Re: FW: Euthanasia for an Eye Opener

["Norm" <normanmo@clark.net>]

  On Thu, 11 Dec 1997 08:49:32 -0500 (EST), Chuck Swiger wrote:
  
  >
  >Students of mythology (Jung, Campbell) tell us that
  >certain 'forms' of myth, stories, urban legends will
  >arise in divers cultures that are very  similar, even
  >when they are not in communication with each other.
  >
  >This report in Wired reminds me of a similar joke, long ago
  >in Mad magazine, back when trashing energy companies was
  >fashionable:
  >
  >	Ripley's Beleive it or Nuts.
  >
  >	An inventor, Ralph Wiggins, has invented an 
  >	automobile engine that runs on water!
  >
  >	However, the Hexagon corporation bought up
  >	the patent, sent the inventor on an all expense
  >	paid vacation to Saudi Arabia and has never
  >	been heard from since.
  >
  >You hear the same response from some quarters when discussing
  >why electric cars don't catch on - just disreguard the fact
  >that the state of the art of batteries means they require a
  >lot of maintenance, have limited range compared to a tank of
  >gas, and have other problems [read: more expensive] compared
  >to a gasoline motor. People always get the idea that it can be
  >done, but it's the evil Hexagon corporation thugs that have
  >such a vested interest in petroleum that they Stalinesquely
  >"disappear" any competition.
  >
  >In this case, just disreguard the fact that Java is SLOW! I've
  >tried Java, was checking Netscape every day for the first beta
  >version of Netscape for Linux w/ Java, got the JDK from Sun, 
  >(actually a ported to Linux version from blackdown.org) checked
  >out a lot of the 'craplets' from gamelan.com - eventually broke down
  >and got a Pentium Pro 200Mhz just to give the things some pizazz
  >- and they're STILL sluggish as glaciers in January.
  >
  >
  >Random bits from NTMag:
  >I'll have to paraphrase, not having permission to repub:
  >Microsoft is contacting companies that use the letters NT in
  >domain and company names. Does Microsoft have the right of
  >enforcement? **Northern Telecom** owns the US trademark to NT
  >and Microsoft pays to license it from them.  Some companies
  >say they'll challenge Microsoft's professed rights of
  >enforcement in court.
  >
  >
  >BTW, http://www.tiac.net/users/billg40 is great read!
  >
  >("The Hexagon Corp" is from one of the "Naked Gun" movies, as is the
  >Society of Petroleum Industry Leaders, SPIL)
  
  
       Ah, the old 'if a=b and b=c then z=52' reasoning???  I don't see
  the connection, how does a bit in an old Mad magazine shed any light on
  the veraciousness of a story in Wired??  This is more like a lesson in
  pseudo-deductive reasoning than any insight into the merits of the
  story.  I really hope this has just been an exercise in how to muddy
  the waters, because if you actually believe there's even the slightest
  connection you've read Dollar Bill's book at once too often (albeit I'm
  sure once *is* too often).  I'd say nice try, but it's really even too
  transparent for that.
  
   ...Cheers,
  
   ...Norm
  
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