Fun_People Archive
18 Jun
Every month is September

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From: Peter Langston <psl>
Date: Thu, 18 Jun 98 14:17:43 -0700
To: Fun_People
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Subject: Every month is September

X-Lib-of-Cong-ISSN: 1098-7649

From: Patrick Tufts <zippy@cs.brandeis.edu>
Re: email address snobbery digest #1

A bit late for the article, but large-scale domain snobbery dates back to
at least 1985 for PSUVM (Penn State University).

Back then, PSUVM was the AOL of USENET. Penn State is a large school, and
presumably gave access to many undergrads without educating them about net
standards of behavior.

Shortly after each September, a flood would ensure of: urban legend cookie
recipies, chain letters, lightbulb jokes, etc.

The question "is it September already?" is still seen occasionally in
response to clueless posts.  In the 80s, one could assume that a flood of
clueless posts in the fall was from the wave of new students.

Now, every month is September on the net,

See BIFF in the Hacker's Dictionary for more info.

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From: fruadman_trumpet_fanfare1@juno.com (Andrew A Gill)
Re: email address snobbery digest #1

>From: David Brake <david.brake@ukonline.co.uk>
>Subject: email snobbery article
>
>The address of the article I have written is:
>http://www.news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_109000/109778.stm

At the risk of being a real snob, I requested that you not use the "term"
"emails."  You used it twice.

Of course, you're free to use whatever terms you would like, but the misuse
of this plural is beginning to get to me.

I don't get mails from my Postmaster, so why should I get them from The
Potsmaster?  I'm hearing too many intellectuals use it.

Mail is defined (by the AH3) as:

1a. Materials, such as letters and packages, handled in a postal system.
2.  Often mails. A system by which letters, packages, and other postal
materials are transported. Used with the.

It's already plural.  Perhaps we need a newsgroup to go along with
alt.possessive.its.has.no.apostrophe.
alt.mails.is.not.a.word.bork.bork.bork?

[Go Andrew!  Today the "it's" and the "emails" - tomorrow the serial commas!
 -psl]
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From: "Travis J.I. Corcoran" <tjic@technologist.com>
Re: email address snobbery

>  From: "Andrew C. Bul+hac?k" <acb@zikzak.net>
>  Subject: Email address snobbery
>
>  Basically, the least prestigious addresses are [ ... ] free mail
>  services [ ... ]  paid-for vanity domains like
>  "technologist.com" seem sort of nouveau-riche and pretentious, like faux
>  marble columns.

For the record, "technologist.com" is free from iname.com, not paid for
(or at least it was, when I signed up 2 or 3 jobs back).

Color my columns faux styrofoam, please.

TJIC

P.S. I suppose the ultimate in hip email address is a cypherpunk
anonymous remailer with an encrypted routing block at the top of the
message?  Some one email Louis Rossetto and get the official word on
this.  Or actually, I guess, Sy these days.

© 1998 Peter Langston