HOW TO DISPLAY THE KIDLINK SITES ON A COMPUTER DISPLAY ====================================================== There are many programs for personal computers that can be used to display maps on the screen. GeoClock is an interesting offering for the following reasons: * KIDLINK maintains a set of data files to be used with this program to display the places from where children have submitted responses to the four KIDLINK questions. * It's shareware, e.g. you can get it from the KIDLINK archives for free and try it out before deciding whether or not to buy it. The shareware version can display the following maps: * Overview map of the whole world (Map 1) * Map of the 48 North American states of the USA (Map 2) The registered version can display many other maps too (see below). * It can be used on a large number of different PC monitors, from the old fashion CGA and Hercules models to more modern types. * It is cheap. Register to receive the full version of the program by sending US$35 to Joseph Ahlgren, 2218 N Tuckahoe St., Arlington, VA 22205-1946, USA. (Recommended. This is definitely the _easy_ and _best_ way to do it! Use the mailer at the end of this file.) Users of the registered version will also be able to use the following KIDLINK maintained maps/data files: Africa (Map 19) South America (Map 18) China (Map 25) Central America (Map 17) Western Europe (Map 5) Australia (Map 20) Micronesia (Map 23) India (Map 21) Middle East (Map 22) Japan (Map 24) The purpose of this file is to describe how to get a copy of the GeoClock program, and how to use it to show the KIDLINK sites. GEOCLOCK - AN OVERVIEW ====================== GEOCLOCK (Universal Version of Geographic Clock Program) shows the current time (based on the system clock) with a map of the earth. The current sun position is displayed and the part of the earth in sunlight is highlighted. This display is automatically updated every 1 second (for an 8 MHz AT with an 80287) to 20 seconds (for a 5 MHz PC without an 8087). Local sunrise, sunset, and the sun's azimuth and elevation are also displayed. A variety of map backgrounds and other options are available. A graphics adapter and a hard disk are required to run GEOCLOCK. GEOCLOCK is distributed as SHAREWARE. If you use and enjoy the product, you must register and obtain a license for the program. The license includes a few extra features and more maps. The unregistered version of the program may be distributed freely, provided that the entire unmodified ZIP file is included and no fee is charged other than a nominal amount for media and handling. A version with special features for HAM operators is also available. GEOCLOCK requires a hard disk, a minimum of 200K available RAM (up to 250K to use VGA and 800x600 modes), and a graphics adapter and monitor. There are two versions of GEOCLOCK. The first is designed to support computers with a 256k EGA, VGA, or super VGA boards with a compatible color monitor. The second requires is designed to support CGA, Hercules, MCGA, AT&T 640x400, and PC3270 graphics, all in the highest resolution monochrome mode available for that card. HOW TO GET THE PROGRAM ====================== A mailer to be used by those who want to have a registered version is found at the end of this document. If you do this, THEN YOU HAVE AN EASIER JOB. It is in this case limited to item 11 and 12 under "a) FTP" below! The shareware version can be downloaded from various Bulletin Board Systems around the world. For example, it is available from these two: * The Author's own BBS: USA+703-241-7980 * Saltrod Horror Show BBS in Norway: Norway+41-31378 (up to 9600 bps MNP-5. XMODEM, ZMODEM, KERMIT, YMODEM, etc.) File name: GEOCLK42.EXE (self-extract file) The program can be downloaded from the KIDLINK archives on VM1.NODAK.EDU as GEOCLK40 KIDSARC There are two ways of receiving the program. They may, however, not work for all users! These two ways are called: FTP and UUENCODING. a) By anonymous FTP ------------------- The procedure to retrieve the file by interactive anonymous FTP is as follows: 1. Log on to your Internet email system, and issue the command FTP VM1.NODAK.EDU 2. At the user name prompt, type Anonymous 3. At the password prompt, type your own email address (=common courtesy) 4. When you're allowed in, go to the KIDLINK archives by issuing the following command: cd kidlink 5. Now, prepare for transmission by telling the LISTSERV that the transmission will be binary. Issue the command: binary 6. Ask the Listserv to send the program by issuing the following command: get geoclk40.kidsarc 7. The transfer from the Listserv to your email host may take some time. Be patient. The NoDak system will report progress something like this: 200 Port request OK. 150 Sending file 'geoclk40.kidsarc' 250 Transfer completed successfully. local: geoclk40.kidsarc remote: geoclk40.kidsarc 165504 bytes received in 4.8e+02 seconds (0.33 Kbytes/s) When you're told that the file has been transferred ("Transfer completed successfully"), sign off from the Listserv by issuing the command: bye 8. The file GEOCLK40.KIDSARC is now stored in your file area of your local email host. Before transfer to your local personal computer, you'll have to rename it. The reason is that the file name extension KIDSARC is illegal when using DOS. There are diffent ways of doing this, depending on the operating system of your email host. Rename GEOCLK40.KIDSARC to GEOCLK40.ARC 9. The next job is to transfer GEOCLK40.ARC from your email host to your local personal computer. You may be able to do this in different ways. The most common, however, is to use one of several permutations of Kermit. If you don't know how to do this, ask your local support for help. 9. Finally, and hopefully, you have GEOCLK40.ARC on your personal computer's hard disk. Note that GEOCLK40.ARC is a compressed distribution file. The program, maps, documentation etc. are 'inside' this package. You will have to retrieve these from the distribution package before doing anything else. In order to do that you will need a decompression tool (for example: PKUNPAK, PAK, ARC, or ARCE). One of those is generally available in most file libraries around the world. If you cannot locate it, ask for help. (At Saltrod Horror Show BBS, download ARC-E.COM.) Make sure that you have at least 400 KB free space on your hard disk. Make a subdirectory for the GeoClock files, and move the distri- bution file there. Decompress GEOCLK40.ARC and watch all the GeoClock files being extracted from the distribution file. When you're done, you may want to copy GEOCLK40.ARC over to a diskette as backup, and kill the file in your GeoClock directory. You don't need it any more. 10. Study the documentation and get GeoClock working on your PC. 11. Download the file GEO-DAT from LISTSERV@VM1.NODAK.EDU . This may be done by sending a message to this address, with the following command in the body of the text: GET KIDLINK GEO-DAT 12. To install the KIDLINK map data on your PC, I suggest that you do the following: a) rename all old GEO??.DAT files. You can do this with the following DOS command REN GEO*.DAT GEO*.OLD b) Cut out the data for GEO1.DAT and GEO2.DAT from the file GEO- DAT, that you have retrieved from LISTSERV@VM1.NODAK.EDU , and save them (in two files called GEO1.DAT and GEO2.DAT). When you now start GeoClock, it will display the relevant KIDLINK sites on your computer screen. b) By FTPmail ------------- If interactive access to the Internet is unavailable, try FTPmail. For information about how to use this option, send mail to ftpmail@decwrl.dec.com bitftp@pucc.princeton.edu ftpmail@grasp.insa-lyon.fr (European users only) BITFTP@DEARN.BITNET, or BITFTP@vm.gmd.de (Europe only) ftpmail@cs.uow.edu.au In the TEXT of your message, put the word "HELP". FTPmail lets you uuencode binary files for transfers by _mail_. It can split large files up into several messages, thus helping you around local restrictions on the size of each incoming mail message. Use the information above (under "Anonymous FTP") when composing your FTPmail session. b) UUENCODE ----------- When using FTP, you log on to the LISTSERV computer to send the program file to your host computer. UUENCODE enables you to do the same through ordinary electronic mail. The GEOCLK40.ARC that you receive in this way is converted into a 7-bit ascii file, and needs to be turned into an 8-bits file before further processing. This is done by the UUDECODE program. UUDecode program and instructions are in the file KIDART MSDOS1. (To get this file, send the command GET KIDART MSDOS1 by email to LISTSERV@VM1.NODAK.EDU .) Because of the size of GEOCLOCK, it will come to you in several messages. Paste it together (in the correct order, remember to delete the mail header, but not the ----- Part 1 of 6 ---- etc.) into one big file. Call this file TMP.TMP . To convert GEOCLK40.ARC into a 'usable' file: 1. Check to see if you have at least 200 KB free disk space 2. Enter the command: uuencode tmp.tmp 3. Now you should have GEOCLK40.ARC on your disk. (If you get error messages, that may indicate that the files has not been pasted together correctly.) 4. Proceed as explained in item 9+ above. Saltrod, December 8, 1993 Tore Tunold and Odd de Presno PS: If you are experiencing problems when using these instructions, please tell me. I'm sure that this document can be made much better and understandable. Send comments to opresno@ulrik.uio.no . --------------------------------------------------------------------------- MAILER ----- LET YOUR PRINTER DO ALL THE WORK!!! Just fold the top over to the dotted line, and fold the bottom from the dotted line so that the address is outside. Place your check inside and tape the edges. PLEASE DO NOT STAPLE. The multiple license pricing system for the GEOCLOCK program is: 1 - $30; 2-9 - $25/license; 10-20 - $20/license; 21-40 copies - $15/license; $600 for unlimited use at a single site. Multiple license prices assume that the purchaser will produce copies from a single master copy. ____ GEOCLOCK Registration(s) & Disk (5.25 in) with EGA/VGA/SVGA/CGA/HGC/MCGA/PC3270/AT&T versions $30.00 or ______ ____ Supplemental maps (at least 20), and the next major release mailed when available - these are all available free from my RBBS $20.00 ______ ____ 3.50 inch disk instead of 5.25 inch ADD $ 5.00 ______ ____ HAM radio add-in for EGA/VGA/800x600 (include call sign and station latitude and longitude) $30.00 ______ ____ Outside USA and Canada Shipping and Handling ADD $ 5.00 ______ Check drawn on a US bank payable to Joseph R. Total $ 30.00 or ______ Ahlgren, or cash, is enclosed Name __________________________________________ Call Sign ______________ Address __________________________________________ Lat ____________________ __________________________________________ Long ___________________ ___________________________________________________________________ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- _________________________________ Place _________________________________ Stamp _________________________________ Here Joseph R. Ahlgren 2218 N Tuckahoe St. Arlington, VA 22205-1946 ***************************************************************************