Net Surf
We're Listing, Captain
Every two weeks, surfers anxiously await the "Yanoff List." Compiled by Scott Yanoff, a computer science student at the University of Wisconsin (yanoff@csd4.csd.uwm.edu) the list offers concise descriptions of helpful sites around the Net. Started in 1991 as a personal log with only six entries, public distribution of The List brought a flood of suggestions: Topics now range from philosophy to amateur radio, astronomy to games. Yanoff also documents locations for such research essentials as Archie, WAIS, Netfind and World Wide Web (WWW or W3). (Internet Hunt participants remember this one ) Cut over to USENET group alt.internet.services, or ftp or gopher csd4.csd.uwm.edu (available in /pub/inet.services.txt). Don't leave cyberspace without it.
Zounds
Getting bored with Internet Talk Radio? Ftp to sounds.sdsu.edu for a tuneful break. If you surf with Sun workstations, you're in for a treat: The /sounds directory has over 2,000 files, ranging from Annie Lennox to whale songs - not to mention screams, Monty Python, Star Trek samples, and even some Bach thrown in for good measure. But watch it - these files aren't small ("Stairway to Heaven" is over 4 megs). As for the interface (ha!), let's just say that you'll have to bring your own board to surf this sea: It's choppy. Access /usr/demo/SOUND/play to hear these files. Rock on.
Queers Here
You can delve deeply into one of cyberspace's more PC gopher holes by gopher, ftp or WAIS at vector.intercon.com. Choose menu item eight, and you're on your way to the Queer Resources directory. Available are postings on AIDS and HIV, Gays in the Military, the sodomy law in our Nation's Capital, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation newsletter, and much more. Images (gifs) are available as well (check out gayscout.gif).
Quick - Open the Airlock
If you're a fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation but hate that supercompetent know-it-all Wesley Crusher, there's a USENET newsgroup for you Its mission: to seek out strange, new forms of character defamation; to pillory Ensign Crusher's alter ego, Wil Weaton; to boldly chronicle his gruesome and untimely death as no one has done before... In the words of one poster, "Never in the course of human history has one sickening brat evoked the hatred of so many people from so many parts of the world." Via rn or nn newsread commands, access alt.ensign.wesley.die.die.die for nightly tales of woe and revenge. One to beam up
Here's the Thing
Ever dream of chatting with hip eggheads such as Susan Sontag, Camille Paglia, and Thomas Pynchon? The Thing is the next best thing. This New York City-based BBS has some of the most entertaining brainiac-blab in the corridors of cyberspace. The Thing was started by "real" artists, writers and critics, and is an evolving site offering an "exclusive" (read: clubby) atmosphere. Join discussions of semiotics, art theory, and show reviews. Via modem, dial +1 (212) 431 6787 (2,400 bps); or +1 (212) 431 6988 (9,600 bps). It takes a while to connect, so be patient. Not for the academically squeamish.
Digital Cash Management
Biz surfers who cannot live by the Journal alone should check the EBB, the Commerce Department's Economic Bulletin Board. It's a one-stop source for current information from the Departments of Commerce, Labor, Treasury, the Federal Reserve Board, and many other federal agencies. Over 2,000 files covering topics such as gross domestic product, employment, foreign trade information, financial and monetary indicators, and regional statistics are available. To access, telnet EBB.stat-usa.gov and login as trial (no password required); or gopher.esa.doc.gov. E-mail (awilliams@esa.doc.gov) for information.
Dahling - It's Divine
Spiritual surfers should check Divination Web - a new concept in MUDing: It is a MUCK (type of Multi User Dungeon), providing a framework for cyberspace ritual. It is where the old and new technologies intersect in the exploration of consciousness. The overall design of the Web can be compared to that of an island, shaped like a Wheel, punctuated at its center by a Tree of Life. Drawing from traditional Hermetic sources, as well as astrology, numerology, tarot and ceremonial magic, this MUCK offers a different angle on MUD culture. Join in a weekly "Webmeet" to discover more about this unique site: After connecting, enter Webmeet at the prompt and you will be guided to the location of that week's gathering. To get caught in this web, telnet ptero.soar.cs.cmu.edu 9393. After you've arrived, type help for further instructions.
I'll Gopher That
Known also as the Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, this particular gopher shreds an info-tube It offers access to a host of electronic magazines, an SF arena featuring input from well-known cybernauts such as Bruce Sterling, as well as all the stuff you'd expect from old (and young) hippies. You'll find text from some of the major, progressive magazines, help files for traversing the big-bad-networks, the online Factsheet Five, art world calls for action, and lots more edgy stuff to gnaw on. All in an easily navigable, menu-driven environment that won't flatten out on you. This service is provided by the Well, and can be accessed at gopher.well.sf.ca.us. E-mail (gopher@well.sf.ca.us) with any questions.
Look Up, Look Up, Look Waaaay Up
Every cybersurfpunk's gotta finger nasanews@space.mit.edu at least once when s/he's out on the waves. This .plan file offers daily news bulletins about the scientific goings on via Mission Control, such as launch schedules and updates, recent scientific discoveries (like the nitrogen ice just found on Pluto), as well as shuttle mission statuses. Don't space this one out.
Better Than Mr. Zog's
For help, peruse The Internet Companion: A Beginner's Guide to Global Networking, by Tracy LaQuey (with foreword by Al Gore), US$10.95, Addison- Wesley: +1 (617) 944 3700. An invaluable resource for Net newbies Or, check out The Big Dummy's Guide to Internet, produced by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, available online via ftp at ftp.eff.org, archived as /info-mac/comm/big-dummys-guide-to-internet.hqx; 280K file.
Talkin' the Talk
Good to know when you're out on the waves:
LOL laughing out loud ROTFLOL rolling on the floor, laughing out loud -g- grinning; smiling RTFM read the fucking manual MEGO my eyes glaze over
Is There a Rodent In Your Future?
If you surf the Internet and haven't heard of gopher, you're probably reefed in the backwaters somewhere. Gopher is one of cyberspace's hidden gems - the application even employs that buzz-term of computing, "client- server architecture."
Specifically, gopher is an information gathering tool that offers a smooth, menu-driven way to traverse international "gopherspace" - which these days literally means several hundred servers worldwide, offering text (from the CIA Fact Book to the Bible), computer programs, audio, still images, and even movie clips. Gopher provides a seamless, "hidden programming" interface with which you can transfer files, browse databases, and telnet to sites around the globe, simply and easily. FFFor example, gopher the University of Wisconsin-Parkside (gopher.uwp.edu) and you'll find the music server: a collection of song lyrics, discographies and sound files from a variety of selected tunes.
Another destination, the ArchiGopher at the University of Michigan, contains photographed examples of French architecture and Ann Arbor campus buildings, as well as scanned copies of paintings by Kandinsky. Via gopher, academics can search for employment while students can seek information on various campuses. But there is a catch: To access these goodies, you must have direct access to the Internet (with client software), or be able to remotely login to Net servers that offer that capability. (The software is publicly available via ftp at boombox.micro.umn.edu, in directory pub/gopher.) Then it's as simple as typing "gopher" and the server address (with proper command accompaniment, such as "%" for Unix clients).
GGGopher, the helpful rodent, was initially born of programmers at the University of Minnesota (the Gopher State) in an effort to link and search disparate, specialized computer systems on campus. Later offered up to the Net, most public gopher servers have sprung up only within the last year, while new rodents appear to be tunneling fresh soil almost daily. This little tool is a definite nugget in the ore of the Internet, rich with information. - Tom Zillner
More Art from the Virtual Gallery
To access the gallery you'll need ftp or gopher capability and make your way to SunSite.unc.edu (then access the /pub/multimedia/pictures/OTIS directory). Send e-mail to ed@sunsite.unc.edu for more info.
.plan file of the month:
finger tbrink@crl.com Plan: /| \`o.0' =(___)= U ACK THPTPTPT!
Login name: tbrink Directory: /u2/tbrink Never logged in. No unread mail In real life: Tom Brink Shell: /usr/local/bin/ksh tbrink@crl.com Paradise Valley, Arizona
Thanks to the Wired 1.5 Surf Team
Marisa Bowe maud@echo.panix.com Michael Rogero Brown michaelb@sunrise.cse.fau.edu Amy Bruckman asb@purple-crayon.media.edu Andy Eddy vidgames@delphi.com Matisse Enzer matisse@well.sf.ca.us Michelle Herz herz@husc.harvard.edu Albert Lin lin@purple-crayon.media.mit.edu John Makulowich verbwork@access.digex.net Ed Stastny ed@cwis.unomaha.edu Edited by Kristin Spence
