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- ***************************************************
- *** Pirate Magazine Issue I - 5 / File 6 of 11 ***
- *** Feds Hassle Employers ***
- ***************************************************
-
-
- The following buffered file was captured from ILLUMINATI BBS, a legitimate,
- above board, business BBS in Texas. It belonged to Steve Jackson, who runs a
- business for writing computer games. An employee worked there who was
- investigated by the Secret Service. The employee was "visited" at his home at
- 6:30 in the morning, his equipment was confiscated, and then the pheds went to
- his place of employment, Steve Jackson Games, and confiscated some *BUSINESS
- EQUIPMENT* "just in case." Although it is not clear what the employee had
- done, his "evil vibes" may have spread, so off went the pheds with the
- equipment after closing the shop for over half a day! We reprint this because,
- in the CURRENT WITCH HUNT FOR COMPUTER UNDERGROUND MEMBERS, the lesson is:
-
- IT CAN HAPPEN TO YOU!!
-
- -----------------------
-
-
- ------- start of text from Illuminati BBS -------
-
- NOTE! WE RECOMMEND YOU OPEN YOUR CAPTURE BUFFER AS YOU READ THE
- FOLLOWING INFORMATION, OR AT LEAST BE READY TO USE ^S AND ^Q TO
- STOP THE SCROLLING AS YOU READ.
-
- PRESS RETURN:
-
-
- GREETINGS, MORTAL! YOU HAVE ENTERED
- THE SECRET COMPUTER SYSTEM OF
-
-
- /\
- / \
- / () \
- / ____ \
- / / \ \
- /__________\
-
-
- THE ILLUMINATI
- FRONTED BY STEVE JACKSON GAMES
- INCORPORATED. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. FNORD
-
- NOTE! AT THE MOMENT ILLUMINATI IS AN READ-ONLY SYSTEM. READ THE
- INFORMATION BELOW TO FIND OUT WHY. USING THE SPACE BAR WILL LOG YOU
- OFF. YOU CAN STOP THE SCROLLING AT ANY TIME WITH A CONTROL-S.
- CONTROL-Q WILL RESUME THE SCROLLING.
-
- YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED THAT OUR CORPORATE MASCOT, WHO USUALLY GREETS OUR
- CALLERS WITH A CHEERFUL SMILE, IS FROWNING TODAY. I THINK YOU'LL AGREE
- HE HAS EVERY RIGHT TO.
-
- BEFORE THE START OF WORK ON MARCH 1, STEVE JACKSON GAMES WAS VISITED
- BY AGENTS OF THE UNITED STATES SECRET SERVICE. THEY SEARCHED THE
- BUILDING THOROUGHLY, TORE OPEN SEVERAL BOXES IN THE WAREHOUSE, BROKE A
- FEW LOCKS AND DAMAGED A COUPLE OF FILING CABINETS (WHICH WE WOULD
- GLADLY HAVE LET THEM EXAMINE, HAD THEY LET US INTO THE BUILDING),
- ANSWERED THE PHONE DISCOURTEOUSLY AT BEST, PROBABLY ATE A FEW OF THE
- ORANGE SLICES THAT WERE ON FEARLESS LEADER'S DESK (WHICH THEY WERE
- WELCOME TO, BY THE WAY), AND CONFISCATED SOME COMPUTER EQUIPMENT,
- INCLUDING THE COMPUTER THAT THE BBS WAS RUNNING ON AT THE TIME.
-
- SO FAR WE HAVE NOT RECEIVED A CLEAR EXPLANATION OF WHAT THE SECRET
- SERVICE WAS LOOKING FOR, WHAT THEY EXPECTED TO FIND, OR MUCH OF
- ANYTHING ELSE. WE ARE FAIRLY CERTAIN THAT STEVE JACKSON GAMES IS NOT
- THE TARGET OF WHATEVER INVESTIGATION IS BEING CONDUCTED; IN ANY
- CASE, WE HAVE DONE NOTHING ILLEGAL AND HAVE NOTHING WHATSOEVER TO
- HIDE. HOWEVER, THE EQUIPMENT THAT WAS SEIZED IS APPARENTLY CONSIDERED
- TO BE EVIDENCE IN WHATEVER THEY'RE INVESTIGATING, SO WE AREN'T LIKELY
- TO GET IT BACK ANY TIME SOON. IT COULD BE A MONTH, IT COULD BE NEVER.
-
- IN THE MEANTIME, FEARLESS HAS LOANED STEVE JACKSON GAMES THE APPLE SYSTEM
- THE BBS RAN ON BACK IN THE OLD DAYS BEFORE JOLNET. TO MINIMIZE THE POSSI-
- BILITY THAT THIS SJSTEM WILL BE CONFISCATED AS WELL, WE HAVE SET IT UP TO
- DISPLAY THIS BULLETIN, AND THAT'S ALL. THERE IS NO MESSAGE BASE AT PRESENT.
- WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE, AND WE WISH WE DARED DO MORE THAN
- THIS. HOWEVER, WE AGONIZED LONG AND HARD, AND DECIDED IT WAS A COURTESY TO
- OUR CALLERS TO LET THEM KNOW WHAT WAS HAPPENING.
-
- AT THIS POINT WE DON'T KNOW WHEN THE BBS WILL BE BACK UP FOR REAL. IF
- YOU HAVE IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR US, SUCH AS PLAYTEST NOTES, YOU CAN
- MAIL THEM TO US (YEAH, I KNOW, ECCH) OR IF IT'S SOMETHING TRULY
- IMPORTANT, YOU CAN REACH US AT OUR VOICE NUMBER (512-447-7866). IN THE
- MEANTIME, FEARLESS WILL BE CHECKING IN ON A REGULAR BASIS ON SMOF
- (512-UFO-SMOF) AND RED OCTOBER (512-834-2548).
-
- IN PARTICULAR, IF YOU HAVE DOWNLOADED THE GURPS CYBERPUNK PLAYTEST
- MATERIAL THAT WAS ON THE BOARD, PLEASE LET US KNOW RIGHT AWAY SO WE
- CAN ARRANGE TO GET A COPY. SOME OF THAT MATERIAL WAS NOT EASILY
- REPLACABLE, AND WE WOULD LIKE TO GET COPIES - IT WOULD MAKE GETTING
- GURPS CYBERPUNK OUT MUCH, MUCH EASIER (AND IT WOULD COME OUT THAT MUCH
- SOONER). PLEASE CALL US AND ASK TO TALK TO CREEDE OR LOYD FOR
- ARRANGEMENTS.
-
- THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING, AND THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO HAS GIVEN
- US WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT AND SUPPORT. WE HOPE WE'LL BE BACK ON LINE,
- FULL TIME, VERY SOON.
-
- -- STEVE JACKSON GAMES AND
- THE SYSOPS OF THE ILLUMINATI BBS
-
- ------- end of text from Illuminati BBS -------
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