From: J. R. Molloy (jr@shasta.com)
Date: Fri Jan 19 2001 - 12:58:48 MST
Amazing hilarity!
Evidently while American extropes have submerged ourselves in the
hyperplexity of a socio-technological phase transition, the Brits have
managed to surpass us in the high art of humor.
τΏτ
Stay hungry,
--J. R.
3M TA3
Useless hypotheses: consciousness, phlogiston, philosophy, vitalism, mind,
free will
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sean Kenny" <seankenny@blueyonder.co.uk>
To: "Extropians List" <extropians@extropy.com>
Sent: Friday, January 19, 2001 10:34 AM
Subject: Good Hive Mind story
> Kevin Kelly told us that someday, a small determined group
> would use the Power of the Net to coagulate itself into a
> enormous electronic hive-mind. He's a bee-keeper, so we
> believed him. We just weren't expecting it to start so
> early, or so much in UK.REC.COMPETITIONS. Regulars there are
> already demonstrating the damage a highly-interconnected
> mass-consciousness can wreak; between them (it), the uk.r.c
> posters estimate they (it) win(s) over 5% of the UK's online
> giveaways. So when BOL announced that its "Win 500 DVD
> Players!" competition was over - and nobody on uk.r.c had
> won a thing - they were, en masse, suspicious. BOL were
> adamant: yes, the winners had been notified. No, uk.r.c
> couldn't see the list. Yes, that was against ASA rules - but
> BOL only had e-mail addresses. Then how are they sending the
> DVD players out, responded the newsgroups' groupmind - as
> attachments? Good point, replied BOL, have some DVD players
> and go away. A happy ending - except for the knowledge that
> perhaps BOL *would* have gotten away with it, if it is
> wasn't for the unifying power of the froups. But are those
> supposed competitors getting too pally? A few days later,
> all of uk.rec.comps received a mail from BT. Dear Karen, it
> said, you've won a lava lamp. Apparently, BT say now,
> there's only one lava lamp - and only one Karen. And
> uk.rec.competitions is she.
> http://x53.deja.com/=dnc/viewthread.xp?AN=715709536
> - don't mess with threads this long
> http://www.deja.com/=dnc/viewthread.xp?AN=717027906
> - no, i'm karen!
> http://www.ntk.net/boldoh/
> - historical perspective
>
> from britains satirical net weekly Need To Know www.ntk.net
>
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