Realm-Bleed

USER: Horatio | POSTED 8-6-1990 16:11:21

SUBJECT: Realm-Bleed

Just a heads up; the realm-bleed bug is getting worse. I've just had a phone call from some of the other SysOps on the exchange, and the weird characters it creates are showing up on their systems as well. Raven - you mentioned that you recognized some of them. Is this possibly some kind of magical computer virus?

************************ * "There are more * * things in heaven and * * earth, Horatio, than * * are dreamt of in * * your philosophy." * * * * -Hamlet * * Act 1, Scene 5 * * ---------------------* * Horatio * * System Operator * * Threshold BBS * ************************

USER: Tetraktys | POSTED 8-6-1990 16:14:21

SUBJECT: RE: Realm-Bleed (Horatio)

Ah! I had noticed these glyphs at the bottom of the boards, and thought them a decorative homage to the ancient sciences. But you say that they have manifested upon their own? Interesting. Computers, being machines that manipulate numbers, properly fall within the domain of arithmancy; I shall endeavour to calculate the cause of this anomaly. In order to do so, I will require more information about the configuration and alignment of the systems - you mentioned an exchange? Can you describe that?

* / \ * — * / \ / \ * — * — * / \ / \ / \ * — * — * — * Tetraktys

USER: Horatio | POSTED 8-6-1990 16:23:13

SUBJECT: RE: RE: Realm-Bleed (Horatio) (Tetraktys)

The exchange is a network of BBSes that forward updates to each other, mostly hosted at different universities. It's why there are so many local numbers that can reach the BBS - without the exchange, anyone who wasn't near my campus would have to pay huge long distance charges to dial in. With the exchange, each node keeps local copies of the message bases that are commonly accessed from it, and will forward updates back to the home system for that BBS. It's not perfect, but it does a pretty good job of expanding access.

When I first saw the realm-bleed bug, I thought it was a bad node in the exchange, sending data that was bizarrely malformed. That's actually why I called it realm-bleed - it looked to me like updates were bleeding through from other BBSes. But I couldn't track it down - it was like it was coming from somewhere outside the exchange entirely. And now it has started showing up in other systems on the exchange, and it has me thinking it might be a virus? And then I thought about how Raven recognized the symbols - symbols that are *not* in the ASCII set and shouldn't be able to be displayed - and I wondered if there was such a thing as a *magical* computer virus.

************************ * "There are more * * things in heaven and * * earth, Horatio, than * * are dreamt of in * * your philosophy." * * * * -Hamlet * * Act 1, Scene 5 * * ---------------------* * Horatio * * System Operator * * Threshold BBS * ************************

USER: Tetraktys | POSTED 8-6-1990 19:20:41

SUBJECT: RE: RE: RE: Realm-Bleed (Horatio) (Tetraktys) (Horatio)

That is an adequate beginning, but I shall require much more data if I am to calculate the origin of this malefic progression, as a so-called *computer virus* would be properly described in the ancient sciences. I will need the number of systems within the exchange, their precise locations, and the date each was initially connected to the rest. Precision will be key here - if only approximate information can be provided, the resulting answer shall be correspondingly imperfect.

* / \ * — * / \ / \ * — * — * / \ / \ / \ * — * — * — * Tetraktys

USER: Horatio | POSTED 8-6-1990 19:58:28

SUBJECT: Really? (Tetraktys)

Location? Date of connection? Are you trying to cast a horoscope for the system exchange to fix a computer virus? Really?

************************ * "There are more * * things in heaven and * * earth, Horatio, than * * are dreamt of in * * your philosophy." * * * * -Hamlet * * Act 1, Scene 5 * * ---------------------* * Horatio * * System Operator * * Threshold BBS * ************************

USER: Tetraktys | POSTED 8-6-1990 20:21:57

SUBJECT: RE: Really? (Tetraktys) (Horatio)

Nothing so crude as a horoscope, at least not in the way you would use that word. The ancient sciences are far more complex and powerful than some hack astrologer casting a horoscope - the difference is as profound as a crystal ball and a computer. In both cases, one might be staring at a bit of glass, but the underlying reality is vastly different.

* / \ * — * / \ / \ * — * — * / \ / \ / \ * — * — * — * Tetraktys

USER: Horatio | POSTED 9-6-1990 0:30:14

SUBJECT: RE: RE: Really? (Tetraktys) (Horatio) (Tetraktys)

Well, I have my doubts about this being useful, but just about every system on the exchange is showing the weird glyphs, and people are talking about shutting it all down, which would make it really expensive for anyone not near me to dial in - so I'll try anything. I've sent you the information I have - it's as precise as I can make it.

************************ * "There are more * * things in heaven and * * earth, Horatio, than * * are dreamt of in * * your philosophy." * * * * -Hamlet * * Act 1, Scene 5 * * ---------------------* * Horatio * * System Operator * * Threshold BBS * ************************

USER: FringeDr | POSTED 9-6-1990 7:15:52

SUBJECT: RE: RE: RE: Really? (Tetraktys) (Horatio) (Tetraktys) (Horatio)

If this works, I'll eat my hat.

And probably fund a grant to explain how.

)><><><><><><><( )> Dr. Fringe <( )><><><><><><><(

USER: Tetraktys | POSTED 9-6-1990 9:27:36

SUBJECT: The Ancient Sciences

I can see that the ancient sciences are poorly understood amongst the members of this BBS. This is not a surprise, and I will seek to remedy it shortly. There are few practitioners capable of interpreting them, but I am foremost among them.

I have examined the information you provided, Horatio, and the calculations reveal that there is some kind of observing force operating upon the Exchange, which is manifesting as the characters you and your colleagues have observed. It is an expression of the commentary of certain external entities, if I am correct. This attention, in and of itself, is most likely harmless - but it is interesting that it is manifesting at all, and indicates that something within this system has attracted external attention, which is then spilling over to the closely connected systems.

* / \ * — * / \ / \ * — * — * / \ / \ / \ * — * — * — * Tetraktys

USER: Horatio | POSTED 9-6-1990 13:59:27

SUBJECT: RE: The Ancient Sciences (Tetraktys)

Well, that's very interesting. Disturbing too. How do I make it stop?

************************ * "There are more * * things in heaven and * * earth, Horatio, than * * are dreamt of in * * your philosophy." * * * * -Hamlet * * Act 1, Scene 5 * * ---------------------* * Horatio * * System Operator * * Threshold BBS * ************************

USER: Tetraktys | POSTED 9-6-1990 14:29:39

SUBJECT: RE: RE: The Ancient Sciences (Tetraktys) (Horatio)

Make it stop? I have no idea. That would be a practical matter for you. I only offered to identify the origin.

* / \ * — * / \ / \ * — * — * / \ / \ / \ * — * — * — * Tetraktys

USER: Horatio | POSTED 9-6-1990 14:41:39

SUBJECT: RE: RE: RE: The Ancient Sciences (Tetraktys) (Horatio) (Tetraktys)

A practical matter. I see. Well, thanks for all the help. Maybe I'll just write a filter that hides the glyphs from view and ignore it until I come up with a better idea.

************************ * "There are more * * things in heaven and * * earth, Horatio, than * * are dreamt of in * * your philosophy." * * * * -Hamlet * * Act 1, Scene 5 * * ---------------------* * Horatio * * System Operator * * Threshold BBS * ************************