-----------------------------------------------------------------
---------------subversion (sub-ver'shon)(n), Act of subverting
; overthrow; destruction; ruin.
subvert (sub-vert')(vt), To ruin utterly; to overturn; to pervert
.
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 "There's a double standard for the way we live.
If there's nothing to have, well then
 there's nothing to give."
-Pantera


3.1 -- We Don't Care What You Say!

Yes, Subversion 3.0 is here, like a bad rash that won't go away.  It'
s been a
busy July for me, but then again it keeps me out of jail.  Yes, I def
ected from
the Teklordz senior staff to Acid this month, but this column has bec
ome a bit 
of a fixture in the ol' Artiphakz, and I see no reason to change that
.  But
enough about me...time for some real dirt!


2.2 -- On the Scene

It wouldn't be a normal month if there wasn't some turmoil going on. 
 With the
early June packs utterly failing to impress me, I was holding my brea
th for whatI estimated to be THE big news of the summer: the
 Decades debut release.  As faras the groups involved
 (Rival, Humid and supposedly a resurrected
 Saga), the
sheer amount of artists promised to make this new group a serious con
tender.  I
had mixed feelings about their first pack, which seemed to have a lot
 of logos
and short pics, but Kid Krylon tells me a lot of people didn'
t have their shit
together.  He says next month will be a lot better.  Still, it was a 
good first
pack.

Acid released their June pack a little late, but it was worth
 the wait.  There
was a renewed focus on ANSi, and the pack was one of the month's best
.  The
additions of Borian, Grateful Dead, Shaolin,
 Tosh10 and a myriad of others to
the roster helps as well.  Maybe Somms will draw something on
e of these days!
(Could happen -- the next Acid pack could be out by the time you read
 this.)

Ice, on the other hand, didn't do much for me.  Nothing much 
caught my eye, 
although Snake Grunger had an impressive pic, as well as a fe
w people teaming
up for some good joints.  The hi-res stuff was good as usual, but los
ing Borian
and Visigoth hurt.  Word from Syntax Error is that ho
rdes of people applied to
the group over the past month or two, so maybe some new blood will he
lp.  The
current trend of bringing back "old school" artists from retirement i
sn't doing
a whole lot of good.

The only other packs I've looked at and cared about were Dark 
and Septic.  The
Septic viewer continues to strike me as a good idea, even if 
the pack was not
much to look at.  Haven't seen the new CiA or Fire re
leases yet, but I have to
leave for band practice soon, so look at them on your own time. ;)


2.3 -- Awards `96

About this time last year, back when I could afford to call Canadian 
boards, I
saw a file on the now-defunct Crimson Waters that claimed to 
be an Awards `95
voting form.  I never looked at it, but kinda wondered what it was ab
out.  The
whole project never came to be, but I see that Awards `96 is 
now in the works.

I think this sort of public recognition is something that is long ove
rdue.  In
looking through the candidates on the ballot, I saw damn near every p
rominent
artist I could think of.  A lot of these people rarely appear on IRC,
 but still
quietly produce some fantastic artwork.  Of course there were a few n
ames I 
didn't recognize, mostly in the ASCii and RIP sections, but I then to
ok it upon
myself to track down art by those people I didn't know.

Be a responsible voter. ;)


2.4 -- The Decline of Elite Civilization

Faced with a Friday off from my grueling work schedule, I called my b
rother to
see if he wanted to go to that sprawling cultural disaster masqueradi
ng as a
retail shrine, the Mall of America.  Like some sort of fester
ing wound on the
edge of the Minneapolis cityscape, the mall is like it's own city.  M
all police
patrol for the under-18 mallrats breaking the new curfew.  Yes, the m
all has 
a curfew.  But that's not important.

This sacred site is also host to the monthly 2600 meetings.  
This used to be a
good thing.  Educated hackers sat alongside unidentified phone compan
y employeesand university lab assistants gone bad.  It was acc
eptable to show up toting a
manual or two of the latest datacomm gizmos, and maybe a red box.  It
 was even
possible to LEARN something, all the while slamming tacos or greasy b
urgers.

But with a slew of movies like "Hackers" and the like, everybody sudd
enly wantedto be an 3l33t h4cqu3r.  Gone were those who posess
ed knowledge...the new crowd
is made up of kids as young as 12 sitting around with notebook comput
ers, pagersand cell phones that their parents bought them.  A 
few months back, one of the
few remaining H/P/A/V boards in the 612 got ratted out by some loser 
who got
busted hacking his school computer.  He gave out the sysop's name and
 number,
as well as those of some of the more active members.  Next thing you 
know, the
board's number is posted in the goddamn paper, along with the time an
d location
of the monthly 2600 meetings.  The lamer influx began.

I'm not a hacker, and I don't pretend to be one.  But I enjoyed the m
eetings
and had a good time talking to people who knew something I didn't.  B
ut just
yesterday, I found myself surrounded by a bunch of kids who were more
 interestedin playing Doom on their notebooks than talking sho
p.

How sad.


2.5 -- Until Next Time

Thanks for reading, and watch for next month's column.  I'm still thi
nking aboutputting Subversion out on its own, but this summer 
is too hectic for any more 
projects right now.  Go look at some art packs, and run with scissors
.

o-tron
fos/acid productions
xrist@primenet.com

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------------------If you have questions, comments or wish to r
eceive future issues of Subversion
directly in e-mail, please respond to the address listed above
.  (c)`96 O-Tron
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------------------SAUCE00Subversion 3.0                     O-Tron              Teklordz            19960706 

P