TELECOM Digest     Wed, 27 Apr 94 13:15:00 CDT    Volume 14 : Issue 185

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Looking For Information on BNC, Inc. (jrcrum@bb1t.monsanto.com)
    Customer <-> Local Phone Company Contact Point (Jonathan Liu)
    Proprietary Rights and Pirate Psychology (A. Padgett Peterson)
    Voice Recognition With Octel Systems (Eric A. Litman)
    BT Redirection Message (Tony Harminc)
    Telecom Inventory Management (Mark Kelly)
    Multi-Line Office Phone System - How to Connect Modem? (Misha Glouberman)
    Help! Need 800 Number/WATS History (Dwight Phili Victor)
    Intelligent Network Architecture (INA) (Brian Anzaldua)
    Answering Machines: What Use? (Daniel Joha)
    Responses to Voltage Drop Query (Dick O'Connor)
    E1 Help Wanted (Jack W. Lix)
    FYI: CommerceNet Press Release (William Tao-Yang Wong)
    Alfred Hitchcock Episode - Bomb Scare (Carl Moore)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
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----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: jrcrum@bb1t.monsanto.com
Subject: Looking For Information on BNC, Inc.
Organization: Monsanto Company, St. Louis, MO
Date: Tue, 26 Apr 1994 21:39:10 GMT


I'm trying to find some information on a company called Business
Network Communications, Inc. (BNC).  They are supposedly a long-distance 
wholesaler, reselling AT&T services.  A friend of mine is considering
investing in this company, and asked me to post this to see if anyone
may be familiar with them.  If anyone has any direct experience with
this company (or one like it), we would appreciate any information.

I also have another question.  This company claims that due to some
FCC rulings, AT&T is required to make discount packages like the ones
they give large companies available to resellers.  The resellers can
then make money selling AT&T long-distance service to other companies
or individuals.  Is this for real?


Joe Crum | 577-6476@mcimail.com 

------------------------------

Date: Wed 27 Apr 1994 01:51:32 -0400
From: Jonathan <jdl@wam.umd.edu>
Subject: Customer <-> Local Phone Company Contact Point


I would like to suggest that after local telephone service competition
is under way, somebody should create a special point of contact
between all customers and all local telephone companies.  This entity
would represent customers, all local telephone companies or the
government.  It could either be a separate government agency in each
state or it could be a single industry-wide organization.  This agency
would have multiple functions.  

First, it would control the assignment of area codes, prefixes and
telephone numbers; it would maintain a database of what company
handles whose services.  Second, it would verify any service orders
when somebody is trying to change local telephone service from one
company to another.  Third, it would handle reports of trouble on
calls, localize them to one company's network, and then refer it to
that company.  Fourth, it may provide some operator services or
billing functions.  Fifth, it would set business, ethical and
technical standards for the industry.  I am sure that there are other
functions for it too.  The point is that this agency should either
represent no telephone companies and be either customer- or
government-controlled, or it should represent each and every local
phone company in the nation.  It could be organized with a two-house
board of directors: one with one director from every LEC and one
apportioned to which LEC has the most customers.

What do people think?


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Wouldn't this be redundant since we 
already have both the Federal Communications Commission and a state
agency in every state at present?  In addition there are already many
consumer organizations which devote their attention to utility matters.
Why add still another layer to the whole thing?   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 27 Apr 94 11:58:44 -0400
From: padgett@tccslr.dnet.mmc.com (A. Padgett Peterson)
Subject: Proprietary Rights and Pirate Psychology


Originator's name unimportant 

> I've been told by a usually reliable source that the full confidential, 
> proprietary details of the Videocrypt video scrambling system are being 
> released this week on some international bulletin boards.

Am not a lawyer so may be ignorant and would appreciate education if
wrong. My understanding is that there is no legal meaning to the word
"proprietary" other than a contractual (civil) obligation that may be
required for access to data. This contract does not exist between any
other parties who may gain access (note: am not addressing *how* access 
was gained, merely that it was).

Further "confidential" in the civil as opposed to the military sense
is similar: actionable only on those people who have contractually
agreed that it is.

As such, merely marking "proprietary" or "confidential" on a document
does not automatically induce any obligation on the part of any
individual who has not entered into a "proprietary rights agreement"
beyond the test of "common sense". There is no consideration and there
is no contract between any party who happens on it due to a lack of
proper protection on the part of the originator. (Again not talking
about any improper acts, merely the fact that no-one who has not
signed a PRA is under any obligation to keep information secret merely
because it is considered "proprietary" by another). Please correct if
wrong but if so, please be explicit about under what juristiction.
(sovereign can do *anything* but only in area of sovereignty).

> If all the above is true, I'm interested in knowing what the pirates
> stand to gain from releasing the information on bulletin boards.
> Surely, it is more profitable to keep the information to yourself, and
> have something to sell.  Or is this a move to force Videocrypt's hand
> in some way?

Some people claim that "information should be free", others feel that
by sharing what they have others will share what they have. Yet
another might be involved in a competing system and feel that its
market share will improve if VideoCrypt's secrets are known. Too many
possibilities to list. Why are there computer viruses ?


Warmly,

Padgett

------------------------------

From: elitman@proxima.com (Eric A. Litman)
Subject: Voice Recognition With Octel Systems
Date: 26 Apr 1994 13:50:33 -0500
Organization: Proxima, Inc.


I have a client with (n:n>100) Octel systems who would like to develop
polling/survey applications with Octel's TransAct software option. I
am looking for any way to incorporate speech recognition technology
into this system.

As I understand, AT&T has recently started a marketing blitz with a
new speech recognition package they are offering. Can this interface
with the Octel systems? Does anyone have any more information on this
in gereral?

Any information appreciated.


Eric Litman               Proxima, Inc.     vox: (703) 506.1661
Senior Systems Engineer   McLean, VA        elitman+@proxima.com

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 27 Apr 94 04:41:30 EDT
From: Tony Harminc <EL406045@BROWNVM.brown.edu>
Subject: BT Redirection Message


The 26 March 94 issue of {New Scientist} mentions an example of BT
ineptitude.  The London number +44 81 975 9759 has been changed to +44
81 242 3000.  If you dial the old number, BT's automated system will
tell you the new number, in UK-internal format (081 242-3000).  "But
whereas BT's numbering system groups digits logically into an area
code followed by the number, BT's electronic stitcher works in a
completely different way."  The new number is read as 0812 423 0 00,
with the last group read as "double oh".  (The number is that of the
UK Press Gazette.)


Tony Harminc

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 27 Apr 1994 05:06:23 EDT
From: Mark Kelly <mkelly@gabriel.resudox.net>
Subject: Telecom Inventory Management


Thanks to everyone that responded to my request for information about
STU III phones. I'll post a summary soon.

But who knows anything about Telecom inventory management?

In particular, what options are available for management of telecom
assets and circuits? It would seem to me that given the large number
of service providers and telcos in North America there must be
off-the-shelf software that provides inventory management functionality.

I know that in Canada most of the large telcos (Stentor) have their
own internal systems for managing their assets. Is this because
everyone does it differently or because this software isn't available
and has to be custom designed.

Any comments or assistance would be appreciated. I will post a summary
back to this Digest.


Thanks,

Mark Kelly                  Advanced Multi-Point Conferencing
Email: mkelly@resudox.net   320 March Road, Suite 102        
Phone: 613-592-5752     Kanata, Ontario, Canada  K2K 2E3 

------------------------------

From: misha@abacus.concordia.ca (Misha Glouberman)
Subject: Multi-Line Office Phone System - How to Connect Modem?
Reply-To: misha@abacus.concordia.ca
Organization: Concordia University, Montreal, Canada
Date: Tue, 26 Apr 1994 22:19:15 GMT

 
I'm trying to hook up a modem in a friend's office. They have those
typical office phones that require you to pick a line to get a dial
tone. This is a real drag for the modem setup of course. Anyone know
of a way to hook up a modem in such a situation? (The system's a
Trillium TalkTo 616, if that helps.)
 
It's a small office they've got, and phone lines for businesses are
real expensive here in Canada. AT&T, who bought out the company that
made the system, want an absurd amount of money to connect a POTS jack
onto the existing system.
 
Any information would be greatly appreciated.


Misha Glouberman     misha@abacus.concordia.ca

------------------------------

From: dwightv@hawaii.edu (Dwight Phili Victor)
Subject: Help! Need 800 Number/WATS History
Organization: University of Hawaii
Date: Wed, 27 Apr 1994 03:12:05 GMT


Howzit!

I'm a student at the University of Hawaii and I'm doing a report for
my communications class on 800 Numbers/WATS.  I need some info/history
as soon as possible. I'm looking for when and why this service began.
If you have any information, could you please e-mail me at:

dwightv@uhunix.uhcc.hawaii.edu


Mahalo in advance,

Dwight Victor    University of Hawaii    College of Communications


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: This was received during the time I was
off line a couple weeks ago and Mr. Victor needed his information about
a week ago unfortunatly ... but it seemed like an interesting question
to present here. WATS service began in the late 1950's with the advent 
of direct long distance dialing. In-WATS (or 800 service, as it is more
commonly known) began *under that name with direct dialing* in the
middle to late 1960's; however the predecessor to 800 service was called
'Enterprise Service' in some areas and 'Zenith Service' in other areas.
Companies which agreed to accept incoming collect or reverse charge calls
on an automatic basis -- without the operator asking their permission to
place the charge each time -- were assigned a four digit number with the
prefix 'Enterprise' or 'Zenith', ie Enterprise 5781, which was my toll-free
number in those days. Callers dialed the operator and asked for connection
to the desired Enterprise number. Dial-it-yourself 800 numbers largely
made Enterprise service obsolete by the late 1970's.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: briana@corp.hp.com (Brian Anzaldua)
Subject: Intelligent Network Architecture (INA)
Date: 26 Apr 1994 20:11:12 GMT
Organization: Hewlett Packard


Does anybody know where I can get a copy of a white paper on INA?

briana@hpccoa.corp.hp.com

------------------------------

From: johaciie@w206zrz.zrz.TU-Berlin.DE (Daniel Joha)
Subject: Answering Machines: What Use?
Date: 26 Apr 1994 22:05:11 GMT
Organization: TUBerlin/ZRZ



Short Discussion on ANSWERING MACHINES, comments are welcome!

- Answering machines save time since they allow 
  asynchronous communication.

- Answering machines are impersonal. I don't like to talk
  to machines!

- With answering machines one can answer calls in a "bulk"
  and is therefore less disturbed while working.

- Many callers hesitate talking on to the tape.

- While absent, it is possible to obtain messages. 
  This can be important if upon one's return the caller himself is absent.

- Callers never know whether the called party is absent or just
  happily listens to them.

- Call screening is possible: only calls that are welcome are answered.

- An answering machine causes additional costs:
  electricity and phone charges.

Which positive and negative experiences have you had with answering
machines?

What is the major benefit of answering machines?


Daniel Joha   johaciie@w206zrz.zrz.TU-Berlin.de


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Answering machines came on the scene in the
middle 1960's. They were simply an automated form of the old telephone
answering services which had been around since the beginning of the telephone
itself. By the early 1970's answering machines were beginning to become
quite popular and the telephone answering services were beginning to feel
a pinch in their business. The term 'voicemail' was unheard of back then. 
PAT]

------------------------------

From: djo7613@u.washington.edu (Dick O'Connor)
Subject: Responses to Voltage Drop Query
Date: 27 Apr 1994 09:57:52 GMT
Organization: University of Washington


Recently I asked a question about residential phone line voltage drops
(if they were possible, could they be what was suddenly affecting the
devices I put on that line, etc.).  I got some very useful responses
that I'm summarizing below.  On the second day of troubleshooting,
with two US West folks involved at our house, they found a circuit
board in one of the two boxes on the side of the house ("their" box,
not "mine") that was testing flaky.  They replaced it, and voltage
returned to normal; all devices ring or pick up now, as before.  Happy
ending!  Responses follow:

Date: Sun, 17 Apr 94 09:38:51 PDT
From: Jay Hennigan <jay@rain.org>

Ringing is a low-frequency AC signal applied to the line (Typically 90
volts at 20 Hertz).  Tell the repair desk that "ringing voltage is not
being applied".  They will likely find the problem to be the line
equipment (printed circuit card in modern exchanges) feeding your
line.

Date: Sun, 17 Apr 1994 14:27:44 -0800
From: jbaker@halcyon.com (James Baker)

Yep, the ring voltage falls during peak calling times, when lots of
ringers are ringing simultaneously. Most cards have a sensitivity
setting.  Bigmouth for example has rsens = XX or some such thing in
setup software.  (I had the same problem with PCX software and
bigmouth card on US West line in Seattle).

Good luck!

From: Floyd Davidson <floyd@ims.alaska.edu>
Date:  Sun, 17 Apr 1994 14:17:19 -0800

You gave a very apt description!  And to take it one step farther...
if your water pipe isn't leaking, but it has low pressure...  you look
at the pump?  Yep.

The line card which supplies ring voltage appears to be bad.  If it
were anything else it probably would affect your ability to talk over
the phone or it would abort the ringing on the first or second ring.
The explanation for that is probably longer and windier than you want
to sit through ... so I won't unless you ask.

One thing that is obvious is the fellow who took two hours to figure
out it wasn't you house wiring is not very good at what he does...
That should have taken about 15 minutes, most of which would be just
finding the demarc point and opening the box.  After that it should
take about 15 seconds.  And that is what he should have done to start
with.

Whatever ... the "line card" could be in a remote-switching unit, it
could be in the telco switch if you are close enough to it physically,
or if you are on any kind of cable carrier it might be in the nearest
junction box to your house.  It is where the ring voltage comes from.
Note that what you hear when calling a phone is NOT the "ringing" that
rings the phone.  There is no talk path at that time and the
"ringback" is sent toward the calling line just to let them know it is
working.  It is usually not sent at the same time the ring voltage is
being sent.

Have a good day,
Floyd

Date: Sun, 17 Apr 94 22:45:02 EDT
From: Michael Jacobs <JMT0%LAFAYACS.bitnet@lafibm.lafayette.edu>

Hi There!

I am a technician for Bell Atlantic in Pennsylvania.  It sounds to me
like your problem is in one of two areas:

1- Insufficient ringing current on the line or
2- Ring-trip insulation breakdown fault.

The first problem is usually caused by too many sets on a line.  There
is a limit (usually 5 or 6) as to the number of sets that can be on a
line and still have the ringers work properly (each takes a certain
amount of the limited power that can be supplied over the line).
Otherwise, a fault in the telco's central office or loop carrier
equipment may be present.  Ringing voltage should be greater than 90
Vrms AC.  Your telco technician should be able to make this
measurement.

The second problem is usually related to a resistive fault somewhere
in the line.  It is most easy for the technician to find this problem
by first ensuring that there are no obvious faults on the line by
using loop testing equipment or an ohmmeter.  If the line tests ok, I
then usually monitor the line with my butt-set (the phone-like thing
hanging from the tech's belt) and have someone call the line.  I can
immediately hear whether ringing current has been applied to the line,
and whether it was abruptly terminated by a ring-trip condition.  This
means that there is a fault in the line which presents a
high-resistance condition at DC (where most line test equipment
operates) but which becomes a low-resistance fault at 60 Hz (ringing
signal).  Since you acknowledge a ringing telephone by lifting it off
the hook (closing a switch to lower the line resistance), this fault
is spoofing the central office into thinking the line has been
answered, thus it stops applying the ringing signal.  An experienced
technician should be able to troubleshoot this condition rather
quickly.

Other, more obscure problems could relate to custom-calling features
(like call-forwarding) being inadvertantly activated on the line, or
even having a different number accidently sent out over your line due
to a telco splicing error.  Hopefully, your telco (USWest?) will get
this straightened out.  Other action you can take would be to plug
into the network interface jack for that line (if telco installed one)
and checking for normal operation.  Normal operation indicates a fault
in the wiring on your premises.  Problem operation at the NI indicates
either telco trouble or a bad set being used to test.

Let me know if I can be of more assistance, or if telco finds
anything interesting.

Date: Mon, 18 Apr 1994 10:28:46 -0700
From: richgr@netcom.com (Rich Greenberg)

My best guess as to what happened is that somewhere between your
demark and the CO, there is a partial short.  Another possibility is
that somebody's phone line was connected across yours.  If you have
too many ringers on one line, some or all won't ring.

In any case its probably telco's problem.  Keep on them till its
fixed.  Ask them to give you another pair from the CO to you.

                          --------------

Thanks to all who responded!


"Moby" Dick O'Connor                                 djo7613@u.washington.edu 
Wash. Dept. of Fish and Wildlife        *Remember: the fish were here first!*

------------------------------

From: jwl@netcom.com (Jack W. Lix)
Subject: E1 Help Wanted
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
Date: Wed, 27 Apr 1994 09:59:19 GMT


I need some information about "real world" E1 usage.  Does timeslot 16
(normally used for signalling) ever get used for data in point to
point usage.  I also understand some satellite transceivers use an E1
interface.  Would they also reserve timeslot 16??  If so, whats the
point??

Thank you for your help.


Jack W. Lix   jwl@netcom.com

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 27 Apr 94 14:28:55 GMT
From: wtwong@eit.COM (William Tao-Yang Wong)
Subject: FYI: CommerceNet Press Release


For press information, contact:

Lisa Croel
Edelman Technology Communications
Phone:  (415) 968-4033
Fax:  (415) 968-2201
MCI Mail:  629-8643 or Lisa_Croel@mcimail.com


CommerceNet Makes Electronic Commerce over the Internet a Reality in
Silicon Valley

New Infrastructure for Electronic Commerce on the Internet Enables
Companies to Streamline Procurement, Cut Costs, Shrink Development
Cycles and Communicate More Effectively

SANTA CLARA, Calif., April 12, 1994 PP -- CommerceNet, the first
large-scale market trial of electronic commerce on the Internet, will
be formally launched today by BARRNet, Enterprise Integration
Technologies (EIT), and Stanford University's Center for Information
Technology (CIT) at an event here at the Techmart.  The event will
include the first public demonstration of CommerceNet, which goes
"live" on the Internet today, offering Silicon Valley-based companies
access to services and applications that make the Internet suitable
for electronic commerce.

Many of the companies who have indicated an interest in participating
in the CommerceNet market trial will be on hand at today's event to
show their support and to discuss the potential impact of CommerceNet
on the way they transact business (see page 6).  In addition,
representatives from sponsoring organizations including Smart Valley,
Inc., Joint Venture:Silicon Valley Network and the State of California
Trade and Commerce Agency were present to discuss the potential
economic impact of CommerceNet on the local economy and on business.

CommerceNet was created and is operated by a consortium of major
Silicon Valley users, providers and developers.  It seeks to
revolutionize the Valley's core electronics, software and information
service industries by making interactions between customers, suppliers
and development partners as efficient as interactions among internal
departments.  CommerceNet will ultimately help to revolutionize the
way most Bay Area companies transact business, regardless of their
size or business focus.

CommerceNet's founders and supporters believe that the new electronic
marketplace will benefit participating companies by: Shortening
procurement cycles up to 80% through online catalogs, ordering and
payment; cutting costs up to 10% on both stock and manufactured parts
through competitive bidding; and shrinking development cycles up to
50% and accelerating time-to-market through collaborative engineering
and product implementation.

"The Internet is a vast, untapped marketplace," said Jay M.
Tenenbaum, Chairman and founder of EIT and the visionary behind
CommerceNet.  "With over 20 million users, the Internet is the biggest
and most immediate venue for electronic commerce.  CommerceNet
provides the tools that will make the Internet secure and easy to use,
'unleashing' its potential to transform how business is done."

An outgrowth of ARPA-sponsored research begun in the 1960's, the
Internet was originally used by colleges, universities and the
government for research and development purposes.  It has since
evolved to become "the network of networks," interconnecting not just
government and education, but a huge portion of the commercial
business sector as well.  Today, the Internet links over 20,000 public
and private networks encompassing over 20 million users in nearly 140
countries, and it is growing ten percent a month.

Several factors have kept the Internet from facilitating electronic
commerce until now.  They include: The lack of standard and
easy-to-use interfaces; the lack of a secure means for transmitting
sensitive data or identifying users; and the lack of indexing and
search mechanisms that make it easy for users to find information.

"We evaluated all of the barriers to electronic commerce on the
Internet and then came up with what we believe are excellent solutions
that break down most of these barriers," said Allan M.  Schiffman,
Chief Technical Officer of EIT and Principal Architect of CommerceNet.
"CommerceNet will win over many skeptics who thought electronic
commerce either wasn't possible over the Internet, or was years away
from becoming a reality."

Specifically, CommerceNet provides an integrated set of services 
from a single source, including: 

% Affordable, high quality Internet connectivity using a variety of
connectivity options including T1, 56K, Frame Relay and ISDN.  Many
are available immediately; others will be rolled out during the
remainder of 1994.

%  Easy access to user interface and networking software and 
registration forms for CommerceNet access.

%  Software tools for providers that make it easy to put up 
interactive CommerceNet services on any Internet host.

% Simple point-and-click access to all CommerceNet services using an
enhanced version of Mosaic, a popular hypermedia user interface from
the NCSA (National Center for Supercomputing Applications).  Mosaic
supports full multimedia presentations, including audio, video, text 
and graphics, as well as electronic forms.

%  A variety of specialized directories to help users locate 
information and services on CommerceNet.  These directories, as 
with other CommerceNet services, can be browsed or searched for 
keywords using Mosaic.

%  Security mechanisms, including authentication and encryption, 
supported within applications, including Mosaic, using RSA public 
key cryptography.  Public-key certification services will also be 
provided to CommerceNet members.

Buyers and sellers will be able to meet on the network and safely
exchange sensitive information such as credit card numbers and bid
amounts, sign legally enforceable contracts, maintain audit trails,
and get paid through cooperating financial institutions.

Data and transmission security issues are minimized on CommerceNet 
because there are no remote logins and private information such as 
passwords is transmitted under encryption.  Digital signatures 
ensure that important information is delivered uncorrupted and 
untampered.

Secure client and server products will be available for beta 
testing in May of this year; widespread release will follow in 
August.

Participating companies are expected to use CommerceNet to provide 
customers with online catalogs, product literature, and ordering.  
Job shops will provide online access to engineering and 
manufacturing services that are faster, cheaper, or better than 
those available in-house.  Companies will also use CommerceNet for 
competitive solicitations and bidding, interactive EDI, and 
inter-company collaborative engineering and product data exchange.

The Commerce.Net Server

The CommerceNet server, which acts as the hub of CommerceNet, 
provides users access to all CommerceNet-related information and 
applications via the World Wide Web, a general purpose architecture 
for information retrieval developed by groups of Internet users.  
Information about CommerceNet is also available via electronic 
mail.

The CommerceNet server hosts:  Information on the CommerceNet 
organization; directories of participants, value-added third-party 
services and Internet resources; member registration and 
communications; and tutorials and examples.  The server is also a 
principal distribution channel for CommerceNet software.

Like the Internet, CommerceNet is open to all.  Any individual or
organization can offer information, goods and services by creating a
multimedia "home page" on their own server and listing it in
appropriate directories on the CommerceNet server, as well as with
value-added directories and referral services operated by third
parties.  These home pages serve as "virtual storefronts," providing
brief company overviews and paths for accessing their product
literature, catalogs, order forms, etc.  CommerceNet is thus a fully
distributed network of information service providers whose growth is
essentially unbounded.  The CommerceNet server is merely a convenient
starting point for entering this marketplace.

The CommerceNet Consortium

CommerceNet is operated by the CommerceNet Consortium, a non-profit
corporation funded by a six million dollar, three year grant from the
United States government's Technology Reinvestment Project, which will
be matched by contributions from the State of California and member
companies.

The Consortium consists of the core development team members, 
sponsoring organizations, and industry participants.

The core team is comprised of BARRNet, EIT and Stanford CIT.  They
have been responsible for developing and operating CommerceNet and
securing its funding, and will oversee the day-to-day management of
CommerceNet, led by the organization's new executive director, Cathy
J. Medich.

The sponsoring organizations PP Smart Valley, Inc., Joint
Venture:Silicon Valley Network, and the State of California Office of
Strategic Technology PP were instrumental in raising CommerceNet's
visibility with the State and Federal Government.  They continue to
support the efforts of CommerceNet and other initiatives that improve
the competitive and business environment in Northern California.

The following industry participants, in alphabetical order, have
indicated their interest in CommerceNet: Amdahl Corporation, Anthem
Electronics, Inc., Apple Computer, Inc., AVEX Electronics Inc., Bank
of America, Citibank N.A., Dataquest, Digital Equipment Corporation,
Dun & Bradstreet Corporation, Electronic Marketplace Systems, Inc. (An
International Data Group Company), Hewlett-Packard Company, Integrated
Systems Solutions Corporation (A Subsidiary of IBM), Intel
Corporation, Internet Shopping Network, InterNex Information Services,
Inc., Lockheed Missiles & Space Company, Inc., Nanothinc, A California
Corporation, National Semiconductor, Network Computing Devices, Inc.
(NCD), Pacific Bell, PartNet, Inc., RSA Data Security, Inc., Solectron
Corporation, Sun Microsystems, Inc., Synopsys Inc., Tandem Computers
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------------------------------

Date: Wed, 27 Apr 94 17:42:25 EDT
From: Carl Moore <cmoore@BRL.MIL>
Subject: Alfred Hitchcock Episode - Bomb Scare


An Alfred Hitchcock episode I just saw has a reference to a bomb
scare; the persons and events depicted are FICTICIOUS, and resemblance
to actual persons and events is coincidental.  The episode seems to
date from the early 1960s.

In it, a man retires from a job with a firm, and makes off with a big
stash of money (from that firm) which he carts off in a briefcase to
his home, where his wife is.  He then steals away from there with the
briefcase, and intends to fly off to Hawaii with another woman.  He
insists on taking the briefcase with him onto the plane, and has some
problems storing it when in the passenger compartment.  Then there are
apparent mechanical difficulties with the plane and all passengers
have to get off.  

He impatiently inquires what the problem is, how long the delay, etc.,
and finally learns that there was a bomb scare and that luggage will
have to be searched.  He and that other woman are then approached by
plainclothesmen who say "Police.  We need to ask you some questions."
Then the wife (already aware of the theft of the money from the firm)
is seen slipping into a phone booth and saying on the phone that the
bomb scare was a joke.

At the end of the episode, Mr. Hitchcock notes that the man had the
last laugh in this (FICTITIOUS) case, because the wife was prosecuted
for the bomb scare.  (The offense is conveying information about a
bomb while knowing that the information is false.)


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Ah yes, the bomb scares of the sixties.
I guess kids in school still call them in anonymously on the phone
now and then when they want an afternoon off. During the Vietnam era
when there were constant protests against the government and large
corporations I was working for the Amoco/Diners Club credit card billing
office when it was located here in Chicago. We shared a building on 
Canal Street with Social Security. Social Security had about a thousand 
employees in the building using three floors; the Diners processing
office had about two thousand employees using four floors. First nice
warm day every spring you could count on it: Some disgruntled employee
would make an anonymous call to the Amoco/Diners switchboard to report
'a bomb is gonna go off, better get out of there!'. Or maybe they would
call upstairs to the Social Security switchboard and report it there. 

Either office which got it would report it to the police and the other
office.  The inevitable announcement on the public address system
that, 'it is necessary to leave the building at this time ...' would
cause the chickens who were roosting at their desks after lunch to
wake up. Thousands of employees streaming down the stairway out to
Canal Street, standing around until the all clear signal was given to
return to the office; but always there were a few who did not bother
to return for the day, especially if the 'bomb' was called in perhaps
an hour before closing time.  I think it was mostly the government
employees at the SSA who caused the disruptions. That particular SSA
back-office was the pits as I recall in terms of the employees they
had there, although the credit card back-office was just as bad. Do
schools/companies still get bomb scares on nice spring afternoons?  Is
the Pope Catholic?  :) PAT]

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End of TELECOM Digest V14 #185
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