Table of Contents

Movie Review
Our E-Mail Addresses

ExpNews
Calendar of Events:
Happy Birthday
The Scout Show
Our New Altos
Toadies to get Free Use of Computers
New Advisors
Team
Your First Computer Part 5
Borg
Recipe for Friendship
ACT Cuboree: Shaping our Future
Why
Quote of the Month
Our Principals:
Our Creed:
Post Finances
Up-an-Coming Post Expenses
Up-an-Coming Member Expenses
Explorer Post 369:
Something To Think About!
Star Trek Light-Bulb Jokes
Java
No More MasterCards
The Way It Was
Baden Powell, why religion in Scouting
Do a Good Turn Daily.

Calendar of Events:

June 30, July 6  Summer Camp

January 3-12, 97  10MegaVenture

July 28-Aug5 1997  BSA Jamboree

	


	
Happy Birthday
	
May 9 1963,  Steve Weller

The Scout Show

Saturday March 30th over 15,000 Scouts and Scouters gathered together at The Ohio State Fair Grounds for the Simon Kenton Scout Show. Tigers, Cubs, Webelows, Scouts, and Explorers displaying their Unit Specialities both inside and outside of the facilities. With Exhibits from cooking, camping, pioneering, to Emergency Medical, Law Enforcement, oh yea and Engineering Computer Information & Sciences.

Explorer Post 369's little 10x20' booth was humbled in comparison to some of the cooperate sponsored Scouting exhibits. However, in the true spirit of Scouting it was not what you displayed but the Youth's knowledge of the skill and their ability and willingness to explain and display the task at hand to all those that attend your event.

I am truly proud of the youth of Explorer Post 369. In my opinion it is impressive what our band of ragamuffins can do with the hamydown computers that are graciously donated to our unit.

Our New Altos

The Members of Boy Scouts of America Explorer Post 369 Would like to thank The Ohio Historic Preservation Office for their considerate donation of an Altos 586 Computer System. Their contribution will truly allow our Exploring Program to not only continue but also prosper in 1996.

Toadies to get Free Use of Computers

Explorer Post 369 will allow the usage of a computer for at least two of the Toadies, free of charge. It is our goal to make sure that every member of Post 369 has a home system. Therefore, we are going to have an essay contest for the Toadies. The two Toadies with the winning essay on "Why it is important to me to become an Eagle Scout!"

Essays to be judge by Explorer Post 369's Committee.

New Advisors

I am pleased to announce that Andy P. Drake and Roy Niedzielski have became Associate Advisors of Explorer Post 369.

Team

Together Everyone Achieves More

Your First Computer Part 5

In July of 1985, the Amiga 1000 was unveiled. Going into an arena already crowed by the Apple Mac, the Atari 520ST, all the 8 bit machines, and soon the Apple IIGS, Amiga's prospects didn't look too promising. Commodore's amazing cost cutting kept the cost of the machine low enough, and forced some Amiga engineers to design in terms of mass production techniques that Commodore had learned when building the C64. Nowhere had anyone ever built as many machines as had Commodore, and this expertise was put into full force. When the A1000 arrived, it looked slick, ran well, and wowed the press, here was the first real, full color machine that could put real power into the hands of the people. People like B.B. King and Andy Warhol lined up for machines that allowed them to package raw talent of art, sound and animations. Here was a machine that had all the features of the prototype, was even easier to expand, and more importantly, could make money.

In part because of the success of the Amiga 1000 and Atari 1040ST, the Atari 520's improved 1 megabyte brother, Apple decided to give the Apple // line one more machine, the bridge machine from the Apple // to the Mac, the Apple IIGS. Incorporating much of what Apple had learned from building the Mac (and including it's easy to utilize Apple desktop bus and floppy drives), the //GS was meant to expand the life of the // series by moving to 16bit processors, more ram, a more advanced operating system and windowing environment, and better sound and graphics. All of this would have been great, and indeed was the technological marvel, but hampered somewhat by the compatibility with older // series software that took advantage of none of the new features, and the fact that the GS lacked a serious speed advantage, 3 megahertz versus 7.15 for both the Atari, Amiga and Mac. What's more, loads of great software really weren't forthcoming -- sure, they would arrive, long after Atari and Amiga would have them. Paint programs, word processors, and most importantly for the home market, games, would arrive much later, or not at all for the GS. In fact, the GS's strong suit was it's productivity applications, an area that at least initially was eclipsed by the tremendous gaming going on between the Amiga and Atari. The real death knell for the GS arrived in 1987 in the form of the Amiga 500, an ultra low cost machine to complement the A2000 workhorse. The A500 sold in tremendous numbers, and very quickly overtook Atari once and for all over who had the lead in games, and eventually the lead in the home computer war.

The A500 rolled all the functionality of the A1000 into an Atari 520/1040ST style case, improved the OS, standardized the port system on the back to accept standard IBM PC style accessories, and at a jab at Atari, two Atari style joystick ports that were a hold over from the A1000. With Commodore's expansion of the line from just one machine, to two machines and willingness to put money into research and development, Atari, by 1991, acquiesced and remained solidly a second string player. Never again would Commodore have to worry about the competition in the market that made the company, the Amiga was solidly in front. But the question rapidly became, solidly in front of what market?

As years go, 1991 would mark the start of the gradual change that would guarantee the way we think about computers would change forever.
Your First Computer Part 2
Your First Computer, Part 3
Your First Computer Part 4
Your First Computer Part 5

Borg

Off The Net

BorgCola, choice of the Next Generation.

BorgerKing. We do it our way. Your way is irrelevant.

Borg Sticker. "Don't like our driving? Call 1-800-IRRELEVANT."

Recipe for Friendship

anonymous

Take: 1 well-rounded tablespoon of understanding, 1 heaping teaspoon of support, 3 good measures of honesty, & 1 overflowing cup of sharing.

Combine all ingredients over a period of time, being sure to add a generous sprinkling of laughter. Serve generous portions and savor well.

ACT Cuboree: Shaping our Future

Sarah Jones Part 3 sarah.jones@sawasdi.apana.org.au

Another highlight of that night was the lighting of the optic torches. What a sight from down the front looking back up the hill leading from the stage and seeing 1300 of them being danced and waved about to "No Limit"

Tuesday saw us complete the last activity base and many farewells were said. The South Australians were packed by 10 am before our last activity. We had the closing after lunch and then our presentations of our woggles were made. The South Australians left for a quick tour of Canberra before heading to the Sizzlers for tea. We had also gained by this stage 2 Canadian Rovers as apart of our contingent...They proved to be popular with our Cubs. From tea we headed to the Telecom Tower to see the lights of Canberra. It seemed that as we arrived and got out of the lifts, some of the public was heard to say "not more of them!" It seems that we had just missed the Victorians who had left shortly before our arrive. We left here and headed back to camp for a few hours sleep.

We had another early day with everyone being awoken by 5:30am. We left at 6:30am and headed to Mc Dondalds for Breakfast. We certainly had the dinning room full (not that Like Mc Donalds....I prefer Hungry Jacks!)

From here we hit the road and headed westward. The only difference on the trip back was that we had lunch and a walk in Wagga Wagga and tea and swimming at the pool in Hay. By this stage, Alan Jones and Jenny White had bought a copy of the song "No Limit" and played it over the PA at swimming pool. Being a country town...we certainly got the locals attention as 61 Cubs and a few Leaders jumped up and started doing the camp dance in the middle of the grassed area.

From here we headed to Merbeain and a much needed sleep. Many Cubs fell asleep on the bus, with only a few staying awake. It was a much appreicated stop as we knew a carpeted floor and air conditioning was going to greet us on arrival at the hall.

We had another early start and one that was greatly appreicated, as it signalled the last leg home. We had been away a week and we were all looking forward to our own beds. The drop offs in Adelaide were the reverse of our pick ups honor trip out.

It was a good trip/week over all and one that was enjoyed by all who attended. Despite the long hours for all involved (Cubs as well as leaders) many are looking forward to our own Cuboree in November and some of us are already planning on attending the next ACT Cuboree in 1999.

Why

Off The Net

Why isn't phonetic spelled the way it sounds?
Why are there interstate highways in Hawaii?
Why are there flotation devices under plane seats instead of parachutes?
Why are cigarettes sold in gas stations when smoking is prohibited there?
If 7-11 is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, why are there locks on the doors? If a cow laughed, would milk come out her nose?
If you're in a vehicle going the speed of light, what happens when you turn on the headlights?
Why do we drive on parkways and park on driveways?
Why is it that when you transport something by car, it's called a shipment, but when you transport something by ship, it's called cargo?
You know that little indestructible black box that is used on planes, why can't they make the whole plane out of the same substance?
Why is it that when you're driving and looking for an address, you turn down the volume on the radio?

Movie Review

This whimsical Comedy is a hoot. The star of the hit TV show "Frazier" portrayed a U.S. Navy Submarine Captain that is not particularly liked by an Admiral and is therefore given a WWII diesel Sub to combat the State of the Art Atomic Subs. This is a good date movie. Sgt. Bilco

Trying to live off of the old TV show by the same name this flick barely creates a laugh. Steve Martian has returned to his wild and crazy days of physical shtick. At times this movies reminds me of a Jerry Luis film dubbed in French. I am glad that the US Army refused to allow this movie to be made on any American bases. The theme seems to portray that it is expectable to bilk the US Government out of money as long as no one gets hurt.

Quote of the Month

Remember that just the moment you say, "I give up," someone else seeing the same situation is saying, "My, what a great opportunity."

Our Principals:

1) Honor before all else.

2) The difference between a winner and a looser is that the winner tried one more time.

3) K.I.S.M.I.F.

Our Creed:

Exploring: Enthusiasm, Energy, & Excellence.

Explorer Post 369 has -$405.00.

Up-an-Coming Post Expenses

12/01/96 Post Charter $30.00

12/01/96 Post Insurance $85.00

Up-an-Coming Member Expenses

Registration 11/01/96 $15.00

Explorer Post 369:

Explorer Post 369 was chartered on December 31, 1994 to the Reformation Luthern Church.

Explorer Post 369 specializes in UNIX for Programmers while emphasizing a deep theme of Engineering Computer Information & Science

Membership in Explorer Post 369 is open to young men and women between the ages of 14 [and in high school] and not yet 20. Annual Membership fees are $15.00.

Something To Think About!

Successful people know precisely what they want. They have a plan for getting it. Believe in their ability to get it. Devote a major portion of their time to acquiring it

People who fail have no definite purpose in life/. Believe all success is the result of luck. And move on their own initiative only when forced to do so

If you are without enthusiasm you are without definiteness of purpose

Star Trek Light-Bulb Jokes

Off The Net

How many VULCANS does it take to change a light bulb? · Approximately One Point Zero Zero Zero Zero .......

How many BAJORANS does it take to change a light bulb? · The filthy Cardassians took our light bulb!

How many KLINGONS does it take to change a light bulb? · Burned out light bulbs have NO honor. And a true Klingon Warrior is not afraid of the dark!

How many TRILLS does it take to change a light bulb? · Both of them.

How many BORG does it take to change a light bulb? · Light bulbs are irrelevant. Changing them is futile.

How many BETAZIODS does it take to change a light bulb? · I sense it has already changed.

How many ROMULANS does it take to change a light bulb? · We have been gone for a while, but we have returned to change it.

How many FEDERATION SHUTTLE PILOTS does it take to change a light bulb? · Ooooops! I dropped it!

How many Q's does it take to change a light bulb? · Here, now, Wouldn't you rather have this Super-Nova?

How many ODO's does it take to change a light bulb? · I will change IN TO the light bulb.

How many TRIBBLES does it take to change a light bulb? · 1,561,772 .......uhh,73....,ummm,74......75......

How many Ferengi does it take to change a lightbulb? · Two: one to do it and the other to sell the broken one to an unsuspecting customer.

How many Betazoids does it take to change a lightbulb? · Two: one to do it and the other to moan "darkness, I sense darkness!"

How many Romulans does it take to change a light bulb? · 2, one to change it and one to kill the other and take the credit.

How many Betazoids does it take to change a light bulb? · No, no. no. The light bulb has to want to change first.

How many first officers does it take to change a light bulb? · Normally one, but if that is Riker it then it takes 2, Riker to pose while the other changes the light bulb.

How many Fenengi does it take to screw in a lightbulb? · One to screw it in and another to sell tickets to watch.

How many DOCTOR McCOYS does it take to change a lightbulb? · "Jim; I'm a DOCTOR, not an electrician!"

How many Trekkers does it take to change a light bulb? · Okay, so,y'know, like, in that episode where Spock gets attacked by those vomit looking things, and, like, he starts doing weird stuff, like, he takes over the ship and it gets Kirk really mad, so they find out that they can use this super-bright light, but it was bogus, `cause McCoy used the wrong kind of light, and it makes Spock blind, so, like......what kind of light bulb are you talking about?

Java

If you have been watching Sun Microsystems' web page, or if you have done any surfing of the web lately at all, you will probably have heard about the Java programming language designed by Sun. Over the past month I have had many hours of experience and frustration logged while learning to program Java. My motivation to do this has been three-fold. First, I love the Abstract Windowing Toolkit and architecture-neutral object code that is generated. This means that my GUI programs can run on any computer that will run the Java interpreter and run-time system--anything from a Sparc (what I do development on), to a Linux box, or to a Macintosh or (ugh..) Windows 95 box. It is also a real honest-to-goodness object-oriented (OO) language, allowing me to easily re-use code, and also use other's code. Lastly, Java is a familiar, simple, and clean language, as explained below.

First, I'd like to start of by saying that Java is the best programming language that I have seen. It is based C, the most popular language today, and has C++ OO programming. The hardly-used and most often misused and problematic constructs have been taken out, making it simple. For example, Java has no pointers, which have always caused programmers to spend massive amounts of time debugging. Also, to make the language clean, Java gets rid of old C-style functions and replaces their functionality with well-designed classes.

We are seeing the computing world, even personal computing, move toward a more networked environment, and Java capitalizes on this. Java's classes can be loaded either from a local file system, or over the network using the heavily-entrenched HTTP protocol. Furthermore, opening up a connection over the network or getting a file over the network is just as easy as opening a local file. Java doesn't wimp out on security, either. When a class is loaded over the network it can be considered untrusted, and the Java interpreter will disallow it access to local files and information.

Anyway, when I decided to start learning Java, I went out and grabbed "Java in a Nutshell" by David Flanagan (an O'Reilly book, of course). I started out by typing in some of the programs and then analyzing what they did. I quickly grew to love this language--it is so logical and simple! The next step for me was to attempt to write a program. I decided to write a Java equivalent of an xterm/telnet program. I have since found that this is no small task, but it is one that can be done decently in Java.

So far, I have completed a rudimentary text-scrolling "canvas" that has a few bugs and repaints the screen each time a modification is made. This is a class in itself, and it will end up being the "xterm" part of the project. I have tacked onto the text-scrolling class a little bit of code to make a network connection and transfer text back and forth. I have currently made many connections to "fingerd" on my computer, and I have also connected to port 25 and forged some e-mail to myself from elvis@graceland.org.

My project still has a long way to go, including a re-write of most of the text-scrolling code to get rid of some bugs and make it more efficient. The more interesting part of this project will be some kind of a telnet class that will implement a telnet session, and handle telnet commands. Anyhow, I have learned quite a bit about Java, and I have had a ton of fun along the way. Because of its similarity to C/C++ and its simplicity, it has been easy to learn--the only problem that I have run into was having to learn object-oriented techniques and how things are referenced.

If you are interested in Java, there are at least twenty books out now. O'Reilly's "Java in a Nutshell" is an excellent reference that you would definitely want. This book also contains a very good chapter on "Java vs. C" that C/C++. If you are a self-learner, just this one book would probably be good for you. If not, I would suggest one of three books from Solaris Publishing(?)/Prentice-Hall and another from SunSoft. These last four books come with a CD-ROM with the Java Developer's Kit (JDK) and they accommodate a number of different learning styles. Well, have fun with Java!

No More MasterCards

I have decided to never again carry a MasterCard! MasterCard's continual drive to a cashless society has prompted me to rethink my credit card usage. In my opinion, their two new cards are the acid that is eating away at the very foundation of our free society. Their "SmartCard" that is currently being used in Australia allows one to place money onto the card. Therefore, the card is no longer a credit card, or a check card, it is a cash card. You give them money and they place the amount on the card. Therefore, you no longer need to carry cash. Their other card is evil. You record your finger-prints with MasterCard and you can only activate the usage of the card by your thumb print. This sounds like a nifty security feature that protects you from the use of your credit cards by someone else. In my opinion, this is an easier way to track you and your purchases. Both of these cards show some added benefit the naive consumer. No longer needing to cary change. The ability to protect your card from theft. However, they do not put in the flashy adds visions of George Orwels 1984, or should we say 2004.

The Way It Was

Scouting, Keith Monroe

Feb 14, 1911, Proved to be a memorable date in the history of the Boy Scouts of America. It was the BSA's first birthday celebration and the day of a momentous organizational meeting.

The event could have turned into a fiasco that would have crippled the young organization. But thanks to the quick thinking of four men, potential disaster turned into triumph and Scouting in America was set on a smooth course for decades.

Following the birth of Scouting in Britain in 1908, Scouts groups in the United States sprang up in an unplanned and haphazard manner: There where no official handbooks, no places to get badges or equipment, no central offices.

In February 1910, Chicago publisher William D. Boyce had incorporated the name Boy Scouts of America. The organization began opera5ting out of a one-room office in New Your City that was soon flooded with requests for information and help.

A larger, more structured organization was needed, and an organizing committee of 25 leaders in youth and social work was formed. Meeting periodically, they raised money, printed half a million information pamphlets, and recruited influential people to form a permanent Executive Board. A man with big dreams

On Jan. 2, 1911, the organizing committee opened a two-room office at 200 Fifth Avenue under the management of a newly hired "executive secretary," James E. West.

At 34, West was a rising lawyer and well known in youth work. A man of big dreams, he knew how to make things happen.

One of the first moves was to carry out plans for a national conclave of Scouting enthusiasts from Feb. 14 to 15 Members of the first "Annual Meeting of the National Council" would elect the BSA Executive Board and national officers.

To add prestige to the event, West proposed that President William Howard Taft invite the council to meet in the White House. A few words from the President

Taft, who had agreed to accept the honorary presidency of the BSA National Council, not only invited the council to the White House but also planned to deliver a welcoming speech.

Buoyed by Taft's patronage, the BSA organizers recruited 75 notable National Council members. Aware of the national publicity the President's opening speech would generate, west put together an impressive anecdotal report of Scouting's progress for Taft to use in preparing his commendatory remarks.

On the day of the meeting, West learned from Taft's secretary, Mr. Norton, that the President had not yet read the material. If the President's remarks revealed that he did not know what Scouting was all about, many prominent supporters who had come to Washington might lose interest and not stay for the crucial two-day organizing meeting.

West quickly met with his executive committee. With Norton's approval, they hammered out an emergency plan.

Presidential protocol required that the President speak first when meeting a group in the White House. But as soon as the BSA delegation was seated in the East Room, Lee F. Hammer of the Russell Sage Foundation promptly stepped forward, thanked President Taft for his invitation, and shifted smoothly into a concise explanation and survey of Scouting.

The president, taking his cues with the ease of long practice as a public official, responded by gracefully embroidering Hammers summary.

The crowd was charmed, and the speech was reported widely.

Baden Powell, why religion in Scouting

Gino Lucrezi, lucrezi@dsiaq1.ing.univaq.it Italy

I have collected the following quotes from Baden Powell's books. Be alerted that I am translating them back in English from their Italian editions, so there may be some minor differences in form or word choice.

"No man can be really good, if he doesn't believe in God and he doesn't follow His laws. This is why all Scouts must have a religion". (Scouting for Boys, 1908)

"Scouting has been described as "a new religion". It's not, of course, a new religion: it's just the application to religious formation of the principle now accepted in non-religious formation, i.e. to point out a precise aim to the boy and give him the way to learn and practice by himself" [Quoted in Taccuino, a collection of B-P's writings and essays published in Italy. Dated January 1912]

"There is no religious side to the [Scout] Movement. The whole of it is based on religion, that is on becoming aware of God and His Service" (Headquarter's Gazette - November 1920)

"By Religion I mean not just a formal homage tributed to a Divinity, but a deeper akcnowledgment of God as a Being perpetually inside and around us, and the consequent higher level of thought and action in His service" (ibidem)

"Scout Activities are the means by which you can lead the most accomplished street urchin to nobler feelings, and have the faith in God start in him" (Aids to Scoutmastership, 1919)

"Love of God, love of your neighbour and respect of oneself as God's servant are the basis for any form of religion" (ibidem)

"Many difficulties may arise while defining religious formation in a Movement such as ours, where many religions coexist; so, the details of the various forms of expressing the duty to God must be left to thoses responsibles of each single association. We insist however on observance and practice of that form of religion the boys profess" (ibidem)

"Nowadays the actions of a large part of youths are guided just in a small part by religious convinctions. That can be attribued for the most to the fact that in the boy's religious formation the worry was on teaching instead of educating" (ibidem).

"If you really wish to find the way towards success, i.e. your happiness, you must give a religious base to your life. It's not simply attending church or knowing history or comprehend theology. Many men are sincerely religious almost without knowing it or having studied these things. Religion, briefly explained, means: First: know who God is Second: use to the best the life He gave us, and do what He expects from us. This means mostly doing something for the others." (Rovering to Success, 1922)

"I have been asked to describe in more detail what I had in my mind regarding religion when I founded Scouting and Guiding. I have been asked `Why must religion enter in it?'. My answer has been that religion needn't enter, because it's already inside. It is already the fundamental factor pervading Scouting and Guiding." (from a speech to Scout and Guide commissaries, July 2, 1926)

Do a Good Turn Daily.

Do a Good Turn Daily.

Scouting is not an organization, but a way of life. And one of the simplest of test you can give yourself to find out what kind of Scout you are is to ask yourself, "Do I do a Good Turn Daily? Do I go out of my way to help other people?"

Once that the Good Turn habit has become part of your life you can't help yourself. Your eyes see where help is needed; your mind tells you to go into action; your training as a Scout gives you the ability to help.

It is not the size of the Good Turn that counts - it is the doing of it, whether large or small. And it often happens that what appears to be a very insignificant Good Turn may turn into a major one. That was the case of a Good Turn done by an English Boy Scout to an American visiting England once.

It was in the fall of 1909. All day long the great city of London had been in the grip of a dense pea-soup fog. It had covered the city, had practically stopped all traffic and business in the British capital.

An American publisher, William D. Boyce, from Chicago, Illinois, had trouble finding an address in the center of the city, due to the dense fog. Mr. Boyce had stopped under a street lamp to locate himself, when out of the gloom a boy appeared.

"Can I help you, sir?" asked the young lad.

"You most certainly can," replied Mr. Boyce. "I wish you would tell me how to get to this address..."

"I will take you there," said the boy, and led Mr. Boyce on to his destination.

When they got there the Mr. Boyce reached into his pocket for a tip. However, before he had a chance to offer it, the boy snapped his hand into a salute.

"No, thank you, sir," he said. "I am a Scout, and a Scout does not take anything for helping someone."

"A Scout? and what might that be?" asked Mr. Boyce.

"Haven't you heard about the Baden-Powell Boy Scouts, sir?"

Boyce hadn't. "Tell me about them," he said.

And so, the boy told the American about himself and his brother Scouts. Mr. Boyce was very much interested and, after finishing his errand, had the young Scout take him to the headquarters of the British Boy Scouts. There the boy disappeared, into the fog, before the publisher had a chance to ask his name.

At the headquarters Mr. Boyce met General Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell, the famous British general who had founded the Scout movement the year before, who later became Chief Scout of the World. General Baden-Powell told Mr. Boyce about Scouting. Boyce became more and more impressed with the Scouting Movement and decided to bring it home with him to America.

And so, on February 8, 1910, in Washington, D.C., Boyce and other outstanding men interested in boys founded the Boy Scouts of America. Ever since, this day has been observed as the birthday of American Scouting.

As for the young Scout, no one knows what became of him. But he will never be forgotten. In the International Boy Scout Training Center at Gilwell Park, England, there stands a beautiful statue of an American Buffalo - a large-scale representation of the Silver Buffalo Award of the Boy Scouts of America. The simple inscription on the base reads:

To the Unknown Scout Whose Faithfulness in the Performance of the Daily Good Turn Brought the Scout Movement to the United States of America.

One Good Turn to one man became a Good Turn to millions of American boys.

Such is the power of the Good Turn.