Date: Mon, 29 Jul 1996 03:17:45 +0100
From: amprsand@sirius.com (Tara Housman)
To: michael@GeekTimes.com
Subject: Sirius filk and PGP
Newsgroups: sirius.discuss
While meandering through a mess of links I had Yahood from the search term "filk," I came across these two songs by Lee Gold. The first, the weaker of the two, tells you all sorts of darned handy details about Sirius, the "dog star." The second is a Pretty Good Parody about PGP.
I found the first filksong at: http://www.rahul.net/starport/xeno/sirius.html The second song is in the same neighborhood.
The fact that I'm looking up this sort of stuff is a Pretty Good Pointer to the fact that I *sorely* need to acquire A Life.
SIRIUS SONG
by Lee Gold
[to the tune of "Day-O" and "Star-O"]
[My data is from my 1958 Britannica II. Additional verses and updates cheerfully accepted.]
This is a Sirius Song.
Dog Star shining up there on high.
Yes, it's a Sirius Song.
Dog Star's the brightest star in our sky.
CHORUS: Ay Oh! Ay Oh!
That's its star class, scientists say.
Yes,... it's A0.
And I'm saying that it's A-OK.
It's 2-point-7 parsecs out.
Dog Star shining up there on high.
Not very far by astronomer count.
Dog Star's the brightest star in our sky.
CHORUS
It's one-third hotter than the sun.
Dog Star shining up there on high.
Rises in north when the heat's begun.
Dog Star's the brightest star in our sky.
CHORUS
It's not lonely, I'll guarantee.
Dog Star shining up there on high.
Got a white dwarf companion, name of B.
Dog Star's the brightest star in our sky.
CHORUS
This is a Sirius Song....
Dog-star shining up there on high.
Yes, it's a Sirius Song....
Dog-star's the brightest star in our sky.
Ay Oh! Ay Oh!
That's its star class, scientists say.
Yes,... it's A0.
And I'm saying that it's A-OK.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PGP
by Lee Gold, copyright 1995: may be copied for non-commercial purposes [to the tune of "Casey Jones".]
[Zimmerman's lawyer is Philip L. Dubois, 2305 Broadway, Boulder, Colorado; (303) 444-3885; dubois@csn.org.]
Come, all you people, if you want to hear The story of a software engineer.
Zimmerman is the fellow's name;
PGP is how he won his fame.
The government of the USA
Said encryption is a game you mustn't play. Unless our agents can listen in,
To keep out eavesdroppers is a sin.
CHORUS: PGP means that you can email money.
PGP lets you keep a diary.
PGP will protect your files from crackers. Pretty Good Privacy for you and me.
The NSA spokesman said, "You see,
You mustn't use strong cryptography.
If the government can't read your private mail, Then we'll warp the law to send you all away to jail. There's just one encryption scheme we'll let you use. With a built-in wiretap so we can't lose. We've got to see all that you write and read That's part of our Big Brother National Creed." CHORUS
Zimmerman worked hard on PGP.
It's stronger than the Clipper Chip, we all agree. But the government said, "Zimmerman, you haven't won, 'Cause PGP's so powerful it counts as guns. You can't ship armaments outside the States. We won't allow your code to emigrate.
You could post it on a US site, no aliens allowed; Then we just might go and bust you -- anyhow." CHORUS
Now the case has been sent to the Grand Jury file, To see if Zimmerman should go on trial
For putting PGP on display
So aliens might filch it from the USA.
Now Zimmerman has said that he needs some dough If you want to help, here's the facts to know. Send it to his lawyer, that's Philip Dubois, And hope he shows that freedom's not against the law.
That's Philip Dubois of Boulder, Colorado. Twenty-three-oh-five Broadway is his street. Phone three-oh-three four-four-four three-eight-eight-five. dubois@csn.org
PGP means that you can email money.
PGP lets you keep a diary.
PGP will protect your files from crackers. Pretty Good Privacy for you and me.
Pretty Good Privacy will keep us free.