Help/FAQ File
THERE IS ALOT OF IMPORTANT INFORMATION HERE.
MAKE SURE YOU READ IT ALL....
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Last Updated April 12 ,2005
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Table of Contents / Index
Purpose
What Types of Microscopy/Microanalysis are Discussed
How to Subscribe
How to Unsubscribe
Email Filters
Special Settings for Email Programs
How to Post a Message
Can I attach documents
What can be Posted
How do I reply to a Posting
Can I post an Announcment for Jobs, Short Courses, Workshops, Meetings?
Can I post a Resume or looking for a Job Message
Advertising/Marketing/Commericalism/Surveys
Can a Commerical Manufacturer Participate in a Discussion
Digest Mode
Archives
How much does this cost me
Problems
Other General Info
Microscopy Society of America
Colleagues, below is an outline of the Rules/Guidelines for use of the Microscopy Listserver. Please remember I operate this forum as a service to the community as such I have a modicum of patience, but will not hesitate to let individuals know if they break the spirit of the rules outlined below. Yes, in some cases the "rules" have grey area's. If you are not sure, ask me first before you make a posting (zaluzec@microscopy.com).
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What is the purpose of this Listserver?
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The purpose of this system is to give the scientific community a centralized Internet (Email) address to which questions/comments/answers in the various fields of Microscopy & Microanalysis can be rapidly distributed to a list of interested individuals and organizations. Reasonable decorum and professionalism are expected at all times. The Listserver is moderated by the SysOp and monitored for complaince with its rules.
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What type of Microscopy/Microanalysis does this List address?
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For the purposes of this discussion forum, Microscopy & Microanalysis should be considered to include all techniques which employ a probe such as: photons (including xrays), electrons, ions, mechanical and/or electromagnetic radiation to form a representation or characterization of the morphology, crystallography, elemental, chemical or electronic structure of any material in either physical and/or life sciences applications.
Some of the more common techniques which are associated with these fields include the following: optical microscopy, xray microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, scanning tunneling microscopy, scanning ion microscopy, analytical electron microscopy, electron microprobe, xray energy dispersive spectroscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, electron diffraction, convergent beam diffraction, high resolution electron microscopy, high voltage electron microscopy, etc. (the list continues...ad infinitum.. )
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How do I subscribe?
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Please use the On-Line WWW Form to Subscribe .
Subscription to this private listserver is not a right, but a privilege and that privilege may be revoked at any time by the SysOp as his discretion, for violation of any of the rules listed on the Microscopy Listserver WWW site. Each subscription request is reviewed and approved by the current SysOp. There are no automatic subscriptions granted to any individuals, nor are email lists used to compile a list of subscribers. In compliance with US Public Law 108-187 only subscribers and/or posters receive automatic copies of posting to the Microscopy Listserver.
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How do I unsubscribe?
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Please use the On-Line WWW Form to UnSubscribe
Unsubscribe requests are generally fufilled within 24-48 hours. In case of problems contact Nestor Zaluzec (zaluzec@microscopy.com).
IMPORTANT NOTE#1. To unsubscribe you must supply the original address which you used when you first submitted your subscription. Over the last few years I have found that many users have their mail forwarded to new addresses, or use an alias. When they then try to unsubscribe, they forget where there mail is being sent to (or forwarded from). This causes me lots of headaches. So just remember in order to unsubscribe you from the list, the listserver must know the your original subscription address to remove it!
Please be considerate. I am not a mindreader, and don't really enjoy playing detective over the Internet. I have too many other things to do.
IMPORTANT NOTE #2: Do not send subscribe/unsubscribe message to "Microscopy@microscopy.com". When you do this ALL members of the listserver receive your message. All administrative issues should be sent to "Listserver@microscopy.com" and not to the general mailing list.
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Email Filters?
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This listserver operates with a semi-automatic Email Filter. Each message header is scanned for a list of keywords and/or phrases which may indicate SPAM/JUNK mail. When the flag is triggered, the mail is stopped and a message is sent back to the poster indicating the reason for rejection. If you have a valid posting, READ the rejection notice and follow the directions. Your Email can then be reviewed the reason for the rejection message discovered and then appropriate action will be taken. Please remember that this is a protection system for everyone and occassionally completely valid messages will be stopped. Only by replying to the instructions will we be able to correct your particuliar problem.
A special note: ALL EMAIL containing attachments is AUTOMATICALLY rejected. Attachments are one of the most common way that computer virus's are transmitted by Email especially they are embedded in various documents. Removing the attachment will generally allow your message through, unless of course your Email triggers yet another different "warning flag".
VCF cards and formatted text hat some WWW based Email programs "append" to Email messages are also "attachments". The filter does not differentiate attachments. The simple solution is for those of you who may be affected to reconfigure your browser/mailer not to send VCF cards and insure that your Email client is set to send only PLAIN or ASCII text. (Netscape and MS Outlook is particuliarly bad in this regard) so WWW-based Email users beware!
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Are There Any Special Settings on my Email Program?
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Yes.
1.) Please insure that your correct Email address is listed in the FROM: record. You may need to enter this in the Preferences option of your Email program. Contact your system administrator if your not sure what to do here.
2.) DO NOT set your Email Program to automatically reply to all messages, or to request a return receipt. If either of these are done, you run the risk of creating an Email loop within the system. This may result in a message bouncing through the system for several days, filling up everyone's mail box!
3.) Generally it is best to terminate each line of your message at less than 80 characters. This avoids the occassional problem of messages getting chopped up. Some mail routers, limit the number of characters per line. If you exceed 80 characters it is sometimes possible that your message will become randomly truncated. If your not sure, then simply enter a (Carriage Return) at the end of each line of text you type (ie. don't let your system automatically word wrap) and things should be fine.
4.) Make sure you do not send attachments of any type. (see above). Make sure your Email program is sending only PLAIN/ASCII text. Do not send formatted (HTML encoded) text. This type of text is appended to your Email as an attachment. This means your message WILL be automatically rejected. There are NO EXCEPTIONS. If you can't turn this off, then you should use the WWW based form at http://www.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/MLFormMail.html to submit your message.
5.) Do not set your Email program to deliver "out of the office/vacation" messages. If you will be gone, you should unsubscribe from the list and subscribe again when you return. 6.) It is not out of line to provide your company name, Email address or WWW site as part of your signoff/signature line, at the end of ANY message you post to this system. Anynomous posting of Email is frowned upon.
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How do I submit/post a message?
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Compose your message offline, then read it a second time!
Send your message by Email to: "Microscopy@microscopy.com"
Note: The language / content of your posting should always be in English, translation facilities are not provided.
As a courtesy to the readers of this list please indicate in the subject line of your message a reasonable descriptive title of your comment/inquiry. Also preface your description by the conventional abbreviation of the type of microscopy you are interested such as LM, IRM, XRM, TEM, SEM, AFM, STM, uProbe...... For example, if you are interested in optical microscopy and have a question about staining then a Title/Subject line for your message might be
Subject: LM Need help on Staining Cells
or if you are interested in TEM analysis of dislocations then
Subject: TEM Dislocation Loop Analysis
This way individuals can filter out the messages that they may not be interested in.
Special Note: MS Outlook Users
Sending formatted text (Bold, colored, aligned ....) creates a hidden HTML attachment in your Email message. You must set your Email client to send only plain/text to the Listserver. Go to your preferences option in your Email client and make sure it is set to plain/text. If you prefer not to do this then you must use the WWW based form for submitting messages to the Listserver (http://microscopy.com/MLFormMail.html).
Special Note: AOL users
Receiving Listserver Email via AOL is not a problem, however posting messages directly from your AOL Email account is a problem.
AOL automatically formats all of their Email with HTML encoding, presently there is NO MECHANISM to turn this option off in AOL software. This means that EVERY message you send from AOL has a hidden attachment. Unfortunately the Listserver SPAM filters reject all Email containing attachments (SEE NEXT ITEM). In order to post from your AOL account, you have 2 options. 1.) Use the on-line WWW based form on the Listserver WWW page (http://microscopy.com/MLFormMail.html) or 2.) Use the AOL WWW based Email system, which allows the user to turn off the HTML encoding. To use the AOL WWW EMAIL interface go to http://www.aol.com, Login to your AOL account. Go to Mail -> Settings -> Authoring ->Uncheck the box called Composing: Use Rich Text/HTML Editing. -> SAVE the changes. Now use AOLs WWW based Email to post your message.
BTW, I would complain to AOL about this. They are forcing you to send hidden attachments to all your colleagues. I suggest telling AOL you want an option in their conventional Email to send Email in the "Content type: text/plain" mode .
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Can I send an Email Attachment?
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NO!!!
DO NOT send files as an attachment to the Listserver.
Many people use email software which displays plain text messages automatically but requires several manual steps to read and delete or save an attachment Others have no capabilities at all for extracting and or translating attachments. Please send all messages as plain text. This will insure that ALL subscribers to the Listserver can rea ALL messages...
A special note: ALL EMAIL containing attachments is AUTOMATICALLY rejected. Attachments are one of the most common way that computer virus's are transmitted by Email especially they are embedded in various documents. Removing the attachment will generally allow your message through, unless of course your Email triggers yet another different "warning flag".
VCF cards that some WWW browsers "append" to Email messages are also "attachments". The filter does not differentiate attachments. The simple solution is for those of you who may be affected to reconfigure your browser/mailer not to send VCF cards. (Netscape is particuliarly bad in this regard) so WWW users beware!
Special Note: MS Outlook Users
Sending formatted text (Bold, colored, aligned ....) creates a hidden HTML attachment in your Email message. You must set your Email client to send only plain/text to the Listserver. Go to your preferences option in your Email client and make sure it is set to plain/text. If you prefer not to do this then you must use the WWW based form for submitting messages to the Listserver (http://microscopy.com/MLFormMail.html).
Special Note: AOL users
Receiving Listserver Email via AOL is not a problem, however posting messages directly from your AOL Email account is a problem.
AOL automatically formats all of their Email with HTML encoding, presently there is NO MECHANISM to turn this option off in AOL software. This means that EVERY message you send from AOL has a hidden attachment. Unfortunately the Listserver SPAM filters reject all Email containing attachments (SEE NEXT ITEM). In order to post from your AOL account, you have 2 options. 1.) Use the on-line WWW based form on the Listserver WWW page (http://microscopy.com/MLFormMail.html) or 2.) Use the AOL WWW based Email system, which allows the user to turn off the HTML encoding. To use the AOL WWW EMAIL interface go to http://www.aol.com, Login to your AOL account. Go to Mail -> Settings -> Authoring -> Uncheck the box called Composing: Use Rich Text/HTML Editing. -> SAVE the changes. Now use AOLs WWW based Email to post your message.
BTW, I would complain to AOL about this. They are forcing you to send hidden attachments to all your colleagues. I suggest telling AOL you want an option in their conventional Email to send Email in the "Content type: text/plain" mode .
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How do I reply to a message:
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Compose your message offline, then read it a second time!
Send a NEW message to "Microscopy@microscopy.com"
DONOT use the REPLY function of your Email Program!!
If you do this (i.e. use REPLY) then, in most cases, only the person that originated the message will see your response. The current configuration of the Listserver is such that a message is basically REFLECTED from the microscopy.com site to all subscribers on this list. the repackaging of the message is minimal and not all Email programs will recognize that the message reply needs to go back to Microscopy. A good fraction will reply back only to the originator. Therefore, if you want everyone to benefit from your problem and and/or it's answer you must send it as a message to "Microscopy@microscopy.com"
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What can I post?
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Basically any question/comment/observation or general information/announcement which involves microscopy and/or microanalysis. This list is not moderated, so it is up to the users to selfpolice themselves. I generally take an openminded attitude toward questions. If in my opinion, it appears that a discussion is straying far off the limits/theme of this forum I will post a note to the group. But I prefer to err on the safe side with most messages and allow at least a modicum of generally. Clearly, generic questions about Word Processing and similiar off-topic items do not belong in this discussion forum, so just use common sense and have respect for your colleagues. There are other forums which you can use for those purposes.
If there is any question in your mind about something you wish to post, send it to me first at Zaluzec@Microscopy.Com and I will give you my opinion/comments.
The use of this listserver is not a right, but a privilege. That privilege may be revoked at any time by the SysOp as his discretion should it be determined that you have broken the rules.
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Can I post an Announcement of a Job Opening / Short Course and/or a Meeting?
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Yes this information falls within the bounds of the subject of this list as long as it is related to Microscopy/Microanalysis. Brief announcements about meetings/short courses on microscopy and microanalysis are permitted from both commerical and non-profit organizations. However, the postings should be short and refer the reader to a WWW site for extended details. Reminders/Followups should not be posted, unless there is a significant change in the venue (time, location, ...). For example, a once a year announcement of a short course is permitted, but a reminders about short courses a few weeks in advance are not within the spirit of these guidelines. You should also list your short course/meeting at the following WWW Site
http://www.amc.anl.gov/Docs/NonANL/ANLMMCalendarDBaseForm.html
Public announcements about Local/National or International Society meetings are permitted, under the same context as short courses. In this case since there may be multiple meetings per year each with a different time/venue a seperate posting of each is within the spirit of the rules, since the venue and time is different for each.
If there is any question in your mind about something you wish to post, send it to me first at Zaluzec@Microscopy.Com and I will give you my opinion/comments. Remember the Listserver is not a service for selling/advertising. A SINGLE announcement of a short course or meeting is acceptable. Repeated use of the Listserver as an advertising mechanism will be considered as a violation of the "No Advertising" rule discussed below.
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Can I post my Resume or Use the Listserver to search for a Job'?
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No. This forum was not created for that purpose. Try contacting the Microscopy Society of America Placement Office. (http://www.microscopy.org/MSAUnits/PlacementOffice)
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Can I post a For Sale / Advertisement / Commerical / Marketing / Survey Message(s)?
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No, these type of posts do not fit within the bounds of this discussion forum. This listserver is not intended to be an Advertising/Sales/Marketing/Survey mechanism for commerical organizations, but rather it is an open discussion area about microscopy and microanalysis problems and solutions. If you have a special request and/or feel that a posting which is by its nature is a survey but might be appropriate for the community at large, please first contact Zaluzec@Microscopy.Com to discuss your proposed posting.
The use of this listserver is not a right, but a privilege. That privilege may be revoked at any time by the SysOp as his discretion should it be determined that you have broken the rules.
If you are an organization and have equipment you wish to donate, (or sell, for nominal cost i.e. no profit) then this is generally an acceptable posting. If you are not sure then send a copy of the announcement in question to Zaluzec@Microscopy.Com and I will give you my opinion. An example of this type would be an old decommissioned instrument which someone is trying to give away for removal/shipping costs, that would fit within the bounds of the purposes of this list.
If you are interested in using the Internet for Commerical Advertising of Microscopy/Microanalysis Related Products/Services, you may wish to contact MSA at it's WWW site (http://www.microscopy.org) or the MSA Business Office (MSABusinessOffice@microscopy.org). These alternative Internet services, are provided independently of the Listserver Operation, which is provided as a FREE service to the WorldWide Microscopy and Microanalysis Community. Any funds derived from the above are used to defray the costs of running this free service.
If you wish to purchase a copy of the MSA Membership directory/Mailing list please contact the MSA Business Office .
There is a mechanism to post Commerical NEWS to the Microscopy Community. If you have something of a purely Commerical Nature and wish to make it known to the community you may FREELY use the following WWW site (just follow the on-line instructions)
http://www.msa.microscopy.org/News/NewsListings.html
If you have surplus equipment you wish to "sell" at above shipping costs (ie. make some small profit) please use
http://www.msa.microscopy.org/SurplusEquipment
If you use this service to successfully sell an item, it would be appropriate to contribute an appropriate nominal amount to MSA for the use of the Site. Again this is run on an honor system.
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I am a Commerical Manufacturer. Can I participate?
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YES!
If you are a manufacturer, you are always welcome to observe/join in any discussion at all times. We do ask that everyone, please refrain from overt sales pitches and/or commericalism. If a product which you produce/sell can solve a problem or answer a question raised by anyone on this list, then by all means feel free to say so. Try to be brief about the product, state the simple facts in a few (short) sentences and then offer to continue the discussion with any interested parties offline or point people to a WWW Site with detailed information, so that individuals can download/access the relevant information.Usually it will be sufficient to just add your phone number and/or Email address to the end of your message, and you'll be contacted by anyone that is interested.
Please note that: unsolicited product announcements are advertising and do not belong in this forum.
Remember, please keep your comments about any product you "sell" to a minimum.
It is not out of line to provide your company name, Email address or WWW site as part of your signoff/signature line, at the end of ANY message you post to this system.
This Listserver operates on the honor system with respect to to posting of advertising, so please respect these simple ground rules.
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Is there a Digest Mode?
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Digest Mode is not available on the present server.
Digest Mode compresses all message from a single day into one long message which is then sent to all subscribers. It is a nice option, and I intend to get it running eventually.
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I'm only interested in XYZ Microscopy is there sublist?
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Nope, not here. There are other listservers which deal with specific topics, but this one is general. At sometime in the future I may consider creating subtopics. But really that is what the SUBJECT line is for. Please use a good description for your message! I've learned alot by just "listening" in on discussions about topics I know nothing about. You may also find the same is true for you.
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Can I access this list via NewsGroups on the Internet?
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Not any longer. For a time this Listserver automatically forwarded all postings to the SciTechnqiue.Microscopy Newsgroup. However, the link to that newsgroup has been lost at the receiving end. A link may once again be possible in the future, when hardware and software is upgraded.
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Is there an Archive?
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Yes. You can access the monthly archive at the WWW site: http://www.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver/MicroscopyArchives.html
There is also a Search Engine which allows you to search the Archives.
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What is the subscription fee?
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The Listserver is a free service sponsored in part by MSA and the Microscopy SysOp there are no charges for subscription/use. I'd even be willing to guarentee that you will get back at least whatever you put in. If you feel generous, and you happen to see your Friendly Neighborhood SysOp at a Microscopy Conference you can always buy him a beer or two. He's usually easy to recognize, and his arm twists easily.
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Who do I call/contact when I have problems?
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God@Garden.Eden.Earth.Com
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Who Runs this?
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This listserver is run by Nestor J. Zaluzec (Zaluzec@Microscopy.Com) It has been & continues to be run/administered/babied mostly in his spare time and usually late in the evening or earlyhours of the morning.
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When I send a message I get (sometime many) Bad/Bounced Messages back why?
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Because this list acts as a reflector, when message delivery fails and is returned to the system it goes to the originator of the message. Due to the large number of users on this list it is ineveitable that some systems will go offline, are down for maintenance, or simply shut down by the user. The mailserver tries to deliver messages several times before it gives up.
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Can I get a list of the Subscribers:
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No. I do not release that information. There are in excess of 3000 subscribers from more than 40 countries to this list.
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I think I need to test the Email, what do I do?
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First, if you received the instructions, after submitting instructions, then your Email program must be working. So no further testing is really necessary.
DO NOT send TEST/HELLO messages to Microscopy@microscopy.com it needlessly clutters up the subscribers mailboxes.
Remember every time you post a message to the Listserver over 2000 copies are sent. This not only wastes processing time on my computer, but gets lots of people angry at wasted bandwidth. You should also remember some people have to pay $$ just to read their Email (think of those subscribers on CompuServe, AOL, GENIE, etc....) We have a lot of them, and this wastes time &/or money!
If you really feel you must test your Email Package or think you need help then send a message to:
Zaluzec@Microscopy.Com.
He's sometimes a patient soul, who at times has been known to read his Email and occasionally answers questions. Especially, late at night.
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Special Announcement/News
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This listserver has been in operation since 1993.
In 1995 , the Microscopy Society of America (MSA) [http://www.msa.microscopy.org] approved a proposal to partially support the listserver as a FREE Service to ALL persons/organizations worldwide who are involved or interested in Microscopy and/or Microanalysis.
Thanks to this support, the listserver continues to operate and upgrade its hardware, software and services for use by Microscopist's/Microanalysts Worldwide.
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Is there an FTP or WWW site?
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WWW http://www.microscopy.com/MicroscopyListserver
FTP No Longer offered
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Nestor J. Zaluzec
Your Friendly Neighborhood SysOp.
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