HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: mjassels@cs.concordia.ca (Michael Assels)
Newsgroups: sci.research.careers
Subject: Re: Do the police have Fabrikant's postings?
Date: 29 Aug 92 16:30:00 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Computer Science, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec

In article <1992Aug26.150049.13307@relay.nswc.navy.mil> bwallet@apssgi.nswc.navy.mil (Brad Wallet) writes:
>I am still interested in whether the college is going to
>have to answer the charges made by Dr. Fabrikant.  I guess
>there is no disagreeing that his actions proved him mad,
>but his claims still should be examined.

When Fabrikant was a disgruntled academic, I thought his claims should be
examined.  Now that he's a murderer, I think his claims should be tossed
immediately into the nearest garbage can (if it's large enough for the
entire dossier).  If there are problems in academia, let them be brought
up fresh by someone else at some other time, after Fabrikant's personal
grievances have faded into richly deserved obscurity.  Let's not allow
the social agenda to be determined by violent savages.

+-------------------------------+----------------------------------+
| Michael Assels, Analyst       | Everything is what it is and not |
| Comp. Sci., Concordia Univ.   | another thing.                   |
| 1455 de Maisonneuve O         |    - Aristotle (or someone else) |
| Montreal, Quebec, H3G 1M8     +----------------------------------+
| Voice: (514) 848-3030         |     mjassels@cs.concordia.ca     |
+-------------------------------+----------------------------------+
Newsgroups: sci.research.careers
From: vugranam@pike.ee.mcgill.ca (Vugranam Chakravarthy Sreedhar)
Subject: Re: Do the police have Fabrikant's postings?
Organization: McGill University - VLSI Laboratory, Montreal, CANADA.
Distribution: na
Date: Sat, 29 Aug 92 20:55:29 GMT

In article <4822@daily-planet.concordia.ca> mjassels@cs.concordia.ca (Michael Assels) writes:
>
>When Fabrikant was a disgruntled academic, I thought his claims should be
>examined.  Now that he's a murderer, I think his claims should be tossed
>immediately into the nearest garbage can (if it's large enough for the

I don't agree. 

>entire dossier).  If there are problems in academia, let them be brought
>up fresh by someone else at some other time, after Fabrikant's personal

and create another Fabrikant!! 

>grievances have faded into richly deserved obscurity.  Let's not allow
>the social agenda to be determined by violent savages.
>

Sreedhar

Newsgroups: sci.research.careers
From: stgprao@st.unocal.COM (Richard Ottolini)
Subject: Re: Second Undergraduate Degree, or transitional master's
Organization: Unocal Corporation
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 16:15:39 GMT

In article <1992Aug26.022817.19770@m.cs.uiuc.edu> gillies@m.cs.uiuc.edu (Don Gillies) writes:
>By the way, MIT students are *not* notorious for collecting two,
>three, etc. bachelor's degrees.  Each additional bachelor's requires an
>additional YEAR's worth of coursework at MIT (120 MIT hours = 30 hours
>at most schools).  Most people are dying to stop paying tuition, and
>if they can handle the course load, choose instead to graduate in 3.5
>years or less, rather than picking up a second degree.

A considerable fraction are not on financial aid and stay the full four years.
Perhaps the numbers have changed in the past decade, but it was 90 units
per extra degree, if you arranged the courses correctly.  I did not plan my
extra 120 units wisely and ended up with cultural enrichment rather than a
second degree.  But I went when one could earn tuition with a good summer
job.

The record for bachelor degrees at MIT is five I hear.  Rated an article in the
alumni magazine.
From: primeaux@wham-o.cs.utk.edu (David Primeaux)
Newsgroups: sci.research.careers
Subject: Re: Second Undergraduate Degree, or transitional master's
Date: 28 Aug 92 12:18:01 GMT
Organization: University of Tennessee, Knoxville - Department of Computer Science
Distribution: world
Reply-To: primeaux@wham-o.cs.utk.edu (David Primeaux)
NNTP-Posting-Host: wham-o.cs.utk.edu

In article <1992Aug27.204908.4660@ms.uky.edu>, uk09365@nx03.mik.uky.edu (robert i kesten) writes:
|> Allow me to suggest an additional rationale for obtaining
|> a second baccalaureate degree.  I'd appreciate comments on
|> this.
|> 
|> This relates directly to my own situation. My academic 
|> performance when I started college, as an 18 year old
|> freshman, ranged from near-average to abysmal.  I finally
|> left school and went to work in retail management and then
|> for a computer dealer.  I slipped into a smaller, regional
|> university as a non-degree student on a part-time basis
|> and started to do fairly well.  I finally decided to return
|> here (UK, Lexington) and finish my degree.  I managed to
|> gain readmission and I finally declared a major.  I
|> just finished my BA with a major in political science.
|> My work in the last few terms was either all "A's" or
|> at least nothing lower than a "B."  However, due to the
|> prior poor performance I only brought my GPA up to a "C"
|> average.
|> 
|> Now that I am dedicated to doing competent academic work,
|> and making 3.0 - 4.0 every semester I am motivated to
|> pursue graduate school or law school.  However, no
|> (respectable) program will accept me at present.  I am
|> therefore pursuing a second BA in order to both raise
|> my GPA and demonstrate my competence to successfully
|> pursue advanced academic work.
|> 
|> Robert K.

It would seem that a cover letter with your application 
might be in order.  The letter might include the basic 
information you mentioned in your post, with emphasis either
on the fact that *in your major* your GPA is such and such
or on the fact that *in your last X semesters* you have earned
a GPA of such and such.  The first part of your story is not 
at all unusual -- many, many people screw up the first time
they encounter a college situation.  However, the second part 
of your story -- that you returned to college and now, with a 
change of attitude, are succeding well -- is something to be proud
of and something you can use to "sell" yourself.  Congratulations
and the best of luck to you.

David
primeaux@cs.utk.edu
From: jnorris@milton.u.washington.edu (Joel Norris)
Newsgroups: sci.research.careers
Subject: Re: Fabrikant
Date: 27 Aug 92 19:32:51 GMT
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle

In article <1992Aug26.205330.22141@Princeton.EDU> lseltzer@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (Linda A. Seltzer) writes:
>
>Before I write my comments I should state that I do not know
>anyone at Concordia University and nothing I am going to say
>is descriptive of anyone there.  But after reading the items
>which have been posted to this newsgroup, there is much to discuss
>and to learn in terms of how people can constructively deal with
>situations when they experience bad treatment or dishonesty in
>a university or other work place.  
>
>One possible subject for discussion in
>this newsgroup is how to maintain our peace of mind and
>centeredness at times when colleageus attempt to harm us
>professionally and isolate us.  
>
>Obviously, therapy is one answer, altough it is often unavailable
>to graduate students because of the high cost.  Not becoming
>isolated is another answer.  Working off stress with athletics is
>another.  What do others suggest?

I find the InterVarsity Graduate Christian Fellowship at my school to be
an excellent source of support.

Joel
Newsgroups: sci.research.careers
From: waleed@gandalf.colorado.edu (Waleed Abdalati)
Subject: Re: Fabrikant did not post to sci.research.careers
Organization: Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research
Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1992 21:31:51 GMT


>|> Interesting that yo
>|> Interesting that you chose to print both sides of the story.  Commendable.
>|> However, in posting confidential memos and documentation, dod you
>|> unknowingly open yourself to a lawsuit yourself?

>Sued for helping someone execise freedom of speech?  How American.

>God bless America, land of lawyers!



All lawyers aside, I think more importantly than freedom of speech,
is the statement that fabricant himself made to "show it to all of
your friends"

Fabrikant was clearly trying to reach as many people as possible, and
used no discretion in selecting the people he contacted.  I am certain
that two of the people he contacted had no idea who he was (I know this
from other postings and from personal contact with one of them)  I suspect
he did not know most of the people he contacted.  It seems that given 
his lack of discretion, and his encouragement to spread the work, a lawsuit
would not stand. Had this person (DOV BAI-MSI) been posting a personal
letter... who knows?


Waleed
From: mk4f+@andrew.cmu.edu (Mayuram Krishnan)
Newsgroups: sci.research.careers
Subject: Concordia Killings : My thoughts.
Date: 1 Sep 92 23:20:57 GMT
Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA


I have seen a number of views on concordia killings in the net. 

Can anyone post on the net the actions taken by the university authorities ?

The news about private companies owned by profs mentioned in Fabricant's 
letters and joint projects with such companies raises some eyebrows. 
The authorities should lookinto the case to determine whether some
respected persons have been defamed or if someone is absolutely corrupt.
In either case it will be very useful for research community to know the
decisions and actions taken in the case. There is no use in judging the
quality of Dr Fabricant's research now, his papers have been accepted by
top journals hence they are good work from some point of view. The
question is whether Dr Fabricant acted out of jealousy or Was the system
within the university so corrupt that he did not find any other way out
and thus lost his temper.

Could someone from concordia univ post the details ?

Thanks.
From: geb@dsl.pitt.edu (gordon e. banks)
Newsgroups: sci.research.careers
Subject: Re: Fabrikant killings: Quest. and thoughts!
Date: 31 Aug 92 16:27:41 GMT
Organization: Decision Systems Laboratory, Univ. of Pittsburgh, PA.

In article <1992Aug27.152738.1@uwovax.uwo.ca> rpsingh@uwovax.uwo.ca writes:
>Going through various opinions about Prof. Fabrikant I begin to
>wonder if some of us are acting in a haste in dismissing him as
>a mad man. I went trough most of the followups and have a few
>questions.
>a) If Prof. Fabrikant was in the dept. for 14 yrs. how come this
>alleged behavorial problems were detected within the last couple of yrs??

How do you know they were?  You don't necessarily fire someone
until the behavioral problems become impossible to deal with.

>b) Looking at his credentials as a scientist one wonders why was he
>denied a tenure?? 

Maybe because there were behavioral problems detected.


>Some thoughts:
>I could never beleive that a person of his calibre would have done
>something this dangerous with premeditation. Had he thought about
>it, I beleive, wise counsel would have prevailed.
>

Paranoia affects people of all calibre, my friend.  Wise has
no meaning when it comes to paranoia.  

-- 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gordon Banks  N3JXP      | "Skepticism is the chastity of the intellect, and
geb@cadre.dsl.pitt.edu   |  it is shameful to surrender it too soon." 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Newsgroups: sci.research.careers,can.general
From: clamen+@CS.CMU.EDU (Stewart Clamen)
Subject: Re: Fabrikant: keeping a moral perspective.
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University
Reply-To: clamen+@CS.CMU.EDU
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 01:34:54 GMT
X-Posted-From: byron.sp.cs.cmu.edu
X-Posted-Through: sol.ctr.columbia.edu

In article <1992Aug27.000425.22037@newshub.ccs.yorku.ca> tony@nexus.yorku.ca (Anthony Wallis) writes:

   (From the Mosaic Decalogue)
   Thou shalt
     [6]  not murder
     [8]  not steal
     [9]  not give false evidence
     [10] not covet

   Perhaps the Mosaic Deity had something divine in mind in not
   putting murder into one class of sin and stealing, lying and
   coveting into another class.  Our society seems to have done here
   what God would not.  It doesn't take much to imagine a distressed
   alienated mind, hyper- sensitive to perceived massive violations of
   [8] [9] and [10], to fail [6].

While the four commandments do appear together in the context you
cite, the penalties for transgressing them are strikingly different.

--
Stewart M. Clamen			Internet:    clamen@cs.cmu.edu
School of Computer Science		UUCP: 	     uunet!"clamen@cs.cmu.edu"
Carnegie Mellon University		Phone: 	     +1 412 268 2145
5000 Forbes Avenue			Fax:	     +1 412 268 5739
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3891, USA
Newsgroups: sci.research.careers
From: bai@msiadmin.cit.cornell.edu (Dov Bai-MSI Visitor)
Subject: Re: The Fabrikant affair - any news?
Organization: /usr/local/lib/news/organization
Distribution: na
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 12:21:20 GMT

In article <37305@sdcc12.ucsd.edu> acohen@cs.ucsd.edu (Ariel Cohen) writes:
>
>   I find the Fabrikant affair very intriguing; it's almost like
>real-life Dostoyevsky.
>
>   I wonder, does Fabrikant have a family? Could someone tell us 
>what the local papers are saying? It would be nice if someone who
>follows the investigation in Montreal would post a summary of the 
>developments and what the press reveals. Or am I the only curious 
>soul?
>

No, you are not alone. I for one am very curious as well.


>-- Ariel


Xref: sparky sci.research.careers:877 soc.culture.canada:6190
From: dstewart+@cs.cmu.edu (David B Stewart)
Newsgroups: sci.research.careers,soc.culture.canada
Subject: Re: Illuminating Fabricant quotation
Date: 31 Aug 92 04:52:32 GMT
Article-I.D.: cs.Btu07L.Erq.1
Organization: The Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University
Cc: dstewart

In article <wcsjc.715192126@cunews> wcsjc@alfred.carleton.ca (John Coughlin) writes:
>What struck me is his poor command of English after having lived in Canada
>for a dozen years or so.  Perhaps the delay in granting of tenure is related
>to this.  I mean, no matter how brilliant his research papers may be, if they
>must be edited by a grammarian every time, it would be a bit embarrassing for
>Concordia, don't you think ?


Having spent 4 years at Concordia (84-88) I honestly don't think that
mastery of the English language is a criterion for granting tenure.
There were a few professors in engineering that could barely speak
English, yet they did get tenure.

~dave

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
David B. Stewart  - email: <dstewart@cmu.edu>            The Robotics Institute
snail mail:       - ECE Dept., Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Current Projects: - Chimera 3.0 Real-Time Operating System
		  - Reconfigurable Sensor-Based Control Systems
Newsgroups: sci.research.careers
From: bai@msiadmin.cit.cornell.edu (Dov Bai-MSI Visitor)
Subject: Re: Fabrikant did not post to sci.research.careers
Organization: /usr/local/lib/news/organization
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 12:31:59 GMT

In article <1992Aug26.160145.4424@bb1t.monsanto.com> tjfeue@bb1t.monsanto.com writes:
>In article <1992Aug26.033318.1123@news.iastate.edu>, mds@iastate.edu (Mark D. Smucker) writes:
>> 
>> One thing should be noted here, Dr. Fabrikant did not post to this
>> group,  Dov Bai ( bai@msiadmin.cit.cornell.edu ) posted all of the
>> articles.  I am curious where Mr. Bai got the articles etc.  What
>> other groups saw the same set of postings?
>
>According to the email headers on the first post, he got it emailed 
>direct from an account on the Concordia VAX.  Oddly, almost all the
>recipients had names starting with "B", but not all as would be 
>expected if it was a section of alphabetic listings.  Maybe Dov can
>share with us some insight into the infamous Dr. Fabrikant.  Dov?  
>You out there?

Yes -:). Maybe the _names_ of all the people on the B.LST start
with B, but the _userids_ of some of them does does not start in
"B". He probably had an alphabetic directory of names which listed
also the e-mail addresses of some people. The SIAM membership directory,
for example, list all members alphabetically, and include the
e-mail addresses of anyone who requested in on the registration
form (like me ). 

Does that make sense ? 
>
>  TED FEUERBACH   Scientific Systems Consultant  Trilogy Consulting, Inc. 
>  Lake St. Louis, MO        (314) 537-6603       tjfeue@bb1t.monsanto.com
>  Disclaimer:  The opinions expressed herein are MY OWN and obviously not
>  the opinions of Trilogy, Monsanto or either of my two ex-wives.           

Dov

Newsgroups: sci.research.careers
From: buick@belay (Patrick D. Buick)
Subject: Re: Fabrikant did not post to sci.research.careers
Organization: Belay Enterprises Inc. Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 03:03:18 GMT

In article <1992Aug26.175301.24479@unislc.uucp> erc@unislc.uucp (Ed Carp) writes:
>Dov Bai-MSI Visitor (bai@msiadmin.cit.cornell.edu) wrote:
>
>: so there might have been A.LST, C.LST etc. for people whose name begin
>: with a different letter in the alphabet. I decided to send it to
>: s.r.c. becasue I thought it might be helpful for people who are 
>: eagerly looking for a tenure-track position to see how the "Real
>: World" looks, and that it is not a paradise at all. Later on I sent
>: it also science.research.
>
>Interesting that you chose to print both sides of the story.  Commendable.
>However, in posting confidential memos and documentation, dod you
>unknowingly open yourself to a lawsuit yourself?
>
If you had read further, the memo specifically states that he wished
it to be "printed out and shared with your colleagues".  This is
indirect permission to distribute... I doubt a lawsuit would be
in order.
Patrick
-- 
==========================================================
Patrick D. Buick EMT, EET  | Internet: buick%belay@uunet.uu.net
Belay Enterprises Inc.     | Internet: buickp@cuug.ab.ca
Calgary, Alberta, Canada   | UUCP:...!calgary!pixel!belay!buick
Newsgroups: sci.research.careers
From: erspert@athena.mit.edu (Ellen R. Spertus)
Subject: Re: PhD In C.S.
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1992 00:07:39 GMT

In article <9lqy1+@rpi.edu> maniattb@cs.rpi.edu (Bill Maniatty) writes:
>	Is massively parallel computation a ``hot area''?

Yes

>	What schools are doing interesting work in this area,
>		and what constitutes interesting work?

MIT is definitely doing interesting work.  There are two answers to
what constitutes interesting work.  The first is what type of
massively-parallel computation are you interested in?  Scientific or
symbolic code, von Neumann or novel architectures, SIMD or MIMD, etc.
Additionally, there are sub-areas such as fault tolerance, network
design, compiling, operating systems, databases, etc.  Different
schools will have different strengths.

The second answer to what constitutes interesting work is what gets
published.  Some proceedings to check out would be _Principles and
Practice of Parallel Programming_, _Frontiers of Massively Parallel
Computation_, the hybercube conferences, and the supercomputing
conferences.  Those will show you exactly who is doing work judged
interesting by their peers.

>	Is the area of systems programming ``hot''?

I think so.  People keep trying to hire me away from school.

>	Will the contributions I make during my M.S. be weighted heavily
>		in the application process for PhD, or will they be discounted
>		in favor of some other criteria?

At a school like MIT, research is very important.  Of course, you will
also be expected to have good grades and good recommendations.

>	Is there a stigma attached switching schools between M.S. and PhD.
>		degrees?

No, although it generally slows you down.

Disclaimer: I'm "only" a graduate student.

					Ellen Spertus
					erspert@athena.mit.edu
Newsgroups: sci.research.careers
From: rpsingh@uwovax.uwo.ca
Subject: Fabrikant killings: Quest. and thoughts!
Organization: University of Western Ont, London
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 19:27:38 GMT

Going through various opinions about Prof. Fabrikant I begin to
wonder if some of us are acting in a haste in dismissing him as
a mad man. I went trough most of the followups and have a few
questions.
a) If Prof. Fabrikant was in the dept. for 14 yrs. how come this
alleged behavorial problems were detected within the last couple of yrs??
b) Looking at his credentials as a scientist one wonders why was he
denied a tenure?? 
c) I've aways beleived that people who commit themselves entirely to
scientific goals and pursuits are very easily deturred by any attempt
that hinders their progress. Could it not be possible that the people
around him harassed him to the extent that he decided to commit what
he did??
Some thoughts:
I could never beleive that a person of his calibre would have done
something this dangerous with premeditation. Had he thought about
it, I beleive, wise counsel would have prevailed.

A major blame should go to the officials (university) who were in this
case from its genesis. If his letters bear any truth I guess he found
himself unable to put his point across the more established and more
manipulative adversaries.

I must point out that thsi doesn't mean that I'm Trying to justify
or condone his actions but perhaps I'm inviting all you guys out there
to THINK:
Do you also do anything that you may not like to receive???
IF YES, TRY BEING YOUR OWN CRITIC AND GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER BEFORE
SOMEONE ELSE STARTS DOING IT FOR YOU.
-Ravi.
 

*******************************************************************************
`Common Sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen'.
                                                     - Einstein

Ravi P. Singh                        E-mail: rpsingh@hydra.uwo.ca
Dept. of Physics                     Phone : (519)-679-2111 Ext.6556 [off]
University of Western Ontario                (519)-433-6291 [Res.]
London N6A 3K7, Ontario              Fax   : (519)-661-2033 
 C A N A D A
********************************************************************************
Xref: sparky sci.research.careers:894 soc.culture.canada:6205
From: beaurega@ireq.hydro.qc.ca (Denis Beauregard)
Newsgroups: sci.research.careers,soc.culture.canada
Subject: Re: Murder: for or against?
Date: 31 Aug 92 18:31:06 GMT
Organization: Institut de recherche d'Hydro-Quebec, Varennes, Canada

In article <4840@daily-planet.concordia.ca> mjassels@cs.concordia.ca (Michael Assels) writes:
>I can't believe what I'm reading here, day after day.  A man murders three
>people (unrelated to his troubles, if that matters) and he develops a fan 
>club in sci.research.careers!  Hello?  Is anybody out there?
>
>Followups to alt.bizarre
>
>| Michael Assels, Analyst       | Everything is what it is and not |
>| Voice: (514) 848-3030         |     mjassels@cs.concordia.ca     |

And why not to rec.humor (this one at least?)

-- 
  \_\    Denis Beauregard  *  internet:beaurega@ireq.hydro.qc.ca
 /   \   Genealogiste officiel : Beauregard/Jarret/Jarest/Vincent
J   __>  Un Quebec renouvele dans une Amerique renovee
\_.-===                                                  Opinions ? Et pis non !
From: stgprao@st.unocal.COM (Richard Ottolini)
Newsgroups: sci.research.careers
Subject: Re: Do the police have Fabrikant's postings?
Date: 27 Aug 92 18:21:41 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Unocal Corporation

In article <1992Aug27.160233.25065@bwdls61.bnr.ca> clewis@bwdlh118.bnr.ca (Chris Lewis) writes:
>In article <1992Aug26.175452.15258@linus.mitre.org> crawford@church.mitre.org (Randy Crawford) writes:
> 
>>The charges certainly contributed to his state of mind.  I have to
>>believe that Fabricant's attorney will attempt to validate them, at
>>least to mitigate the act as Fabrikant's reaction to an impossible 
>>situation, thereby reducing his sentence.

Emotional rage has been used successfully as a temporary insanity defence.
However, these tend to be of the immediate, instinctive outburst type.
Dan White, who murdered Mayor Moscone of San Francisco 12 years ago,
successfully argued a multi-day rage in reducing his conviction.
This was the infamous "twinke" defence.
Newsgroups: sci.research.careers