EFN April 94 Population: 448 _ ____________________ ___________________ ==| |==1600 /\ \ / / /\ | | / \ +--------------\ / / / \ __| |__1400 / /\ \ \ / / / \ | | / / /\ +--------------\ / / / \ __| |__1200 / / / \ ______________\ / / / \ | | / / / /\ \ / /_____________/ /\ \ __| |__1000 / / / /\ \ / \ / / \ \ | | / / / / / \____\__________/__________________/ / \ \ __| |__800 \/ / / / \ /\ /\ \ \ / / | | \ / / / \ / \ / \ \ \ / / __| |__600 \ / / / \ / \ \ \ \/ / | | \ \/ / /\ \ / / \ \ \ / __| |__400 \ / / \ \/ / \ \ \ / | | \ / / \ / \ \_____________\ / __| |__200 \ / / \ / \ \ / | | \/_____/________\____/ \__________________\/ __| |__0 /$$$\ Eugene Free Community Network + Lane OnLine = ? ($$$$$) Help Name the New Organization! \EFN/ MARCH RESULTS A big Thanks to everyone who pledged and sent contributions last month. We raised over $1200 (which "broke" last month's thermometer, so I got a bigger one for this month :-). True to our promise of adding one phone line for each $200 raised, we've added six more phone lines to the system (a couple modems are still on order and should arrive soon). That doubling should give us some breathing room at least until our user population also doubles. Full Internet access was delayed by a Phone Company error. The new estimated date for EFN/LOL going live on the Internet is April 23. WHO ARE WE? (A MANIFESTO) Eugene Free Community Network and Lane OnLine have long shared similar views and goals regarding the Internet. We assert that the medium of a global data network is (or soon will be) the most powerful communication medium yet invented by humankind. Indeed, it is capable of encompassing all other electronic and printed communication media through digitization. It can: = assist the individual in finding selected information, = filter information to avoid overload = coordinate geographically separate contributors on the same project = help people communicate as equals in a many-to-many pattern = enable nearly instantaneous global communication at a very low cost (free) This medium may even represent an evolutionary step for human civilization as important as Gutenburg and movable type. Our country's founders believed that Freedom of the Press was so important, they guaranteed it in the Bill of Rights. We believe the the technology of the Internet is (or soon will be) at least as important to the proper functioning of democracy as printing presses ever have been. We are concerned that a "privatized" internet would give undue power to commercial interests to the extent that the "government of, by and for the people" could go from being an ideal rarely achieved to being an antiquated notion of the past. Our overriding goal is to keep the Internet publicly owned and expand the community of users to include all interested citizens, not just of the U.S., but all other nations of the world as well. The new organization is (still) committed to: * Universal Internet access, at least for all residents of Lane County. * Increased ease-of-use menus & software to make the system more user- friendly, and more useful to the broadest possible spectrum of people in our community. * Facilitating participation in community/government processes via government information available on line plus access to government representatives and employees on-line. * Better informed and more empowered citizens in Lane County. * Harnessing the Internet to improve the Quality of Life for everyone in Lane County, in any way possible. We invite you to join us in co-creating this new medium. We need a new name that reflects all of these goals and more. What would you like to call the new organization? Please send your suggestions to efn_news@efn.org. FUNDS NEEDED It's time to start raising funds for April's budget. Our monthly expenses for this growing organization are over $1800. We need more funds to buy more disk space so that each user can store more information and e-mail on-line and so newsgroup articles won't have to time out quite so fast. We need a better tape backup unit to save user's files and system files in case of disk failure. We need to upgrade an older workstation to a Sparc processor so we'll have two systems on-line at all times to improve reliability. We need to move the computer to an air conditioned room before the summer heat hits. And we'd like to start paying Clif (and/or some new staff) something soon for all his hard work building up and maintaining the system. Because Lane OnLine is a tax-exempt 501(c)3 non-profit organization, you may now make your checks payable to Lane OnLine and deduct your contributions on your 1994 taxes. Once the EFN/LOL merger is complete, we are told that you'll all be able to deduct everything you donated to EFN or LOL in 1994 (all the way back to Jan. 1). We suggest a $7/month donation (or more if possible) for individuals. Please mail a check today (payable to "Lane OnLine" or "EFN") to: EFN, Attn: Fundraising PO Box 1221 Eugene OR 97440-1221 Please write your user-id (login name) on the check. Then send an e-mail message to pledge@efn.org saying how much you're mailing in so we can update the pledge thermometer and add you to the priority access list. Thanks for your support. ??? EFN LOL ??? EFN LOL ??? EFN LOL ??? EFN LOL ??? EFN LOL ??? EFN LOL ???