Date: Thu, 11 May 1995 14:18:23 EST From: "Rob Slade, Social Convener to the Net" Subject: "Alive" mailing list by Celustka MLALIVE.RVW 950508 "Alive 0, Alive 1", Suzana Stojakovic-Celustka, 1994 %A Suzana Stojakovic-Celustka celustka@sun.felk.cvut.cz %B Alive Ejournal %C Prague/Zagreb %D March 1994, July 1994 %E Suzana Stojakovic-Celustka celustka@sun.felk.cvut.cz %P Alive 0, 25K Alive 1, 100K %S Alive %T Alive 0, Alive 1 Suzana Celustka is part of the international virus research community. She became active in research while attending university in Prague, but comes originally from Croatia and is currently resident in Zagreb. In 1993 she attempted to spur development of a proper definition of a viral program (which still eludes researchers and writers) by promoting a virus definition contest. (She did put a bit of life into the proceedings by calling for definitions not only in text and mathematical forms, but also jokes and poetry.) The lack of success in this area will be familiar to workers in the field of artificial life, who have had similar difficulties in delineating life. As it happens, this is another area of Ms. Celustka's interests, and in 1994 she started "Alive" magazine, distributed electronically, in order to examine the relation between computer viral programs and artificial life. Two editions of the magazine have been published so far, with a third now in process. (The move back to Croatia and a period of ill health contributed to the delay.) "Alive 0" is stated to be the zeroth, or beta, edition, and explains the background of the project. It also contains the results of the first contest the definition of a computer virus in the technical categories. There are also articles on the "lifelike" characteristics of code for LAN token regeneration and on Cohen's theorem of the "undecidability" of viral detection. In "Alive 1", Ms. Celustka contributes two articles herself, one on the nature and limitations of language (in regard to the problem of technical definition), and another on the "Great Debate" about the benefits versus dangers of viral programs. In addition to the feature and invited articles, each edition includes an interview with at least one (and usually more) researcher prominent in the field. The participants in "The Great Debate", for example, were Fred Cohen (cf BKSHRTVR.RVW and BKITSALV.RVW), Mark Ludwig (cf BKLUDWIG.RVW) and Vesselin Bontchev. The questions asked are incisive and insightful. Alive is available in a number of ways. Subscriptions requests should be sent to mxserver@ubik.demon.co.uk. Back issues are available from ftp://ftp.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/pub/virus/texts/alive, ftp://ftp.demon.co.uk/pub/antivirus/journal/alive, ftp://ftp.elte.hu/pub/virnews, ftp://ftp.u.washington.edu/public/Alive, gopher://saturn.felk.cvut.cz, and gopher://ursus.bke.hu. Send your contributions and comments to celustka@sun.felk.cvut.cz. Alive represents very real explorations in both virus and artificial life research. The opinions and thought presented are sometimes radical departures >from mainstream discussion. With careful moderation and editing, however, there is no chance of the "high noise/low signal" traffic one usually sees in many more well known fora. Alive is highly recommended for any interested in viral or artificial life studies. copyright Robert M. Slade, 1995 MLALIVE.RVW 950508 Postscriptum: As this review was being written, anti-personnel rounds were falling on Zagreb. Although the situation seems to have eased, momentarily, Croatia still does not seem to be a preferred situation for raising a family. Although Ms. Celustka does not know I am adding this message, I have reason to believe that she would appreciate any assistance with employment or immigration which those in safer parts of the world could give her. ============= Vancouver ROBERTS@decus.ca | "The only thing necessary Institute for Robert_Slade@sfu.ca | for the triumph of evil Research into Rob_Slade@mindlink.bc.ca | is for good men to do User slade@freenet.victoria.bc.ca | nothing." Security Canada V7K 2G6 | - Edmund Burke