funny@looking.on.ca (Funny Guy) (11/14/89)
Announcing the: 1989 REC.HUMOR.FUNNY Computer Network Humour Annual Again this year, I have collected over 500 of the best jokes from the last year of rec.humor.funny, typeset them and placed them in a book for netters to enjoy and give as gifts for the holiday season. It's $9.95 USD. The book also contains a description of USENET and a short history of the attempts to ban the newsgroup in various places. And it is, of course, proudly emblazoned "Banned at Stanford at U. of Waterloo."(*) You will also find a chapter of favourite jokes that were not published in rec.humor.funny. The book has a 2 colour cover with illustration by Ty Templeton. There is also a 1988 annual available. It contains 14 cartoons, a fair bit of unpublished material, and the jokes from 1987. (As such it is a bit larger than the 1989 book) I never repeat material in rec.humor.funny, so for those of you who joined after it started, and for the many of you who request back-jokes from the group, these are the books to get. This all started in 1987 when I made a short collection as a Christmas gift for family and friends. (Somehow, I don't think they meant books when they said that the best Christmas gifts are the ones you make yourself.) Everybody liked them, so in 1988 I offered to the net and got an enthusiastic response. (Plus the usual flames from Matt Crawford.) Perhaps somebody who got the '88 book will review it some time in rec.humor.d or rec.arts.books. If you are giving the book as a Christmas gift, the rot13 jokes are all in one section at the back you can rip out if it's going to your mother. Or Jonathan Richmond. As noted, USENET is explained for your mother, too. I have also isolated the Computer/Science/Math jokes and the USENET jokes into their own chapters. Non-computer folks can avoid them, and you can read these chapters in front of your friends while laughing riotously, allowing you to feel superior. The "Joka-Cola Classic" section contains most of the good jokes that I rejected as "too well known to the net." When I say that, it means I think about 50% of the readers will be tired of the joke -- but there will still be plenty that you haven't heard. The good news is that, money-grubbing capitalist that I am, this year's book is *cheaper* than last year's. The bad news is that the U.S. dollar is stronger, so for USAns it works out to about the same price. Last year's book was $12.25 CDN, this year's is $11.60. Both of those work(ed) out to under $10 USD, so I charge $9.95 if you pay by US funds. Last year's book has gone up to $13 CDN ($11 USD) as the print runs are now very small. (Anybody familiar with small-volume publishing will tell you these prices are very fair.) Shipping & handling costs vary with where you are and how many books you order. You can order by mail or via credit card and my company's 800 number -- ordering instructions for different countries follow in other postings. The book is currently at the printers, and will be ready late next week. I am posting this now, because if you want to order by mail, or if a bookstore wants to order, now is the time to do it -- mail to Canada easily takes a week. You can also credit card order now, but if you want to wait, I will post a short note upon their arrival. Naturally I won't bill any cards until books are shipped. CAVEAT: This book contains jokes with swearing, sexual references and sick or offensive themes. Some jokes involve racism or sexism and are in a special section that can be removed. This book is not suitable for children or civil engineering grad students at MIT. Discussion to rec.humor.d, flames to dev.null. (*) Yes, I know it's not banned at Stanford any more. But it was banned, and that's enough. Besides, the electronic book-banners have caused me enough grief that I'm going to take every extra sale that "banned" notoriety brings. So long as nobody puts a price on my head. :-( It is still banned at U of Waterloo, and I pledge to use every dollar from this book to ... well, to pay for the printing and preparation, and if I get that paid for, I pledge to use every dollar to help myself enjoy saying, "nyah, nyah" to those who ban things.