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Aucbvax.1408 fa.human-nets utzoo!duke!decvax!ucbvax!DERWAY@MIT-ML Mon May 25 05:00:16 1981 HUMAN-NETS Digest V3 #106

HUMAN-NETS AM Digest Monday, 25 May 1981 Volume 3 : Issue 106

Today's Topics: Correction - Fortran Speed Queues Query & ESS Name Change, Query Replies - Holographic Printer, Communicating via Network - Impacts on Language, FYI - Xerox STAR, Computers and the Handicapped - Color Blindness, Humor - SubGenius Foundation & OREMA ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 24 MAY 1981 0834-PDT From: TCWCSS at I4-TENEX Subject: Fortran Speed Ques.

The reprint of message regarding Fortran speed 5May81 resent 24May to Humnet readers ought be recinded since dialog has concluded and ends served. Thanx to those readers that did respond. thx,tcw

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Date: 20 May 1981 0900-PDT From: Ian H. Merritt <MERRITT USC-ISIB AT> Subject: ESS & the feminists

It seems to me that there IS no #5 ESS. However, 'They' have been calling these things by their numbers for years. Try again.

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Date: 20 May 1981 1033-PDT From: Richard Pattis <REP SU-AI AT> Subject: If Bell really wants to purge its sexist language...

...it should rename UNIX. I resent the fact that UNIX is billed as the operating system with everything that a programmer needs.

Rich

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Date: 23 May 1981 2318-PDT From: Les Earnest <LES SU-AI AT> Subject: Holographic laser printer

The General Optronics laser printer mentioned in the Wall Street Journal article (Ed Gilbert in HN V3 #105) uses a rotating hologram to deflect a laser beam in a sawtooth fashion across a xerographic drum so as to function as a raster printer. A solid state laser is used, which is modulated directly by a computer/controller.

Functionally, the rotating hologram is equivalent to a rotating mirror, but G.O. claims that it can be manufactured at lower cost than the usual spinning octagonal mirror. Don't be misled by the quoted $4,000 price, however -- that is for purchases in quantities of 5,000 or more and does not include the controller.

In order for this device to function as a computer printer, the controller must synthesize digital video at a rate of about 3 million bits/second, which requires a lot of computing with fairly fancy hardware. When and if printing systems based on this technology appear, they are likely to be introduced at end user prices in the vicinity of $20-30k.

Les Earnest

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Date: 05/24/81 22:38:40 From: TK@MIT-AI Subject: Optronics Laser printer

The Optronics laser printer doubtless is using an acousto-optic modulator for beam deflection. This is a piezoelectric material (lithium niobate is common, as is ammonium dihydrogen phospate) through which high frequency (tens of megahertz) sound waves are propagated. The sound waves distort the surface flatness of the crystal, which is used as a mirror. The wavelength of the sound waves is comparable to light wavelengths, setting up an diffraction grating. The angle of deflection of light from the surface is controlled by the precise frequency of the sound waves in the crystal, and thus can be controlled electronically. Now one could claim that this was a hologram, and I suppose it is (you can even send two different frequency signals in and get two reflections out), but that sounds like a piece of advertising hype for a basically simple and off-the-shelf piece of opto-electronics. Those of you with Xerox laser printers have these devices in your printer: they are used to modulate the beam, essentially by deflecting it through an aperture or not. There are problems associated with using these devices as a deflector, related to the effective resolution. This is limited by two factors, one, the larger the spot, the better diffraction focussing (more wavelengths of mirror), but the larger the spot, the slower the device is to respond, since to change the frequency now requires that the sound wave's change in frequency propagate across the width of the spot.

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Date: 18 May 1981 1236-PDT From: Kleiser via <DAUL AT OFFICE> Subject: Telecommunications doesn't have this problem (yet)

PRONOUNCER'S BOO-BOOS TURN HIM OFF from the san jose news by syndicated columnist Sydney J. Harris (reproduced here exactly as printed -sgk)

MEMO to TV and radio announcers, newscasters and commentators: * There is no "boat" in "boutique." (Johnny Carson is a chronic offender with this word.) * There are only two syllables, not three, in "hindrance." (It is not "hinderance" any more the "suffrance" is "sufferance.") * For the 10th time is as many years, be reminded that there is no "ray" at the end of "lingerie." (and the word doesn't mean in French what it has come to mean in English.) * That, speaking of French, the fish called "turbot" should be rhymed with "sherbet" and not give a phony Gallic pronunciation of "turbo". (An excusable solecism only in an untrained waiter.) * That "flaccid," meaning limp or flabby, does not rhyme with "placid," but with "crack Syd." * A man who runs a restaurant is a "restaurateur" without the "n." (It's astonishing how many announcers seem unaware of this.) * That while "frequent" as an adjective takes the accent on the first syllable, "frequent" as a verb takes it on the second. * There is no such word as "accompanyist"; a pianist who plays for a singer is an "accompanist." * That "tortuous" means winding or twisting, and has nothing to do with pain or anguish, which is "torturous." * Perhaps the ugliest vulgarism of all is "Mayder D" for the maitre d'hotel who takes your reservation and shows you to your table. (If one's French is so lamentable, what's wrong with "head waiter"?) * Incidentally, "lamentable" is properly accented on the first syllable, not on the second. (This common shift is called "recessive accent" in English, as "hospitable" and "formidable" have no "spit" or "mid" in them.) * Hard though is is to believe, highly-paid and presumably tested announcers still put an extra syllable in "mischievous," calling is "mischievious." (They also put an extra "a" in "rigmarole." * Once again into the breach: Commentators should know that the famed "Elgin marbles" were taken from Greece by Lord Elgin, whose name does not sound like the Illinois city or the watch, but has a hard "g" as in Edward Elgar. * That "genealogy," the study of ancestors, is not an "ology," any more than the study of minerals, "mineralogy." * If you like rum, be advised that there is no "dak" in a "daiquiri" (which is easier to pronounce than to spell).

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Date: 20 May 1981 14:21:20-PDT From: ARPAVAX.ghb at Berkeley Subject: Random Mutterings about dead issues.

Due to some administrative hiccupping, I have gotten a bit out of phase with the Human-nets discussions, so I will now put in my two cents on some things which no one else wants to hear any more about.

About 3-d technology: When in high-school (nay, junior high school), a friend of mine (name of Steve Summit, currently hiding somewhere at MIT), came up with an interesting 3-d plotter. The basic idea is that of a large cube (walled with glass or something) filled with Vaseline petroleum jelly (or something more transparent). In the cube, there is a series of arms which can move to any position in the cube. The arms is capable of ejecting purple ink as they move. Thus you get a cube containing the graph in full three-dimensions. (The problem is either cleaning the ink out of the Vaseline, or a huge budget for new Vaseline.)

About the Onyx system: (For some reason, Lauren mentioned one some issues back). The onyx is a fairly powerful Unix (blah trademark blah blah Bell blah) system (at least in terms of the programs it has), but is REAL slow. Current record (unofficial) is two and a half minutes to run the w program (tells who is on, and what they are doing), with only one person logged on. By the way, it is possible, although not necessarily easy, to get sources, as we recently got the sources sent to us.

I'll go back into my cave and leave you all alone now...

--george bray

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Date: 05/23/81 01:46:03 From: PHOTOG@MIT-MC Subject: interesting trivia about the XEROX star

Recently, a few of us at TANDEM were discussing the XEROX star network. As a msg from someone at XEROX-PARC demonstrated, the STAR can acess other systems (i.e. act like a gateway), the question is: is that a toy at PARC like many other things, or is that a real feature ('dial-up server' in ethertalk) that will be available to STAR owners, or a long-time-off thing?

Also, note that the STAR system cannot be networked in a star (lowercase) network topology. I guess that is why a group of stars on an ethernet are called a 'CONSTELLATION'. I wonder how CORVUS Systems feels about that. Is not 'constellation' a trademark for the corvus disc controller-level multi-port multiplexor (otherwise know as the poor-man's local area network??)

p.s. i just got my demo 'compuserve' account and I cannot believe they charge folks to use that system. it is junk!! the 'rubberbanding' of many disjoint programs into a menu-driven package is the worst job i have ever seen, from a human-use point of view to exit from one mode to another often takes different commands even if exiting to the same common mode (environment). And the electronic mail system is very primitive. Any other compuserve offenders (or maybe DEFENDERS) around on human-nets?

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Date: 05/15/81 07:42:21 From: LLOYD@MIT-AI Subject: Xerox 'Star'

I had the "pleasure" of getting the Xerox pitch at NCC '81. "Yes", they said, "Star is only $16,300!" Me: "That's all?!?" Them: "That's right! Only $16,300." Me: "Great! Here is my check for $16,300. Please deliver my 'Star' to. . ." Them: "Well...Uh... You have to buy a file server too." Me: (eyebrows up) "How much is that?" Them: "$20,000" Me: "What about hard copy?" Them: "A printer server is $25,000." Me: "Good bye."

Well, it was a great idea, but I don't think it will sell too well. $16K is one thing, but $60K is quite another, "mouse" or no "mouse".

Brian Lloyd

P.S. Please forgive me if the prices weren't exactly right. They were on that order tho'.

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Date: 15 May 1981 22:44:17-PDT From: decvax!duke!duke34!chris at Berkeley Subject: Color blindness ( HN V3, #98)

I am seem to be minorly red-green color blind in my left eye. The shades I see with that I are more blue. I discovered this while reading under a high intensity lamp. My father claims to have the same problem. Interestingly enough, I can pass the color tests. However, I have always done them with both eyes. Does anybody know if there are many people with a similar type of color blindness? How common is it? The color blindness has never been a major problem so I've never bothered to look into it but this discussion has raised my curriousity. Chris Woodbury Duke University

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Date: 05/15/81 11:11:39 From: TRB@MIT-MC Subject: The SubGenius Foundation

The SubGenius Foundation Box 140306 Dallas TX, 75214

TSGF is a cult, but they won't hassle you. They are devo-esque, and extremely humorous. Founded by J.R. "Bob" Dobbs, the creed of the SubGenius is: The SubGenius must have SLACK. Send a buck (and your address, of course) and they'll send you some clever literature.

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Date: 18 May 81 8:33:32-EDT (Mon) From: Bob Rahe <RAHE@UDEL-EE> Subject: OREMA - plagiarism???

That 'local electronics firm' had better watch out. They have apparantly plagiarized that software. That particular OS was announced by a 'Los Angeles electronics firm' in early 1966, and the announcement was duly reported in the \SDS USER'S NEWS/ dated March 1966.

(SDS = Scientific Data Systems, which was later XDS (Xerox Data Systems), which was later defunct although I have heard that the name has been resurrected.)

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