Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG.
The Daily Gazette
Swarthmore College
Tuesday, October 20, 1998
Volume 3, Number 25
NEWS IN BRIEF
1) SCCS installs new computer, “Merlin”
2) World news roundup
3) Campus events
SPORTS IN BRIEF
1) Today and tomorrow’s contests
WEATHER FORECAST
Today: Partly cloudy. High of 68.
Enjoy this last hint of warmth…
Tonight: Mostly cloudy. Low in mid 30s.
Tomorrow: Partly Cloudy. High of 61.
This is really it.
*****
NEWS REPORT
1) SCCS installs new computer, “Merlin”
The Swarthmore College Computer Society purchased a new computer and moved
into a new location on the fifth floor of Parrish Hall over the October
break. Members of SCCS worked yesterday in their new office transferring
e-mail, mailing lists, newsgroups, and chat program functions to the new
computer.
When Swarthmore College installed the AppleTalk network and terminated
student access to its Unix computers in 1993, SCCS acquired a Unix machine
and offered Swarthmore students e-mail accounts, web pages and other
services. The Society also trains system administrators who volunteer to
operate the server. Heavy usage necessitated the purchase of another
computer, named Condor, a year later. Condor’s hard drive became corrupted
this summer and SCCS decided to purchase a new machine to replace it. They
requested and received the money from the Student Budget Committee, with
the required approval from Student Council.
The new computer, named Merlin, is “a lot faster and a lot better” than
Condor according to John Rieffel ’99, the President of SCCS. It contains
384 megabytes of RAM and operates at 400 megahertz. Merlin uses a Pentium 2
processor. The new computer replaces Condor, operating e-mail accounts,
newsgroups, mailing lists, and chat programs.
The SCCS computers were previously located in a dirty dusty room in
Papazian’s basement, according to Rieffel. SCCS’s request for a new office
was finally granted this summer with a room on the fifth floor of Parish
that formerly served as a WSRN record library. The room allows SCCS the
space to house its computer and its library, and to hold meetings. In the
future, Rieffel hopes to hold office hours during which system
administrators will be available in the new office. He also would like to
set up a Unix public area in the space, with Unix computers for use by the
entire college community.
*****
2) World news roundup
FIGHTING CONTINUES IN KOSOVO DESPITE PROMISES OF PEACE
Recent peace agreements with NATO required that Yugoslav President Slobodan
Milosevic withdraw troops from Kosovo by October 27, under threat of NATO
airstrikes. Milosevic has been slow in fulfilling his promise: one Serbian
battalion has been confirmed to have left Kosovo, out of the seven NATO
demanded be withdrawn. Fighting was reported yesterday as hundreds of
Albanians fled from Serbian shelling and gunfire; the UN was forced to
cancel two aid convoys intended for the region.
GRENADE EXPLOSION WOUNDS ISRAELIS, ENDANGERS PEACE TALKS
Sixty-four people were wounded yesterday by two hand grenades in Beersheba,
a town in southern Israel. A young Palestinian man from the West Bank threw
them into the crowd at a bus stop, and was arrested at the scene. Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had been engaged in peace talks with
Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat and United States President Bill
Clinton for the past few days, responded to the attack by insisting at
yesterday’s meetings that the discussion’s focus be on terrorism.
IN OTHER NEWS. . .
Talks between representatives of Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China
ended yesterday on an outwardly friendly note, though China continued to
demand reunification with its former province… Proceedings began
yesterday in the Department of Justice’s anti-trust trial against
Microsoft… Fourteen people have been reported dead due to storms
currently sweeping through Texas… President Clinton rejected an offer
from Paula Jones yesterday to settle her sexual harassment lawsuit for $2
million.
*****
2) Campus events
SQU: Day of Silence
All-Campus, 5:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Candlelight Vigil
In memory of Matthew Shepard and all victims of homophobic violence.
Bell Tower, 8:30 a.m.
SAO Open Meeting: “Asian/Queer Identity”
IC, 9:30 p.m.
Week Of Conscience Letter Writing Campaign
Parrish Parlors West, 11 a.m.
Harvard School of Public Health Information Session
Scheuer Room, 12:15 p.m.
Psychology Colloquium
Kirby Lecture Hall, 4:15 a.m.
George Washington University, Semester in Washington Info
Trotter 215, 4:15 p.m.
Bases Worldwide, Management/Marketing Information Session
Bond, 7:00 p.m.
Movie: “W.E.B. Dubois: A Biography in Four Voices”
Kohlberg 228, 7:00 p.m.
College Democrats: “”
Kohlberg 116, 7:30 p.m.
Ballroom Practice
Upper Tarble, 9:30 p.m.
SPC All-Campus Study Break
Parrish Parlors West, 10:00 p.m.
*****
SPORTS UPDATE
1) Today and tomorrow’s contests
TODAY
No contests are scheduled for today
TOMORROW
Men’s soccer visits Eastern at 3:30 p.m.
Women’s soccer visits Eastern at 3:00 p.m.
Volleyball visits Washington at 7:00.m.
*****
Since the Publications Server is temporarily out of service, the Daily
Gazette contact e-mail addresses are not currently valid. We hope that the
server will be up very soon. Until then, please send all messages, tips,
queries, and comments to jgenere1@swarthmore.edu.
The Daily Gazette
Board of Editors
Joseph Genereux
Jeff Heckelman
Lorrin Nelson
Cathy Polinsky
Jessica Salvatore
Ty Wilde
Staff Writers
Jack Borrebach
Ben Geller
Megan Haberle
Lindsay Herron
Ilya Leskov
Ira Lindsay
Alma Ortiz
Pete Schilla
Jaspal Singh
Nellie Tong
Weather
Benjamin Hanani
Rachel Labush
Laurie Smith
The Daily Gazette is published Monday through Friday by an independent
group of Swarthmore College students. Technical support from the Swarthmore
College Computer Society is gratefully acknowledged.
To subscribe to the Gazette, free of charge, send e-mail to
jgenere1@swarthmore.edu with the words “subscribe daily” as the subject
of your message. Use the words “unsubscribe daily” to cancel a subscription.
Back issues are available on the World Wide Web at:
<http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/org/daily>
Copyright 1998 by The Daily Gazette. All rights reserved.