isusevm@pyr.gatech.EDU (Vernard Martin) (04/29/89)
People seem to think that computers are as boring as earwax and computer people are pathetic technodweebs. I want to change that image by writing a book that shows computer culture to be filled with lore, jokes, and amazing tales. Got a riddle, a fable, a True Fact, a joke or other anecdote you'd like t share? Send it in! HEre are a few story categories that might inspire you: COMPUTER GODS: stories about people such as Johnny von Neumann or Joseph Weizen- baum that show either their almost supernatural genius or their almost total inability to function in everyday life. For example, Norbert Wiener might have been one of the pioneers in AI, but he lost his family the day they moved be- cause cause he forgot where the new house was (don't worry, his daughter found him wandering around the old house) . MACHINES GONE BERSERK: computers whose disk packs start walking out of their cabinets, robots that attack humans, mainframes that crash for weird and mysterious reasons. OUTSIDERS AND OTHER INCOMPETANTS: computer illiterates who think the way to clean a disk is with soap and wateer, who try to jam eight floppies into one drive, who remind themselves to bring a floppy to work by tacking it up on the fridge with a magnet, and other tales of horror. VIRUSES: Nuff said. I'm interested in either true events (that aren't as famous as Robert Morris Jr.) or rumors you've heard that might be apocryphal but are intriguing. REVENGE AND SABOTAGE AND ELEGANT ILLEGAL ACTS: Like the bank teller who allegedly told the bank's computer to send the rounded off fractions of pennies from interested accrued in bank accounts into an account he made for himself, allowing him to embezzle thousands of dollars. SECURITY SNAFUS: amusing or unsettling tales of security breask in government or private systems. Tired of being called a nerd by the unwashed masses? Fight back! Tell me a story! Send replies to isusevm@pyr.gatech.edu. That account is being used as a collection point for any and all mail replies. Karla Jennings -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Vernard Martin ( ICS Programming Lab Teaching Assistant/ ICS Operator ) Georgia Insitute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332 isusevm@pyr.gatech.edu "Where there is a will, there is a way to subvert it"
mcintyrd@cs.rpi.edu (David McIntyre) (04/29/89)
isusevm@pyr.gatech.edu.UUCP (Vernard Martin) writes: > >Got a riddle, a fable, a True Fact, a joke or other anecdote you'd like to >share? Send it in! HEre are a few story categories that might inspire you: > >Tired of being called a nerd by the unwashed masses? Fight back! Tell me a >story! Send replies to isusevm@pyr.gatech.edu. That account is being used >as a collection point for any and all mail replies. > >Karla Jennings Where in the world was this person for the 100's (if not 1000's) of computer folklore messages posted over the last several months? I enjoyed all the stories, but do we really want to go through them again? This person should find a newserver that holds a lot of back issues, and page through them, looking for "Re: Computer Folklore" as a title! -Dave Dave "mr question" McIntyre | "....say you're thinking about a plate mcintyre@turing.cs.rpi.edu | of shrimp.....and someone says to office : 518-276-8633 | you `plate,' or `shrimp'......" home : 518-271-6664 |
chuck@utkcs2.cs.utk.edu (Charles Joyce) (05/02/89)
With regard to the return of Computer Folklore, didn't Karla, or someone else down at gatech start the last round? I don't remember the book being in the picture then, nor the request being quite so (er. . .) elaborate. I rather enjoyed the lot, and wouldn't mind seeing the book, but I would like to avoid the deluge. . .particularly all the cross-postings! New stuff might be fun, but in one place. OK? Tx, chuck