Re: Asimov helps users and battles piracy!

[toddpw@ugcs.caltech.edu (Todd P. Whitesel)]

Rubywand <rubywand@swbell.net> writes:

>     Unfortunately for Mystery Blow Theatre, the phenomenon of "4D
>sound", ambisonics, etc. is well established.

That is correct. However at the time of that parody, it was also well
established that the VAMPS disks did not actually _use_ 4D sound, or even
3D sound (which is what was first claimed, but it quickly became 4D).

At the start of the VAMPS saga, the reason I gave for ejecting them from
the Caltech FTP site is that we compared some of the VAMPS NoiseTracker
files to normal public domain MOD files, and they were bit-for-bit
identical. People working on their own MOD players disassembled the VAMPS
player and found no evidence of special processing. I had done my own
experimentation with phase delays in SoundSmith and NoiseTracker, so I
knew what could be accomplished solely within the NT MOD format. We could
not find anything to support the claims Dr. Tom was making. Our conclusion
was that the VAMPS disks were simply a typical disk-bootable MOD player.

The MST3K VAMPS parody was well-grounded.

Over time, I have noticed that these original VAMPS disks quietly
disappeared from FTP sites around the net. They were replaced by newer ones
which I did not bother to dissect, because we had seen enough confirmed
incidences of illegal or questionably legal activity by Dr. Tom.

Later when I graduated and handed over the FTP site to Dan Zimmerman,
deciding the legitimacy of new uploads was no longer my concern.

Todd Whitesel
toddpw @ ugcs.caltech.edu