But each one of those accounts had to be processed and
> created. That's an enormous number of people who have walked through our
> door.
> 
> Allow me to put this in some perspective. According to a recent article
> in the Seattle Times, Speakeasy boasts 2,200 (paying) users. We, on the
> other hand, are now giving out that many e-mail accounts EACH YEAR! And
> we do all of this with no paid staff. This is *entirely* the product of
> our dedicated volunteers, that is, ALL OF YOU.
> 
> We certainly beat ourselves about the head enough about what we are not
> doing, what we ought to be doing, what we could be doing better. And
> this may be all true. But we seldom look at what we have achieved. We
> should be very, very proud of ourselves. All of us. The fact that we are
> still going after five years is an accomplishment all by itself. In
> addition, we are doing e-mail training, providing modest support, and
> other activities at the same time. This is truly amazing.
> 
> The fact that we have over 500 members (and yes, I know this is down
> from earlier counts), is also very impressive. Any local organization
> would greatly envy such a large membership base.
> 
> I am very proud to be the President of such an incredible group of
> people. In fact, its humbling, and an honor.
> 
> Your servant,
> 
> Gianni Truzzi
> President
> Seattle Community Network Association
> 
> 
> 
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From ljbeedle at scn.org  Thu Feb 11 16:57:57 1999
From: ljbeedle at scn.org (Lois Beedle)
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 1999 16:57:57 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Amazing Facts
In-Reply-To: <199902112308.PAA01939@scn.org>
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.96.990211165659.9542D-100000@scn>

Perhaps if you take out the library users and the children the amount
donated might be more meaningful.  Our goal was access for all, and some
of the all don't have much money.
Lois


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From be718 at scn.org  Thu Feb 11 22:00:13 1999
From: be718 at scn.org (Rich Littleton)
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 1999 22:00:13 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Lois is Right.
In-Reply-To: <Pine.SUN.3.96.990211165659.9542D-100000@scn>
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.96.990211215854.12280F-100000@scn>


We have to remember our basic goal.  Whatever solution we choose, we can't
nudge those with limited resources off the table.

Rich

______________________________________________________________________

*****  Unless stated otherwise, this message may be forwarded.  ******

On Thu, 11 Feb 1999, Lois Beedle wrote:

> Perhaps if you take out the library users and the children the amount
> donated might be more meaningful.  Our goal was access for all, and some
> of the all don't have much money.
> Lois
> 
> 
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From THETHREEMS at webtv.net  Thu Feb 11 22:10:10 1999
From: THETHREEMS at webtv.net (Michael McGuire)
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 1999 22:10:10 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Lois is Right.
In-Reply-To: Rich Littleton <be718@scn.org>'s message of Thu, 11 Feb 1999
	22:00:13 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <28286-36C3C5C2-1301@mailtod-161.iap.bryant.webtv.net>

very agreeable

               

                  
                                          

-------------- next part --------------
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Subject: Lois is Right.
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From kurt at grogatch.seaslug.org  Fri Feb 12 13:34:34 1999
From: kurt at grogatch.seaslug.org (Kurt Cockrum)
Date: Fri, 12 Feb 1999 13:34:34 -0800
Subject: Linux free software movement
Message-ID: <199902122134.NAA06122@grogatch.seaslug.org>

Reference: <199901211922.LAA05842 at scn.org>
In-Reply-To: <Pine.SUN.3.96.990204022633.27497A-100000 at scn>

Rich said:
>This seems like a very good thing to stay in touch with.  
>
>1.	Can the techies, at some point, evaluate the general doability of
>this.

We do Linux already.  Many of us are Linux users and have personal
Linux machines.  I think we have at least 1 Linux machine going at scn,
and as the need arises, will probably get others going.

I have been advocating Linux usage within scn for many years, usually
accompanied by the click of rolling eyeballs :)

>2.	Should the board set up a small task force to look into the Linux
>options?

Why not just direct the hsw group to look into it and report back?  Unless
you are afraid of possible "biasing" or overly-proLinux partisanship.
But I think we can keep that under control.  I think we're fairly honest.

But it would be a *major* *help* to be more explicit.

On Thu, 21 Jan 1999, Doug Schuler wrote:
> I just finished an article on Linux and the free software movement.

Pointers?

> These hackers (from all over the world) are working together to build
> open-source operating system, software tools, and, recently, a public
> domain GUI (called gnome - pronounced guh-nome).  They seem to be taken
> very seriously -- especially in third world countries that can't afford
> version 173.2.1 updates, etc.

Well, there are a few caveats.  For one thing, some intellectual effort
on the part of the user is still required, as well as the willingness
                           ^^^^^
to acquire trouble-shooting skills.  Some people think this is a good
thing :) , some people think it's bad.  However, local Linux user-groups
usually go out of their way to help beginners.

> My questions --
> 
> 1. Do *we* (community networkers) offer anything analogous?  (Seems to
> me that the Usenet newsgroups may be the closest thing.  What's our
> connection to THEM?  will the web put THEM out of business?  I wonder
> how their numbers are growing. )

I don't really understand your questions.  Can you rephrase them?
Are you, for example, asking if the web will put the Linux folk out of
business?  I can't imagine how.  The web would just get assimilated into
Linux.  Linux is really doing what the dinoBorg only wishes it could do.
The dinoBorg's rear brain hasn't yet gotten the message from up for'd.
That's partly because inside the dinoBorg, each neuron is really a
NTeuron(TM) :) :)

> 2.  How can *we*  build bridges with them?  Is there a natural fit:
> public software, public information, public communication?

o	Information wants to be free, just like people do.  What could the
	two do together?  Is this combination contagious and synergistic?
	I sure hope so,  because it's the only hope for sustainable
	social change I have, in the face of what looks like overwhelmingly
	anti-social forces of control, apathy and dumb-down.

o	Support a port of software you want to use, to Linux.
	For example, a port of FreePort or Chebucto.  You may think it's
	pretty ugly, but somebody in Dahomey might not.  As clunky as it
	is, it's a great "last-mile" app, just like uucp & fidonet used
	to be (and probably still is in some places).  Cuba makes heavy
	use of uucp, so I hear.  Could they use a Linux-ported FreePort
	(or some other community-type groupware)?  Such software can be
	pretty subversive, a major plus IMO.

o	Get hooked up with local user groups.  There's a rich local scene.
	The Puget Sound Linux User Group is pretty active.  They are
	very interested in promoting Linux usage.  Speaking before them
	might be interesting, as might be web-linking to them.
	L Winn <lwinn at u.washington.edu> posted a bunch of URL's in an
	earlier post.

o	Linux users could be a rich source of help.  There are a lot of
	knowledgable Linux users out there.  If we ran Linux ourselves,
	we'd have a lot less trouble attracting knowledgable volunteers
	(at least in the techie dept).	Think about the difference
	between "wanted: people to help maintain our community network
	hosted on an old buggy dinosaur cast-off OS/CPU" and "wanted:
	people to help maintain our community network hosted on Linux".
	How many of one vs.  the other could be expected?  Sounds like
	a no-brainer to me, at least if the "vinegar vs. honey" theory
	of fly-attraction is valid.

o	A lot of stuff that currently gets put off or procrastinated on
	at scn would *get* *done*, because for a given topic,
	Linux-oriented knowledge exists that is *unmatched* by say,
	Sun-oriented knowledge.  Security is one example of this.
	There aren't so many Sun-knowledgable users out there, and it
	isn't all that attractive (vinegar vs. honey).	Whenever I do
	work on scn (as part of the hardware gang) I always feel like
	I'm putting on a hair shirt.  Naturally, I'd like to see less
	hair content in the shirt, and Linux is a way to replace the
	hair with silk.  :)
--kurt
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From anitra at speakeasy.org  Fri Feb 12 17:58:14 1999
From: anitra at speakeasy.org (Anitra Freeman)
Date: Fri, 12 Feb 1999 18:58:14 -0700
Subject: Who do I ask?
In-Reply-To: <Pine.SUN.3.96.990211102436.23008A-100000@scn>
References: <36C2FFB8.75785529@spl.org>
Message-ID: <l03102801b2ea8bbfb14f@[206.191.161.62]>

It's been so long since I set up a new page on SCN, I've forgotten the
procedure.  I am developing a website for the Seattle Progressive Coalition
-- a group forming to put one or more additional progressives on the City
Council in the next election -- and it seems to me that SCN is the
appropriate place to host it.  On the activism menu, of course. :)  Who do
I talk to?

The site prototype is currently at http://www.speakeasy.org/~anitra/SPC/
Any and all feedback welcome.

Write On!
___________________________________________________________
Anitra L. Freeman, Dances With Dragons, http://members.xoom.com/Anitra/
See http://www.speakeasy.org/~anitra/invasion.html for a full list of
websites and webrings, because if I list them all here you are going to be
*so* mad at me...
Check http://www.speakeasy.org/~anitra/current.html for current projects if
I haven't answered your email lately


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From bb615 at scn.org  Fri Feb 12 19:34:55 1999
From: bb615 at scn.org (Rod Clark)
Date: Fri, 12 Feb 1999 19:34:55 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Who do I ask?
In-Reply-To: <l03102801b2ea8bbfb14f@[206.191.161.62]>
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.96.990212192750.3270A-100000@scn>

> It's been so long since I set up a new page on SCN, I've forgotten the
> procedure. ... Who do I talk to?
> 
> The site prototype is currently at http://www.speakeasy.org/~anitra/SPC/

Anitra, 

   You can talk with Melissa and Steve Guest (xx029 at scn.org),
the Information Provider coordinators. Or Steve Hoffman
(steve at advocate.net), the Activism page's editor. Or just go
fill out the sign-up form at

        http://www.scn.org/help/ipform.html

   Pick a directory name for it, and so on. Once you've sent in
the online form, you should have your new Web directory within a
day or so, since you already have an SCN account. Then you can
FTP your files there and get on with it. If you want a new
e-mail address set up for this, that should be ready within a
few days.

Rod Clark
webadm at scn.org

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From douglas  Tue Feb 16 09:55:59 1999
From: douglas (Doug Schuler)
Date: Tue, 16 Feb 1999 09:55:59 -0800 (PST)
Subject: "Community Connector"
Message-ID: <199902161755.JAA16268@scn.org>


The Community Connector is an ambitious on-line effort to promote
the development and use of community networks worldwide.  It's
under the direction of Joan Durrance, a professor at the University
of Michigan who has been involved in helping to get information to
the underserved for over 20 years. (It's also a great example of
how a university can get involved in a positive way in community
affairs.)

-- Doug

> Date: Sat, 13 Feb 1999 16:46:29 -0500 (EST)
> From: "Charlotte L. Gerstein" <cgerstei at umich.edu>
> To: cn.contacts at umich.edu
> Subject: Invitation to share news about community info systems via theConnector website
> 
> Please forgive cross-posting.  If you are on this list (contacts of the
> CNI at the University of Michigan) in error, email si.cn at umich.edu to be
> taken off. 
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> **The Community Connector Invites You to Communicate News, Resources and
> Ideas about Community Information Systems**
> 
> The Community Connector, the University of Michigan School of
> Information's resource website supporting community networking and
> community information systems, now allows web-based input to our site.  We
> welcome your submissions to these newly interactive features of our site:
> 
> *A Reading Room of substantial online material:
> http://archimedes.si.umich.edu/cfdocs/community/RRsearch.cfm
> 
> *News Briefs.  Sign up to receive our news briefs via email, read them
> here, or submit news items to share:
> http://archimedes.si.umich.edu/cfdocs/community/news.cfm
> 
> *Upcoming Conferences:
> http://archimedes.si.umich.edu/cfdocs/community/Conferences.cfm
> 
> *Links and annotations to examples of community information projects and
> resources for them:
> http://www.si.umich.edu/community/comminfo.html
> 
> *Technology Resources
> http://www.si.umich.edu/community/techno.html
> 
> The Connector also features an online journal, Connections, at
> http://www.si.umich.edu/Community/connections/
> We welcome your input for this resource as well. Email us at
> si.cn at umich.edu with ideas for articles or submissions.
> 
> The mission of the Community Connector is to add value to the online
> resources that are developing as community networks and other community
> information systems grow and organize.  By identifying, organizing, and
> critically assessing web resources, the team behind the Connector makes a
> searchable library of useful information available to community networking
> staff and supporters, and others working to improve the quality of life
> within geographic communities.   Now the site can become even more
> comprehensive by allowing user input.
> 
> The Community Connector is a component project of the Community Networking
> Initiative, sponsored by the School of Information and the W.K. Kellogg
> Foundation.  The site is maintained by a team of graduate student research
> assistants under the direction of Professor Joan C. Durrance. The team
> will review and edit submissions to the site as appropriate.
> 
> Share what you know and what you're working on, and visit often to learn
> more about what's happening in the world of community information systems!
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Charlotte Gerstein
> Community Networking Initiative
> School of Information, University of Michigan
> si.cn at umich.edu
> http://www.si.umich.edu/community
> The CNI is a proud member of the Association for Community Networking
> http://www.afcn.net/
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 
> 
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From douglas  Tue Feb 16 10:28:03 1999
From: douglas (Doug Schuler)
Date: Tue, 16 Feb 1999 10:28:03 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Libraries and Community Networks
Message-ID: <199902161828.KAA29219@scn.org>


Here is news about a new booklet that Jamie McClelland and I wrote.
It describes the important role that libraries play in the new
digital world.  Please distribute it widely -- especially to 
public librarians and their allies.  Thanks!

-- Doug


**Please re-post where appropriate**

February 16, 1999

PUBLIC SPACE IN CYBERSPACE: LIBRARY ADVOCACY IN THE INFORMATION AGE is now
available! This 32 page booklet outlines the importance of preserving a
public space in the digital world. It includes profiles of innovative
public libraries operating computer centers, community computer networks,
cable access TV centers, and satellite TV equipment. The booklet also
includes a beginners policy primer on our legal right to the affordable use
of telephone networks, the Internet, and TV services. It encourages all
public library and information advocates to work together in promoting a
communications network for everyone.

To order a copy, write to Libraries for the Future, PUBLIC SPACE Order, 121
W. 27th Street, Suite 1102, New York, NY 10001. Please include a check or
money order made out to Libraries for the Future for $9.95 plus $3 shipping
and handling. Questions? Contact Jamie McClelland (jamiem at lff.org,
800-542-1918).

An online version will be available on Libraries for the Future's website
(http://www.lff.org) by the end of February.

Below is a shortened version of the conclusion to the booklet, posted for
the purpose of sparking conversation on our right to freedom of speech and
information. Please comment!

***************************

Conclusion: What's the Next Step?

When advocating for public space in cyberspace, we encounter two seemingly
insurmountable obstacles. The first is language. How can we convey these
ideas in a way that people identify with? Mentioning the words
"telecommunications policy" usually earns the speaker blank stares. The
second is a lack of perceived need. New forms of communication have been
promoted in such a consumer-oriented way that electronic communication is
more often perceived as a privilege that should cost money, than as a
fundamental part of a democratic society.

Telecommunications policy is most understandable to the general public when
it involves issues of censorship and the widely understood First Amendment.
For example, few telecommunications issues have received as much mainstream
publicity and understanding as the Communications Decency Act. Because it
relates to censorship, which is easily associated with our First Amendment
right to free speech, more people are able to identify with the issue.

Although promoting a public space in cyberspace is also closely related to
our constitutional right to free speech, few people are able to make this
connection, and therefore, fewer people are able to personally relate to
this important issue. We, as public space advocates, must emphasize this
connection as one way of overcoming both the problem of language and lack
of perceived need.

Recently, Libraries for the Future commissioned a study about fiscal and
legal aspects of the public library, including the question: Do we have a
constitutional right to receive information through the public library?
This study suggests that the slogan "Information is a right" has convincing
legal standing. Although it focused on the implications for public library
funding, the study provides a strong argument for public space advocates of
all stripes. In a range of cases, the Supreme court consistently held that:
"The right of freedom of speech and press includes not only the right to
utter or to print, but the right to distribute, the right to receive, [and]
the right to read ... " (Supreme Court, Grisold v. Connecticut, 1965; a
full summary of these court cases is included the original conclusion).

As information rapidly migrates to cyberspace, it is now more important
than ever to call attention to these First Amendment rights. Increasingly,
the lack of adequate public spaces in cyberspace may deny many people their
right to receive, produce and discuss information. Creating innovative
partnerships that combine Internet access and communications, TV
production, community forums, and access to library resources is one step
toward realizing our First Amendment rights. The second step is
communicating these rights to the public. By raising awareness of these
issues as constitutional rights, we can build a base for guaranteeing
public funding to make a sufficient public space in the growing realm of
cyberspace.  

*************

"The right of freedom of speech and press includes not only the right to
utter or to print, but the right to distribute, the right to receive, [and]
the right to read ... "

Supreme Court, Grisold v. Connecticut, 1965

---------

Jamie McClelland
Access Harlem/Harlem Partnership Center
Minisink Townhouse
646 Lenox Ave., 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10030
tel: 212-283-7477
fax: 212-283-7149
jamiem at lff.org

Libraries for the Future
121 W. 27th Street, #1102
New York, NY 10001
tel: 212-352-2330 / 800-542-1918
fax: 212-352-2342
http://www.lff.org

***************



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From douglas  Wed Feb 17 09:50:46 1999
From: douglas (Doug Schuler)
Date: Wed, 17 Feb 1999 09:50:46 -0800 (PST)
Subject: community news from our own backyard...
Message-ID: <199902171750.JAA15435@scn.org>


>From Industry Standard  Jan 18, 1999
http://www.thestandard.com/articles/display/0,1449,3162,00.html

Community Builder Rheingold Is Back
By Michelle V. Rafter

Howard Rheingold, the online pioneer who evangelized electronic
neighborhoods a decade before the current wave of Web-based
neighborhoods was conceived, is at it again.  Rheingold - who literally
wrote the book on digital communities and then went out of business on
a for-profit version called Electric Minds - is setting up online
communities for ISP Channel, a division of SoftNet Systems that helps
get small cable-TV operators into the Internet access business.  The
Mountain View, Calif.-based company hopes to create demand for cable
modems by getting small-town folks interested in high-speed access.
That's where the 51-year-old Rheingold comes in. He and partner Richard
Civille are heading up the program, called Locale, by spreading the
gospel of civic networking to city councils, school boards, police
departments - in ISP Channel locations.  In Kennebunk and
Kennebunkport, Maine, town leaders have given the two an oral history
of the area around which to base a Web site. Rheingold and Civille have
also convinced the Bainbridge Island, Wash., volunteer fire department
to install public-access PCs for firefighters to use during off hours.
For now, ISP Channel is picking up the tab, spending "in the thousands
but not the tens of thousands" on pilot projects, according to
Rheingold.  Subscriber fees are split with cable operators. If all goes
well, ISP Channel will continue to provide some money for local content
in each city where it has cable partners. Eventually, Rheingold sees
communities funding their own efforts. Locale's motive is just to get
them up to speed.  To the extent Rheingold and ISP Channel can do well
by doing good, maybe this time he'll make that buck.

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From steve at advocate.net  Wed Feb 17 10:29:29 1999
From: steve at advocate.net (Steve)
Date: Wed, 17 Feb 1999 10:29:29 -0800
Subject: Privacy
Message-ID: <199902171840.KAA29907@scn.org>

Are You Naked Online?  How to Protect Your E-Privacy.

Jesse Berst
Editorial Director, ZDNet AnchorDesk 

www.zdnet.com/anchordesk/story/story_3102.html





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From bb140 at scn.org  Wed Feb 17 20:36:42 1999
From: bb140 at scn.org (Barb Weismann)
Date: Wed, 17 Feb 1999 20:36:42 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Opening ATT/TCI to ISPs (fwd)
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.96.990217203159.18540A-100000@scn>

SCNers and Board:
Can we please send someone to work on this study/panel?  Board: can you
please get someone nominated and then we can say we SCNers want this
representation?  Gianni, use some of your numbers to impress that we need
to be at that table?  I am simply too ignorant to do it.  It would be
atrocious if we did not have representation.  And Maggi is the best person
to approach---how mahy other council members replied to YOUR e mails?

Barb


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 17 Feb 1999 09:47:18 -0800
From: "Fimia, Maggi" <Maggi.Fimia at METROKC.GOV>
To: 'Barb Weismann' <bb140 at scn.org>
Subject: RE: Opening ATT/TCI to ISPs

Dear Constituent:

I appreciate the time you've taken to write to me to communicate your
position regarding the TCI/AT&T merger.  

As you've probably already read in the newspaper, the County Council and
TCI/AT&T have negotiated a mutually acceptable agreement that enabled the
County to approve the merger. The Striking Amendment to Proposed Substitute
Ordinance 1999-0020 provides for the formation of an Expert Review Panel.
This Panel, which will be composed of industry experts appointed by the
Council, will conduct a study of open access issues and then submit a report
with findings to the council by October 8, 1999. The study and report are to
be paid for by TCI/AT&T.

The report will address any anti-competitive implications of rolling out
bundled high speed cable modem Internet services including legal, technical
and economic considerations.  Subsequent to the study, the Council may
impose additional or different conditions regarding non-discriminatory
access prior to March 1, 2000.  This approach not only allows the merger to
proceed, ensuring the upgrade of the cable television system in King County
and the implementation of the franchisee's local telephone service, but also
preserves the County's authority to require non-discriminatory open
access--conditioned on the study's findings. 

If you are interested in reading the complete text of the approved
ordinance, it can be found on the County's web site:  www.metrokc.gov

Sincerely,
Maggi Fimia
Councilmember, District 1
  



-----Original Message-----
From: Barb Weismann [mailto:bb140 at scn.org]
Sent: Wednesday, January 13, 1999 8:05 PM
To: Derdowski, Brian; Vance, Chris; Sullivan, Cynthia; Pelz, Dwight;
Nickels, Greg; Hague, Jane; Pullen, Kent; Gossett, Larry; Phillips,
Larry; Miller, Louise; Fimia, Maggi; pet.vonreichbauer at metrokc.gov;
McKenna, Rob
Cc: jan.drago at seattle.ci.wa.us; Lorraine Pozzi;
margaret.pageler at seattle.ci.wa.us; martha.choe at seattle.ci.wa.us;
nick.licata at seattle.ci.wa.us; peter.steinbrueck at seattle.ci.wa.us;
richard.conlin at seattle.ci.wa.us; richard.mciver at seattle.ci.wa.us;
sue.donaldson at seattle.ci.wa.us; tina.podlodowski at seattle.ci.wa.us
Subject: Opening ATT/TCI to ISPs



Dear city and county council:

I support making open access for Internet Service Providers a condition of
the ATT/TCI merger. 

I understand that you are holding back in decision-making because you have
not heard from customers.

I volunteer with Seattle Community Network and work for open access to
information, especially government info.  That also means cheap or free
means by which to obtain that info.  It seems to me that it's important
for the future of free access to information to allow significant
competition in the band width on calbe.

   Full and effective facilities-based loop-to-loop competition in the
   broadband context would free ISPs and the public they serve from their
   current exclusive reliance on voice-oriented telephone company
   facilities and stimulate the development of data-friendly networks.
   
I recently read that voice/telephone systems in Europe are charging high
prices and thus people are going to their governments to allow unmetered
voice connections to the Internet.  We have that...We here in Seattle/King
co. are a step ahead in keeping competitive in this world info
market...you had better help us stay that way through making video lines
open access. 

Barb Weismann
98105

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From jw4 at scn.org  Thu Feb 18 02:18:49 1999
From: jw4 at scn.org (Joel Ware IV)
Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1999 02:18:49 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Opening ATT/TCI to ISPs (fwd)
In-Reply-To: <Pine.SUN.3.96.990217203159.18540A-100000@scn>
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.96.990218015730.20121C-100000@scn>

Barb,
Good letter to the Council members -- THANKS for writing it.

I have been working actively for SCN with the Open Access Coalition to
move this issue in the right direction -- I think we've done OK so far.
The resolution passed by the SCNA Board was a very powerful statement in
favor of the principle of open and non-discriminatory access.

I testified for SCN at the City hearing, and Aki Namioka spoke for
Seattle CTTAB and SCN.  I am very impressed with the County's leadership
on this topic -- as you can see by the lopsided votes, support for open
access is strong on the Council, and in Ron Sims' office.

But as you note, much work remains to be done.  The Open Access
Coalition will continue to work with WAISP (SCN is a member), SCN, and
a number of other ISPs to secure full open and non-discriminatory access
for all.   SCNs voice will continue to be heard there, on the City
Council, on CTTAB, and on the County Council.


-Joel.

  
----------



On Wed, 17 Feb 1999, Barb Weismann wrote:

> Date: Wed, 17 Feb 1999 20:36:42 -0800 (PST)
> From: Barb Weismann <bb140 at scn.org>
> To: scn at scn.org, services at scn.org
> Subject: RE: Opening ATT/TCI to ISPs (fwd)
> 
> SCNers and Board:
> Can we please send someone to work on this study/panel?  Board: can you
> please get someone nominated and then we can say we SCNers want this
> representation?  Gianni, use some of your numbers to impress that we need
> to be at that table?  I am simply too ignorant to do it.  It would be
> atrocious if we did not have representation.  And Maggi is the best person
> to approach---how mahy other council members replied to YOUR e mails?
> 
> Barb
> 
> 
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Wed, 17 Feb 1999 09:47:18 -0800
> From: "Fimia, Maggi" <Maggi.Fimia at METROKC.GOV>
> To: 'Barb Weismann' <bb140 at scn.org>
> Subject: RE: Opening ATT/TCI to ISPs
> 
> Dear Constituent:
> 
> I appreciate the time you've taken to write to me to communicate your
> position regarding the TCI/AT&T merger.  
> 
> As you've probably already read in the newspaper, the County Council and
> TCI/AT&T have negotiated a mutually acceptable agreement that enabled the
> County to approve the merger. The Striking Amendment to Proposed Substitute
> Ordinance 1999-0020 provides for the formation of an Expert Review Panel.
> This Panel, which will be composed of industry experts appointed by the
> Council, will conduct a study of open access issues and then submit a report
> with findings to the council by October 8, 1999. The study and report are to
> be paid for by TCI/AT&T.
> 
> The report will address any anti-competitive implications of rolling out
> bundled high speed cable modem Internet services including legal, technical
> and economic considerations.  Subsequent to the study, the Council may
> impose additional or different conditions regarding non-discriminatory
> access prior to March 1, 2000.  This approach not only allows the merger to
> proceed, ensuring the upgrade of the cable television system in King County
> and the implementation of the franchisee's local telephone service, but also
> preserves the County's authority to require non-discriminatory open
> access--conditioned on the study's findings. 
> 
> If you are interested in reading the complete text of the approved
> ordinance, it can be found on the County's web site:  www.metrokc.gov
> 
> Sincerely,
> Maggi Fimia
> Councilmember, District 1
>   
> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Barb Weismann [mailto:bb140 at scn.org]
> Sent: Wednesday, January 13, 1999 8:05 PM
> To: Derdowski, Brian; Vance, Chris; Sullivan, Cynthia; Pelz, Dwight;
> Nickels, Greg; Hague, Jane; Pullen, Kent; Gossett, Larry; Phillips,
> Larry; Miller, Louise; Fimia, Maggi; pet.vonreichbauer at metrokc.gov;
> McKenna, Rob
> Cc: jan.drago at seattle.ci.wa.us; Lorraine Pozzi;
> margaret.pageler at seattle.ci.wa.us; martha.choe at seattle.ci.wa.us;
> nick.licata at seattle.ci.wa.us; peter.steinbrueck at seattle.ci.wa.us;
> richard.conlin at seattle.ci.wa.us; richard.mciver at seattle.ci.wa.us;
> sue.donaldson at seattle.ci.wa.us; tina.podlodowski at seattle.ci.wa.us
> Subject: Opening ATT/TCI to ISPs
> 
> 
> 
> Dear city and county council:
> 
> I support making open access for Internet Service Providers a condition of
> the ATT/TCI merger. 
> 
> I understand that you are holding back in decision-making because you have
> not heard from customers.
> 
> I volunteer with Seattle Community Network and work for open access to
> information, especially government info.  That also means cheap or free
> means by which to obtain that info.  It seems to me that it's important
> for the future of free access to information to allow significant
> competition in the band width on calbe.
> 
>    Full and effective facilities-based loop-to-loop competition in the
>    broadband context would free ISPs and the public they serve from their
>    current exclusive reliance on voice-oriented telephone company
>    facilities and stimulate the development of data-friendly networks.
>    
> I recently read that voice/telephone systems in Europe are charging high
> prices and thus people are going to their governments to allow unmetered
> voice connections to the Internet.  We have that...We here in Seattle/King
> co. are a step ahead in keeping competitive in this world info
> market...you had better help us stay that way through making video lines
> open access. 
> 
> Barb Weismann
> 98105
> 
> * * * * * * * * * * * * * *  From the Listowner  * * * * * * * * * * * *
> .	To unsubscribe from this list, send a message to:
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> 

Joel Ware, IV  Governance Committee   jw4 at scn.org


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From be718 at scn.org  Thu Feb 18 02:38:31 1999
From: be718 at scn.org (Rich Littleton)
Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1999 02:38:31 -0800 (PST)
Subject: February 24, 6:00 pm.
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.96.990218022746.28906B-100000@scn>


Reply to nancyk at scn.org
______________________________


E-mail training reminder.  

We will hold a training class for 

1.  current teachers who haven't seen the new unified e-mail teaching
outline in use, and/or

2. teachers who want a refresher course, and/or

3. any volunteeres wanting to teach e-mail to SCN users.

Date:	Feb. 24, 1999
Time:	6:00 p.m.
Place:	Downtown library computer lab

We'll go over the content, and
we'll discuss methods of teaching.

Each person can select his/her level of involvement.  If in doubt, come to
the class.  You can decide after you see what's involved.  In any case,
you'll learn more about Pine e-mail.

All the material will be provided.

Reply to nancyk at scn.org


______________________________________________________________________

*****  Unless stated otherwise, this message may be forwarded.  ******

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From douglas  Fri Feb 19 16:15:55 1999
From: douglas (Doug Schuler)
Date: Fri, 19 Feb 1999 16:15:55 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Policy Update: Microradio
Message-ID: <199902200015.QAA10728@scn.org>

FYI....

-- Doug


>From Barry Forbes of the Telecommunications Civil Rights Forum

> Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1999 08:33:30 -0500
To: bforbes at civilrightsforum.org
From: Barry Forbes <bforbes at civilrightsforum.org>
Subject: Policy Update: Microradio

Last Thursday, January 7, 1999, Federal Communications
Commission (FCC) Chairman William E. Kennard, released the
1999 FCC Agenda. One of the FCC"s priority for ensuring
broad access to communications services and technology will
be to "Open low-power radio frequencies for local use." (For
more information, see the full FCC 1999 Agenda at
http://www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Kennard/Statements/stwek901.html)

Low power radio, also known as "microradio," has mostly been
used for weather and traffic advisories. However, it can be
an exciting new tool that could, among other things, open up
entrepreneurial opportunities for minorities and women,
provide a new medium that will put members of local
communities in touch with one another; and create a source
of information that would serve individuals who would like
to participate more actively in government decision-making.
Chairman Kennard stated his intentions clearly at the
October 16, 1999, meeting of the National Association of
Broadcasters (NAB) Radio Convention in Seattle:

"I also need your input on ways that we can manage the
spectrum more efficiently and create more opportunities to
use the public airwaves. I am talking about microradio. As I
have travelled around the country, I talk to many, many
people who want to use the airwaves to speak to their
communities -- churches, community groups, universities,
small businesses, minority groups. There is a tremendous
need for us to find ways use the broadcast spectrum more
efficiently so that we can bring more voices to the
airwaves. We are seriously evaluating proposals for a new
microradio service. I believe that we have an obligation to
explore ways to open the doors of opportunity to use the
airwaves, particularly as consolidation closes those doors
for new entrants." (For more information, see the full text
at http://www.fcc.gov/Speeches/Kennard/spwek832.html .)

Clearly, Chairman Kennard is committed to this new service,
but he needs, and has asked for, our help. The Civil Rights
Forum is supporting and assisting with the work of the Media
Access Project (MAP.) We hope to launch a grassroots
campaign in support of opening microradio to a diversity of
voices. The campaign will include letters and phone calls to
members of Congress, particularly those who sit on
committees that oversee the FCC. Later in January, MAP will
be sending a letter that will call for FCC action in support
of microradio. We also hope to gain some positive press
coverage at that time.

We will keep you informed about these plans in the next few
weeks as the FCC decides how to proceed. For more
information from the Civil Rights Forum, please see
http://www.civilrightsforum.org/microradio.htm .

In the meantime, please take a few moments to review MAP's
briefing paper, "Microradio Matters to All of Us" (below)
and spread the word to your constituients and communities.

If you need more information, please do not hesitate to
contact MAP's Cheryl Leanza at (202) 232-4300 or the Civil
Rights Forum's Barry Forbes at (202) 887-0301 or
bforbes at civilrightsforum.org.

Thank you!

Mark Lloyd, Executive Director
Civil Rights Forum on Communications Policy

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

Microradio Matters to All of Us

What is Microradio?

The current Chairman of the Federal Communications
Commission, Bill Kennard, is considering creating a whole
new type of radio service. Unlike the current
centrally-programmed stations that sound the same no matter
what part of the country they are located, this service
would be intensely local. A radio license would be available
to entrepreneurs, community groups, high schools, labor
unions, and churches, and anyone who would like to reach out
to a small geographically-concentrated group of individuals.

How can we use Microradio?

Organizations and individuals could use microradio stations
in many ways. For example, a union could reach out to a
plant or a small town to provide information to its members
or potential members. Immigrant groups could broadcast in
foreign languages and provide English language instruction.
Residents of a public housing project could share
information regarding neighborhood services. Churches could
broadcast religious services to homebound individuals in the
local vicinity. Senior centers could reach their members who
cannot travel to the center. City governments could transmit
council meetings and mass transit updates. Groups that work
with young people could operate a station, allowing
teen-agers to run radio shows and simultaneously obtain
technical and artistic training that will prepare them for a
career in broadcasting. Entrepreneurs could inexpensively
start stations to deliver advertising from community-based
businesses. The possibilities are limited only by the
creativity of the individuals using and listening to
microradio.

Why do we need Microradio?

We are all affected by the nation's mass media. As that
media becomes less reflective of the diverse citizens of
this nation, we all lose. As that media becomes divorced
from their local surroundings, we become more
disenfranchised from our government and from our
communities. Although there are tremendous and important
efforts by current community radio broadcasters all across
America, they cannot bring all the voices who wish to speak
on the air, and there are many communities where no such
stations have been established.

What can we do to support Microradio?

Politically, public demonstrations of support are critical
in the next month. Contact members of Congress expressing
support of microradio and ask your grass roots membership to
do the same. Media Access Project is drafting a joint letter
from citizens' groups demonstrating broad-based support for
Microradio that will be sent in early January 1999. Signing
on to this letter will be another important way to obtain
press coverage and to demonstrate grass-roots support for
microradio.

What's wrong with the current system?

Over the last decade, broadcasters successfully lobbied
Congress and the FCC to end most limits on radio ownership.
During that time, a handful of large corporations, each
owning hundreds of stations, have transformed radio from our
most local medium, substituting national management for
local decision-making, eliminating newscasts, and imposing
bland cookie-cutter program formats.

The consolidation weakens our democracy. Without locally
owned and programmed outlets, citizens cannot learn about
important issues in their communities, they do not know what
questions are being discussed in their city council
meetings, or being debated by the members of their local
school boards. Without that basic information, citizens are
unable to participate in civic life, and their views go
unheeded by our elected leaders.

Concentrated ownership reinforces the economic barriers
keeping women and minorities from entering the broadcast
industry, both as professionals and as owners. Corporate
consolidation also marginalizes certain Americans in other
ways. Commercial radio is dependent on advertisers, who have
been known to assume, as the FCC has recently demonstrated,
that Hispanic and African-American viewers and listeners are
undesirable audiences. Because they cannot obtain
advertising revenue for serving certain demographic groups,
commercial stations frequently overlook these audiences.
Corporate consolidation magnifies this problem because
absentee owners are less likely to know the community they
serve and thus are less likely to see beyond simplifying
stereotypes when making programming decisions. Consequently,
a listener will be lucky to find, in an entire week in any
given city, more than a few hours of blues and jazz music,
poetry rooted in a religious tradition, or foreign-language
news.

Who could be against Microradio?

Unfortunately, almost everyone who has an FCC radio license
now. Besides arguing that the current system does serve the
needs of the American public, opponents claim that is it not
possible to design a service that would not interfere with
current licensees and stealing their listeners.

These claims are misplaced. First, neither the FCC nor
microradio advocates favor a new service that causes
conflicts between full-power stations and microradio
stations. Advances in radio technology are making it easier
for listeners to tune into stations with more precision and
less expensive for new broadcasters to get on the air.
Second, microradio will serve the listeners the current
broadcasters have ignored. In areas where broadcasters
provide a truly local service with opportunities for
community members to obtain air time, it is likely that the
demand for microradio stations will be small. In addition,
the current coterie of community broadcasters will likely
find new sources of support and patronage if they choose to
furnish expertise and assistance to new microradio
broadcasters.

Why should we get involved?

The opportunity to create microradio will not come again.
FCC Chairman Kennard has a strong commitment to creating
opportunities in the broadcast industry for all Americans.
Chairman Kennard recognizes the great untapped potential of
microradio. He has asked for support from the people who
will use this service to assist him in persuading others of
its merits. To do this, members of Congress and the other
FCC commissioners must hear from listeners who are not well
served by the current radio offerings, and from speakers who
cannot get on the air.

Support from outside traditional communications activists is
also important because the most vocal constituency
supporting microradio has its origin in the so-called
"pirate radio" movement. Rightfully or not, because "pirate"
broadcasters operate radio stations without a license from
the FCC, they are viewed as scofflaws by the communications
regulatory community. Support from other thoughtful,
well-respected policy advocates is critical part of
demonstrating the wide-ranging uses that will be made of
microradio licenses if the FCC takes the steps necessary to
make them available.

Contact: Cheryl A. Leanza, Staff Attorney, Media Access
Project (202) 232-4300.

____________________________________________
Barry Forbes, Dir. of Community Programs
Civil Rights Forum on Communications Policy
818 18th St, NW, #505, Washington DC 20006
Voice: 202-887-0301  Fax: 202-887-0305
Web: http://www.civilrightsforum.org



 __________________________________________________________

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 Technology, Design, Social Effects
 http://admin.gnacademy.org:8001/uu-gna/text/vc/gna-vc.html
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From douglas  Mon Feb 22 12:52:08 1999
From: douglas (Doug Schuler)
Date: Mon, 22 Feb 1999 12:52:08 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Mark your calendars!!  Upcoming FREE event
Message-ID: <199902222052.MAA18041@scn.org>

   *******************************
   Please distribute to appropriate 
   friends, collegues, and distribution lists.
   *******************************


First in the "Shaping Technology" series of free public 
presentations on the social implications of technology


          Is TV a One-Way Street? 
          -----------------------

          New Directions in Citizen to Citizen 
          Interactive Television


On March 4th, from 7-9 pm, at Loew Hall 105 on the University of
Washington campus, the Seattle chapter of Computer Professionals for
Social Responsibility (CPSR/Seattle) will launch its 1999 "Shaping
Technology" series of free public presentations.  Evelyn Messinger,
President and Director of InterAct, San Rafael, CA, will show how truly
interactive television is mobilizing democracy and authentic global
citizenship. By using new media as a creative tool, InterAct
<http://www.inter-act.net/> has been exploring what the mainstream
media has been ignoring: powerful possibilities for interactive
television.

   % Does broadcast television discourage political engagement?

   % Can TV and Internet technology, broadcast and cable, help dissolve 
     barriers between people and create opportunities for interactive 
     dialogue in the digital age?

   % What can people do to help democratize the media? 

For more than a decade, Evelyn Messinger has worked as a documentary
producer/editor for PBS, CBS News, the BBC, and French television. She
served as the first Electronic Media Director for the Soros Foundation,
and is a co-founder of Internews <http://www.internews.org>. Her work
in the emerging democracies of Eastern Europe, and with independent
media in Bosnia, Palestine, Israel, Russia and the former Soviet Union,
has promoted tolerance and understanding across political and opposing
cultural borders.

To learn more about her pioneering work, and InterAct's future projects
including, Community Renewal Dialogues, 2wayTV National Proposal, and
Minnesota Interactive, join us for Evelyn MessingerUs first appearance
in the Seattle area.

Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR) is a public
interest organization based in Palo Alto, California.  CPSR's members
are computer professionals and other people who are concerned about the
public role in the uses and abuses of computer technology in society.
This presentation is first in CPSR/Seattle's "Shaping Technology"
series of free public presentations on the social implications of
technology.  For more information contact Doug Schuler,
<douglas at scn.org>, 206.634.0752

This event is co-sponsored by the UW Department of Technical
Communication.  Loew Hall is on the east side of the University of
Washington campus (south of and across the street from the HUB).

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From steve at advocate.net  Mon Feb 22 15:31:08 1999
From: steve at advocate.net (Steve)
Date: Mon, 22 Feb 1999 15:31:08 -0800
Subject: Political spam
Message-ID: <199902222333.PAA12354@scn.org>

x-no-archive: yes



When candidates spam

A Mass E-Mailing by a New Jersey Republican Stirs Up an Online
Hornet's Nest.

Deborah Scoblionkov
Salon 2/19/99


On Feb. 4, thousands of outspoken and fiercely opinionated computer
users around the world opened their e-mail to read: "You are
receiving this message because you have participated in discussions
about political issues on the Internet and having done so, have
solicited contact on the subject. If you wish to be removed from our
once-a-month future mailings, a simple reply with the word REMOVE
will suffice." 

Like so many other e-mail messages, it was spam. But the source
wasn't a multi-level marketer or some clown selling bulk e-mail lists
-- it was a New Jersey politician testing the waters for a statewide
campaign. 

Murray Sabrin is a Republican with his eye on the U.S. Senate seat
that incumbent Democrat Frank Lautenberg announced this week he will
vacate. Sabrin used to be a Libertarian, and in his 1997 campaign for
governor against Christine Todd Whitman he was the first candidate
from that party in his state to raise enough contributions to qualify
for matching funds. 

Spammers often defend their activity as an exercise of free speech,
but many people online consider spam to be theft and trespass as well
as an invasion of privacy. "Speech isn't free when it comes
postage-due" is one anti-spam motto. Since Sabrin is not only a
former Libertarian but also a professor of finance who has stated
that "private property rights" are among his "core values," he might
be expected to be sensitive to the spam issue. 

Instead, once the mass e-mailing by Sabrin's committee -- along with
spam postings to many unrelated Usenet newsgroups (like
soc.culture.japan) -- had sparked the inevitable flurry of flames and
complaints, his office responded with further curt provocations. 

One anti-spam activist complained directly to www.murraysabrin.com
with the subject "SPAMMERS belong in jail NOT public office!" The
following reply from someone on Sabrin's committee was forwarded to
the Spam-L mailing list: 

Nice reply, just one problem: This is OUR E-mail account. We pay for
it. We may use it to communicate our thoughts to whomever has an
e-mail address because the Internet is the equivalent of a public
square. You can listen, not listen or ask us to remove you. Since the
last item is obviously what you seek, we have done so. Just
understand that your e-mailbox is the equivalent of your tv set: it
is open for broadcasts that you can choose to receive or not. Good
day. 

Another angry victim received this response and posted it to the
anti-spam newsgroup news.admin.net-abuse.email (known as NANAE): 

Thank you for writing. We're kind of stunned you took such great
pains to reply since hitting the "DELETE" key would have been far
faster. Not to belittle your point, but we started wondering amongst
ourselves if you also wrote letters to anyone sending you junk mail
through the post office, or if you write to television networks
complaining about tv commercials? ... In the future, quit your
belly-aching and use the DELETE key. 

Needless to say, these responses did not endear Sabrin to the spam
fighters of the Net, who don't take well to having to request to be
removed from mailing lists they'd never signed up for -- and who,
when told to hit Delete, will proceed to get the spammer's account
deleted by his Internet service provider. 

Sabrin's spam urged recipients to visit his Web site, where visitors
were invited to post comments to a message board. Many gleefully took
the opportunity to complain about spam and point out that it's
anathema to libertarian ideals -- but their messages mysteriously
disappeared, deleted by the webmaster. 

The flood of flames and complaints was so great that within 24 hours
of sending the spam, Sabrin posted an apology to his message board
with the title: "This is a PUBLIC APOLOGY for the SPAM sent to people
via the Internet." It read: "When we created our Exploratory
Committee, we got assistance from people with various skills --
including computer skills. Unfortunately, the youth who assisted us
with our Web site took it upon himself to contact folks who did not
seek such contact. Please accept my sincerest apology and rest
assured this will not occur ever again." 

But hours after the apology was posted, people were still receiving
Sabrin's spam. One California electrical engineer, Cameron Spitzer,
posted evidence of continued spamming in a message to Sabrin's
bulletin board titled "What a LIAR! He's STILL SPAMMING, AFTER
posting his phony 'apology!'" But his message was quickly deleted.
Soon afterward, Spitzer received what he called a "love note" in his
mail box, from abuse at murraysabrin.com, accusing him of trespass,
libel and defamation. 

The next day, the message board (and Sabrin's apology) disappeared
from Sabrin's site. It was replaced by a moderated bulletin board
without any hint of the controversy that was raging. Although the
spam appeared to have stopped, the threatening e-mails from Sabrin's
committee to the complainers continued. 

Sabrin was lucky that his Web site host, cihost.com, let him off with
a warning against spamming. The Internet service provider used to
send the spams was not so merciful. They had originated from an
Internet account at Erols Internet (owned by RCN), using a forged
address, Exploratory.Committee at erols.com. Such forgery, in addition
to violating the terms of service of nearly every Internet service
provider, is illegal in two states (California and Washington). 

Erols is known for its strict anti-spam policies, enforced by an
employee known simply as "Afterburner," who has achieved demigod
status in the anti-spam world. His response to those who complained
about Sabrin's spam was short and succinct, leaving all the gory
details to the readers' imagination: "This spammer has had his
account turned into a thick, yellow spray. Sorry for the trouble.
Yours, Afterburner RCN Abuse Guy." 

After the Erols account was nuked, the legal threats to people who
complained about the spam to Sabrin became even more hysterical: "Our
account with Erols HAS been temporarily suspended or revoked and
unless they restore it, we will file suit against them in Federal
District Court, naming YOU as 'John Doe' ... We suggest you hire a
lawyer and prepare to defend yourself against our claims of 1)
Violating our civil right to free speech; 2) Tortuous interference
with our business affairs; and 3) interfering in our interstate
commerce." 

In a show of solidarity with their comrades, other anti-spammers
immediately wrote to info at murraysabrin.com demanding to be sued as
well. They received this comment in response: "If you are merely
injecting yourself into this situation because you feel riled about
our possible legal action against others, we suggest you butt-out." 

Then, things got even stranger. A search for Sabrin's name in
DejaNews revealed that not only had he spammed Usenet newsgroups, but
apparently someone in Australia who'd received the spam had taken
revenge by posting messages that forged Sabrin's name to alt.sex
newsgroups. And results from search engine inquiries turned up an old
Web page touting Sabrin's 1997 campaign; it listed an 800 number
that, while no longer associated with Sabrin's campaign, was now
promoting a pornographic 900 service. 

The denizens of NANAE were spellbound by the unfolding drama. As one
contributor observed: "Readers of this newsgroup have over the last
few days ... witnessed events related to the exploratory campaign of
Dr. Sabrin which seem so bizarre that people are wondering whether
someone is deliberately sabotaging his campaign." 

One concerned participant was moved to write directly to Sabrin:
"Murray, Someone using your campaign name is sending aggressive,
badly spelled replies to complaints about your spamming political
messages." A few actually called Sabrin to make certain it was not a
political dirty trick; they were distressed to learn that it was not.
Others simply relished the sadistic spectacle of watching a spammer
squirm: "Sounds like the heat is starting to get to them. Time to
pour on more gasoline ... Well, if they insist on lighting up their
stogies in fireworks factories, what further damage could any of us
do? Hell, now they've started flicking burning matches around at
random. I just hope they survive to learn from the experience." 

One participant, inspired by Sabrin to create a Web page devoted to
politicians who spam, explained: "I've got a live target in my
sights, and I'm not going to let up. The time for apologies is past,
this bastard is going to pay." 

Finally, last Tuesday, Sabrin announced that he'd fired the volunteer
who'd spammed and issued a lengthy new public apology both on his Web
site and to the NANAE newsgroup, taking more responsibility for the
incident than his initial apology. 

Magnanimous in victory, some NANAE-ites laid down their weapons,
accepted the apology and wished Sabrin well on his campaign. Others
didn't let him off so easily: "That's about as sincere an apology as
'I am sorry I ran over your cat with my car, so I fired my mechanic
and slapped his wife.'" One NANAE regular cautioned against the need
for retribution: "I mean, if this Murray Sabrin is speaking the
truth, one can say the guy responsible for the spamming got fired and
his one-year prepaid account at Erols was terminated. Severed heads
and rotting corpses on poles along the Internet information highway
would be nice too, but we'll take what we have :-)" 

Sabrin is now philosophical about his foray into spamming. Although
he admits it was a mistake, he insists that his intentions were good
and innocent. "I thought it would be an effective way to disseminate
information," he explained after the brouhaha had calmed down. "I
thought the Internet was an open forum. I guess I was wrong." 

The politician seems to have been extremely naive about the culture
and interactive nature of the Internet. According to him, it was the
nastiness of the anti-spammers' flames that prompted the webmaster to
reply with empty threats of lawsuits. Those responses to the spam
were so vile and upsetting that Sabrin can't even bring himself to
repeat them: "When I disagree with someone," he says, "I do so in a
polite and civil manner." 

Sabrin is anxious to move forward with his political ambitions. He
now says he better understands the privacy and property rights issues
surrounding spam, and plans to educate others and work toward solving
the spam problem. He hopes to announce his campaign for U.S. Senate
sometime this summer. But if New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman
throws her hat in the ring, all the spam in the world may not help
him win the nomination.

Deborah Scoblionkov, a writer who has contributed to Wired News, the
New York Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer, prefers her spam fried
and crispy. 






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From bb140 at scn.org  Mon Feb 22 16:03:16 1999
From: bb140 at scn.org (Barb Weismann)
Date: Mon, 22 Feb 1999 16:03:16 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Political spam
In-Reply-To: <199902222333.PAA12354@scn.org>
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.96.990222160201.23288A-100000@scn>

Look at
 http://www.ebase.org/case.html#op
for a case study of email campaign with good results.
Barb

On Mon, 22 Feb 1999, Steve wrote:

> x-no-archive: yes
> 
> 
> 
> When candidates spam
> 
> A Mass E-Mailing by a New Jersey Republican Stirs Up an Online
> Hornet's Nest.
> 
> Deborah Scoblionkov
> Salon 2/19/99
> 
> 
> On Feb. 4, thousands of outspoken and fiercely opinionated computer
> users around the world opened their e-mail to read: "You are
> receiving this message because you have participated in discussions
> about political issues on the Internet and having done so, have
> solicited contact on the subject. If you wish to be removed from our
> once-a-month future mailings, a simple reply with the word REMOVE
> will suffice." 
> 
> Like so many other e-mail messages, it was spam. But the source
> wasn't a multi-level marketer or some clown selling bulk e-mail lists
> -- it was a New Jersey politician testing the waters for a statewide
> campaign. 
> 
> Murray Sabrin is a Republican with his eye on the U.S. Senate seat
> that incumbent Democrat Frank Lautenberg announced this week he will
> vacate. Sabrin used to be a Libertarian, and in his 1997 campaign for
> governor against Christine Todd Whitman he was the first candidate
> from that party in his state to raise enough contributions to qualify
> for matching funds. 
> 
> Spammers often defend their activity as an exercise of free speech,
> but many people online consider spam to be theft and trespass as well
> as an invasion of privacy. "Speech isn't free when it comes
> postage-due" is one anti-spam motto. Since Sabrin is not only a
> former Libertarian but also a professor of finance who has stated
> that "private property rights" are among his "core values," he might
> be expected to be sensitive to the spam issue. 
> 
> Instead, once the mass e-mailing by Sabrin's committee -- along with
> spam postings to many unrelated Usenet newsgroups (like
> soc.culture.japan) -- had sparked the inevitable flurry of flames and
> complaints, his office responded with further curt provocations. 
> 
> One anti-spam activist complained directly to www.murraysabrin.com
> with the subject "SPAMMERS belong in jail NOT public office!" The
> following reply from someone on Sabrin's committee was forwarded to
> the Spam-L mailing list: 
> 
> Nice reply, just one problem: This is OUR E-mail account. We pay for
> it. We may use it to communicate our thoughts to whomever has an
> e-mail address because the Internet is the equivalent of a public
> square. You can listen, not listen or ask us to remove you. Since the
> last item is obviously what you seek, we have done so. Just
> understand that your e-mailbox is the equivalent of your tv set: it
> is open for broadcasts that you can choose to receive or not. Good
> day. 
> 
> Another angry victim received this response and posted it to the
> anti-spam newsgroup news.admin.net-abuse.email (known as NANAE): 
> 
> Thank you for writing. We're kind of stunned you took such great
> pains to reply since hitting the "DELETE" key would have been far
> faster. Not to belittle your point, but we started wondering amongst
> ourselves if you also wrote letters to anyone sending you junk mail
> through the post office, or if you write to television networks
> complaining about tv commercials? ... In the future, quit your
> belly-aching and use the DELETE key. 
> 
> Needless to say, these responses did not endear Sabrin to the spam
> fighters of the Net, who don't take well to having to request to be
> removed from mailing lists they'd never signed up for -- and who,
> when told to hit Delete, will proceed to get the spammer's account
> deleted by his Internet service provider. 
> 
> Sabrin's spam urged recipients to visit his Web site, where visitors
> were invited to post comments to a message board. Many gleefully took
> the opportunity to complain about spam and point out that it's
> anathema to libertarian ideals -- but their messages mysteriously
> disappeared, deleted by the webmaster. 
> 
> The flood of flames and complaints was so great that within 24 hours
> of sending the spam, Sabrin posted an apology to his message board
> with the title: "This is a PUBLIC APOLOGY for the SPAM sent to people
> via the Internet." It read: "When we created our Exploratory
> Committee, we got assistance from people with various skills --
> including computer skills. Unfortunately, the youth who assisted us
> with our Web site took it upon himself to contact folks who did not
> seek such contact. Please accept my sincerest apology and rest
> assured this will not occur ever again." 
> 
> But hours after the apology was posted, people were still receiving
> Sabrin's spam. One California electrical engineer, Cameron Spitzer,
> posted evidence of continued spamming in a message to Sabrin's
> bulletin board titled "What a LIAR! He's STILL SPAMMING, AFTER
> posting his phony 'apology!'" But his message was quickly deleted.
> Soon afterward, Spitzer received what he called a "love note" in his
> mail box, from abuse at murraysabrin.com, accusing him of trespass,
> libel and defamation. 
> 
> The next day, the message board (and Sabrin's apology) disappeared
> from Sabrin's site. It was replaced by a moderated bulletin board
> without any hint of the controversy that was raging. Although the
> spam appeared to have stopped, the threatening e-mails from Sabrin's
> committee to the complainers continued. 
> 
> Sabrin was lucky that his Web site host, cihost.com, let him off with
> a warning against spamming. The Internet service provider used to
> send the spams was not so merciful. They had originated from an
> Internet account at Erols Internet (owned by RCN), using a forged
> address, Exploratory.Committee at erols.com. Such forgery, in addition
> to violating the terms of service of nearly every Internet service
> provider, is illegal in two states (California and Washington). 
> 
> Erols is known for its strict anti-spam policies, enforced by an
> employee known simply as "Afterburner," who has achieved demigod
> status in the anti-spam world. His response to those who complained
> about Sabrin's spam was short and succinct, leaving all the gory
> details to the readers' imagination: "This spammer has had his
> account turned into a thick, yellow spray. Sorry for the trouble.
> Yours, Afterburner RCN Abuse Guy." 
> 
> After the Erols account was nuked, the legal threats to people who
> complained about the spam to Sabrin became even more hysterical: "Our
> account with Erols HAS been temporarily suspended or revoked and
> unless they restore it, we will file suit against them in Federal
> District Court, naming YOU as 'John Doe' ... We suggest you hire a
> lawyer and prepare to defend yourself against our claims of 1)
> Violating our civil right to free speech; 2) Tortuous interference
> with our business affairs; and 3) interfering in our interstate
> commerce." 
> 
> In a show of solidarity with their comrades, other anti-spammers
> immediately wrote to info at murraysabrin.com demanding to be sued as
> well. They received this comment in response: "If you are merely
> injecting yourself into this situation because you feel riled about
> our possible legal action against others, we suggest you butt-out." 
> 
> Then, things got even stranger. A search for Sabrin's name in
> DejaNews revealed that not only had he spammed Usenet newsgroups, but
> apparently someone in Australia who'd received the spam had taken
> revenge by posting messages that forged Sabrin's name to alt.sex
> newsgroups. And results from search engine inquiries turned up an old
> Web page touting Sabrin's 1997 campaign; it listed an 800 number
> that, while no longer associated with Sabrin's campaign, was now
> promoting a pornographic 900 service. 
> 
> The denizens of NANAE were spellbound by the unfolding drama. As one
> contributor observed: "Readers of this newsgroup have over the last
> few days ... witnessed events related to the exploratory campaign of
> Dr. Sabrin which seem so bizarre that people are wondering whether
> someone is deliberately sabotaging his campaign." 
> 
> One concerned participant was moved to write directly to Sabrin:
> "Murray, Someone using your campaign name is sending aggressive,
> badly spelled replies to complaints about your spamming political
> messages." A few actually called Sabrin to make certain it was not a
> political dirty trick; they were distressed to learn that it was not.
> Others simply relished the sadistic spectacle of watching a spammer
> squirm: "Sounds like the heat is starting to get to them. Time to
> pour on more gasoline ... Well, if they insist on lighting up their
> stogies in fireworks factories, what further damage could any of us
> do? Hell, now they've started flicking burning matches around at
> random. I just hope they survive to learn from the experience." 
> 
> One participant, inspired by Sabrin to create a Web page devoted to
> politicians who spam, explained: "I've got a live target in my
> sights, and I'm not going to let up. The time for apologies is past,
> this bastard is going to pay." 
> 
> Finally, last Tuesday, Sabrin announced that he'd fired the volunteer
> who'd spammed and issued a lengthy new public apology both on his Web
> site and to the NANAE newsgroup, taking more responsibility for the
> incident than his initial apology. 
> 
> Magnanimous in victory, some NANAE-ites laid down their weapons,
> accepted the apology and wished Sabrin well on his campaign. Others
> didn't let him off so easily: "That's about as sincere an apology as
> 'I am sorry I ran over your cat with my car, so I fired my mechanic
> and slapped his wife.'" One NANAE regular cautioned against the need
> for retribution: "I mean, if this Murray Sabrin is speaking the
> truth, one can say the guy responsible for the spamming got fired and
> his one-year prepaid account at Erols was terminated. Severed heads
> and rotting corpses on poles along the Internet information highway
> would be nice too, but we'll take what we have :-)" 
> 
> Sabrin is now philosophical about his foray into spamming. Although
> he admits it was a mistake, he insists that his intentions were good
> and innocent. "I thought it would be an effective way to disseminate
> information," he explained after the brouhaha had calmed down. "I
> thought the Internet was an open forum. I guess I was wrong." 
> 
> The politician seems to have been extremely naive about the culture
> and interactive nature of the Internet. According to him, it was the
> nastiness of the anti-spammers' flames that prompted the webmaster to
> reply with empty threats of lawsuits. Those responses to the spam
> were so vile and upsetting that Sabrin can't even bring himself to
> repeat them: "When I disagree with someone," he says, "I do so in a
> polite and civil manner." 
> 
> Sabrin is anxious to move forward with his political ambitions. He
> now says he better understands the privacy and property rights issues
> surrounding spam, and plans to educate others and work toward solving
> the spam problem. He hopes to announce his campaign for U.S. Senate
> sometime this summer. But if New Jersey Gov. Christine Todd Whitman
> throws her hat in the ring, all the spam in the world may not help
> him win the nomination.
> 
> Deborah Scoblionkov, a writer who has contributed to Wired News, the
> New York Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer, prefers her spam fried
> and crispy. 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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> 

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From anitra at speakeasy.org  Mon Feb 22 21:47:23 1999
From: anitra at speakeasy.org (Anitra Freeman)
Date: Mon, 22 Feb 1999 21:47:23 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Political spam
In-Reply-To: <Pine.SUN.3.96.990222160201.23288A-100000@scn>
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.05.9902222136160.29523-100000@grace.speakeasy.org>

On Mon, 22 Feb 1999, Barb Weismann wrote:

> Look at
>  http://www.ebase.org/case.html#op
> for a case study of email campaign with good results.

Thank you, Barb!  I don't like to admit it in public, but I often get a bit
tired of "activist spam" myself.  This link helps me advocate for a better
way.

I'm not certain it will catch on, though.  The forest campaign was run by
people willing to put out a lot of effort over an extended period of time.
The people who yield to using spam -- advertisers, politicians & activists
-- seem to be "instant gratification" types.  It's just so much easier to
slap out a plea for the Dyslexic Albinos of Southern Biafra and cc it to
everyone on Yahoo.

_________
WRITE ON!
~~ Anitra
http://www.speakeasy.org/~anitra/projects.html for a full list of websites
and webrings because if I list them all here, you will be SO mad at me ...


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From steve at advocate.net  Wed Feb 24 08:43:08 1999
From: steve at advocate.net (Steve)
Date: Wed, 24 Feb 1999 08:43:08 -0800
Subject: Could be worthwhile read...
Message-ID: <199902241645.IAA04772@scn.org>

x-no-archive: yes



"Owning the Future" says we'll all be casualties of the wars being
waged over intellectual-property rights 

Greg Burkman
Special to The Seattle Times


You have cancer. A new drug company has developed an FDA-approved,
apparently successful treatment. But it's off-limits to your doctor
because a competing pharmaceutical firm, with no similar product of
its own, gets a court order to stop sales of the treatment - it
claims to own a part of the technological process used to create the
procedure that could help you. 

Or you're a farmer who for generations has replanted part of your
harvest as seed for next year's crop. But the agrochemical firm from
which you bought the seeds says you can't, because the company owns
the seed's genetic blueprint, even through its lines of future
generations. 

These incidents may seem drawn from some Orwellian nether world,
but, as Seth Shulman explains in his new book, "Owning the Future:
Staking Claims on the Knowledge Frontier", they're derived from
actual outcomes of intellectual-property litigation in the late
1990s. 

Citing examples in the fields of medical research, software
development, agricultural biotechnology, academic research and
pharmaceutical engineering, Shulman, a science reporter and
contributing writer for Technology Review, depicts a deeply
insidious "crisis in intellectual-property law" in which knowledge of
diverse procedures that should be freely available to all have come
to be owned by mini-monopolies and "gatekeepers of fiefdoms of
knowledge." 

This may sound like a paranoiac tabloid reader's playground, but
Shulman's book is impeccably documented and impressively concise,
considering its comprehensive scope. "Owning the Future" owes its
existence to a genuine, informed concern about a future monopolized
by a "system of parceling out ownership rights to intangible ideas."

A little of the book reads like urban myth: US Patent 5,707,114, for
example, granted in January 1998, guarantees a Connecticut inventor
the rights to the wheel, apparently issuing from an unknown motive
on the part of the inventor and gross incompetence on the part of
messy patent bureaucracies. 

The big picture is more sobering. For instance, thanks to what
Shulman portrays as an antiquated, overworked, and sloppy US Patent
Office, the patent system has been issuing dangerously broad
patents, enabling companies like Novartis, a giant Swiss drug
company, to own the rights to all ex vivo human-gene therapy (i.e.,
removing genes from a subject's body, manipulating them, and then
reintroducing them into the subject). Shulman calls the procedure "a
technique with potential applications ranging from treatments for
brain tumors to arthritis." Licensing this activity is akin to giving
someone a patent for the Heimlich maneuver and all of its future
uses. 

Shulman provides additional ominous examples of the new tendency to
commodify ideas. In 1989, when Compton New Media first introduced
Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia, one of the earliest successful
CD-ROMs, the company had also filed for, and subsequently won, a
patent over all multimedia software. According to Shulman, the
software industry justifiably reviled the move (which applied to
indispensable features of any multimedia package) and compared it to
owning the rights to the English language. 

Similarly, in 1985, computer programmer Charles Freeny won a patent
on a system he designed that would allow people to buy products
online and have them delivered electronically. Freeny sold the
patent in 1989 for a song: $200,000. 

In 1994, an entrepreneur named Arnold Freilich snapped it up,
sensing its lucrative potential. He promptly set up an online gift
business called Interactive Gift Express Inc., under a shell company
named E-data. E-data is now more than a nuisance: It is a business to
which all companies who buy and sell over the Internet must pay
royalties. E-data has thus far targeted 75,000 organizations doing
business on the Web for lawsuits, and it has already sued several
powerful players, including CompuServe, the Internet provider; Dun
and Bradstreet, the financial firm; and publishers McGraw Hill and
Ziff-Davis. While netizens tend to loathe E-data, Shulman claims
that the cost of protracted lawsuits acts as a deterrent to fighting
the company. 

Shulman also tells the outrageous story of Agracetus, a
Wisconsin-based bio-tech firm that won a 1994 European patent
"affording the company exclusive rights for the next two decades to
any and all genetically altered soybeans, created by theirs or any
other method that might be developed." 

Most disturbing, however, is the patenting of genetic information
derived from humans by "bioprospectors" like corporations and the
U.S. government. The implications are chilling: Is it too
far-fetched to believe that "the road ahead" will also include people
who, in the most profound sense, are property of CEOs and the state? 

Shulman chronicles the events leading up to all these dubious
triumphs with clarity and the astringent, lively prose of good
reporting. He has done a commendable and responsible job of
investigating millennial knowledge brokers, exposing not only the
appallingly blithe pseudo-idealism of futurist cyber-capitalists
like Esther Dyson and Alvin Toffler, but also the cynical elitist
arrogance of patent-exploiters like Arnold Freilich, the president
and CEO of a company that does nothing but capitalize on its patent
on computer commerce. Freilich: "I hate being called a leech. But
such is life." 

"Owning the Future" also outlines some of the consequences of
business as conducted by the knowledge elite: inevitable, costly
patent-infringement lawsuits drive up consumer prices; research is
zealously guarded, rather than shared by peers; and, most important,
knowledge, which can prosper only by common use, atrophies into mere
private property. 

Eminently readable and entirely unacademic, "Owning the Future"
sounds a clarion call, one that is particularly pertinent in the
present climate of merger-mania and anti-trust scrutiny. Shulman's
book inspires a radical sanity that urges us to get beyond "the
vision of a decentralized, self-correcting free-market knowledge
bazaar," insisting instead on the moral spirit of Jonas Salk. When
asked by Edward R. Murrow who would control his polio vaccine, Salk
replied, "There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?" 

Greg Burkman is a Seattle writer and critic. 

Copyright c 1999 Seattle Times Company







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From douglas  Thu Feb 25 11:22:55 1999
From: douglas (Doug Schuler)
Date: Thu, 25 Feb 1999 11:22:55 -0800 (PST)
Subject: UNESCO web prize
Message-ID: <199902251922.LAA21475@scn.org>


Forwarded from Steve Cisler, fyi

> From: "Axel Plathe" <A.Plathe at unesco.org>
To: gkd at phoenix.edc.org
Subject: [GKD] ANNOUNCE: UNESCO Web Prize 1999
Date: Wed, Feb 24, 1999, 12:57 PM


1999 UNESCO WEB PRIZE COMPETITION

Paris, February 23 {No.99-30} - Artists, designers and programmers
are invited to submit their websites in the areas of education,
science, culture and communication for selection for the 1999 UNESCO
Web Prize which will be awarded next autumn.

The Web Prize has been created in recognition of the growing
cultural and societal importance of the new   information and
communication technologies and to recompense their use in the
promotion of the Organization's ideals. It is attributed within the
framework of UNESCO Prizes for the Promotion of the Arts.  The Prize
covers two categories:

Category I - Free Theme: The contents of the websites should be
related to international co-operation in education, science, culture
and communication, possibly concerning UNESCO's priority target
groups  (women, young people, Africa and the least developed
countries), multi-lingualism and multi-culturalism.

Category II - Public Domain: UNESCO strongly promotes access to and
free flow of information. The ultimate goal of the information
society is to empower through access to and use of knowledge. One of
the main goals of UNESCO is to re-define "universal access" to
information. Websites submitted in this category may offer access to
texts, music or art, that are not restricted by copyright, or take
on the intellectual and social issues and benefits of accessibility
to information in the public domain.

The prize of US$10,000, awarded annually, will be given by the
Director-General of UNESCO to the creator(s) of the best website in
each category (i.e. US$5,000 each).

The Web Prize 1998 was awarded to the creators of the Brazilian
website on the Kamayura and Urubu-Kaapor tribes, 24-year-old web
designer Silvia Lunazzi, Nadia Karasawa and Etienne Samain
(http://www.cosmo.com.br/provedor/unesco). Registration forms for
the Prize must be submitted by Monday, May 31, 1999. Registrations
can be made:

on-line: http://www.unesco.org/webworld/webprize/registration; or by
mail to: The Director, Information and Informatics Division, UNESCO,
1, rue Miollis, 75352 Paris 07 SP, France. Projects must be
submitted by Friday, 30 July 1999 at the latest.

A poster publicising the Prize will be displayed in venues in more
than 180 countries around the world. Designed by graphic arts
student Jennifer Moore, it was chosen from entries produced by a
group of students at the University of Florida (USA) -
http://www.unesco.org/webworld/webprize/1999/index_poster.html

****

For more information, contact webprize at unesco.org or visit the Prize
website at http://www.unesco.org/webworld/webprize/1999/


____________

Axel Plathe
Information and Informatics Division
UNESCO
1, rue Miollis
75015 Paris
t        33.1.45.68.44.67
f        33.1.45.68.55.83
w        http://www.unesco.org/webworld










--MS_Mac_OE_3002722281_15583042_MIME_Part
Content-type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII"
Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable

<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>FW: [GKD] ANNOUNCE: UNESCO Web Prize 1999</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY BGCOLOR=3D"#FFFFFF">
<BR>
From: &quot;Axel Plathe&quot; &lt;A.Plathe at unesco.org&gt;<BR>
To: gkd at phoenix.edc.org<BR>
Subject: [GKD] ANNOUNCE: UNESCO Web Prize 1999<BR>
Date: Wed, Feb 24, 1999, 12:57 PM<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE><FONT SIZE=3D"2"><BR>
1999 UNESCO WEB PRIZE COMPETITION <BR>
<BR>
Paris, February 23 {No.99-30} - Artists, designers and programmers are invi=
ted to submit their websites in the areas of education, science, culture and=
 communication for selection for the 1999 UNESCO Web Prize which will be awa=
rded next autumn.<BR>
<BR>
The Web Prize has been created in recognition of the growing cultural and s=
ocietal importance of the new &nbsp;&nbsp;information and communication tech=
nologies and to recompense their use in the promotion of the Organization's =
ideals. It is attributed within the framework of UNESCO Prizes for the Promo=
tion of the Arts. &nbsp;The Prize covers two categories:<BR>
<BR>
Category I - Free Theme: The contents of the websites should be related to =
international co-operation in education, science, culture and communication,=
 possibly concerning UNESCO's priority target groups &nbsp;(women, young peo=
ple, Africa and the least developed countries), multi-lingualism and multi-c=
ulturalism.<BR>
<BR>
Category II - Public Domain: UNESCO strongly promotes access to and free fl=
ow of information. The ultimate goal of the information society is to empowe=
r through access to and use of knowledge. One of &nbsp;the main goals of UNE=
SCO is to re-define &quot;universal access&quot; to information. Websites su=
bmitted in this category may offer access to texts, music or art, that are n=
ot restricted by copyright, or take on the intellectual and social issues an=
d benefits of accessibility to information in the public domain.<BR>
<BR>
The prize of US$10,000, awarded annually, will be given by the Director-Gen=
eral of UNESCO to the creator(s) of the best website in each category (i.e. =
US$5,000 each).<BR>
<BR>
The Web Prize 1998 was awarded to the creators of the Brazilian website on =
the Kamayura and Urubu-Kaapor tribes, 24-year-old web designer Silvia Lunazz=
i, Nadia Karasawa and Etienne Samain (<FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF"><U>http://www.co=
smo.com.br/provedor/unesco</U></FONT>). Registration forms for the Prize mus=
t be submitted by Monday, May 31, 1999. Registrations can be made: <BR>
<BR>
on-line: <FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF"><U>http://www.unesco.org/webworld/webprize/r=
egistration</U></FONT>; or by mail to: The Director, Information and Informa=
tics Division, UNESCO, 1, rue Miollis, 75352 Paris 07 SP, France. Projects m=
ust be submitted by Friday, 30 July 1999 at the latest. <BR>
<BR>
A poster publicising the Prize will be displayed in venues in more than 180=
 countries around the world. Designed by graphic arts student Jennifer Moore=
, it was chosen from entries produced by a group of students at the Universi=
ty of Florida (USA) - <FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF"><U>http://www.unesco.org/webworl=
d/webprize/1999/index_poster.html</U></FONT> <BR>
<BR>
****<BR>
<BR>
For more information, contact <FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF"><U>webprize at unesco.org<=
/U></FONT> or visit the Prize website at <FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF"><U>http://www=
.unesco.org/webworld/webprize/1999/<BR>
</U></FONT><BR>
<BR>
____________<BR>
<BR>
Axel Plathe<BR>
Information and Informatics Division<BR>
UNESCO <BR>
1, rue Miollis<BR>
75015 Paris<BR>
t &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;33.1.45.68.44.67<BR>
f &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;33.1.45.68.55.83<BR>
w &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF"><U>http:/=
/www.unesco.org/webworld<BR>
</U></FONT><BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
</BODY>
</HTML>

--MS_Mac_OE_3002722281_15583042_MIME_Part--


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From steve at advocate.net  Fri Feb 26 09:34:21 1999
From: steve at advocate.net (Steve)
Date: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 09:34:21 -0800
Subject: Teaching the old folks
Message-ID: <199902261736.JAA09076@scn.org>

x-no-archive: yes



A Surfing Safari for Seniors - The 55-and-over crowd flocks to
Elderhostel's Web workshop. 

Business Week 2/8/99


They sat shoulder-to-shoulder and knee-to-cane on folding chairs
crammed into a San Jose hotel room. The mood was friendly but
intense. "Welcome to San Jose," said a cheery Phyllis Shedroff. Her
audience was about 40 senior citizens gathered for the opening session
of From Prunes to PowerBooks, a program designed to introduce seniors
to the Internet and Silicon Valley. "I guess we should have had
Roberta Flack here singing that song to you." 

"Dionne Warwick," a man barked from the back. "It was Dionne Warwick
who sang [Do You Know the Way to San Jose]." Several other people
nodded vigorously. Someone cracked: "Senior moment." Another man
raised his hand: "Is it too early in the program to ask what silicon
is?" 

Tough crowd. Average age: seventysomething. They had come from
around the country to merge onto the Information Highway, and they
were in no mood to sit and schmooze on the on-ramp. For the next five
days, they would get a crash course on the computer biz--its history,
what makes it tick, and how they could Web surf smarter, faster,
better. "I have friends who don't want anything to do with computers,"
says 63-year-old Jerry Roslund of Bend, Ore. "Well, they're just going
to be left behind." 

About eight times a year for the past four years, organizers
Shedroff and Pat Tappan have been introducing seniors to Silicon
Valley through Boston-based Elderhostel, an international
organization that offers those 55 and up inexpensive lodging and
courses on everything from kayaking to forensic science. Shedroff and
Tappan, who also teach elementary school, hire local computer experts
and history buffs for the lectures and training sessions. This
course's title is no poke at the audience but rather a reference to
the history of this region, once best known for its abundant orchards.
"The first thing to realize," says Tappan to her audience, "is that
Silicon Valley is not a place. It's a concept." 

That they fill these sessions every six weeks or so is a tribute to
two realities. One is the world's continuing fixation on Silicon
Valley as the wellspring of digital culture. The other is that seniors
nationwide are clamoring to get wired. "I can't wait to get my hands
on a keyboard," says 77-year-old Marie Christen of Sacramento. 

Hostelers offered me several explanations for why they were here.
Several inherited their kids' cast-off computers and want to figure
out how to use them. Many want to track stocks. Past attendees came to
understand what their children, who work in the Valley, do for a
living. Whatever the reason, upwards of 20% of senior citizens now own
pcs, and an estimated 9 million adults over 50 go online. Seniors are
among the most avid users of online trading and financial-service Web
sites. And they're an increasingly important target for marketers from
E*Trade (EGRP) to Procter & Gamble (PG). 

It's clear that E-mail is the killer app, however. Personal
connections made possible and maintained online are helping seniors
get over their wariness of computers. Marguerite Meek of Hemlock,
Mich., now has a large database of jokes that friends have zapped to
her. She keeps them so she can send cheery postcards daily to ailing
chums. "I have to tell you, the hardest thing in the world is to find
a new clean joke every day that fits on a postcard," she says. 

Marguerite discovered the value of online correspondence several
years ago, when she was the one who needed cheer. After her
39-year-old daughter died, she happened to tell one of her
daughter's childhood friends that she had an E-mail address. Before
long, he and other friends were sending Marguerite fond accounts of
their teenage adventures, creating an E-memorial Marguerite treasures.
"E-mail is my pet," she says. 

The Web was a different story for Marguerite and a number of others.
Day Three of the week's events involved a full day of training on
surfing the Internet--a rite of passage that seems to intimidate and
infuriate even those seniors who use E-mail daily. "Learning a whole
new communication system creates a lot of stress," says my new
octogenarian friend Frank, who preferred not to give his last name.
Adds Marguerite: "I'm worried I'll click the wrong button and get a
bill for $20." 

Watching this feisty gang for a few hours, I began to appreciate how
bewildering the Web can seem for first-timers. When a page reloads or
they click to a new link, for example, many fret that they've deleted
what they were just viewing. Jokes about the "world wide wait" fail to
amuse them as they watch the Netscape meteor shower and can't always
recall where they just clicked. So they click again. And again. That
touches off a confusing array of flashing screens and beeps. Another
frustration: On a Web page with lots of fine print, seniors are easily
hijacked by an ad's simple order to "click here." Repeatedly, I'd
hear: "Now where am I?" as a genealogy page morphed into an ad for a
Ford Explorer. 

Tappan acknowledges that patience among these folks often is
stretched. They want to learn everything at once. Some come armed with
a single, sometimes unrealistic goal. For example, a woman with three
daughters who talk every morning in a Net chat room had hoped on
training day to bust into their digital klatch with a big hello.
Unfortunately, the instructor was just getting to what the "back"
button on a Web browser means when the chat ended. 

On the other hand, Web aces such as Gertrude Mokotoff, 80, spends two
to three hours a day on the Net, sending E-mail, tracking stocks, and
researching trips. Her pet peeve: resorts that don't have all the
details about rooms online. "I don't want to have to call the darned
800 number," she says. Gert, a former mayor of Middletown, N.Y.,
mainly attended the hostel program to "see" Silicon Valley. She was
somewhat disappointed to find out that the Valley is a collection of
off-limits corporations--rather than a specific destination. "I think
it's a figment of somebody's imagination," she says, sighing. A Mac
lover, Gert and her 84-year-old husband have even got their own
Mac-vs.-pc feud roaring: "I sent him to the other training room,"
which was equipped with pcs. "I'm not putting a 57-year marriage at
risk." 

Of all the seniors here eager to go on the Net, few could match
Jerry and Georgia Roslund's motivation: Their newest grandson had been
born two weeks earlier, after they'd already left Oregon on this
vacation. So they had their son ship a photograph to the training room
over E-mail. As other seniors huddled round, Georgia squeaked a single
syllable of unadulterated joy when she got her first look at the
dimpled, digitized face of Cooper, her new grandson.

Seniors have many resources beyond Elderhostel to help them go
online. The SeniorNet organization now has learning centers
nationwide to help with computing. It also boasts a Web site for
continuing support. 

As more seniors go online, the market is fragmenting. That's because
the interests of a retired 50-year-old Luddite triathlete are
different from those of an 80-year-old Civil War buff in a wheelchair.
Even the hostel factions got a little hostile at times: "This was
supposed to be for beginners, but half the people were way beyond
that. Their questions pissed a lot of us off," says James Edmiston,
66. San Francisco's Third Age Media Inc. runs what it calls a "Web
site for grownups," targeting adults in the 45- to 64-year-old range.
The two most popular areas: romance and tech support. "The hope is
[the Internet] could be the new fountain of youth," says Third Age
founder Mary Furlong, who notes that the vanguard of 76 million baby
boomers turned 50 just three years ago.

Wired world look out: This generation of seniors is better educated
and more tech-savvy than its predecessors. You better believe they
know the way to San Jose. 

Copyright 1999, by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc.






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From douglas  Fri Feb 26 14:13:14 1999
From: douglas (Doug Schuler)
Date: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 14:13:14 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Diversity in High Tech: Organizing to Increase Access After I-200
Message-ID: <199902262213.OAA05947@scn.org>


FYI -- upcoming event

-- Doug

>From: "Kathy Pelish" <kpelish at aa.net>
>To: <pnwd-net at peak.org>
>Subject: Seattle, WA, Diversity in High Tech: Organizing to Increase
>Access After I-200
>Date: Wed, 24 Feb 1999 22:20:03 -0800
>
>FYI. Freely forwardable.  Please contact the WashTech offices if you need
>further info: (206) 726-8580.
>-------------------------------------------------------
>Diversity in High Tech: Organizing to Increase Access After I-200
>
>A panel discussion with:
>Kamal Larsuel, Microsoft contractor and member of WashTech
>Dawn Mason, former state representative for the 37th district and founder of
>Parents for Student Success
>Lorraine Pozzi, community activist with Seattle
>Community Network
>Terryl Ross, graduate student in education technology
>at the University of Washington.
>
>7:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 3, 1999
>Garfield Community Center
>2323 E. Cherry (Cherry and 23rd)
>
>As the high-tech industry grows, and increasingly dominates our economy, it
>creates multiple job opportunities. But are those opportunities equally
>distributed?
>
>Lack of access to training can make entering the high-tech workforce
>difficult. Once in the high-tech industry, lack of childcare and long hours
>put a burden on caretakers, many of them women. The growing number of
>contract and permatemp positions, often filled by women and people of color,
>offer few benefits and no job security.  Meanwhile, the passage of
>Initiative 200 in Washington has put all affirmative action policies at
>risk. So, what are the solutions?
>
>Hear what community activists, high-tech workers, educators, and labor
>organizers have to say, and join in the discussion.  It is up to us to raise
>our voices. Come help shape the economic future!
>
>Childcare available upon request. Contact Andrea at the WashTech office at
>(206) 726-8580.
>
>Sponsored by: American Women's Work; International Federation of
>Professional and Technical Engineers, Local 17; King County Labor Council,
>AFL-CIO; National Organization for Women; Mathematics, Engineering,
>Scientific Achievement; Office of Minority Affairs, University of
>Washington; Seattle Human Rights Commission; Small Business Owners of
>Washington State; Washington Alliance of Technology Workers; Washington
>Women United; and Women's Funding Alliance.  Call the WashTech office at
>206.726.8580 for eye-catching flyers advertising this event!
>
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From douglas  Fri Feb 26 14:19:01 1999
From: douglas (Doug Schuler)
Date: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 14:19:01 -0800 (PST)
Subject: REMEMBER!!!!   HOPE TO SEE YOU 
Message-ID: <199902262219.OAA08204@scn.org>


Coming up soon...  CPSR/Seattle's new lecture series launches!

-- Doug


   *******************************
   Please distribute to appropriate 
   friends, collegues, and distribution lists.
   *******************************


First in the "Shaping Technology" series of free public 
presentations on the social implications of technology


          Is TV a One-Way Street? 
          -----------------------

          New Directions in Citizen to Citizen 
          Interactive Television


On March 4th, from 7-9 pm, at Loew Hall 105 on the University of
Washington campus, the Seattle chapter of Computer Professionals for
Social Responsibility (CPSR/Seattle) will launch its 1999 "Shaping
Technology" series of free public presentations.  Evelyn Messinger,
President and Director of InterAct, San Rafael, CA, will show how truly
interactive television is mobilizing democracy and authentic global
citizenship. By using new media as a creative tool, InterAct
<http://www.inter-act.net/> has been exploring what the mainstream
media has been ignoring: powerful possibilities for interactive
television.

   % Does broadcast television discourage political engagement?

   % Can TV and Internet technology, broadcast and cable, help dissolve 
     barriers between people and create opportunities for interactive 
     dialogue in the digital age?

   % What can people do to help democratize the media? 

For more than a decade, Evelyn Messinger has worked as a documentary
producer/editor for PBS, CBS News, the BBC, and French television. She
served as the first Electronic Media Director for the Soros Foundation,
and is a co-founder of Internews <http://www.internews.org>. Her work
in the emerging democracies of Eastern Europe, and with independent
media in Bosnia, Palestine, Israel, Russia and the former Soviet Union,
has promoted tolerance and understanding across political and opposing
cultural borders.

To learn more about her pioneering work, and InterAct's future projects
including, Community Renewal Dialogues, 2wayTV National Proposal, and
Minnesota Interactive, join us for Evelyn MessingerUs first appearance
in the Seattle area.

Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR) is a public
interest organization based in Palo Alto, California.  CPSR's members
are computer professionals and other people who are concerned about the
public role in the uses and abuses of computer technology in society.
This presentation is first in CPSR/Seattle's "Shaping Technology"
series of free public presentations on the social implications of
technology.  For more information contact Doug Schuler,
<douglas at scn.org>, 206.634.0752

This event is co-sponsored by the UW Department of Technical
Communication.  Loew Hall is on the east side of the University of
Washington campus (south of and across the street from the HUB).


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From femme2 at scn.org  Fri Feb 26 20:51:50 1999
From: femme2 at scn.org (Lorraine Pozzi)
Date: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 20:51:50 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Diversity in High Tech: Organizing to Increase Access After I-200
In-Reply-To: <199902262213.OAA05947@scn.org>
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.96.990226204036.26494B-100000@scn>

On Fri, 26 Feb 1999, Doug Schuler wrote:

Thanks for the FYI, Doug.  I didn't realize that I would be billed
as an "SCN activist."  Actually, they omitted my name from the
flyer entirely.  

My understandinng is that there has been a lot of outreach to 
many groups, and there will be many more issues than WashTech's
organizing efforts up for discussion.  It occurred to me that
this would be a great opportunity for SCN to provide some
high-tech tools to help folks stay connected and informed
about the various groups' efforts.  

WashTech's staff cannot take this on.  

Now that everybody and his dog offers free e-mail and free
web space, it might be a good idea to look more at the
"community" part of the original mission statement.

Any volunteers?

Lorraine
femme2 at scn.org  

> 
> FYI -- upcoming event
> 
> -- Doug
> 
> >From: "Kathy Pelish" <kpelish at aa.net>
> >To: <pnwd-net at peak.org>
> >Subject: Seattle, WA, Diversity in High Tech: Organizing to Increase
> >Access After I-200
> >Date: Wed, 24 Feb 1999 22:20:03 -0800
> >
> >FYI. Freely forwardable.  Please contact the WashTech offices if you need
> >further info: (206) 726-8580.
> >-------------------------------------------------------
> >Diversity in High Tech: Organizing to Increase Access After I-200
> >
> >A panel discussion with:
> >Kamal Larsuel, Microsoft contractor and member of WashTech
> >Dawn Mason, former state representative for the 37th district and founder of
> >Parents for Student Success
> >Lorraine Pozzi, community activist with Seattle
> >Community Network
> >Terryl Ross, graduate student in education technology
> >at the University of Washington.
> >
> >7:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 3, 1999
> >Garfield Community Center
> >2323 E. Cherry (Cherry and 23rd)
> >
> >As the high-tech industry grows, and increasingly dominates our economy, it
> >creates multiple job opportunities. But are those opportunities equally
> >distributed?
> >
> >Lack of access to training can make entering the high-tech workforce
> >difficult. Once in the high-tech industry, lack of childcare and long hours
> >put a burden on caretakers, many of them women. The growing number of
> >contract and permatemp positions, often filled by women and people of color,
> >offer few benefits and no job security.  Meanwhile, the passage of
> >Initiative 200 in Washington has put all affirmative action policies at
> >risk. So, what are the solutions?
> >
> >Hear what community activists, high-tech workers, educators, and labor
> >organizers have to say, and join in the discussion.  It is up to us to raise
> >our voices. Come help shape the economic future!
> >
> >Childcare available upon request. Contact Andrea at the WashTech office at
> >(206) 726-8580.
> >
> >Sponsored by: American Women's Work; International Federation of
> >Professional and Technical Engineers, Local 17; King County Labor Council,
> >AFL-CIO; National Organization for Women; Mathematics, Engineering,
> >Scientific Achievement; Office of Minority Affairs, University of
> >Washington; Seattle Human Rights Commission; Small Business Owners of
> >Washington State; Washington Alliance of Technology Workers; Washington
> >Women United; and Women's Funding Alliance.  Call the WashTech office at
> >206.726.8580 for eye-catching flyers advertising this event!
> >
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From karyn at accessone.com  Fri Feb 26 21:11:24 1999
From: karyn at accessone.com (Karyn Quinlan)
Date: Fri, 26 Feb 1999 21:11:24 -0800
Subject: Diversity in High Tech: Organizing to Increase Access
  After I-200
In-Reply-To: <Pine.SUN.3.96.990226204036.26494B-100000@scn>
References: <199902262213.OAA05947@scn.org>
Message-ID: <3.0.1.32.19990226211124.03164ca4@mail.accessone.com>


CPSR/Seattle is a sponsor of the upcoming WashTech diversity event. Our name 
got dropped off on the earlier posting, and the flyer too. 

--Karyn Quinlan, CPSR/Seattle Chapter

At 08:51 PM 2/26/99 -0800, Lorraine Pozzi wrote:
>On Fri, 26 Feb 1999, Doug Schuler wrote:
>
>Thanks for the FYI, Doug.  I didn't realize that I would be billed
>as an "SCN activist."  Actually, they omitted my name from the
>flyer entirely.  
>
>My understandinng is that there has been a lot of outreach to 
>many groups, and there will be many more issues than WashTech's
>organizing efforts up for discussion.  It occurred to me that
>this would be a great opportunity for SCN to provide some
>high-tech tools to help folks stay connected and informed
>about the various groups' efforts.  
>
>WashTech's staff cannot take this on.  
>
>Now that everybody and his dog offers free e-mail and free
>web space, it might be a good idea to look more at the
>"community" part of the original mission statement.
>
>Any volunteers?
>
>Lorraine
>femme2 at scn.org  
>
>> 
>> FYI -- upcoming event
>> 
>> -- Doug
>> 
>> >From: "Kathy Pelish" <kpelish at aa.net>
>> >To: <pnwd-net at peak.org>
>> >Subject: Seattle, WA, Diversity in High Tech: Organizing to Increase
>> >Access After I-200
>> >Date: Wed, 24 Feb 1999 22:20:03 -0800
>> >
>> >FYI. Freely forwardable.  Please contact the WashTech offices if you need
>> >further info: (206) 726-8580.
>> >-------------------------------------------------------
>> >Diversity in High Tech: Organizing to Increase Access After I-200
>> >
>> >A panel discussion with:
>> >Kamal Larsuel, Microsoft contractor and member of WashTech
>> >Dawn Mason, former state representative for the 37th district and
founder of
>> >Parents for Student Success
>> >Lorraine Pozzi, community activist with Seattle
>> >Community Network
>> >Terryl Ross, graduate student in education technology
>> >at the University of Washington.
>> >
>> >7:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 3, 1999
>> >Garfield Community Center
>> >2323 E. Cherry (Cherry and 23rd)
>> >
>> >As the high-tech industry grows, and increasingly dominates our
economy, it
>> >creates multiple job opportunities. But are those opportunities equally
>> >distributed?
>> >
>> >Lack of access to training can make entering the high-tech workforce
>> >difficult. Once in the high-tech industry, lack of childcare and long
hours
>> >put a burden on caretakers, many of them women. The growing number of
>> >contract and permatemp positions, often filled by women and people of
color,
>> >offer few benefits and no job security.  Meanwhile, the passage of
>> >Initiative 200 in Washington has put all affirmative action policies at
>> >risk. So, what are the solutions?
>> >
>> >Hear what community activists, high-tech workers, educators, and labor
>> >organizers have to say, and join in the discussion.  It is up to us to
raise
>> >our voices. Come help shape the economic future!
>> >
>> >Childcare available upon request. Contact Andrea at the WashTech office at
>> >(206) 726-8580.
>> >
>> >Sponsored by: American Women's Work; International Federation of
>> >Professional and Technical Engineers, Local 17; King County Labor Council,
>> >AFL-CIO; National Organization for Women; Mathematics, Engineering,
>> >Scientific Achievement; Office of Minority Affairs, University of
>> >Washington; Seattle Human Rights Commission; Small Business Owners of
>> >Washington State; Washington Alliance of Technology Workers; Washington
>> >Women United; and Women's Funding Alliance.  Call the WashTech office at
>> >206.726.8580 for eye-catching flyers advertising this event!
>> >
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>> majordomo at scn.org		In the body of the message, type:
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>
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>
>
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From allen at scn.org  Sat Feb 27 08:35:19 1999
From: allen at scn.org (allen)
Date: Sat, 27 Feb 1999 08:35:19 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Political spam
In-Reply-To: <Pine.SUN.3.96.990222160201.23288A-100000@scn>
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.91.990227083149.16393I-100000@scn>

Barb.  Did you really need to repost all of Steve's lengthy msg?
Please delete extraneous text or not inclue original in reply in
future.
thanks
allen

On Mon, 22 Feb 1999, Barb Weismann wrote:

> Date: Mon, 22 Feb 1999 16:03:16 -0800 (PST)
> From: Barb Weismann <bb140 at scn.org>
> To: Steve <steve at advocate.net>
> Cc: scn at scn.org
> Subject: Re: Political spam
>
<SNIP...15 screens of original msg edited out>

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From bb615 at scn.org  Sat Feb 27 14:17:13 1999
From: bb615 at scn.org (Rod Clark)
Date: Sat, 27 Feb 1999 14:17:13 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Diversity in High Tech: Organizing to Increase Access After I-200
In-Reply-To: <Pine.SUN.3.96.990226204036.26494B-100000@scn>
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.96.990227141450.14201C-100000@scn>

Lorraine, 

   Would you, or anyone you know, like to write something about
this for the next issue of Seazine? The beginnings of the next
issue are at

        http://www.scn.org/seazine/mar99/

Rod Clark


> My understandinng is that there has been a lot of outreach to 
> many groups, and there will be many more issues than WashTech's
> organizing efforts up for discussion.  It occurred to me that
> this would be a great opportunity for SCN to provide some
> high-tech tools to help folks stay connected and informed
> about the various groups' efforts.  
> 
> WashTech's staff cannot take this on.  
> 
> Now that everybody and his dog offers free e-mail and free
> web space, it might be a good idea to look more at the
> "community" part of the original mission statement.

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From femme2 at scn.org  Sat Feb 27 17:55:15 1999
From: femme2 at scn.org (Lorraine Pozzi)
Date: Sat, 27 Feb 1999 17:55:15 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Diversity in High Tech: Organizing to Increase Access After I-200
In-Reply-To: <Pine.SUN.3.96.990227141450.14201C-100000@scn>
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.96.990227174729.6262B-100000@scn>

On Sat, 27 Feb 1999, Rod Clark wrote:

> Lorraine, 
> 
>    Would you, or anyone you know, like to write something about
> this for the next issue of Seazine? The beginnings of the next
> issue are at

Well, I'd be more interested if it had an SCN angle.  
Frankly, I find the lack of interest/support on the part of
SCN volunteers to be quite odd.  This dovetails perfectly
with the original mission of SCN -- but of course that has
been masticated numerous times since then.  I don't even
know what it is today.

Maybe Andrea of WashTech would be interested.  I have her
e-mail address somewhere.  There are some very interesting
challenges in this group -- and she's a very interesting
woman, IMO.  I'll dig through my old messages and forward
this on to her, if you have no objections.

Lorraine
> 

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From bb615 at scn.org  Sat Feb 27 20:10:16 1999
From: bb615 at scn.org (Rod Clark)
Date: Sat, 27 Feb 1999 20:10:16 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Diversity in High Tech: Organizing to Increase Access After I-200
In-Reply-To: <Pine.SUN.3.96.990227174729.6262B-100000@scn>
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.96.990227200633.5981B-100000@scn>

> ... This dovetails perfectly with the original mission of SCN
> -- but of course that has been masticated numerous times since
> then. I don't even know what it is today.
> 
> Maybe Andrea of WashTech would be interested. ... I'll dig
> through my old messages and forward this on to her, if you
> have no objections.

Lorraine, 

   Please do. Thanks. And feel free to write up anything else
that you think should be in the next issue. 

   http://www.scn.org/seazine/mar99/

Rod

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From steve at advocate.net  Sun Feb 28 23:10:40 1999
From: steve at advocate.net (Steve)
Date: Sun, 28 Feb 1999 23:10:40 -0800
Subject: Privacy
Message-ID: <199903010712.XAA24826@scn.org>

x-no-archive: yes



Exploiting - and Protecting - Personal Information

Denise Caruso
NY Times 3/1/99


For the last few weeks, the data privacy battle has been waged with
such fury that privacy advocates have not known whether to cry,
cheer or simply assume the fetal position. 

Personal privacy -- the disposition of all those pieces of
information that computers hold about each of us -- has been debated
in the electronic world for almost two decades. Although the issues
are complex, the bottom lines have always been pretty clearly drawn.

People and companies that sell personal data want to be able to
collect and distribute it pretty much with abandon, and they fight
like cornered weasels at even the suggestion of government
regulation. 

Yet, most people online -- 87 percent in a 1997 Georgia Tech survey
-- want "complete control" over their personal data. And if they
feel violated by data collectors, they often scream bloody murder. 

In 1991, for example, Lotus Corp. was forced to cancel shipments of
Marketplace, a CD-ROM data base, after receiving thousands of angry
e-pistles from people who took grievous offense at the data base's
content: the names, addresses, income levels, numbers of children
and other data for every household in the United States. 

More recently, privacy advocates wrested a partial victory from
Intel Corp., after the company announced that its new Pentium III
chips contained embedded electronic serial numbers for authenticating
documents, e-mail and copyrighted material. Watchdogs warned that
the numbers could be used to identify a computer to prying software,
or to allow companies or agencies to track a person's movements
across the Internet. 

Intel refused to remove the number, but agreed to provide software
that allows computer makers to hide it behind a digital fig leaf. 

And the California Legislature, often a bellwether for technology
issues, is considering more than a dozen privacy laws, including one
that would restrict the collection and disclosure of personal
information by government, business or nonprofit organizations. It
specifically includes information gathered via Internet sites. 

Still, plenty of others are rushing to cash in on the data gold
rush.

Privacy advocates were extremely cranky after discovering that
Florida, South Carolina and Colorado were selling residents'
driver's license information to a New Hampshire-based company, Image
Data LLC.

They were even more outraged to discover that the Secret Service had
financed another private company's efforts to develop a national
data base of driver's license photographs. 

And in the most telling testament yet to the commercial value of
personal data in the Internet economy, a start-up called Free PC
announced that it would provide a free Internet connection and a
free Compaq computer to anyone willing to "apply" by answering a
detailed questionnaire and then accepting constant bombardment by
advertisers based on the personal profile created from the
questionnaire. 

Rich Le Furgy, chairman of the Internet Advertising Bureau, an
industry group, said that advertisers haven't even begun to tap the
Internet's potential. They are now investigating how to aim
promotions at individual consumers based on their online behavior:
Vendors want to co-market products in much the same way that
convenience stores did after discovering, for example, that people
who buy beer often buy diapers at the same time. 

That is not exactly music to the ears of a privacy-sensitive
consumer. Obviously, online advertising organizations find
themselves straddling a very pointy fence between companies that pay
for advertising and customers who are subjected to that advertising.
The constituencies have very different viewpoints, and finding a
solution palatable to both is not a task for the squeamish. 

For example, Le Furgy said, "it would be a beautiful thing" for
consumers to control their personal data -- especially if it meant
avoiding legislation and regulation. 

"Privacy is an enabler of commerce," he said. If consumers can get
money for their personal information and still control it, "they'll
be much more willing to provide it." 

In fact, a new breed of Internet company is already making a
business of that concept. 

These companies, known as infomediaries -- a term coined by John
Hagel, co-author of "Net Worth: Shaping Markets When Customers Make
the Rules" (Harvard Business School Press, 1999) -- will step in and
help consumers regain control of their personal data. 

For a price, of course. 

A recent Wired News feature predicts that a coming pack of these
entrepreneurs will "cut the consumer in" on the deal when information
about them is bought and sold. Infomediaries keep a percentage for
themselves for providing the security mechanisms by which consumers
can control exactly who buys their personal data and for what
purpose. 

But some privacy advocates would eliminate even the infomediary and
pass laws granting consumers not just civil rights to their privacy,
but property rights to their private data, ending the free-market
eminent domain that data marketers have exploited for decades. 

Citing a Virginia law that forbids the use of anyone's name or
likeness without permission, Ram Avrahami unsuccessfully sued U.S.
News & World Report in 1996 for selling his name to another magazine.
At the time, Avrahami's opponents ridiculed him for suing over 8
cents, which is what the magazine had paid for his name. 

"The point is this: It's 8 cents for me, for you, for 100 million
other Americans, which becomes big money," said Avrahami, who has
since become a leading advocate of private data ownership. "Think of
it this way: Free PC proves that our personal information is worth
hundreds of dollars. Now, who should get those dollars, if not us?" 

Copyright 1999 The New York Times Company 







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