A Beginner's Guide to the Internet/INTERNET.ISO/text/telediag/tc13-153.txt

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TELECOM Digest     Fri, 5 Mar 93 00:46:00 CST    Volume 13 : Issue 153

Index To This Issue:                     Moderator: Patrick A. Townson

    Federal Agents Raid Computer Porn Ring in 40 Places / 15 States (J Schmidt)
    Arrest Made in WTC Bombing ([e-mail])
    Australian Prime Minister on Optical Network to Homes (Tom Worthington)
    Caller ID in Texas (Charles Mattair)
    Wiring a Headset to 2500 Set (Maxime Taksar)
    Fighting the COCOTS (Scott D. Green)
    Explain This Phenomena (Sandy Kyrish)
    GSM Question (Steven Shulman)
    Voice Mail Delays (Peter Bachman)
    Number of Simultaneous Forwarded Calls (Randy Gellens)
    Access to the Data SuperHighway (Ralph Hyre)
    Trying to Locate 2600 (Mark Ellis)
    Request For Info on D.C Loops (Guturu Venkateswar)
    Telecom Humor (Don Lynn)
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Fri, 05 Mar 1993 00:20:04 EST
From: JOHN SCHMIDT <[e-mail]>
Subject: Federal Agents Raid Computer Porn Ring in 40 Places / 15 States


The following came over AP this evening:
AP v2725     Computer Porn                      03-04  7:02 p

Customs Agents Break Up Gigantic Computer Porn Ring

      (Miami) -- Federal agents have staged raids in 40 locations
across the US in what's being called the nation's biggest crackdown
on child pornography.

     The investigation -- called "Operation Longarm" -- was based in
Miami.

     US Customs officials say the raids in 15 states targeted an
international computer network that allegedly transmits high-quality
images through computer bulletin boards.

     No arrests have yet been made.  But if agents verify possession,
suspects can be charged with federal counts that could put them in
prision for 15 to 20 years.

(end)

NOTE: WBAU's AP contract allows us to use AP material for broadcast or
other educational use, so consider yourselves educated and don't use
this posting for commercial purposes ...


John H. Schmidt, P.E.          Internet: [e-mail]
Technical Director, WBAU       Phone--Days     [phone]
Adelphi University                    Evenings [phone]
Garden City, New York 11530    Fax-------------[phone]

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

Organization: The American University - University Computing Center
Date: Thu, 4 Mar 1993 17:31:44 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Arrest Made in WTC Bombing


The FBI has arrested a suspect in the bombing.  Apparently the
individual was apprehended when he attempted to get his rental deposit
back from the rental agency.  He had reported the van as stolen the
day of the bombing.

Links are being made to the radical Muslim group that was credited
with the recent assasination of the NYC rabbi last Nov/Dec.

For more info ... listen to the TV / Radio. This is just a *byte*


Guy


[Moderator's Note: Talk about dumb. Here, it seems to me, is a man who
was obviously not clear on the concept. As of Thursday evening, there
is supposedly a second person under arrest, but the government is not
giving out any names or details yet.  PAT]

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

From: [e-mail] (Tom Worthington)
Subject: Australian Prime Minister on Optical Network to Homes
Organization: Australian Defence Force Academy, Canberra, Australia
Date: Fri, 5 Mar 1993 01:19:44 GMT


"We will establish an expert group which will include representatives
from AOTC, OPTUS, industry and unions to develop a technical and
commercial blueprint for extending the optical fibre network to the
majority of houses, businesses and schools in Australia. Already AOTC
has laid over 1 million kilometres of optical fibre cables. Australia
is in the forefront of this technology. Extending the optical fibre
network to the majority of businesses and residences capitalises on
the significant investment we have already made. It will create a
platform for the delivery of a large range of services and the
development of new industries. Extending the network to our schools
and other education institutions will further our efforts to raise
standards.

"An innovative and vibrant telecommunications industry will be of
pivotal importance to the Australian economy in the decades ahead. It
will provide jobs directly in the major operators of
telecommunications services and in many supporting industries.

"But it requires a leadership that supports Australian manufacturing.
It requires AOTC to remain in public ownership. Without public
ownership, services to consumers will be threatened. And without
public ownership the jobs of all those in supporting manufacturing
firms will be threatened.  This would especially be the case if AOTC
were to come under foreign control which would be the inevitable
result of the Opposition's desire to sell AOTC quickly."

                    ----------

 From page 20 of "Advancing Australia, Building on Strength",
Australian Labour Party Document, 1993 Federal Election, presented by
Paul Keating, Prime Minister of Australia, at Bankstown on Wednesday
24 February 1993.

For further details contact Phillip Tardif, Office of the Minister for
Science & Technology, ph: [phone], fax: [phone]

Posted as a community service by: Tom Worthington, Director of the
Community Affairs Board, Australian Computer Society Incorporated,
e-mail: [e-mail].

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

Date: Thu, 4 Mar 93 10:53:05 CST
From: [e-mail] (Charles Mattair)
Subject: Caller ID in Texas
Organization: Synercom Technology, Inc., Houston, TX


Quoting from the {Houston (TX) Chronicle}, 4 March 1993.  [] comments
are mine.

Copyright (c) 1993, Houston Chronicle Publishing Company
Reprinted with permission.

Bill to allow Caller ID clears its first hurdle

Ross Ramsey
Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau

Austin - Legislation that would legalize Caller ID was approved by a
Senate committee Wednesday, after a way was worked out to accommodate,
at no charge, those who don't want their identities revealed to the
people they're calling.

Caller ID allows a person to see the name [unlike most states, SWBs
tariff included the name.  PUC said this would be interpreted as
listing name] and number of the caller before picking up the phone.
Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. [SWB] sought to offer the service in
Texas but was turned down last year when the Public Utility Commission
[PUC] decided the service would violate the states wiretapping
statutes [they actually decided SWB could offer CNID on a business to
business basis but SWB wasn't interested].

The legislation that was approved by the Senate's State Affairs
Committee ammends the wiretapping law to allow the service.  But phone
companies would have to offer free "per-call blocking" to customers
who want to make calls without broadcasting their names and numbers.

Those customer would dial in a special code before dialing the number
of the person they're trying to call.

Phone companies also would have to offer free "per-line blocking,"
which would prevent the broadcast of a person's name and number on all
calls.  Customers who want that second option would have to send a
letter to the PUC saying they have a "compelling need" for it.  Those
customers would not have to prove their cases or even say what their
compelling needs are.

"I just want somebody to think before they sign a document and send it
in," said Sen. Teel Bivins, R-Amarillo, the bill's sponsor.

Another provision of the compromise prevents companies from capturing
the names and numbers of people calling them and selling the lists
they generate, unless they have permission from every single person on
the list [yeah, right].

In addition, the bill's sponsors plan to add an ammendment that would
prevent the public from learning the name of the people who have

requested per-line blocking.  Without that ammendment, the letters
Texans send to the PUC stating a compelling need would be public
documents [and subject to retrieval under the Texas Open Records Act].

Bivins' bill was originally opposed by Sen. Peggy Rosson, D-El Paso, a
former utility commissioner.  But after changes were made to allow
free per-line blocking, Rosson signed on as a co-sponser.

She remains unenthusiastic about the service, but some of her
constituents want it, she said.

"They think that it is going to stop the Sears siding salesmen from
calling at 5 p.m. while they're eating dinner, and it's not," she
said.  "But if they think it's going to help, and we can make it so
it's not going to hurt, then I think we should go ahead."


Charles Mattair         [e-mail]
Any opinions offered are my own and do not reflect those of my employer.

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

Subject: Wiring a Headset to 2500 Set
Date: Thu, 04 Mar 93 14:45:05 PST
From: Maxime Taksar KC6ZPS <[e-mail]>


Heres what I have:

Functional headset (Plantronics StarSet) with 1/4" phone plugs
Functional WECo 2500 set
Functional Plantorics "JackSet"
Appropriate connection technology to hook 'em all together.

What I'd like to do:

Hook 'em all together, so I can use my headset.  (Preferably such that
I can use the headset while the handset is on hook.  I can probably
figure this out anyway, since the JackSet is pretty straighforward in
its switching capability).

Is there anyone who's familiar enough with a 2500 set to tell me where
I should connect which wires from the JackSet?

In fact, if there's a good text geared toward someone with only slight
basic electronics knowledge on how and what the network inside one of
these does, I'd much appreciate hearing about it.


Maxime Taksar   KC6ZPS   [e-mail]

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

From: [e-mail] (Scott D. Green)
Subject: Fighting the COCOTS
Date: 4 Mar 93 16:04:34 GMT


So what is the best strategy for dealing with COCOTS that block 10xxx,
or 800 numbers (or time them out after a ridiculously short time), or
won't let you reach the LEC operator?  I have, at various times:

-  spoken with the proprietor.  Result:  "I don't know what you're talking
about".

-  spoken with AT&T.  Result:  "There isn't much we can do.  Try the 800
number.  If that doesn't work, find another phone."

-  spoken with BellAtlantic's Private PayPhone Service (sic) Center.
Result: "We can't do much.  Have you filed a complaint with the PUC?"

-  dialed the offending phone with modem, but I couldn't break carrier
tone (at a variety of baud settings).  Anyone want to divulge a good hack
for these bandits?

My expectation was that AT&T or Bell would have an active interest in
seeing to it that I could reach their services.  I was surprised that
there was so little concern.  Anybody have a proven method for
encouraging equal access compliance?


scott

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

Date: Thu, 4 Mar 93 19:02 GMT
From: Sandy Kyrish <[e-mail]>
Subject: Explain This Phenomena


My kitchen phone's DTMF keypad is intermittently on the blink.  One
morning I decided to see if I could dial a number by flashing the
switch-hook (trying to emulate rotary dialing).  I decided to dial my
other number, which begins with 886.  Well, I pressed the switch-hook
eight times, then waited and pressed it eight times again ... just
then, I heard the ring tone, and a female voice, sounding very
"residential", said "Hello?"  O.K., I admit, I panicked and hung up
the phone.  And I did not try redial or anything.  I waited for the
phone bill, to see if I would be charged with any special service I'd
inadvertently tripped, but none.  So -- what happened and why?  Sorry,
no prizes given.


[Moderator's Note: What happened was your 'pressing the hook eight
times' was not properly synchronized, and the eight probably got taken
as four 2s, or two 3s and a 2, or maybe a 3 and two 2s and a 1, or
similar. You could have wound up calling 332-1133 or any number where
a total of 16 pulses would be used. Pressing the hook rapidly is not a
very reliable way to dial unless you are really coordinated and good
at it. The taps of your finger were probably not precise.   PAT]

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

From: [e-mail] (Steven Shulman)
Subject: GSM Question
Organization: Wits Electrical Engineering (Undergrads).
Date: Thu, 4 Mar 1993 12:43:38 GMT

I know that this is really general, but if ANYONE has got info for me
on what GSM is and how it works, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE mail me.


Thanks in advance,

Steve

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

From: [e-mail] (peter bachman)
Subject: Voice Mail Delays
Organization: Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs NY
Date: Thu, 4 Mar 1993 15:06:50 GMT


Has anyone ever experience voice mail dealys of over three days? I
signed up for NYTEL's free offer and have been using the service for
month or so. I periodically check to see if messages that I know have
been left are on the voice mail mailbox. Suddenly they have been
delayed, and the record is now three days! Perhaps the system crashed
and they had to back it up? Of course I am used to people leaving
messages in the wrong mailbox, so I usually check them all. I thought
this was a real good thing until this happened.


Peter Bachman     usual disclaimers.


[Moderator's Note: What do you mean you 'check them all'? How do you
have access to the mailboxes of other users?  I had something strange
happen today: when calling to check my voicemail, I dialed my number
and the phone rang three times in the usual way, then there was the
usual click indicating the call was being transferred to voicemail,
It then came a busy signal!  It is very rare for all incoming DID
ports into voicemail to be busy.  PAT]

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

From: MPA15AB![e-mail]
Date: 04 MAR 93 18:39
Subject: Number of Simultaneous Forwarded Calls


I know this has been discussed before, and I thought it was a
switch-settable option, but GTE only permits one call at a time to be
in processes through a normal Call Forwarded ("Programmable Call
Forwarding") line.  This is really annoying, as I intended for people
to continue using my old (GTE) number, even though I am receiving
calls at my new (PacBell) number.  The new number has Call Waiting,
but it is no good since GTE is single-threading the calls.  When I
complained, I was told that business class service permits multiple
calls, but residence class only permits one.  Nasty!


Randy Gellens                [e-mail]
A Series System Software                 if mail bounces,  forward to
Unisys Mission Viejo, CA                         [e-mail]
Opinions are personal;   facts are suspect;   I speak only for myself


[Moderator's Note: The same service from Illinois Bell allows multiple
call forwarding to the extent the receiving phone can handle the
calls, ie. three lines in hunt can get three forwarded calls. But the
version called 'remote call forwarding' which is a permanently config-
ured arrangement in the CO will only forward as many calls as you have
'paths' you are paying for.  PAT]

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

From: bears![e-mail]
Date: 5 Mar 93 00:34:45 GMT

Subject: Access to the Data SuperHighway


> As the project is outlined, however, the Administration would spend
> money primarily on developing advanced supercomputers and software
> that would link them over a high-speed fiber optic network, and on
> demonstration projects at hospitals, schools and libraries.  For the
> most part, the actual construction of a network that is widely
> available to the public would be left to private companies.

I am willing to donate my money to ensure univeral access, but I have
no interest in 'investing' into prototypes and demonstrator projects
at places where the general public will not be involved.  My model of
this is more akin to Usenet (with better user interfaces, and maybe
even better content ;-).

Everybody else seems to want to build to the 'telephone' model -- the
circuit-switched, one-user-at-a-time or per-connection model of the
other online services.

Broadcast medium, like packet radio, are inherently suited to sharing
information that has a wide community of interest.  Television,
whatever it's other faults, serves this purpose.  Users already
probably own personal computers, so local processing is feasible and
desirable.

I worked on a project TEN YEARS ago that proved this.  We used an FM
subcarrier to broadcast digital information throughout the Boston
area.  We limited the subscriber base not because of technical
considerations (we could serve one million users as easily as ten),
but because we had to obtain a license for our digital information
sources.  Users would filter out information they didn't want, and
store what they wanted on their PC's local disk drive.

The schools I attended were fortunate to have good ARPAnet/Internet
links -- universal access should be what we're are spending public
money for.  We should harness the educational capabilities of these
networks on a massive scale.


Disclaimer: I'm REALLY speaking for myself now.

Ralph Hyre ([e-mail])
Alumni: Boston Community Information System Project ('bits for the people')

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

From: [e-mail] (Mark Ellis)
Subject: Trying to Locate 2600
Organization: Nyx, Public Access Unix @ U. of Denver Math/CS dept.
Date: Fri, 5 Mar 93 02:15:53 GMT


Would someone let me know if the magazine 2600 is available anywhere?

Is something like it available at an FTP site?


Mark Ellis             %  MegadethPearlJamLynchMob  %  Happy, Happy, Happy
[e-mail]  %  AliceInChainsQueensryche  %       Joy, Joy, Joy


[Moderator's Note: You bet. The editor is a regular participant here
and I suspect you will hear from him soon.   PAT]

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

From: [e-mail] (GUTURU VENKATESWAR)
Subject: Request For Info on D.C. Loops
Organization: Oklahoma State University, Computer Science, Stillwater
Date: Thu, 4 Mar 93 18:50:09 GMT


I would like to know how the DC loop is maintained in the telephone
line with the subscriber?

The above question is based on my understanding that there is codec
and T1 multiplexer between the subscriber and the cental office (CO)
and more so we cannot get a physical wire connection as it would not
justify the codec and T1.

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

Date: Thu, 4 Mar 1993 10:46:39 PST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Telecom Humor


Single Slices, a comic strip dealing with boyfriend/girlfriend topics,
had this a few days ago:

First panel: he is talking on cordless phone, he says, "Hey Ralph, you
should see this new cordless phone Corine bought me.  She's so
thoughtful ..."

Second panel: she is listening to radio that is saying, "... she's so
thoughtful."  Caption: Thoughtful Corine bought herself a scanner.

Thought this group would enjoy that.


Don Lynn

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

End of TELECOM Digest V13 #153
******************************