[80] in Cypherpunks
Re: Raving on...
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Geoff White)
Fri Apr 30 07:28:38 1993
Date: Thu, 29 Apr 93 07:47:21 PDT
From: geoffw@nexsys.net (Geoff White)
To: crunch@netcom.com
Cc: cypherpunks@toad.com, sfraves@nexsys.net
I tend to agree with this guy, tread very carefully,
we want to inform NOT proslitize. Ravers will get turned off real
quick if you come on as something they MUST do. Offer
information, answer questions and most of all be considerate
of the fact that many people DONT know about the net or e-mail
and that there may be some initial distrust from young ravers
who don't know who you are because of your age, (and older guy
wantin me to type some stuff into a computer? Humf, smells
like DEA to me!) So go easy on folks at these things. You might
want to find someone who is heavy into the Scene to go with you
the first couple of times, to smooth the acceptance factor.
Currently I'm way to busy with other aspects of the Scene to
do this, you might want to contact some people on:
sfraves@soda.berkeley.edu
who regularly deploy VRAVE (an IRC like program for the international
rave community) at raves in the Bay Area. To subscribe send a
message to sfraves-request@soda.berkeley.edu, I've cross posted
some of your mail so they are well aware of what you want to do.
sfraves has been around for about a year, they are an integral and
trusted part of the House Family, you might want to co-ordinate with
them before you start a major campaign. I know they are working
on getting the average raver signed onto e-mail.
Hope this helps.
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From toad.com!cypherpunks-request@cdp.igc.org Thu Apr 29 02:59:37 1993
Return-Path: <wixer!pacoid@cactus.org>
Subject: Re: Raving on...
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Date: Thu, 29 Apr 93 0:15:39 CDT
From: Paco Xander Nathan <wixer!wixer.bga.com!pacoid@cactus.org>
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"Sent from the cyberdeck of: Geoff White"
> > >Hmm... the problem is I don't think a majority of the people at raves are
> > >focused enough to concentrate on something as technical as that (I KNOW it
> > >isn't technical to you and me, but the average raver doesn't even
> > >know what the word encryption means). HOWEVER, raves ARE the ideal place
> > >to hand out info about what's going on, something the raver can cling onto
Our company, FringeWare, has been out doing brain machine demos at
raves for a while.. I'm still trying to catch up on sleep from last
weekend's rave construction & show :-)
The raves started as socio/politial but in many places have become
yet-another-club-hop-for-kids-with-time-to-kill.
Even so, sentiments are in the right place, guaranteed. Especially
among the *RAVE PROMOTERS* .. The promoters are already sensitive to
issues in common with cypherpunks since they tend to be underground
operations in the cash economy, etc. Plus, they're HEAVILY networked.
As a techno/gonzo journalist, I've found it EASIER to get in with hacker
cliques than with rave promoter cliques; granted the real stakes are
higher so they take security more seriously :-)
Also, I'm intrigued to see the overlap (at least in this area) between
ravers and people at EFF-Austin mtgs.. Some of the main u/g promoters
even showed up to EFF-A's CopCon a couple weeks back, so the overlap
in our agendas is valid.
I'd tend to go with the argument that actually signing keys or passing
out pamphlets during a rave would be weird and blow the mood. Maybe you'd
say "So what?" but to an entertainment promoter, mood means everything
and only a few cypherphuckups would spread a terrible image for us. I'm
generally the most hi-tech part of these raves, what with the sound/light
brain gizmos and even that's too left-brained some ravers.. Most want to
experience, not engage in discourse. With pheromones and alkaloids
being some of the dominant attractions for people attending, I could
agree more :-)
Which is why I'd suggest we tag along with the VRrave project, based on
IRC connex between concurrent raves. That'd present a hi-tech set &
setting and allow for some demo/experience of secure comm.
Do what you can to introduce/instruct the local promoters -- but
generally they're busy people with better things to worry about, like
liability and overhead not somebody else's political agenda.
pxn.
pacoid@wixer.bga.com
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