Cyberspace -- the term most often applied to the
electronic universe of which the *StarShip* is a part
-- is one of those odd places. We know the people
with whom we interact through their words, and
usually nothing more.
  
Sometimes that gets us into trouble. Robin Evans, for
example, has had to explain on more than one occasion
that it's Robin, as in Robin Hood, or Batman and
Robin, when people refer to him as "her." Hopefully,
the ARexx classes Robin has been conducting in CALC
have helped to reduce the gender confusion.
  
Divine Inspiration
  
Then there's Stan Davis. When Commodore began to
exhibit signs of financial distress, Stan would offer
tidbits concerning Commodore's financial arrangements
with Prudential, or he'd decipher Commodore's
quarterly financial statement for us all. He was
there so often with advice on such a wide range of
Amiga subjects that some of us took to wondering
whether he had special connections.
  
And perhaps he does. As Stan (who uses the Bulletin
Board nickname "fr.stan") mentioned recently, he's an
Anglican Catholic priest. You'll find a recent
example of his earthly pursuits in the *StarShip*
Library: he's uploaded a script (SPRINTNETV1.1.SCRIPT
in File 24145) to allow AmiAladdin users to
automatically log on at 9600 baud through SprintNet.
  
Drumming Up Business
  
If you've dropped into a Helm Conference (Saturdays
at 7:00 PM Eastern time in Room 8), you may have
noticed that Jim Lewis is one of the regulars. It
turns out there's a good reason for this. Jim has
been using Helm in the school system as an
instructional aid to teach African drumming. Each
drum part is represented on the Amiga screen by a
button; students can then practice one part against
one or more of the remaining parts.
  
Word of a more unexpected use of Amigas, though,
comes from Denis La Bine. Denis is running for
Congress as a Republican write-in candidate from the
42nd Congressional District in San Bernadino,
California. He reports that his Amiga "doesn't
replace staffs; it makes mine a super-staff." The
Amiga, says Denis, lets him reach out to the
libraries of the Senate, House of Representatives,
White House, and the state of California, by modem.
And while this is a non-partisan column, I'm sure we
can all endorse the tool Denis is using in his
campaign!
  
Legalese vs. Comic Relief
  
Speaking of tools, the *StarShip* Library gets bigger
every day. One recent upload is perfect if you're
looking for a different breed of mouse, or at least a
PC serial mouse. SERMOUSE200.LHA in File 24020,
contains instructions for connecting a PC serial
mouse or trackball, as well as the necessary drivers,
to an Amiga. Note that there are two caveats: you'll
need a spare serial port, and you must be running
Workbench 2.04 or higher.
  
If you're looking a little legal help -- at least in
filling out simple legal forms -- try the
CyberAttorney in CA100A.LZH, File 24248. This handy
program, a fully functional demo, provides you with a
variety of legal forms. Whether it's an employment
agreement or a living will, the CyberAttorney may
have just what you're looking for. It guides you
through each form, prompting you for the necessary
information. Once you've filled it in, you can save
the form or print it out.
  
Of course, all that legalese may leave you in need of
some comic relief. If so, let Bill Graham come to
your rescue. Bill has been uploading his 24-bit
comics, featuring the ever-popular Tonguemonsters, to
the *StarShip* Library. As of this writing, there are
four strips: 24BTCMX4.JPGA in file 24274,
24BTCMX3.JPG in file 24203, 24BTCMX2.JPG in file
24143, and AMIGA24BITCOMIX1.JPG in file 24077. There
will undoubtedly be more by the time you read this.
Since these are JPEG files, you get to see them in as
many colors as your Amiga (or graphics card) will
allow.
  
Easy Batch Downloading
  
While you many members don't realize it, you can
download as many of these or other Library files as
you want in a single batch operation, as long as you
know the file numbers. Just go into the Library,
select menu option 6 (Download a file), and type in
the file numbers, separating them with commas. Then,
grab a snack, or -- since you're using a multitasking
Amiga -- run another task while you download. That's
all there is to it!
  
Meanwhile, have a great New Year. I'll watch for you
in cyberspace onboard the *StarShip* Amiga!