(Note: Bulletin Board System has been disconnected) ======================================================================= B A S E L I N E N E W S - D E C E M B E R 1 9 9 3 Alfred Deisner, Editor ======================================================================= "News about technology and technology policy" ______________ including a digest of published reports_______________ H O L I D A Y E D I T I O N This Month: =========== - FBI's NCIC 2000 Upgrade - State of California Department of Justice - Local agencies get new fire engines =========== SIGNALS OF INTEREST (MHZ) 31.160 Alum Rock School District, San Jose (buses) 33.400 Taco Bell, Wolfe x Kifer, Sunnyvale 33.400 Burger King, El Camino Real x Grant, Mountain View (changed) 33.400 Kentucky Fried Chicken, 555 Second St., San Rafael (drive up) 46.360 Novato Fire District, Novato (fire dispatch) 47.680 Walker Concrete, Inc., Queens Lane, San Jose (mixers, delivery) 160.815 Amtrak (CalTrain) operations, San Francisco peninsula 460.5875 Novato Fire District, remote voting receiver link, repeats 46.36 464.975 Bayfair Shopping Center, San Leandro (security) 465.5875 Novato Fire District, remote base link, commands 46.36 base 852.5375 Almaden Appliance, San Jose (appliance service) 936.0125 Green Team, San Jose (recycling trucks, Motorola trunked system) 936.025 Green Team, San Jose (recycling trucks, Motorola trunked system) 936.0375 Green Team, San Jose (recycling trucks, Motorola trunked system) 936.050 Green Team, San Jose (recycling trucks, Motorola trunked system) 936.0625 Green Team, San Jose (recycling trucks, Motorola trunked system) 936.075 Green Team, San Jose (recycling trucks, Motorola trunked system) 936.0875 Green Team, San Jose (recycling trucks, Motorola trunked system) 936.100 Green Team, San Jose (recycling trucks, Motorola trunked system) 936.1125 Green Team, San Jose (recycling trucks, Motorola trunked system) 936.125 Green Team, San Jose (recycling trucks, Motorola trunked system) FBI WORKS TOWARD NCIC 2000 The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Criminal Justice Information Systems Division manages and operates the National Crime Information Center computer network. The network links over 19,000 criminal justice, law enforcement, and other agencies in Canada and the U.S. There are 24 million records in 14 files covering data such as stolen vehicles, wanted persons, and criminal history records. The largest file in the NCIC system is called the Interstate Identification Index, (or III). Systems containing about 17 million criminal history records of individuals in each state are linked to the NCIC network. Harris Corporation has been awarded a contract to upgrade NCIC to include advanced features. Workstations at user agencies and imaging units in police patrol cars will allow images of persons, fingerprints, and property to be uploaded, downloaded, and stored. Local agencies will be offered the opportunity to buy standardized workstation packages although the workstations may, in some cases, be incompatible with their state networks. [Source: "NATIONAL CRIME INFORMATION CENTER, Legislation Needed to Deter Misuse of Criminal Justice Information," GAO/T-GGD-93-41, United States General Accounting Office, July 1993.] STATE DOJ FUNCTIONS Does your agency need specialized equipment but lacks the funding or an ongoing need for the equipment? State DOJ performs critical, low- visibility investigative support to agencies like local police departments that may lack resources or expertise in certain methods. DOJ's criminal investigation efforts include application of sophisticated technical equipment to undermine criminal activity according to a DOJ booklet at the California State Library. The Technical Operations Unit offers a loan pool of photographic, video, and paramilitary imaging equipment. Wiretapping and radio-intercept equipment is also available, as is pen register equipment and special audio filtering capabilities. Technical Ops. can train your agency to use equipment and suggest the best technology to apply to a surveillance problem. The Bureau of Narcotics Enforcement, Operations Support Section assists local agencies in drug traffic asset forfeiture cases. Sample forms and a state Asset Forfeiture Manual are available. A database program is available to track seized assets posessed by an agency. The Section also trains agency users on use of the TRW credit and California's statewide real estate database. The Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information (CI&I) maintains a database of serialized firearms. The database maintains records of previous owners for each weapon. Stated purposes for this database include allowing recovery and identification of lost or stolen firearms. The Bureau also stores Henry system latent fingerprint data for known criminal offenders on line. (The attributes of a print are stored using a system of numbers and letters that describe the pattern.) The data can be matched against crime scene impressions and DMV thumb prints. Experts who are experienced in court testimony are also available to testify in criminal proceedings. CHRISTMAS TRADITION If this is your first Christmas with a radio that tunes public safety frequencies, try Santa Clara County channels on Christmas Eve. We hear that County Communications has a tradition of announcing bulletins from the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detailing the progress of Santa Claus and his sleigh. It is unclear whether the recent retirement of General Services Agency, Communications Department Director, Dan Felice will affect the tradition. NAS MOFFETT FIELD PUBLIC SAFETY NAS Moffett Field is currently in a transition from U.S. Navy control to National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) control. NASA is progressively accepting responsibility for operations of the base and will assume full responsibility for operation of the airfield on 1 July 1994. The facility will continue to be a closed federal airfield with the continued operation of some base facilities, such as the base exchange and the golf course, still undetermined. Perimeter security has already been turned over to NASAs security contractor. Security units use NASA's Ericcson GE 400 MHz trunked system to coordinate operations. The trunked system is fairly busy and is shared with many other NASA activities. Fire and crash responsibilities will become the responsibility of the California Air National Guard. Civilian federal employees currently working at the fire station will be subject to lay off. Enlisted Air National Guard employees will staff the structural fire rigs and crash trucks. One source said ANG is recruiting for these positions. Frequencies to be used after the Navy fire department leaves on July 1, 1994 have not been determined. Control of residences on Moffett Field will be assumed by Onizuka Air Force Base. As part of this activity, Onizuka will take responsibility for the base medical clinic. As of this writing, there has not been a determination by the Air Force whether the base medical clinic and ambulance service will continue to operate. We believe Onizuka will also staff police units to resolve law enforcement issues in residential areas. Navy law enforcement still patrols the base at present. Outside of the public safety arena, the air facility's control tower will be operated by enlisted California Air National Guard personnel after the navy leaves. Expect some reserve units operating P-3s, some Air National Guard C-130s, and an Army medical evacuation helicopter unit as the first residents following the airfield's turn over to NASA. ELSEWHERE IN NORTH COUNTY: LOCKHEED TAILSPIN AFFECTS EMERGENCY SERVICES Thousands of employees laid off from Lockheed Missiles and Space Company's Sunnyvale facility include firefighters. Fire Department responsibilities -- including extinguisher inspections and a special building fire control room that was staffed 24-hours -- have been cut. Fire Department apparatus is staffed only during the business day and Sunnyvale Department of Public Safety units cover after-hours alarms. Lockheed's ambulance service, also a Fire Department function, has been eliminated and calls are now referred to the county EMS system. ALAMEDA COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENTS According to the November 1993 issue of THE EMBERS, there may be big changes in the future of Alameda County (ALCO) fire departments. The Alameda County Fire Chief's Association voted recently to consolidate all county fire departments. The vote is not binding but does indicate an interest in exploring the possibility of consolidation. The change would mean Oakland, Berkeley, Fremont, and other ALCO fire suppression agencies would combine to form a single fire department. [Source: Len Williams, Editor, "General Interest," THE EMBERS, November 1993, pp.1.] METRICOM CONTRACT Metricom, University Avenue, Los Gatos won a contract to provide US $4 million in wireless data telemetry equipment to Southern California Edison. The system, called UtiliNet, is a packet radio network that will be used to manage Edison's power grid. The contract life continues through March 1994. Metricom was also successful in selling 200 radio sets to Metropolitan Sewer District, Cincinatti, Ohio. [Source: "Metricom Secures $4 Million UtiliNet Order," MOBILE RADIO TECHNOLOGY, November 1993, pp. 54.] NEW FIRE VEHICLES San Jose Fire Department will receive eleven new engines through a contract awarded to Hi Tech of Oakdale, California. The new equipment will be red: a departure from San Jose's traditional use of lime-yellow. The first unit will be delivered in April, 1994 with others to follow at a one-per-month rate. Units will be purchased for $238,800.00 each. Power will come from a 400-horsepower Detroit Diesel connected to a six-speed automatic transmission. The gearing will allow slow speeds for mobile attacks at brush fires and a top speed of 64 m.p.h. for those strike team callouts requiring a drive up Interstate 5. Cabs will be fully enclosed and air conditioned. (Riding to a strike-team callout in Redding during summer without air conditioning offers a firsthand experience of just how the pioneers riding in Conestoga wagons felt.) The new apparatus will move 1500 gallons per minute, carry pre-plumbed foam, 500 gallons of water, and an electric ladder rack. The ladder rack lowers ladders from their lofty storage to a comfortable lifting height in twelve seconds. A new Truck 29, delivered last month, is also painted the new red color scheme. The vehicle is painted red with a white cab roof and a reflective stripe. Milpitas Fire Department has also purchased new vehicles. A 1992 Pierce Arrow was delivered in October and is now running as Engine 2. Vital statistics are 1250 gallons per minute, a Detroit 6V92, 30 gallons of pre- plumbed foam and a 500 gallon tank. Milpitas expects another identical unit, also painted white, in June 1994. [Source: "San Jose Getting 11 New Engines in '94 ...And They're Red," SAN JOSE FIRE DISPATCH, September-October 1993, pp.1,3.; Len Williams, Editor, "News of Local Fire Departments," THE EMBERS, November 1993, pp.1.] DISPATCHER 101 A person starting as a dispatcher needs to absorb a lot of information quickly to become familiar with procedures and geography. One of the first things a dispatcher can be expected to learn is the street address numbering system for the communities served. In Santa Clara County, street address numbering systems can be divided into two groups: NOW SEE and SEW EON. The City of Santa Clara uses the SEW EON system. This means that addresses on the south and west sides of all streets are even and addresses on the east and north sides of all streets are odd. The county and all other cities in Santa Clara county use NOW SEE: addresses on the north and west sides of all streets are odd and addresses on the south and east sides of all streets are even. Most persons have observed that street addresses run off of base roads. For example, Sunnyvale addresses begin at the intersection of the CalTrain railroad track (on the north-south axis) and Sunnyvale Avenue (on the east- west axis). Addresses increase with distance from these base roads. Some cities increase address numbers a specific amount for each block from the base road. For example, downtown San Jose addresses increase 50 each block in the east-west direction and 100 for each block in the north-south direction. Five-digit county addresses start at 10000 and are based on mileage from the base road. A facility with an address of 11000 would be one mile from the base road while a house with an address of 21000 would be 11 miles from the base road. Of course, there's more to dispatching than knowing street addresses we're told... UNUSUAL RESUSCITATION A son, whose father was unconscious, resuscitated dad using a plunger. The enterprising child attempted to revive dad using more conventional methods without success. Since his efforts were ineffective, he then tried a (toilet) plunger and was successful in reviving the victim. Following the experience, the University of California is experimenting with contraptions similar to a plunger to assist rescue breathing. Volunteers? We suggest just the idea of sticking a plunger in your face is enough to cause increased heart rate... [Source: THE VOICE, October 1993, pp. 22.; and also JAMA, October 3, 1990.] AUTO REGISTRATION TRIVIA If you bring a car to California from another state and want to register it in California, the car must meet the following conditions: (1) it must have 7,501 miles or more on the odometer; and (2) it must pass a smog check that demonstrates EPA regulation (49 state) compliance. The Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) will charge you a one-time "non-compliance fee" of $300 in addition to all of the other fees you'll pay because the car does not conform to California emissions standards. Call DMV to find out the details... [Source: conversation with a Department of Motor Vehicles employee.] FEDERAL CD-ROMS Federal government is expanding efforts to disseminate information using compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM) technology. Compact disks can store over 600 megabytes or the equivalent of 430 3.5-inch, 1.44-megabyte floppy disks. CD-ROM use by federal agencies has increased ten-fold over the past decade. The government offers at least 180 titles at present. Agencies are considering CD-ROMs for archival storage because the expected archival storage life of a CD-ROM is 20-100 years. In contrast, magnetic tapes have an average life of 3-10 years. CD-ROMs offer a cheaper method for the government to disseminate information. For example, it cost $1,485 per set to publish the entire paper version of the 1985 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD. The RECORD took 43,700 typeset pages encompassing 30 bound volumes requiring seven feet of shelf space and weighing over 206 pounds. In contrast, the same issue of the CONGRESSIONAL RECORD on CD-ROM included two CD-ROMs, a 120-page user manual, takes up 1.5 inches of shelf space, weighs two pounds, and costs $40 to produce. And just try searching 30 paper volumes for a key word! Agencies offer CD-ROMs ranging in price from free-of-charge to $1,895 each. Many popular CD-ROMs are under $40. Title 41 of the U.S. Code regulates pricing for government CD-ROMs. 52% of titles offered are less than $50, while 8% are over $500 each. National Technical Information Service (NTIS) CD-ROMs are usually more expensive than other agencies because they often contain software programs, intellectual property, or scientific information. Of eighteen Government Printing Office CD-ROMs, eight sell for less than $20, eight cost between $21 and $30, and the remaining two cost between $31 and $40. United States Geological Survey (USGS) produces several CD-ROM titles, some of which include search and retrieval software developed by private companies. USGS CD-ROMs often sell for less than $45 including the software license. CD-ROMs available from the government contain data on the census, health trends, climate data, releases of toxic material, bathymetric, and geological information. [Source: INFORMATION DISSEMINATION: Federal CD-ROM Titles -- What Are Available and How They Were Priced (sic), June 1993, GAO/IMTEC-93-34FS] WHAT'S A DISK CACHE? There are many caching programs on the market including some bundled with new computer systems. SMARTDRV, a program that comes with Microsoft Windows, and NCACHE, a program included with the Norton Utilities are two examples of commercial disk cache programs. Super PC-Kwik is a disk caching program for DOS that includes keystroke caching, display buffering, and print spooling. In Macintosh System 7 and Digital Research DOS (DR DOS), disk caching is built-in to the operating system. If you have enough available RAM memory, a disk cache program can speed operation and loading of programs or increase the speed of database searches. Caching programs read from a disk drive and store a copy of the information from the disk in RAM (Random Access Memory). Each program is a little different: there are software switches that allow the cache to be tailored to your application(s). Information stored in RAM can often be accessed in less than 100 nanoseconds, (.0000001 seconds). To locate and access data on disk, the file must be located on a map of the disk. In DOS, this is called a File Allocation Table (FAT). Disks are electro-mechanical, and after the map (FAT) tells the route, the disk heads must be positioned over a desired location of the file in order for data to be read. This takes additional time. Typical average seek times for disk heads range from 70 milliseconds (.07 seconds) for older hard disks used with XTs and some Mac 512s, to less than 10 milliseconds (.10 seconds) for the fastest hard disks. Changing hard disks from one with a 30 millisecond seek time to one with a 15 millisecond seek time will result in a drastic improvement in your computer's performance. Each time the disk heads move to another track they do it twice as fast with a 15 millisecond seek time. The following are internal performance reports from two caching programs. Please note that the reports below are not conclusive proof that any particular cache is more efficient than any other. There are many variables to consider. For best results, the user must tune the cache to match the specific application(s). These are just two sample reports polled off of two different computers. _______________________________________________________ Super PC-Kwik(R) Disk Cache, Version 5.01 S/N 88945377a21 Copyright 1986 - 1992 PC-Kwik Corporation, All Rights Reserved. Licensed to: A. Licensed User Super PC-Kwik is loaded and is now enabled. Measurements are as follows: 12,946,952 logical transfers. 1,668,412 physical transfers. 11,278,540 transfers saved. 87 percent saved. ________________________________________________________ Norton Cache, Norton Utilities 6.01, Copyright 1991 by Symantec Corporation Conventional memory: 0K cache 0K management 681K free High DOS memory: 0K cache 19K management 19K free Expanded (EMS) memory: 1568K cache 32K management 320K free Extended (XMS) memory: 0K cache 0K management 320K free Total cache size is 1568.0K - Currently using 1406.8K (88.7%) DOS = 0K BLOCK = 8192 USEHIGH = ON DELAY = 1.00 EXP = 1600K, 0K READ = 8K USEHMA = ON QUICK = ON EXT = 0K, 0K WRITE = 8K OPTIMIZE = SPEED MULTI = ON A C I W P R G Cache Hits / Disk Reads A: - + - + - D8 128 0 / 0 (0.0%) B: - + - + - D8 128 0 / 0 (0.0%) C: - + + + - D8 128 0 / 0 (0.0%) D: + + + - - D8 128 12958 / 36067 (35.9%) _________________________________________________________ Caching programs often cache disk writes as well. This increases the apparent (observed) speed of your computer. The caching program might store a map of changed data and be able to slip in a write while the disk drive heads are reading from the same cylinder location, saving the time required for several seek operations. Caching writes is a little risky, though, because a power outage or crash requiring a reboot will lose all data in RAM. On rare occasions, this will damage the File Allocation Tables (FAT). If you don't have some tricky recovery utilities, you potentially lose all data on the hard disk. Cache programs provide the benefit of improved system performance for a low price with a slightly increased risk of catastrophic data loss. We haven't examined any scientific proof, but, it follows that cache programs may give a hard disk a longer service life. Since the disk is mechanical and would perform fewer reads and writes, the positioner might wear more slowly. COFFIN EXPO One hundred fifty coffins from the past 5,000 years were on exhibit last month at the Kassel Museum of Sepulchral Culture in Hessen, Germany. The exhibit, titled "From the Tree of the Dead to Designer Coffins," relates that, historically, coffins have had three purposes: to protect the dead from irreverence by people, animals, and "demons". Coffins on display included a 5,000-year-old Egyptian coffin made from a sycamore and a Syrian coffin constructed from lead. Some displayed coffins have four, five, or six sides while others are in the shapes of wagons and ships. [Source: "Shedding Light on a Grave Subject: Exhibit Examines Burial Rites," THE WEEK IN GERMANY, 22 October 1993, pp.7.] GREEN LIGHT FOR SLAC DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY PROJECT A bill designating US$ 36 million for physics research at Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) was signed into law by President Clinton on 30 October. The bill will stave off expected lay offs and secure funding for the next five years. Funding will allow construction of a proposed system called the "B Factory". The B Factory will enable SLAC physicists to study the relationship between matter and antimatter by colliding electrons and positrons to produce B-particles. The B Factory will upgrade the 2.2 kilometer Positron Electron Project ring collider currently operating at the Center. 1.2 megawatt klystron tubes operating at 476 megahertz will be incorporated in the design. Varian Associates of Palo Alto will design, test, and engineer the tubes. [Source: "Campus Bulletin: Clinton Signs SLAC Bill Into Law," STANFORD DAILY, 2 November 1993, pp.2.; "Local Firm Will Build Key B-Factory Parts," STANFORD DAILY, 9 November 1993, pp.1,2.; "For The Record," STANFORD DAILY, 11 November 1993, pp.8. ] THE FUTURE OF THE LOCAL LOOP Modern stored-program-controlled central office switches include over 600 features according to Robert Clark of Dataquest. These features include some that end-users are cognizant of and others that are invisible. While features like call waiting are visible to the user, automated troubleshooting and billing options are not. Switches currently available are built on a bus-connected, backplane-distributed architecture. "Total deregulation [of telephone service] may not be far away," says Clark. In the future, cable television companies will likely offer services in competition with telephone companies. These services may be distributed through hybrid networks of coaxial cable and fiber optic links. Another option is distribution through fiber optics cable to local multipoint distribution transmitters in the 27.5-29.5 GHz range. These transmitters would link local fiber optic nodes with "cable" television decoders and subscriber telephones in the surrounding neighborhood. ISDN, PCS, pay-per-view, and other services may be delivered through these sort of network arrangements. We believe there will initially be great disparity between service offerings from area to area. Just as some custom calling features are available in limited areas today, a ten-mile length of loaded, 45-year-old cable will probably not support ISDN and other high- speed data services. While the use of fiber optics to connect central offices is commonplace, fiber is seldom used to connect telephone users to the PSTN. The reason is cost. Bell Communications Research (BelCORE), the research and development arm of the RBOCs, says that delivery of telephone service to subscribers over fiber optic cable is two to four years away. Within this period, the cost of installing copper plant is expected to be equal to the cost of connecting subscribers using fiber optics. Some subscriber fiber optic systems under development claim to be close to price parity with copper at present. Some telephone equipment suppliers are marketing "copper enhancement technologies" in competition with fiber. These increase the bandwidth of ordinary copper wire loops. There are about 20,000 central offices in the United States, 11,700 of these are operated by independent telephone companies. The ratio of remote or "satellite" switches to host switches is increasing. Both Pacific Bell and GTE California use satellite switches to serve customers in the Bay Area hills. As of 1991, 920 Regional Bell Operating Company (RBOC) central office switches were ISDN-capable (Integrated Services Digital Network). This accounted for 9% of switches in the public switched telephone network and 19% of access lines. Signalling System 7 (SS7), a method of interconnecting central office switches using high speed data links, has been implemented to some degree and is proliferating. SS7 allows advanced features and more efficient use of trunk bandwidth. AT&T holds the largest market share of Class 5 (end office) central offices in the U.S. Northern Telecom builds central offices in Walnut Creek. AG Communications Systems was formerly Automatic Electric. U.S. Market share for major central office switch manufacturers is as follows: AT&T 48.0% Northern Telecom 38.0% Ericcson 5.5% Siemens 5.2% AG Communications Systems 2.6% Alcatel 0.4% NEC 0.2% [Sources: notes taken during "Public Network Infrastructure Trends," (lecture) by Robert Clark, Dataquest and discussion with a GTE California employee in 10/92.] XEROX VERDEPRINT TECHNOLOGIES Conventional silver-halide film processing is chemical-intensive and leaves by-products that are an environmental problem. On 1 November, Xerox's Verde team introduced a new dry-processing film called VerdeFilm. Water use and waste chemicals that are currently a result of film processing will be eliminated by the new dry process. VerdePrint Technologies is a new Xerox business unit formed by Technology and Market Development to bring innovative technologies rapidly to market. HOT POTATO The sysops have noted an increase in what we call "hot potato attendants", or HPAs. HPAs are telephone operators who will do anything to keep a clear attendant console on their PBX system. You will know you have connected with a company that employs HPAs when your call is transferred to a department before you have explained why you are calling. Astute managers recognize the causes of HPAs include insufficient staffing and poor listening skills. HPAs use catchy phrases like, "how may I direct your call?" and may sound out-of-breath or hurried. They seldom ask clarifying questions or say, "one moment, I'll connect you with the ____ department." If they do, the last two syllables of the word "department" segue into a ring tone. Another factor in the development of HPAs is the 30-watt dimwit caller. Some callers lack the ability to describe why they are calling. Others apparently dial the phone without any cognizance of what purpose they hope to accomplish. A typical 30-watt dimwit will call 911 to find out what cable TV company serves his/her house, or to ask "was there was an earthquake?" after their kitchen cabinets have been emptied by a magnitude 5. The subject of his/her calls is either spurious or not readily apparent. Calls such as these can cause a patient, customer-oriented attendant to turn into an HPA. YOUTH AND PREGNANCY An article by Katherine O'Toole in CAMPUS REPORT reviews two teen pregnancy studies that had some unexpected results. For example, many people falsely believe that teen pregnancy is mostly a problem of non-white groups. In fact, a study shows that Caucasian mothers account for 68% of adolescent births and over half of the births to unwed mothers. Stanford Law Professor Deborah Rhode says that, "We sometimes behave as if babies come from the stork and that `the problem' belongs only to the female teen." Some of the studies suggest that early parenthood and single parenting are likely to result in poverty for the parent(s) and child. For example, 80% of U.S. families headed by females 15 to 21 years of age are poor while 1/3 headed by males are poor. Other cited statistics include: - estimates suggest that 45% of all U.S. females have premarital sex. More than half do not use any contraceptives. - 40% of females become pregnant at least once before age 20, 80% of these pregnancies are unintended. - less than 5% give up their baby for adoption - one of the major obstacles to young people using birth control devices is concern about lack of privacy Professor Rhode edited a book addressing some public policy questions related to adolescent pregnancy. THE POLITICS OF PREGNANCY: ADOLESCENT SEXUALITY AND PUBLIC POLICY, Annette Lawson and Deborah Rhode, Editors, is available from Yale University Press. [O'Toole, Kathleen, "Teen Pregnancy Studies Attempt to Separate Fact, Conventional Wisdom," CAMPUS REPORT, 27 October 1993, pp. 1,8.] LIGHTNING THREATENS SMART HIGHWAYS When traffic signals are struck by lightning, they often go out. Georgia Tech's School of Civil Engineering has designed a set of procedures to protect traffic signals from damage by lightning strikes. The procedures were developed as part of a study funded by the National Research Council, the Federal Highway Administration, and the National Highway Institute. Proper filtering, surge protection, and routing of wiring can make signals resilient to lightning "hits". John Rohrbaugh, senior research engineer at Georgia Tech asserts, "Future intelligent vehicle and highway systems will require many distributed communications nodes to do a number of things from monitoring traffic to providing information to drivers. ...when you need them most -- during storms when you can't see the roads and signs well -- they will be in more danger from lightning." [Source: "News: Making Traffic Signals Immune to Lightning," EMC Magazine, October 1993, pp.18.] FINAL FAREWELL This is the final issue of BASELINE NEWS. Please do not call our telephone number. By the time you are reading this, it is probably disconnected. The sysops have expended thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours to create and operate the system as a hobby. These resources are finite and are no longer available. THOUGHTS for December... ------------------------ "42% of all women and girls between 14 and 29 read daily or several times a week; 31% of their male counterparts do so. ...[a] family's habits and examples set by the parents played a much more important role than school in fostering a love of reading." Bertelsmann Foundation Study "...it's possible for civil libertarians, law enforcers, and industry experts to find common ground; they can address problems created by the spread of computers without compromising rights." Mitchell Kapor "...[if NATO does] not act now to export stability, we will import instability instead." Volker Ruehe, German Defense Minister "Not everything worth doing is worth doing well." Tom Brandt "National security is the root password to the constitution." tag line seen on a piece of e-mail _____________________________________________________________________ Thanks to several individuals who contributed information for the last issue of Baseline News. _____________________________________________________________________ Baseline news is not affiliated with Bay Area Scanner Enthusiasts (BASE). Baseline News (C) Copyright 1993 C-Message Weighting Messaging System (408)-377-7441 1200/2400/9600/14400 baud. As long as you distribute this file in its entirety, (including this statement) it is okay to redistribute, print, or copy this file for any lawful purpose without other restrictions. (end)