This notice is for those who have to take another similar test.
Why? It is because your English mark must be more improved.
Mechanism: Please give your comment to two december 09 articles below in 250 words and answer the 40 questions all together. By Friday, 18 December 2009, at 12.00 WITA (dead on time) all your answer must be received in my email: mr.dj.os@gmail.com
KELAS 3A: ADITYA CHANDRA PRAMANA, HASIAN SILALAHI, TAHTA KHAIRILLAH, TEGUH ADYTHIA NUGRAHA, WAHIDIN SATRIA,
KELAS 3B: ADEN IRAWAN, ARISKA HENGKY, BASUKI SETYANTO, HERMANTO, LUTFI IKHWANI, M. ADITYA RACHMAN, M. REZKHA RIANDY NOOR AMANDA S, R. WEIN PRASTIANTO, RURI WIDYA PUSPITA,
KELAS 3C: DEWI SARTIKA, EKA JUNIATIN, ELIM SUMANTA SARAGIH, FEBRIENA RAESHA, HETTY SUSILAWATI, NOVIA KUSUMA WARDANI, PUTRI LIA SAMUDERA, RESTY DWI JAYANTI,
KELAS 3D: HENDRYSNTONNO L, IMAM RINALDY, IYUS MANULANG, M. FERNANDA BAIQUNI, M. DERMAWAN SIHABUDDIN, NOLDY PARINUSSA, NURUL MAHARANI, RAFIQA HUMAIRA, RAHMA NOVITA SARI
This blog is dedicated for STUDENTS OF SKATEL BANJARBARU KALSEL and those who are interested in learning English as one of the International Language.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Wara-wiri!
Silakan dipelajari soal-soal berikut ini. Buat yang mengikuti remedial akan mendapatkan jatah 25% dari soal-soal yang ada di bawah ini, baik kelas xi maupun xii.
Ujian kelas xi-nya akan dilaksanakan pada hari Senin, 21 Desember 2009 Pukul: 09.00 Wita.
Soal lainnya adalah dari soal yang diujikan sebelumnya.
All the best. DJ
Section: Conversational
Instruction: Please complete the conversation with appropriate remarks
Questions 1 to 10
1) Keith: Please welcome my new associate Mr. Karu from Alor Star.
Karu is Keith’s _____.
a) employee
b) boss
c) best friend
d) colleague
2) Gina: Have you ever taken a summer course?
Mimi:_____
a) No problem.
b) Did you?
c) No, thank you.
d) Never.
3) Bob: How do you do?
Sarah:_____
a) How are you doing?
b) What’s the matter?
c) Good. How do you do?
d) I am doing my assignment.
4) Dilbert: I don’t think we have met before.
Shan:_____
a) No. In fact, we have actually.
b) Congratulations.
c) Everything is fine.
d) Nothing is possible.
5) Willy: Excuse me, isn’t it a little warm in here? Can I open the windows?
Mary: _____
a) Yes, please.
b) Why?
c) You are excused.
d) When is it?
6) Dino: How was your day?
Joe:_____
a) Don’t know.
b) You are welcome.
c) Could be better.
d) It is a holiday, today.
7) Fandy: My friends, Angie, Joline and Kevin are studying Economics in London and have another year to go. Fandy’s statement indicates that _____.
a) Angie, Joline and Kevin are friends
b) Fandy’s friends finish their studies in a year
c) Fandy’s friends are going to London soon
d) Angie, Joline and Kevin are excellent in Economics
8) Linda: Do you think you are always punctual, Agus?
Agus: _____
a) I beg your pardon too.
b) Depends.
c) What do you think?
d) Really!
9) Do you skip lunch?
a) Lunch is on me.
b) What a shame!
c) I like skipping.
d) Depends.
10) Intan: Goodbye, see you again.
Clara:_____
a) Welcome to my new home.
b) Have a safe trip.
c) You are welcome.
d) I have to go home.
Questions 11 to 20
11) The company went into bankruptcy as a result of _____.
a) adequate control
b) high profit-making
c) mismanagement
d) good governance
12) It is _____ to keep fit by exercising regularly.
a) influential
b) importance
c) vital
d) major
13) Rowena has a well-paid job in an aviation firm in Glasgow, Scotland. Rowena works for a firm that deals with _____.
a) artillery
b) submarines
c) stationery
d) aircraft
14) Students must set _____ goals for themselves so that they are achievable.
a) realistic
b) contradictory
c) adequate
d) demanding
15) The tour guide explained the _____ significance of the building.
a) history
b) historically
c) historic
d) historical
16) After the doctor had explained about the _____ of anti-depressant drugs, the patient decided to stop taking them.
a) benefits
b) advantages
c) good values
d) side-effects
17) The committee members gave in to the views of the company lawyer.
This means that the committee members were _____ to agree with the lawyer.
a) prejudiced
b) pressured
c) biased
d)delighted
18) He worked _____ and was promoted in two years.
a) hardly
b) lethargically
c) lazily
d) diligently
19) Claire was unfortunate as the doctors failed to detect her illness at an early _____. Now, she is bed-ridden.
a) detection
b) identification
c) notes
d) stage
20) When it rains, it _____.
a) paws
b) pause
c) pores
d) pours
Questions 21 to 30
21) "Seventy percent of the corn _____ ready to be harvested from tomorrow," said the farmer.
a) are
b) was
c) is
d) were
22) "_____ everyone understand the lecture?" asked the professor after he ended his 3-hour class.
a) Is
b) Do
c) Are
d) Did
23) _____ stare at others, it is rude.
a) Could you
b) Didn’t I
c) You shouldn’t
d) If you don’t
24) The weather is terribly bad, _____?
a) aren’t it
b) isn’t it
c) is it
d) yes or no
25) Nowadays, students attend tuition classes to _____ their grades in the examination.
a) improves
b) improving
c) improvement
d) improve
26) Chairman: "Each and every member of this exclusive club will ______ the benefits that we offer."
a) enjoying
b) enjoys
c) enjoyed
d) enjoy
27) She looks _____ today compared to yesterday.
a) more healthy
b) healthier
c) healthiest
d) more healthier
28) Babies begin _____ their surroundings after 7 months.
a) explored
b) explores
c) exploring
d) explore
29) The man has not _____ my call yet.
a) returns
b) returning
c) returned
d) return
30) I barely took _____ hour to finish the task given to me.
a) a
b) the
c) a few
d) an
Section: Comprehension
Instruction: Please answer all the questions below
Questions 31 to 40
31) Yuri Gagarin made history for being the first human being to orbit the earth. Born in a farm near Moscow, he attended a primary school for six years before continuing his studies in a vocational school. Later, he attended training with the Air Force where he graduated as a pilot and was then offered a chance to attend cosmonaut training.
Which is true about Yuri Gagarin?
a) He was a farmer before becoming a cosmonaut
b) He learnt how to fly fighter jets during vocational training
c) He was selected for cosmonaut training after becoming a pilot
d) He is the first human being to land on the moon
32) Mat: Could you speak more slowly, please?
Harris: Sure, I will.
Mat is _____.
a) rude and wants Harris to speak slowly
b) a slow learner but speaks fast
c) finding it difficult to understand what Harris is saying
d) encouraging Harris to speak slower than usual
33) Instructions: Take a heap of wooden bricks and make them into a tower. Pull out a brick at a time until the tower collapses. When it does, it is over. These instructions are probably for a _____.
a) game
b) recipe
c) maths test
d) question
34) Ali: Do you fancy going out for a nice romantic dinner by the beach?
Bianca: I would love that but I have an urgent matter to attend to.
Bianca _____.
a) has to write a report
b) has something important to do
c) is not romantic
d) does not like Ali
35) Diwali is a festival celebrated by Hindus. It marks the victory of good over evil. On this day, Hindus take an oil bath, wear new clothes, go to the temple, visit relatives, hold feasts for guests and light up their house with oil lamps.
On Diwali _____.
a) Hindus fight all forms of evil
b) old clothes are thrown away
c) food is served for guests
d) temples are lit with oil lamps
36) A sign at a bank: We thank you for switching off your mobile phones.
Which statement below best explains the sign above?
a) It discourages the use of mobile phones.
b) It reminds customers to switch off their mobile phones.
c) It encourages the use of mobile phones outside the bank.
d) It is a reminder that mobile phones are a public nuisance.
37) A sign at a hardware shop: High Quality Hammers from Switzerland. Buy One. Free One for the first 50 customers only.
Which statement below best explains the sign above?
a) The shop is offering free gifts to 50 customers daily.
b) You will get a free hammer if you are the 50th customer.
c) Every customer will get free hammers from Switzerland.
d) You may be able to buy two hammers for the price of one.
38) Arunthip: Let me introduce you to Tyra. She has her own boutique. It is located in the same building where I have my modelling school. We synergise to take advantage of each other’s business.
Ratna: A convenient arrangement, indeed, I must say.
Ratna believes that _____.
a) The clothes at Tyra’s boutique are cheap
b) it is convenient for models to sell clothes at the boutique
c) Tyra and Arunthip are business rivals
d) having a modelling school and boutique in the same building is suitable
39) About 2,000 participants from all over the world took part in the annual Marathon Race in Medan, Indonesia recently. Scores of locals and tourists stood along the scenic marathon route to cheer the participants. The event was a roaring success.
From the above extract, we can conclude that _____.
a) The marathon race was not a success.
b) Every participant finished the race.
c) There were many people watching the race.
d) The race is held every two years in Medan.
40) Star beauty products use 100% natural ingredients. It is now the leading brand for beauty products in South East Asia. This has to do with the complete absence of synthetic ingredients in its products. To mark its 10th anniversary, the company opened 10 new retail outlets simultaneously in several South East Asian cities including Bangkok.
Which is true?
a) Star Spa Products was first launched in Bangkok.
b) The leading brand in beauty products in South East Asia is Star Spa Products.
c) There are now 10 retail outlets in total owned by Star Spa Products.
d) Star Spa Products are popular because it uses natural and synthetic ingredients.
Ujian kelas xi-nya akan dilaksanakan pada hari Senin, 21 Desember 2009 Pukul: 09.00 Wita.
Soal lainnya adalah dari soal yang diujikan sebelumnya.
All the best. DJ
Section: Conversational
Instruction: Please complete the conversation with appropriate remarks
Questions 1 to 10
1) Keith: Please welcome my new associate Mr. Karu from Alor Star.
Karu is Keith’s _____.
a) employee
b) boss
c) best friend
d) colleague
2) Gina: Have you ever taken a summer course?
Mimi:_____
a) No problem.
b) Did you?
c) No, thank you.
d) Never.
3) Bob: How do you do?
Sarah:_____
a) How are you doing?
b) What’s the matter?
c) Good. How do you do?
d) I am doing my assignment.
4) Dilbert: I don’t think we have met before.
Shan:_____
a) No. In fact, we have actually.
b) Congratulations.
c) Everything is fine.
d) Nothing is possible.
5) Willy: Excuse me, isn’t it a little warm in here? Can I open the windows?
Mary: _____
a) Yes, please.
b) Why?
c) You are excused.
d) When is it?
6) Dino: How was your day?
Joe:_____
a) Don’t know.
b) You are welcome.
c) Could be better.
d) It is a holiday, today.
7) Fandy: My friends, Angie, Joline and Kevin are studying Economics in London and have another year to go. Fandy’s statement indicates that _____.
a) Angie, Joline and Kevin are friends
b) Fandy’s friends finish their studies in a year
c) Fandy’s friends are going to London soon
d) Angie, Joline and Kevin are excellent in Economics
8) Linda: Do you think you are always punctual, Agus?
Agus: _____
a) I beg your pardon too.
b) Depends.
c) What do you think?
d) Really!
9) Do you skip lunch?
a) Lunch is on me.
b) What a shame!
c) I like skipping.
d) Depends.
10) Intan: Goodbye, see you again.
Clara:_____
a) Welcome to my new home.
b) Have a safe trip.
c) You are welcome.
d) I have to go home.
Questions 11 to 20
11) The company went into bankruptcy as a result of _____.
a) adequate control
b) high profit-making
c) mismanagement
d) good governance
12) It is _____ to keep fit by exercising regularly.
a) influential
b) importance
c) vital
d) major
13) Rowena has a well-paid job in an aviation firm in Glasgow, Scotland. Rowena works for a firm that deals with _____.
a) artillery
b) submarines
c) stationery
d) aircraft
14) Students must set _____ goals for themselves so that they are achievable.
a) realistic
b) contradictory
c) adequate
d) demanding
15) The tour guide explained the _____ significance of the building.
a) history
b) historically
c) historic
d) historical
16) After the doctor had explained about the _____ of anti-depressant drugs, the patient decided to stop taking them.
a) benefits
b) advantages
c) good values
d) side-effects
17) The committee members gave in to the views of the company lawyer.
This means that the committee members were _____ to agree with the lawyer.
a) prejudiced
b) pressured
c) biased
d)delighted
18) He worked _____ and was promoted in two years.
a) hardly
b) lethargically
c) lazily
d) diligently
19) Claire was unfortunate as the doctors failed to detect her illness at an early _____. Now, she is bed-ridden.
a) detection
b) identification
c) notes
d) stage
20) When it rains, it _____.
a) paws
b) pause
c) pores
d) pours
Questions 21 to 30
21) "Seventy percent of the corn _____ ready to be harvested from tomorrow," said the farmer.
a) are
b) was
c) is
d) were
22) "_____ everyone understand the lecture?" asked the professor after he ended his 3-hour class.
a) Is
b) Do
c) Are
d) Did
23) _____ stare at others, it is rude.
a) Could you
b) Didn’t I
c) You shouldn’t
d) If you don’t
24) The weather is terribly bad, _____?
a) aren’t it
b) isn’t it
c) is it
d) yes or no
25) Nowadays, students attend tuition classes to _____ their grades in the examination.
a) improves
b) improving
c) improvement
d) improve
26) Chairman: "Each and every member of this exclusive club will ______ the benefits that we offer."
a) enjoying
b) enjoys
c) enjoyed
d) enjoy
27) She looks _____ today compared to yesterday.
a) more healthy
b) healthier
c) healthiest
d) more healthier
28) Babies begin _____ their surroundings after 7 months.
a) explored
b) explores
c) exploring
d) explore
29) The man has not _____ my call yet.
a) returns
b) returning
c) returned
d) return
30) I barely took _____ hour to finish the task given to me.
a) a
b) the
c) a few
d) an
Section: Comprehension
Instruction: Please answer all the questions below
Questions 31 to 40
31) Yuri Gagarin made history for being the first human being to orbit the earth. Born in a farm near Moscow, he attended a primary school for six years before continuing his studies in a vocational school. Later, he attended training with the Air Force where he graduated as a pilot and was then offered a chance to attend cosmonaut training.
Which is true about Yuri Gagarin?
a) He was a farmer before becoming a cosmonaut
b) He learnt how to fly fighter jets during vocational training
c) He was selected for cosmonaut training after becoming a pilot
d) He is the first human being to land on the moon
32) Mat: Could you speak more slowly, please?
Harris: Sure, I will.
Mat is _____.
a) rude and wants Harris to speak slowly
b) a slow learner but speaks fast
c) finding it difficult to understand what Harris is saying
d) encouraging Harris to speak slower than usual
33) Instructions: Take a heap of wooden bricks and make them into a tower. Pull out a brick at a time until the tower collapses. When it does, it is over. These instructions are probably for a _____.
a) game
b) recipe
c) maths test
d) question
34) Ali: Do you fancy going out for a nice romantic dinner by the beach?
Bianca: I would love that but I have an urgent matter to attend to.
Bianca _____.
a) has to write a report
b) has something important to do
c) is not romantic
d) does not like Ali
35) Diwali is a festival celebrated by Hindus. It marks the victory of good over evil. On this day, Hindus take an oil bath, wear new clothes, go to the temple, visit relatives, hold feasts for guests and light up their house with oil lamps.
On Diwali _____.
a) Hindus fight all forms of evil
b) old clothes are thrown away
c) food is served for guests
d) temples are lit with oil lamps
36) A sign at a bank: We thank you for switching off your mobile phones.
Which statement below best explains the sign above?
a) It discourages the use of mobile phones.
b) It reminds customers to switch off their mobile phones.
c) It encourages the use of mobile phones outside the bank.
d) It is a reminder that mobile phones are a public nuisance.
37) A sign at a hardware shop: High Quality Hammers from Switzerland. Buy One. Free One for the first 50 customers only.
Which statement below best explains the sign above?
a) The shop is offering free gifts to 50 customers daily.
b) You will get a free hammer if you are the 50th customer.
c) Every customer will get free hammers from Switzerland.
d) You may be able to buy two hammers for the price of one.
38) Arunthip: Let me introduce you to Tyra. She has her own boutique. It is located in the same building where I have my modelling school. We synergise to take advantage of each other’s business.
Ratna: A convenient arrangement, indeed, I must say.
Ratna believes that _____.
a) The clothes at Tyra’s boutique are cheap
b) it is convenient for models to sell clothes at the boutique
c) Tyra and Arunthip are business rivals
d) having a modelling school and boutique in the same building is suitable
39) About 2,000 participants from all over the world took part in the annual Marathon Race in Medan, Indonesia recently. Scores of locals and tourists stood along the scenic marathon route to cheer the participants. The event was a roaring success.
From the above extract, we can conclude that _____.
a) The marathon race was not a success.
b) Every participant finished the race.
c) There were many people watching the race.
d) The race is held every two years in Medan.
40) Star beauty products use 100% natural ingredients. It is now the leading brand for beauty products in South East Asia. This has to do with the complete absence of synthetic ingredients in its products. To mark its 10th anniversary, the company opened 10 new retail outlets simultaneously in several South East Asian cities including Bangkok.
Which is true?
a) Star Spa Products was first launched in Bangkok.
b) The leading brand in beauty products in South East Asia is Star Spa Products.
c) There are now 10 retail outlets in total owned by Star Spa Products.
d) Star Spa Products are popular because it uses natural and synthetic ingredients.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Change or Challenge
Sometimes God brings a change or a challenge into our lives to shake up our dependence upon self and turn us back to dependence upon Him. We are closest to finding His will for our lives, our happiness and usefulness, when we are completely in the dark waiting for that first gleam of dawn, and depending fully upon Him to cause the sun to rise.
Another Miracle
Maybe we need another miracle.
Each epoch ought to have one of its own,
Reducing skeptics to a single groan,
Renewing faith with evidence empirical.
Yes, we need fresh testimony lyrical,
Changing hearts that else would change to stone,
Healing those who, hearing, would a tone,
Replacing reason with a canticle.
If only God would visit us again,
Showing us for sure His patient love,
Taking on our sins a second time!
Maybe we could be quite certain then,
A blaze with what our faith would outright prove,
So for ourselves to witness the sublime
Each epoch ought to have one of its own,
Reducing skeptics to a single groan,
Renewing faith with evidence empirical.
Yes, we need fresh testimony lyrical,
Changing hearts that else would change to stone,
Healing those who, hearing, would a tone,
Replacing reason with a canticle.
If only God would visit us again,
Showing us for sure His patient love,
Taking on our sins a second time!
Maybe we could be quite certain then,
A blaze with what our faith would outright prove,
So for ourselves to witness the sublime
Does the 'Beast of Brussels' know everything about us?
IT Myths: Does the 'Beast of Brussels' know everything about us?
Invisible tattooed barcodes on our foreheads and a gigantic three-storey supercomputer…
By Andy McCue
Published: 24 July 2003 14:23 GMT
"The Beast is here and it knows all about you. Satan must be here – and working in IT." At least that's what one reader told us in our quest to unearth the biggest IT myths.
In fact quite a number of readers out there actually related to us the story of the 'Brussels Beast' and 'Beast 666' – a supercomputer allegedly based in Brussels that collects personal data on all European Union citizens.
Admittedly we thought this one sounded a bit far fetched although with current concerns about the privacy implications of radio frequency ID tags that manufacturers and retailers want to put in to goods to track them, we thought there might be an element of truth somewhere. However this is one IT myth that silicon.com can firmly hit on the head, though the truth is probably a far more interesting tale than the myth itself.
'The Beast' is actually the invention of Christian fiction writer Joe Musser, who included it in his book Behold a Pale Horse in 1970. In the book a gigantic three-storey computer is located in the administrative headquarters of the then Common Market.
Said machine was supposed to track all world trade through monitoring the buying and selling of every citizen on the planet. The self-programming 'Beast' would use unique digital numbers given to every human being and invisibly tattooed by laser on the forehead. These could be seen by infrared scanners at "special verification counters" – or cash tills, to you and us.
So just how did this obscure 1970s sci-fi vision of the future turn into a long-standing urban myth constantly peddled as the truth? Well silicon.com tracked down Joe Musser and asked him that very question.
He told us that the book was turned into a film, called The Rapture, which is apparently still available through GF Communications. We'll let Musser pick up the tale.
"There is a scene in the movie that we shot in one of the [then] Bell Labs facilities, with row upon row of the old computers, with tapes spinning, etc. That footage 'depicted' the computer that I nicknamed the Beast in both the novel and the movie," he said.
To promote the movie's original release in the mid-1970s the producers created a fictional promotional newspaper as a souvenir handout to accompany the film.
Musser said: "Somehow, a Pennsylvania newspaper must have received a clipping taken from that promotional tabloid with the 'end of the world' stories. A reporter apparently wrote an article based on it, which took information from my original idea in the book, also presented in the film, took it as fact, and published it."
Christian Life was another publication that picked up on the 'news' and reported 'The Beast' as fact and the story has since spread around the world.
Musser told us: "The story has taken on a life of its own, and continues to this day. There are those who have come to me to ask if I have heard about the new computer called the Beast that is being used by the European Common Market (or some derivation of the EU) - a computer that tracks all of the information about everyone in the world."
Never one to let a good tale get in the way of the truth, Musser is now writing fiction novels with Oliver North, him of the US Iran-Contra affair, leading to all kinds of political conspiracy theories from his readers.
While 'The Beast' itself is an entertaining piece of fiction, its tech origins might be all too real. Simon Davies, director of Privacy International, is convinced a Beast-like supercomputer did exist in the decade that saw the birth of privacy consciousness as well as disco.
"The existence of an all-seeing über-database would have been a dream for Brussels bureaucrats and government agencies. There would have been a computer like the Beast, but it would have been no more powerful than today's business machines. It wouldn't have functioned on a technological level: data-matching was a litany of errors then."
"Due to the nature of technology in the seventies, it would have been kept in a locked room, in an underground location, with a temperature controlled environment. All that would have added to its feared reputation," he said.
In the interests of balanced reporting silicon.com called the bureaucrats in Brussels to ask them about the existence of their three-story supercomputer. We were, not surprisingly, roundly laughed at down the phone by a spokeswoman who claimed never to have heard of 'The Beast' – though we're not entirely sure we couldn't hear the whirring of computer discs and spinning tapes in the background.
Invisible tattooed barcodes on our foreheads and a gigantic three-storey supercomputer…
By Andy McCue
Published: 24 July 2003 14:23 GMT
"The Beast is here and it knows all about you. Satan must be here – and working in IT." At least that's what one reader told us in our quest to unearth the biggest IT myths.
In fact quite a number of readers out there actually related to us the story of the 'Brussels Beast' and 'Beast 666' – a supercomputer allegedly based in Brussels that collects personal data on all European Union citizens.
Admittedly we thought this one sounded a bit far fetched although with current concerns about the privacy implications of radio frequency ID tags that manufacturers and retailers want to put in to goods to track them, we thought there might be an element of truth somewhere. However this is one IT myth that silicon.com can firmly hit on the head, though the truth is probably a far more interesting tale than the myth itself.
'The Beast' is actually the invention of Christian fiction writer Joe Musser, who included it in his book Behold a Pale Horse in 1970. In the book a gigantic three-storey computer is located in the administrative headquarters of the then Common Market.
Said machine was supposed to track all world trade through monitoring the buying and selling of every citizen on the planet. The self-programming 'Beast' would use unique digital numbers given to every human being and invisibly tattooed by laser on the forehead. These could be seen by infrared scanners at "special verification counters" – or cash tills, to you and us.
So just how did this obscure 1970s sci-fi vision of the future turn into a long-standing urban myth constantly peddled as the truth? Well silicon.com tracked down Joe Musser and asked him that very question.
He told us that the book was turned into a film, called The Rapture, which is apparently still available through GF Communications. We'll let Musser pick up the tale.
"There is a scene in the movie that we shot in one of the [then] Bell Labs facilities, with row upon row of the old computers, with tapes spinning, etc. That footage 'depicted' the computer that I nicknamed the Beast in both the novel and the movie," he said.
To promote the movie's original release in the mid-1970s the producers created a fictional promotional newspaper as a souvenir handout to accompany the film.
Musser said: "Somehow, a Pennsylvania newspaper must have received a clipping taken from that promotional tabloid with the 'end of the world' stories. A reporter apparently wrote an article based on it, which took information from my original idea in the book, also presented in the film, took it as fact, and published it."
Christian Life was another publication that picked up on the 'news' and reported 'The Beast' as fact and the story has since spread around the world.
Musser told us: "The story has taken on a life of its own, and continues to this day. There are those who have come to me to ask if I have heard about the new computer called the Beast that is being used by the European Common Market (or some derivation of the EU) - a computer that tracks all of the information about everyone in the world."
Never one to let a good tale get in the way of the truth, Musser is now writing fiction novels with Oliver North, him of the US Iran-Contra affair, leading to all kinds of political conspiracy theories from his readers.
While 'The Beast' itself is an entertaining piece of fiction, its tech origins might be all too real. Simon Davies, director of Privacy International, is convinced a Beast-like supercomputer did exist in the decade that saw the birth of privacy consciousness as well as disco.
"The existence of an all-seeing über-database would have been a dream for Brussels bureaucrats and government agencies. There would have been a computer like the Beast, but it would have been no more powerful than today's business machines. It wouldn't have functioned on a technological level: data-matching was a litany of errors then."
"Due to the nature of technology in the seventies, it would have been kept in a locked room, in an underground location, with a temperature controlled environment. All that would have added to its feared reputation," he said.
In the interests of balanced reporting silicon.com called the bureaucrats in Brussels to ask them about the existence of their three-story supercomputer. We were, not surprisingly, roundly laughed at down the phone by a spokeswoman who claimed never to have heard of 'The Beast' – though we're not entirely sure we couldn't hear the whirring of computer discs and spinning tapes in the background.
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