HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: vail@tegra.com (Johnathan Vail)
Subject: Re: Channel 68
Organization: Tegra-Varityper, Inc. Billerica, MA
	<MSALETNI.93Jan5140559@jade.tufts.edu> <C0GJqK.1D4@tegra.com> <MSALETNI.93Jan7084800@jade.tufts.edu>
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 22:49:28 GMT


In article <MSALETNI.93Jan7084800@jade.tufts.edu> msaletni@jade.tufts.edu (Michael J. Saletnik) writes:

   In article <C0GJqK.1D4@tegra.com> vail@tegra.com (Johnathan Vail) writes:

   >Cable companies pick up the "air" channels the same way you do: off
   >the air with an antenna.  No broadcast, no cable.  There is no magic
   >wire from each broadcast station to each town's cable company.

   What about cable-only channels, such as USA?  Satellite, I guess?

A cable company head end has one dish per satellite and seperate
recievers for each transponder (channel) they recieve.  This is for
HBO, MTV, CNN and other superstations.

   But I find it hard to believe that the "air" channels are picked up
   with solely an antenna.  When I grew up in the flight path of Westover
   Air Force Base, both the cable office/transmission centre and the big
   tower (receiving), weren't far away.  When a C5-A Galaxy flew over,
   the broadcast stations on cable never wavered one bit.

They use a separate antenna for each TV station.  Usually a Log
Periodic antenna from 3' to about 6' long a short distance (like
30-40') up a tower.  They are going to get a good enough signal that
multipath signals are not significant.  A plane flying over the tower
has little or no effect on the signal at all since the signal is
concentrated on the horizon.

My experience is based on tower work I have done on towers that were
also used by cable companies.  I think the Waltham one was on Prospect
hill if I remember correctly.

To identify one of these you should see a tower bristling with "small"
antennas that look kind of like a double sided comb not more then half
way up the tower.  The "spines" will be paralell to the ground
(horizontal) and point in different directions with most of them
pointing near a big city like Boston.  Or if its close to Boston
several will point to Needham where the major stations transmit from.


jv


 _____
|     | Johnathan Vail     vail@tegra.com     (508) 663-7435
|Tegra| jv@n1dxg.ampr.org    N1DXG@448.625-(WorldNet)
 -----  MEMBER: League for Programming Freedom (league@prep.ai.mit.edu)
From: gjc@mitech.com (George J. Carrette)
Newsgroups: ne.general
Subject: Re: New Cable Channels in Boston
Date: 11 Jan 93 10:04:35 GMT
Organization: Mitech Corporation, Concord MA

In article <73351@cup.portal.com>, James_J_Kowalczyk@cup.portal.com writes:
> Believe it or not, the good folks at Heritage Cablevision in Andover, MA,
> suggest that I stop by their office each month to pick up a photocopy of
> the Encore schedule because they are unable to mail a copy to me.

How about a news group with cable schedules on it...


Newsgroups: ne.general
Subject: Re: Recommendations for home insurance
Organization: I.E.C.C.
Date: 8 Jan 93 00:30:38 EST (Fri)
From: johnl@iecc.cambridge.ma.us (John R. Levine)

>>Seeking recommendations for agent/provider of home insurance.

>Why don't you just call John Hancock Insurance in nearby Newton
>at 617-969-9630.  My agent, Nancy Davis, ...

Jeez and a half.  How much per referral is she kicking back to you?
Enough commercials, already.

Regards,
John Levine, johnl@iecc.cambridge.ma.us, {spdcc|ima|world}!iecc!johnl
From: boaz@concerto.lcs.mit.edu (Boaz Ben-Zvi)
Newsgroups: ne.general
Subject: New England Telephone: Reduce your monthly phone bill
Date: 7 Jan 93 01:38:38 GMT
Distribution: ne
Organization: MIT Laboratory for Computer Science


Following N.E.T's announcement of raising some of their rates on 1/15,
I begun wondering how one may offset some of the hike.
  (For those who did not yet hear about it: The measured and unlimited
monthly services will go up by $1.80, and the premium services would go
up by approx. $3.07 .)
  The monthly bill contains an "end-user access" charge of $3.50; it is
not mentioned in the phone book, and often not itemized on the bill
but apparently every phone line must pay this :-(
  Another common item is the "touch-tone" service - $.98/month . It
probably takes NET a special effort to monitor lines without this and
deny them the touch-tone service. Has anyone tried to use a touch-tone
phone on a line WITHOUT a touch-tone service?  I'd love to find out that
technically the current system can't block .....
  Any of the "custom calling services" ? Some may be useful, but who
needs Speed Calling ?
  Unlimited service costs more than 6-8 bucks above the measured one,
and gives unlimited service to your local area (your town plus the towns
surrounding it), which would otherwise cost $.016/minute (plus 1 cent
per call). I.e., it'll take more than (approx.) 6-8 hours of monthly
phone use (in the local area!) to make Unlimited service a good choice.
(Well, some modem-owners use that much in a single day :-)

  The announcement said "New England Telephone does not receive any
additional revenue as a result of the new rates". Sure, they spend 
the money we pay them on TV commercials :-)

-- Boaz

p.s. The above should serve to start a new thread.


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/__)(_)(_|__/  /__)(_'_/ /   /__\/_(        __|_ __\    | __|_     \  __\| __|_
          __)                                           |                      
===============================================================================
 Boaz Ben-Zvi <boaz@apollo.hp.com>        Home: (617) 494-1279  <boaz@mit.edu>
===============================================================================
--

===============================================================================
  _              _            __         __ ___  _ _   __ ___    ____      ___
 /_) _  _  __   /_) _   __ __ _/    o     |   |   \| __ |   |     /    \ |   |
/__)(_)(_|__/  /__)(_'_/ /   /__\/_(        __|_ __\    | __|_     \  __\| __|_
          __)                                           |                      
===============================================================================
 Boaz Ben-Zvi <boaz@crl.dec.com>           Home: (617) 494-1279  <boaz@mit.edu>
===============================================================================
Newsgroups: ne.general
From: tonym@world.std.com (Tony Matt)
Subject: Re: flavors of MA cops: what the hell is the registry police?
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Distribution: ne
Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1993 06:02:22 GMT

In article <lkrlsaINNkju@news.bbn.com> djstracher@ccs1.bbn.com writes:
>In article <SPIKE.92Dec31155808@world.std.com>, spike@world.std.com (Joe Ilacqua) writes:
>>
>>	Ah, the escalation of it all.  States (and Canadian provinces)
>>which ban Radar Detectors are now using Radar Detector Detectors
>>(really), next we'll have Radar Detector Detector Detectors.
>
>Since radar detectors are passive in nature it would not be possible to have a
>radar detector detector. ( YES I have heard about these devices but don't
>believe they exist or can exist). 

As has been previously mentioned, all but the earliest radar detectors are
superheterodynes and therefore have a local oscillator which can be detected.
The detector manufacturers have responded by changing LO frequencies and
improving shielding in the units.

The use of radar detector detectors in Ontario was documented in AutoWeek
a few years back.  The Mountie not only fines the driver, but confiscates 
and subsequently destroys (either at the site or later in barracks) the 
detector.  Truck drivers who still insist on using detectors carry two - 
they swap out the good unit (and stash it) for a cheap or non-functional 
one when they've been pulled over, but before the officer completes the 
walk to the truck cab.

When detectors were illegal in Connecticut (the law was repealed effective,
I believe, Oct. 1), I heard of no instances of detector detectors being used.
There were reports (in rec.autos.driving, I think) that the Staties would
follow traffic at night and pulse their radar unit every minute or so just
to see which car(s) hit their brakes (or have visual detector alarms
triggering) in order to nab offenders.

Tony Matt   tonym@world.std.com

Newsgroups: ne.general
From: tonym@world.std.com (Tony Matt)
Subject: Re: flavors of MA cops
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 16:23:52 GMT

In article <1993Jan6.184144.2695@inmet.camb.inmet.com> mazur@bluefin.camb.inmet.com (Beth Mazur) writes:
>In <1993Jan6.012842.22440@osf.org> kenny@osf.org (Kenneth Crudup) writes:
>>The reason you have such tieups like
>>the Central Artery embarrassment is because of this passive, lemming
>>mentality, and driver incompetence.
>
>The reason you have the Central Artery embarassement is incredibly inept
>road planning and a significantly larger than designed-for traffic 
>population.   

Well, once upon a time there was a plan to build the Southwest 
Expressway, Inner Loop, and a Rte. 2 freeway through Cambridge,
which would have provided alternatives to the Central Artery
and SE-Xway.  They were stopped by (then) Gov. Frank Sargent
when the environmetal/urban opposition to being paved over became
too intense (Al Lupo's _Rights of Way_ is a good narrative on the
development of the protest).  I'm not advocating here that these
roads should have been built; any discussion of the Central Artery
and road planning, however, should include the fact that this highway 
was not intended by the planners to serve the areas it now does.

>My favorite ineptitude is the loss of the far left lane
>just before the 93/Rt 1 merge on 93 heading north.  No notice or warning--
>if you are lucky, there might be room for you to merge when you notice 
>that your lane has just ended.
>
>Of course, the merge up ahead also qualifies pretty much as brain-dead too.

That's just my point - the disappearing left lane north of the merge was
intended for the never-built Rte. 2/Inner Loop.

Newsgroups: ne.general
From: spike@world.std.com (Joe Ilacqua)
Subject: Re: flavors of MA cops
Organization: Software Tool & Die
	<1993Jan6.163909.15020@m5.harvard.edu> <106316@bu.edu>
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 01:34:56 GMT

In article <106316@bu.edu> heiser@acs.bu.edu (Bill Heiser) writes:
<If there are three or more lanes in each direction, passing on the 
<right is legal.  At least that's the way it used to be - I haven't
<checked recently.

	In Massachusetts you can only pass on the right on "divided
highways".  If I recall correctly from driver's ed 10 years ago,
passing on the right was/is not legal in Rhode Island.

->Spike
From: rmk@rmkhome.UUCP (Rick Kelly)
Newsgroups: ne.general
Subject: Re: Channel 68
Date: 5 Jan 93 23:12:56 GMT
Reply-To: rmk@rmkhome.UUCP (Rick Kelly)
Organization: The Man With Ten Cats

In article <1993Jan5.150926.15191@mips2.ma30.bull.com> mgelman@cyclades.ma30.bull.com (Michael A. Gelman) writes:
>Since we're speaking of tv stations, I noticed that I'm no longer
>receiving 68.  Is it off the air or is my TV broken?


Same here.

-- 

Rick Kelly    rmkhome!rmk@merk.com    merk!rmkhome!rmk    rmk@frog.UUCP
Newsgroups: ne.general
From: ljr@mitre.org (Luke J. Rheaume)
Subject: Re: Health Plan choices
Followup-To: ne.general
Organization: The MITRE Corporation - Bedford, MA
Distribution: ne
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 18:20:09 GMT

In article <JC.93Jan12002453@buitc.bu.edu>, jc@bu-it.bu.edu (James Cameron)
wrote:
> 
> 
> As I am starting a new fulltime job, it is time I look into what would
> be best for me in terms of a health plan.  Basically, I have the Blue
> Cross Blue Shield options, the Harvard Community Health Plan, and
> Tufts.  
> 
> I live near the corner of Comm. Ave and Washington Street and work for
> Boston University so location of clinic is going to play a part of
> this decision, though not sure how big yet.  *8-)   Guess it depends
> upon the distance.
> 
> Any suggestions, comments, or live chicken rituals you care to share?
> 
> 
> James Cameron

My family has had very good luck with Harvard Community Health Plan.  I've
had to step on a couple of Opthomoligist - we didn't agree on treatment
plans - but for the most part, if you take control, the plan will work.  Be
careful choosing your primary care physician, and don't be afraid to
contact HCHP customer service or change your primary care physician.

One of our children has Bilateral Retina Blastoma.  HCHP covers everything.
 I'm also a diabetic, and the pharmacy benefit is excellent.

Standard Disclaimer Applies:  These are my opinions, not my employers.

Luke J. Rheaume, Member of the Technical Staff
The MITRE Corporation, Strategic Surveillance Systems
202 Burlington Rd., MS M322
Bedford, MA 01730-1420
Newsgroups: ne.general
From: zippy@cs.brandeis.edu (Patrick Tufts)
Subject: Re: What to do with 12 yr olds in Boston
Organization: Brandeis University
Distribution: ne
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 19:16:13 GMT

Three letters: HMV

I know - it's just another chain-store, but 12 yr music junkies love
it.

Plus, Harvard Square is a nice place to stroll.

Of course, I'd also take 'em to the Mugar OmniTheater at the Museum of
Science, and the steam tunnels at MIT :)

--Pat
Newsgroups: ne.general
From: ckd@eff.org (Christopher Davis)
Subject: Re: Drinking and the MBTA was Re: Sunday Liquor Sales
Organization: Electronic Frontier Foundation Tech Central
	<BZS.92Dec15212827@world.std.com>
	<1992Dec17.153135.8027@dunsel.harvard.edu>
	<CKD.93Jan6220951@loiosh.eff.org> <HROSE.93Jan6223611@rocza.eff.org>
	<BZS.93Jan6233035@world.std.com> <MSALETNI.93Jan7085319@jade.tufts.edu>
Distribution: ne
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 16:48:21 GMT

BZS> == bzs@world.std.com (Barry Shein) writes:
MJS> == Michael J. Saletnik <msaletni@jade.tufts.edu>

 BZS> Pardon me for being perhaps a bit out of place...but don't you two
 BZS> sit right next to each other at EFF?

 MJS> I've had lengthy e-mail conversations with my partner in Hell (aka
 MJS> fellow grad student) when he was in his office, just across the hall
 MJS> from mine.  We have also done the same thing on the two terminals in
 MJS> just one office.

You think that's bad?  I once spent time wandering around in a MUD in
Finland so I could talk to the guy I was working with at the BU Help Desk,
since he was all of five feet away on the other terminal.

 MJS> It's amusing.  Scary, though.

Indeed. :)

To answer Barry's original question, yes and no; we sit far enough apart
that I can't see her screen without pushing my chair around, and, besides,
she was off doing something else when I posted that.  So there. :)
--
Christopher K. Davis      | ``Usenet seems to run much like the Kif (or,
<ckd@eff.org>   EFF #14   |   for the TV generation, Klingon) high command.
System Administrator, EFF |   Whoever takes action and can be heard wins.''
+1 617 864 0665  [CKD1]   |   --Peter da Silva <peter@ferranti.com>
From: jlacey@cbnewsl.cb.att.com (james.w.lacey)
Newsgroups: ne.general
Subject: Re: Health Plan choices
Date: 12 Jan 93 12:49:15 GMT
Distribution: ne
Organization: AT&T

In article <JC.93Jan12002453@buitc.bu.edu> jc@bu-it.bu.edu (James Cameron) writes:
>
>As I am starting a new fulltime job, it is time I look into what would
>be best for me in terms of a health plan.  Basically, I have the Blue
>Cross Blue Shield options, the Harvard Community Health Plan, and
>Tufts.  
>...
>Any suggestions, comments, or live chicken rituals you care to share?

In reality, BCBS is not a health plan, but a sickness plan:
benefits only cover illness, not health promotion and prevention.
For example, BCBS doesnt cover physicals while HMOs like HCHP and 
Tufts do.  HCHP and Tufts have pretty good reputations, and
HMOs may take a more conservative approach to treatment than
non-HMO docs (who are often paid by the number of procedures  
performed vs. HMO docs paid on salary).

Boston Magazine had a write up a couple of months back on this 
topic that you may want to check out.


-- 
     Jim Lacey  --  my own opinions    
     email:  att!cbnewsl!jlacey  or  jlacey@cbnewsl.cb.att.com
     D'ou venons-nous? Que sommes-nous? Ou allons-nous?
Xref: sparky ne.general:3689 misc.invest:15647
From: everettm@Cayman.COM (Mark Everett)
Newsgroups: ne.general,misc.invest
Subject: Re: 401K--to rollover or not?
Date: 4 Jan 93 16:03:58 GMT
Followup-To: ne.general
Organization: Cayman Systems Inc., Cambridge, MA
In-reply-to: grady@world.std.com's message of 3 Jan 93 19:25:42 GMT


In article <C0ALyv.48u@world.std.com> grady@world.std.com (Dick Grady) writes:

   In article <C086Jr.3A2@world.std.com> philip@world.std.com (Philip Borenstein) writes:
   >richb@jti.com (Richard Braun) writes:
   >
   >Be sure that you do a direct transfer to the IRA rather than take a
   >distribution from the 401(k). Otherwise, your former employer is required to
   >withhold 20% which you have to then "make up" when you place the money in
   >an IRA. You'll get the 20% back, of course, (as a tax credit I think). But
   >if the amount in your 401(k) is substantial, and you can't make the 20%
   >yourself, it becomes INCOME taxed at your rate with the 10% tacked on.

   The IRS isn't the agency that set this trap.

The IRS is in the same position as the police when required to enforce poorly
written laws.  They are often perceived as "the bad guys", because what they're
doing (under orders) can be stupid.  But by blaming the "messenger" rather than
the "sender" (elected officials), the problem just compounds.  Democracy isn't
working well in the U.S. today because Democracy requires an informed and involved
constituency.  It can be nigh well impossible to keep up, but with the number of
public watchdog groups around throwing out (often conflicting) information, there
isn't any excuse for not at least trying.

   *CONGRESS* did, in the 1992 tax reform (?) law.  And Bush signed it!
   The IRS is just enforcing the law, as written.

   So if you don't like this withholding provision, complain to Congrss and
   to Clinton.

I asked the financial powers around here what was going on.  The answer I heard ;-)
was that a lot of people were taking their distribution, not rolling it over, and
not paying the taxes on it.  (I guess the of loosing one's job, not having
sufficient cushion, and not being able to get another one in a reasonable amount
of time in today's economic climate isn't considered a hardship.  The government
always gets *their's* first!)

If you take the distribution after 01 January 93 in the form of a check, 20% is
withheld.  The administrator of whatever new plan you are in can send a request
to the former plan for that 20%.  Of course, the easiest method is for the old
plan to transfer the entire amount directly to the new plan, in which case no
withholding is required.

Of course, I don't know if Congress has required plans to actually talk to each
other :-(.

-everettm

--
.................................................................................
Mark J. Everett	    : Cayman Systems Inc, 26 Landsdowne St, Cambridge, MA 02139
everettm@cayman.com : Phone 617-494-1999, Fax 617-494-5167, AppleLink CAYMAN.TECH
From: heiser@acs.bu.edu (Bill Heiser)
Newsgroups: ne.general
Subject: Re: New England Telephone: Reduce your monthly phone bill
Date: 13 Jan 93 00:20:15 GMT
Distribution: ne
Organization: Boston University, Boston, MA, USA

In article <1993Jan11.154543.22434@frog.CRDS.COM> miket@frog.CRDS.COM (Michael C Tiernan) writes:
>>  ... "we don't care.  We don't have to, we're the phone company!"
>>  ... "are you calling from the number from which I'm speaking?"
>	You're thinking of Ruth Buzzi (sp?) from the old Laugh-In days.

Well I haven't confirmed that this is the right person, but several
people have agreed that it is Lily Tomlin.



-- 
Bill Heiser
heiser@bu.acs.edu, heiser@world.std.com
Newsgroups: ne.general
From: spike@world.std.com (Joe Ilacqua)
Subject: Re: flavors of MA cops
Organization: Software Tool & Die
	<PSHUANG.93Jan5193646@ninja.mit.edu> <1993Jan6.012842.22440@osf.org>
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 02:34:40 GMT


	I came up with a good first pass at cleaning the Mass drivers
gene pool this morning.  Confiscate the cars of folks who don't know
enough to turn their head lights on on a dark rainy day, like this
morning.  The people you have left after this are a least aware that
other cars have drivers too.

->Spike
From: rg@msel.unh.edu (Roger Gonzalez)
Newsgroups: ne.general
Subject: Re: flavors of MA cops
Date: 10 Jan 93 12:22:57
Organization: Denning Mobile Robotics
Distribution: usa
	<6JAN199315454670@pearl.tufts.edu> <106317@bu.edu>
	<7JAN199312081914@pearl.tufts.edu>
NNTP-Posting-Host: nymph.msel.unh.edu
In-reply-to: tvatne@pearl.tufts.edu's message of 8 Jan 93 00:08:00 GMT


Bill> Are there any roads in Vermont that more than 2 lanes in each direction?
Bill> As I recall, both 91 and 89 have only 2 lanes in each direction.

Tom> Not that I recall. Maybe somewhere around Burlington, but I don't think
Tom> so even there.

I've not seen any either.  I had to drive end-to-end on 89 to get to college,
and it doesn't widen even at Burlington.  Fortunately, traffic is usually
pretty low.. and I've never seen a cop between Burlington and the Canadian
border (well, Rt. 72), so I always went at ridiculously high speeds on that
stretch.. 

--
ARTIFICIAL FLOWERS:  Pieces of plastic and metal, crudely fashioned to
  bear a limited, superficial resemblance to real flowers, but with no
  credible attempt to match their internal complexity in terms of form,
  function, or behavior.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Really smart computers.

Roger Gonzalez - rg@msel.unh.edu     (508) 658-7800 (fax -2492)
Denning Mobile Robotics, 21 Concord Street, Wilmington MA 01887
Newsgroups: ne.general,ne.wanted