Peace mail
It has often been claimed that the internet has played a large part in turning Earth into a global village and that has never been truer than last Tuesday.
No doubt, like many of your readers, I am a member of newsgroups, email lists, Delphi forums and other internet-related activities where I talk - and often loudly argue - with people from across the world. I will never meet most of these people, I will never even know what they look like, but does that diminish the contact we share? Is it harsh to call them friends just because I've never had a pint with them or been to their home? I think the activities of last week will show the answer to be no.
Many were swapping eye-witness accounts of what happened, others were voicing their concerns for list members in the New York area to get in touch, and many did. Some did not. Saddest of all though were the people who should have been in the building and were not, posting messages of guilt and remorse. This was technology doing what it does best - helping people to communicate, to remove barriers between people. There have been concerns about technology dehumanising people, but the internet response to last week's tragedy showed that it may be the opposite.
Perhaps when we all know each other, even if it is only through email, there will not be another September 11.
Craig McGill
craig@its-a-secret.demon.co.uk
Radio daze
Pat Kane (Second Sight, September 13) doesn't get out enough! There is a long-established active community of "wireless" users who communicate freely worldwide, home-brewing when relevant, using commercial kit when not. They are called radio amateurs. For a modest investment in self-development and hardware, Pat can join. The investment is likely to be much less than to contribute effectively to, say, open-source software development.
There are strong parallels with the computing community: much serious development has originated from amateur work. The short-wave bands were considered useless by officialdom and so the amateurs were allowed to play with them. Governments of all colours understand (and often fear) the consequences of allowing their citizens uncontrolled communication. The groups that Pat Kane might feel most at home with are those encouraging use of home-brew equipment and low power. Think of it as the equivalent of: "You don't need to be Microsoft to write a good application."
Think of the satisfaction of talking round the world with £10 worth of components and a reel of Woollies' bell wire! Some ingenious amateurs have found good uses for old satellite TV gear; better than the original ones of watching sport and porn, anyway. Try the RSGB website at www.rsgb.org. We've come a long way since Hancock.
Bob Margolis
bob.margolis@ntlworld.com
Easy access
In response to Jack Schofield's plug of the expensive and proprietary remote-access software GoToMyPC (Web watch September 13), I would like to point out a zero cost, open-source equivalent. It is called Virtual Network Computer, which can be found at www.uk.research.att.com/vnc and allows you to broadcast your Windows, Linux or Unix desktop across the network.
Displaying graphical applications remotely is old hat to Unix/Linux users. We have had the ability since the 80s. It is only in the impoverished Windows world where this is seen as a novel idea.
Dr Tristan Roddis
tristan@roddis.org
Caved in
While it is possible to record CD quality music on a PC, Patrick Steel's article, Bedroom artists rock the internet (Online, September 13) is misleading. A £500 PC is unlikely to be suitable for audio recording. A specialist audio card is also required that would double the cost. A Shure SM58 is not a suitable microphone for studio recording, and Steinberg software is not ahead of the competition, especially for PC. Other ancillary equipment is invariably required for CD quality. Oh, and you might be in need of an excellent musician or two. Nick Clube
clubenic@exchange.uk.ml.com
Steel refers to PC audio software by Steinberg and Cakewalk as being "bottom end" at £250. I have used many different all-in-one audio packages and by far the best program I have come across is a freeware program called Buzz. It is on a different level compared to products by Steinberg, Cakewalk etc. Log on to www.buzz machines.com.
Aaron Woods
awoods@mariecurie.org.uk
I would imagine the only eyebrows raised at the news that Nick Cave had recorded his latest album at home on his iMac were Cave's himself. If Patrick Steel had paid a little more attention, he would have realised that Cave wrote his album on an iMac rather than on numerous reams of paper as he used to, and that the album was recorded for the most part at Abbey Road.
Lee Fisher
dubversion@yesmate.com
