IP: United States Air Force Space Command Blacks Exploratorium Site

[Dave Farber <farber () cis upenn edu>]

> X-Sender: mom () mail netmom com
> Date: Sun, 13 Aug 2000 13:31:44 -0400
> To: farber () central cis upenn edu (David Farber)
> From: Jean Armour Polly <mom () netmom com>
> Subject: United States Air Force Space Command Blacks Exploratorium Site
>
> http://www.exploratorium.edu/pr/bubble_bomb.html
> For Immediate Release
>                           June 5, 2000
>
> Images Available
>
> Contact:
>                                                                 Linda 
> Dackman 415. 561. 0363
>
> Leslie Patterson 415. 561.0377
>
>
>                                             Making A Bomb out of a Mole Hill
>
>                          You may well wonder what subterfuge involving 
> San Francisco's Exploratorium
>                          could cause the United States Air Force Space 
> Command at Peterson Air Force
>                          Base in Colorado, to block the Exploratorium Web 
> site (www.exploratorium.edu)
>                          from U.S. soldiers. In fact, the Military has 
> set up a firewall to block the Web site
>                          Yahoo! Internet Life (Y-Life) because it links 
> to the Exploratorium Web site. This
>                          fact came to our attention today when our Public 
> Information assistant was
>                          downloading online articles mentioning our 
> museum of science, art and human
>                          perception.
>
>                          According to Scott Alexander's article, "Block 
> that Site," in Y-Life, an Air Force
>                          informant has explained that the Y-Life Web site 
> can guide online visitors to a page
>                          with instructions for making a bomb. After 
> further research and correspondence
>                          with the informant, Y-Life learned that the 
> censored information can be found on
>                          one of its archived pages that links to the 
> Exploratorium, where directions are
>                          given for making a "bubble bomb" out of baking 
> soda and vinegar in a Ziploc bag.
>                          This, in fact, is a family science experiment 
> that can also be found in the
>                          Exploratorium's book, "The Science Explorer," 
> which is still sold in our bookstore
>                          and online. Using baking soda and vinegar, you 
> can pop a plastic bag with the
>                          power of fizz.
>
>                                                        # # #
>
>                          The Exploratorium is located inside the Palace 
> of Fine Arts in San Francisco's
>                          Marina District. Museum admission is as follows: 
> Members FREE; Adults (18-64)
>                          $9.00; University Students (with ID) $7.00; 
> Senior citizens (65+) $7.00; People with
>                          disabilities $5.00; Youth (6-17) $5.00; Children 
> 3-5 $2.50; Children Under 3 FREE.
>                          First Wednesday of each month FREE. The 
> Exploratorium's winter hours, from
>                          Labor Day through Memorial Day, are TUESDAY 
> THROUGH SUNDAY 10am--5pm
>                          (WEDNESDAYS UNTIL 9pm), CLOSED MONDAYS, except 
> for most holidays. From
>                          Memorial Day through Labor Day, the 
> Exploratorium is open SEVEN DAYS A
>                          WEEK, from 10am--6pm (Wednesdays until 9pm). The 
> Exploratorium is
>                          wheelchair accessible. For information call 
> (415) EXP-LORE. CONTACT: LINDA
>                          DACKMAN/Leslie Patterson (415) 561-0363