CIX VOTES TO CUT OFF DOWNSTREAM INTERNET FEED RESELLERS
The Commercial Internet Exchange Association (CIX) is a non-profit trade association for Internet service providers and the hub of the commercial Internet routing network. Members upon joining and paying the $10,000 fee agree to freely route each other's traffic. On July 14 the CIX Board voted to place filters on their routers on November 1 to prevent traffic from down-stream resellers of Internet connectivity from passing through the CIX hub. This move is widely seen as an effort to put pressure on CIX member Sprint, which charges far lower rates than the other members, and allows down-stream resale by Sprint customers. Sprint's reseller customers, mostly small regional and highly competitive Internet providers, will have to pay up and join CIX in order to avoid potential catastrophic disruption in connectivity. The expected uproar among smaller Internet providers and their customers can be followed in the alt.internet.services newsgroup and the COM-PRIV (com-priv-request@psi.com) and Internet-Access-Providers (inet-access-request@earth.com) mailing lists.
WORLD WIDE WEB SURPASSES FTP AS MOVER OF BYTES ON THE NET
According to the latest Merit graphs, WWW is becoming more popular, and FTP and Gopher are both down in byte counts. Interesting changes in the tools people are using on the net. See the graphs at: "http://www.gatech.edu/gvu/stats/NSF/merit.html"
CPSR REDESIGNED WEB SERVER FEATURES 60 NEW PAGES
Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility have revamped and extended their World Wide Web presence. Topics available from the CPSR Home Page cover issues ranging from 'hot topics', such as the Clipper chip and Caller ID, to ongoing issues such as Computers in the Workplace, Privacy, and Civil Liberties. Links to various reports and other information sources also are available. "http://www.cpsr.org/home"
LEXIS/NEXIS SERVICES TO UNVEIL WEB SITE IN AUGUST
LEXIS/NEXIS Services, the huge online legal, news, and business information service, plans to offer a WWW site starting August 4. Named the LEXIS/NEXIS Communication Center, the site will be accessible by any graphical or character-based Web browser. Users will be able to communicate with company representatives, obtain information about the services provided, and participate in an online forum focused on discussing online experiences. Current customers can use the site to connect directly to the LEXIS/NEXIS online service through Telnet. "http://www.meaddata.com/" E-mail: help@meaddata.com for Customer Service or sales@meaddata.com for reference literature
HOMELESS GET "HOME" ON INTERNET
The Seattle Public Library has become popular among the homeless population -- not for its comfortable chairs or warmth, but for its link to the Internet. According to Seattle Times reporter Linda Keene, that library was the first in the nation to provide computer terminals linked to the Internet. However, many of the homeless (self-named the "Net Geeks") know more about how to navigate the Net than the librarians, reports Keene. The Net Geeks spend as much as eight hours a day sending messages literally spanning the globe, from the White House to Norway, and researching an equally wide range of topics, from tattoo sources to the "history of the bisexual movement," according to the Seattle Times.
COFFEE CULTURE OR CAFFEINE JUNKIES - YOU DECIDE
Rec.food.drink.coffee is like an AA meeting of the unrepentant. Besides postings of "personal coffee profiles" - name, age, favorite beans, cream or sugar, hobbies, etc., there's an official t-shirt, a list of coffee tunes, a web site of coffee comix and raging debates over every step of the java experience from 'how to roast your own beans' to 'when to add cream to your cup.' I feel better just knowing I can get the lowdown on hidden coffeehouse gems anywhere in the country.
'TECHNOSPIRITUALITY' IS THE FOCUS OF A NEW MAILING LIST
Exploring the merging of spiritual consciousness and cyberspace, a new mailing list suggests spiritual experiments on the net, collaborating with "cybershamans", and improvisational experiments. News, wants, and fears about what's going on in this area are to be covered. To subscribe, send E-Mail to: listserver@williams.edu and include the following in the message body: subscribe TECHSPIRIT-L firstname lastname.
A PETAL FLOATING / BELOW LIES SPEEDING WATER / THE EYE RESTS WELL HERE
Charmingly innocent in its tone as well as informative in its content, the Shiki Internet Haiku Salon promotes poets to explore the classically Japanese poem form of Haiku. (This 3-line form consisting of 5, 7 and 5 syllables, speaks about the momentary observations of nature that express the intangible world of the spirit.) Centered in Matsuyama prefecture, the birthplace of the great modern poet, Masaoka Shiki, this net server will link many international salons in the appreciation of the old masters as well as in the development and encouragement of new writers. A lovely pause along the infobahn for everyone. "http://mikan.cc.matsuyama-u.ac.jp/~shiki"
ELECTRONIC CAFE FILLS NYC'S KITCHEN SINK
The Kitchen, a well-known alternative art space in NYC with a long history of exploring the creative uses of emerging technologies, has been selected as the latest site for the Electronic Cafe - a global telecommunity for the arts. Artists at any of the multiple Cafe sites around the world can collaborate using sophisticated multimedia teleconferencing equipment to appear on the same virtual stage, work on a joint computer art piece or even perform duets and dialogues over networked videophones. Interns and volunteers for set-up are needed at this point but interested artists should get in touch soon as well. E-mail kitchen@panix.com
Text is the medium, and the message is ASCII text. The rich legacy of ASCII art, so vibrantly kept alive in E-mail signatures, makes a worthy subject for an online art gallery. The numbers speak for themselves: 12 megabytes of information covering an estimated 24,000 art works from more than 3300 contributions classified under 759 subject titles. The sheer invention in creating such rich images with only alphanumeric characters deserves a look, if for no other reason then to search for ones own signatory inspiration. ASCII Art Bazaar: "gopher://twinbrook.cis.uab.edu/1asciiarc.70"
FAMILY TIMES WWW MAGAZINE FOR THE OFFSPRING INCLINED
Family Times Online is a WWW version of a Wilmington, Del., free publication. We think it has very cool headers and sub-heads - they look like red crayon on bright yellow paper. The E-Zine text is primarily devoted to child-rearing and contains links to a wide variety of related resources from school ratings to parenting Gophers to "Zarf's List of Interactive Games." All in all, an excellent place to visit for the offspring inclined. "http://marlin.ssnet.com:8010/~family/times.html"
BROWSE AND BUY U.K. COLLEGE BOOKSHOP GOES ONLINE
The Internet Bookshop has been set up to allow academic book buyers to search for, review and purchase new books and journals directly from the publishers. So far Blackwell Publishers have put their entire catalog of geography titles online, with many more presses to come. A nice feature is the mailing list, which can notify you of new publications in your particular areas of interest. "http://www.demon.co.uk/bookshop/"
JOURNALIST SEEKS INTERNET SHOPPERS
Have you bought something over the Internet? Been delighted, ripped off, or disappointed with an Internet merchant or product? Michael Strangelove wants to know about your experience, good or bad. Whether you purchased a DEC workstation from the Digital Mosaic storefront, flowers for your favorite from Grant's, or nipple clips from the online adult toy store, he wants to write about your Internet shopping trip. He needs your E-Mail by August 1, 1994. E-mail: mstrange@fonorola.net
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