While frost is settling on pumpkins in many areas of the country, I'm
looking forward to the best season of the year here in Arizona. Mornings are
a deliciously cool time to sit on the patio and watch the sun turn the sky
golden bright.
  
I remember my high school days here. If someone had told me then that I
would find a future where I would sit outside and be connected to the world
through my laptop computer, I would have said they were crazy.
  
Much of what was fiction during my high school days is reality today. Then,
research meant a trip to the library; today, research is as simple as
logging on to GEnie. Then, friends were people within my neighborhood;
today, my neighborhood is the world and my friends are as close as my
computer.
  
When the sun sets I take my laptop to the patio once more and connect to
GEnie. The only light I need comes from the screen, the moon and the stars.
I sit at my computer and reach out to share with friends old and new.
Distance doesn't exist.
  
Come along with me and roam this wonderful new world to search out October's
files of interest.
  
  
A Good Read: The Hacker Crackdown ............................... CYBERSPACE
                                  Page 2000
While we often think of GEnie's libraries as repositories of computer
software, many also contain books. One of the most interesting I've seen
lately is "The Hacker Crackdown: Law and Disorder on the Electronic
Frontier" by Bruce Sterling. Declared literary freeware by the author and
publisher, this hard-hitting non-fiction work (that reads like a novel)
includes a new foreword and afterword written by Sterling specifically for
the electronic edition.

  File 1194 CRAKDOWN.ZIP  The Hacker Crackdown  278,144 bytes (ZIP)

  
Recovery: The Big Book .................................................. PF
                                              Page 545
You've heard of "the 12 steps." Now you can learn about them from the
source. For members of any 12 Step program, "The Big Book" is all the
identification needed for Alcoholics Anonymous. This is the inspirational
story of Bill W and others who shared their experiences of hope and
recovery. This book has changed the lives of many people, alcoholics and
non-alcoholics alike. Perhaps it will change yours.
  
  File 4431  BIG-BOOK.ZIP  The AA Big Book  148,480 bytes (ZIP)
  File 4432  BIG-BOOK.TXT  The AA Big Book  336,512 bytes (Text)
  
  
Philosophy: Human Understanding ................................... RELIGION
                                     Page 390
Stretch your mind by delving into one of the classics of philosophy.
"An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding" by David Hume will challenge
you to consider whether or not Hume's radical philosophical statement
applies to life today. This book is now in the Public Domain and is one of
many you can download from the Religion RoundTable on GEnie.
  
  File 3005  HUME_ENQ.ZIP Hume - Human Understanding  114,048 bytes (ZIP)
  
  
Weather: Emergency Weather Radio Stations ........................ EMERGENCY
                           Page 911
If you live or travel in the United States, you know that no part of the
country is safe from violent weather conditions. Whether it's rain, wind,
hurricane, flood, tornadoes, snow, sleet or hail, knowing what to expect is
more than going outside and pointing a finger in the air. For the most
current weather information, tune to a NOAA Weather station. These stations
are operated by the National Weather Service on frequencies ranging from
162.4 to 162.55 MHz.
  
  File 60  WXRADIO.TXT   Western US Stations    4096 bytes (Text)
  File 92  WXRADIO2.TXT  Midwestern US Stations 4224 bytes (Text)
  File 93  WXRADIO3.TXT  Eastern US Stations    4864 bytes (Text)
  
  
Politics: The Rostenkowski Indictment ................................... PF
                               Page 545
It's compelling news when the United States of America issues a criminal
indictment naming one of the country's most influential Congressional
representatives. You've heard about it on the news; now read the indictment
for yourself. This is the full text of the indictment filed in the United
States District Court for the District of Columbia against Representative
Daniel D. Rostenkowski.
  
  File 5054  ROSTY.TXT  Rostenkowski Indictment 68,480 bytes (Text)
  File 5055  ROSTY.ZIP  Rostenkowski Indictment 17,792 bytes (ZIP)
  
  
Sports: O. J. Simpson Mug Shot ...................................... SPORTS
                                      Page 215
Could this be the most famous sports picture of all time? Decide for
yourself. This 640x480x256 color GIF photograph of O. J. Simpson was taken
on June 17, 1994 by the Los Angeles Police department. Simpson, one of the
most recognizable and popular sports figures of all time, had just been
arrested pending charges that he murdered two persons, one of whom was his
ex-wife. Controversy around the Simpson case continues to rage, and the
latest information is available on GEnie's Sports RoundTable.
  
  File 3668  OJ.GIF  O. J. Simpson Mug Shot  130,560 bytes (GIF)
  
  
World Affairs: Haiti .............................................. MILITARY
                                                Page 155
Haiti is increasingly in today's news yet most of us aren't familiar with
the country at all. I thought I knew where Haiti is located but I couldn't
name even one major city. This file is a map of Haiti with the location of
23 cities on it -- names that have the terrible potential of becoming very
familiar. A small overlay positions Haiti in relation to other countries.
This map is a GIF file. If you do not have a GIF file viewer, check in your
favorite Computing RoundTable.
  
  File 994  HAITIMAP.GIF  Map of Haiti  12,032 bytes (GIF)
  
  
Music: WAVes for an Autumn Night ................................  MIDI
                              Page 430
If you're like many people, your computer is now wired for sound as well as
sight. I often type to the accompaniment of music files I have downloaded
from GEnie. As noted in the music feature story in this issue, you can find
many files for your listening pleasure on the MIDI and Music RoundTables.
Two favorite pieces of mine are original compositions by Steven McDonald,
Music and MIDI RoundTables Sysop. These are 22kKz, 8 bit stereo samples.
  
  File 8154  PICTHIS1.ZIP  Picture This WAV   388,992 bytes
  File 8187  MARCH1.ZIP    March WAV        1,371,904 bytes
  
  
Health Care: The United States President's Plan ......................... PF
                     Page 545
What does the President want for Health Care? What will he get? What are the
differences and how important are they? You can follow the changes and
controversies by reading this August 8, 1994 version of the Senate Health
Care Bill as submitted by Senator Mitchell. The items described in this
version of the bill are those that were considered the minimum that would be
acceptable to Bill Clinton, President of the United States.
  
  File 5220  S2357V2.ZIP  Health Care Bill   432,000 bytes (ZIP)
  
  
Health Care: The President's Plan ............................... WHITEHOUSE
                                  Page 1600
This file is the statement made by President Bill Clinton on the Mitchell
version of the Senate Health Care Bill. According the President, "The bill
unveiled by Senator Mitchell achieves what the American people want --
health coverage that can never be taken away. The bill provides health
security for hard working middle class Americans who deserve nothing less.
And it places a high priority on covering the nation's precious resource,
our children."
  
  File 2303  W2581.TXT  Statement on Health Care Bill  2304 bytes (Text)
  
  
Current Affairs: Michael Jackson & Lisa Marie Presley ............ ASTROLOGY
              Page 1180
What do the stars have to say about the stars? Find out in this two-chart
lovers comparison of Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley. What do they
have in common? What are the qualities they see in each other? What will
each get out of the marriage? And, will it last? You can find out what
astrology has to say about this match. Fascinating reading about a
fascinating couple!
  
  File 1037 JKSNPRSL.TXT Comparison: Jackson/Presley  31,104 bytes (Text)
  
  
Nutrition: Guidelines for the American Diet ........................ MEDICAL
                         Page 745
Guidelines for a healthy diet seem to be constantly changing as more and
more research is conducted into the American diet. This file lists the
latest guidelines for adults and children over 2 years of age, as prepared
by the United States Public Health Service. Chances are, what you learned in
school about a healthy diet has changed. Find out what you should be eating
now. You may be surprised!
  
  File 1638  NUTRITIO.GOV  Guidelines for American Diet  34,048 bytes (Text)
  
  
Space: Jupiter Under Bombardment ..................................... SPACE
                                    Page 460
The event of a millennium took place this July when fragments from the comet
Shoemaker-Levy 9 slammed into the planet Jupiter. While many predictions
were made, no one knew for certain what would happen when comet and planet
collided. What happened were spectacular fireballs exploding from the Jovian
atmosphere. The three files listed here are a selection from those available
in the Space & Science RoundTable. The first file, a GIF, is a sequence of
photographs of the impact of Fragment A. The second file is a FLI movie of
the Fragment A impact sequence. The third file, an MPEG movie, shows the
spectacular impact of Fragment R.
  
  File 5067  SAAOSL9A.GIF  SL-9 Fragment A GIF          182,912 bytes
  File 5084  SL9AFLI.ZIP   SL-9 Fragment A FLI          169,729 bytes
  File 5143  KECK-R.MPG    SL-9 Fragment R MPG Movie  1,194,752 bytes
  
  
Horrors! It's Halloween! Part I ...................................... SFRT1
                                     Page 470
Settle down for a sleepless night with "Varney the Vampyre," The Beast of
Blood. This is a Victorian penny-dreadful and it's dreadful indeed. The
first file is an illustration, in PCX format, of the first page. Poor Flora
Bannerworth has the Dread Vampyre's fangs buried in her neck. One of the
Vampyre's hands holds her hair and the other... well, let's just say that
all Victorians weren't Victorian. The second file is one of the many
chapters of this novel that are available from the SFRT1 Library. This
chapter includes fascinating details on dueling from a contemporary
observer.
  
  File 8388  VARNEY_A.ZIP  Varney the Vampyre, Page 1    192,256 bytes (ZIP)
  File 8387  VARNY038.TXT  Varney the Vampyre, Ch XXXVII  37,632 bytes (Text)
  
  
Horrors! It's Halloween! Part II .................................. GRAPHICS
                                   Page 1415
When it's time for goblins, ghosties, ghoolies and maybe even Varney the
Vampyre to roam the night, you can greet them with images in keeping with
Halloween. These files, from the Graphic Images RoundTable, can make your
printer hum with haunted houses, pumpkins and witches. Tis the season, so
enjoy! The files are in 300 dpi TIFF format for Macintosh and IBM computers.
  
  File 505  HAUNTED TIFF.SIT   Halloween Clip Art   52,096 bytes
  File 512  HAUNTED.ZIP        Halloween Clip Art   48,128 bytes
  File 506  PUMPKINS TIFF.SIT  Halloween Clip Art   38,272 bytes
  File 513  PUMPKINS.ZIP       Halloween Clip Art   31,488 bytes
  File 507  WITCHES TIFF.SIT   Halloween Clip Art   88,064 bytes
  File 514  WITCHES.ZIP        Halloween Clip Art   78,592 bytes
