NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31/NN_1992_31.iso/spool/austin/eff/265

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From: [e-mail] (Ed Cavazos)
Subject: EFF-Austin WORD, Issue #3
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Board of Directors               |  EFFAUSTINEFFAUSTINEFFAUSTINEFFAUSTINEFF
                                 |  EFF  ST  EF  USTINEFFAU      FAUSTINEFF
John S. Quarterman, President    |  EFF  ST  EF  USTINEFFAU  INE  AUSTINEFF
    [e-mail]                  |  EFF  ST  EF  USTINEFFAU       AUSTINEFF
Ed Cavazos, Vice-President       |  EFFA        AUSTINEFFAU  INE  AUSTINEFF
    [e-mail]              |  EFFAUSTINEFFAUSTINEFFAUSTINEFFAUSTINEFF
Steve Jackson, Secretary         |  EFFAUSTINEFFAUS      AUSTINEFFA      FF
    [e-mail]             |  EFFAUSTINEFFAU  INEF  USTINEFFA  TIN  F
Smoot Carl-Mitchell, Treasurer   |  EFFAUSTINEFFAU  INEF  USTINEFFA  TIN  F
    [e-mail]                |  EFFAUSTINEFFAUS      AUSTINEFFA      FF
Jon Lebkowsky                    |  EFFAUSTINEFFAUSTINEFFAUSTINEFFAUSTINEFF
    [e-mail]                 |
Dick Anderson                    | This document is the offical newsletter of
    [e-mail]          | EFF-Austin, the local Austin chapter of the
David Smith                      | Electronic Frontier Foundation.  All
    [e-mail]      | opinions belong to the author and not the
Matt Lawrence                    | organization.  Permission granted to re-
    [e-mail]                 | distribute this file electronically.
                                 | All other rights reserved. (c) 1992
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       November/December 1992                       Issue 3

                                     INDEX

Editorial.................................................Jon Lebkowsky
Next EFF-Austin function : Sysop Liability Workshop
Line Noise
    Election of new Board Members
    Formation of EFF-Austin Arts Committee
    Chapter's Conference
Bruce Sterling : The Hacker Crackdown Public Forum........David Smith
General Membership Meeting................................David Smith
December Cyberdawg / Book signing.........................David Smith
Calendar of Events
Final Word................................................Bruce Sterling

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                         A CONSIDERATION OF EFF-AUSTIN

                           Editorial : Jon Lebkowsky

EFF-Austin is, in my opinion, more than a "local chapter" of the Electronic
Frontier Foundation. We began our work soon after the creation of EFF-National
and we exist because Steve Jackson had the insight that local grassroots
development of the networked, online community was both desirable and
inevitable. If the EFF had never come to be, my guess is that we would still
see the formalization of local and regional online communities in much the
same vein as EFF-Austin, the Bay Area's this!group, and New York's NTE.
However well these groups may align with national EFF, they are unique to
their localities. The EFF, by facilitating the development and confederation
of local groups such as these, has the opportunity to enhance the flavor of
diversity that is inherent throughout the Matrix.

So far, we haven't really talked much in our general meetings about the many
reasons for joining and working with EFF-Austin. I'd like to discuss a few of
these, to emphasize the diversity within our own group.

Many of us seek within this organization a sense of community, a community on
the fringes.  There's a reason that we find so many "fringe elements"
represented in the Matrix: those of us ("computer nerds") who are out of synch
with our local "realspace" communities can find like-minded folks in global
cyberspace. There we can develop relationships that would otherwise never have
evolved without the means to transcend geographical limitations. Here is where
computer networking is radically different from telephony: the telephone gives
us only the one-to-one realtime connection; but in the asynchronous "many to
many" world of cyberspace, you can watch interactions and pick potential
friends. Online friendships coalesce into virtual communities that may or may
not be geographically aligned. These communities evolve virtual cultures
incorporating diverse elements whose commonality is the consensual
hallucination of cyberspace. Multicultural diversity and the "hallucinatory"
quality of cyber experience inform virtual cultures with distinct identities,
reinforcing the sense of community.

My first exposure to intentional communities in cyberspace was on the WELL,
where I fell in with the zine crowd. Our focal point was the zine Factsheet
Five, which was a review of other zines, small press books, and Do-It-Yourself
software, cassette, and video projects. Through Factsheet Five on the WELL I
met Mark Frauenfelder, Carla Sinclair, and Gareth Branwyn, editors of bOING
bOING, "the World's Greatest Neurozine." They asked me to work as associate
editor and pointed me to Paco Xander Nathan, another new editor who also lives
in Austin. Paco and I became fast friends, and now we're business partners.
These are the kinds of interactions that you find in a community, and I
wouldn't have made most of these connections without venturing into
cyberspace.

EFF-Austin is evolving a sense of online community in the Austin area. We
originally brought folks together with a mailing list, which has become a
newsgroup.  The regular face-to-face meetings and Cyberdawg gatherings
reinforce the online connection.

Others are drawn to EFF-Austin as a technical resource, and our members
provide a formidable knowledge base. John Quarterman and Smoot Carl-Mitchell,
for instance, are leading international authorities on the Internet.  Both
have taken valuable time to help educate members of the group about computer
networking and the technologies that support it.

Before joining EFF-Austin, I knew what the Internet was, and had a vague sense
of its uses.  I'd been sending and receiving UUCP email on the WELL, but I
didn't quite understand the significance of that system's plans (since
implemented) for a direct Internet connection.

Since then I've attended a couple of seminars featuring John and Smoot on the
Internet, one of which (last October at MCC) was specifically for EFF members.
Though I didn't become an Internet wizard overnight <dammit>, I learned
valuable tools.  Most importantly, I got a sense of context.  When you gaze
at a map showing Internet nodes, or at Mark Lottor's charts showing the
exponential growth of the Internet, it's a humbling experience. At the same
time, it's exciting to know that we are in some small way involved in the
nascent development of a global information system that will ultimately touch
the lives of billions of people throughout the world.

One other aspect of EFF-Austin is its role as a civil liberties organization.
John Barlow, a founding member of EFF-National, conceived of cyberspace as an
"electronic frontier" that must necessarily be "civilized."  Native Texans
should especially appreciate this old West metaphor, since our state is so
much a part of the American frontier mythos.  As long as the population of net
users was sparse and relatively aligned towards goals and purposes (i.e.,
research and development), then the Matrix (the set of all interconnected
networks) could be somewhat anarchic.  As the population of net users grows
and diversifies, however, there is sure to be a call for "law and order."

As I see it, the national Electronic Frontier Foundation was created to
influence the development of a civil and legal infrastructure for computer
networks and to ensure fair equal opportunity for access. This is more
important than I can say: democratization of information is essential to a
free society.  The Matrix is perhaps the greatest tool ever devised for
providing access to all kinds of information, so it's important that it be as
freely available as possible. (Acceptable limits to free access could be the
subject of a whole other rant).

Community, technology, civil liberties . . . these are, in my opinion,
essentially what EFF-Austin and EFF-National are about. I could see
cultivation of other areas, e.g., EFF-Austin's Committee on Arts and Culture,
which responds to a very real need that wasn't obvious when we founded the
local chapter.

But this is all just one member's opinion. I encourage the rest of you to
respond with your own perspectives on EFF-Austin.  Please send to David Smith
([e-mail]) the editor of WORD, for possible inclusion here.

                        Jon Lebkowsky  <[e-mail]>

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                    EFF-Austin Sysop Libilty Workshop

   On Sunday, January 31st, EFF-Austin will host the "EFF-Austin Sysop
Liability Workshop" at the Mariott Hotel in downtown Austin. This event
will bring some of cyberspace's most prestigious attorneys together to
discuss the rapidly evolving legal issues involved in running and using
computer bulletin boards. The law firm of George, Donaldson & Ford, which
is representing Steve Jackson in his suit against the US government for their
seizure of the "Illuminati" BBS in 1990, is sponsoring the event. Admission
is free and open to the public, although seating may be limited to the first
200 individuals arriving. The Workshop is scheduled for 10:30-4:00
p.m., with a lunch break between 12:00 and 1:00.

  Scheduled participants include:

--  Mike Godwin, General Counsel for EFF-National. Mr. Godwin has authored
    scores of articles on civil liberties in cyberspace and has been an
    avid participant in the evolution of these issues through his active
    role as a speaker and advocate. He currently spends his time on the
    front lines in the struggle to establish sysop rights as head of EFF's
    legal services.

--  Peter Kennedy, Associate, George, Donaldson & Ford. Mr. Kennedy is
    handling the litigation in Steve Jackson's current civil suit against the
    Secret Service for the seizure of the "Illuminati" BBS.  His work
    involves issues of E-mail privacy under the Electronic Communications
    Privacy Act, and BBS First Amendment issues under the Privacy Protection
    Act.

--  Mikki Barry, Intercon. Inc.,  As an attorney with Intercon, Ms. Barry
    deals daily with the the legal issues surrounding system
    administration and the legal ramifications of computer networks and
    bulletin boards. Intercon is a software publisher specializing in
    products which facilitate Internet access for PC and Macintosh users.

--  Stephen Ryan, Senior Counsel, Yuen & Associates. Mr. Ryan is well
    known in Cyberspace for his continuous invovlment in educating
    and representing the "computer underground."  Among other things,
    he will contribute his specialized knowledge of Texas Computer
    Crime and related statutes to the workshop.


   Final arrangments are being made for with other well-known partcipants,
whose names will be released soon. The day's activities will include a
"Panel Discussion" of the theoretical legal issues facing sysops, and a
"Workshop Session," where local sysops and users can get answers to many of
the tough, "real-world" questions about running or using a BBS.

   The discussion will be moderated by Edward Cavazos, who is in his final
year as a student at the University of Texas School of Law.  Ed is a
long-time Austin sysop and the Vice President of EFF-Austin.  His article
"Computer Bulletin Board Systems and the Right to Reply: Redefining
Defamation Liability for a New Technology" was published in Volume 12 of
the Review of Litigation. Ed is also in charge of organizing the event.
Address any inquiries to him at <[e-mail]> <WWIVnet 1@5285>,
or by calling [phone].


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                                  LINE NOISE

ELECTION OF NEW BOARD MEMBERS

Three new members were elected to the Board of Directors at the December 8th
Board meeting : Jon Lebkowsky, Dick Anderson, and David Smith.  All have been
active members of EFF-Austin for the last several months.

Jon Lebkowsky ([e-mail]) is the chair of the Arts Committee, and is
organizing the February meeting held at the Government and Technology
Convention.  He is currently EFF-Austin's representative on the steering
committee for the Chapter's Conference.  Jon works for the state of Texas, but
has also just recently started (with Paco Nathan) Fringeware, a distributor
for New Edge hardware and software.  Jon produces his own printed zine,
Unshaved Truths, in addition to being an associate editor for bOING-bOING and
a contributor for Mondo 2000. Jon is also the host for the Mondo and Factsheet
Five conferences on the WELL.

Dick Anderson ([e-mail]) sits on the Police Liaison and Education
Committees.  As a member of the Police Liaison Committee, he visited the
offices of the Secret Service in Austin to provide information about the
activities and concerns of EFF-Austin.  As a member of the Education
Committee, he has been meeting with KidsTech, an organization structured to
teach teachers on using the Internet.  An entrepreneur, Dick is currently
creating a business plan for his next start-up.

David Smith ([e-mail]) chairs the BBS, Info Disk, Newsletter
(Editor of Word), and the recently formed Chapters Conference committees. He
will organize the Cyberdawg portion of the February GTC meeting.  Smith works
in the marketing department of High End Systems, a manufacturer of automated
lights and special effects equipment.  He is a co-sysop of the Bamboo Gardens
and writes/publishes the electronic zine, Scream Baby.

Also elected were members of the Advisory Board.  Officially confirmed to the
Advisory Board was Susan Cisco, a recent Ph.D. graduate in library and
information science from the University of Texas; science fiction author Bruce
Sterling [note article later in WORD on _The Hacker Crackdown_]; and Paco
Xander Nathan, chair of the Publicity Relations Committee, software
programmer, Fringeware owner, and columnist for such magazines for bOING-bOING
and Mondo 2000.

The Advisory Board serves as a place for people to contribute input to the
organization, but who might not have the time, inclination, or other reasons
to serve as full Board members.  It is also a way to recognize individuals who
contribute to EFF-Austin and/or the electronic community.  There is no set
limit on the number of positions available.  The Board of Directors welcomes
input and suggestions on possible candidates.

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

EFF-AUSTIN ARTS COMMITTEE

The EFF Austin Board of Directors has authorized the creation of a committee
on arts and cultural developments associated with computer networks and
related technologies. This committee will organize arts events under the
aegis of EFF-Austin, and will explore other ways to raise consciousness of
"cyberarts."

Committee members are

Jon Lebkowsky, chair
    Writer, Editor, Software User/Analyst
Willard Uncapher
    Graduate School of Communications/RTF, UT-Austin
Bob Anderson
    Lecturer, Art Department, UT-Austin; sysop, Pair-O-Dice BBS
Allucquere Rosanne Stone
    Director, Interactive Media Lab, Communications/RTF, UT-Austin
Marcos Novak
    Director, Advanced Design Research, Architecture Department, UT Austin
Vernon Reed
    Cybernetic Jeweler and Artist
Dave Demaris
    Musician
Paco Xander Nathan
    Programmer, Journalist
Jamie Thompson
    TIVOLI Systems, Inc.; SIGGRAPH Electronic Theatre
George Ludwig
    Dell Computers
Dick Cutler
    Graduate School of Communications/RTF, UT-Austin
Henry Velick
    Programmer

The group will begin meeting and planning events after the first of the year.
Send project ideas to [e-mail].

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

CHAPTER'S CONFERENCE

A "Chapter's Conference" will be held on the weekend of January 23 - 24, 1993
in Atlanta, Georgia.  EFF-National has invited groups interested in
affiliation as EFF local chapters to participate.  EFF-Austin will send two
representatives to share information about our experiences as the only EFF
local chapter.

Fifteen to eighteen people from across the country are expected to attend,
including representatives from the this!group in San Francisco and NTE in New
York.  Jon Lebkowsky is EFF-Austin's representative on the steering committee
which is making the decisions about the Chapter's Conference.  The two
representatives for EFF-Austin will be officially selected at the January
Board of Directors meeting.

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                      PUBLIC FORUM : THE HACKER CRACKDOWN
                   Speech and book-signing by Bruce Sterling
                               October 29, 1992

                                by David Smith

Over one hundred people gathered to hear Austin science fiction author Bruce
Sterling speak about his latest book.  _The Hacker Crackdown_ is a non-fiction
journalistic discussion of Operation Sundevil and similar efforts of law
enforcement agencies.

Event organizer, Susan Cisco, opened the public forum by introducing the EFF-
Austin Board of Directors and thanking the Dean of Libraries at UT-Austin for
making the room available. She then described the format of the evening.
Cliff Figallo, recently appointed director of EFF-Cambridge, had flown from
San Francisco that afternoon to introduce Sterling.  Bruce Sterling would
speak.  A 15 minute Question and Answer session would be followed by a book
signing.  Copies of _The Hacker Crackdown_ were available, with the
proceeds to benefit EFF-Austin.

One aftermath of Operation Sundevil is a frantic concern by system operators
over liability.  Computer systems were being seized.  Could mine be next?  As
Director of the WELL, Figallo had to ask this question.  His answer, that the
removal of the massive system hardware "might cause an agent to suffer a
hernia or serious back injury," did not seem adequate.  Figallo's response to
these threats was to make the WELL too "high-profile to bust" by making it the
definitive online forum for debate between law enforcement and the computer
community.

Protecting his system from possible seizure, however, is not the WELL's
primary focus.  "I believe then, and I believe now that the formation of
communities is one of the most powerful innovative forces humans can muster,"
says Figallo.  One can trace the history of communities from tribal origins
into extended families, and then out of extended families into the community
of cyberspace : "people gather[ed] around the planet twitching fingers and
staring at screens." It is from this framework that he expressed gratitude for
people like Bruce Sterling, who understand the issues.


                              STEVE JACKSON GAMES

                  "I go over it in *great* detail in my book,
                       but let's just re-hash it again,
                                  shall we?"

On March 1, 1990, Secret Service agents raided the offices of Steve Jackson
Games, a publisher of role-playing and board games.  They left with computers,
laser printer, cables, and other hardware.  Why?  Ostensibly they were looking
for an electronic telephone document that wasn't only *stolen* (to the tune of
$79,000) but also *dangerous*.  Terrible things could happen if the knowledge
from this document went into the wrong hands.  Searching for the infamous 911
file was an excuse, Sterling asserts.  The Secret Service did not want
that data, they wanted *all* data.  In effect, investigators were on a fishing
expedition.  Convinced that they had stumbled upon a "rat's nest of high tech
criminals," the task force had just discovered an innocuous BBS run by a game
publisher to promote his company.  Had the task force investigated SJG
*before* the raid, this would have been easily determined.


                         CYBERSPACE MUST BE CIVILIZED
                                     -OR-
                    WE MUST RE-THINK OUR APPROACH TO CRIME

More important than the technical aspects and more important than the laws on
the book, cyberspace needs to be civilized.  By this, Sterling means, members
of the electronic community need to be able to relate to one another as human
beings.  Increased communication between the disparate groups who inhabit
cyberspace is the primary "solution" promoted in _The Hacker Crackdown_.

Because of the impossibility of teaching Unix in the jury box, society needs
to re-think the approach to regulating computer crime.  Why emphasis the
technical means of gaining access when those means change every few months?
We should concentrate, instead, on the damage done to living human beings.
Instead of being "anxious to protect the integrity of data and computer
systems, I think we would be much better to protect the integrity of people."

The system owner, not the computer system, holds the grievance.  We should
focus on the damage done to them instead of the potential damage done to the
computer system.  Society is punishing trespassers for the crimes of rape and
pillage.  In addition, the legal system in place brings contempt for itself,
Sterling says, because the laws are unenforceable.  Rather than provoking the
computer underground into compliance, the laws prod hackers further into their
activities.

The computer underground is best described, Sterling says, as a youth culture
cult group, with more in common with fan clubs than the Mafia.  There are many
unattractive aspects, but Sterling's main problem with the CU is that red
boxing, phreaking, VMB hacking, etc. makes you a *parasite*.  One has to live
by deception and duplicity.  A member of the computer underground requires
another person's work, property, and creativity to function.

                     COMPUTER HACKING IS A CHILDREN'S GAME
                    TELECOMMUNICATIONS FRAUD IS AN INDUSTRY

Sterling produced a copy of the 1991 Surveys of Telemarketing Fraud, which he
wished would received even one-tenth of the media exposure given to hackers.
It documents story after story of victims -- many of them elderly -- who
are persuaded to invest all of their disposable income and savings in programs
which are only frauds.  The report quotes an attorney general who busted a
single fraud ring responsible for bilking $2 billion from 30,000 victims.  An
88 year-old-widow on Social Security disability lost her life savings of
$60,000, the mortgage on her home, and is now a ward of the state.  When
discussing crimes committed through the phone systems, Sterling says, it's not
that committing small crimes is acceptable, but our priorities need
realignment.


                      THE ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION

                    "The problem is that trying to organize
                 computer users is like trying to herd mice."

Sterling asserted the need for an organization like the Electronic Frontier
Foundations.  The major players in the Internet pursue their self-interest day
in and day out.  These interests are academic, financial, and military, but
not necessarily the concerns of free speech.  Someone needs to show up -- day
in and day out -- wearing a power broker's uniform to protect the interests of
the First Amendment.

Lawrence Tribe's proposed constitutional amendment was discussed, but Sterling
later said that "more than just a software patch to the Constitution" is
needed.  Legislators who understand the technology are needed as well, which
is why "today I went out and voted for Al Gore.........and that guy from
Arkansas."  Sterling believes that the Constitution was a "fine" document, but
that we had the Constitution during slavery, when Hoover was collecting files
on every writer in America, and when Secret Service Agents walked out of the
door on March 1, 1990 with equipment.

                       "We must learn when to shut up...
                      And give the other guy his space."


                           QUESTION & ANSWER SESSION

When asked what surprised him the most while researching the book, Sterling
singled out the closed-minded hierarchy of the telephone company, who act as
lords of their own digital domain. The psychological make-up of the telephone
company and law enforcement officials was briefly mentioned.

Will Sterling write more non-fiction about computer events?

Some.  He would like to go back to writing science fiction, and is currently
working on a new novel.  Sterling is also researching an article for _Wired_,
concerning military virtual reality.  Nearly everyone laughed at his account
of driving a tank simulator on a program that held all of Kuwait on a single
CD-ROM.

Other topics discussed in the question and answer period included technical
problems with encryption and a rather scathing indictment of the problems at
Mindvox.  "Stick them in a cardboard box and they [computer underground] go
after each others throats".  The initial press run of 30,000 copies of _The
Hacker Crackdown_ had sold out; Sterling re-iterated his plan to later release
an ASCII version of _The Hacker Crackdown_ onto the nets.

Following the speech and question period, Sterling signed copies of The Hacker
Crackdown and any other material brought at attendees.  The remaining copies
will be kept and sold at later EFF-Austin functions.  ($25 non-members, $20
for members, contact Ed Cavazos if you are interested ([e-mail])).

Perhaps Sterling's greatest gift -- present in both his book and presentation
-- is his ability to step in the shoes of many perspectives.  He seamlessly
shifts from one view to another, without making the audience overly aware of
it.

Law enforcement agents are dedicated and committed advocates crippled by
inadequate computer, financial, legal and administrative support.  Law
enforcement agents are Stalinesque goon squads engaging in "the ugly and
suspicious practice" of seizing computers, bulletin boards, and equipment out
of arbitrary and malicious whim.

Hackers are young teenage males attempting to explore and understand the
universe around them.  "Adolescence is hell but adolescence shouldn't be a
crime".  Hackers are also malicious parasites and pathological liars who are
willing to turn each other in at the slightest opportunity.

Somewhere between these polarized sign markers must be room for civilized
communication, is what Bruce Sterling is saying.


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                           NOVEMBER GENERAL MEETING

                                by David Smith

EFF-Austin held a General Membership Meeting on November 14, 1992 at the
Austin Public Library.  The purpose of the meeting was to explain the
structure of EFF-Austin, to provide a summary of our activities in the last
six months, and to gather input on not only what we had already accomplished,
but what our goals for the future should be.  We hoped that by providing a
direct overview of EFF-Austin, members would have a better understanding of
the organization.

We tried not to be boring.

                      [Note: To prevent confusion, I have provided "updates"
                             on any information that has changed between the
                             November meeting and now.]

                              Board of Directors

EFF-Austin is run by a nine member Board of Directors.  Four spaces were
vacant in November, though there is only one vacant space now, following the
December appointments. [see: Line Noise above].

                                   Officers

The four officers of the company were introduced : President John S.
Quarterman, Vice-President Ed Cavazos, Treasurer Smoot Carl-Mitchell, and
Secretary Steve Jackson.  Each provided a report on their office, as well as
some perspectives of what EFF-Austin is and isn't.

                                  Committees

The bulk of the work is delegated to committees, though most of the committees
are currently being chaired by sitting Board members.  Let's briefly describe
each Committee.  The Membership committee is responsible for creating policies
regarding, oddly enough, members.  Administrative duties in handling dues and
membership info is done here.  The Police and Education committees are
essentially outreach and liaison programs.  Smoot Carl-Mitchell described a
recent trip to the offices of the Secret Service, only to find that the Secret
Service was 8 and 1/2 months pregnant.  Computer activity is distributed
between the Network and BBS committees.  The Network committee maintains the
mailing lists, newsgroups, and the donated space at the tic ftp site
(ftp.tic.com).  It also works in assisting the BBS committee in gating the
austin.eff newsgroup to private BBS networks.  [Fidonet, so far].  The BBS
committee also seeks to distribute information to the 175+ Austin BBS.
Speaking of information distribution, the Newsletter committee does nothing
but pump out issues of WORD, this electronic newsletter.  Another source is
the Info Disk, a collection of text files containing official EFF-Austin
information (minutes, agendas, charter, bylaws, etc.) as well as files
relating to Austin cyberspace.

As if EFF-Austin doesn't already have enough committees, two new ones have
formed since the November meeting.  Paco Xander Nathan is the chair (and only
member) of the Public Relations Committee.  This committee is designed to
handle promotions and better distribute information about EFF-Austin.  The
second committee is the Chapter's Conference Committee, which sprung up to
organize for the Chapter's Conference in January.

EFF-Austin had just been invited to the Chapter's Conference immediately
before the meeting, and a large part of the discussion was devoted to the
Chapter's Conference.  One of the things discussed was a proposal by EFF-
Austin to host the event in Austin, rather than in Atlanta.  This proposal was
subsequently rejected by the steering committee.  Possible models for
affiliation were discussed, ranging from a decentralized network of individual
nodes to a backbone network model.  Several other issues related to the
conference were discussed as well.

After the EFF-Austin General Meeting was over, meeting space was handed over
to several of the groups interested in providing a public access network in
the Austin area.  Max Cray was the organizer of this section, making opening
remarks, and moderating the discussion that followed.  There are several
different groups who are attempting to bring free -- or at least cheap --
Internet access to the Austin metropolitan area.  The Connect*Austin proposal,
led by Bob Izenberg and Chris Petrilli, was distributed and discussed.  Since
that meeting Connect*Austin has incorporated as the Austin-Public-Net.  [Those
interested in this topic should subscribe to the austin.public-net newsgroup.]

EFF-Austin supports the general principle of increased access to the Internet,
but we do not endorse any of the principals involved.  We have not denied our
endorsement to any group, either.  We hope to provide support in the form of
public forums, debates, and any information that may assist groups interested
in public access network issues.  EFF-Austin has an open door policy on
proposals affecting the computer community..

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                                   CYBERDAWG
                               December 13, 1992
                                 Europa Books

                                by David Smith

EFF-Austin sponsored its third Cyberdawg, and second to be held at Europa
Books.  A Cyberdawg is an informal networking session where different members
of the electronic community meet face-to-face to....shoot the shit.  [This is
a technical Texan term for interpersonal communications].

In addition, EFF-Austin sponsored a book signing for Tracey LaQuey Parker's
_The Internet Companion : A Beginner's Guide to Global Networking_   [ISBN 0-
201-62224-6].  This provides a general overview of the Internet, combining
instructional text with sidebars and illustrations which display the culture
of electronic communications as well the technical.  At a list price of
$10.95, consider sinking some of your after-Christmas money into buying a
copy.  All 17 copies available at Europa were sold, with Tracey signing each
one.

An experiment with this Cyberdawg was to bring an actual corkboard and label
it "the EFF-Austin physical node".  The idea was for people to place business
cards, flyers, and post-it notes upon the bulletin board.  Unfortunately,
there was no convenient place to display it, and so it wasn't used nearly as
well as it could have. If you, the reader, promise to bring material for the
next Cyberdawg, we promise to place it in a location visible and accessible to
you.

About forty to fifty people attended the December Cyberdawg, consisting of the
"usual" assortment of BBS users, system administrators, UT graduate students,
sysops, lawyers, programmers, consultants, entrepreneurs, artists, writers,
and journalists.  The diversity of types of members and people attending these
events continue to be the strength of EFF-Austin.  Providing forums for the
different elements to meet face-to-face and thus solidify the formation of the
electronic community is perhaps the primary function of EFF-Austin.

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                         Calendar of EFF-Austin Events

Date       | Event                      Location  |    Organizer
----       | -----                      --------  |    ---------
           |                                      |
January    |                                      |
           |                                      |
23 - 23    |Chapter's Conference        Atlanta   |  EFF-National
31         |Sysop Liability Workshop    Austin -  |  [e-mail]
           |                              Marriot |
February   |                                      |
           |                                      |
20 - 22    |Government and Technology Conference  |
           |  held at the Austin Convention Center|  [e-mail]
21         |Cyberdawg                   TBA       |  [e-mail]
           |                                      |
           |                                      |
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|                                  FINAL WORD                               |
|                             "Free cheese for all"                         |
|                                Bruce Sterling                             |
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