3.1324 Notes and Queries (66)

Elaine Brennan & Allen Renear (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Fri, 27 Apr 90 17:03:55 EDT

Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 3, No. 1324. Friday, 27 Apr 1990.


(1) Date: Thu, 26 Apr 90 16:53-0600 (8 lines)
From: Barry W. K. Joe<grfjoe@BrockU.CA>
Subject: E-mail connect in Swaziland?

(2) Date: Thu, 26 Apr 90 23:52 EST (12 lines)
From: <23SCULLION@CUA>
Subject: ISAAC Phone Number

(3) Date: 26 April 1990, 23:50:40 EDT (11 lines)
From: Sheizaf Rafaeli 21898MGR at MSU
Subject: Computer Genders? [eds.]

(4) Date: Fri, 27 Apr 90 03:18:27 EDT (22 lines)
From: Sarah L. Higley <slhi@uhura.cc.rochester.edu>
Subject: medieval robots

(5) Date: Fri, 27 Apr 90 08:52:23 -0400 (13 lines)
From: rda@central.cis.upenn.edu
Subject: Re: 3.1323 Matrix, Inc. Description

(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 26 Apr 90 16:53-0600
From: Barry W. K. Joe<grfjoe@BrockU.CA>
Subject: E-mail connect in Swaziland?

Does anyone in the HUMANIST community know if the University of
Swaziland, Kwaluseni Campus has e-mail facilities? A colleague is about
to embark on a 2-year stay at the University of Swaziland and would like
to stay in touch with North American and European colleagues.
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------18----
Date: Thu, 26 Apr 90 23:52 EST
From: <23SCULLION@CUA>
Subject: ISAAC Phone Number


I have been off of ISAAC for a while and have lost the phone number.
(1) Is ISAAC still up and running? I have an old number but always get
a busy signal.

(2) What is the current number for ISAAC?

Thanks,
-Jim S.
(3) --------------------------------------------------------------16----
Date: 26 April 1990, 23:50:40 EDT
From: Sheizaf Rafaeli (313) 665 4236 21898MGR at MSU

Here's one for etymologically-minded multilingual humanists:

How many different names (in different languages) do you know for the
thing called a computer? And for those languages that are
gender-specific, is the computer termed male or female?
Any reason?


(4) --------------------------------------------------------------32----
Date: Fri, 27 Apr 90 03:18:27 EDT
From: Sarah L. Higley <slhi@uhura.cc.rochester.edu>
Subject: medieval robots

I'm combing the books for medieval robots. My search has yielded the
obvious renaissance legends about Albert the Great and Roger Bacon, but
except for the Gower reference to Bacon's Talking Bronze head, there
seems to be a paucity of medieval references to these medieval robots.
I do know, of course, of the Cleomades (disputed source of the Squires
Tale) and the mechanical devices in William of Malmsbury. Celtic
sources have yielded Blodeuwydd in the Mabinogion but I'm looking for
the metal man or woman or moving statue in any obscure French, Spanish,
German, Flemish or late Latin text that has eluded me. I'm sure there
are scores of them in the middle ages-- any thirteenth-century Talos
stories? I'm interested in particular in _humanoid_ robots; not so much
the flying horses or twittering birds, but if any of these have to do
with false-seeming, then I'll take them. Thanks, by the way, for all
the generous information about Joanna Russ.

Sarah Higley slhi@uhura.cc.rochester.edu
slhi%uhura.cc.rochester.edu@uorvm
rutgers!rochester!ur-cc!slhi
(5) --------------------------------------------------------------26----
Date: Fri, 27 Apr 90 08:52:23 -0400
From: rda@central.cis.upenn.edu
Subject: Re: 3.1323 Matrix, Inc. Description


I was a little uneasy to see what appeared to be direct advertising by
a commercial concern in Humanist. I get enough junk mail as it is.

R
--------
Robert Dale, Human Communication Research Centre, University of Edinburgh
Visiting Penn from 17th April until 4th May 1990.
Usual Address: R.Dale%edinburgh.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk