Date: Fri, 26 May 2000 00:10:17 -0500
Reply-To: TOURBUS-Request@LISTSERV.AOL.COM
Sender: The Internet TourBus - A virtual tour of cyberspace
Comments: Resent-From: crispen@netsquirrel.com
Comments: Originally-From: Patrick Douglas Crispen
From: Patrick Douglas Crispen
Subject: TOURBUS -- 25 MAY 00 -- KLINGERMAN VIRUS / WHAT'S NEW
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed
----------------------------------------------------------------------
TOURBUS Volume 5, Number 95 -- 25 May 2000
----------------------------------------------------------------------
[ Tip: Use a monospace font like Courier when reading this message ]
_________ ____________ ________ __________ _____________ ___ _
/ | / | | / | \
| ~~~ COMEDIAN LARRY WEAVER ~~~ | \
|__________|__________/__________|__________|___________/_____| \
/ |----\
| Pop culture comedian Larry Weaver invites you to join him in |////|
| His journey through gangsta grandpas, smackdown bluesman |////|
| crabs, country wisdom, neverending R&B love and delicious |////|
| snackcakes. Check out Larry and his wacky blend of songs, |////|
| laughs and social commentary FREE at |////|
| http://larryweaver.com/ |////|
\_______________________________________________________________|____|
/ \ / \ / \
\___/ \___/ T h e I n t e r n e t T o u r B u s \___/
FIVE YEARS of Searchable Archives at http://www.TOURBUS.com !!
TODAY'S TOURBUS STOP(S):
The Klingerman Virus Hoax / What's New
TODAY'S TOURBUS ADDRESS(ES):
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/klingerman_hoax.htm
http://www.aps.org/WN/
http://www.aps.org/WN/toc.html
Howdy, y'all, and greetings from beautiful Tuscaloosa, Alabama!
I want to thank the folks at the Merit Network for inviting me to
speak at their annual conference in Big Rapids, Michigan, earlier this
week (yes, *THAT* Merit Network -- the folks who, from 1987 to 1995,
managed the NSFNET Backbone Service project in partnership with the
National Science Foundation, et al.). I would particularly like to
thank both Elwood "40 Minutes" Downing and Julia "Dummy Light" O'Brien
for making the conference both memorable and, well, fun. :)
By the way, if you weren't able to make it to Merit 2000, you can find
a PowerPoint version of my keynote speech, "Designing Online
Communities ... on a SHOESTRING Budget," on the Web at
http://netsquirrel.com/classroom/index.html .
TOURBUS is made possible by the kind support of our sponsors. I thank
Comedian Larry Weaver along with the folks at "Silver Lake Resort" and
"WinFreeStuff.com" for making today's post possible. As always,
please visit our wonderful sponsors and thank them for keeping the bus
rolling!
+------------- GET 60% OFF A SPRING/SUMMER GETAWAY! -------------+
How does $229.00 sound? That's for the whole family. Not per
person or per night. That's for two adults and up to two
children in Orlando for 4 days, and in Cocoa Beach for 2
more days. PLUS Universal and Watermania tickets!!!! To
register to receive more information, please go to
CLICK HERE
+------------------------------------------------------------------+
+----- Win FREE Stuff!! Win FREE Stuff!! Win FREE Stuff!! -----+
------> Easy to Win! <-------
------> Real CASH...Real PRIZES <-------
>From $5000 cash to palm pilots, winfreestuff.com wants you to win!
At winfreestuff.com, it's Simple to Enter.... Click Here Now!
CLICK HERE
+------------------------------------------------------------------+
On with the show ...
-------------------------
The Klingerman Virus Hoax
-------------------------
Do you remember the "Unabomber?" He was that guy who, over the course
of almost two decades, snail mailed about thirty bombs to airline
executives and university faculty around the United States. Even if
you don't live in the United States, you've probably heard of him. In
fact, do you remember how much media attention he received? Stories
about the Unabomber appeared in every major newspaper and on every
major news broadcast in the world.
Now for a tougher question: how many people did the Unabomber actually
kill? Three. He also injured 23 other people throughout the US.
I bring this up because of the following story that is currently
floating around the Net:
I feel it is vital to inform all of my friends about this.
This is an alert about a virus in the original sense of the
word...one that affects your body, not your hard drive.
There have been 23 confirmed cases of people attacked by the
Klingerman Virus, a virus that arrives in your real mail box, not
your e-mail in box.
Someone has been mailing large blue envelopes, seemingly at
random, to people inside the US. On the front of the envelope in
bold black letters is printed, "A gift for you from the
Klingerman Foundation." When the envelopes are opened, there is a
small sponge sealed in plastic. This sponge carries what has come
to be known as the Klingerman Virus, as public health officials
state this is a strain of virus they have not previously
encountered.
When asked for comment, Florida police Sergeant Stetson said, "We
are working with the CDC and the USPS, but have so far been
unable to track down the origins of these letters. The return
addresses have all been different, and we are certain a remailing
service is being used, making our jobs that much more difficult."
Those who have come in contact with the Klingerman Virus have
been hospitalized with severe dysentery. So far seven of the
twentythree victims have died. There is no legitimate Klingerman
Foundation mailing unsolicited gifts.
If you receive an oversized blue envelope in the mail marked,"A
gift from the Klingerman foundation", DO NOT open it. Place the
envelope in a strong plastic bag or container, and call the
police immediately. The "gift" inside is one you definitely do
not want.
PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO EVERYONE YOU CARE ABOUT.
Yeah, right. For this story to be true -- and, by the way, it isn't
-- we have to believe that a viral Unabomber is attacking innocent
Americans, killing more people than the original Unabomber, yet NOT
ONE NEWS ORGANIZATION ON THE PLANET IS COVERING THIS STORY! Remember
the media coverage that surrounded the Unabomber? If the Klingerman
Virus was real, don't you think the media would be falling over
themselves to cover this story? Heck, CNN would come up with special
theme music! :)
The reason why the media hasn't covered the story, of course, is that
the Klingerman Virus is yet another Internet hoax. In fact, our
friends at the United States Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention in Atlanta recently announced that
There is no "Klingerman virus," and the information in the e-mail
notice is untrue. If you receive an e-mail message about
"Klingerman virus," please do not forward it to others.
You can read more about the CDC's response to the Klingerman Virus
hoax at
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/klingerman_hoax.htm .
Of course, with this hoax having already been forwarded to millions of
people around the world, I fear that people everywhere are now
frightened to open their mailbox. But I guess that's the whole point.
In fact, now that I think about it, my brother's birthday is coming
up. I wonder where I can find a large, blue envelope. :P
----------------------
More on Voodoo Science
----------------------
Last week I mentioned Robert Park's new book, "Voodoo Science."
Excerpts of Park's book recently appeared both in Forbes magazine and
on Forbes' Web site.
Well, fellow TOURBUS rider Mary Ann Merrell asked me to mention that
the Robert L. Park that wrote Voodoo Science is also ... the same
Bob Park [who writes] a great, free newsletter called "What's
New" that comes out of the American Physical Society. Same great
humor and refreshing point of view.
Great suggestion, Mary Ann! "What's New" is a free, weekly newsletter
that offers one-paragraph snippets of news from the physical science
world, much in the same way that Edupage and Good Morning Silicon
Valley summarize tech news. You can find the most recent What's New
newsletter at
http://www.aps.org/WN/
and an archive of previous posts at
http://www.aps.org/WN/toc.html .
There is also a place on the latter for you to sign up for the What's
New mailing list.
--------------
More Furniture
--------------
Last week I asked if you could recommend any Web sites that sell high
quality furniture -- Henredon, Hooker, Henkel Harris, and so on -- at
wholesale prices. Well, I have heard from a mess of people who had
sites to recommend, and I will be mentioning a few of those sites in a
future post. In the meantime, I want to thank everyone who wrote to
me. I really appreciate your help!
That's it for this week. Have a safe and happy weekend, and we'll
talk again next Thursday. :)
TODAY'S TOURBUS STOP(S):
The Klingerman Virus Hoax / What's New
TODAY'S TOURBUS ADDRESS(ES):
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/klingerman_hoax.htm
http://www.aps.org/WN/
http://www.aps.org/WN/toc.html
---------------------------------
TODAY'S SOUTHERN WORD OF THE WEEK
---------------------------------
TOE-MAH (noun or adverb). The day after today.
Usage: "My brother from Jawjuh gonna bring back my pickup toemah"
[Special thanks go to Elwood Downing for today's word]
You can find all of the old Southern Words of the day at
http://netsquirrel.com/crispen/word.html
=====================[ Tourbus Rider Information ]===================
=
The Internet Tourbus - U.S. Library of Congress ISSN #1094-2238
Copyright 1995-2000, Rankin & Crispen - All rights reserved
Like Tourbus? Recommend It! You could Win $10K or a Sony DVD Player
CLICK HERE
HELP the hungry, poor and sick - for free! http://FreeDonation.com
Join : Send SUBSCRIBE TOURBUS Your Name to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.AOL.COM
Leave: Send SIGNOFF TOURBUS to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.AOL.COM
Note : Put LISTSERV commands in the message BODY, not SUBJECT line.
Tourbus Home: Archives, Free Stuff and More - http://www.TOURBUS.com
======================================================================
.~~~. ))
(\__/) .' ) )) Patrick Douglas Crispen
/o o \/ .~
{o_, \ { crispen@netsquirrel.com
/ , , ) \ http://www.netsquirrel.com/
`~ '-' \ } )) AOL Instant Messenger: Squirrel2K
_( ( )_.'
'---..{____} Warning: squirrels.
