
ۻ ۻ  ۻ ķ
ͼ ۺ  ۺ ͼ                       Ŀ 
   ۺ    ۺ ۻ                         DSNEWS27   JANUARY 95  
   ۺ    ۺ ͼ                         VOLUME 4     ISSUE 01  
   ۺ    ۺ  ۺ ۻ                        
   ͼ    ͼ  ͼ ͼ                       Ŀ 
          ۻ   ۻ  ۻ  ۻ  ۻ    Located in the lovely  
          ۻ  ۺ ۻ ͼ ۻ   town of Port Orchard,  
          ۻ ۺ ۺ ۻ ۺ   The NASA MLP BBS *IS*  
          ۺۻۺ ۺ ۺ ۺ       the definitive     
          ۺ ۺ ۺ  ۺ ۺ ۺ  ۺ   educational experience 
          ͼ  ͼ ͼ  ͼ ͼ ͼ  ͼ                       
ۻ   ۻ ۻ      ۻ                        206-871-3965  14.4   
ۻ ۺ ۺ      ۻ                       206-871-8089  14.4   
ۺ ۺ      ɼ                     Hours:  Forever, Amen! 
ۺɼۺ ۺ      ͼ                        Jim & Mary Coleman   
ۺ ͼ ۺ ۻ ۺ                           
ͼ     ͼ ͼ Ľ
       ķ
        Dedicated to the sustaining influence of William A. Velez 
       Ľ
    MLPNet: (21:111/0)     FIDONet:  (1:350/111)     MAXNet: (90:181/30)

 Ŀ
   This DSNEWS file is a monthly newsmagazine produced by the sysop of   
   The NASA MLP BBS in Port Orchard, WA.  The purpose of this magazine   
   is to educate and inform,  and  keep everyone abreast  of NASA  MLP   
   activities.  It is invaluable to long distance callers who are  not   
   able to call as often  as local callers.  Please  upload/post  this   
   where you can.  Nearly 70% of  NASA MLP  callers are long distance,   
   and it does them a favor when DSNEWS travels far and wide.  Thanks!   
 
 Ŀ
                         Letter from the Editor                          
                             In a Nutshell                               
                           Interesting Notes                             
                          Current System Needs                           
              Jim Rice, The Science Guy profiles Jim Coleman             
                        Reflections, by Jim Rice                         
                  EDITORIAL--You are *NOT* the Internet!                 
                     A Tribute to Craig Stuart McNett                    
                      Western Washington Earthquakes                     
                    HUMOR--So, You Want to be a Sysop??                  
                   SPORTS--Endgame for our beloved Bills                 
                           KBBS Progress Report                          
 


     Ŀ
                           THE NASA MLP BBS                            
                   "The way things OUTTA be!" (Rush)                   
     
       
     Ŀ
                              HEADLINES!!!                             
           The NASA MLP thanks its newest subscriber, Jim Richards     
     
       
     Ŀ
     I NEED A FEW GOOD PEOPLE to sponsor THREE USGS  earthquake/volcano
          CDROMS for this system. Cost is $32 each.  Have 0  Need 3    
     
       
     Ŀ
     MLPNet and The NASA MLP got a GREAT writeup in this month's ONLINE
     ACCESS (December) magazine!  Type MLP for info on joining MLPNET!!
     
       

ĿĿ
                      Letter from the Editor                           

Ŀ
 ĿĿ   Ŀ     Well, golly, hmmmmmm . . . Wonder     ۻ ۻ
   Ĵ  Ŀ Ĵ     if there's anything new to report     ۺ ͼ
              this  month.  Anything  exciting?     ۺ    ۺ
  Ŀ     Ŀ       You'll remember last newsletter I     ۺ    ۺ
                whined and complained that it had     ۺ    ۺ
                not yet sn-- OH, I REMEMBER!!!!!!     ͼ    ͼ
ͼ
   ۻ ۻ   ۻ  ۻ  ۻ    ۻ ۻ ۻ  ۻ ۻ ۻ ۻ
   ͼ ۻ  ۺ ۻ ۺ    ۺ ͼ ۻ ۺ ۺ ۺ ۺ
   ۻ ۻ ۺ ۺ   ۺ ۺ ۻ ۺ ۻ   ۺ  ۺ ۺ ۺ ۺ ۺ
   ۺ ۺۻۺ ۺ   ۺ ۺۻۺ ͼ   ۺ  ۺ ͼ ͼ ͼ ͼ
   ۺ ۺ ۺ ɼ ɼ ۻ ɼ ۻ ۻ ۻ ۻ
   ͼ ͼ  ͼ  ͼ   ͼͼ  ͼ ͼ  ͼ ͼ ͼ ͼ

   AND BOY DID IT!!!  WONDERFUL!  The entire area was sporadically dusted
   with a one inch layer of the delightful frozen stuff on a Friday night,
   but then the sun returned.  Days lined up to pass in succession and we
   launched into another work week, unaware (for the most part) that an
   offshore low pressure zone was sliding stealthily in, tugging along a
   shallow, frigid bank of wintry Artic air.  The snow started falling
   by seven o'clock Tuesday evening and three hours later, I was outside
   plodding through several inches of it.  I had a delightful time in my
   private winter wonderland and didn't go to bed until two-something, despite
   having to be up early the next morning to go to work.

   Morning eventually came.  The girls needed breakfast, Mary needed a
   ride to work . . . and the tires needed to be chained.  I'm sure I don't
   have to paint the rest of *that* picture for you, but despite the
   hassles and the dangerous driving conditions, I still can't wait for a
   repeat performance.   Hopefully, speculations of a recurring El Nino will
   prove to be false or, at the very best, a bit exaggerated.

   Snow is wonderful . . . it's just the cold I detest!

ĿĿ
                          In a Nutshell . . .                           

   SOFTWARE CONVERSION CONTINUES!!!  On Sunday, December 11, I wiped out
     EVERY TRACE of CDC's PCBoard software from my two hard drives and, for
     the first time, ran a TRULY dedicated KBBS system.  Since CDC puked out
     several PCBoard versions in rapid succession, I've had problem after
     major problem with the software and with the lack of support provided
     by CDC when I addressed the specific problems.  When a high-level
     CDC executive called and started yelling at me on the telephone, I
     decided that I'd paid this company HUNDREDS of dollars too many and
     it was time to find another software company that hasn't lost sight
     of who "the little guys" are and what we need.  I started a dialogue
     with Keith Anderson about a month ago, and a new relationship was
     established.  I don't want to get redundant here, so I'll simply
     mention that last month's newsletter (DSNEWS26.ZIP) contains more
     information on all this (and on KBBS software) for those interested.

   SPEAKING OF CONVERSIONS: I ordered the OS/2 WARP demo from IBM and am
     sufficiently impressed to very strongly consider converting operating
     systems AS WELL as BBS software.  I plan to do this almost immediately,
     once I can come up with the necessary money to do so.  This will aid
     the BBS in MANY ways, speeding it up, providing some crash protection,
     not having to take it down so often, and MUCH more!  Doug Williams
     and I have discussed OS/2 quite a number of times and he'd almost
     sold me on it before I even saw the demo, but now I'm VERY interested.
     I'll keep you all posted on this as it develops.

   RAIN!!!  I mean, REALLY!  We're quite literally drowning up here in the
     Pacific Northwest.  As of today (Tuesday, Dec. 20) 9.58 inches have
     fallen in Bremerton in 5 days.  Yesterday, 3.8 inches of rainfall in
     24 hours set an all-time record as the RAINIEST December day in
     Bremerton history!  And Port Orchard, just a few minutes away, had
     even MORE rainfall!  It was incredible.  Bridges are out, roadways
     have collapsed in places, landslides still block highways all over
     the area, and our ENTIRE apartment complex was under an inch-and-a-half
     of water at one point.

   MESSAGES:  They weren't working for an undetermined period of time.  It
     all started when I became *VERY* angry with Keith Anderson for (as it
     appeared then) not answering mail relating to software problems I
     was encountering with KBBS.  As it turned out (after numerous phone
     calls and coming to some understandings) KBBS was taking the Net
     .REP packets, importing ONE MESSAGE, and THROWING THE REST OUT!!!  Keith
     *was* responding; I just wasn't getting the mail.  This was also true
     of normal MLPNet mail--I thought Jan Wallace and Gary Araki and others
     had left us to climb on Lord Al's bandwagon--or some equally desperate
     move--but it was just a pesky mail-tossing bug to blame.  Sure is nice
     to have them back!  :)

   I AM MOST IMPRESSED WITH AND APPRECIATIVE OF UPLOADS relating to earthquake
     and volcano topics, and views of Earth from space.  I am PARTICULARLY
     looking for satellite images of the Pacific Northwest (Puget Sound)
     and space images of Mt. Rainier and Mt. St. Helens.  The Endeavour
     took DOZENS of pictures of these mountains some months ago, but I've
     only seen one image as of this writing.  I would probably give a free
     subscription to anyone with an armload of GOOD Rainier/St. Helens images
     and information that I don't already have.  :)

   ONLINE ACCESS.  The reporter contacted me about two months ago, asking
     numerous questions about the system, requesting a nodelist, etc.  I
     gave her a copy of the current nodelist (BOY have we grown since then!)
     and almost forgot all about it.  She told me to keep my eye out for
     the December issue . . . and I have it here in my hands now!  If you've
     not yet seen the writeup, take a moment to look into it!  CDMG and NASA
     MLP are listed on the same page, and I couldn't have written more
     wonderful things about both systems and networks myself!  (Well . . . ;)
     This sysop is very appreciative of Dana's efforts in representing our
     system.  Thank you!

   DOOR GAMES ARE WORKING!!! Yes, it's been a LONG, frustrating wait for
     many of you!  I appreciate the patience MOST of you exhibited while
     waiting for things to come together on this end.  Legend of the Red
     Dragon, TradeWars, Yankee Trader, Food Fite . . . these are just a
     FEW of the games I've once again made available!  Non-Subscribers are
     WELCOME to play, but there is a reminder when opening or closing a
     door that this system CAN NOT survive without support . . . YOURS!

   SHAKER, CASINO and ONE-ARM BANDIT are still being rewritten from CDC's
     PPLC proprietary language to Keith Anderson's SEQ language.  In addition,
     SHAKER programming continues in C.  I just completed one of many two-
     hour programming sessions on CASINO and am confident that the game will
     return in the format you are familiar with once Keith gets the SEQ
     documentation upgraded, and he's working on that now! :)

ĿĿ
                        Interesting Notes . . .                         

   FROM NEIL YOUNG TO EARTHQUAKES TO FOOTBALL to jokes, weather information,
     recipes, gossip and MORE, DSNEWS is the BBS Newsletter of CHOICE
     among Kitsap County adults.  Each month, DSNEWS brings you a variety
     of information and entertainment ranging from silly social and
     hammster issues to serious editorials and provocative science
     articles.  DSNEWS is downloaded 100-150 times per month and has
     international distribution, reaching countless thousands of people
     as it is passed from system to system across the United States and
     beyond.  THANK YOU for making DSNEWS a success . . . 27 consecutive
     issues . . . and counting!

   JEEERS! To TIME magazine, for depicting Newt Gingrich on the cover as
     "Uncle Scrooge."  Get real, guys.  When are you going to realize that
     you have displaced yourselves so far away from mainstream America that
     you no longer have the first idea WHAT the average American thinks and
     feels?  Rush Limbaugh terms it the "dominant media culture."  Brings to
     mind a bad yeast infection.

   KHRISTA WEBB blasted back into our lives here recently.  It was sure
     nice to get several phone calls from her and to see her name back
     in The NASA MLP message bases.  Welcome back, Khrista, and hope to
     find you an MLPNet board out in or near Ellensberg, WA!

   ONE WORD OF WISDOM . . . I guess about the only brilliant words of
     wisdom I can give you (and ask that you keep in mind throughout the
     holidays) is that if you MUST fly, it'd probably be a good idea to
     avoid American Eagle commuter jets for awhile.  Lightning DID strike
     twice . . .  Stay home.  Make mother-in-law fly to *YOU*!  In fact,
     you could buy her tickets on American E--naw, that's not very nice!
     <VBG>

   Is BILL CLINTON changing parties??? That's what it sounds like to me!
     If he were a short-order cook, we could call the White House the
     WAFFLE HOUSE!  <G>  Funny, in his speech he said it's time to stop
     attacking and start working together.  Hmmmmm.  Last I knew, he was
     vociferously blaming Reagan for the country's woes.  I think that if
     Clinton can't stand the heat, it's time to step out of the kitchen
     (pardon the pun!).

   SECRET THINGS progresses!  A recent excerpt from Conference 04:
     December 10, 1994:

     SECRET THINGS is structured for the first time, from beginning through
     end.  Those following this know that a half dozen chapters have been
     written but not placed in any sequential order, as they are like pieces
     to an overall puzzle and have to occasionally be shuffled around a bit
     for that perfect fit.

     I've found that perfect fit.  SECRET THINGS will end up at 30 chapters,
     26 of which have been written.  I'm shooting for a completion date now
     six weeks from now, at which time I hope to start finalizing the
     marketing materials and fine-tuning some rewrites.  There remain no
     unanswered questions in this manuscript, and it was with great relief
     today that I answered my OWN questions here.

     Eight weeks have been spent with various chapters outlined on Post-It
     notes, being arranged in varying orders on my desktop at work as I've
     worked very hard to find the perfect fit.  Two complete chapters were
     thrown out and a new one started, one inserted, and one completely
     revamped.

     Writing has more to do with how well you cut rather than how well you
     add.  I'm happy with this, and can now progress onward toward
     completion.

     (Gary and Marina are safely out of danger.  Dr. Hargrove and Eagle
     Redfeather, Mettle and Jim Araki are smack-dab RIGHT in the middle of
     it.  Tanks and armored vehicles are on the verge of moving in on Col.
     Luckinbill.  This is mainly due to the President bowing to the pressure
     of the multi-national coalition headed by the Japanese to stop U.S.
     aggression toward the . . . well, you'll see.  ;)

     Almost full-circle.  Almost.

     [Excerpt:]

             "Suddenly, a tiny little Washington logging town most people
        in the same state knew nothing about was suddenly catapulted to
        worldwide stardom.  Treasure seekers, entrepreneurs, sci-fi
        buffs, weirdos and whackos were flooding into Puget Sound
        communities by the thousands, giving the local economy a
        significant and needed boost but, at the same time, congesting
        some industries to a virtual stoppage.  Within eight hours after
        the story broke on CNN, Sea-Tac airport was already at
        full-capacity with near-record numbers, and ferry delays were
        measured by hours rather than minutes.  Both Seattle and Tacoma
        had no rental cars or hotel rooms available, and things were
        expected to get much worse before showing any improvement.

             "But, still, Talawanda remained sealed, isolated from the
        outside world.  Its roads were empty and its sawmills silent; its
        townspeople hid behind shuttered windows, busying themselves with
        dark, secret things, oblivious to the world problems centered on
        and surrounding them.  They were unwitting hostages in an
        escalating tug-of-war between Col. Luckinbill and the rest of the
        world, and stability in the region was deteriorating rapidly.
        Outside military analysts suggested that Luckinbill was at least
        as dangerous--if not more so--than any radical Mideastern
        extremist to have threatened a population of people in recent
        times."

ĿĿ
                          Current System Needs                          


   It's not often I mention system needs in DSNEWS, but I do like to do so
     every now and then.  After nearly three years of continuous operation,
     things wear out, break down, require upgrading, etc.  Our creaking single
     speed CDRom drive is on its last leg (we can't even swap disks without
     removing it and taking it apart), our 386/40 motherboard REALLY needs
     to be upgraded to speed up the system, our 14.4 modems need upgrading
     to 28.8, etc.  We have many needs and I keep a bulletin online detailing
     the most pressing.  I'll list them briefly here and remind you that
     you wouldn't be enjoying our system if not for the continued support of
     people like YOU. It sounds like a cliche, but it is absolutely true.
          We appreciate you and  your continued support of this system.

                3 USGS Earthquake/Volcano CDRoms    $ 32.00 ea.
                Internet NASAMLP FTP Account        $ 65.00
                Dbl. Speed CDRom drive              $150.00

               We're also saving for NASA MLP BUMPERSTICKERS!!!
                  or NASA MLP Pocket Protectors (grin)  ;)

ĿĿ
            Jim Rice, The Science Guy profiles Jim Coleman              


NOTE: I had planned to interview DOUG WILLIAMS this month, but a mail glitch
      or a miscommunication intervened.  I hope to bring DOUG WILLIAMS to you
      NEXT month!

  Well folks, what a month.  Ted Smith  and  Jim Coleman
helped discover a minor glitch in KBBS that was dumping all but the
first message from our MLPNet nodes. We were beginning to wonder if
Gary or Jani had run away (a rumor was started that Gary had
absconded with the *entire* MLP Hammster holdings! When asked, Gary
denied all knowledge of ANY Hammsters, while guiltily wiping mysterious
red stuff and little white bone chips from his mouth.<G>).

  I hope you all are looking forward to a very, merry Christmas, and
that you all have loved ones to spend the holidays with. Also, if
you know of anyone who *doesn't* have someone to spend the day with,
please think about maybe having them over, if only for a short
while. As some of you may have read in H2O_COOLER (or will read a
bit later in this newsletter)  I had an experience in my job that
has made me look at these holidays in a different light. It may
sound funny, but this may be one of my better Christmases in a long
time. :)

  As you may have noticed at the beginning of my column, there is no
profile of DOUG WILLIAMS this month, due to the mail glitches.  It will
be in the next one, or I'll eat a floppy disk in front of Jani and Gary.
Lesseeee, I was thinking.  I'm on deadline.  Jim wants this out RIGHT AWAY,
in time for Christmas.  (I think he thinks someone will feel sorry for
him and buy him a double speed CDRom drive.  I sure hope so!  <VBG> ;)
Ohhhh, *I* know...Jim gave me something a long time ago. He said, "Jim,
if something ever goes wrong and there's NO ONE to interview on short notice,
you can use THIS! I'll even include an editorial piece!" Well, I guess
there's no time like the present. Read on...

  (Interview with Jim Coleman, Rebel Nerd, creator and founder of MLPNet and
  The NASA MLP BBS and roughly 3/5ths of every Lord Al joke in existence :)
  Maybe we'll publish the TSCNot Tagline Collection someday.  It'd take you
  all day to download, though!)

  HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN INVOLVED WITH COMPUTERS?
       Roughly . . . 8 years???  My God, has it really been that long?
       I needed a word processor to assist me in writing what later became
       my first complete novel manuscript.  A good friend of mine, David
       Algeo, convinced me to abandon my Brother word processor idea and
       get a computer instead.  He pointed out one could only process words
       on a word processor, but one could do practically ANYTHING on a
       computer.  Those were wise words.  I purchased an Osborne 1 and later
       graduated to a sleek Kaypro 10, one of the finest machines of its day.
       (I never COULD fill up that 10 meg hard drive!)

  HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE BBS BUSINESS?
       I bought Brian's board . . . 'nuff said.  I saw a big "hole" in the
       local BBS scene and stepped in to fill it.  The system and its
       potentials exceeded my wildest dreams, and I've made numerous
       friends through it.  We've literally gone through life and death
       together and in nearly three years, have only managed to alienate
       only a small handful of once-loyal users.  The fact that
       most EVERY regular user three years ago is still with us on a regular
       basis speaks volumes to the friendliness and comfort of the system.

  CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR SYSTEM?
       I run an educational system, dedicated to science AND the arts, for
       I am convinced that our continued existence on this planet is dependent
       on both, in equal measure.  I am a writer and musician, so there is a
       strong emphasis there, as well as in the earthquake/volcano/shuttle
       aspects.  My political outlook tends to lean a wee bit toward the
       conservative (how could you NOT know that?!?!?  ;)  and that is
       self-evident as well when examining the system.  WHO_CARES and
       MLP_HAMMSTER were created to answer the charge a competitor made
       when he foolishly stated that I "take myself too seriously."  We're
       still here . . . . he's not.  What . . . hardware?  Oh, is THAT what
       you meant?  I spent THOUSANDS on the hardware and software initially,
       but it's all just old junk now, since I can't afford to upgrade it.
       The system is run on a workhorse 386/40 (full tower, 6 bays) with a
       single-speed SSSSSLLLLLOOOOOWWWWW  CDRom drive, 2 14.4 USR modems,
       tape backup, Epson LQ-570 printer and rubber bands, paper clips and
       duct tape!  <VBG>  I hope someday to replace the CDRom with a DOUBLE
       speed, a 28.8 modem on at least ONE node and a 486 board supporting
       the platforms currently exhausting the 386  CPU.

  WHAT ARE THE GREATEST JOYS YOU FIND IN BEING A SYSOP?
       You!  Mail!  Lord Al jokes!  Keeping it all together for you on a
       daily basis gives me great joy . . . not to mention the great headaches!
       No one can ever know how valuable the system was to me when laid up
       for months after being hit by a car.  In the 14 months I couldn't work
       outside the home, the BBS was literally the life raft I clung to
       as my physical and mental wounds healed.  For quite some time there,
       it was practically my only window to the rest of the world.

  WHAT DO YOU FEEL IS/WAS YOUR BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENT AS A SYSOP?
       MLPNet.  Plain and simple. National and local media attention. MLPNet.

  WHAT DO YOU THINK THE FUTURE HOLDS FOR BBSing?
       I think the Internet is a giant steam-roller that is slowly crushing
       our industry, system by system.  However, I'll be here as long as
       I *can* be here, and so long as people call.  Like I mentioned in
       my editorial (elsewhere in this newsletter), some people do enjoy
       taking the "road less traveled."  I'm just glad much of the media
       "heat" is off OUR backs and now singeing the Internet.  Many folk
       disagree with me, but I also foresee a "taking back" of the Internet
       by the scientific and educational community, or a major branching off,
       etc.  As the pornography and pirate-warez and commercial traffic
       increases over there, I believe we'll see a migration BACK to where
       it all started . . . your little system and mine.

  Jim will sign autographs with Elvis in the back of the building. <G>
Please take the time to say hello to one another, as the mail has
been real s-l-o-w, due to the time of year and other reasons. We
should all see things really picking up now, as Jim gets a real
handle on KBBS. I am one who hates change, yet have come to like
this software. Having only had experience with PCBoard, it was a
real struggle for me. Heck, up until 2 days ago, I thought all the
other management team here had taken a looooong vacation. Turns out
I had one of my mail pointers set wrong! <sheesh> So, hang in there,
and WELCOME BACK!!!

  I think we are going to be a stronger board for the change, and I
am really glad to see all those that have hung in there through it
all, as I know Jim is. (That sound you all heard from Washington way
wasn't St. Helens blowing again, it was the sigh of relief from Jim
when ya all hung in there. <VBG> ) Thanks again.

  BTW, was given a family Christmas present from a co-worker, a
years subscription to the Pacific Science Center in Seattle, along
with the IMAX theater and planetarium! Now.....gotta get the kids
(and there dad) to the Jurassic Park display there. Supposed to be
AWESOME!!! <G>

  Well, take care folks, have a very Merry Christmas, and talk at ya
later.
                                       Jim Rice

  P.S.   Jani......thanks for the <HUG>!
                                        <VERY BIG HUG BACK> :)

ĿĿ
                     Reflections . . . by Jim Rice                      

   Sometimes, I feel the need to share things I've encountered during the
     day, especially at this time of year. While most of us are busy with
     holiday plans, we pay little notice to those around us, except to
     realize how rude they were to cut in front of us in line, or get the
     last one of something we *had* to have, or perhaps, to notice a little
     extra kindness in a glance, a spoken word. The other day, I was faced
     with something in my job that brought everything to a crashing halt.

   Let me start by saying that in my job, I am faced with many stressful
     times; it goes with the territory. Yet this incident won't leave like
     all the others; maybe because of the season.

   Last Friday, I called one of my patients back for her CT scan; let's
     call her Mary......it seems appropriate. I had already read Mary's
     history, and was aware that she was 45, and was undergoing
     chemo-therapy for Squamas Cell Cancer, a fairly aggressive form. She had
     been suffering from headaches for a few weeks, and her doctor wanted to
     be sure everything looked all right. Mary was extremely nervous when I
     brought her back; see.......once you have this disease, you live with
     the reality of the chance of its spread. I tried to get her to relax a
     little, by just sitting and talking with her for a little bit, and it
     seemed to work. I did both sets of scans, both with and without the
     enhancing agent, and had the Radiologist look at the images. Neither of
     us  saw much; even the small area of suspicion from a few months earlier
     was gone. Good News! I was able to let Mary know that  on the
     preliminary findings, everything looked normal, and I was able to watch
     her leave, visibly calmer. About 10 minutes later, while filming the
     images, I saw it; a small, very slightly enhancing area. I had to
     adjust the image to be extra contrasty just to get a good look at it.
     It looked an awful lot like a tumor........

   For the next three days, I kept going back to the scan, how this
     person had left feeling good, not knowing that her Dr. would be
     giving her news that would be devastating. All I could think about
     was that her and her family's holidays had just been ruined. Perhaps
     a selfish view, but the one I held, nonetheless.

   Yesterday, I re-scanned Mary, this time on an MRI. After doing the
     post contrast scans, I counted up to 15 separate enhancing lesions;
     the cancer had spread to her brain in a big way. As I said goodbye to
     Mary, she still smiled, though with a tightness that showed what she
     was really feeling.

   I'm not sure why I wrote this; perhaps just to let go a little. In
     this job, you can't become involved.......though most of us do, at
     one time or another. This incident has changed my Christmas just a
     little, made me look at those around me a little more, caused me to say
     a few more prayers. You see, there is a very good chance that Mary and
     her kids, her husband, and the rest of her family, will never have
     another Christmas together, never again. That is a terrible thing.

   So take the time to think of those you love, or those less fortunate
     than yourself, and try to make this the best Christmas they could have.
     I know it has become more precious to me, if only for awhile.

ĿĿ
 EDITORIAL               You are NOT the Internet!                       

                    By Jim Coleman, Sysop, The NASA MLP BBS
                                 (206)871-3965

   "Why should I support your puny little system or even call it?  You are
   *NOT* the Internet, you know, and you never will be.  Spending time and
   money with you is a waste, since you ain't got what the Internet's got."

   Most Sysops reading this are probably chuckling, since we've all heard
   this (or numerous variations of its theme) many times in the past.  Think
   about it--callers used to have a lot of fun on BBS systems, but now it
   seems that unless they can chat with  four hundred and four people at the
   same time, grab files from a system in Great Britain and pick up a Milkweed
   Beanfart recipe from a Japanese university's culinary database without
   calling out of their own local calling area, modeming just ain't no fun
   anymore.

   Well, it's time to set the record straight.  Actually, that's happening
   right now even as you read this, but progression is still in its infancy
   and I believe you are going to see a LOT more public awareness in the
   coming year.  Awareness of WHAT???  Read on . . .

   True, the Internet is a vast and impressive machine, with enormous
   potentials still barely tapped.  True, the Internet has shrunk our
   world and brought mind-boggling technology and availability down to
   the level of the common person.  But, as my friends on Ted Smith's
   GEOInfo Net were recently discussing, there are problems looming on the
   horizon, problems which will ULTIMATELY work to the benefit the BBS
   operator.

   For far too many years, the media has made our existence difficult.
   Without even bothering to look past the opening screens, reporters have
   maligned the entire industry based on a few highly publicized pornography
   and pirate seizures.  When I mentioned to a reporter at work that I was
   batting heads with the Clark Development Company and abandoning their
   PCBoard software, the first thing he said was, "Why, pirating?"
   Unfortunately, it's one of the first things that comes to mind when you
   mention  BBS activity.  I've seen report after report in the film and print
   media castigating individual System Operators for spreading pornography,
   harboring software pirates, infecting countless computer systems with
   crippling viruses, and so on.  And, yes, there are isolated instances
   of criminal BBS activity, but they are just that . . . isolated.  But try
   telling that to Bernard Shaw or any other prominent journalist and
   see how far THAT gets you.

   Now, however, the tides are turning.  The Internet has expanded beyond
   ANYONE'S wildest expectations and has now become--in many ways--a crowded,
   polluted, overpopulated metropolis, choked with on-ramps, freeways
   and overpasses.  Users, concerned parents and some in the media are
   starting to realize that amidst the glittering highways of information
   and on-ramps of availability lurk the street gangs, the thugs, the
   flamers, the pirates, the vandals, the pornographers.  Now that the
   city limits are wide open and virtually anyone can "surf," a ten dollar
   modem is all you need to access tremendous resources, and do tremendous
   damage.  No one is in charge, there is no significant police force
   and there are millions of potential victims.  It's a perfect breeding
   ground for crime and a magnet for the criminal.

   The media is catching on to this, and some areas of the city are
   starting to get a bad reputation.  Many folks are leaving town, returning
   to the small country roads leading to backwater BBS systems for
   a whiff of the fresh, invigorating air and a sip of the clear spring
   water.  You see, in these little BBS "towns," most everyone is at least
   familiar with everyone else, there is far more control over who can and
   can not use the resources, and there is a Sysop "mayor" who cares very
   much about what happens in his or her town.  The streets are kept
   clean, graffiti is cleaned as soon as it is discovered, thugs are
   jailed temporarily or run out of town and threatening, communicable
   diseases are not tolerated . . . because the mayor KNOWS that the
   town's existence and commerce are wholly dependent on its ability to
   lure passersby and keep them for a spell.  Each BBS town
   is unique, offering its own blend of diversity, culture, entertainment
   and delights.  Most are friendly, and carve a very unique, individual
   niche in the BBS scene.  True, they're a far cry from the "big city" but,
   to many, that's a very welcome break . . .

   So, keep on traveling the back roads and byways and, as Tom Bodett so
   frequently says, "We'll leave the light on for you."

   (You may freely clip and post this section as a bulletin on your system
   and//or offer it for download so long as you credit the source and make
   no changes in the copyrighted editorial content  ;)
   (The author is in NO WAY CLAIMING or SUGGESTING that the Internet is a bad
   thing.  Indeed, it is a WONDERFUL thing . . . for the most part.)

ĿĿ
                  A Tribute to Craig Stuart McNett                      

                               by Brian McNett

==============================================================================
Hi to all--

This is a very painful subject, so if you really don't feel like
hearing about this,just skip over this message.

On Dec. 4,  while less than a mile from home, my brother Craig lost
control of his '68 Barracuda, careened off the road and over an
embankment, where he collided with a large tree.

His body was not discovered until the next day.

Our family figures that every one of use went past the site, not
knowing there'd been an accident, let alone that it was Craig who was
involved.

Craig and I were never very close. We fought constantly.  I always
figured we were both just too much alike.  He was only two years
younger than I.  We both enjoyed the outdoors. Me, I hunt mushrooms.
Craig loved to fish, and could amaze you with his knowledge of edible
wild plants.

He loved to garden, and frequently did garden and yard work for the
elderly, asking only minimal pay.  A friend, unable to pay for the work
Craig had done for him, made him a gift of some land in Ollala.  He
planned to start a garden.

Years ago, my brother was hit by a drunk driver and left in the ditch
to die.  He survived, God only knows how, and had managed an utterly
remarkable recovery. The insurance money had gone into a trust fund,
the balance of which was due him on his 30th Birthday.  Craig was
counting the days.  He planned to build a home, to repair guitars, and
to build wooden boats.

We were in the process of patching up a relationship that had always
been a rocky one.

It's all gone now. Craig lives on, only in our memories, and there's a
great, horrible, wrenching, emptiness where he was in our hearts.

--Brian
      Ŀ
        EDITOR'S NOTE--I've chosen to include Brian's tribute in  
        this newsletter (with his permission) not only  to pay    
        tribute to Craig, but also as a reminder of how precious  
        and fragile life really is, and that we are all just      
        "candles in the wind."  Jim Trull, an ad rep at work      
        just lost his father and Martina lost her sister only     
        yesterday.  Be sure to celebrate life and living this     
        holiday season, and the joy of having family and friends. 
           But, PLEASE, do it safely and considerately. :)        
      
ĿĿ
                     Western Washington Earthquakes                     


  Well, fortunately, not a lot of activity this month.  Only a few noticeable
  quake events are worth reporting, and I'll throw in one or two since we
  missed one at the end of November.  With DSNEWS being released early for
  the holidays, this list is not representative of ALL December quakes as
  the newsletter is being released on Dec. 22 (tonight).  However, if there
  are any future noteworthy events prior to the onslaught of 1995, I'll be
  sure to include them as well next month!  With no further ado or fanfare:

94/12/22 11:42:03  48.01N 119.76W  13.8 2.4  C   27.1 km  NE of Chelan
94/12/20 19:56:10  46.81N 117.63W  13.5 2.6  D   36.7 km WNW of Pullman
94/12/13 05:44:33  46.95N 124.13W  35.1 2.0  B   25.1 km   W of Aberdeen
94/12/13 04:44:39  47.41N 122.81W   0.1 2.0  B   20.8 km  SW of Bremerton
94/12/12 06:23:06  49.13N 122.45W  10.0 2.4  C   39.6 km NNW of Deming
94/11/29 11:56:47  47.43N 121.81W  18.9 2.9  B FELT   7.6 km SSW of North Bend
94/11/26 07:32:06  42.35N 122.03W   8.0 2.1  A   26.6 km  NW of Klamath Falls

ĿĿ
 HUMOR                 So, You Want to be a Sysop??                      

                 SO YOU WANT TO BE A SYSOP? by Wally Byczek
                              WallyWorld BBS 1989

   To start a BBS, you first need a computer. No matter what computer
     you currently have, it won't be large enough or powerful enough
     for what you intend to do. And since you can't take the board down
     (unless you run a kiddy board that bounces up and down or runs
     only between the time school lets out and Daddy comes home) to do
     your own work, you will need another computer that you can ill
     afford. Next you have to find a BBS software package. This can
     take months, or you can write your own if you are so inclined.
     This can take years. Next, unless you are starting a kiddy board,
     you will need a phone line other than the one that you normally
     converse on. Depending on the Telco's mood, personnel, and the
     imminence of a strike, this could be done in as little as 2 weeks
     or it may never happen. Next, if you plan to run doors on your
     board, you must now spend long distance dollars scouring other
     boards for evaluation and aquisition of these games. Naturally,
     your external file protocols don't come with your BBS software, so
     you have to again scour the countryside to find them. Utilities
     for your BBS are also an afterthought and have to be obtained in
     a similar fashion. All of these external programs have to be
     registered after a while, since most stop working after a while or
     have an annoying feature about them until they are registered. All
     of the above items take money--and plenty of it! While we are on
     the subject of money, you must obtain a modem. Whatever modem you
     currently have will not be supported by the BBS software. This is
     some sort of unwritten law pertaining to writing communication
     software. Be prepared to open your wallet wide. No, your old Hayes
     2400 won't be good enough. People even hate 9600 baud these days,
     and the teenagers seem to have USR HST's these days and will
     complain vociferously if they can't access you at 14.4 or better.

   Now you pick a name for your BBS. Whatever you choose will be
     ridiculed by 20% of those who see it. Another 50% will offer
     suggestions that are worse than the one you chose. The remaining
     30 won't care.

   Next comes the wonderful task of installing your board. You have
     your machine. If you just bought it, that means formatting your
     hard disk, installing DOS, and ANSI drivers and Lord knows what
     else that you need for your board. If you already have the machine,
     you may as well go ahead and reformat it anyway. Something will
     guarantee that you will have to do this before you are done.

   The manual for the BBS software was most likely written by the
     author's 10 year old and was mimeographed. It got wet in the mail
     and smeared as well, so at least 30% of the manual will be
     physically useless. The rest is just procedurally useless. Next
     comes the fun task of deciding on your board structure. Who can do
     what and when can they do it. You must design your menus and
     opening screens. You have to get a pretty good stock of files,
     because no one will upload to you unless you have something there
     for them to take first. (Not that it matters, I suppose, since
     even if you DO have files, they won't upload much anyway.)

   Next comes the security aspect. You can leave your board wide open
     so that users with the name of Benny Beanfart, Dr. Rape, Crack,
     Hack, File Attack, DR DEATH, etc. can come in and do anything they
     like. Or, you can lock it up so tight that no one will call. There
     is no compromise on this.

   Next you must build events or prepare to live at your keyboard. A
     BBS HAS to be backed up. If you can't afford a high density backup
     medium such as tape or cartridge, you will spend many many hours
     per week flipping floppies and slamming beers. Events are designed
     to allow the sysop the luxury of having the board do routine tasks
     at odd hours by itself--Backups, purges and so on. These never
     work as they come and will have to be extensively modified by you.
     And since they generally only run at 3 AM, you will have to be
     awake to see just how they die and then try to fix it.

   Alright... the big day is here. Your board is ready, your modem is
     ready, Telco finally hooked you up, and then you start up. This is
     when after 2 days of no one calling--despite your ad in Computer
     Shopper and having placed your number on every other BBS in
     existence--you discover that the init strings for the modem are
     wrong. You discover this by calling yourself from a friends' home.
     This takes calls to the author of the software, the manufacturer
     of the modem and finally gets resolved by asking another sysop how
     to do it.

   Oh Boy! Now we're in business! During your first caller's visit,
     someone will hit a telephone pole and you will lose power.
     Naturally, since the board is new, you didn't back it up. The
     power surge when the electricity was restored roached your hard
     disk. Go back to low level formatting...

   Finally, you're up and working. After about a week of gleefully
     seeing someone call, you will encounter Benny Beanfart or his like.
     He will leave public posts (always in caps and terribly mis-
     -spelled) about what a really lousy board this is and that the
     sysop is a three eyed twit with hammster on the breath. You
     automatically kill his account. But do you leave the message for the
     world to see? Hmmm... dilemma number 1. Killing Benny does no good
     because he will be back with another account such as SYSOP SUX or
     some such thing. Eventually he will tire of the game and go away,
     but he has given ideas to 30 of his friends who will also visit
     you sometime in the next week.

   Then you will be visited by the "smart kid" who can tell you
     everything that's wrong with your machine, your software, etc. It
     doesn't matter that he's calling you on a Timex Sinclair. He knows
     more about your 486 than does Intel. His name is usually Brian.

   By now, your name has spread around. Probably, if you are in
     Worcester, the college kids have your name and number. If it is
     September or January you are in trouble. You will probably be
     bombarded with file requests for commercial software. Some will
     assist you by uploading Lotus 123 Ver 3 that has the copy-proofing
     removed. Whoever uploads this to you will then call Lotus
     Development Corp and tell them that you have a pirated version on
     your board (anonymously of course).  If you imposed an
     upload/download ratio such that users must upload one file to get
     X numbers of files in return, then you will recieve 2K text files
     from them. They will download 2Mb of Gif files in return.

   By now, you are disappointed with your message bases. You perhaps
     have (if you are fortunate) two or three users who post messages
     outside of private mail. These three users are symbionts who, if
     one of their number does not call for 2 weeks, will not post
     because they miss their friend. Your message bases will starve.
     You set up many areas for messages, all carefully listed by topic.
     No public post will ever go into the area that it should be in.
     You will find a raunchy joke posted in the Bible topics area,
     technical questions asked in the political opinion area, and a
     message from one of Benny Beanfart's croney's in the technical
     section, gay-bashing in the seismology area.

   You will next encounter the user who can't do anything right. He
     will make you feel terribly guilty that you are running this
     system that seems to rudely exclude him from enjoying it, because
     he cannot master the concept that M means Message, F means Files,
     D means download etc. He DOES however know how to leave Comments
     to the sysop!

   At first you will be responsive to all the user complaints and
     will make a valiant effort to obtain the special game that was
     requested as a door. You discover it on a board in the Fiji
     Islands and the off peak call cost you 32 dollars to download it.
     You find then that the game was written for a board other than the
     BBS that you run. You search the countryside for a conversion
     interface. You find one in Omaha. Add another 40 dollars in phone
     bills from the search. You discover now that the game must be
     registered with the author. This is another 69 dollars. You
     discovered this because after the game was installed, you called
     from a friend's house to test it. You find out that while the
     console looks wonderful while it is being run, the user sees a
     screen that informs him that the sysop is a cheap bum who didn't
     even bother to register this wonderful piece of software. Since
     the sysop is such a creep, why do you call there? Naturally, you
     register it so the annoyance screen goes away. After it has been
     on the board for 2 months you discover that only 1 person ever
     used it and he only went in there once, dropped carrier and hung
     up the board because you later discovered that this "wonderful"
     piece of software doesn't monitor carrier. Do you now register
     Watchdog so this won't happen again or do you just scrap the game?

   The work load is getting heavy on the board. Wow! It takes at
     least 2 hours per day to stay up with things. Answering mail,
     hunting down Benny Beanfart's latest account, changing screens,
     moving messages back to the areas that they truly belong in,
     adding new things, paying Telco, arguing with your spouse, etc.
     You decide that perhaps it's time to enlist some help in the form
     of an assistant sysop. This is a mistake. The assistant will pay
     LITTLE attention to the needs of the board, but WILL experiment
     with things like remote drop to DOS. Hehehehe! I think this needs
     little elaboration!!!

   By now, you are conversant with the many user complaints. WHY
     aren't you around to answer the sysop page at 2:45 AM? Why does
     your message editor use A for abort instead of Q for quit? How
     come there aren't any nice ANSI screens? How come these crummy
     ANSI screens slow down the board? Why can't I stay online for 3
     hours at a time? Why can't my C64 see your graphics...It must be
     your crummy board! I never post messages because no one else ever
     does! What do you mean you killed my upload of Dbase IV? I did
     upload something a year ago...so how come I can't download more
     than 100 files now? How come my friend has access level 50 and I
     only have level 40? Boy...do you have a bad attitude! I think the
     Silicon Sarcophagus is 100 times better than this board! This is a
     free country...I can say ANYTHING I want in public messages. What
     are you...Hitler or something? How come nobody ever sends me mail?
     I used a bit editor on Procomm and now it won't work...tell me how
     to fix it!  That GIF file I downloaded didn't run...this
     stinks...you really must be a lousy sysop if you don't check to
     see that it would work for me... How come you're always asking for
     money and when ya gonna get a faster CPU, by the way?

   Then you will discover the wonders of sysop to user interactive
     chat. You will find this to be a most opportune time to get things
     done. Since the majority of users who will page you into chat type
     at about .000001 baud, you can have a conversation with the user
     and get things done like mowing the lawn, making a three course
     meal, and cleaning out the garage before the user has stated his
     request. Generally, the chat request was for something such as How
     do I get out of a file listing or something similar that is well
     covered in the user manual that you have both as a file for
     downloading and as a bulletin for online reading.  That, and the
     "How old are you?" chats really add a glow to the evening.  :)

   One admonition is to not get angry about carrier drop by the user.
     Remember that the user is calling you through the Telco. Chances
     are that no matter how malicious or inept the user may be, the
     Telco probably did it anyway. Next comes BBS software upgrade
     time! Such fun! You will find that the author no longer supports
     your version. You have to upgrade. This means once again opening
     your wallet. The new version will not have the same reserved file
     names, nor will the file structures be the same. The author
     generously supplies you with a conversion program. This program is
     designed to assist you in making all the little changes needed to
     perform the upgrade. It will automatically convert your file names
     and structures. There are two types of these programs. One that
     requires that you have 5Mb more free space than you do, and the
     other that will abort halfway through the conversion because of a
     bad disk sector read and didn't have a corresponding error trap.
     Of the two, the latter is the more catastrophic, because now your
     data can't be read by either version of the software.

   Since you successfully upgraded your software, you now discover
     what the word Beta Site really means..

   Now since you've done so well to this point, it's time for the
     hardware to find something to compensate for all this good effort.
     Generally, the hard drive controller is the most likely device to
     make this decision to fail. It will not, however, abruptly die. It
     will instead, gradually mis-write to disk over a period of several
     days before deciding not to work at all anymore. This has the
     advantage that your last backups will be no good at all once you
     replace the controller and reformat the drive.

   Hehehe, and we've barely scratched the surface!  Still want to be a Sysop?

ĿĿ
 SPORTS               Endgame for our Beloved Bills . . .                

                                by John Babiarz

                          A moment of silence, please . . .
  Well, it had to end sometime, but I wasn't expecting it quite this
  quickly nor quite so ugly. It was a great run for 4 years (actually 6,
  as they missed out in Cleveland & Cinci in the playoffs just prior to
  the 4 SB run). It appears there will be some major overhauling to take
  place this winter. Ralph Wilson (owner) gave the GM authorization to do
  what it takes in the free-agent market to help rebuild. My guess is the
  1st priority is a QB in the draft. The Bills profess to favor McNair,
  Kerry Collins and Chad May - May looks a lot like a Jim Kelly clone &
  may be the guy, if he's available. At least we won't be 2nd last in the
  draft order & should get a reasonable pick. The big rumors are that
  Bennett is gone (unless they declare him a franchise player) due to
  salary (& a pretty dismal season), talley might be gone, plus a whole
  host of others that are free-agents. They have 16 unrestricted ones, I
  believe, & it won't be pretty. I will supply a complete rundown on them
  when I get a chance. My opinion is the first place they should start is
  dumping Walt Corey, as he has proven beyond a doubt that he has no clue
  as to how to stop a passing attack. He refused to make adjustments and
  teams just shredded the Bills. Their secondary is actually going to be
  quite good, but when you get no pass rush (other than Bruce Smith, who
  had perhaps his finest year) and the linebackers are nowhere to be
  found, you have to expect what happened to them. I'll check in w/ more
  on the post-mortem when I have time. I have no doubt they will be back
  next year, and improved considerably. Merry Christmas to all.

Quite a different note from our early December jubilation:
December 05, 1994--
  Awesome win for the Bills yesterday as they squished the fish. It
  looked bleak at halftime, down by ten, but every bounce went their
  way when they needed it & they stormed back to scored 35 unanswered
  points in the 2nd 1/2 until the fish scored w/ 10 seconds left against
  the reserves! It was probably Kelly's best game of the year (the Green
  Bay outing was also excellent), and certainly the 2nd 1/2 was his best
  of the year. I cannot explain to you how much joy I get out of watching
  Shula on the sidelines when things fall apart for him. I suffered
  through an entire DECADE (the 70's) of watching Miami beat the Bills,
  so this is sweet. It also must make them question just how good they
  really are when they can't beat their biggest division rival. The
  fish looked like they were completely stunned by the time the game
  ended - no dancing & gloating for them. Overall, a terrific performance
  by the passing corps & Thurman had a good day also (no 100 yards,but
  he made the big plays when they needed them). I hope you were able to
  see the game, as it was probably the highlight of the season so far.
  Now the task is to keep it together against the Vikings this week at
  Rich (the Bills should be sky high for this one), then at home against
  the Patriots & closing on the road against the Colts. Things don't look
  The football gods have been kind this week.... Will check in with more
  later this week. Gotta root for those Bolts tonight, as they can help
  put a nail in the Raiders coffin for us.

ĿĿ
                           KBBS Progress Report                         

   I provided a LONG list of KBBS hints in last month's newsletter, and
   mention this in case there may be some who could still benefit from them.
   There are several more I'll include here, and give you a very brief
   progress report.

   **The BIG NEWS is that an AGGRAVATING message tossing bug was discovered
     by Mr. Ted Smith and I, reported to Keith Anderson and PROMPTLY fixed.
     I had a new version of KBBS on my hard drive the following morning and
     all appears to be working.  (WHEW!)  Bugs like that are no fun at all . . .
     This was a bit more serious than it might at first appear, and I was
     very relieved to see it fixed so quickly.

   **When using the File, Conference and//or Door areas, it's not necessary
     to go through all the descriptive screens to arrive at your final
     destination.  It amazes me how many still see the main menu, type 'A,'
     read THOSE descriptions, then make a choice.  If you know LEGEND is #2
     and RPG is #12, you may just type in the 2 or the 12 at the FIRST screen
     instead of wading through all the rest.

   **MORE BYTES are *NOT* awarded for uploads!  I stopped doing this years
     ago because of the sheer volume of junk uploaded.  I SURE DO appreciate
     good uploads, but they won't get you more bytes.  The only way to
     get more download bytes is to SUBSCRIBE.  It *is* a fact that bytes
     are awarded automatically to frequent message posters, so those INVOLVED
     with more than just the file aspect of this system aren't the ones whining
     about bytes.  :)  Additionally, the TIME BANK is now online for
     non-subscribers, but how long it remains up depends entirely on my mood.
     They've come and gone before.  :)

   **Keith and Co. are still working toward FTS, and we hope to make this
     available online soon.  MLPNet has temporarily lost ALL  FTS nodes and
     NetMail capability, and we are most anxious to get them back.  I have
     TONS of advertising out there instructing interested systems to FREQ
     NASA_MLP and DSNEWS.  This can't be done right now.  Hang in there, all.
     Turns out I keep bugging Keith for other KBBS needs that FTS slides
     further and further behind as he works to alter the current code.

   **The NASA MLP DOES carry select ARINet conferences (courtesy of Mr. Ted
     Smith, CDMG & Mtns West BBS').  ARI is the company that PRODUCES KBBS,
     so you can communicate DIRECTLY with the software developers in the KBBS
     and SEQ conferences.  Of course, Keith Anderson is also an active
     MLPNet participant and has been spotted frequently in MLP_HAMMSTER, so
     your chances are pretty good of catching up with him most anywhere!

ĿĿ
                         Until next time . . .                          


        May you be richly blessed with a safe holiday season and a very
                             prosperous new year.



DSNEWS27.* (c)1995, Jim Coleman III
Feel free to distribute but do not alter contents. This entire document
may be posted for download or as online reading material, so long as the
contents are not altered.
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