From: Michael-S-Shappe@cornell.edu (Michael Scott Shappe)
Subject: REC.ARTS.STARTREK.TECH Introduction--Weekly
Followup-To: rec.arts.startrek.misc
Summary: A weekly intro/update newsletter/posting type thing
Originator: mshappe@harper-hall.cit.cornell.edu
Keywords: intro star trek newsgroup weekly
Supersedes: <intro-rast-weekly_714170212@cornell.edu>
Nntp-Posting-User: @cornell.edu
Reply-To: Michael-S-Shappe@cornell.edu
Organization: Cornell University, Ithaca NY
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1992 16:17:10 GMT
Expires: Mon, 21 Sep 1992 16:17:38 GMT

Archive-name: star-trek/rast-weekly

        ^
       ` `
    _ `   ` _             Introduction to rec.arts.startrek.tech
  "  `     `  "           Weekly Edition
"               "         9208.06
"   ` .` `. `   "
  " `` _ _ `` "
    `       `

This posting is a work in progress. Constructive comments welcome.
Flames to /dev/null. See ending for Copyright and Trademark info.

======================================================================
  Welcome to the rec.arts.startrek.* experience!

  rec.arts.startrek.tech
	Discussions of Star Trek's depiction of future technology,
	including warp drives, phasers, photon torpedoes,
	transporters, communicators, turbolifts, android technology,
	medical advances, Geordi's visor, violations of 20th century
	physical laws, etc.

Whether a posting really  belongs here or in rec.arts.startrek.misc or
.current is  left  up  to  the poster. We rely  on  your judgement  to
determine which is the best forum for a given topic.

Personal quarrels,  flame wars, and  basically non-Trek or  non-r.a.s.
related  noise   do  not  belong  here,  period.  Postings  about  RAS
personalities are OK, within reason, and on special occasions.

  Important Things To Keep In Mind
  --------------------------------
 
* Rec.arts.startrek, the original newsgroup, was 'rmgroup'd at the end
   of April. Please don't bother trying to find it--it's not there :-)

* Please remember Spoiler Etiquette.  Any time  you believe you are to
   discuss something which the majority of readers will not  have seen or
   heard of yet, you should make use of  full Spoiler Warnings, including
   A]  the  keyword  "Spoiler"  in  the  subject  line,  B]  Some  banner
   announcing  the presence of spoilers and C] Some  means  of seperating
   that banner  from the spoiler material, be  it a form-feed (CTRL-L) or
   25 lines of blank space.


  Everyday things every r.a.s.*'er should know
  --------------------------------------------

New users  of rec.arts.startrek.*  should make sure they know  exactly
what they are getting into before  the begin contributing  to the net.
There are several sources of  information the "newbie"  should consult
before digging in:

* The r.a.s.* Netiquette  Guide by  Matt Gertz  describes many  of the
   nuances  of r.a.s.*  communication. After many  years  of  discussion,
   r.a.s.*'ers have developed their own  shorthand and conventions.  This
   guide describes them.

* The  Frequently Asked  Questions List  by Otto  Heuer, as its title
   indicates, poses  and  answers many of  the questions  that  new users
   perennially ask, such as "How many  times did McCoy  say 'I'm a Doctor
   not a ______'?"  or  "How do  I  submit a story to  Paramount/Pocket?"
   This also contains a comprehensive  list of other periodical  postings
   to rec.arts.startrek.*.

* The Lists of Lists by Mark Holtz is  a sort of companion  to the FAQ
   posting. Some information (like "I'm a Doctor...")  is duplicated, but
   much is not.  Cheaper than a Compendium (:-) and up-to-date for TNG as
   well!

* The Monthly Introduction to r.a.s.* by Mike Shappe is  more detailed
   in answering many of the broad,  existential questions  of r.a.s.* and
   USENET.

* The Weekly Introduction  to r.a.s.[current|fandom|misc|tech] by Mike
   Shappe. You're reading one of them...now  go read the others--that is,
   if you're interested in those newsgroups.

There are four other Rec.arts.startrek.* groups. They are:
* rec.arts.startrek.current (r.a.s.c.), unmoderated.
* rec.arts.startrek.fandom (r.a.s.f.), unmoderated.
* rec.arts.startrek.misc (r.a.s.m.), unmoderated.
and
* rec.arts.startrek.info (r.a.s.i.), moderated by Jim Griffith, see
    below.

Finally, for general information on Star Trek and USENET, be sure
to peruse:

* rec.arts.startrek.info (r.a.s.i.), moderated  by  Jim Griffith. This
   no-noise group contains many  informative postings about Star Trek and
   personalities associated with it.

* news.announce.newusers (n.a.n.),  moderated.  This is  the  closest
   thing to a USENET 'rule book'  there is. This group contains regularly
   updated  postings  defining  Network  Etiquette   and  Guidelines  for
   behavior.   It  also carries to official  list of newsgroups and other
   useful  information. THIS GROUP SHOULD NEVER  BE  EMPTY.  NAN articles
   should  expire only after NINETY  DAYS, and are reposted at least that
   often.

* news.announce.newgroups (n.a.ng.), moderated  by Dave Lawrence. The
   site of all official  announcements  regarding the organization of new
   newsgroups. If it doesn't show up here, it's not really happening.

* news.groups   (n.g.),  unmoderated.  The  site   of  all  official
   discussions regarding  the  organization  of  USENET. After  a  USENET
   Request For Discussion regarding a  newsgroup,  all discussion  should
   focus here, and here alone.

* news.answers (n.a.), moderated  by Jonathan Kamens.  This is a focal
   point  for periodical  postings  (like  this  one).  Frequently  Asked
   Questions  postings, intro  postings,  and other  similar monsters are
   cross-posted here.

PS--If  your site doesn't  carry the  news.* groups I mentioned,  beat
your Site Administrator about the head and shoulders with a fish until
it does.  There is simply no good  excuse for not  carrying the  three
groups that describe and define what USENET *is*.

Administrivia
-------------

Suggestions for inclusion of information are heartily welcome.

DISCLAIMER
----------

I do not currently  maintain an archive of any of the  postings herein
listed,  except,  of  course,  my  own (this  posting and  the  Weekly
Intros). If you don't see a copy of these postings  in the appropriate
newsgroup currently,  just  wait--it'll  be  there. That's why they're
called 'periodic postings' :-) 

For  the impatient, however, there  are other means of obtaining these
postings. For FTP fans, an anonymous FTP to pit-manager.mit.edu should
be  helpful (look in  /pub/usenet).   For  folks  into  the shiny  new
technology known as WAIS, create a new Source for yourself that points
to pit-manager.mit.edu,  port 210, database name 'usenet'. For the old
fashioned who still  prefer Electronic Mail  for these things, send to
mail-server@pit-manager.mit.edu,  with the world 'help' as the body of
the message.

I hope that this posting has been helpful. Please watch this space
for updates, and send comments, criticisms and ideas for future info
to be included to:

Uncle Mikey
Michael-S-Shappe@cornell.edu

This posting is Copyright 1992 Michael Scott Shappe. All rights reserved.
Contact the author for information.

Portions blatantly lifted from the Formal Call For Votes for the
Reorganization of rec.arts.startrek.

Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation and related items are Tradmarks
of Paramount Pictures Incorporated, Registered in the US Patent and
Trademark Office.
  
-- 
--
Michael Shappe
<Michael_Shappe@cornell.edu>
"We came from the south, we came from the north