By Elliott Stone (e-mail address
NET SURF Layers and Layers
Loook Eeento My Crrrrystahl Bohhl
When Science Meets Net.Society
Thanks to the Wired 2.08 Surf Team
Poignant melodies and classic saxophone laments seem to play in the smoky depths of your bleary mind. You've been down so long you can't even imagine a world of electronic multi-tasking. The terminal blues. You got 'em. And you got 'em bad. Luckily, some programmers at the University of Texas have done more than write a song about it; they've come up with a brilliant solution – and it won't even cost you a penny. It's called MacLayers 1.3 and it's the virtual panacea for your terminal blues. MacLayers is a vt100 terminal emulator that provides multiple-window capabilities over a simple serial connection: Imagine having seven different terminals before you, all running simultaneously, all working hard to get you more of what you need. Gone are the days of having to wait to peruse your favorite Usenet group because you're presently grabbing a 2-Mbyte adventure game that will take at least twenty minutes to download. With MacLayers, it can all happen concurrently. Simply open another window to read your e-mail, or heck, open six more windows and telnet to your heart's content.
MacLayers is now in its fourth stage of development, and the current iteration offers all the funky options you would expect: Individual windows can zoom in and out (at four different point sizes), user settings can be saved, and it is totally Hayes-modem-compatible. The program runs smoothly at 9600 baud and is flawless at 14.4, but at lower speeds, expect some lag to occur. However, even if you're running at 2400 baud, MacLayers is still well worth it – imagine how impressed your friends will be as you simultaneously chat with one and send files to another. The possibilities are endless, and it's all just a quick ftp away.
To get in on this windfall you need a Macintosh, a serial dial-up connection, and a Unix host server. There are two parts to MacLayers: a Macintosh MacLayers client application and the Unix server program. Many Unix systems already have the server program installed (probably by some serious coder who hasn't seen daylight in weeks). If you're unsure whether your system has the necessary enablers, ask your friendly system administrator for help, or try typing layers at the Unix prompt. If the program doesn't respond with a dialogue box saying "Host Layers Activated," you can probably bribe a Unix-savvy friend to do the compiling for you. Additionally, root support is not required to install MacLayers on the Unix side, and MacLayers will run on the following Unix platforms: SunOS (and other BSD hosts), Sequent Balance and Symmetry, IBM AIX 3.2, SGI IRIX 4.0.5 system V, DEC ULTRIX V4.2A, Apple A/UX v3.0, SVR4 Hosts, and NeXTStep Release (1.0, 2.1, and 3.0).
But where can I get it, you ask? MacLayers (Macintosh and Unix) is available via anonymous ftp from rascal.ics.utexas.edu (128. 83.138.20) in the mac/communications /MacLayers directory; or anonymous ftp to sumex-aim.stanford.edu and investigate the info-mac/comm directory. Unfortunately, an old iteration of the MacLayers documentation is all that exists in support of the program: it can be found at the University of Texas site in the mac/communications/ MacLayers/+outdated /MacLayers_1.0 directory. The program is easy to use and will erase any memory of that aforementioned, lamentable color as you experience the yellow glow of Internet ease. And, if you listen carefully, you'll probably find that the wilting sax you heard earlier is now laying down some classic Ornette Coleman riffs. MacLayers is great Internet jazz.
witheld
Hard to believe, but the Society for Creative Anachronism (the preeminent Medieval Re-Creation group in the US) has its very own Usenet group. Mount your steed and journey to rec.org.sca for an interesting look at a multitude of arcane discussions. Topics in this unique newsgroup range from Period Cookery to the Recreation of Medieval Combat. For a group of people who have more than a casual interest in times past, there seems to be a very large number who have managed to guard a sturdy bridge between the Middle Ages and modern times. Cross this bridge back in time.
Just when you thought you'd escaped the mind-numbing sewers of late-night TV ... the shining examples of Wayne's World-esque White Trash Media ... the demonic presence of Susan Powter ... alt.tv.infomercials is the latest whitecap of meta-media gracing the Usenet ocean – a newsgroup dedicated entirely to those 30-minute advertisements we love to hate. From Hair in a CanTrademark to the Pet FlowbieTrademark, this swell's got all your faves. Remember, infotainment wants to be free. There is no escape.
It is a practice that has endured for hundreds of years – a mystical, deeply personal, and ofttimes unsettlingly accurate method of plumbing the depths of your psyche. It is a window into your personal mythology, your challenges, and your opportunities for growth. Surf to the UCLA Tarot Server and witness how this ancient practice is taking root in the digital age. Using a graphical WWW browser, travel to http://cad.ucla.edu/repository/useful/tarot.html. Once you've arrived, the server will cast the tarot just for you: think upon the question you want answered, concentrate, then click on the line highlighted. In a moment, as the tarot is accessed, presto! – a three-card drawing (from the Rider-Waite deck, for those in the know) and explanation of the meaning of each card will appear. Because of the graphics involved, it takes a long time to pull up the cards, so use that one- to two-minute window to your meditative advantage. Mystical enlightenment is but a mouse-click away.
Jason's Web Kite Site, soaring on a La Trobe University Web server in Melbourne, Australia, glorifies the kite in stellar Internet homage with JPEG images of single, dual (stunt), and quadline kites. Character-based browsers, such as Lynx and World Wide Web, just won't cut it here: You'll need a GUI like Mosaic or Cello to fully appreciate the photos (most of them taken, and copyrighted, by Jason himself). Feast your eyes on goldfish kites, a Chinese Dragon, and a "Tumbling Cube Rokkaku," designed and built by Tony Wolfenden (Jason describes this one as a traditional Japanese fighting kite with an Escher-inspired graphic stamp). The site also features links to Usenet newsgroup rec.kites as well as the Hawaii kite ftp site. While presently limited to thumbnail images and brief descriptions, the site may be updated soon with new images as well as archives of past JPEGs. Jason says he will load kite plans and newsletters if there is interest. Wanna go fly a kite? Send e-mail to j.hellwege@latrobe.edu.au. Otherwise, visit http://www.latrobe.edu.au/Glenn/KiteSite/Kites.html,and catch a good thermal.
University of Texas students Chiphead, Chivato, Voltayre, Halo, and their non-student pal Ice fooled around for most of a year to build this new town. Pt. MOOt is a cyberville now supporting 350 inhabitants with room to grow. Telnet to actlab.rtf.utexas.edu 8888 and login as guest to get a good look at this new home on the Internet range. Once logged in, you'll find yourself under the Old Pecan Tree in the center of town. Two moves south will bring you to the statue of Erasmus Jebediah Moot. Look at the statue and then read the sign for the history of Pt. MOOt.
This MOO offers good documentation on how to navigate the environment, and after you've read it, you can @register for citizenship. With your citizenship, handle, and password, you'll then be an official Pt. MOOter, in which case the system will give you ten "free" MOOlahs, but after that, nothing is free, and you'll have to earn your keep. Visit the Job Bank on South Main and check out the postings (your best option is to buy a building permit at the City Planning Office).
Pt. MOOt is a creative development, devoted to reality modeling rather than hardcore gameplay. At Pt. MOOt, you're a citizen, not a player. Many missing real-world features will no doubt soon be added: crime, hunger, food, inebriating substances, transportation systems (and problems), TV, and radio. Pt. MOOt is a University of Texas research site, so if you're shy about being studied, this ain't the MOO for you. If you're a researcher and there's a gazillion things you'd like to know about how cybernauts set up a net.society, contact ptmoot-admin@actlab.rtf.utexas.edu via e-mail.
CHOICE-NET is a weekly newsletter devot-ed to reproductive rights information. It's a gem, aimed squarely at activists, that is short and to the point. Published by Kathy Watkins, the administrative director of the Northern California branch of the California Abortion Rights Action League (CARAL), this e-tome is e-mailed to subscribers and is also posted to Usenet newsgroups soc.women and talk.abortion. It can be found in the Politics section of the Well gopher, where back issues are also available. CHOICE-NET names names and lists fax numbers, illuminates information on the status of legislation, reports on possible Clinton administration pro-choice-related maneuvers, and includes many other succinct, timely morsels of grist for the activist mill. To get informed, gopher://gopher.well.com/11/ Politics/Abortion or send e-mail to dtv@well.com, and ask to be put on the mailing list.
For active cybernauts concerned with their privacy, this anonymous remailer wave offers just the cloak you're looking for. Take a stealthful look at monet.vis.colo-state.edu/~nate/mailer.html. There, you'll find the home page for the Cypherpunk remailer network. For political reasons, the page is just a non-working mock-up of the program you can get by sending mail to the server address given. When you get the program, open it with a Forms-compatible World Wide Web browser (such as the latest version of Mosaic). Then simply fill in the To: and Subject: lines, type your message in the textbox, select remailers, and hit send.... Your message will be automatically bounced through at least one (if not more) remailers – it's totally private and, best of all, according to your home machine, the message never even existed. This wave leaves no ripples.
The Principia Cybernetica project is an attempt to unify systems theory and cybernetics, using the tools and methods of cybernetics itself. Managed by leading researchers from the City University of New York, NASA, and the Free University of Brussels, Principia Cybernetica is amassing an awesome and ever-growing info-tube of information on the underlying meme-technology of the Matrix: self-organizing systems, cybernetics, human-computer interaction, knowledge structures, cognitive science, artificial intelligence, philosophy, and evolution, to name a few. No ivory towers here, simply practical information on web-weaving and Internet use commingled with academic papers and cyberculture rants, such as Ronfeldt's Cyberocracy.
The websmiths are hard at work on this one, using a full bag of HTML (HyperText Markup Language) tricks to bring you representational maps of the Webspace that you can click on, searchable indices, and other goodies. Choice tidbits include the real-time Web visualizer tools, John December's comprehensive treatise on computer-mediated communication, the full text of Darwin's On the Origin of Species, and fresh news from the Project Xanadu folks, complete with an impressive bibliography. Start your education on the tech behind the hype at http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be.
Based in New York City, SenseNet is one of the most visually and audibly impressive online services to show up anywhere. Having spent many years as an expert-class surfer, founder Dane Atkinson (aka "Void") and a few trusted colleagues have created a ten-line electronic home that is both versatile and creative. But SenseNet is more than just looks. Its extensive, well-catalogued file libraries contain a large, separate adult files section. In addition to its unique local message areas, SenseNet carries several gated conferences and boasts one of the first graphical interfaces for Usenet and Internet mail in its area. Future plans include the provision of real-time telnet and ftp capabilities. SenseNet also provides services covering hardware and software sales and installation information, as well as desktop publishing output. Best of all, US$7.50 a year gets you one hour a day, an Internet address, and unlimited downloading. Dial into SenseNet at +1 (212) 595-3553.
========================================================= _ Johanna de Guzman {(ojo)} punrockr@echonyc.com |\Q/| \/-\/ *The Scream* | | (E-Munch!) "I think, / / therefore iamb." \ \ /__\ =========================================================
- It's come to our attention that the wuarchive site mentioned in issue 2.01 ("Tossed Upon the Waves of DOS," page 139) unexpectedly lost most of its data on January 13 due to a bug in the system dump routines. The archive maintainers are scrambling, so sit tight, though some files were most likely lost permanently. GIF files were still intact, however, at last check.
- In our mention of the Computer Science Technical Reports SDI Service mailing list (Wired 2.02, "Apples for Bookworms," page 122), we instructed surfers wanting complete instructions to send e-mail to the given address with help in the subject line. In actuality, the word help must appear in the body of the message.
By Joan Van Tassel
J Matisse Enzer matisse@well.sf.ca.us
mischief@phantom.com
tjisakso@packer.aud.alcatel.com
verbwork@access.digex.com
strata@fenchurch.mit.edu
nate@VIS.ColoState.Edu
GS1297%ALBNYVMS.bitnet@UACSC2.albany.edu
arty.thompson@f204.n2603.z1.ieee.org
jvantass@pepperdine.edu
