{"id":19761,"date":"2018-03-19T17:58:06","date_gmt":"2018-03-19T21:58:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.megalextoria.com\/wordpress\/?p=19761"},"modified":"2018-03-19T17:58:06","modified_gmt":"2018-03-19T21:58:06","slug":"digital-archaeology-codex-floppy-disk-8-part-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.megalextoria.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/2018\/03\/19\/digital-archaeology-codex-floppy-disk-8-part-8\/","title":{"rendered":"Digital Archaeology: Codex (Floppy Disk) #8 (part 8)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/a><\/p>\n

A summary for those that haven’t been keeping up with this series:<\/p>\n

I found a bunch of 5.25″ disks at a thrift store a number of years ago. I finally got around to acquiring a 5.25″ disk drive and extracting the contents a while back. Since then I have been posting the contents here.<\/p>\n

Based on the contents, at least some of these disks were apparently once owned by someone named Connie A. Buys who used to run the \u201cClose Encounters\u201d Special Interest Group (SIG) on Delphi in the mid 1980s.<\/p>\n

A specific definition of this SIG was found in a previous document on one of the disks: \u201cThis SIG, known as \u201cClose Encounters\u201d, is a forum for the discussion of relationships that develop via computer services like the Source, CompuServe, and Delphi. Our primary emphasis is on the sexual aspects of those relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n

Everything was text based from whatever terminal program you used to dial in to Delphi\u2019s servers. Many of these disks have forum messages, e-mails and chat session logs. All of this is pre-internet stuff and I don\u2019t know if there are any archives in existence today of what was on Delphi in the 1980s. In any case, much of this stuff would have been private at the time and some of it is quite personal.<\/p>\n

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I’ve been splitting up the contents of this disk (descriptively labeled \u201cFile Disk\u201d) since it contains a number of documents, some of which are pretty long. A 5.25″ floppy disk can still hold an impressive amount of info when it is just text. (see the previous parts here: 1<\/a>, 2<\/a>, 3<\/a>, 4<\/a>, 5<\/a>, 6<\/a>, 7<\/a>).<\/p>\n

The contents of this post includes the contents of three documents and is a repost of an article titled “Computer Assisted Resources: Sexuality Education Via Microcomputers” by Ron Mazur and is originally from the Spring\/Summer 1985 issue of Journal of Sex Education and Therapy.<\/p>\n

===
\nJOURNAL.DOC
\n===<\/p>\n

Computer Assisted Resources: Sexuality Education Via Microcomputers
\nBy Ron Mazur<\/p>\n

(Reprinted from the Spring\/Summer 1985 issue of Journal of Sex
\nEducation and Therapy with the permission of Ron Mazur)<\/p>\n

The call for participation in the 9th annual ‘Symposium on Computer
\nApplications in Medical Care’ (November, 1985), contained 275
\n“keywords” to classify submissions of paper\/programs. Nowhere,
\nbetween 1, Accounting\/Billing and #275 Veterinary Medicine, could one
\nfind any classification directly related to sex or sexology. Keyword
\n#167, Mixed Anual Practice did, however, have intriguing
\npossibilities. So much for computerized medical sex.<\/p>\n

Electronic sexuality education does, however, come alive on bright
\nmonitors in thousands of homes and offices. It flourishes in at least
\nfour different categories. The first is in programmed games people
\ncan play. Software such as “Limmericks Unlimited,” “Softporn
\nAdventure,” and “Strip Dice,” are examples of such programs. They are
\nlisted and rated in ‘The Dirty Book <TDB)’ which is a “Users Guide to
\nErotic Software.” ‘TDB’ promotes and reviews microcomputer games for
\nadults only.<\/p>\n

The second category is instruction\/self-help programs. This kind of
\nsoftware is as yet very limited, but a potential market exists. One
\nambitious self-help program already available is ‘Treating Sexual
\nProblems: Program 1 – Erection Problems’, created and designed by
\nRobert Reitman, PH.D., prominent sex educator and therapist. This
\nprogram, using principles of cognitive-behavior therapy and computer
\nassisted instruction, can be experienced in the privacy of the home at
\nwhatever pace is comfortable for the ‘client.’<\/p>\n

The third category of computer sexuality education is online – people
\ncommunicating via the medium of the micro with a modem. This
\ntechnology is known as telecommunications. This type of interaction
\ninvolves various degress of spontaneity and structure. It can be as
\nsimple as people flirting with each other anonymously through
\ntelephone Bulletin Boards. There are hundres of them operated by
\nindividuals out of their homes. Even ‘Playboy’ has discovered the
\nerotic potential of telecommunications, and celebrates this most
\npersonal use of the ‘personal computer.’<\/p>\n

For a $65 registration fee and $11 per hour, one can also subscribe to
\nan online service called ‘Sextex,’ which describes itself as the
\n“nation’s first erotic online service [and] very discrete.” This is a
\nhigh-tech method of sending one’s fantasies into the light of
\nelectrons which return with dancing energy to keep the fantasy
\nvibrant. College students are discovering how to do the same thing
\nmore cheaply by using their university mainframes for erotic
\nconferences. Eagerness to get an online account with the university
\ncomputer may not always reflect an eagerness for academic research
\nprojects.<\/p>\n

The fourth category of electronic sexuality education is also online
\nand utilizes commercial “information utilites” such as CompuServe, The
\nSource, Delphi and Newsnet. On CompuServe, for example, there is a
\nvery popular “Human Sexuality” feature operated by medical writers
\nHoward and Martha Lewis. On NewsNet there is an electronic edition of
\n“the newsletter for professionals,” ‘Sexuality Today’, edited so
\nprofessionally by Suzanne Prescod. Of course even on such information
\nutilities, subscribers found countless ways within Special Interest
\nGroups [SIGS] to communicate sexual interests, fantasies, and
\nconcerns. The medium is a nature for people-sharing because of its
\ninteractive dynamics. It is amazing what can be expressed with a
\nlittle blinking rectangle on the monitor screen called a “cursor”
\n(because it runs across the screen).<\/p>\n

===
\nJOURNAL2.DOC
\n===<\/p>\n

On October 8, 1984, the information utility, Delphi, offered to the
\npublic the first online service produced by a Board Certified
\nSexologist: ‘American Sexology [AmSex].’<\/p>\n

A young business with fresh ideas and creative approaches to human
\nservices, Delphi launched my concept of AMSEX as a SIG with a network
\nof services and newsletters. Originally I had planned to begin only
\nwith an electronic newsletter, but all at once I became a SIG operator
\n[SIGOP]. This entails not only the management of newsletters, but
\nalso the operation of conferencing, bulletin boards, mail, polls,
\npersonal consulting, and other special features. I am still learning,
\nwith the patient assistance of Delphi and other SIGOPS, the skills and
\ntechniques necessary to become an efficient and creative SIGOP. It is
\na major goal of my life, and I am committed to the long-term
\ndevelopment of AMSEX on Delphi.<\/p>\n

Currently there are 23 SIGS online, involving the efforts of 37
\nSIGOPS. Delphi SIG names generaly indicate their purpose or subject
\narea, e.g., BUSINESS, MEDICAL, GAMES, SPACE RESEARCH, HEALTHNET,
\nTHEOLOGICAL FORUM, FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE. It is always exciting to
\ndiscover that a new SIG has been put online because it enriches
\nDelphi’s usefulness to its subscribers.<\/p>\n

To subscribe to Delphi, one needs a terminal, a modem, and a telephone
\nline. The modem allows the terminal or microcomputer to interface
\nwith the telephone. This technological package opens the user to the
\nworld of telecommunications. It also opens the user to the hazards of
\nbecoming addicted to instant information and interactive
\ncommunication. It is estimated that about 100,000 people are now
\ninvolved in “telecommuting,” and it is projected that 7,000,000 people
\nwill eventually utilize this technology. It may be that a new
\nself-help group will need to be implemented: Information Addicts
\nAnonymous [IAA]. IAA would treat the blinking green eye syndrome, and
\nsupport withdrawal from electron seduction.<\/p>\n

Subscription cost for Delphi is a one-time fee of $49.95. The cost is
\neven lower if one subscribes as a member of AMSEX, $29.95. One need
\nonly phone Delphi toll-free, 1-800-544-4005 (in Massachusetts,
\n617-491-3393) and ask to join ‘American Sexology.’ Instructions will
\nthen be given for getting registered and online. It should be noted
\nthat phone connect time is routed through regional networks such as
\nTymnet or Uninet (DataPac in Canada). This means that there is no
\ncharge for long-distance dialing. An area toll charge may be
\ninvolved, but often this can be minimized through flat-rate special
\nplans offered by telephone companies.<\/p>\n

The ongoing cost is the online charge billed in one-minute increments:
\n$16.00 an hour for office time use; $6.00 per hour for home time (6:00
\nPM – 7:00 AM, weekends, and holidays). These are among the lowest
\nrates for information utilities. It is easy to see why the volume of
\nonline usage is highest on nights and weekends.<\/p>\n

The “Main Menu” of Delphi lists the categories of service, such as
\nNews and Weather, Games, Finances\/Banking, Mail, Travel Arrangements,
\nLibrary, Publishing, Research, Newsletters, Special Interests, and a
\nvery friendly Help structure. One simply types “S”, and then “AM” to
\nget into the ‘American Sexology’ SIG. Simple, logical, and all in
\nEnglish.<\/p>\n

The uniqueness of ‘American Sexology’ is the linkage it provides for
\nsexology and professional sexologists. In addition to the information
\nand consulting it provides for all subscribers to Delphi, AMSEX is a
\nmedium through which all sexological associations and professionals
\ncan more effectively organize and assist each other. This is done
\nwithin separate associational Bulletin Boards and Newsletters, as well
\nas between associations and their memberships. For example, The
\nSociety for the Scientific Study of Sex and The Association of
\nSexologists each have their own Bulletin Boards, and can have their
\nown passwords for the exclusive use of their members. Also, SSSS and
\nTAOS can conduct official business through conferencing, and even have
\ncommittee meetings online. Members can leave Mail or Bulletin Board
\nmessages, and they can poll their computerized members on any issue.
\nThe Department of Education of the Unitarian Universalist Association
\nalso has a Bulletin Board because of its involvement in sex education
\nand the publication of the multi-media curriculum, ‘About Your
\nSexuality.’ In the planning stage right now is an innovative
\nacademic\/service project with the Institute for Advanced Study of
\nHuman Sexuality. In time other associations will find it of value to
\nnetwork with each other and with the above progressive associations.<\/p>\n

There is a Bulletin Board for “Professional Sexologists” to consult
\nwith each other (password protected), and a Bulletin Board for
\n“Peoplehelping” where all people can advise each other and where
\nprofessional sexologists can provide a great service to others. It is
\nindeed time that we inform the public about the work of sexology and
\nextend to those who seek it out friendly assistance.<\/p>\n

I will leave it to others to evaluate the progress and contributions
\nof AMSEX services and newsletters. AMSEX needs refinement, and I need
\nto learn how to be a better SIGOP. AMSEX also needs the involvement
\nfrom sexological associations and professionals if it is to prove
\nviable. I am indebted, for example, to Dwight Dixon, J.D., Ph.D, and
\nto Joan Dixon, Ph.D., for the contribution of their outstanding
\nnewsletter ‘Legal Newsfront,’ published in AMSEX. Also to Michael
\nCarrera, Ph.D., and to the leadership of TAOS and SSSS for their
\nsupport and encouragement, and to all those who give me permission to
\nreprint their materials or publish their submissions.<\/p>\n

I hope that all my colleagues in sexology, whether or not they
\ncurrently own microcomputers, will join with me in this break-through
\neffort to advance the field of American sexology.<\/p>\n

===
\nJOURNAL3.DOC
\n===<\/p>\n

Resources used by Ron Mazur in his article “Computer Assisted
\nResources: Sexuality Education Via Microcomputers”:<\/p>\n

1. ‘The Dirty Book’, Computer Products International, 3225 Danny
\nPark, New Orleans, LA 70002, Vol. 2, No. 2, $9.95.<\/p>\n

2. PSYCOMP: Self-Help Software (IBM PC w\/64K & Compatibles), P.O.
\nBox 994, Woodland Hills, Ca. 91367, $89.95.<\/p>\n

3. Carr, Richard E., “Type Dirty To Me,” ‘Playboy’, March, 1985.<\/p>\n

4. SEXTEX, High Society Magazine, Cyconline, 801 Second Ave., N.Y.,
\nN.Y., 10017.<\/p>\n

5. ‘Sexuality Today,’ Atcom Publishing, 2315 Broadway, N.Y., N.Y.,
\n10024.<\/p>\n

6. Delphi, General Videotex Corp., 3 Blackstone St., Cambridge, Ma.
\n02139.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A summary for those that haven’t been keeping up with this series: I found a bunch of 5.25″ disks at a thrift store a number of years ago. I finally got around to acquiring a 5.25″ disk drive and extracting the contents a while back. Since then I have been posting the contents here. Based on the contents, at least some of these disks were apparently once owned by someone named Connie A. Buys who used to run the \u201cClose Encounters\u201d Special Interest Group (SIG) on Delphi in the mid 1980s. A specific definition of this SIG was found in a previous document on one of the disks: \u201cThis SIG, known as \u201cClose Encounters\u201d, is a forum for the discussion of relationships that develop via computer services like the Source, CompuServe, and Delphi. Our primary emphasis is on the sexual aspects of those relationships.\u201d Everything was text based from whatever terminal program you used to dial in to Delphi\u2019s servers. Many of these disks have forum messages, e-mails and chat session logs. All of this is pre-internet stuff and I don\u2019t know if there are any archives in existence today of what was on Delphi in the 1980s. In any […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[2913,2042,2362,2914],"class_list":["post-19761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-computer-arcana","tag-delphi","tag-digital-archaeology","tag-retrocomputing","tag-telecommunications"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.megalextoria.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.megalextoria.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.megalextoria.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.megalextoria.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.megalextoria.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19761"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.megalextoria.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19761\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.megalextoria.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.megalextoria.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.megalextoria.com\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}