Date: Thu, 9 Apr 1998 14:36:31 -0500 From: crispen@NETSQUIRREL.COM Reply-To: TOURBUS-Request@LISTSERV.AOL.COM To: TOURBUS@LISTSERV.AOL.COM Subject: TOURBUS -- 9 APRIL 1998 -- NET TEST / TROOPS / DHMO This post contains inline ASCII graphics that look best in a monospace font like Courier. Text-to-speech readers should turn off punctuation now. _________ ____________ ________ __________ _____________ ___ _ / | / | | / | \ | "Why | Surf When / You Can | Ride The | Bus?" / | \ |__________|__________/__________|__________|___________/ | \ / /______|----\ | SEND EASTER GREETINGS WITH FLOWERSFAST.COM |//////| | | |//////| | | It's a snap to order beautiful Spring and Easter |//////| | | flowers online. FlowersFast has the best prices |//////| | | and worldwide delivery. Satisfaction Guaranteed. |//////| | | |//////| | | Send an adorable Peter Rabbit Spring Bouquet! |//////| | | Order Here: http://www.FlowersFast.com |//////| | \________________________________________________________|______|____| / \ / \ / \ \___/ \___/ T h e I n t e r n e t T o u r B u s \___/ TODAY'S TOURBUS STOPS: NET TEST / TROOPS / DHMO TODAY'S TOURBUS ADDRESSES: http://www.nettest.mci.com/ http://www.theforce.net/troops/t_videos.html http://www.theforce.net/troopsQT3/t_videosQT3.html Howdy, y'all, and greetings from the Alamo (remember that?). Yes, today's TOURBUS is coming to you from high above the river walk in sunny San Antonio, Texas (I'm here to speak at the National Business Education Association Conference). :) We have a couple of things to talk about today, but before we embark on the latest journey of our little bus of Internet happiness, I want to take a second to thank today's TOURBUS sponsors. Make sure you stop by and make them feel appreciated. ++------ MUSIC, DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY, 3D WORLDS, ONLINE GAMES -------++ Experience these and more at Intel's Connected PC. Try out some of the exciting things you can do with your PC. http://www.connectedpc.com/cpc/cpc.htm?iid_itm:1TB04A09 ++------------------------------------------------------------------++ And now, on with the show ... ----------------------------- MCI'S GREAT AMERICAN NET TEST ----------------------------- For the second year in a row, MCI (a long-distance telephone service provider here in the United States) is conducting an online quiz to measure the American public's ability to navigate and use the Internet. The test, called the "Great American Net Test," asks five multiple-guess questions in the following categories: 1. History; 2. Arts and Literature; 3. Pop Culture; 4. World Geography; and 5. Science and Technology. The Great American Net Test is a lot like Rick Gates' old Internet Hunts. You are given a set of arcane questions, and then you have to use the Internet to find the answers. Unlike the old Internet Hunts, though, the Great American Net Test doesn't require you to show how you found your answers. The Great American Net Test's front page can be found at http://www.nettest.mci.com/ The folks at MCI seem to think that frames are the coolest Web invention ever, so you are going to have to use a frames-capable Web browser (like Netscape Navigator or Microsoft Internet Explorer) to participate in the test. Before you can actually participate in the Net Test, you need to fill out a quick form identifying yourself to MCI. Click on "Take the Net Test" at the bottom of the Net Test's main page (this takes you to http://www.nettest.mci.com/frmOne.asp?Use=Take). Then click on the words "New User link" on the next page (this takes you to http://www.nettest.mci.com/frmOne.asp?Use=New). Amazingly, the form you have to fill out requires precious little personal information. All you have to do is type in a fake user name (no spaces), a password, and a fake screen name (again, no spaces). I suggest that you use the same fake user name and screen name. Then, enter your gender, age, and zip code (if you are not in the United States but still want to take the test, pretend that you are an honorary resident of the state of Alabama -- type in "35486" as your zip code). Then just click on the word "Submit" at the bottom of the page. This takes you to an annoying page that doesn't really tell you anything. Click on the words "Now take the Net Test" at the top or bottom of the page to start the test. The next page shows you the test's five categories (history, arts and literature, pop culture, world geography, and science and technology). Pick a category and click on its icon. That category's question and accompanying multiple choice answers will appear on your screen. After you have read the question, click on the words "Begin search" on the left-hand side of the screen. This takes you to a page with links to several of the most popular search engines. Notice that in the top frame of the page are both the question and the words "Answer it." You need to click on "Answer it" after you have used the search engines and are ready to answer a question. The questions in each of the Net Test's five categories are actually pretty challenging (and they change from person to person). Fortunately, a good Dogpile search (http://www.dogpile.com/) quickly located the answer to four of the five questions I was asked. The only _really_ difficult question for me was, oddly, the science and technology question (my question was about the depth of a particular lake). I cheated (sort of) by doing a search for each of the multiple-choice answers and then eliminating the answers that were incorrect. By the way, in case any of you want to challenge your fearless bus driver's Net Test performance, here are my results: Score: 100 Time: 20 minutes, 20 seconds The nation-wide average score is 83, and the average time is 4 hours 41 minutes and 39 seconds (the average score in Alabama is a higher- than-average 89, but my state's time is a pretty embarrassing 8 hours 27 minutes and 28 seconds). ------ TROOPS ------ One of the hottest movies in Hollywood right now is a short film called "Troops." But you can't find Troops in any theatre and you can't rent Troops at any video store. The move is only available on the Internet. "Troops" is a hilarious spoof of COPS [the Fox network's reality-based police show] set in the Star Wars Universe. In other words, you get to ride along as Darth Vader's Imperial Stormtroopers respond to everyday police calls. What is most amazing is that George Lucas, the mind behind the Star Wars trilogy and the upcoming prequels, hasn't slapped the producers of "Troops" with a cease-and-desist order. In fact, rumor has is that Lucas is a big fan of Troops. Anyway, if you want to see what all the excitement is about, you're going to have download the video over the Internet. Like many of the South Park episodes floating around the Net, the Troops video is broken into several different sections (5, I think). Just point your Web browser to http://www.theforce.net/troops/t_videos.html to find out how to download the different sections. If you have QuickTime 3.0 installed on your computer, check out the Troops QuickTime 3 page at http://www.theforce.net/troopsQT3/t_videosQT3.html Both of these web pages are extremely popular, so expect download times to be on the slow side. ----------------------- BAN DIHYDROGEN MONOXIDE ----------------------- Finally, I recently received a warning message that I thought you should see: Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide! The Invisible Killer Dihydrogen monoxide is colorless, odorless, tasteless, and kills uncounted thousands of people every year. Most of these deaths are caused by accidental inhalation of DHMO, but the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide do not end there. Prolonged exposure to its solid form causes severe tissue damage. Symptoms of DHMO ingestion can include excessive sweating and urination, and possibly a bloated feeling, nausea, vomiting and body electrolyte imbalance. For those who have become dependent, DHMO withdrawal means certain death. Dihydrogen monoxide: * is also known as hydroxl acid, and is the major component of acid rain. * contributes to the "greenhouse effect." * may cause severe burns. * contributes to the erosion of our natural landscape. * accelerates corrosion and rusting of many metals. * may cause electrical failures and decreased effectiveness of automobile brakes. * has been found in excised tumors of terminal cancer patients. Contamination Is Reaching Epidemic Proportions! Quantities of dihydrogen monoxide have been found in almost every stream, lake, and reservoir in America today. But the pollution is global, and the contaminant has even been found in Antarctic ice. DHMO has caused millions of dollars of property damage in the midwest, and recently California. Despite the danger, dihydrogen monoxide is often used: * as an industrial solvent and coolant. * in nuclear power plants. * in the production of styrofoam. * as a fire retardant. * in many forms of cruel animal research. * in the distribution of pesticides. Even after washing, produce remains contaminated by this chemical. * as an additive in certain "junk-foods" and other food products. Companies dump waste DHMO into rivers and the ocean, and nothing can be done to stop them because this practice is still legal. The impact on wildlife is extreme, and we cannot afford to ignore it any longer! The Horror Must Be Stopped! The American government has refused to ban the production, distribution, or use of this damaging chemical due to its "importance to the economic health of this nation." In fact, the navy and other military organizations are conducting experiments with DHMO, and designing multi-billion dollar devices to control and utilize it during warfare situations. Hundreds of military research facilities receive tons of it through a highly sophisticated underground distribution network. Many store large quantities for later use. It's Not Too Late! Act NOW to prevent further contamination. Find out more about this dangerous chemical. What you don't know can hurt you and others throughout the world. What this little warning message doesn't tell you is that "dihydrogen" just means "two hydrogen atoms," and "monoxide" means "one oxygen atom." Take a second and ask yourself a question: what do you get when you put two hydrogen atoms with one oxygen atom? Once you have answered that question, go back and re-read the warning message. I think you'll get a good chuckle. :) That's it for this week. Have a safe and happy weekend, and if you are a TOURBUS Plus! subscriber (see http://www.tourbus.com/ for more info) be looking for another post from me this weekend! TODAY'S TOURBUS STOPS: NET TEST / TROOPS / DHMO TODAY'S TOURBUS ADDRESSES: http://www.nettest.mci.com/ http://www.theforce.net/troops/t_videos.html http://www.theforce.net/troopsQT3/t_videosQT3.html -------------------------------- TODAY'S SOUTHERN WORD OF THE DAY -------------------------------- In light of the tornadoes that swept through Tuscaloosa and Jefferson counties in Alabama last night, I'm going to hold off from posting a Southern Word this week. Instead, I want to offer my prayers and thoughts for my fellow Alabamians who died in last night's storm. =--------------------------------------------------------------------= For info on my book "Atlas for the Information Superhighway" Visit http://www.brigadoon.com/~crispen/atlas.html --------------------------------------------------------------------- =====================[ TOURBUS Rider Information ]=================== The Internet TOURBUS - U.S. Library of Congress ISSN #1094-2238 Copyright 1995-98, Rankin & Crispen - All rights reserved Archives on the Web at http://www.TOURBUS.com ===================================================================== .~~~. )) (\__/) .' ) )) Patrick Douglas Crispen /o o \/ .~ {o_, \ { **NEW** crispen@netsquirrel.com **NEW** / , , ) \ http://www.netsquirrel.com/ `~ '-' \ } )) _( ( )_.' Warning: squirrels. '---..{____}
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