Next week, by the way, I will not be here.
However, exploration will be on tape.
It is, of course, the 47th anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki Day.
And be sure to contact New York's Sane Freeze
to get more information concerning their memorial of that event
that's going to be taking place at the United Nations.
So call New York's Sane Freeze concerning the 47th memorial
of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
This is Dr. Michio Kaku for Radio WBAI-FM.
Good evening.
And this is WBAI New York.
Next up, Off the Hook with Emanuel Goldstein.
Oh, yeah, budgie, go do it, babe.
Hey, vote for me and I'll set you free.
For a modest percentage, of course.
Hey, everybody, this is Bernie Fleshkin, agent to the stars,
inviting you to join us this Monday morning on WBA's leftist political hits.
And we'll have a brand-new episode of Bushwinkle and Danny the Flying Quail.
And, of course, plenty of rock and roll.
Yeah, babe.
And calls from you.
So join us this Monday morning at 9.30 for some hot, radioactive stuff.
Hubba, hubba.
Who loves you, babe?
I do.
You know that.
Ciao, mucha, ciao.
You can't accuse us of not knowing how to have fun.
Here at WBAI New York, it's 9 o'clock.
Time for Off the Hook.
The telephone keeps ringing
So I ripped it off the wall
I cut myself while shaving
Now I can't make a call
It couldn't get much worse
But if they could, they would
Bum, diddly, bum
But the best, it's back the worst
I hope that's understood
Bum, diddly, bum
Bum, diddly, bum
And this is Off the Hook.
My name is Manuel Goldstein.
We're together for an hour up until 10 o'clock.
We talk about, oh, high tech, low intelligence, freedom of speech, repression of spirit,
and all the other things that go along with life in the 90s.
And to kick it off tonight, I'd like to play a song that I just obtained,
and I think it's really appropriate to the times in which we live.
It's by Attila the Stockbroker.
Attila the Stockbroker
Okay, we're going to break in here because for some reason one of our CD players is only playing on one channel.
So while I definitely switch CD players, I'll get this to you in stereo.
It's a song by Attila the Stockbroker.
It comes off the latest tribute to the Clash record, which we just got in.
And it should be coming up momentarily here on WBAI.
And we've got a lot of interesting things to talk about.
We'll be taking phone calls at 212-279-3400.
Hmm.
Let's do that.
Foley McPiet
Oh, mama, mama there
The children up late in the street again
Don't you know what happened down there
The youth of 14 got shot down there
The cocaine guns are jamming downtown
The killing clowns and blood money men
Shooting those Washington bullets again
And every cell in Chile will tell
The cries of the tortured men
Remember IND in the days before
Before the army came
Please remember Victor Jara
In the Santiago Stadium
Las Verdas
Those Washington bullets again
And in the Bay of Pigs in 1961
For Bannaford a playboy in the Cuban sun
But Castro is a colour that's a redder than red
Those Washington bullets want Castro dead
Castro from the era
When the colour of hope was red
Mikhail stood proud through his ordeal
The last defender of the great ideal
He led his party towards the light
Now he's stabbed in the back by left and right
Washington smiles and Rai's a prize
Come on down Yeltsin, collect your prize
New world order
As the dream of a new world dies
Vietnam, Panama, desert storm
Washington bullets at A cut 4
Now there's no need for bullets
Just threats and catch
TV dinners and video trash
It's what the peasants want and it's what they'll get
Oh Mikhail, how they forget
Off to market
Without a safety net
Bankers and pips come out to play
Now we're giving it all away
New world order
A dollar says obey
You know, one thing that we lack in this era
I think anyway
Are some good songs that
Kind of tell you what's going on
Much like we had in the 60s
And a little bit in the 70s
But since then
I don't know
The socially conscious musicians
Seem to be kind of
Asleep on the job
Hopefully
There'll be more music like that
In the future
That comes from Attila the Stockbroker
Washington bullets remake of the
Clash songs
It's called A New World Order Mix
And it comes from
The Clash Tribute
The Never Ending Story Part 1
And this is Off the Hook
With Emmanuel Goldstein
We're taking phone calls
At 212-279-3400
And I've got something
That I'd like to
To share with everybody
This just was posted
Over the internet today
It concerns freedom of speech
On a very well known
Computer network
Known as Genie
Now we spend time
Talking about Prodigy
Talking about America Online
Genie is one that we really
Haven't devoted very much
Attention to
And perhaps it's about time
That we did
Especially when you
Hear some of the things
That are allegedly going on
This is something
That is being passed around
On the internet
By Michael Lepore
And he has given permission
To spread this around
In whatever form possible
And I guess the radio
Is one form of doing that
Something that we should
All be concerned with
Even if we do not
Have computers
Because freedom of speech
Goes beyond our mere possessions
If it's not allowed
In one form
It one day will not be allowed
In another
And another
And so it goes
This is from a letter
He wrote on July 28th
Genie, the online service
Owned by General Electric
Has adopted new restrictions
These include a new level
Of vigor in the practice
Of screening bulletin messages
For content which is
Allegedly off-topic
Or offensive
To be more precise
The majority of the areas
Of the network
Are not affected
But the new practice
Was implemented in June of 1992
In Genie's
Religion and Philosophy
Roundtable
If these restrictions
Were on the books
Prior to June
They were almost
Never enforced
Nearly all of Genie's
Customers oppose
The new practice
But the company
Appears to be
Forgoing flexibility
Toward customer demand
In favor of
Repeated reminders
To us
That the company
Has the power
To make and enforce rules
Well the issue
First came to
This person's attention
On July 17th
1992
When Genie user
Mark Dotson
Using the nickname
Doulos
Participated in a
Theological debate
In the Religion and
Philosophy Bulletin Board
And he has given
His permission to
Publicly use his name
His post was deleted
By a system administrator
In the Bulletin Board
Conversation
Mark had inquired
Whether another writer
Who had commented
On the sacred text
The Quran
Had read the Quran
And what we're going
To do now
Is a bit risky
I suppose
We're going to read
The message
That this person posted
That was deemed
Defensive and removed
Category 17
Topic 5
Message 607
Friday
July 17th
1992
Posted at
9.14
Eastern Daylight Time
In the evening
Addressed to Pac-Man
Pac-Man
Did Peter say
That he had read
The Quran
I know I asked
Him that earlier
I must have
Missed something
Signed
Doulos
Well
As you can imagine
That message
Certainly caused
Quite a stir
After the deletion
Of the message
Mark went to
The feedback
To the Sysop
Or system administrator
System operator
Bulletin Board
Topic
And complained
About the deletion
And because
He complained
About the deletion
He was punished
He was punished
By being placed
On a read
Only status
For three days
That means
He was able
To read
But he was not
Able to write
Anything
In other words
He had his mouth
Taped shut
Well
The management
Stated that
The more severe
Penalty was warranted
Because
Mark was one
Of the bulletin
Board users
Who had volunteered
Unpaid
To do some
Bulletin Board
Maintenance
And he was
Thus designated
As a category
Leader
The management
Explained to all
After the fact
That it's improper
For a category
Leader to complain
Publicly
About bulletin
Board policies
It's common
For corporate
Managers
And spokespersons
To be restrained
In their public
Remarks
But many customers
Believe that such
A rule should not
Apply to a customer
Who has merely
Volunteered to do
Some bulletin
Board housecleaning
Now upon hearing
Of Jeannie's
Manner of punishing
This user
An electronic mail
Known as email
Group
Organized over
The weekend
Of July 18th
To 19th
To oppose
The new policy
The email group
Was large enough
That its members
Were the creators
Of 26.6%
Of all bulletin
Board messages
As indicated
By a database scan
Even among the users
Who did not ask
To join the email group
It is clear
That the vast majority
Of them agree
With it
The customers
Are not the only people
Who have taken steps
To unite
The administrators
Of the religion
And philosophy
Roundtable
United as well
Several of the administrators
Started to speak
In a monolithic voice
Even using
The same wording
That is that
Mark was supposedly
Wrong for going public
And what happened
To Mark
Is a private matter
In my opinion
The way they speak
With a single voice
Could make one wonder
Whether top-down
Instructions are telling
The subordinates
What they are required
To believe
Here is a message
That was written
By this person
To General Electric
Michael Lepore
To the Genie Management
Dear Genie Management
This month
This month I celebrate
One year with Genie
I came here from Prodigy
In July of 1991
Because of my strong dislike
And that's an understatement
Of Prodigy's common practice
Of deleting bulletin board messages
Following a system operator's
Individual value judgments
That the messages are offensive
Or otherwise inappropriate
I had thought Genie
Was completely different
Until a perfectly harmless message
By Mark Dotson
Was recently deleted
From the Religion Roundtable
And when the message writer
Did little more
Than point out
That he didn't do anything wrong
He was punished
With a read-only status
There are two kinds of businesses
There are some companies
That strive to give the customers
What the customers want
There are others
Which give the customers
Whatever the company
Wants to give them
And tells the customers
If you don't like it
Go elsewhere
Which kind of company is GE?
Please answer this question
Not in words
But by your actions
Please do me a favor
Don't quote
Protect unquote me
From the opinions of others
I am more offended
By this policy activity
I'm sorry
By this police activity
Than I am offended
By the unacceptable
Opinions themselves
I think the Religion Bulletin Board
Was a lot better
Before the management
Recently tried to improve it
If a message is libelous
Commits copyright infringement
Or contains a threat
Then there are practical
And legal reasons
For deleting it
But when users
X and Y
Are engaging in a debate
About a controversial subject
I don't want the management
Suddenly popping in
And charging that
One individual
Has become offensive
The very small
Possible advantage
Is outweighed
By the more
Probable harm
Done to the open
Exchange of ideas
I know that the majority
Of the Bulletin Board
Users feel the way I do
But the question is
Does Genie Management
Care what its customers want?
Please
Let's have
No more censorship
Signed Mark Lepore
And he got a reply
To that letter
From
Laura Staley
Who is the Genie
Product Manager
Responsible for the
Religion and Philosophy
Roundtable
And
We'll read
What she says
And we'll read
His comments as well
Dear Mr. Lepore
The original situation
In the Religion Roundtable
Was one that occurred
Over days and weeks
It was not simply
A perfectly harmless message
By Mark Dotson
What actually happened
Is not for public discussion
Your bulk mail letter
Regarding the situation
Was forwarded to Genie staff
It broke the Genie policy
Regarding use of
GE mail
Which prohibits
Unsolicited mail
Further use of
GE mail
Which violates policy
Could lead to the removal
Of your GE mail
Privileges
There is a tendency
Among some
Ex-prodigy customers
To view anything
Beyond very minimal
Maintenance
Or any maintenance at all
As a full-scale assault
On posting privileges
Genie sys-ops
Have the discretion
To manage their boards
Within Genie policy
The situation
Will be dealt with
And resolved
Any more calls
To action
Will be viewed
As unwarranted
Against Genie's
Best interest
And harassment
Of Genie staff
Well
Not exactly
A conciliatory reply
Then is that
His comments
Concerning that
And it's my opinion
That what she didn't say
Came across more loudly
And clearly to me
Than what she did say
Note that the
Administrators are asserting
That past discussion
Is relevant
In determining
Whether a present
Bulletin board message
Is acceptable
According to this thinking
If someone
Has been very argumentative
In the past
Then whatever he says
In the present
May be interpreted
In a specific light
For instance
Suppose I insult you
Yesterday
And if I merely say
Good morning today
Then this is another
Of my insults
This illogical position
Makes it clear
To most customers
That the deletion
Of a bulletin board message
Was merely being used
As a disciplinary measure
And concerning
That this is not
For public discussion
Whether or not
What actually happened
Is not for public discussion
Is entirely outside
Of Ms. Staley's jurisdiction
The First Amendment
To the U.S. Constitution
Does not exist
By the grace
Of the General Electric Company
Actually it just might
I'll have to check into that
But last I checked
I don't think it did
If a company
Treats a few of its customers
With disrespect
Then this is the concern
Of all of that company's customers
Because
They know that
They may be
The next victims
Gosh
Is this a microcosm
Or what?
All that we say
Here on this program
About First Amendment
Violations
Coming from
The government
Can also be applied
In the corporate world
And in some ways
That's a lot more scary
Concerning
Concerning
These
Comments
Returning to them rather
Several decades ago
A religious
I don't know why
I'm reading all these words wrong
Courageous
Boy there's something
Going on in the air tonight
Several decades ago
A courageous black lady
Named Rosa Parks
Made the news
When she refused
To give up her seat
On a bus
To a white man
The result was a great
Civil rights movement
I wonder what would have
Happened if we had
Accepted a ludicrous
Suggestion that the issue
Was a private matter
Between the bus company
And Ms. Parks
And was therefore
Not for public discussion
Let's note that
The resulting civil rights
Movement did not need
To obtain the permission
Of the bus company
Before it could conduct
Public education
Similarly
The subscribers of
Computer networks
Do not need the permission
Of management of those
Services before they
Can conduct
Public education
Ms. Staley warned me
That users are only
Allowed to send
Email that has been
Solicited by prior email
No mention was made
Of the three
Obvious points
Which immediately
Come to everyone's mind
1. The rule against
First use is
Self-contradictory
The mere existence
Of an email conversation
Implies that someone
Must have been the first
To send mail to the other
Therefore the rule
Logically requires
Its own violation
If the rule were
Obeyed in the past
An email conversation
Could never begin
If the rule is
Obeyed in the future
All email users
Would vanish from the earth
In one generation
2. Genie provides
A directory service
For precisely that reason
So you can enter
The names of a person
And find out
Their email addresses
The existence of the directory
Would not be needed
If merely replying
To previous mail
Because the return address
Is given at the top
Of each note
And three
The Genie administrators
Themselves send
Unsolicited email
To the users
Almost on a daily basis
To urge us to venture
Outside of basic
And use
Pay-by-the-hour services
These messages
Also give the user
Instructions for having
The receipt
Of such messages
Discontinued
But the first message
Must be sent
Before the recipient
Can possibly have
Those instructions
For discontinuance
Therefore if the management's
Belief is that
Any first contact
By mail is offensive
They sure have a funny
Way of showing it
And the referral
Of G.E.
Mail privileges
Asserts that it is
Merely a privilege
Not a right
To use a service
That one has paid for
Following the execution
Of a contract
Very disturbing
Bit of
News
Coming out of the
Electronic world
And we'll be
Following this
In the weeks to come
But it is
Curious how this
Whole battle
For freedom of speech
Is being fought
On many different fronts
It's not just
Hackers against
Against government
Prosecutors
That want to
Shut them up
It's also
Your run-of-the-mill
Computer user
Being told
What to say
And what not to say
On corporate
Run systems
Seems to me
You're kind of
Signing away
Some of your rights
Though
As soon as you
Give General Electric
The power
To dictate
What it is
That you say
And not say
How you
Conduct your
Computer time
If you know
Of such
Instances
Or any
Kind of
Controversy
Currently going on
In the electronic
World
Please write to us
Here at
Off the Hook
Care of WBAI
505
8th Avenue
New York
New York
10018
As you know
There are quite
A lot of
Battles going on
We mentioned
Our own battle
With Belcour
That is
Reaching various
Stages
You might have
Seen a couple
Of pieces
In the newspaper
About that
And
To sum up
Basically
Belcour
Has threatened
To sue us
For printing
Information
That we believe
People have the
Right to know
And that was
Given to us
Confidentially
They
Cannot
Stop
Newspapers
Magazines
Or
Press of any
Nature
From
Disclosing
Information
That is
Given to
Them
And they
Know this
Yet they
Want to
Try
And
Perhaps
They will
Drag us
Through the
Courts
And attempt
To weaken
Us in
That way
Judging from
The reaction
Of
Listeners
Readers
People on
The computer
Networks
Just your
Everyday
Person
Walking down
The street
It's not
Going to be
A very easy
Fight for them
To wage
Of course
We'll update
Everybody
As
As that
Story
Progresses
Right now
It's at the
Stage where
We've replied
To them
And told them
That we have
No intention
Of changing
The way we
Report news
Either on this
Radio program
Or through
2600 magazine
It's a test
And we'll
Have to see
How we
How we
Survive that
Test
Okay
We are
Going to
Take some
Phone calls
Now
212-279-3400
That's our
Phone number
And
Since we
Haven't talked
To our listeners
In quite some
Time
For the
Majority of
The program
We'll leave
It open
As far as
The many
Things that
Have happened
In the last
Few weeks
Since we've
Last had a
Chance to
Do this
Could concern
Computer hacker
Raids
Could concern
Indictments
Could concern
Lawsuits
Freedom of
Speech
Curtailments
And the
Like
Or
Something entirely
Different
It's up to
You
Good evening
Hi
Let me turn
Down my
Radio
Hold on
Okay
I sure
Hope the
Radio is
Close to
The phone
Not in
Another room
Somewhere
Concerning
What you
Were talking
About
But
It's
Some
Questions
That I
Wrote
Down
From the
Past
Couple
Of
Weeks
And
The
First
Of
Them
Are
Well
Some
Comments
Actually
First
Of
All
I
Remember
The
Last
Time
I
Talk
To
You
You
Said
That
The
Cold
Cop
Phones
Cannot
Prevent
You
Well
They're
Not
Supposed
To
They
Can
Do
Whatever
They
Are
Programmed
To
Do
I've
Had
One
Asked
Me
For
$9.95
Are
You
Sure
You
Didn't
Dial
$900
No
I
Definitely
Dialed
$800
And
$9.95
Is
Wrong
Yeah
Anyway
Those
Things
Happen
It
Happens
And
To
Be
Honest
I
Really
Doubt
How
Much
The
Public
Service
Commission
Is
Capable
Of
Doing
Because
I
Have
Complained
To
Them
Boots
Not
Phone
Boots
But
They're
Like
You
Go
Into
Like
The
Neighborhoods
Like
Jackson
Heights
Where
You'll
See
Telefono
D'Internacionale
They'll
Have
Like
A
Store
Like
And
In
That
Store
They'll
Have
Sort
Of
Little
Boots
With
Regular
Desk
Telephones
That
You
Make
International
Phone
Calls
Yeah
That's
A
Common
Practice
In
Many
Countries
Actually
It's
Kind
Of
Funny
To
See
It
Happening
Here
It
Also
Was
Common
Years
Ago
Here
But
Sometimes
People
Are
More
Comfortable
Paying
A
Fee
First
And
Then
Just
Getting
A
Phone
And
Some
Privacy
As
Well
I
Went
Into
Those
Phones
And
I
Was
Just
Free
To
Go
Into
The
Booth
And
Make
Any
Phone
Call
I
Want
And
What
They
Charge
For
That
Nothing
Nothing
Walked
In
Picked
Up
The
Phone
Dialed
A
Long
Distance
Number
And
That's
Well
I'm
Having
Trouble
Understanding
What
This
Is
This
Is
A
Place
That
You
Go
Into
And
You're
Supposed
To
Do
I
Don't
Know
Aren't
There
Rules
Posted
On
The
Window
Or
Something
Actually
I
Because
I
Asked
The
Lady
She
Didn't
Understand
English
Well
This
Is
Definitely
Opening
Up
Some
Interesting
Possibilities
Here
So
Basically
They
Allow
You
To
Walk
Into
Their
Offices
Sit
Down
At
A
Phone
Call
Anywhere
In
The
World
And
Then
Just
Walk
Out
I
That's
Apparently
So
Well
I
Have
A
Feeling
That
That's
Not
Going to
Be
Lasting
Too
Much
Longer
But
I
I'll
Definitely
Ask
People
To
Check
That
Out
For
Me
And
Get
Back
To
Me
And
Let
Me
Know
What
That's
All
About
It
Would
Be
Nice
I
Mean
Imagine
Imagine
If
You
Didn't
Have
To
Pay
Anything
For
Phone
Calls
Did
You
Have
I
Ever
Gone
Into
Chemical
Bank
Have
These
Phones
Called
Service
Line
And
Chemical
Manufactured
Handover
They
Have
These
Phones
That
You
Can
Call
This
935
9935
Number
That's
Their
Service
Line
That's
Their
Automated
Account
Information
I
Didn't
Believe
How
I
Didn't
Pick
Up
The
Phone
And
Made
Any
Type
Of
Phone
Call
I
Want
I
Call
Long
Distance
You
Mean
You
Pick
It
Up
And
You
Get
A
Dial
To
Yeah
It's
A
Regular
Telephone
Regular
Desk
Telephone
I
Don't
Know
You
Must
Have
Incredible
Luck
Because
I
Can
Find
Regular
Phones
Go
Into
Any
Press
That
And
It
Dial
Something
I
I
I
I'm
Talking
About
Inside
The
Bank
You
Mean
There's
A
Phone
Sitting
Right
There
I
Guess
They
Figure
That
You
Won't
Have
The
Gall
To
Make
A
Fraudulent
Call
Right
In
Front
Of
Them
Well
I
Tried
It
Well
Not
A
Fraudulent
Call
But
I'm
Just
Saying
A
Local
Call
I
Just
Make
A
Local
Call
And
You
Know
I
Could
Call
Long
Distance
I
Just
To
Try
It
I
Just
You
Know
Call
Long
Distance
And
I
Got
Through
It
You
Know
I
Mean
Some
Of
Them
Will
Block
Long
Distance
But
There's
No
Way
Of
Long
Distance
And
Things
Like
That
I
Wonder
If
You
Just
Unplug
The
Phone
And
Walk
Away
With
It
Too
Well
No
They're
Locked
That
They
Locked
The
$20
Phone
They
Locked
But
They
Leave
The
Lines
Wide
Open
That
Makes
A lot
Of
Sense
Well
Thanks
For
Sharing
All
That
With
I
Just
Want
To
Ask
You
What
The
394
Exchange
Is
394
Is
Kind
Of
A
Low
Cost
36976
Exchange
You
Dial
394
9901
It
Gives
You
Some
Sort
Of
Recording
That
Says
Something
About
An
IMAS
Machine
Yeah
That's
That's
A
Mass
Announcement
Exchange
An
IMAS
Is
A
Mass
Announcement
I'll
Try
Okay
394
9901
Well
You
Know
If
I
Know
The
BAI
Programmers
They
Probably
Blocked
It
But
It's
Not
One
Of
Those
Rip
Off
Lines
You
Can't
Charge
Up
A lot
Of
Money
On
These
Things
But
We'll
Try
To
Get
Through
And
See
What
It
Says
Okay
Okay
Thanks
For
Calling
Let's
See
If
We
Can
Actually
Do
That
Take
Just
A
Second
To
To
Get
A
Line
Here
Okay
Anybody
On
This
Line
Good
Okay
Now
Let's
Try
To
Get
A
Dial
Tone
Here
You
Know
These
Phones
Aren't
Working
At
All
There
It
Is
Okay
Now
We
Dial
The
Number
Let's
See
If
It
Goes
Through
Don't
Seem
To
Be
Getting
Anything
Ah
You
Have
Reached
394
9901
In
The
AXE
10
IMAS
Machine
Okay
AXE
Is
A
Switch
It's
The
Stevenson
Switch
From
Europe
Actually
We've
Got
Fiber
Optic
Here
Is
Going
To
He
Just
Pops
In
Whenever
We
Have
A
Question
Like
This
And
He's
Going
To
Tell
Us
Exactly
What
That
Is
We
Just
Heard
Go
Ahead
I
Was
Just
Saying
That
It's
It's
The
AXE
Is
A
Digital
Switch
Made
By
Ericsson
Which
Is
A
European
Company
And
What
That
Exchange
Is
394
Is
The
Similar
To
The
System
976
Is
Based
Upon
Which
Is
The
Mass
Announcement
System
Or
MAS
For
Short
And
It's
Just
Basically
A
Recorded
Announcement
Now
What
Kind
Of
People
Use
That
It's
Basically
People
That
Want
To
Have
A
976
Number
But
Don't
Want
To
Rip
People
Off
Or
Something
Like
Yes
I
Haven't
Heard
Of
Too
Many
Phone
Numbers
In
That
Exchange
At
All
Although
I'm
Sure
People
Are
Well
Aware
Of
The
Phone
Numbers
That
Appear
In
976
And
I'm
Sure
They're
They're
Quite
Similar
What
We're
Going
To
Try
To
Do
Now
Is
Get
Through
To
A
Wonderful
New
York
Telephone
Operator
Let's
See if
We
Get
It
Off
In
Here
There
We
Go
And
Let's
See
If
They
Can
Actually
Tell
Us
About
This
Of
Course
They
Probably
Won't
Be
Able
To
But
We'll
Try
Anyway
Air
Telephone
May I
Help
You
Yes
Hello
This
Is
The
Operator
Right
Yes
Great
I'm
Trying
To
Find
Out
The
Rates
To
The
394
Exchange
Area
Code
212
394
That's
Right
Okay
That's
A
Local
Call
That's
And
I'm
Going
To
Give
You
The
Rate
Just
Wait
A
Moment
Okay
Thank
You
The
Rate
Would
Be
Calling
From
A
Residential
Phone
From
9pm
To
11pm
It would
Be
6 cents
And
No
Overtime
Charge
6 cents
Plus
Tax
Is that
The
Initial
Charge
That's
It
6 cents
No
Overtime
Charge
From
A
Residential
Phone
8
So
6 cents
Is that
Day
Day
Day
Time
Rate
Did
You
Say
No
That's
That's
From
9pm
To
11pm
Monday
Through
Friday
The
Day
Rate
From
8
To
9pm
Monday
Through
Friday
Would
Be
11
Cents
And
No
Overtime
Charge
11
Cents
Plus
Tax
No
Overtime
Charge
And
How
About
After
11
I'm
Sorry
After
11
It
Would
Be
4
Cents
Plus
Tax
No
Overtime
Charge
That's
Also
Your
Weekend
Rate
You
Know
That
Starts
On
Friday
Night
At
11
Straight
Through
To
Sunday
At
5
Is
There
Any
Overtime
Charge
For
That
No
There's
No
That's
A
Flat
Rate
Call
That's
That's
Like
Your
Local
Used
To
Be
Message
Unit
Call
Right
That's
Your
Flat
Rate
Call
I
Understand
Okay
Thank
You're
Welcome
From
This
Phone
It
Might
Be
Different
From
Another
Phone
I
Mean
A
Different
Phone
Right
Because
The
Calls
Are
Rated
By
Distance
But
From
This
Phone
To
That
Number
It's
A
Flat
Rate
Call
The
Phone
In
The
Other
Part
Of
The
Office
It
Would
Be
The
Same
In
Same
Office
It
Would
Be
The
Same
Thing
But
I
I
If
You
Were
Calling
From
Another
Borough
Perhaps
It
Might
Be
Different
I
Understand
Okay
Well
Thank
You
Very
Much
For
Your
Help
You
Have
You
Have
You
Have
You
Have
You
Have
Bye
Bye
Bye
Bye
I
I
Feel
Like
I
Just
Run
A
Race
Or
Something
Yeah
I
Just
Had
To
Ask
About
The
Overtime
Because
She
Hadn't
Said
That
Enough
Time
So
I
Had
To
Ask
One
Time
To
Make
It
Absolutely
Clear
There's
No
Overtime
Charge
I
Don't
Know
You
Think
Those
Rates
Are
Right
That
Sounds
Like
A
Typical
Local
Call
Rate
To
Me
Too
You
Are
Suggesting
We
Try
It
One
More
Time
This
Is
Indication
Of
How
Sometimes
You
Get
A
Completely
Different
Answer
If
You
Ask
The
Same
Question
Twice
Yes
Hi
I
Need
The
Rate
Information
Please
For
Area
Code
2
1
2
3
9
4
Exchange
Thank
You
Hold
Then
They
Give
Me
2
1
2
3
9
4
Right
That's
Correct
Yes
That's
What bar
Is
That
I
Believe
It's
The
Manhattan
Bur
That
Might
Be
Incorrect
Hold
2
1
2
3
9
4
This
This
Is
New
York
City
This
Is
It
Comes
Up
Vacant
When I
Put
It
It
It
Is
Coming
Up
Vacant
Oh
Dear
It
Belongs
To
No
One
What
Is
This
New
Telephone
Company
Exchange
Hmm
Well
I
I
Had
Heard
It
Was
Used
It
Sort
Of
Like
A
9
7
6
Exchange
Only
Not
As
Expensive
I
I
I'm
Not
Sure
Let
Me
Connect
My
Supervisor
Okay
Thank you
She
Can
I
Don't
See
I
Don't
See
Anything
It
Just
Comes
Vacant
Vacant
Yeah
That's
That's
A
Problem
Okay
Supervisor
May I
Help
Yes
Hi
I'm
Trying
To
Find
Out
The
Rates
For
The
394
Exchange
Actually
I
Guess
I'm
Trying
To
Find
Out
What
The
394
Exchange
Is
Hold
In
A
Moment
Thank
You
What
Is
The
Complete
Number
Well
I
Don't
Have
The
Complete
Number
Somebody
Just
Asked
Me
To
Find
Out
About
The
394
Exchange
I
Said
It
Was
Like
The
976
Exchange
Only
Not
We
Don't
Give
Out
And
Those
Are
Private
Numbers
And
I
Don't
Have
The
Rates
On
That
394
Is
Have
To
Look
When
It
Flashes
On
The
Screen
394
Is
Private
The
976
If
It's
394
And
It's
Like
That
Number
Then
We're
Not
Going
To
Have
The
Rates
There
Either
Well
Aren't
There
Set
Rates
Pardon
Me
Are
There
Set
Rates
For
394
Sounds like
She hung up
Almost
Hmm
That
Definitely
Had a
A
Click
Sound
To
It
I
Didn't
Didn't
Like
The
Way
That
Sounded
Is
Anybody
There
Hello
Is
Anybody
On
The
Line
Well
They
Hung
Up
How
Do
You
Like
That
Well
We
Will
Never
Know
If
It
Was
On
Purpose
Or
Whether
It
Was
An
Unfortunate
Accident
But
I
Think
We
Have
Proven
Here
That
There's
No
Way
To
Get
A
Straight
Answer
Out
Of
The
Phone
Company
We'll
Try
And
Research
That
A
Little
Bit
More
For
Everybody
You
Know
I
Had
To
Explain
To
The
Phone
Company
This
Week
How
Their
I
After
A
Lengthy
Debate
Of
About
20
Minutes
They
Finally
Looked
Into
It
And
Found
Out
That
I
Was
Right
And
Needless
To
Say
I
Didn't
Feel
Too
Good
About
Being
Right
I
Mean
Why
Are
We
Telling
Them
How
To
Run
Their
System
Good
Evening
Yes
This
Is
WBAI
No
This
Is
WBAI
That
Is
What
I
Mean
I
Wanted
To
Ask
A
Question
On
The
Program
Right
Should I
Tell You
The
Question
That's
The
Only
Way
You
Going
To
Get
It
Answered
Okay
I
Wanted
To
I
Recently
Went
Up
To
A
Country
Home
And
I
Wanted
To
Find
Out
Why
It
Was
In
A
Rural
Neighborhood
And
I
Wanted
To
Know
Why
I
Had
To
Call
In
When
I
Called
A
Number
I
Got
An
Operator
And
Why
I
Had
To
Give
My
To
An
Operator
She
Asked
You
What
Your
Number
Was
I
I
Sorry
She
Asked
You
What
Your
Number
Was
In
Some
Are
They
Don't
Have
The
Ability
To
Read
Your
Phone
Number
Believe
It
Or
Not
Even
In
This
Day
And
There
Are
Some
Places
I've
Heard
Of
Where
You
Tell
Them
The
Number
And
They
Key
In
The
Number
And
If
It
Doesn't
Match
They
Know
But
They
Don't
Know
What
Your
Automatic
Number
Identification
Known
As
ANI
Yeah
ANI
If
You
Were
In
An
Area
Which
Didn't
Yet
Use
This
This
Type
Of
System
What
Would
Happen
Is
That
You
Would
Get
An
ANI
Failure
When
You
Tried
To
Make
An
Outgoing
Call
And
They
Use
Something
Called
Operator
Number
Identification
Or
ONI
Yeah
Then
The
Operator
Would
Come
On
The
Line
And
She
Ask
You
Where
You
Were
Calling
Local
To
The
Area
They
Will
Know
That
You
Lying
They
Probably
Figure
Something
Something
So
It
Just
I
Mean
They
Just
Don't
Bother
To
Make
It
More
Sophisticated
Because
They
Don't
Have
To
It
Takes
Time
In
That
Type
Of
An
Area
They
Are
Probably
Still
In
A
Step
System
Out
There
A
Lot
Of
Places
In
The
United
States
Are
Still
Very
Primitive
Believe
It
Or
Not
Most
Most
Places
Are
Digital
Now
Electronic
Or
Whatever
But
There
Are
Some
Places
That
Are
Still
Really
Backwards
And
No
Offense
To
Them
But
That's
Just
The
Way
It
Is
I
I
I
I
I'll bet
You
Can't
Choose
Your
Long
Distance
Carrier
Out
There
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I
in a lot of GTE places
to choose another phone company.
And that's rather unfair, obviously,
but that's the way it is.
Interesting.
All right, thank you very much.
Thanks for calling.
You have a great program, by the way.
All right, thank you.
You're welcome, Mike.
Interesting story from the country there.
A lot of strange phone stories.
Good evening, you're on.
Hi, turn radio down.
Okay.
All right, lighter topic,
9-7-1, not 9-star-6-9.
Yeah, call return.
Yeah, a friend of mine works
for the phone company.
He says it's not all implemented yet,
but it will be possible to block calls
either on an individual basis
by typing in star-6-7
or on a line basis.
And if you get them blocked
for a one-time only fee, of course.
Well, now, I believe what you're referring to
is blocking of caller ID.
No, no.
You're saying blocking star-6-9 ability?
9, yeah, yeah.
I have not heard that anyplace.
Well, as I said,
this is from a friend
who works for the phone company.
And we've heard
how the phone company answers questions,
so I've got to warn you
that that might not be valid information.
I've never heard of star-6-9
being able to be blocked.
No, he said, you know,
by typing in star-6-7
and you can get it blocked
on a line basis.
And this is the cool part,
that if you don't get it blocked
on a line basis,
then if you have unlisted service,
you'll get a discount on that
because you know you pay extra for that.
Uh-huh.
You get an extra,
you'll get a discount on the extra fee
if you don't have the star-6-9 blocked
on a line basis.
So, basically, what you're saying
is if you pay to have your phone unlisted,
which is something else I can't figure out,
you'll get a discount
on the additional fee you have to pay
to keep your number
from being broadcast all over the place
if, in fact, that system works.
Right, right.
And then the last kicker
is that if you do get it blocked
on a line basis,
you'll be able to unblock it
for selected calls
if you want the people
to be able to dial it back
by dialing, oh, damn,
is it star-7-1
or something like that?
Okay, well, you see,
where I am now,
and this is something also
the phone company says
is impossible,
they say that in order
for star-6-9 to work on you,
it has to work from you.
In other words,
if you can't star-6-9 somebody,
call, return them,
nobody can star-6-9 you.
And I found out,
much to my chagrin,
that that's not true,
that I can be star-6-9
from all over the place
and I can't do it back.
And it's very embarrassing
to find out the hard way
that that's the case.
But the phone company
maintains to this day
that if you can be star-6-9
then you must have
the capability yourself,
but we simply do not have it.
Yeah, the only thing
to say in my defense
is I was talking to this guy
as a friend
rather than calling
somebody in the phone company
I never knew before.
It may or may not be true,
but there's something.
One other thing,
have you read the Quran recently?
No, no,
we can't have things like that
being said over the air.
Well, I look in my Quran,
there's no mention of GE
or BBSing
or computers in it.
There is something
about reading the Quran.
It says,
those to whom we have sent the book
study it as it should be studied.
They are the ones
that believe they're in.
So if I read that right,
unless the guys are practicing Muslim,
he has no business reading it
in the first place.
I'll hang up now.
Okay, well,
thanks for that interpretation there.
I'm sure GE will be
most pleased
to find it.
It's got some support
on censoring people
that talk about the Quran.
Yeah, good evening.
Yes.
First, about the GE
whenever there's management.
That's why I like Usenet
so much better.
It's not really as centralized.
You know what I mean?
Yeah.
So you don't run into
those kind of problems.
If we could have a bigger
Usenet type of network,
I think that would work.
Yeah, decentralized
and no real person
that's controlling everybody.
You know what I'm saying?
Yeah, well, because
what you have
when you have centralization
is you have
the whole managerial world there
and they're all used to that
in their little corporate cubicles.
You have your politics.
Right.
And we don't really want
that kind of a world.
We just want to be able
to communicate back and forth
with different people
and say what's on our minds.
And it's like we're living
in two different planets.
Exactly.
Now, the other thing,
talking about,
and of course,
I wonder about NBC,
which is also owned by GE.
Right.
Even worse,
but we just don't get
to know about it.
The other thing is cable TV.
Here on Long Island,
you know,
we only get 37 channels.
And my favorite station,
which is C-SPAN.
I just can't believe
I've actually lived
to hear somebody say
I only get 37 channels.
But go ahead anyway.
Oh, I have friends
who get 150
and my satellite friend
gets 400.
But there's still
nothing worth watching on
except maybe
Northern Exposure
and that's about it.
Well, you know,
I have C-SPAN on
in the background.
Yeah, there's always
C-SPAN in CNN.
C-SPAN is much better,
I think,
because it's just raw
and you can make up
your own mind.
My idea,
if there's any cable TV
programmers out there,
bring us some foreign TV,
some British TV,
some European TV,
you know,
run it through
the PAL NTSC converter
and we'll have
a whole lot of other things
to watch
because they all watch
our TV,
so why can't we
watch theirs?
That's my opinion.
I'm sorry,
what were you saying?
C-SPAN has Soviet news
every night,
which is an interesting spin
and I get to see
Japanese TV too,
which, by the way,
they play to a much
more intelligent audience
there.
They have a quiz show.
They had one on the
Macintosh the other day.
It's called Cult Quizzes
and they asked
really technical questions
like they played
a sound effect
from a game
and the contestants
knew what game it was.
That's because
they're probably all
hooked on it
over there.
Well, but the thing is,
imagine a game show
like that here.
The thing I was getting
at was
I'd really like to see
more competition
for the cable.
I'd like to find out
if you know,
I know that your specialty
is really more along
the lines of telephones,
but cable vision
cuts C-SPAN out
at 6 p.m.
every night
for Sports Channel.
I know, it's ridiculous
and things like that
happen all the time.
I'd like to find
another source
to get my TV
without having to move
to Queens
or Manhattan
or something.
You see,
this is an interesting
thing that the phone
companies and cable
companies are battling
amongst themselves.
Neither one wants
the other to encroach
upon its territory
and I think it would
be great for everybody
if not only they
encroach upon each
other's territory
but a whole lot
of other companies
do as well.
Well, that's why
they have so many
channels and it's
so cheap in Queens
because there's
three competitors
in some,
if you're lucky enough
you can get
any one of three
different companies
and that's why
they have such
good service
in so many channels.
I think it should be
a requirement
that we can choose
our cable company
as well as choose
our local phone company
because we have
no competition
for local dial tone
and we should.
If we can have
all these long distance
companies,
why can't we have
a lot of local companies?
We'll be able to
pick and choose
and not have to
have to deal with
unfairness on their part.
Absolutely.
So, do you have
any information
on any idea
on a way?
I heard somebody
got a satellite
just for $800
from Radio Shack
on sale.
Yeah, but you still
have to convert
and de-scramble
and all that.
Not the majority
of the channels.
Things like C-SPAN
or CNN are not
scrambled.
Well, most of them
are scrambled now
I believe,
including the broadcast
superstations.
I heard CNN
was scrambled
but that could be
wrong.
That's unfortunate.
Until, I mean,
there is no competition
out by you.
I do know that.
Until there is,
you're going to have
to live with
whatever Cablevision
decides is best
for you
and that includes
shutting off C-SPAN
at 6 o'clock
for, you know,
sports.
That's one of the
reasons I don't
get cable
is because
I feel it's,
you know,
they're telling you
what to watch.
They decide what
premium channels
they want to get
and what packages
they're going to
offer it to you in.
And I think it
should be more,
you know,
an individual
selection kind
of a thing.
Well, Cablevision
says that they're
expanding service
in my area,
North Hempstead,
very shortly now,
quote unquote.
Yeah.
I'd also like to
know when.
They keep saying
next month,
but they've said
the same thing
since April.
Next month,
go from 37
to 57 channels.
Uh-huh.
Well,
get someone on
who can answer that.
Yeah, and I
encourage people
in West Hempstead
to call and ask
repeatedly,
and maybe that
will make a difference.
Yes, thank you
very much.
All right,
thanks for calling.
Speaking of people
calling and asking
repeatedly,
I spoke to a cable
and wireless
representative this
week concerning
the cutting off
of 950 access,
950 being a very
cheap economical
way of making
long distance
and local phone
calls.
950 exchanges
does not cost
anything from
pay phones
or from any
phone.
You enter your
six-digit code
and then you
enter the phone
number you want
to call and it's
billed to your
account.
Recently, Cable
and Wireless sent
out letters saying
they were discontinuing
that service
because of computer
hackers, a charge I
find to be absurd
because it doesn't
take a computer
hacker to figure out
a six-digit code.
They said they were
moving to their
more sophisticated
800 number that
had an eight-digit
code and that's all
fine and dandy
except for the fact
that instead of
charging very
economical rates,
for instance,
a call, a local
call that lasts one
minute would cost
about maybe eight
cents, which is
cheaper than using
a pay phone even.
Instead, the 800
number would charge
33 cents a minute,
which certainly does
not lend itself to
either long or short
calls.
So I spoke with a
representative,
actually one of the
salespeople this week
concerning that and
she said that they'd
received quite a lot
of calls about that
and right now it's
they're not decided
on the issue yet.
They're going to be
cutting back on 950
service in various
parts of the 718
area code and the
impression I got was
that they're thinking
of doing away with it
entirely, but they did
sound rather exasperated
as if they were
getting a lot of
phone calls.
Now, cable and
wireless is one of
the few companies that
I have the suspicion
actually listens to
its customers.
So if you do use the
950 service, you
should know that it
is in danger and if
you're interested in
using it, of course,
you may not have
that opportunity if
this goes through.
Obviously, if they
can add two digits
to the 800 number,
they can add two
digits to the 950
number and simply
have an eight-digit
code on their 950
service.
So I urge people to
give them a call and
be polite and all
that.
Talk it over with
them and explain why
you think they're
either right or
wrong.
I think most people
think they're wrong
though.
And get back to us.
Let us know what
they say.
And if you want to
reach them there,
their 800 number is
800-486-8686.
Or if you want to go
through the 950
number if it's still
connected in your
area, dial 950-0223.
At the tone, dial 811 and
that will get you to
their system service
representatives or
whatever.
And keep asking questions
and if somebody doesn't
provide you with a
satisfactory answer, ask
to speak to their
supervisor and just make
your presence felt.
That's my advice not
only in this particular
case but in any case
that concerns you that
you find to be unfair or
something worthy of
attention.
Okay, let's see how many
more phone calls we can
get in.
Good evening.
Hi.
Yeah, I had a question
regarding caller ID.
What I wanted to know was
on caller ID, if the phone
company is actually, if you
have blocking, let's say
that when I instituted, if
you have blocking on a
caller ID, when you make a
call, do they suppress
transmission of the data or
do they, let's say, transmit
the data but also transmit
an indicator saying, don't
display this.
I'm just wondering if
somebody with the proper
equipment, let's say you
have, you select blocking.
Right.
You make a call to
somebody, but they have
some sort of equipment
where they can, let's say,
decode whatever the, there's
some sort of a header or
something that precedes your
call, I think.
Right.
Yeah, it's a data burst.
It takes about three seconds
for the data.
Okay, it's a data burst.
Whether that data burst is
still there, in other words,
is the information still
there and with the proper
equipment, could somebody
decode the number?
The information is
suppressed, at least this is
what the phone company has
told me.
However, and my view on this
is that you don't know for
sure when you block
something if it really
worked, if it really did
block it.
I mean, that's my personal
view that, you know, you're
just taking their word for it
that your number isn't being
transmitted.
But Fiberoptic has a more
technical explanation.
Yes, as far as we can tell,
when the number is transmitted
in the burst of data, it
sends the date and the time
as well as the phone number.
And this information is sent
in ASCII.
Right.
And as far as we know, the
time would obviously still be
sent, but in place of the
phone number, the ASCII
representation of the letter
P would be sent, P meaning
private.
So I guess in that sense, the
phone number is not being
transmitted.
I see.
Okay.
Yeah.
But, you know, these are ones
and zeros we're dealing with
here.
They can be manipulated.
So, you know, I advise caution
all the time.
Do you know if it's possible
to receive that data, that
data burst on a, let's say,
on a modem?
Sure.
And the modem is set up to
receive the proper data.
It's 1,200 baud.
Well, it's half duplex.
Half duplex.
It's the Bell 202 standard.
It's a half duplex synchronous
burst of data.
Most modems are asynchronous, so
you wouldn't be able to read
it.
But if you have an old Apple
Cat modem on an Apple II, then
you'd probably be able to
program the Apple Cats because
the Apple Cats did do the Bell
202 standard, which is a half
duplex, 1,200 bits per second.
Interesting.
Okay, thanks a lot.
Okay.
In fact, we've got some
technical information on that
in the just-released summer
issue of 2600, which no doubt
will launch another lawsuit
against us by Bell Corps, but
that's just the kind of thing
we like to do.
Good evening.
Oh, dial tone there.
Good evening.
Yes, hi.
I'd like to find out...
Hi, are you there?
Yeah, go ahead.
Yeah.
I came home and there was a
message on my machine, my
tape deck, which was two
people talking, oh, I didn't
know, talking to each
other, and then she said to
the guy, I think his machine
has just come on.
So he said, okay, hang up
and call me back.
Now, I looked out my window
and on the roof next door
there was somebody who seemed
to be hooking into phone
lines with a phone.
Is it possible to do that?
Sure.
I mean, they would have to
know your phone number to
make your machine go on
because they have to call you
to activate your machine, I
would imagine.
Well, can't they just, like,
randomly pick a line and,
like, attach alligator clips
to it and to just sort of
come into the line that way?
Yeah, at any point where
the lines come in, whether
it's that little box on the
telephone pole or something
in your apartment building,
someone can clip in and make
all the calls they want off
your line.
Yeah, that's very easy.
I don't know about you
hearing their conversation
and your machine coming on.
And that's, I'm not quite sure.
That implies, like, three-way
and various other things
that could be happening.
But it's ridiculously easy.
Should I, like, call the
phone company and find out
if somebody is, like,
tapping into my line?
If you suspect somebody's
doing that, write down the
time that you think it was
happening, if you saw
somebody actually doing it,
and check your bill.
Ask the phone company to
look at the local part of
the bill, which you might
not get, and, you know,
see if something is
happening.
And, of course, report it
to the phone company as
well.
So you suspect this is
happening because it's
their property.
You know, those wires are
their property.
They should take an
interest in that.
And if they don't take
an interest in that,
take it a step further,
go to PSC or something.
Yes.
Okay, thanks a lot.
Okay, thanks for calling.
Got time for one more
quick call.
Good evening.
That's not it.
Good evening.
Hello?
Well, I was curious as to
which city has the most
sophisticated telephone
system in America.
Oh, that's a good question.
Yes, that because I know
in France, there is a
sophisticated system where
the telephone and news is
hooked up.
Right.
Yeah, they have a video
text service.
I'll hang up and listen
to your reply.
Okay.
I don't, boy, this is
something that I'm kind of
stumped at.
I don't think there's any
one city that's far ahead
of other cities.
I think the phone companies
are kind of moving at the
same pace.
What do you think on that
one?
Well, I'd probably say the
United States is the most
advanced.
Would he ask for a city in
the United States?
Well, it wouldn't be any
specific.
Probably if you're going to
say a lab, then it would be
in New Jersey, you know, at
Bell Labs or Belcor, where
they actually do the
experimenting.
But I wouldn't say any one
city where the phone system
is currently implemented is
going to be any more
advanced than another.
Right.
I mean, there are some, you
know, problems in New York
that you might not find in
other cities, but it goes
both ways.
New York is ahead of other
cities.
But some countries, like
Paris, is a good example,
actually.
Paris is the only city in
France that actually has a
city code.
And everything else is just
France.
So they're kind of miles
ahead.
That's going to just about
do it for us here tonight
on Off the Hook.
My name is Emmanuel Goldstein,
and I guess I'll be back
again next week at this
same time.
Stay tuned for the
Personal Computer Show
coming up next.
I cut myself while shaving.
Now I can't make a call.