From - Wed Jan 14 17:26:43 1998 Return-Path: Received: from relay1.UU.NET by mrco.carleton.ca (4.1/SMI-4.0) id AA08780; Sun, 28 Feb 93 19:41:08 EST Received: from nyx.cs.du.edu by relay1.UU.NET with SMTP (5.61/UUNET-internet-primary) id AA08726; Sun, 28 Feb 93 19:38:36 -0500 Received: by nyx.cs.du.edu (4.1/SMI-4.1) id AA16357; Sun, 28 Feb 93 17:31:19 MST From: ahawks@nyx.cs.du.edu (andy) Message-Id: <9303010031.AA16357@nyx.cs.du.edu> X-Disclaimer: Nyx is a public access Unix system run by the University of Denver. The University has neither control over nor responsibility for the opinions or correct identity of users. Subject: FutureCulture Digest #265 To: future-digest@nyx.cs.du.edu Date: Sun, 28 Feb 93 17:31:17 MST X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.3 PL11] Content-Length: 14010 X-Lines: 356 X-Mozilla-Status: 8001 ______________________________________________________________________ |______________ / | | / | | u t u r e <___________ u l t u r e | _______________________________________________________________________| Issue #265 Sunday, February 28th 1993 Today's Topics: --------------- better? Conspiracy (fwd) Finding someone's email address future conspiracies Othello movie idea RE: Conspiracy Re: Conspiracy re: Finding someone's email address Re: future conspiracies Re: to the vector the spoils Re: Usenet grep'ers __________________________________________________________________________ Date: Sat, 27 Feb 93 23:44:17 -0800 From: mirage@leland.stanford.edu (Dean Joseph Sanvitale) I've been thinking about the nature of conspiracy. I knew that when I posted to fc asking for coherent, sensible info on conspiracies, that I was setting myself up for dissappointment. After all, anyone really involved in a conspiracy would only laugh or send some misinformation out to confuse the situation. And everyone "in the dark" would speculate about the boogeymen in the closet, in our minds. A conspiracy revealed is somehow grotesque, because often we find that all the hubub was for naught - just a bunch of confused individuals running around like proverbial be-headed chickens, the dramatic flair provided by the fact that "nobody really knows" what's going on. Well, I for one have given up. I will be content with the shadows of shadows, whispering in the insterstices of reality. I will read the books, and listen to the awed voices recounting the astounding "facts" of the newest case of intrigue. But I will always feel just a little bit cheated. For if a true conspiracy is so emphemeral as to dissipate completely at the slightest approach of anything real by which its existence may be confirmed, then it wasn't much of anything in the first place. The idea of "conspiracy" is enticing. But it leaves a bad taste in one's mouth, if you try to get a handle on it. The Illuminati and their kinfolk are dead, their auras drifting listlessly on a foul wind, kinda like a long wheezing fart cut loose by my lazy ass brother on a late spring day. Cheers from "Somewhere" mirage ______________________________ Date: Sun, 28 Feb 93 20:48:31 +1100 From: Kenneth McKenzie Wark Subject: future conspiracies I can't see what's wrong with using the metaphor of conspiracy to describe how we al function, all the time. Your mind does indeed conspire with and against its various faculties all the time. It is not necessarily a 'political' metaphor, but it is a metaphor about power and secrecy. ************************** Sidebar to rez: I wouldn't call it a model, tho'. Can't stand that word. Whenever american academics talk about models i think of plastic aeroplane (airplane) kits and glue-sniffing. Most models are really only metaphors. Thought of that way, you can get out of that model schtick and use ALL the rhetorical figures for figuring the net. Why not metonymies of the net as well as metaphors? Allegories? Parables? etc. ************************* Conspiracy theories tell you more about the people who beleive them than they do about politics. Its a paranoid view of the world. Nothing *wrong* with that, per se. If we weren't a little paranoid, we'd be completely fuckin' crazy. Its just not a very workable model of political processes, which are usually too damned noisy an chaotic to be controlled. Willard "Now here's what's happening in your world (even as we speak) ______________________________ From: scotta@rpi.edu Subject: Othello movie idea Date: Sun, 28 Feb 1993 11:41:39 -0500 (EST) OK. then who would be Iago? ...Danny De Vito? or would that be too much like Twins? Iago. Will you think so? Oth. Think so, Iago? Iago. What, To kiss in private? Oth. An unauthoriz'd kiss! Iago. Or to be naked with her friend in bed an hour, or more, not meaning any harm? (from Act IV, Scene I) sorry, my Riverside just opened to that page. Are we suggesting a cyberpunk version? If we can't get Arnold to play the Moor, I'll volunteer. To start up another thread that will spur much detritus... what do people here think will be "the next thing" after cyberpunk? (I can hear Benny Hill saying now, "Cyberpunk's not dead!") and doesn't anyone have anything to say about setting up e-zines that are in different formats than text files. For space concerns, they could be set up on ftp site. When a new issue goes out, a simple text message could go out to people on the list to check the site for the latest issue. I'm just getting sick of seeing the slick paper zines with wacked out graphics, and not seeing e-zines with graphics (on the net). They're probably out there somewhere??? not just anime or amiga e-zines too, but something like future culture. There were some graphic designer types posting here before... maybe they would know or be interested or those Nextmail people... uh, hello? Thank you for your Cooperation, ProteinMan (scotta@rpi.edu) ______________________________ From: garrett@math13.rice.edu (David Garrett) Subject: Re: future conspiracies Date: Sun, 28 Feb 93 12:22:35 CST > > I can't see what's wrong with using the metaphor of conspiracy to describe > how we al function, all the time. Your mind does indeed conspire with and > against its various faculties all the time. It is not necessarily a > 'political' metaphor, but it is a metaphor about power and secrecy. Consider the Greek root of the word `conspiracy,' to `breathe together'. Makes me think of a bunch of Athenians sitting around fomenting sedition after synchroninizing their intake and expulsion of air:-) [snip] > Conspiracy theories tell you more about the people who beleive them than > they do about politics. Its a paranoid view of the world. Nothing *wrong* > with that, per se. If we weren't a little paranoid, we'd be completely > fuckin' crazy. Its just not a very workable model of political processes, > which are usually too damned noisy an chaotic to be controlled. One of my favorite Pynchon quotes was something like, ``Paranoia is nothing more than the beginning of the realization that everything really is connected.'' Probably I'm paraphrasing, as I can't remember the exact wording. Dave ______________________________ From: garrett@math13.rice.edu (David Garrett) Subject: Re: Conspiracy Date: Sun, 28 Feb 93 12:30:45 CST > Last time I was in one of those Big-Mall-Chain-Bookstores I saw a recently > published boo on conspiracies. It described them, the players involved, and > the evidence that either supported or worked against plausibility. There was > about 50+ listed, each with it's own 3-5 page entry. > > Unfortunately, I can't remember neither the author's name(s) nor the title of > the book. But Big-Mall-Chain-Bookclerks are usually trained to be friendly > (unless you're from the Northeast) and so if you went with that bit of > information they might be able to track it down with their computers. I > believeI saw my copy in the social sciences section. It's called *It's A Conspiracy!*. I can't remember who the author is, but I saw it several months ago, and it looked interesting. Somewhat tongue-in-cheek attitude at times, but probably worth having if you're a conspiracy buff. Dave ______________________________ From: StevenJ Subject: better? Date: Sun, 28 Feb 93 13:31:02 CST ______________________________ From: the! Is *THIS* any better? I shortened it up a bit. =) Steve J. White homoNuevo --------------------------------------------------------------------------- "The goal of science is the destruction aragorn@convex.csd.uwm.edu of all mystery." - B.F. Skinner aragorn@csd4.csd.uwm.edu ______________________________ Date: Sun, 28 Feb 1993 12:20:35 -0800 (PST) From: John Frost Subject: RE: Conspiracy For a wonderful work on the art of conspiracy, please read "Foucault's Pendulum" by Umberto Eco. I shalln't say anymore. It may seem like thick reading but don't give up. As an individual who has found himself involved in many situations that hint of conspiracy. I found this book very enlightening. frost@netcom.com ______________________________ Subject: Finding someone's email address Date: Sun, 28 Feb 93 17:07:49 EST From: Mitchell Porter I'm sure there's a Usenet FAQ which addresses this question, but as I recall its first suggestion was to _write_ (snail-mail!) the person concerned and ask for their email address, which is obviously no good if you're in a hurry or trying to save paper and postage. People speak of nic.ddn.mil as being the superdatabase of most Internet users, but if I telnet there and do a WHOIS, the only addresses I seem to be able to find are of people in the .mil domains. What's the best general approach to finding an arbitrary person's email address, using the resources of the net itself? ______________________________ From: zane@ddsw1.mcs.com (Sameer Parekh) Subject: Re: to the vector the spoils Date: Sun, 28 Feb 93 10:54:50 -0600 In message <9302280324.AA17070@laurel.ocs.mq.edu.au>, Kenneth McKenzie Wark writes: > > > Sameer was right on the money when he said that information is a vector > that can't be controlled. Shit. This person is in high school and has such > a fantastic intuitive grasp of netcomm! You'll make a helluva research > student if you want to go on to uni, etc. > Well, I picked up the idea of "information as vector" from you, but I didn't really know if you meant it in the way I picked up the idea. (memetic mutation.) I picked up vector, because "magnitude" isn't the only important quality. Having a ton of information, MAGNITUDE, isn't all that important. The DIRECTION, the *kind* of information, how it is used, is ALSO a very important factor. Both attributes are vital. > He (i'm assuming Sameer is a he name, correct me if i'm wrong) is also on > the right track in greping the net on the one hand and putting it out in > a zine in his own flavour on the other. I think its a very important > inf-survival strategy, both for individuals and for us to create new > forms of info-collectivity. > Unfortunately, your vector article didn't go over too well among the high school students. They didn't really understand it, thought it was "wierd." It's strange how much I feel that "information wants to be free" has turned into a cliche, but only among the net-folk. If I mention the idea to a non-connected person, they think, "Huh?" Adapt or die. (Yes, I'm male, BTW) > > We no longer have roots, we have aerials > We no longer have origins, we have terminals... > Hell yeah. ____________________________________________________________________________ | Sameer Parekh-zane@ddsw1.MCS.COM-PFA related mail to pfa@ddsw1.MCS.COM | | Apprentice Philosopher, Writer, Physicist, Healer, Programmer, Lover, more | | "Be God" - Me ____________________________________________________________/ \_____________/ ______________________________ Subject: Conspiracy (fwd) Date: Sun, 28 Feb 93 17:29:00 EST From: Mitchell Porter bladex: > Last time I was in one of those Big-Mall-Chain-Bookstores I saw a recently > published boo on conspiracies. It described them, the players involved, and > the evidence that either supported or worked against plausibility. There was > about 50+ listed, each with it's own 3-5 page entry. > > Unfortunately, I can't remember neither the author's name(s) nor the title of Hey, I think that not only have I seen this book, but I too can't remember the title! Perhaps it's "FNORD". There may stlil be a copy of the book _I'm_ thinking of in the store where I saw it; if I'm there later today I'll have a look.. ______________________________ Date: Sun, 28 Feb 1993 16:03:20 -0700 From: - drow - Subject: re: Finding someone's email address telnet bruno.cs.colorado.edu login netfind there's help available, but basically select option 2 in the menu, enter their nick or name, and a description of where they are (no periods, for example stillwell tamu edu), and it goes. ______________________________ From: entropy!morpheus@src4src.linet.org Date: Sat, 27 Feb 93 23:29 EST Subject: Re: Usenet grep'ers In article <9302262218.AA15656@convex.csd.uwm.edu> you write: >Yea, ditto. I'd like one, too. Now here's the ultimate reason to ignore Usenet - "me too" posts.. -- morpheus@entropy.linet.org "Whaddyamean I don't support the system? I go to court when I have to!" _________________________________________________________________________ | | | That's all for today! | | To send a message to the list: future@nyx.cs.du.edu | | To subscribe/unsubscribe/change format: future-request@nyx.cs.du.edu | | All other requests: future-request@nyx.cs.du.edu | | List Maintainer is: (andy [aka hawkeye]) ahawks@nyx.cs.du.edu | |_________________________________________________________________________| | | | The opinions expressed in FutureCulture are those of the individual | | author only. | |_________________________________________________________________________|