Question:

I believe in some of the main places like Dusy, Leconte, Mcclure has bear boxes.  

No bear boxes in Dusy.  KCNP requires bear cans there.

Response:

It’s a beautiful and enjoyable hike to do.  I did it several years ago and saw no bears.  I believe in some of the main places like Dusy, Leconte, Mcclure has bear boxes.  Though I remeber the mosquitos were a pain in the meadows, I think I did this in August or so.  As for fishing it was pretty good.  For flies I would take mosquitos as well as any flies which has a little red in it.  I believe somewhere I have a briefly written trip report.  Email me if you want it. Jeff – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Looking to do North Lake to South Lake, in the Sierra’s (Bishop) via JMT and PCT, on TOPO! and Topo USA 3.0 looks to be just under 60 miles.  Tips are always welcome. Planning on early Semptember (yeah I want more snow too), would like to do late July, but am booked for another hike in Idaho, Sawtooth NF to be exact. Am planning on 12 – 15 miles a day to enjoy the scenery.  Any gotcha’s on this trail?   Does not look to heavy duty for most of the way, except a few miles. Obviously bears will be a big problem or atleast what I have experienced in the past Sierra trips.  I plan on eating atleast a mile from campsite, and stealth camping is always on my list. Am also looking to fly fish for the most part.  Have had great luck with wooly buggers in most Sierra’s, but am wondering what else works. Many thanks, Oh yeah, will be going solo too, my dog has got to stay home.  Can’t carry her out that long if she develops a pad problem. tmc

Response:

The last time that we did this route, we did it the other direction (South Lake to North Lake) and it was in May, so we were on X-C skis. No bears in sight. Climbing to Lamarck Col from the west was a job, then skiing down the east side was sheer panic. Good trip. An old guy needs some of that. —Bob Gross—

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The only tough part for me was climbing Lamarck Col. After that it’s a snap except for climbing up to Dusy Basin from Le Conte Canyon. Never have seen a bear on my trips to this area but they are out there, usually Le Conte Canyon and between Bishop Pass and the South Lake. I plan to do it again this year…6 to 7 days; I’m older and less wiser. Have fun, Oscar

Response:

Tahoe Rim Trail? Dan — It becomes us to remember that arbitrary power has often originated in Justice and necessity. – Benjamin Rush –  1776 It is a wise maxim to avoid those things which our enemies wish us to practice. – John Weatherspoon –  1777 Let us disappoint the men who are raising themselves on the ruin of this country. – Sam Adams –  1772

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The only tough part for me was climbing Lamarck Col. After that it’s a snap except for climbing up to Dusy Basin from Le Conte Canyon. Never have seen a bear on my trips to this area but they are out there, usually Le Conte Canyon and between Bishop Pass and the South Lake. I plan to do it again this year…6 to 7 days; I’m older and less wiser. Have fun, Oscar

Response:

The only tough part for me was climbing Lamarck Col. After that it’s a snap except for climbing up to Dusy Basin from Le Conte Canyon. Never have seen a bear on my trips to this area but they are out there, usually Le Conte Canyon and between Bishop Pass and the South Lake. I plan to do it again this year…6 to 7 days; I’m older and less wiser. Have fun, Oscar

Response:

Obviously bears will be a big problem or atleast what I have experienced in the past Sierra trips.  I plan on eating atleast a mile from campsite, and stealth camping is always on my list.

I ran into a very aggressive camp bear in Dusy Basin 3 years ago.  It has since been killed (or so I heard), but any area that popular is likely to be camp bear country–and you’ll be on the John Muir Freeway for much of the trip.  btw, KCNP requires storage in bear cans in Dusy Basin, so you’ll have to have a can unless you don’t camp in Dusy. Oh yeah, will be going solo too, my dog has got to stay home.  Can’t carry her out that long if she develops a pad problem.

Can’t bring the dog anyway–NP regs prohibit it.

Response:

Hiya Folks, Looking to do North Lake to South Lake, in the Sierra’s (Bishop) via JMT and PCT, on TOPO! and Topo USA 3.0 looks to be just under 60 miles.  Tips are always welcome. Planning on early Semptember (yeah I want more snow too), would like to do late July, but am booked for another hike in Idaho, Sawtooth NF to be exact. Am planning on 12 – 15 miles a day to enjoy the scenery.  Any gotcha’s on this trail?   Does not look to heavy duty for most of the way, except a few miles. Obviously bears will be a big problem or atleast what I have experienced in the past Sierra trips.  I plan on eating atleast a mile from campsite, and stealth camping is always on my list. Am also looking to fly fish for the most part.  Have had great luck with wooly buggers in most Sierra’s, but am wondering what else works. Many thanks, Oh yeah, will be going solo too, my dog has got to stay home.  Can’t carry her out that long if she develops a pad problem. tmc

Response:

Question:

Great story snipped. I am not quite sure if he is really serious, but it is a nice story anyway. TL MC

My wife understands that when I say that I’m going down to the pond for an hour of fishing after work, to not expect me till after dark.  Then again, when she is sewing on a quilt and she tells me "just one last thread," then I know not to expect her in bed till dawn. The local pond that I fish is near a church.  The carillon rings on the half hour.  I’ve often wondered while fishing if the thing is broken ’cause that damn thing just rang "five minutes ago."  Especially true when the fish are seriously biting.         Frank

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I’m surprised you didn’t know the scientific fact that all areas around fishing ponds are time warps, the amount of warp in direct proportion to the size, number and hunger factor of the fish. If all the above are negative the time line elongates, if positive it shortens. — John Popp in Sanford Fl.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Great story snipped. I am not quite sure if he is really serious, but it is a nice story anyway. TL MC My wife understands that when I say that I’m going down to the pond for an hour of fishing after work, to not expect me till after dark.  Then again, when she is sewing on a quilt and she tells me "just one last thread," then I know not to expect her in bed till dawn. The local pond that I fish is near a church.  The carillon rings on the half hour.  I’ve often wondered while fishing if the thing is broken ’cause that damn thing just rang "five minutes ago."  Especially true when the fish are seriously biting.         Frank

Response:

Angelic poetry snipped.    Thank you again Mike, you continue to touch our souls with a common truth.  Where surfers may have the "Endless Summer," fisherman will always have that "one last cast."        Frank

Response:

Angelic poetry snipped.    Thank you again Mike, you continue to touch our souls with a common truth.  Where surfers may have the "Endless Summer," fisherman will always have that "one last cast."        Frank

There are indeed several casts in any anglers armoury, irrespective of his skill, knowledge or experience,  which have a very special magic. One is the first cast, and then there are also the innumerable "last casts" !:) Four years ago, I visited Denmark with my wife, fairly early in the year. We had a small house almost directly on the beach. These are very cheap indeed in the off season, and we have done this a few times. My wife fishes a little, and indeed possesses all the relevant certificates, ( she often explains to people that she only took the exams so she could understand what the hell  I was jabbering on about more than half the time). On this particular occasion, it was bitter cold and snowing rather heavily. Due to heavy cloud cover, the night started to darken early as well, and I hoped this would bring some fish closer in. After a couple of hours of braving the vicious wind, and viewing the unusual spectacle of heavy surf on the Baltic, my wife decided she would rather pack in, go to the house and read for a while instead. Intimating these sentiments to me was rather difficult, as I was standing in the surf almost up to my chest, quite a way away,  fighting to avoid  being bowled over, and having just hooked my first fish of the day. Unusually again, there were a couple of anglers in the immediate vicinity, ( some idiots will go out in even the most disgusting weather), and as our conversation consisted of screaming at each other over the wind and waves, they were perforce party to the exchange, which went like this; "I

Question:

I went to the library a couple of hours ago and checked out a book about the sense of smell, simply because it caught my eye.  While reading it at dinner a while ago I was reminded of the second thing I noticed on arriving at Jay’s cabin in the UP; the delicious and unique aroma of the north woods.  Every place has its own smell (libraries are another favorite, or rather, class of favorites…they’re all different) and this one, in the spring, combines rich undertones of damp earth, crisp aromatic conifers dominated by balsam fir, pungent aspens, and a host of lesser elements.  Every time it hits me I am immediately transported back to innumerable other visits for fishing, hunting, wood cutting, and sitting on the porch, which brings me to the first thing I noticed and which cut short my reverie, for there on the porch was the supine form of one medium sized Asadi.  It was either dead or asleep.  A few light kicks at the chair confirmed that it was the latter. After a few moments of hale fellow well mets I bundled the poor boy, much bedraggled from a long journey a hot sauna and wrasslin with some barley pop, off to see Agate Falls.  Agate is one of the more spectacular falls in the UP, which is littered with the things, and would later prove to be the last place we fished on this trip. When we got back to the neighborhood of the shack we stopped to visit Jay’s brother Bret, who lives in a trailer just a couple hundred yards down the road.  Bret is a journeyman electrician, which would allow him to live virtually anywhere he pleases.  He is also a VERY avid hunter and fisher.  That he chooses to live in such a place is indicative of what it has to offer to the outdoor enthusiast.  As we chatted (Asadi tried to buy Bret’s hat from his five year old daughter but she was too cagey for him), Jay drove up.  A few minutes later we all arrived at the shack to find Mr. Petah Charles there.  The evening was devoted to making plans for departure the next morning, sorting through gear, eating, and pouring offerings to the fish gods and the great god Ethanol.  Asadi, having gotten a considerable head start on the rest of us, easily won the evenings round of libations.  We were all pleased to discover that Peter speaks pretty good English for a ferriner.   We arose tolerably early the next morning and after a few brief stops for breakfast, extra packing food, conferences, mapping, waterfall viewing, fly shop hunting (without noticeable success, I might add), and other piddling chores, we managed to hit the trail precisely at the crack of noon….or thereabouts.  Jay decided to take a rather more challenging route than the rest of us so it was up to me to deliver the requisite lecture to the newbies…….stop whenever you feel a need, drink plenty of water, ANY discomfort on feet is to be taken very seriously and attended to immediately, yada, yada, yada.  I set a moderate pace for the first half mile so as not to tax the rookies. After a ten minute break during which Peter never bothered to remove his pack, I let him take the lead, and I spent the next hour and a half sprinting to keep him in sight while John, carrying some very heavy and very non traditional backpacking food and a head that looked suspiciously larger than it used to, was left to bring up the rear.  We arrived at the mouth of the Big Carp, after a trip of 4 1/4 miles, an hour and fifty minutes after hitting the trail, and this with a couple of rest stops totaling about fifteen minutes.  Goddamn Cannuck voyageurs!   More later……gotta rest. Wolfgang

Response:

[ominous preclavian rumblings noted and snipped] More later……gotta rest. Wolfgang

John, Peter, and Wolfgang "alone together" in the woodz? Whoa… /daytripper (Jealous – or grateful? Tough call…

Response:

Question:

A merry (year end festible of choice) to all of you. May the beer god smile apon you and your stockings be filled with bamboo rods, cool vests, waders, zingers and other tools of joy! Even you daytripper, get a bamboo ok? Flyfish — dave’s homepage madness http://www.ctel.net/~brooktrout flyfishing in Maine and more

Response:

A merry (year end festible of choice) to all of you. May the beer god smile apon you and your stockings be filled with bamboo rods, cool vests, waders, zingers and other tools of joy! Even you daytripper, get a bamboo ok? Flyfish

Bah! Humbug! If God had meant us to fish with cane, He’d have them grow with the guides and a UPS shipping label already attached… /daytripper (who actually owns four cane rods but prefers plastic)

Response:

Question:

– IFTHEN – SOLU

Question:

I would also ask you and the others that would read this thread (because I know that the hard core guys will read it)  what is the one casting hint to give a flyfisherman. (I.E. in golf "Keep your damn head down")

"Aim for the water"

Response:

Water Who said anything about water damnit!!!!  You guys never sid anything about that.  Does this mean i have to start all over again.  Water!!!!!! That stuff is wet and can be cold!

Response:

Mike, You da man

My pleasure sir, glad you enjoyed it. The single most effective tip I could give anybody that would actually be of any use, is  "Do not break your wrist".  This is probably the single most widespread cause of casting faults generally. However, as you so politely requested, and praise, even when wildly exaggerated, ( you could have left Homer out ! ), inspires me to almost superhuman efforts, here goes: When learning how to cast a fly, you will soon cast with grace and pride, if you keep your wrist stiff, and your elbow tucked tight to your side, the muscles in your shoulder should do all the necessary work, keep your movements smooth and gentle, don’t overpower or jerk. Don’t wave your arm about, just move your forearm normally straight up and down, to start your cast, your line keep tight, and your rod level with the ground your casting hand should never go above your  shoulder height Your back cast should be straight behind, a small loop high and tight. The forward cast is just the same, a smooth and gentle easy throw, and the rod tip should not deviate from its path, and the line not drop below, the arc the tip describes, until at last you flick and  gently follow through practise this quite simple cast at first, until it

Question:

I need anything you can dig up, and/or send me on fishing in and around Tucson AZ. I’m going out there on business from 4/22 to 4/29. My address is

Response:

As far as I could tell, there is only one fly shop in Tucson.  That is Tight Lines Fly Fishing, it’s on Grant Road just west of Swan.  I was last there in January on business.  I didn’t get the chance to do any fly fishing around Tucson, but did get the chance to visit the shop.  I think that you’ll have to get out of town about 2 hours before you find any water. Strictly lakes.  You may be able to find some trout.  Check with the shop. I used to live in Tucson and had the most luck at Parker lake (near the border, southeast of Tucson) with spinning gear.  I heard that Pena Blanca Lake was fishing well in January.  It’s almost to Nogales off of I-19.  Good luck.  Kevin

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I need anything you can dig up, and/or send me on fishing in and around Tucson AZ. I’m going out there on business from 4/22 to 4/29. My address is

Response:

Question:

There are some world-class streams within a half hour of State College.  I particularly recommend the Little Juniata, Penn Creek, or Fishing Creek (Clinton Country).  I’d recommend getting a copy of Trout Streams of Pennsylvania by Dwight Landis.  It has detailed maps and fly recommendations.  If you can’t get it where you are, call Cold Spring Anglers in Carlisle, PA or Yellow Breeches Outfitters in Boiling Springs, PA. — Anti-spamming measure in use.  To reply, remove one "z" from email address.

Response:

Does anyone know where I can go FF near State College, PA?  I will be there in early October.  Is it too late to go FF? What flies should I have ready? THANKS!!! Mac

Response:

Does anyone know where I can go FF near State College, PA?  I will be there in early October.  Is it too late to go FF? What flies should I have ready? THANKS!!! Mac

Dear Mac; Right in State College is one of the best wild trout fisheries in all of the East: Spring Creek.  It runs from State College to Bellefonte and is C&R over (basically) it’s entire length due to Arochlor (PCB) contamination.  The Logan Branch is another good choice.  It comes into Spring closer to Bellefonte.  For the best up-to-date fishing conditions, contact Flyfisher’s Paradise, a flyshop located outside of State college, about 3 miles from the creek, if that.  I don’t have their #, but the Area Code is 814, so call Info. and get the #.   Flies: Sz 16-18 Sow bugs, Sz. 16-18 Pheasant Tails, and Midges, both surface and pupae would be your Ace-in-the-hole flies. Jason B.

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Question:

For some reason I got a notice that said this group has been deleted?  Does it still exist? Pete – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – someone has posted a nekkid .jpg in the fishing pictures group.   Have you reported it to net.abuse.*?

Response:

CAN I SEE SOME PICTURES

Response:

CAN I SEE SOME PICTURES

 what do you wnat to see? naked fish?

Response:

: Have you reported it to net.abuse.*? : Unfortunately, that’ll be akin to blowing against the wind… : The professional spam artists (how’s that for an oxymoron?) seek out groups : with "binaries" as part of the name and bombard them with ads for their porn : sites. Get used to it – it’ll only get worse as the group propagates around : Usenet… Which is one reason I hate GUI newsreaders. All they do is allow stupid people to abuse the newsgroups. Even the binaries newsgroups had little trouble before Netscape and others like it allowed you to view pictures directly from the newsgroups. USENET predates the internet but if things keep up like this USENET will soon be just a minor website. It sucks. BiNM

Response:

someone has posted a nekkid .jpg in the fishing pictures group.   Have you reported it to net.abuse.*?

Unfortunately, that’ll be akin to blowing against the wind… The professional spam artists (how’s that for an oxymoron?) seek out groups with "binaries" as part of the name and bombard them with ads for their porn sites. Get used to it – it’ll only get worse as the group propagates around Usenet… Cheers! /dave <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< < Digital Equipment Corp.       Alpha Server Engineering < < Parker Street Campus            Maynard, Massachusetts   < <        Charter Member of "Curmudgeons Unlimited"       < <<<<<<<<<<<< AMA 548313 <<<<<<<<<<<< Disclaimer: Opinion and content is mine alone, and unlikely             to be shared by my employer, etc…

Response:

TimW Of course, one could argue that this is a pic showing the source of fly tying materials for the "Hairy Mary".

Well, at least you made your post fly-tying related.  Just be glad it wasn’t a related photograph showing the source for Tup’s Indispensible. *<|:-#)=-   (Santa Smiley) -Clyde

Response:

someone has posted a nekkid .jpg in the fishing pictures group. Have you reported it to net.abuse.*?

No, but I will… TimW

Response:

Further evidence that people like us that venture forth into the malodorous backwaters of the unmoderated usenet need to be on our toes for *anything*, and that maybe this is *not* a good place for the squeamish and children, someone has posted a nekkid .jpg in the fishing pictures group.   Someday, the usenet will sport a web-page like rating system, but until then, please consider the neighborhood you are driving into… Just a warning… TimW Of course, one could argue that this is a pic showing the source of fly tying materials for the "Hairy Mary".

Response:

Question:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Ryan(& rec.outdoors.fishing.fly), Note: This was a hoax a year ago and still is. You can not introduce a virus into your system by reading a Usenet message. For DOS it must be an executable file and must in fact be opened. Never rally thought about these things propagating over and over as new folks come online. Urban Myths have now become Cyber Myths. I have no intent to waste bandwidth but I felt I neeed to post this as well as contact Ryan directly. regards, Joe Webb Atlanta Mac User Group (AMUG)

Joe, your statement is not altogether true. Do you remember a few years ago of a virus spreading on a UNIX machines across the Internet ? As I recall the virus was spread in a ‘mail’ message and took advantage of an application bug which utilized gets to read the input. Understanding how stack frames are built and their relationship to buffers of automatic scope, it is easy to see how this was done. My apologies to the readers for deviating from FF’ing ! -Dan-

Response:

Hi Group, A friend just advised me that a new virus is on the net which is supposed to have come from someone on AOL.  If you receive e-mail titled "Good Times" DELETE it immediately.  DO NOT read it.  If you do, your hard drive will be wiped clean. The virus can also damage your processor. It’s frustrating to have people out there doing this kind of stuff but at least we’ve been warned. Good Luck and don’t read Good Times Al Beatty BT’s Fly Fishing Products Bozeman, MT

The Goot Times Virus is a hoax. You can only get a virus if you download an executable file and run it. You won’t contract a virus by simply viewing e-mail

Response:

This Good Times crap is just that-Pure BS. You cannot get any kind of virus through an email message. —

"A Bad Day Fishing Is Better Than A Good Day At Work" Web Page:  http://www.tiac.net/users/macaw

Response:

A friend just advised me that a new virus is on the net which is supposed to have come from someone on AOL.  If you receive e-mail titled "Good Times" DELETE it immediately.  DO NOT read it.  If you do, your hard drive will be wiped clean. The virus can also damage your processor.

It’s a little known fact, but you can counter the effects of the "Good Times" virus by mailing a get well card to Craig Shergold. Be sure to include the recipe for Nieman-Marcus Toll House Cookies. Mike Rophone I never gave a fuck about the ‘net until I met Senator Exon

Response:

Hi Group, A friend just advised me that a new virus is on the net which is supposed to have come from someone on AOL.  If you receive e-mail titled "Good Times" DELETE it immediately.  DO NOT read it.  If you do, your hard drive will be wiped clean. The virus can also damage your processor. It’s frustrating to have people out there doing this kind of stuff but at least we’ve been warned. Good Luck and don’t read Good Times Al Beatty BT’s Fly Fishing Products Bozeman, MT

Response:

Hi Group, A friend just advised me that a new virus is on the net which is supposed to have come from someone on AOL.  If you receive e-mail titled "Good Times" DELETE it immediately.  DO NOT read it.  If you do, your hard drive will be wiped clean. The virus can also damage your processor.

This is a well known hoax.  Here’s some additional info for the curious. -Dave  email virus is a hoax!       If anyone repeats the hoax, please show them the FAQ.             G o o d   T i m e s   V i r u s  H o a x        F r e q u e n t l y   A s k e d   Q u e s t i o n s                             by Les Jones                         Febraury 6, 1996      This information may be freely reproduced in any medium,             as long as the information is unmodified. February 6, 1995 Update The Good Times virus hoax keeps on going. I receive almost daily reports of hoax activity. I’m reposting the FAQ to relevant newsgroups, and I’ve set up my own web pages: http://www.usit.net/public/lesjones/goodtimes-faq.html http://www.usit.net/public/lesjones/goodtimes-mini-faq.html http://users.aol.com/macfaq/goodtimes-faq.html http://users.aol.com/macfaq/goodtimes-mini-faq.html The FAQ has been updated with current URLs and a new section discussing the Word macro virus. A call to educators and translators If you teach classes or write books about the Internet, I encourage to educate people about Good Times. The Good Times myth is not going away anytime soon, so we should start including it in Internet curriculum now. The FAQ is free for redistribution in any medium, so feel free to integrate it into any class materials or published works. Good Times has spread to many countries, and has been translated into many languages. If you are bilingual, you can help debunk Good Times by translating the FAQ into another language. If you do translate the FAQ, please let me know the URL so I can include it in the FAQ. Is the Good Times email virus a hoax? Yes. It was a hoax in November of 1994, and it’s still a hoax in February of 1996. America Online, government computer security agencies, and makers of anti-virus software have declared Good Times a hoax. See Online References at the end of the FAQ. Since the hoax began in November of 1994, no copy of the alleged virus has ever been found, nor has there been a single verified case of a viral attack. Why should I believe the FAQ instead of the hoax? Unlike the warnings that have been passed around, the FAQ is signed and dated. I’ve included my email address, and the email addresses of contributors, for verification. I’ve also provided online references at the end of the FAQ so that you can confirm this information for yourself. I’m new to the Internet. What is the Good Times virus hoax? The story is that a virus called Good Times is being carried by email. Just reading a message with "Good Times" in the subject line will erase your hard drive, or even destroy your computer’s processor. Needless to say, it’s a hoax, but a lot of people believed it. The original message ended with instructions to "Forward this to all your friends," and many people did just that. Warnings about Good Times have been widely distributed on mailing lists, Usenet newsgroups, and message boards. The original hoax started in early December of 1994. It sprang up again in March of 1995. In mid-April, a new version of the hoax that mentioned a FCC report began circulating. Worried that Good Times would never go away, I decided to write the FAQ. These worries proved valid when the hoax began popping up again in October of 1995. What is the effect of the hoax? For those who already know it’s a hoax, it’s a nuisance to read the repeated warnings. For people who don’t know any better, it causes needless concern and lost productivity. The virus hoax infects mailing lists, bulletin boards, and Usenet newsgroups. Worried system administrators needlessly worry their employees by posting dire warnings. The hoax is not limited to the United States. It has appeared in several English-speaking and non-English-speaking countries. One reader sent me an English transcription of a radio broadcast in Malta. ‘infection’ I came across all tended to result from the message getting into the hands of senior non-computing personnel. Those with the ability and authority to spread it widely, without the knowledge to spot its nonsensical content." Some of the companies that have reportedly fallen for the hoax include AT&T, CitiBank, NBC, Hughes Aircraft, Microsoft, Texas Instruments, and dozens or hundreds of others. There have been outbreaks at numerous colleges. The U.S. government has not been immune. Some of the government agencies that have reportedly fallen victim to the hoax include the Department of Defense, the FCC, NASA, the USDA, U.S. Census Bureau, and various national labs. I’ve confirmed outbreaks at the Department of Health and Human Services, though they had the good sense to question the hoax, and ask for more information on Usenet, before passing the hoax along to their employees. The virus hoax has occasionally escaped into the popular media. Tom Sullivan show on KFBK 1530 AM radio in Sacramento, California, a police officer warned listeners not to read email labeled "Good Times", and to report the sender to the police. Other radio stations, including Australia’s ABC radio, have also spread the hoax. There are scattered reports of the virus spreading via Faxnet, that low-tech network of secretaries and bored knowledge workers that traffics in cartoons and dumb blonde jokes. What was the CIAC bulletin? On December 6, 1994, the U.S. Department of Energy’s CIAC (Computer Incident Advisory Capability) issued a bulletin declaring the Good Times virus a hoax and an urban legend. The bulletin was widely quoted as an antidote to the hoax. The original document can be found at the address in Online References at the end of the FAQ. Note that the document went through several minor revisions, with 94-04c of December 8 being the most recent. Like all quoted material in the FAQ, it includes the original spelling and punctuation. Because some of the lines in the CIAC report are rather long, they will appear broken. —-Begin quoted material—- THE "Good Times" VIRUS IS AN URBAN LEGEND In the early part of December, CIAC started to receive information requests about a supposed "virus" which could be contracted via America OnLine, simply by reading a message. | Here is some important information. Beware of a file called Goodtimes.    | |                                                                          | |  Happy Chanukah everyone, and be careful out there. There is a virus on   | | America Online being sent by E-Mail.  If you get anything called "Good    | | Times", DON’T read it or download it.  It is a virus that will erase your | | hard drive.  Forward this to all your friends.  It may help them a lot.   | THIS IS A HOAX.  Upon investigation, CIAC has determined that this message originated from both a user of America Online and a student at a university at approximately the same time, and it was meant to be a hoax. CIAC has also seen other variations of this hoax, the main one is that any electronic mail message with the subject line of "xxx-1" will infect your computer. This rumor has been spreading very widely.  This spread is due mainly to the fact that many people have seen a message with "Good Times" in the header. They delete the message without reading it, thus believing that they have saved themselves from being attacked. These first-hand reports give a false sense of credibility to the alert message. There has been one confirmation of a person who received a message with "xxx-1" in the header, but an empty message body.  Then, (in a panic, because he had heard the alert), he checked his PC for viruses (the first time he checked his machine in months) and found a pre-existing virus on his machine. He incorrectly came to the conclusion that the E-mail message gave him the virus (this particular virus could NOT POSSIBLY have spread via an E-mail message).  This person then spread his alert. As of this date, there are no known viruses which can infect merely through reading a mail message.  For a virus to spread some program must be executed. Reading a mail message does not execute the mail message.  Yes, Trojans have been found as executable attachments to mail messages, the most notorious being the IBM VM Christmas Card Trojan of 1987, also the TERM MODULE Worm (reference CIAC Bulletin B-7) and the GAME2 MODULE Worm (CIAC Bulletin B-12). But this is not the case for this particular "virus" alert. If you encounter this message being distributed on any mailing lists, simply ignore it or send a follow-up message stating that this is a false rumor. Karyn Pichnarczyk CIAC Team —-End quoted material—- Note: Karyn is now with Cisco. Her new email address is The CIAC report was wrong when it stated that the hoax was started by "a user of America Online and a student at a university." See "Who started the hoax." What’s the first version of the warning (FYI)? I have an early version of the hoax … read more »

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drive will be wiped clean. The virus can also damage your processor.

A virus cannot damage your processor. It’s frustrating to have people out there doing this kind of stuff but at least we’ve been warned.

Agreed Tight lines, Jay Whitworth

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Regarding the good times virus: I just received an FYI forwarded through the university admin here at MSU-Bozeman, stating that the GOOD TIMES virus is a farce. Evidently, warnings about it were posted from an AOL user who was intentionally crying wolf. But, before that, I received a warning notice about the virus. My latest info says its a fake, but I’ve heard both sides. Anyone know the TRUTH about GOOD TIMES? Better safe than sorry till then, don’t read any mail which promises good times… Ryan Jordan J&J Flies http://www.erc.montana.edu/~ryan_j/jjflies/jjflies.htm & Center for Biofilm Engineering http://www.erc.montana.edu/~ryan_j/

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This Good Times crap is just that-Pure BS. You cannot get any kind of virus through an email message.

If there were such a thing as a Good Times virus, it would probably be a lot more dangerous if it were renamed the WARNING!!! virus. — Keep your stick on the ice.

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: It’s a little known fact, but you can counter the effects of the : "Good Times" virus by mailing a get well card to Craig Shergold. Sorry bud, Craig Shergold died about 3 years ago.  Guess he didn’t get enough cards.  This time it’s Biff Maloney, but the card still goes to the same address.  I guess it’s just a bad luck bed. : Be sure to include the recipe for Nieman-Marcus Toll House : Cookies. Yeah, because everyone has the Mrs. Fields cookie recipe.   : I never gave a fuck about the ‘net until I met Senator Exon                  ^^^^ Brought to you by the letters ACLU and EEF. — Rick T. Rick Fletcher   –   http://www.chem.uidaho.edu/~fletcher/ Assistant professor of chemistry  |  That’s Idaho, not Iowa.    | ad hominem University of Idaho               |  Upper Left Hand Corner.    | ad hominem Moscow, ID 83844-2343             |  No, I don’t grow potatoes. | ad hominem

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Regarding the good times virus: I just received an FYI forwarded through the university admin here at MSU-Bozeman, stating that the GOOD TIMES virus is a farce. Evidently, warnings about it were posted from an AOL user who was intentionally crying wolf. But, before that, I received a warning notice about the virus. My latest info says its a fake, but I’ve heard both sides. Anyone know the TRUTH about GOOD TIMES? Better safe than sorry till then, don’t read any mail which promises good times… Ryan Jordan

Ryan(& rec.outdoors.fishing.fly), Note: This was a hoax a year ago and still is. You can not introduce a virus into your system by reading a Usenet message. For DOS it must be an executable file and must in fact be opened. Never rally thought about these things propagating over and over as new folks come online. Urban Myths have now become Cyber Myths. I have no intent to waste bandwidth but I felt I neeed to post this as well as contact Ryan directly. regards, Joe Webb Atlanta Mac User Group (AMUG)

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