Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!mcnc!unc!brl-bmd!Human-Nets-Request@rutgers From: Human-Nets-Request%rutgers@brl-bmd.UUCP (Human-Nets-Request@rutgers) Newsgroups: fa.human-nets Subject: HUMAN-NETS Digest V7 #18 Message-ID: <799@brl-bmd.UUCP> Date: Sat, 11-Feb-84 04:25:29 EST Article-I.D.: brl-bmd.799 Posted: Sat Feb 11 04:25:29 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 14-Feb-84 01:07:27 EST Lines: 223 HUMAN-NETS Digest Friday, 10 Feb 1984 Volume 7 : Issue 18 Today's Topics: Query - Programming Aptitude Tests, Computers and the Law - New Access Law (2 msgs) & Database Entry Disclosure (3 msgs), Computers and People - Big Computer is Watching You & Hackers & Telecollaboration Simulation, Computers and the Media - Hacker/ing, Information - CMU Interaction Program ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 8 Feb 84 19:26:38 CST From: Stan BarberSubject: Testing Programming Aptitude or Compentence To: AIlist@SRI-ai, telecom@mit-mc Cc: stan@RICE, wert@RICE, va@RICE, fbag@RICE, rbbb@RICE, dave@RICE, Cc: dbj@RICE, I am interested in information on the following tests that have been or are currently administered to determine Programming Aptitude or Compentence. 1. Aptitude Assessment Battery:Programming (AABP) created by Jack M. Wolfe and made available to employers only from Programming Specialists, Inc. Brooklyn NY. 2. Programmer Aptitude/Compentence Test System sold by Haverly Systems, Inc. (Introduced in 1970) 3. Computer Programmer Aptitude Battery by SRA (Science Research Associates), Inc. (Examined in by F.L. Schmidt et.al. in Journal of Applied Psychology, Volume 65 [1980] p 643-661) 4. CLEP Exam on Computers and Data Processing. The College Board and the Educational Testing Service. 5. Graudate Record Exam Advanced Test in Computer Science by the Education Testing Service. Please send the answers to the following questions if you have taken or had experience with any of these tests: 1. How many scores and what titles did they used for the version of the exam that you took? 2. Did you feel the test actually measured your ability to learn to program or your current programming competence (that is, did you feel it asked relevant questions)? 3. What are your general impressions about testing and more specifically about testing special abilities or skills (like programming, writing, etc.) I will package up the results and send them to Human-nets. My thanks. Stan Barber Department of Psychology Rice University Houston TX 77251 sob@rice (arapnet,csnet) sob.rice@rand-relay (broken arpa mailers) ...!{parsec,lbl-csam}!rice!sob (uucp) (713) 660-9252 (bulletin board) ------------------------------ Date: 3 Feb 1984 1939-PST From: CAULKINS at USC-ECL.ARPA Subject: California Computer Crime Bill To: human-nets at RUTGERS A new computer crime bill just introduced in Sacramento could shut down all free, public access computer-based bulletin board systems (BBS) in California. The bill (AB2551) makes it a misdemeanor to knowingly access a computer "without authorization" for any reason, even with no malicious intent. The reason for the misdemeanor is to make it easier to prosecute "hackers" who break into computers but do no damage. Vandalism, theft of information, etc. are already felonies under an existing California crime bill. The problem free and open BBSs is that users cannot know if they are committing a crime until they log on a BBS, and by then the crime has occurred. The BBSs have neither $ nor personnel to mail notices to users; even if they did there is no list of user addresses for the mailing. The bill was introduced by Sam Farr (D, Carmel). For more info contact John James (author of the Communitree software used on many BBSs), PO Box 1807 Los Gatos, CA 95031 (408))335-9250 The above appeared on the BBS I operate in Palo Alto, CA. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 4 Feb 84 13:33:19 PST From: Matthew J. Weinstein Subject: More Laws? [L A Times 2/3/84 p. 2] ``Computer "hackers", experts who electronically infiltrate private computer systems, would be charged with misdemeanors under legislation proposed in the state Assembly. The measure, proposed by Assemblyman Sam Farr (D-Monterey) and backed by Atty. Gen. John Van de Kamp, is aimed at youthful computer enthusiasts who enter computer systems without malicious intent. Current laws provide felony penalties for those who infiltrate malicious- ly. In recent months, authorities have investigated several cases in which teenagers have gained entry into private computer banks.'' ------------------------------ Date: 6 February 1984 03:53 EST From: Robert Elton Maas Subject: Laws about keeping info about people in databases Cc: DEVON @ MIT-MC [MESSAGE FROM DEVON at MIT-MC 3:15am] ... I'd say that such laws generally only address information that you give out to other people, not info that you keep for yourself. Good point, and a relief if correct. So it's perfectly legal to keep my personal name&address list on a computer, providing I don't start distributing it to outsiders (especially if I sell it to anybody with the money!!) and providing I take reasonable measures to read-protect it. That would seem to answer the fears about somebody raiding his prsonal computer just because he keeps his personal mailing list on it. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 9 Feb 84 08:38 EST From: MJackson.Wbst@PARC-MAXC.ARPA Subject: Re: Database notification and privacy To: willis@Rand-Unix.ARPA Cc: REM@MIT-MC.ARPA, MJackson.Wbst@PARC-MAXC.ARPA In response to Willis Ware's comments on the cost-benefit aspects of REM's proposal for mandatory, annual notification of individuals by database maintainers: Your points are interesting, but I'm not sure that they are convincing. Granted that a mailing of ~150 million is nontrivial, it's not obvious to me how serious the incremental burden on the mail system would be. (The IRS forms mailing is indeed similar; how about Publishers' Clearing House or Reader's Digest promotions? Remember, too, that we're talking about at most one or two additional pieces of mail per household--how many do you get in a day already?) The basic point is sound though; one does not have a good mechanism for knowing where records about him exist or what they contain. It's a hit and miss proposition and even individuals who are well informed and adroit in tracking down things will occasionally be startled to uncover a new and unexpected collection of data. Perhaps we have a basis for a clearly feasible proposal. If in fact the burden of annual individual notification is determined (how?) to be excessive relative to the {benefit of | public demand for} such service, how about the establishment of a central facility, to which all individual databases are required to make themselves known, which forwards requests by individuals to all such databases, to which they must respond (directly, or through some sort of pooling) "yes, we have you/no, we've never heard of you"? Mark ------------------------------ Date: 10 February 1984 05:23 EST From: Jerry E. Pournelle Subject: HUMAN-NETS Digest V7 #16 To: TREITEL @ SUMEX-AIM Cc: dehn @ MIT-MULTICS people wioth eidetctic memories shall be lobotomized if they learn anything about you... How's that agin? ------------------------------ Date: 10 Feb 1984 1150-EST From: Wang Zeep Subject: A frightening Thought The latest issue of "Infoworld" mentions that a think tank believes that in a few years, all students will be required to have portables. These (lap-sized, I guess) portables would have a "write-only memory" recording all test scores and exams. Only school officials would be able to read the results in the WOM and would use these results to determine competency and graduation. They predict that this will eventually replace SAT's and such; universities would recieve transcripts of all this data and decide admissions on such a basis. wz ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 Feb 84 16:52:51 PST From: Matthew J. Weinstein To: ddern@bbn-unix Subject: A Hacker by Any Other Name ... Other locales have developed names for the same (sane?) type of behavior. When I was an undergrad, (real) hackers were often called `munchers', and the verb was `to munch' (of course, we might have had `munchkins', and you know what we did when we had `the munchies')... - Matt ***Sender closed connection*** === brl netread error from RUTGERS at Sat Feb 11 04:16:06 ===