HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: jlpicard@austin.ibm.com (Craig Becker)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Flammable Cars (Was: Re: Mother Lifts Car Off
Date: 6 Jan 93 19:43:13 GMT
Reply-To: jlpicard@austin.ibm.com
Organization: IBM Object Technology Products
Originator: jlpicard@woofer.austin.ibm.com


joltes@husc10.harvard.edu (Richard Joltes) writes:
> derek@nezsdc.icl.co.nz (Derek "fizzy beverages?" Tearne) writes:
...
> >Some police cars have even better versions of these in several colours -
> >usually involving blue, red or both alternatively.  These are known as
> >Break Any Law With Impunity Lights <TM> or BALWIL's. 
> 
> True.  A friend who used to live in Revere, Mass(achusetts) (but he's much 
> better now, thanks) told me of the proclivities of the local constabulary in
> that esteemed town...once he saw a police car, lights and siren in full voice,
> careen into a local Dunkin Donuts shop and screech to a halt.  The two officers
> got out, walked in, and calmly bought their coffee and sugar pills.

Golly! Don't ya wish you'd had a handy videocamera?

Craig
-- 
-- "You will have the tallest,    Craig Becker, Object Technology Products --
--  darkest leading man in               Internet: jlpicard@austin.ibm.com --
--  Hollywood."                     IBM TR: jlpicard@woofer.austin.ibm.com --
--   - Merian C. Cooper to Fay Wray               VNET: JLPICARD at AUSVM1 --
From: ath@linkoping.trab.se (Anders Thulin)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: origin of which side of the road to drive on
Date: 12 Jan 93 07:26:29 GMT
Organization: Telia Research AB, Teknikringen 2B, S-583 30 Linkoping, Sweden

In article <1993Jan9.195556.8021@samba.oit.unc.edu> Bruce.Tindall@launchpad.unc.edu (Bruce Tindall) writes:
>Is there anyone out there who remembers the day in 1967(?) when Sweden
>switched from driving on the left to the right?  I imagine a lot of 
>overtime pay was expended on the folks who had to change all the signs,
>traffic lights, white paint on the asphalt, etc., and a lot of money was
>made by tow trucks hauling away wrecks the next day.

Things didn't change quite that drastically. 

Don't know about those tow trucks - sounds as an UL.  As far as
remember, they were very few traffic accidents the next day (a Sunday,
unless I misremember). Most drivers were very careful the first few
weeks.

-- 
Anders Thulin        ath@linkoping.trab.se        013-23 55 32
Telia Research AB, Teknikringen 2B, S-583 30 Linkoping, Sweden
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,alt.folklore.college
From: markb@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Mark Brodsky)
Subject: Re: Architecture (Was: Architect Suicides)
Organization: Northwestern University, Evanston Illinois.
Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1993 21:05:35 GMT

In article <1993Jan8.202159.18520@leland.Stanford.EDU> yorrick@leland.Stanford.EDU (Gregory Lincicome) writes:
>In article <1993Jan7.195204.14496@organpipe.uug.arizona.edu> rperkins@astro.as.arizona.edu (Rachel J. Perkins) writes:
>>speaking of Kresge, is there any connection between the Kresge at MIT,
>>which has walls, and the Kresge at the international music camp and school
>>of music at interlochen, michigan? this kresge auditorium looks a great 
>>deal like the MIT one, but without side walls. who was kresge?
>
>Don't know what the other Kresge auditoria look like, but Stanford has one
>too.  Fairly nice, although I can't seem to do very well on exams in there.
>
>-greg


Yea, we've got a Kresge hall here at NU as well. Just how much money did
this guy have? Our Kresge hall is pretty crappy though, posibly the ugliest
building on campus.
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: jlpicard@austin.ibm.com (Craig Becker)
Subject: Re: Epileptics and computer games
Originator: jlpicard@woofer.austin.ibm.com
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 22:40:14 GMT
Reply-To: jlpicard@austin.ibm.com
Organization: IBM Object Technology Products


styri@hal.nta.no (YuNoHoo) writes:
> Some time ago there was a thread where epilectic sezures caused by
> tv monitors was discussed (among a zillion other things). Scanning
> the usual pile of papers in search of useful information I found a
> story about Nintendo games. The story comes from Britain, and some
> minister of consumer affairs, Lady Denton, has requested a report.
> Daily Mail seems to have published a story about several incidents
> in the UK.
> 
> And, in Norway all Nintendo games on sale have a warning that using
> the game may cause an epileptic seizure in predisposed persons.

Fer what it's worth, the two Sega Genesis games I've had a chance to
look at (Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and Ecco the Dolphin) both had "seizure
warnings" at the beginning of the instruction manual. Both games were
sold in the US.

Craig
-- 
-- "You will have the tallest,    Craig Becker, Object Technology Products --
--  darkest leading man in               Internet: jlpicard@austin.ibm.com --
--  Hollywood."                     IBM TR: jlpicard@woofer.austin.ibm.com --
--   - Merian C. Cooper to Fay Wray               VNET: JLPICARD at AUSVM1 --
From: PAPAI@kcgl1.eng.ohio-state.edu (Jonathan Papai)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: May you live in interesting times...
Date: 6 Jan 93 20:01:59 GMT
Organization: The Ohio State University

In article <1993Jan6.120047.3447@csus.edu>,wma@sfsuvax1.sfsu.edu (Wei Z. Ma (~{Bm~})) writes:

>	Is that what we mean ~{WgVd~} for Chinese curse?  I hope I did
>not pick up a wrong word.

I tried ROT 13, and it still made no sense.  Unusual capitalization
also.

ObUL: MSG is secretely added to lots of foodstuff.

Jon "MSG is not added to FLAN." Papai
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: kasprj@operators.its.rpi.edu (Jim Kasprzak)
Subject: Re: Amusing street names
Reply-To: kasprj@rpi.edu
Organization: The Big Wedge 
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 18:59:29 GMT

In article <1993Jan8.043001.23271@nezsdc.icl.co.nz>, derek@nezsdc.icl.co.nz (Derek Tearne) writes:
|> In article <a902t9j@rpi.edu> kasprj@rpi.edu writes:
|> >In article <1993Jan5.211940.12605@nezsdc.icl.co.nz>, derek@nezsdc.icl.co.nz (Derek Tearne) writes:
|> >|> Dave Budd writes:
|> >|> 
|> >|> >Mornington Crescent
|> >|> 
|> >|> But can you remember the rules?
|> > 
|> > Is it anything like Foggy Bottom? 
|> 
|> They always played Mornington Crescent but made a point of never revealing
|> the rules.
|> 
|> At first we assumed there were none,  then it dawned on us that it had
|> something to do with London tube stations.  Not being a Londoner or having
|> a tube map available I never quite worked out the rules.  Does foggy bottom 
|> sound similar?  If so, and you know the rules please let me know
 
 Yep, that's the game. Foggy Bottom is just the same thing, based on the 
Washington, DC Metro instead of the London Tube. I'd say that's a pretty
good summary of the rules you've got.
------------------------------------------------------------------
     __  Live from Capitaland, heart of the Empire State...
 ___/  | Jim Kasprzak, computer operator @ RPI, Troy, NY, USA
/____ *|          he who refuses to do nonsense  
     \_|          is doomed to talk arithmetic.
      ====  e-mail: kasprj@rpi.edu or kasprzak@mts.rpi.edu 

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: maynard@convex.com (Mark Maynard)
Subject: Re: A chip on the shoulder
Organization: CONVEX Computer Corporation, Richardson, Tx., USA
Distribution: alt.folklore.urban
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 00:03:16 GMT
X-Disclaimer: This message was written by a user at CONVEX Computer
              Corp. The opinions expressed are those of the user and
              not necessarily those of CONVEX.

In article <ll40l0INN1am@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM> linden@positive.Eng.Sun.COM (Peter van der Linden) writes:
>Any guesses on the origin of the phrase "a chip 
>on the shoulder"  -- meaning to be embittered about
>something?

     I seem to recall reading a book set in the 19th or early
     20th century in which the main character, a young boy,
     is involved in a verbal altercation which he attempts to
     escalate to fisticuffs by placing a chip of wood on his
     shoulder and daring his opponent to knock it off.  At
     which point, I assume, they went at it hammer and tongs
     (an assumption because I don't remember the outcome of
     the dare).

     Mark
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Amusing Street Names
From: system@codewks.nacjack.gen.nz (Wayne McDougall)
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 93 15:57:08 NZST
Organization: The Code Works Limited, PO Box 10 155, Auckland, New Zealand

derek@nezsdc.icl.co.nz (Derek Tearne) writes:

> ObUL: I wonder how many people post to AFU after having subscribed for less
>       than the suggested month?

ObAnswer: At least one.

ObParadox: You need to have subscribed for at least one month to read the FAQ
[which suggests you don't post until having subscribed for one month.]

ObUl: No one posts to any newsgroup without first reading that groups FAQ.

ObUlCorollary1: All newsgroups have a FAQ.

ObUlCorollary2: All new users know what a FAQ is.



-- 
  Wayne McDougall, BCNU

"I hate quotations." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Xref: sparky alt.folklore.urban:33400 alt.folklore.college:3395
From: jvverth@figaro.med.harvard.edu (Jim Van Verth)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,alt.folklore.college
Subject: Re: Architecture (Was: Architect Suicides)
Date: 12 Jan 93 20:23:14 GMT
Organization: Hyrcania University

There's a Kresge Auditorium at Dartmouth College, as well as a Kresge
Building at Harvard's School of Public Health.

The Kresge Auditorium at Dartmouth is contained in Gerry-Bradley -- a
complex that is known as the "shower tower", due to its designer's
extravagant use of blue tile.  A local fraternity (Phi Tau) decided to
take this literally, and lo and behold, one fine spring morning a
large showerhead was found installed at the top of the tower, complete
with duck.

Gerry-Bradley also has the distinction of being the ugliest building
on campus, and so falls under a familiar UL: the person who donated
the money did so with the stipulation that they use his design which
received an F when he was an undergrad there.  Of course, Dartmouth
*has* no design or architecture school, but anyway...

-------
Jim Van Verth -- Mad Computer Scientist at Large 
Internet:  jvverth@figaro.med.harvard.EDU
BITNET:  jvverth%figaro.med.harvard.edu@harvarda.BITNET
Disclaimer: Universities don't care what their employees think...
Quote: "God may not play dice, but sure shoots a mean game of pool."
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: jmfuchs@unix.amherst.edu (jesse fuchs)
Subject: Re: SNAFU list
Organization: Amherst College
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL7]
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 11:57:48 GMT

	Speaking of bad popular music:

ObUL: Nobody on Earth has ever actually listened to all of George Harrison's
"All Things Must Pass" all the way through in one sitting.

	This came to me as I am attempting a marathon listening session of
all of Phillip Glass' "Einstein on the Beach" while reading Usenet.

							-jesse

--

"Where imagination is sucked out of children by a cathode ray nipple
 T.V. is the only wet nurse that would create a cripple
 On television, the drug of a nation
 Breeding ignorance and feeding radiation."
				-Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: antunes@astro.psu.edu (Sandy Antunes)
Subject: Re: Unusual strength, IS:Mother Lifts Car Off Child. Uh huh.
Organization: Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Penn State University
Date: Fri, 8 Jan 1993 01:49:51 GMT

Terry "insert witty quote here" Chan writes:

>gives the story some credibility.  Your leg bones can hold
>2 tons?  What about the rest of you (e.g., joints, tendons,
>ligaments, bladder, etc.)?

I'm not sure about joints and such, but I'm pretty sure my bladder
can't hold 2 tons.  Let's see, 2 tons of water (or, beer) is around
1,000 liters... yep, I'm positive my bladder can't hold that.

cheers,

sandy "lightweight" antunes
alex@astro.isas.ac.jp
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: jlpicard@austin.ibm.com (Craig Becker)
Subject: Re: Phone Calls at 2/3 the Speed of Light
Originator: jlpicard@woofer.austin.ibm.com
Date: Mon, 11 Jan 1993 18:47:58 GMT
Distribution: alt
Reply-To: jlpicard@austin.ibm.com
Organization: IBM Object Technology Products
Keywords: phone, telephone, speed


dam@dcs.glasgow.ac.uk (David Morning) writes:
> tomj@monster.apd.saic.com (Tom Johnson) writes:
> 
> 
> >>While watching the traditional wintertime pigskin fest today, I noticed
> >>an AT&T commercial that showed three red sports cars and listed their
> >>speeds in miles-per-hour.  Next came a red phone (cute, eh?) and listed
> >>its speed: 440,000,000 mph (if I remember correctly).
> 
> >>Doing the ol' 186,282 * 3600, though, I get more like 670,615,200.  So
> >>what gives?  Is AT&T using slow lines?  Is my math bad?  More importantly,
> >>will Sprint or MCI run ads touting a 50% speed increase over AT&T?
> 
> It's called propogation delay - all cables exhibit it to some extent or another
> 0.66C isn't too bad for phone cables, I've seen much worse.
> 
> It's mainly due to the interna; capacitance and the inductance of the cables.

Aside from propagation delay, I thought there were also significant delays
associated with going through the switching circuitry, etc. Taking them
into account, 440M mph sounds a little high.

Craig

-- 
-- "You will have the tallest,    Craig Becker, Object Technology Products --
--  darkest leading man in               Internet: jlpicard@austin.ibm.com --
--  Hollywood."                     IBM TR: jlpicard@woofer.austin.ibm.com --
--   - Merian C. Cooper to Fay Wray               VNET: JLPICARD at AUSVM1 --
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,alt.folklore.college
From: datepper@phoenix.Princeton.EDU (David Aaron Tepper)
Subject: Re: Architecture (Was: Architect Suicides)
Originator: news@nimaster
Organization: Princeton University
Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1993 21:40:32 GMT

In article <1993Jan9.210535.16177@news.acns.nwu.edu>,
markb@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Mark Brodsky) writes:

>In article <1993Jan8.202159.18520@leland.Stanford.EDU>
>yorrick@leland.Stanford.EDU (Gregory Lincicome) writes:
>>In article <1993Jan7.195204.14496@organpipe.uug.arizona.edu>
>>rperkins@astro.as.arizona.edu (Rachel J. Perkins) writes:
>>>speaking of Kresge, is there any connection between the Kresge at MIT,
>>>which has walls, and the Kresge at the international music camp and
>>>school
>>>of music at interlochen, michigan? this kresge auditorium looks a
great
>>>deal like the MIT one, but without side walls. who was kresge?
>>>
>>Don't know what the other Kresge auditoria look like, but Stanford has
one
>>too.  Fairly nice, although I can't seem to do very well on exams in
there.
>>
>>-greg


>Yea, we've got a Kresge hall here at NU as well. Just how much money did
>this guy have? Our Kresge hall is pretty crappy though, posibly the
>ugliest building on campus.

Curiouser and curiouser... I've failed many organic chemistry exams in
Princeton's Kresge auditorium, and the Film Society also shows all its
movies there (including the annual Bugs Bunny Film Festival), so I've
got mixed feelings about the place.

The questions remain: Who was Kresge? How did he get his money? And what
the *#$% _is_ aldol condensation anyway?

Oh yeah, one more--are there any other Kresge auditoria out there?

Tep
-- 
I don't need you to worry for me 'cause I'm all right | Dear Lord, give
I don't want you to tell me it's time to come home.   | me chastity... 
I don't care what you say anymore, this is my life.   |    but not yet.
Go ahead with your own life, leave me alone. --B. Joel| --St. Augustine
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,rec.sport.baseball
From: leecr@microsoft.com (Lee Crocker)
Subject: Re: Babe Ruth Candy Bar
Date: 12 Jan 93 21:37:02 GMT
Organization: Microsoft Corporation

In article <4853@moscom.com> de@moscom.com (David Esan) writes:
>
>Cleveland was president from 1885-1889 and then from 1893-97.
>
>The Baby Ruth Bar was introduced in 1893, and named for his daughter. (Fast
>work for Old Grover).

Forgive me for confusing the facts in my "definitive" posting, but I have
since clarified that the candy bar itself was not issued until 1917.  The
1893 date that the Nestle spokesman gave me was for the printing of a
commemorative coin picturing the first family and carrying the caption
"President and Mrs. Grover Cleveland, and baby Ruth", the image of which
was used on the original candy bar's wrapper.
>
>George Herman Ruth was not born until 1895.  He was called Babe because he
>was so young when he began playing, his manager was required to become his
>guardian.  I would suspect that the nicknaming was helped by the name of the
>candy bar.
>
>"Hey look at those babies on the other team."
>"Yeah, look at that big one named Ruth."
>"Oh yeah! Baby Ruth."  <following by streams of laughter>.
>
>In any case, George Herman did not begin a professional career until he was
>at least 16 or 1911,  and his fame did not truly begin until a few years later.
>By this point the candy bar was out for more than twenty years.

I'm afraid from my revised chronology, Curtis Candy may indeed have known
about the ballplayer and had him in mind when designing the bar.  Nonethe-
less, there being no other possible authority and it being a trademark
of theirs, if they say it's named after Ruth Cleveland, then by damn it is.

-- 
Lee Daniel Crocker    | Free minds; free bodies; free trade.
leecr@microsoft.com   | Libertarian Party  1-800-682-1776
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: fehr@ms.uky.edu (Jeff Davis)
Subject: Doggone (was: Ring in the New Year with Some FAQs
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 1993 18:34:33 GMT
Organization: Austerlitz, Gershovitz, and Carmichael

In article <28203@dog.ee.lbl.gov> TWChan@lbl.gov (Terry Chan) writes:
>  "I'm not making this up. I've seen a wargame of the battle of Stalingrad
>     which includes an optional counter for mine dogs, so it must be true.

My son got a book about Dog breeds for Christmas which mentions the
story of Russians training dogs to carry explosives into enemy personnel
carriers. I don't have a clue to the story's value, but for you
afficianados of Dog Shows, the breed descriptions of this book are
straight out of the USA network broadcast of the Westchester (Westminster?)
Dog Show. Catch it if you can this year. 
-- 
Jeff Davis <davis@keats.ca.uky.edu> One never knows, do one?
From: styri@balder.nta.no (YuNoHoo)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Net's Funniest Kitche
Date: 5 Jan 93 00:24:32 GMT
Organization: Norwegian Telecom Research
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL3

billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson) writes:
: 
: By the way, a bullet does not detonate picric acid reliably. If they
: did so, with some of it, they were fools. Was the football team able
: to play, with picric acid and glass scattered all over the field?

Valid question, Bill, but things like this do happen. When I was in
the army I had the pleasure of taking part in a 1 week bomb removal
operation that was repeated every year since WWII. The story was a
really stupid one - the people responsible for detonating tons of
unused ammo placed the charges _under_ the piles of ammo. Good grief!

They managed to clear up the mess, but every spring when the earth
thawed more unexploded bombs popped up. The size of the area we did
search was about a square mile. Boy, the original blast must have
been something. (And - no, we didn't use metal detectors. The amount
of scrap metal was just unbelievable. ...and, the disposal team sort
of loved this paid trip in the beautiful mountains every year.)

---
YuNoHoo   "keep America green - join the army"
From: twcaps@tennyson.lbl.gov (Terry Chan)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Documented mass cannibalism?
Date: 11 Jan 1993 01:48:48 GMT
Organization: Department of Redundancy Department
Reply-To: TWChan@lbl.gov (Terry Chan)
NNTP-Posting-Host: 128.3.12.117

smb@research.att.com (Steven Bellovin) writes:
  +
  +There's an interesting article on the subject in the Jan 2, 1993 issue
  +of Science News.  It lists considerable evidence of cannibalism among
  +the Anasazi Indians about 900 years ago [...]
  
  +Briefly, though, human bones found at the
  +site exhibit a number of ``signature traits including ``stone tool
  +cut marks similar to those found on butchered animals, fractures produced
  +by severe blows, skull abrasions generated by stones striking larger stone
  +anvils placed atop the head, discoloration and cracking due to burning,
  +limb-bone breaks that expose marrow, a predominance of cranial bones and
  +scarcity of vertebrae, and rew sins of bone weathering or animal gnawing
  +(indicating that bone damage and the covering of remains occurred at or
  +around the time of death).

Wow!  I guess frat parties go way back huh?

Terry "FOOD FIGHT!" Chan
--
Energy and Environment Division   | Internet:  TWChan@lbl.gov
Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory      | 
Berkeley, California  USA  94720  | Yeah, right.
From: bls@sector7g.Eng.Sun.COM (Brian Scearce)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: You dissapeared my Battleship!
Date: 8 Jan 1993 19:23:28 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Distribution: world
Reply-To: bls@sector7g.Eng.Sun.COM
NNTP-Posting-Host: sector7g

In article 7JAN199322544093@utkvx3.utk.edu, canevit@utkvx3.utk.edu (Canevit, Craig Eugene) writes:
> I saw in the 2nd Straight Dope book (by Cecil Adams, of course) that
> the "Philadelphia Experiment" was part of THREE 'city projects,'
> including the obvious Manhattan Project. What was the THIRD project?

The third project was the "Pittsburgh Project".  The project served
three broad purposes: first, it had deliberately lax security, so that
spies would (ideally) learn about it rather than the other two critical
projects; secondly, it was an attempt to study the oral transmission of
data, in order to study the means through which secrets are leaked (and
to foster a better understanding of creating propoganda); and third, to
find jobs for social scientists, who would otherwise be on the dole.

The "fallout" from this project has led to Pittsburgh being a centre of
falsehoods and urban legends to this day.

Brian "100% TRUE" Scearce
---
Brian Scearce                                           bls@sector7g.eng.sun.com
              The above does not necessarily represent Sun policy.
                  "You can't fit the truth on a t-shirt, man."
                                 "That'd fit."
From: jaskew@spam.ua.oz (Joseph Askew)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Mnemonics
Summary: Really?
Keywords: Trig.
Date: 7 Jan 93 00:30:44 GMT
Followup-To: alt.folklore.urban
Organization: Statistics, Pure & Applied Mathematics, University of Adelaide

In article <2553@rd1632.Dayton.NCR.COM> chenowet@rd1632.Dayton.NCR.com (Steve Chenoweth) writes:
>In article <1992Dec27.203155.9526@news.columbia.edu>, lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner) writes:

>ObUL:  Hippopotami once served as a major source of protein for certain
>Native American tribes.

This is indeed a little known fact. What is even less well known is that
the Hippopotomi are a migrating species. Their native habitat is of course
Africa, but they regularly migrate each year. They don't fly South for
Winter, they swim West in Autumn to get to the US. Apparently the bagels
are better or something. And of course the reason ships have never collided
with migrating Hippos is that they hold their breath and walk all the way
on the sea floor.

ObUL: Hippos are in fact one of the most dangerous wild animals in the
world. They kill more people each year than any other nonhuman species
and more than all the lions, tigers, wolves, leopards and pumas put
together.

Joseph Askew

-- 
Joseph Askew, Gauche and Proud  Barbarian horns draw out the northern wind;
jaskew@spam.maths.adelaide.edu  Paler than water lies the Thistle Pass;
Disclaimer? Sue, see if I care  Sky swallows up the road to Kokonor;
One China One Korea One Eire32  Moonlight, a thousand miles along the Wall.