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© REVIEWS recent revelations about the US National the Antarctic—but he can be no more defini- B oO oO K Ss Security Agency's industrial spying against tive than other investigators. ; German companies, on behalf of American Brennan argues that, according to the Reviewed by Ruth Parnell corporations, show it's not just individuals archaeological evidence, any advanced civil- NET SPIES: Who's Watching You on whose privacy is being compromised. isation that existed around 12,000 years ago the Web? It used to be just phone, fax and telex that would have been disastrously affected by a by Andrew Gauntlett were monitored; now, supercomputers check catastrophe of cosmic proportions—most Publisher: Vision Paperbacks, UK, 1999 code-words against e-mails. If you value likely the result of a supernova fragment your Internet and telephone privacy, then all _ passing close to Earth, as geologists Allan the more reason to heed Gauntlett's advice to and Delair propose in When the Earth ISBN: 1-901250-25-3 (204pp tpb) Price: £9.99 + p&h . . oe take precautions and exercise caution. Nearly Died. Humanity may have survived Available: UK—Satin Publications, tel P in pockets around the planet, but civilisation +44 (0)171 3239757, fax (0)171 3239749, THE ATLANTIS ENIGMA did not, getting buried under piles of rubble e-mail ; TBS Ltd, tel +44 01206 255637 Publisher: Piatkus Books, UK, 1999 While the jury is out until more evidence lhe Internet has revolutionised the way ISBN: 0-7499-1965-5 (202pp he) can be retrieved, the enigma of Atlantis con- we communicate in the 1990s, but this Price: AUD$45.00; NZD$79.95; £16.99: tinues to capture the public imagination. newfound freedom comes with a price. USD$/CAD$n/a , , * Brennan's pacey, accessible book should With the inexorable advance of communica- Available: Aust—Hodder Headline, tel serve well in bringing some obscure theories tions technology comes an unprecedented (02) 9841 2800; NZ—David Bateman Ltd about our past into the limelight. threat to privacy, not just to individuals but tel (09) 415 7664; UK—Piatkus Books, tel to governments and corporations, from both 9474 631 0710: USA/Canada—General "official" and "unofficial" hackers. 5 hi . an Publishing, tel (416) 445 5967 Net Spies, the first book by British author/ ihe age-old question of whether Atlantis journalist Andrew Gauntlett, a computer sci- really existed is again analysed, this time entist and consultant, will make you think by bestselling author Herbie Brennan (Time twice next time you log on or divulge any Travel, Martian Genesis) in his latest book, personal details. Indeed, you don't have to The Atlantis Enigma. It's a synthesis of have a computer for your privacy to be at orthodox and alternative ideas about the leg- risk, for your data are fair game in cyber- endary lost continent and its final demise. space. Either way, it helps to be cyber-smart While Brennan refers to evidence for and Gauntlett navigates the minefields of humans living on Earth much earlier than data surveillance, encryption devices, conventionally thought, the evidence he processor ID chips, credit care fraud, spam offers to support the existence of an e-mail, net porn, even retrieval of deleted advanced civilisation in pre-Deluvian times files from hard drives, in the hope of striking __ is either anecdotal (Plato's accounts), cir- home how safety on the information super- cumstantial, or still under investigation and highway cannot be guaranteed. awaiting release of findings. He gives suc- Gauntlett's chapter on the ECHELON cinct summaries of research into the diverse global spying system (see feature article and _ locations claimed for Atlantis—from Bimini Global News this issue), is timely, and and off the coast of Cornwall, to Africa and recent revelations about the US National Security Agency's industrial spying against German companies, on behalf of American corporations, show it's not just individuals whose privacy is being compromised. It used to be just phone, fax and telex that were monitored; now, supercomputers check code-words against e-mails. If you value your Internet and telephone privacy, then all the more reason to heed Gauntlett's advice to take precautions and exercise caution. the Antarctic—but he can be no more defini- tive than other investigators. Brennan argues that, according to the archaeological evidence, any advanced civil- isation that existed around 12,000 years ago would have been disastrously affected by a catastrophe of cosmic proportions—most likely the result of a supernova fragment passing close to Earth, as geologists Allan and Delair propose in When the Earth Nearly Died. Humanity may have survived in pockets around the planet, but civilisation did not, getting buried under piles of rubble or submerged beneath the ocean. While the jury is out until more evidence can be retrieved, the enigma of Atlantis con- tinues to capture the public imagination. Brennan's pacey, accessible book should serve well in bringing some obscure theories about our past into the limelight. HERBIE BRENNAN ATLANTIS ENIGMA é NEXUS +73 AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 1999