NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #31/NN_1992_31.iso/spool/news/misc/2067

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From: [e-mail] (Bob Cowles)
Newsgroups: news.misc,misc.misc,cornell.general
Subject: Chaos Corner V02 N11
Summary: Various Random and Interesting things on the Net
Keywords: OS/2 Unix NetNews SciFi German
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 21 Dec 92 05:24:34 GMT
Organization: Cornell Info. Tech.
Lines: 429


Chaos Corner V02 N11  21 December 1992

Here we go with the last issue of the year.  Once again, Gary Buhrmaster
is the first to request a bound copy of this year's issue of Chaos
Corner.  While the bound version of volume 2 will not be available for
giving this holiday season, Dr.  Chaos hopes you will keep it in mind
for that special someone on Valentine's Day.

-------------------------------------------------
Information on getting Information about Germany

A wealth of information on contact telephone numbers and addresses
for various sources of information about German and Germany is
assembled in the Frequently Asked Questions list for the NetNews
news group soc.culture.germany.  Sources in North America for
German Language videos and cassette tapes are included, as well as
the address/phone number for getting a (free) 8-page weekly
summary of news from Germany (available in German or English).
IF you would like a copy of this FAQ, send electronic mail to
[e-mail].  Those of you with satellite
dishes probably know that Deutsche Welle TV is now (since 1 Nov)
available on INTELSAT K (338.5 degrees East) at 11.605 GHz.  To
celebrate the new service, Deutsche Welle transmitted live a new
production of Richard Wagner's Parsifal performed by the German
State Opera in Berlin.

-------------------------------------------------
Turtle PostScript and Fractal Images

In response to the item in the last issue about a PostScript program for
generating Sierpinski's Gasket, Christian Wettergren in Sweden sent a
Logo-like PostScript program that uses a turtle language to implement a
number of examples from the book _The Science of Fractal Images_, by M.F
Barnsley; ISBN 0-387-96608-0.  For a copy of the postscript program,
send mail to Dr. Chaos at [e-mail].

--------------------------------------------------
Call Deutsche Welle to be added to their Mailing List

Would you like to get on the mailing list for the Deutsche Welle
world-wide programs but can never bring yourself to send an
international letter to Cologne?  Now, in North America, you can call
1-800-393-3248 to give DW comments on their short-wave programming or
request a subscription to their "tune-in" programming guide.  If you are
ever driving on the autobahn between Aachen and Koeln (Cologne), the
radio antenna array near the town of Juelich (we have seen it a number
of times at 5 am as we drive to catch a plane from Frankfurt back to the
USA) ranks right up with the brown coal pits as some of the most
amazing things to see in the area.  (We assume that our friends at the
KFA will correct us if those antennae are not for DW.)

-------------------------------------------------
MacIntosh interface for Gopher, WAIS, etc.

Peter Shames, at Jet Propulsion Lab has a recommendation for you Mac
users.  Peter says, "I've been using TurboGopher for some time now and
find it to be an ideal Mac client for Gopher, Archie, and even WAIS
though I like WAISstation better for that.  Find TurboGopher at:

 boombox.micro.umn  under /pub/gopher/
 ftp.uu.net         under /pub/archiving/gopher

Highly recommended ... it even knows enough to display README files
and to un-binhex files automatically and ask if you wish to UnStuff
any .sit files.  Pretty slick."

--------------------------------------------------
New "Best of Journal of Irreproducible Results" coming soon

Mark Dionne tells Dr. Chaos that a new volume of the best articles from
the Journal of Irreproducible Results has just been finished by the
current editor, Marc Abrahams, and it will soon be available.  Dr. Chaos
is eagerly awaiting the January thaw so he can capture some cluster
flies and try out the fly-powered airplanes described in volume 1.

--------------------------------------------------
Become your own Holistic Detective

In the MacIntosh archive at the University of Michigan you can
solve the paradox of the sofa and the staircase as detailed in
_Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency_ by Douglas Adams.  Look for
mac/graphics/graphicsutil/holisticsofa0.91.cpt.hqx in with many other
interesting files (like new After Dark modules) at mac.archive.umich.edu
or one of the mirror sites:

North America   wuarchive.wustl.edu in mirrors/archive.umich.edu/mac
Australia       archie.au           in micros/mac/umich
Europe          src.doc.ic.ac.uk    in packages/mac/umich

If you would like to be on the frequent ftp'ers (recent files) mailing
list, just drop a note to [e-mail].

-------------------------------------------------
Text of the Maastricht Treaty Online

As an informed citizen of the world, Dr. Chaos is certain that you
will want to know where to obtain your own personal copy of the treaty
signed recently in Maastricht.  If you use anonymous ftp to get to
Princeton.edu, just look in the /pub directory for the file named
Maastricht.Treaty.tar.Z -- remember to specify "binary" before
transferring the file.  Dr. Chaos must sadly report that it was not
immediately obvious where the Chaos Corner archive was located on
Princeton.edu.

-------------------------------------------------
Netfax becomes a GNU Project

Peter Ware at Ohio State University has the following good news:

"I've started maintaining netfax for the Free Software Foundation.  I'd
like to collect fixes to incorporate into the next release.  In
particular, I'm interested in any fixes you have needed to incorporate
to get netfax to compile on your system.

"I'd also like to start maintaining a list of OS's netfax runs under
and a list of modems netfax works with including revision information.
If you could email me this I'll include it in the list.
      [[e-mail]]

"My goals for the next release (within two months) are:

        1. Remove dependencies on GNU make
        2. Automatic configuration
        3. Have an "install" target for the Makefiles
        4. Improve the documentation
        5. Improve portability to other OS's, modems.

"After that there are several directions I can go with netfax:

- Incorporate "chat" scripts so netfax can work with any modem.
  This may be fairly painless as I can build off of taylor-uucp.
- Add an X UIF for sending, recieving and viewing faxes.
- Allow a person to receive and then distribute faxes electronically.
- Make netfax independent of postscript for rendering (i.e. assume
  input is in g3 format).
Any additional ideas?  Any preferences? [[e-mail]]

"Finally, continue to send bug reports to  [e-mail]"

--------------------------------------------------
Interested in more information about free Unix (Linux)?

One of the best places to get more information about the very popular
free Unix-like operating system, Linux, is from the Linux Frequently
Asked Questions (FAQ).  Matt Welsh at Cornell provides the following
methods of getting the file:

1)  ftp to tsx-11.mit.edu. It's the file /pub/linux/FAQ. It's one big
    ASCII file (about 150k).
or  ftp to sunsite.unc.edu. It's the file /pub/Linux/docs/FAQ. Again,
    one big ASCII file, same thing as on tsx-11.mit.edu.

2)  If you don't have FTP access, retrieve it via the mailserver at
    pit-manager.mit.edu. Send mail to [e-mail]
    with the word "help" in the body.
or  If you simply can't find the FAQ, Matt will mail it to you. Just
    send to mail ([e-mail]).

3)  The most recent FAQ will be posted to comp.os.linux and news.answers
    every month (if you want to wait...).

-------------------------------------------------
Problems with W4W under the OS/2-Win3.1 Beta?

If you are having problems running Word for Windows under the OS/2 beta
that supports Windows 3.1, in that some of the drop-down menus don't --
Jason Mitchel at Harvard suggests copying user.exe from the system
directory of a running Windows 3.1 system, and putting it in the
os2/mdos/winos2/system (or wherever you have Windows 3.1) directory
named os2user.exe.  Be sure to rename the old version of os2user.exe
in case this doesn't work for you (Dr. Chaos happily reports that it
solved his problems with Word for Windows under OS/2-Win3.1 Beta.

--------------------------------------------------
New releases of Excel and Word for Windows

Without a lot of fanfare, Microsoft has released some fixed versions of
W4W and Excel.  If you haven't received your fresh copies from Microsoft
in November/December 1992, you're backlevel.  The current version of
W4W is 2.0c --- Excel is probably 4.0a, but Dr. Chaos hasn't had time to
get it loaded to check.  Call your Microsoft support number for the free
update.

-------------------------------------------------
FLIST for OS/2

People that work with computers hate to have to learn new tools when
they move between platforms -- they believe that they shouldn't have to
conform to the "brain-dead" tools that are available on the new system.
For current or former CMS users moving to OS/2 and looking for a full
screen file utility like FLIST, try /pub/os2/all/diskutils/flist58.zip
from ftp-os2.nmsu.edu.

-------------------------------------------------
Movie credits for actors, actresses, directors, writers ,,,

Each year, many books are published that rate movies and tell which
actors and actresses starred in them.  But where do you find an
up-to-date list of the movie credits for each actor, writer, director?
Correct, the network, of course.  At boulder.colorado.edu in the
pub/tv+movies/lists directory, Dr Chaos found a README file that is
quoted in part below:

This directory contains the latest releases of the USENET
rec.arts.movies lists. The lists are intended to provide useful,
current references to TV and film credits in an electronic form.

actors.list        maintained by Col Needham <[e-mail]>
actress.list       maintained by Andy Krieg <[e-mail]>
cinematographers   maintained by Michel Hafner <[e-mail]>
composers          maintained by Michel Hafner <[e-mail]>
dead.list          maintained by Col Needham <[e-mail]>
directors.list     maintained by Dave Knight <[e-mail]>
!...+....1....+....2....+....3....+....4....+....5....+....6....+....7
writers.list       maintained by Andy Krieg <[e-mail]>

The lists are posted to rec.arts.movies on roughly a monthly basis,
spread randomly throughout the month.  They will be updated here at th
same Frequency.

The tools directory contains a set of Unix shell scripts that enable
users to create and search a massive movie database using the
information contained on the lists.

-------------------------------------------------
Helpful FTP but no dates?

Many sites are now running a version of FTP that provides you with a
single line description of the file when you do a 'dir' command.  The
problem with that feature is that sometimes you want to see what files
are new since a certain date and that information is not displayed.  It
turns out that the date information is available if you specify 'dir -d'
-- we are sure this is clear if you read the documentation available at
those sites (READ THE DOCUMENTATION?), but such things aren't always
possible (or even likely). (Parenthetical comments courtesy of Dr. Chaos)

-------------------------------------------------
Looking for a good Majongg game to run under OS/2?

Naji Mouawad at the University of Waterloo recommends that you try out
out majongg.zip from the source/os2/Demo/Games directory (case matters)
on rusmv1.rus.uni-stuttgart.de.  He says that it is better than several
other versions he has found, although it is optimized for use with a
8514/A video driver.

-------------------------------------------------
Guide to Books about Unix

The Concise Guide to Unix Books is an excellent starting point for
finding out where to look for more information on the Unix operating
system.  The subject areas covered include:

  A. General Unix Texts
  B. Shells
  C. Unix Editors
  D. Networking and Communications
  E. System Administration
  F. Unix Security
  G. Programming
  H. TeX
  I. X Window System
  J. Dictionary
  K. Other Lists

where "Other Lists" references other Unix bibliographies.  The latest
version of the guide is at pit-manager.mit.edu (along with many other
FAQ lists from Usenet news groups) in /pub/usenet/news.answers/books
and look for the file named 'unix'.

--------------------------------------------------
Release 1.2 of Xgopher is now available

Support for new types (image files, binary files, tn3270 sessions), new
bookmark support and a host of other features have been added to the
most recently released version of Xgopher.  Look for the file on
ftp.cso.uiuc.edu in the uiuc/src directory or on export.lcs.mit.edu in
the contrib directory (the name of the file is xgopher.1.2.tar.Z).  Of
course, another good place to try is the home of all gopher software
boombox.micro.umn.edu (in the pub/gopher/Unix directory).

-------------------------------------------------
Network News - Other sources

Dana Noonan publishes Network News about library collections and other
things that might be of interest.  One way suggested to find out if
there might be a bitnet discussion list of interest to you on a
particular topic is to send a mail file to [e-mail] with
the following one line command:

     list global /topic
     for example: list global /chaos

The results of the search will be sent back to you within several
minutes.  If you are interested in trying out Net News, send a mail
file to [e-mail] containing the line:

      subscribe nnews <first-name> <last-name>

The ftp archive for back issues is on vm1.nodak.edu in the NNEWS
directory.  Another good list of Internet sources is Jean Polly's
Surfing the Internet, now in version 2.  Use anonymous FTP to access
host nysernet.org and look in the pub/resources/guides directory for the
file surfing.the.internet.2.0.2.txt (check for similar names because the
version number is changing as it is being updated).

--------------------------------------------------
Preview Issue of the CYBERSPACE VANGUARD is now available

A new electronic magazine is just starting up with an area of focus on
things of interest to the science fiction community (Dr. Chaos claims
that that doesn't focus things down very much).  They are also looking
for authors, so here is your chance if you want to contribute to a new
publication. For more information, write to [e-mail].
If you would like to see the preview issue, let us know at
[e-mail] -- a sample from one of the
articles is shown below.

--------------------------------------------------
What do Captain Picard and Scrooge have in common?

The following article is excerpted from the preview issue of the
CYBERSPACE VANGUARD.

[Note:  Patrick Stewart's one man version of Charles Dickens' "A
Christmas Carol" will run from December 15, 1992 until January 3,
1993 on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre (235 West 44th Street
in New York City).  Tickets are $45 and can be ordered from Tele-
Charge at [phone].]

     OK.  Jean-Luc Picard as Scrooge.  You can picture that,
can't you?  Heck, some of you probably think he IS Scrooge.  All
right, how about Picard as Bob Cratchit?  Or Marley's Ghost?
     Now.  How about Patrick Stewart, the man who plays Picard on
Star Trek:  The Next Generation, as all of them.  And Tiny Tim.
And dozens of others.
     At the same time.
     "It's the ultimate piece of fun for an actor, because not
only do I get to play the dramatic role of Scrooge but also the
children, Mrs. Cratchit and Mrs. Fezziwig," Mr. Stewart said in an
interview with the New York papers around this time last year.
     This is the third year that Patrick Stewart has taken time
off during the holidays to perform his one man adaptation of
Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol."  Mr. Stewart has created his
own adaptation of the book.  More than just a reading, he performs
all the roles, including the props.  (You know it's not English
101 when you're dealing with a man who takes a break for an
imaginary glass of water.)  At one point, during the Fezziwigs'
party, he plays eleven roles at once.  "It's a stupendous actors'
workout and that's what it's meant to do:  Keep my stage arteries
from clogging up."

--------------------------------------------------
Need access to NetNews?

If you have a newsreader, or something that can talk to NNTP servers on
TCP/IP port 119 (telnet will do this if you want), give uwm.edu
(129.89.2.1) or sol.ctr.columbia.edu (129.59.64.40) a try.  For a public
access Unix system with Usenet NetNews, try using telnet to
nyx.cs.du.edu (130.253.192.68) -- login as "new" -- reports are that it
is a nice system but can be a little slow.

--------------------------------------------------
Results of the November and December Internet Hunts

First with archie, then gopher, wais and now veronica ... it's almost
becoming TOO easy to find things on the Internet, right?  Let Dr. Chaos
know if you would like a bescription of how the winners did it when it
came down to finding incredible things on the network (the December
winner did almost all his work from within gopher).  Have no fear, look
for Dr. Chaos on a wais server near you in the coming year.  For the Hunt
results send your request to [e-mail].

--------------------------------------------------
Scientist's Workbench Version 2.0 is now available

The following information has been provided by Caroline Hecht,
Project Manager at the Cornell Theory Center:

The Scientist's Workbench (SWB) is an X and Motif-based software package
developed at the Cornell Theory Center.  The main functions of the
Scientist's Workbench are to bring together the tools and software
required by scientific researchers in a distributed computing
environment, to provide a graphical interface to access those tools, and
to provide the software necessary to allow researchers to easily build
their own graphical interfaces.

Included in the distribution are executable widgets (small X clients)
that provide graphical interfaces to common tasks such as displaying and
responding to a prompt, or specifying a file name.  The output from the
executable widgets is sent to standard output by default.  Executable
widgets may be invoked from the command line or shell scripts, enabling
users to easily replace text-based interfaces with graphical ones.

Version 2.0 of the Scientist's Workbench software is now available from
the Cornell Theory Center.  The new software may be obtained via
anonymous ftp from info.tc.cornell.edu, in the directory pub/swb.  The
file README.TOP describes the rest of the files in the anonymous ftp.
We are now providing binaries for Sun SPARC, RS/6000 (AIX 3.2), SGI,
and DEC 5000 (and 3100), as well as the source code.  To build from the
source, the user must have OSF Motif; however, to install and run the
binaries Motif is not required.

--------------------------------------------------
CCITT Documents to be available across the network!

Carl Malamud, author of several Interop books, has been waging a
campaign for several years to get the CCITT documents widely available.
It stands to reason that without wide availability of the standards
documents, not as much software will be developed that conforms to the
standards.  At long last, starting in November 1992, the TELEDOC
distribution system became operational.  Document formats that are
planned to be made available include ASCII, Microsoft RTF, Word for
Windows, PostScript and CCITT ODA/ODIF.  For more information or to
obtain a user's guide, the press release recommends you contact either
[e-mail] or [e-mail].

--------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to Chaos Corner

We will now close off the year of 1992 as we head into the winter
season.  Dr. Chaos and I hope you have found some items in the past year
that have been helpful, amusing, outrageous (where did we put the
Complete Set of Clinton Jokes?) or instructive.  If you would like a
subscription, send your request to [e-mail]
and you will be sent a confirmation and directions for obtaining back
issues (hint: look in the pub directory of pelican.cit.cornell.edu).

Dr. Chaos (I have a Master's Degree ... )