Newsgroups: alt.etext From: higgins@dorsai.org (John Higgins) Subject: Net-Letter Guide 5/15 Message-ID: Organization: The Dorsai Embassy, New York, NY Date: Mon, 16 May 1994 02:23:55 GMT Lines: 208 NET-LETTER GUIDE A newshound's guide to newsy periodicals available through the Internet. Compiled by John M. Higgins (higgins@dorsai.dorsai.org) Updated May 15, 1994 Copyright John M. Higgins, 1994. May be distributed freely and FULLY INTACT on networks that do not require a fee. But publication in a magazine or CD-ROM without permission is prohibited. Additions (usually stuff that's been around, but I'm just now discovering because I'm an idiot): AIDS Daily Summary; CFS-NEWS (chronic fatigue syndrome); Choice-Net (abortion rights); Cyber-Sleaze (gossip); Information Policy Online (direct mail lobbyists); LymeNet (Lyme disease); Skyguide (Euro satellite and cable); Scout Report: (Internet info) Seeking info on: Daily Report Card (education). Introduction: My favorite things on the Internet are informative, high- quality newsletters. The quality of info contributed to what Mitch Kapor describes as the Net's "gift economy" is amazing. Despite some excellent e-pub guides, tracking down good NEWSY letters can be frustrating, partly because they get lost in the flood of zines and very technical pubs. So this list aims to point people to the news-oriented net-letters with somewhat broader appeal. It's not intended to be as comprehensive as other guides, but helpful nevertheless. Very technical and fanzine newsletters are not included because they are well covered by other guides. GIMME FEEDBACK!! This is just an initial stab, just 20 or so I've seen and like. Some are well-known, others are not. Send me your favorite net-letters, particularly if you're the editor. Include any subscription and archive information. HOW TO GET THE NET-LETTER GUIDE: For now, it will be available by e-mailing higgins@dorsai.dorsai.org, plus Usenet groups alt.zines, alt.etext, misc.writing, rec.mag, alt.internet.services, and the maybe the *.answers groups (if those folks ever respond). Fishing for other arrangements. (Any volunteers?) (Far more exhaustive lists of electronic publications include John Labovitz's e-zine-list {FTP to ftp.netcom.com:/pub/johnl/zines/e-zine-list or http //www.ora.com:8080/johnl/e-zine-list/} or the giant e-pub archive, by FTP and Gopher {etext.archive.umich.edu} Also try Factsheet Five-E on The Well's gopher {gopher.well.sf.ca.us}.) ---------------------------------Media-------------------------------- FITZ'S SHOPTALK: Daily dispatches on the TV business, both networks and local stations by media headhunter Don FitzPatrick. Primarily summaries of wire-service and major newspapers, but also includes some full-text reprints. How to get it: E-mail (shoptalk-request@gremlin.clark.net, SUBSCRIBE YOUR@ADDRESS). LATE SHOW NEWS: A guy who obviously stays up way too late puts out a weekly newsletter on the late-night talk show wars. It's biased toward Letterman but contains surprisingly good industry dirt on Leno, Conan, etc. (even for those of us writing about television for a living). How to get it: E-mail (letterman@mcs.net), Usenet (alt.fan.letterman and rec.arts.tv), FTP (ftp.mcs.net:/mcsnet.users/barnhart/letterman). CABLE REGULATION DIGEST: Weekly summary of news on cable regulation published by Multichannel News. How to get it: E-Mail, distributed to the TELECOMREG mailing list. (listserver@relay.adp.wisc.edu, SUBSCRIBE TELECOMREG); FTP (ftp.vortex.com:pub/tv-film-video/cable-reg); Gopher (gopher.vortex.com) SKYGUIDE: This one's from a Brit that doubtless watches too much TV. The Euro cable and satellite television scene. Concentrates on BSkyB but also romps off onto the continent. (Did you know you can decrypt a scrambled DBS signal with a PC? OMIGOD!) How to get it: E-mail (bignoise@cix.compulink.co.uk), Usenet {preferred!~} (alt.satellite.tv.europe). CYBER-SLEAZE: Overyped and a bit tedious, Cyber-Sleaze is composed of low-grade gossip and put out by former MTV VJ Adam Curry. This address may not be good for long, since Curry's being sued by MTV for trademark infringement. How to get it: E-mail (csleaze@mtv.com) ------------------------------Infotech-------------------------------- EDUPAGE: Tasty tip sheet on information technology and media issued three times weekly. Quickie summaries primarily of newspaper articles, primarily from the majors. How to get it. E-Mail (listproc@educom.edu;SUB EDUPAGE YOUR NAME). SCOUT REPORT: Forget building campfires. Scout Report is a weekly promising new resource announcements and other net news. The first two issues are news-free, so we'll see. But it's put out by the gods at InterNic, so it's a good tip sheet. How to get it. E-Mail (majordomo@is.internic.net; SUBSCRIBE SCOUT-REPORT) Gopher (is.internic.net); WWW: (http://www.internic.net). HOTT: HOTT -- Hot Off The Tree -- has re-emerged as a giant pub culling the latest advances in computer, communications, and electronics technologies from over trade magazines, newspapers and net resources. Great stuff, but why they're gathering so much material for a huge monthly rather than a smaller weekly or something is beyond me. How to get it: E-mail (listserv@ucsd.edu;SUBSCRIBE HOTT-LIST) NETWORKS & COMMUNITY: The emphasis here is on "community" in Internet-land. Less techie than you might expect. How To Get It: E-Mail (rre-request@weber.ucsd.edu; SUBSCRIBE YOUR NAME) Gopher: (gopher.well.sf.ca.us or gopher.nlc-bnc.ca) COM NET NEWS: Newly-launched letter on community networking -- as in public access on the highway -- by a technology market research guy. Not very newsy, but thoughtful. How to get it: E-Mail(contact rbryant@hydra.unm.edu) PRIVACY Forum: Tidbits about threats to privacy from government snoops to credit agencies. How to get it: E-Mail(privacy-request@vortex.com); FTP {ftp.vortex.com}; Gopher {gopher.vortex.com}. COMPUTER UNDERGROUND DIGEST: The latest news on cyberspace issues. CUD's coolest when screaming about the latest hacker or BBS raid, good when picking apart government policy issues. But CUD will occasionally reprint the ENTIRE AGENDA for some upcoming computer conference. (YAWN!!!) How to get it: E-Mail (listserv@uiucvmd.bitnet or listserv@vmd.cso.uiuc.edu, SUB CUDIGEST YOUR NAME); Usenet (comp.society.cu-digest); FTP (etext.archive.umich.edu:/pub/CuD/) plus lots of other places. EFFECTOR: The Electronic Frontier Foundation's membership newsletter, great for telecom policy updates. How to get it: E-mail: send request to brown@eff.org; FTP (ftp.eff.org); Usenet: {preferred!} (comp.org.eff); Gopher (gopher.eff.org) RISKS Forum: Tidbits about the risks computers present in society. One edition touched on industrial espionage, data escape from prison, and a strange tale of e-mail stalking. How to get it: E-mail (risks-request@csl.sri.com); Usenet {preferred!} (comp.risks); FTP (crvax.sri.com). CURRENT CITES: A monthly letter for library technology, composed of pointers from magazine articles. A little on the dry side, partly because of its format. How to get it: E-mail (listserv@library.berkeley.edu; SUB CITES YOUR NAME); FTP: (ftp.lib.berkeley.edu:/pub/Current.Cites) ----------------------------Science/medicine-------------------------- AIDS DAILY SUMMARY: A great clipping service from the Center For Disease Control, the kind of stuff Internet cheerleaders can brag about (because it's about the real world, not just cyberspace). With all the AIDS activists on the net, I can't believe someone hasn't cranked up a mailing list for this terrific resource. How to get it: Usenet (sci.med.aids). HICNet MEDICAL NEWS DIGEST: Something painless from a dentist. Broad bi-weekly newsletter on medicine by Health Info-Com Network, put together by dentist David Dodell. One week featured sleep apnea and snoring plus hemlock (!) Also carries excerpts of the Center for Disease Control's AIDS Daily Summary. The downside is conference announcements (OK, on things like techniques for identifying corpses, but they're still conference announcements!). How To Get It: E-Mail (mednews@stat.com); FTP:(vm1.nodak.edu) SCIENCE BEAT: A tip sheet for science journalists from the National Institute for Standards and Technologies. Maybe not too newsy, but short and sweet. How to get it: GOPHER (gopher-server.nist.gov). RSI NETWORK NEWSLETTER: For and by victims of repetitive stress injury (e.g. carpal tunnel syndrome). How to get it: E-Mail (majordomo@world.std.com; SUBSCRIBE RSI); FTP and Gopher (world.std.com:/pub/rsi) CFS-NEWS: Chronic fatigue syndrome sufferers. How To Get It: E-Mail (listserv@list.nih.gov; SUB CFS-NEWS YOUR NAME) LYMENET: Launched to rise above Usenet flame wars, LymeNet Newsletter explores research and treatment of Lyme disease, a mysterious and fairly disabling disease. There's no cure and few effective treatments. The letter aims to disseminate the information in medical literature, as opposed to anecdotal discussions of treatments. Edited by a Lyme victim with the help of several contributing editors, LymeNet editors boast of a medical review board to "keep an eye on us." How to get it: E-mail (listserv@Lehigh.edu; SUBSCRIBE LYMENET-L YOUR NAME); Usenet (sci.med); FTP (ftp.Lehigh.edu:/pub/listserv/lymenet-l/Newsletters) --------------------------------Policy-------------------------------- CHOICE-NET REPORT: Someone's bound to bitch about this one. This sort-of-weekly comes of the California Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League-North, culled from clips and announcements. Pretty good stuff. Hope they keep it newsy (I get plenty of preachy already, thanks.) How To Get It: E-Mail (dtv@well.com; SUBSCRIBE CHOICE-NET); Gopher: (gopher.well.sf.ca.us); Usenet (alt.activism, talk.abortion, soc.women). INFORMATION POLICY ONLINE: Counterprogramming the privacy advocates, IPO is published by the Information Industry Association and covers legislation regarding government restriction on information. Too little real news, to many items about the direct mail industry's lobbying stances. But a welcome counterpoint to the generally one-sided privacy debates on the net. (I'm a reporter; I WANT your driving records!) How to get it: E-Mail (iiaipo-request@his.com) --30--