From editor@telecom-digest.org Wed Oct 6 02:52:30 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p3/8.11.6) id i966qUX29513; Wed, 6 Oct 2004 02:52:30 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 6 Oct 2004 02:52:30 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200410060652.i966qUX29513@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V23 #472 TELECOM Digest Wed, 6 Oct 2004 02:51:00 EDT Volume 23 : Issue 472 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Microsoft Unveils News Version of MSN TV (Monty Solomon) Microsoft Announces New MSN TV 2 Internet & Media Player (Monty Solomon) Internet Time and the Reliability of Search Engines (Monty Solomon) Grey Tuesday, Online Cultural Activism, Mash-up of Music (Monty Solomon) Norvergence & the "Matrix Box" (John J. Suarez, III) Re: Pennsylvania Railroad's Crew Communication System? (Robert Bonomi) Re: Pennsylvania Railroad's Crew Communication System? (Paul Coxwell) Re: Pennsylvania Railroad'a Crew Communication System? (David Clayton) Re: AT&T Wireless Launching Music Service (Truth) Re: AT&T Lowers Price on Internet Calling Service (Rick Merrill) Re: A New Phone and Techie Controversy at Verizon (Truth) Freelance ASP Developer / Programmer (John Leo) Re: Cascading Hubs (was Re: Voicepulse Disconnects) (T. Sean Weintz) Re: Paper Tape; Gates at Harvard (AES/newspost) Re: Cell Phone Attracts Lightning? (Truth) Re: Cell Phone Incident Results in DC Metro Arrest (Joseph) Re: Cell Phone Incident Results in DC Metro Arrest (Name Not Given) Re: Voicepulse Disconnects Remote Computers When Phone Used (D Wilson) Re: More on "Social Activists" and Public Utilities (AES/newspost) All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2004 18:44:20 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Microsoft Unveils News Version of MSN TV By GARY GENTILE AP Business Writer LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Microsoft Corp. introduced on Tuesday a new version of its Internet TV service, seeking to broaden its appeal beyond a relatively small base of older, computer-phobic users. The set-top hardware it uses, the MSN TV Internet and Media Player, is a strange hybrid for an increasingly networked world. Essentially a media receiver, the player lets people surf the Web, display digital photos, watch downloaded video clips and do e-mail _ all the time using their television as a monitor. The new version, called MSN TV 2, adds a port for people with high-speed Internet connections and home networks. Made by Thomson under the RCA brand, it has more processing power than its predecessor but contains no hard drive. The box has 128 megabytes of RAM and 64 MB of flash memory. It sells for $199.95 plus a subscription fee, depending on whether it is used with broadband Internet access or dial-up. The box also includes Wi-Fi connectivity for wireless home networks and slots for memory cards from digital cameras. A wireless keyboard and remote are also included. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=44085804 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2004 18:50:10 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Microsoft Announces the New MSN TV 2 Internet & Media Player Broadband-Home-Network-Enabled Living-Room Device Offers Exciting New Entertainment, Information and Communications Options for the Television REDMOND, Wash., Oct. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The MSN(R) TV unit ( http://www.msntv.com ) of Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT), a group that has pioneered delivery of interactive services to the TV, has announced the debut of the new MSN TV 2 Internet & Media Player, shipping now and due to arrive at major consumer electronic retailers across the country by mid-October. MSN TV 2 is the only product that brings premium MSN content, PC-stored digital media and e-mail to TV for a truly integrated Internet and media experience. MSN TV 2 is a broadband-home-network-enabled device manufactured by Thomson under the RCA brand. It includes a wireless keyboard and remote control and tas an MSRP of $199.95 plus a subscription fee.(1) - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=44072281 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 6 Oct 2004 00:27:24 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Internet Time and the Reliability of Search Engines Internet time and the reliability of search engines by Paul Wouters, Iina Hellsten, and Loet Leydesdorff http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_10/wouters/ Abstract: Search engines are unreliable tools for data collection for research that aims to reconstruct the historical record. This unreliability is not caused by sudden instabilities of search engines. On the contrary, their operational stability in systematically updating the Internet is the cause. We show how both Google and Altavista systematically relocate the time stamp of Web documents in their databases from the more distant past into the present and the very recent past. They also delete documents. We show how this erodes the quality of information. The search engines continuously reconstruct competing presents that also extend to their perspectives on the past. This has major consequences for the use of search engine results in scholarly research, but gives us a view on the various presents and pasts living side by side in the Internet. http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_10/wouters/ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 6 Oct 2004 00:30:35 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Grey Tuesday, Online Cultural Activism and Mash-up of Music by Sam Howard-Spink http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_10/howard/ Abstract: In 2003, a little-known DJ by the name of Danger Mouse created a "mash-up" album that remixed the music of the Beatles' White Album and hiphop star Jay-Z's Black Album to produce a new record called The Grey Album. The swift and draconian legal reaction to the online dissemination of this technically illegal but culturally fascinating artifact gave rise to a "day of digital civil disobedience," organized by music activism group Downhill Battle. Grey Tuesday, as the day of action was known, marks a potentially new site for a blend of online political and cultural activism in the highly charged realm of intellectual property expansionism. This paper examines emergent examples of musical and Internet activism including a detailed look at Grey Tuesday itself; considers the cultural significance of the mash-up genre and the value of the musical "amateur;" and concludes with a brief consideration of "semiotic democracy" and the new mix - or, if you will, mash-up - of culture and politics that has emerged as a consequence of the rise of digital networks. http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue9_10/howard/ ------------------------------ From: John J. Suarez, III Subject: Norvergence & the "Matrix Box" Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2004 21:08:32 -0400 Are you aware of the 11000 small businesses going through the re-leasing nightmare concerning Norvergence & the Matrix box? If not you should check out the following articles: http://www.tampabaylive.com/stories/2004/09/040922norvergence.shtml http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheAberdeenKid/ http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3D5724172500&category=3D= 80226 We need all the help that we can get. John Suarez "a victim" 800 616-9876=20 [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: We have been covering the Norergence fraud for many months here. Just Google through our archives looking for 'Norvergence', particularly articles in the past six or eight months. Before any of the victims agree to 're-lease' their Norvergnce matrix boxes, they should be aware that a firm of attornies -- the attorney firm name is 'Weir' -- is starting the essence of a class action lawsuit seeking to void all outstanding lease arrangements, so the victims you know may wish to (a) put a total freeze on any payments to Norvergence and (b) have their own attornies get in touch with Weir and see what is being done. PAT] ------------------------------ Organization: Robert Bonomi Consulting Subject: Re: Pennsylvania Railroad's Crew Communication System? From: bonomi@host122.r-bonomi.com (Robert Bonomi) Date: Wed, 06 Oct 2004 03:09:00 +0000 In article , Lisa Hancock wrote: > Howard S. Wharton wrote: >> It operated on low band VHF and operated by air core transformer >> coupling rather then radiation. > Could someone elaborate what "air core transformer coupling" is > and how it differs from normal radio? It is an induction loop pick-up. Pure magnetic coupling between the two 'coils' (which, in this case aren't really coils, just two long wires laid side-by-side). If you've ever experienced 'cross-talk' on your POTS phone, where you can hear somebody else's conversation, you have seen the principle in action. It is a _very_ short-range system. like maybe a few hundred feet, _maximum_. >> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: FYI, anyone interested, for many years, >> the Chicago Transit Authority handled their train to control tower >> commuications using 'telephones' which transmitted using the third rail >> of electrical power (I think third rail is 440 volts DC). I don't know >> if they still do, or not. PAT] > Rapid transit systems typically use 600 volts DC and I'm pretty sure > the CTA did as well. The CTA was unusual in that some of its L cars > had trolley poles on some branches (Skokie, Evanston?) though they're > converting to all third rail. Skokie had catenary, until relatively recently -- it's all 3rd rail now. The Evanston run was completely converted to 3rd rail on Nov. 8, 1973. > While I'm not familiar with the CTA communiation system, I suspect > it used the same basic principle "closed circuit" that the PRR > did. The CTA used the third rail as a conductor for a carrier > frequency, sort of like how some college radio stations use > building wiring as antenna. Someone can explain this better. Not quite. it was 'wired wireless'. Same mechanism as the 'wireless' intercoms you can buy in the store. low-power RF, with a direct electrical connection all the way between the transmitter and receiver. PRR, etc. did _not_ have electrical continuity between the radio and the rail, or the 'stationary antenna' at track-side. > The CTA was also unusual in that many of its lines did not have any > signal protection -- the motorman just made sure he could stop short > before the next train. Over the years signals were added. Despite > the presence of signals and safety auto-train stop, a train ran a > signal and hit the next train, causing them to fall off the L in a > devastating wreck. Apparently the motorman overrode the auto stop > signal _and_ applied power for some unknown reason. > Other traditional subway-el lines use a "trip stop" which is a little > arm that sticks up next to the tracks. CTA has had trip stops at the signals for at least 15-20 years, now. > If a train runs a red signal, > the arm catches a lever on the train cutting propulsion and applying > emergency brakes. This is an old system but has worked extremely well > over the years. Stops are also used as speed controls, keeping a > signal at red for a preset time to ensure a train isn't going too > fast. The signals also test for a broken rail. > These old relay operated system are extremely safe--they are designed > to be fail safe so that any component failure results in a stop. Even > the trip arms are spring mounted so they spring upward but need power > to hold them down. > The disadvtg of the relay systems is that they are expensive and labor > intensive to maintain. An ice storm is rough on them causing lots of > false red signals, and trains must creep along to be sure they don't > hit anything or a broken rail. The early computer systems, such as > BART discussed elsewhere, had lots of problems. Finally computers are > reliable enough to operate safely in the rugged railroad world and > newer technologies are coming out. > The industry trade magazine "Railway Age" used to be full of hardware > articles and ads; now it has lots of software articles and ads. Times > change. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I do not know what CTA is doing now, > but when they ran with a combination of third-rail (most of the > system) and catenary (or overhead) wires (the Evanston branch and the > Skokie branch) the trains would pause just north (Evanston) of Howard > Street (or northwest of Howard on the Skokie line) and while one of > the other person on the train would announce the fare differential and > go passenger by passenger to collect the five cents due to continue > the trip. As of at least the mid-70s, on the Skokie line, the pantograph was raised or lowered by a rope pull from _inside_ the train. it just took a tug to release it, and was done 'on the fly'. As the Skokie swift was a one-man crew operation from it's inception in 1964, and ran non-stop between Howard and Dempster -- I have to assume that the same method of operation was employed in the earlier years. When Evanston was overhead powered, trolley-poles were raised/lowered at the South Blvd. Sta. See: for detailed history. > If the passenger had paid the full fare upon first boarding > the train, he would have a slip of paper called 'receipt for fare > paid' and he would hold it in the air as the collector came around, > otherwise he was expected to produce the five cents to give the > collector. By the time the collector had worked his way through the > entire train, the other guy had the catenary up or down and they were > ready to continue the trip. Note: the 'catenary' is the overhead wiring. Either a 'trolley pole' (like an overgrown fishing-rod with a pulley on the end) or a 'pantograph' (a wide bar) was the gizmo that went from the train car to the overhead wires. The pantograph is the newer design, and a whole lot less finicky. The 'Evanston' route, for years, had a 'local' fare for travel within Evanston, only. Going south into the City, you had to pay the surcharge, which was the difference between the 'local' fare, and the full CTA fare. Going northbound there was no surcharge -- you'd already paid the full CTA fare. ------------------------------ From: Paul Coxwell Subject: Re: Pennsylvania Railroad's Crew Communication System? Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2004 22:00:31 +0100 > Other traditional subway-el lines use a "trip stop" which is a little > arm that sticks up next to the tracks. If a train runs a red signal, > the arm catches a lever on the train cutting propulsion and applying > emergency brakes. This is an old system but has worked extremely well > over the years. Stops are also used as speed controls, keeping a These have also been employed for many years on the London Underground (subway system), with similar fail-safe arrangements. The motorman could override the trips, but a panel with several red lights would be illuminated as a warning (at least that's how it was on the older stock). > before the next train. Over the years signals were added. Despite > the presence of signals and safety auto-train stop, a train ran a > signal and hit the next train, causing them to fall off the L in a > devastating wreck. Apparently the motorman overrode the auto stop > signal _and_ applied power for some unknown reason. There was a similar devastating accident in London at Moorgate station in 1975 when despite all the safeguards a train ran past the platform and smashed into a dead-end tunnel. The cause of what was then the worst ever accident on the London Underground was never discovered: http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/february/28/newsid_2515000/ 2515033.stm There is a lot of interesting information about signaling and other aspects of the London system at this site: http://www.trainweb.org/tubeprune/ The signaling section contains details of the coded automatic system which was employed for the new Victoria line, opened in the late 1960s. Paul ------------------------------ From: David Clayton Subject: Re: Pennsylvania Railroad's Crew Communication System? Date: Wed, 06 Oct 2004 16:39:10 +1000 hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com (Lisa Hancock) contributed the following: > Other traditional subway-el lines use a "trip stop" which is a little > arm that sticks up next to the tracks. If a train runs a red signal, > the arm catches a lever on the train cutting propulsion and applying > emergency brakes. This is an old system but has worked extremely well > over the years. Stops are also used as speed controls, keeping a > signal at red for a preset time to ensure a train isn't going too > fast. The signals also test for a broken rail. The train system in my city uses the "trip stop" system, but a few months ago at the end of a line a driver got out of his cabin (for a "pit stop") but left both trip stops up and the brakes off. The train rolled out of the station and about 17KM down the track to the city (picking up speed on the downhill gradient all the way) where it finally smashed into another train at the other end of the line! The train system controllers knew all about it but apparently letting it crunch into another train (with people in the stationary train) was the "least worst" option in the circumstances!! Regards, David Clayton, e-mail: dcstar@XYZ.myrealbox.com Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. (Remove the "XYZ." to reply) Dilbert's words of wisdom #18: Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level then beat you with experience. ------------------------------ From: Truth Organization: http://www.x.com Subject: Re: AT&T Wireless Launching Music Service Date: Tue, 05 Oct 2004 18:30:47 GMT > LOS ANGELES (AP) -- In the first foray by a U.S. wireless carrier into > the online music market, AT&T Wireless is launching a service that > lets subscribers buy songs using their cell phones and later download > them to a computer. Too complicated and stupid. Why not make a cellphone that takes pictures too? ------------------------------ From: Rick Merrill Subject: Re: AT&T Lowers Price on Internet Calling Service Organization: Comcast Online Date: Tue, 05 Oct 2004 20:07:29 GMT Truth wrote: > I remember about 10 years ago talking to people around the world over > the internet for free with shareware programs in which you just enter > in the other person's ip address and you could talk through the > microphone and speakers for free for hours while putting up pictures > on your monitors and pointing to things with the mouse for the other > person to see. > Why would anyone pay when we have the ability to talk over the > internet for free? I think the big difference is that AT&T system will drive your home phone system and the phones all over the house. - RM ------------------------------ From: Truth Organization: http://www.x.com Subject: Re: A New Phone and Techie Controversy at Verizon Date: Tue, 05 Oct 2004 18:34:14 GMT > At long last, the carrier with the best signal coverage began offering > a full-featured flip phone with camera, voice dialing, speakerphone, > memory card and Bluetooth: the new Motorola v710. Best coverage, great > phone -- what more could a gadget freak want? > Unfortunately, Web sites and blogs are teeming with complaints about > one particular aspect of the v710: it's crippled Bluetooth features. And one can only imagine how long the battery life is with all this crap and backlit screens on these stupid phones today. A phone is for making and taking calls, we have cameras, TVs, walkmans and video game systems to do those things. Next these phones will have power draining mini fridges to keep your cans of pop cool in. Idiots. And all the morons who buy these things and support these companies to make and come up with more of this crap are the biggest idiots of all. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 6 Oct 2004 00:07:35 +0530 From: john leo Reply-To: john leo Subject: Seeking Employment: Freelance ASP Developer / Programmer Hello, I am a software developer looking for freelance work, do you have any work that need to done? Buzz me at johnleox @ gmail.com My skill sets: VB, ASP (VBScript & Javascript), SQL Server, Access (VBA), Excel (VBA), .NET(ASP.NET / C#) Oracle, Informatica, Crystal Reports & Congos. Designer Skills PhotoShop, Flash & Dreamweaver. I can work on migration projects, supporting exsiting project and looking out for new project. If location or place of work is not important for you then buzz. Waiting for your work. I am not a expert ... but I might just have solution for your problem. johnleox @ gmail.com ------------------------------ From: T. Sean Weintz Subject: Re: Cascading Hubs (was Re: Voicepulse Disconnects Computers) Date: Tue, 05 Oct 2004 14:42:43 -0400 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Gordon S. Hlavenka wrote: > A hub works at the most basic level of connection (OSI layer 1) and so > it is fast but usually less efficient. A hub takes any data received > on any port and immediately transmits it to all ports. Whereas a > switch operates on a higher level (OSI layer 2 or 3) and examines the > data passing through it. Switches connect ports on-the-fly based on > MAC or IP addresses, and so they can allow much more efficient use of > your LAN wiring. But since they have to look at every packet to see > where it goes, they can't transmit the packet until they've received > and parsed a good chunk of it -- thus the latency. Gamers generally > prefer hubs (better ping times). Bull doo doo. Switch latencey is low enough that it is often times not measureable at all from a workstation -- in other words a latenecy of less than 1 millisecond. Using a switch actually IMPROVES ping times, since it does away with the big nasty drawback of using a hub, which is COLLISIONS. One should NEVER, ever, EVER use a hub with VOIP if call quality is important. ALWAYS use a switch. ------------------------------ From: AES/newspost Subject: Re: Paper Tape; Gates at Harvard Date: Tue, 05 Oct 2004 13:02:31 -0700 In article , W Randolph Franklin wrote: > I was there. > Harvard did not have a CS Dept. The CS program, called, IIRC, the > Center for Research in Computing Technology, was a little piece of the > Division of Engineering and Applied Physics, which, despite its name, > did little Engineering. Thanks much for this info. Just to clarify (NOT to quarrel with anything in this -- I have no real stake in the answers): 1) Did the Aiken Computational Laboratory also continue to exist at that same time, as a building and/or an organization? (I've seen references to tech reports under the ACL name dated as late as 1981, and I understand the building stood until 1998.) 2) Where was the CRCT program and its DEC machines housed? Thanks, AES '53 (AB in ESAP, predecessor to DEAP, awarded '52) ------------------------------ From: Truth Organization: http://www.x.com Subject: Re: Cell Phone Attracts Lightning? Date: Tue, 05 Oct 2004 20:14:44 GMT >> Perfectly reasonable: the antenna was the highest point and the cell >> phone was the path of least resistance, which is all it takes. > *Perhaps* a cellphone in a hand might be a path of least resistance - > thought I doubt it - most of them are made of plastic. People are not made of metal either, yet they are the path of least resistance to the ground too. The few INCHES a cellphone makes up, has no bearing what so ever on anyone getting hit by lighting. If the phone was not in the person's hand, they STILL would have gotten struck being where they were. In NO WAY did the cellphone have any effect what so ever. In NO WAY can a cellphone being used at a gas station cause an explosion. In NO WAY can a cellphone being used on an airplane cause the plane to crash. All bullshit fantasy urban legends that have been repeated so many times, that gas stations and airlines actually believe the bullshit now! If using a cellphone or walkman on a plane could cause it to crash, then all the terrorists would have to do is get on a bunch of planes, and at the same time, turn on their walkmans and cellphones and have hundreds of planes fall out of the sky and make 9/11 look like the staged demolition that it was. http://www.freedomunderground.org/memoryhole/pentagon.php#Main See if you can spot the plane anywhere in this presentation. > But I can't say I've seen any cellphone made in the last decade > where the antenna would be the highest point on a person - they're > little stubby things. You are seriously arguing over a tiny cellphone antenna that is 2 or 3 inches long, when talking about a lightning bolt reaching from the ground to the clouds? You people are insane. ------------------------------ From: Joseph Subject: Re: Cell Phone Incident Results in DC Metro Arrest Date: Tue, 05 Oct 2004 14:45:07 -0700 Reply-To: JoeOfSeattle@yahoo.com On Tue, 05 Oct 2004 02:01:08 GMT, Tony P. wrote: > Instead of placing the blame on the woman, place it on the crappy cell > phones we have. The side tone is nearly absent on almost every cell > phone I've used over the years. There's a lack of sidetone on mobile phones because if there was an appreciable amount you'd get feedback. Plenty of people know how to use a mobile phone without shouting. The blame should be placed squarely on the shoulders of the woman who didn't have the social skills needed to realize that she needs to be considerate of those people around her and that it's not always about me me me. People make a big deal out of her being pregnant, but how is the transit officer supposed to know that she's pregnant? Being pregnant does not excuse boorish behaviour. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 05 Oct 2004 19:19:06 -0400 From: Name Not Given Subject: Re: Cell Phone Incident Results in DC Metro Arrest Pat, please withhold my name AND my e-mail address from publication. Normally I'd let you use my name, but this reveals some slightly personal information that I think I'd rather not have forever archived under my name (since you never know who might read it). On Tue, 05 Oct 2004 02:01:08 GMT, Tony P. wrote: > A rule BOOK? Wow -- who knew there were that many rules. RIPTA has > very few rules but they're violated every day. What ever happened to > the common courtesy of offering the elderly or those who are pregnant, > etc. a seat on a bus? I've seen a few old folks speak up about it and > I so want to cheer them on when they do. I have a thought on that which may not be popular, but I'll throw it out anyway. I think that defining certain actions as "good manners" and "proper etiquette" can have a hidden negative effect. The reason is that there are many people, and I will admit to being one of them, who are more than happy to perform some small act of kindness *when it is a completely voluntary action.* But what we don't like is being told that these things are expected of us. To me, this takes all the joy out of these acts of kindness, and turns them into mere expectations. I still remember when, as a small boy, I was walking with my mother to my grandmother's house. It was what I then considered quite a distance, probably about two or three miles, and since my parents did have a car, I wasn't accustomed to walking that far -- in fact I only remember making this walk once. But, the worst of it was that most of the trip was along a busy highway (not a limited-access highway, though) with no sidewalks -- it was a new highway; I don't think the sidewalks had been built yet. And the thing I most remember about this trip, besides the fact that it seemed like an incredibly long walk (which leads me to think I was probably only about four or five at the time) was that my mother said I should walk along side of her on the side closest to the cars that were whizzing by. When asked her why, she said that it was considered good manners for the man to walk on the side closest to traffic and the woman to walk on the inside. When I asked "why" to that, she replied, "Because if a car comes off the road the man will get killed first." Seriously, that's approximately what she said -- obviously I can't remember her exact words after all these years. Now to an adult, especially to a pair of lovers walking together, that might somehow make perfect sense, but as a child I thought that was about the meanest thing I'd ever heard (and it certainly let me know how valuable I was in my mother's mind -- yes, I did have a strange upbringing). Anyway, this happened in the early 50's which, as anyone who's ever watched "Leave it to Beaver" or "Ozzie and Harriet" knows, was a time in which good manners were almost given the weight of laws, especially insofar as children were concerned. The problem was that parents were real good about communicating "the rules", but not the reasons for the rules, and indeed, as in the case I mentioned above, the rules were often applied in situations where they made no sense. Parents often taught their kids to do certain things "because I said so" -- not every parent was Ward Cleaver! -- which is a great way to obtain compliance while the children are in their pre-teens, but not such a great way to teach life values. When good manners and etiquette are only rules, and there's no real penalty in adult life for not following the rules, people tend to shake them off. Maybe some of your bus riders were told by their parents to stand while their mother, and perhaps one or more siblings sat, and now that they are adults they have decided it's their turn to sit and they aren't going to give up their seat for anyone. But the other problem is that when people are in that mindset, no one will be the first to act. You occasionally hear stories where someone is in danger, and even though there are a bunch of perfectly healthy people watching, no one will take any action to help the person. Each individual is thinking, "There are all these other people here, let one of them do it -- why should I be the one?" By the way, if you are ever the person needing help in such a situation, and no one is helping, the trick is to pick out one person that looks like they could help and ask them directly for assistance. Don't address the crowd -- each person will think that someone else should do it. Pick out one individual and ask them for help directly, and if they turn away, then pick out another individual to ask for help. So you have a bus full of people, some of whom may be thinking, "I had to give up my seat as a kid, I'm not going to do it anymore", and others who are thinking, "There are a lot of other people on this bus, let one of them give up their seat." Then you have the final straw, which is that some people think it's an affront to their pride to be offered help, so they insult the offerer -- for example, if you've ever held open a door for a feminist and been chewed out for it, you may decide to never hold a door for a woman that you don't know personally again. Perhaps one or more of your bus riders did in fact offer their seat to someone on another day, only to be chewed out by that person because they didn't think they were "that old" and didn't appreciate the gesture. And then there are the people who won't even notice the situation. For whatever reason, the other riders on the bus are nearly invisible to them. That could be just poor manners, or it could be a mental condition (read up on Asperger's Syndrome sometime; it may help explain some of the people you've met that seem to have no social skills whatsoever). And I haven't even touched on the people that may have physical ailments you can't see -- maybe one or two of your bus riders have had back injuries that make it very painful to stand on a moving vehicle. Should they wear some sort of identification badge so you don't look down on them? I'm certainly not saying that a person should not do an act of kindness when it is warranted, regardless of upbringing or whatever. But I think it should be remembered that every individual has their own baggage. All you can really do is do your own acts of kindness when you can, because your example may inspire others to follow your lead. But if you get an attitude toward those who do not live up to your expectations, they won't even know it, but it may make you bitter and less likely to do your own acts of kindness -- you may become one of the people who has the attitude, "If no one else does it, why should I?" Now, go brighten someone's day with a random act of kindness -- not because it's expected of you or because there's some rule that says you have to, but because the world would be a much better place if everyone were just a little kinder to each other. ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Voicepulse Disconnects Remote Computers When Phone is Used From: David Wilson Date: 6 Oct 2004 11:00:34 +1000 Organization: University of Wollongong > Why does NetGear warn users to be careful about selecting their country > when setting up the wireless router? The two variables seem to be > the *frequency* and the *output power*? Am I overlooking some other > variable? I assumed 802.11 always meant 802.11 on frequency, 802.11b can use up to 14 channels. The legal channels are (AFAIK): USA 1-11 Europe 1-13 Japan 1-14 France 10-13 Spain 10-11 So if you select the wrong country you may be transmitting in an unlicensed manner. David Wilson School of IT & CS, Uni of Wollongong, Australia ------------------------------ From: AES/newspost Subject: Re: More on "Social Activists" and Public Utilities Date: Tue, 05 Oct 2004 12:49:55 -0700 On topic or off (and top posting on my part or not), the following was an incredibly good and incredibly pointed posting. Thanks!!! In article , henry999@eircom.net (Henry) wrote: > Here is a little story you would do well to read, about one day in the > life of "Mr. & Mrs. Conservative". > http://www.e-thepeople.org/article/35475/view?viewtype= > quote: > Get up at 6:AM to prepare morning coffee. The water they fill the pot > with is cleaner because liberals fought for minimum clean water > standards. > They take daily medication with the first swallow of > coffee. Presumably medications are safer to take because some liberal > fought to insure their safety and that they work as advertised. All > but $10.00 of their medications are paid for by his employers medical > plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for > paid medical insurance, now Mr. & Mrs. Conservative enjoy those > benefits too. > They take their morning showers reaching for the shampoo. Today the > bottle is better labeled with ingredients because some liberal fought > for the right to know what they are putting on their bodies. > After Mr. & Mrs. dress they walk outside and take a deep breath. The > air is cleaner because some tree hugging liberal fought for laws to > stop industries from polluting our air. > They walk to the subway station for the government-subsidized ride to > work; it saves them considerable money in parking and transportation > fees. You see, some liberal fought for affordable public > transportation. > They start the workday; they have good jobs with excellent pay, > medical benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some > liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. > If Mr. or Mrs. Conservative is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed > they will get workers' compensation or an unemployment check because > some Liberal didn't think he should lose his home because of his > temporary misfortune. > It's noon, Mr. Conservative needs to make a Bank Deposit so he can pay > some bills. His deposit is federally insured by the FSLIC because some > liberal wanted to protect people's money from unscrupulous bankers who > ruined the banking system before the depression. > Mr. & Mrs. Conservative have to pay the Fannie Mae underwritten > mortgage and a below market federal student loan because some stupid > liberal decided people and the government would be better off if they > were educated and earned more money over his life-time. > Mr. Conservative is home from work. He plans to visit his father this > evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the > drive to Dad's; his car is among the safest in the world because some > liberal fought for car safety standards. > He arrives at his boyhood home. He was the third generation to live in > the house financed by Farmers Home Administration because bankers > didn't want to make rural loans. The house didn't have electricity > until some big government liberal stuck his nose where it didn't > belong and demanded rural electrification. (Those rural conservatives > would still be sitting in the dark!) > He is happy to see his dad who is now retired. His dad lives on Social > Security and his union pension because some liberal made sure he could > take care of himself so Mr. Conservative wouldn't have to. > After his visit with Dad he gets back in his car for the ride home. He > turns on a radio talk show, the host keeps saying that liberals are > bad and conservatives are good. (He doesn't say that his beloved > Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Mr. > Conservative enjoys throughout his day) Mr. & Mrs. Conservative > agree. We don't need those big government liberals ruining our lives; > after all, we are self made and believe that everyone should take care > of themselves, just like we have. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: This was a good piece, and I want to thank the original poster for sending it in to us. And I think it is worth noting that if it were not for labor unions -- the people we have said in the past were so greedy and lazy, the lot of most office workers these days would be a lot worse than it is ... PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. 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