2600 Flash
Phone-In Registration for College
A $77,600 computer system that allows students to sign up for courses and alter their schedules using Touch-Tone telephones will be tested by 300 Union County College (New Jersey) students this fall and up to 7,000 students are expected to be using the procedure by next spring.
"When the student dials in each course will have a five-digit code number," John Farrell , the college's dean of computer services said. "The student will be prompted by a recorded voice for his identification, so students will have access when they are admitted, a password that only he will know [!], and then he will be led by the voice prompt through the procedure."
The system, purchased from Information Associates of Rochester and similar to those now being used by airlines for flight reservations, will inform students if their chosen courses are full and whether similar ones are available. It will also have the potential to provide many other services for students in the future, such as helping determine the status of their financial aid requests or the status of their admission application.
Trouble With 800 "Word Numbers"
When Hindalene Rosner saw 1-800-LIVE-AID flash on her television screen in the early hours of the worldwide benefit concert, she had a feeling that things would get busy.
It should be explained that Mrs. Rosner is vice president of the Life Aid Corporation. And her company's nationwide toll-free telephone number is: 1-800-LIFE-AID
"Every two seconds," Mrs. Rosner said, calls were coming into headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona, from viewers who were moved by the Live Aid concert to pledge money for the starving and homeless people of Africa.
Callers to Life Aid are told very politely that "this is a totally different business" and are given the correct listing-in digits (1-800-548-3243), not letters.
War Game Addict
A 19-year-old computer enthusiast who said he was addicted to a space war game and used stolen credit card numbers to charge playing time was placed on probation and ordered to make restitution after pleading guilty to wire fraud, a Federal official said.
The man, Kenneth Goldin, was placed on three years of probation and fined $500 by Federal Judge Maryanne Trump-Barry.
Hacker Extortionist Caught
Phineas Phreak, he called himself as he roamed through computer bulletin boards. But he was caught by telco security men, prosecuted under a 1984 Virginia law designed to zap computer trespassing and sentenced to pay $300 restitution within six months.
The 14-year-old Phineas became one of the first persons to be dealt with under the new law after he pleaded "not innocent" - a plea frequently used in juvenile proceedings to avoid giving someone a criminal record. The Montgomery County, Md., youth broke into a computer bulletin board service operated by a Vienna, Va., man and transferred part of what was stored there to his own computer. The victim, Allen Knapp, 40, who runs the Washington Networks BBS out of his home, said his clients pay a $10 fee for a password and the opportunity to exchange data with others.
Knapp told The Washington Post that on Jan. 5 the youth managed to bypass "my normal security safeguards," transfer files to his own computer, and erase a substantial portion of Knapp's files. "He then called my answering machine, stating what he had done and making certain demands in exchange for the return of the files in his possession," Knapp said. According to Knapp, the youth wanted the access to obtain files that he would then exchange with his friends. Knapp said he called the Virginia State Police and the Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Co. after hearing the message.
Pitcairn Island Now on AT&T Net
After nearly 200 years of peace and solitude, the residents of Pitcairn Island in the South pacific are about to enter the 20th century.
AT&T Communications Inc., in its relentless quest to wire the world, says it has decided to provide international long-distance service to this two-square-mile island where five descendants of Fletcher Christian and the other mutineers of the HMS Bounty still live.
The AT&T service will allow the islanders to receive and make calls anywhere in the world, instead of just ringing over to Tahiti. But they'll have to learn to talk fast. A three-minute call to or, from the U.S. will cost $11.83 and $3.36 for each additional minute.
Calling from the U.S. will be tough. Since all the residents must use the island's one telephone, they have already divvied up the time for making and receiving calls from each country. They will be accepting calls from the U.S. at 2 pm, 8:30 pm, and 1:15 am.
Private Sector Update
Last month, we told you about the raids in New Jersey which involved our official BBS, the Private Sector, as well as the flurry of headline grabbing that ensued. The sysop of the Private Sector is confident that he will have his equipment returned and charges against him dropped. His lawyer, Arthur Miller, who was obtained for the sysop through the American Civil Liberties Union, has not been able to make much progress on the case. Court proceedings have been postponed at the request of the prosecution. To date, the sysop still does not know the evidence against him, nor of any specific crimes he may be charged with. It is expected that the prosecution may try to hold up the equipment and any final actions in this case until the local elections are over.
Since the raids, 2600 has heard of several cases where BBS users have gotten phone calls from federal agents. We have also heard of a few other bulletin boards that have been taken down. If you know of any such cases, please contact our office at: 516-751-2600
In addition, since the BBS is not currently available, we have made arrangements for uploading of lengthy articles at our office number. They can still be sent by U.S. Mail.