HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: rogerl@Ingres.COM (Roger Leuthner)
Subject: Re: Mis-applied physics in advertising
Reply-To: rogerl@Ingres.COM (Roger Leuthner)
Organization: Ask Computer Systems Inc., Ingres Division, Alameda CA 94501
Date: 21 Jul 92 20:43:44 GMT

In article <Brp57I.5pH@news.cso.uiuc.edu> berger@atropa (Mike Berger) writes:
>adm@cs.man.ac.uk (Alan Murta) writes:
>>One of the best adverts I have seen is for the household cleaner "Astonish",
>>shown on the home shopping channel (UK satellite). It is claimed that
>>"Astonish cleans without chemicals".
>*----
>In a sense, so does sandpaper.  Maybe "Astonish" is just sand.
>--

In a sense (i.e. in any sense; er maybe 'with any sense'; er maybe 'sure!')

sand is commonly known to contain chemicals - Si02 fer'nstance.
From: tolar@ssdt-tempe.sps.mot.com (Jim Tolar)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Craig, let's just give up..
Date: 22 Jul 92 17:31:20 GMT
Distribution: alt
Organization: Semiconductor Systems Design Technology, Motorola, Tempe AZ

In article <1992Jul21.338.19037@execnet> "tom betz" <tom.betz@execnet.com> writes:
>
>I have in my hands a copy of the "seven-year-old" "business cards" variant
>of the Craig Shergold UL on World Wrestling Federation letterhead!
>
 I was astounded to see come across my desk a packet of Craig letters dating
back to 9/17/91 requesting business cards etc.  In this packet are 21 letters
which each have 10 entries in the To: column.  The chain starts in Germany
(company name is MSD/Sharp & Dohme) and makes its way to Bombay, Tokyo, Hong
Kong, Seoul, Barcelona, Turkey, France, Purerto Rico, Ireland, Mexico, UK,
Brazil, Scotland, Italy, Switzerland, and finally the USA (Motorola) where it
is sent to 15 or 20 different locations.  HOLY SH*T!  This packet alone
represents about 200 recipients all over the effing world!  Each requests
that business cards be sent to you-know-who and the letter be forwarded to 10
more folks. We'll never stop this.
 I now have the unenviable task of telling my boss's boss that he has helped
perpetuate the most famous UL of them all.  Oh well, maybe I can get him to
help me collect pop-tabs for dialysis.

j "unbelievable" t


-- 
|                     |   
|      Jim Tolar      |   ...!uunet!dover!tolar
|                     |   tolar@ssdt-tempe.sps.mot.com
|      Go Cubs!       |
|                     |   You occupy a much needed space.
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: derf@ravel.udel.edu (the Greatful Fred)
Subject: fat free??
Organization: University of Delaware
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 13:42:34 GMT

	I always used to wonder about milk.  I mean, they have whole milk,
	 and then the next level of fat freeing produces 2%?
	 and the next are 1% and skim?  I used to wonder about
	 their choices, I mean if they could be exact enough about
	 it to produce a 1% difference, why did they not have any 
	 graditions between whole and 2%.  Then I learned in Biochemistry
	 that milk is naturally 3% milk-fat.  I suppose next I will
	 be told that the Easter Bunny doesn't exist?

\---/ \---/
 | ||--| |-\  _______  ______    ________
 | || -| |- | || |  |  ||  _ \   || |   |     Frederick B. J. Slota
 | || || || |  | |__    | |_| |   | |__                         
  \_| |_/ | |  | |__|   |    /    | |__|   Technology House Secretary 
    | |___| |  | |      | |\ \    | |      322 Ray Street B, Newark DE 19717 
    |______/  ||_|__|  ||_| |_|  ||_|      DERF@brahms.udel.edu
From: kaszeta@frith.egr.msu.edu (Richard Kaszeta)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Mis-applied physics in advertising
Date: 22 Jul 92 01:10:17 GMT
Organization: Michigan State University

datri@convex.com (Anthony A. Datri) writes:
>I haven't seen those, but I *have* seen plenty that boast that they
>contain a "full 1000 milligrams" of acetaminophen or whatever, "twice the
>medicine our competitor".  Duh.  I'll just take two of the competitor's,
>which probably cost a quarter of the price.  I buy pseudoephidrine products
>from time to time for my allergies, and I'm always amused by reading the
>product labels and comparing the amount of the actual drug in each tablet
>with the product cost.  I've found a price differential of as much as a
>factor of 10 for the same dosage between overpackaged brands with a few
>tablets per package and a lesser-known brand with lots of tablets in less
>packaging.

Try to compare the cost between a few tablets of coated and over-glorified
aspiring to one of those bottles of store-brand with a jillion tablets in
it. Talk about a price difference.
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: jmethot@vicorp.com (John Methot)
Subject: Re: Mis-applied physics in advertising
Reply-To: jmethot@vicorp.com
Organization: V. I. Corporation, Northampton, Massachusetts
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 16:50:21 GMT

In article <1992Jul21.044842.3864@news.eng.convex.com> datri@convex.com (Anthony A. Datri) writes:
>>
>>  (someone else wrote...)
>>
>>Or all meat products commercials that say "is 93% fat free" which merely means
>>that the rest is totally fat
>
>That one struck me long ago, but most of the numbers actually still don't
>work out that bad -- 7% fat isn't all that bad compared to some things,
>like 'hot dogs' (shudder) or good, hot Italian sausage (sigh).
>
Don't buy into it, Mr. Datri!

Actually, these "xx% fat free" claims are usually based on percentage by
weight (of bulk ingredients, I assume).  Sometimes by volume.  The argument
that consumer organizations have with this is that it is irrelevant.  The
Heart Association recommends that we monitor the percentage of our daily
*calories* that come from fat (they recommend that <30% of total daily calories
come from fat, and <10% from saturated fats - fats that are solid at room
temperature).  A gram of fat has approx. 9 calories.  So, ignore the "93%
Fat Free" claim and compute the percentage of calories from fat.

A product that advertises itself as 93% Fat Free may still deliver far
more than 50% of it calories in the form of fat.

Sorry to interject education into A.F.U.  Gotta do it where the opportunity
arises!
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: bill.dehaan@rose.com (bill dehaan)
Subject: Re: Sanity
Organization: Rose Media Inc, Toronto, Ontario.
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 14:37:10 GMT
X-Gated-By: Usenet <==> RoseMail Gateway (v1.70)


Date Entered: 07-30-92 00:05
Larry M Headlund writes:

LMH>This sounds sufficiently like the "blind people have acute sense of
LMH>smell/hearing/touch" story but I'm willing to listen to facts.

Actually, I can vouch (a bit) for the "blind people have acute..." part.

I lost the sight in  my left eye when I  was 5, and spent 6  months with
both eyes  taped over  after the  surgery. I  found after  a bit  that I
actually _could_ compensate for the  total loss of sight with  smell and
hearing, although nowhere  near as much  as the UL  has it. It's  not so
much  that  the  senses  change  (they  don't),  but  you pay a lot more
attention to them. You learn  to recognize people just by  their walking
patterns, etc. I  got to the  point where I  could recognize all  of the
nurses by perfume, and all of  the doctors just by the sounds  they made
moving (shuffle, stomp, etc). After  I got my right eye  operational, it
all went downhill from there.

I  imagine  that  anyone  can  do  this,  it's  just that sight tends to
overwhelm all of the other senses, so you don't notice it as much.  What
I'm trying to say is that the UL about other senses becoming more  acute
is false.  However, since  a blind  person concentrates  so much more on
their  hearing/smell,  they  will  notice  more  with  it than a sighted
person.

Bill "sorry snopes, no documents, just observation" de Haan

----------------------------------+-----------------------------------------
Deus Ex Machina                   | Internet:   bill.dehaan@rose.com
Software Consulting and Gator Pit | I'm a brain in a vat. What about you?
----------------------------------+-----------------------------------------
---
   SLMR 2.1a   The beatings will continue until morale improves.
   RoseMail 1.70: RoseNet<=>Usenet Gateway : Rose Media 416-733-2285
From: steve@fulcrum.oz.au (Steve Taylor)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Mis-applied physics in advertising
Date: 27 Jul 92 08:41:32 GMT
Organization: The Fulcrum Consulting Group

In <15062@bwdls58.bnr.ca> hwt@bwdlh490.BNR.CA (Henry Troup) writes:

>Regular Rant:

>Buy and read "How to Lie with Statistics" by Huff.  I had to special
>order the paperback, so I got three - one for home, one for office, one
>to lend.  There are others, of course.

Coincidentally, I just finished a few days ago. Lots of fun, and remarkably
simple, even for a statisticsaphobe like me. I particularly liked the idea
of doing an utterly honest survey - again and again, until you get an answer
you're happy with!

>  Henry Troup - HWT@BNR.CA (Canada) - BNR owns but does not share my opinions
>		      "Every absurdity has it's defender"


							Steve
							steve@fulcrum.oz.au
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner)
Subject: Re: Who invented the airplane?
Reply-To: lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner)
Organization: Columbia University
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1992 18:20:11 GMT

In article <711795900snx@alfheim.actrix.gen.nz> frey@alfheim.actrix.gen.nz (Bruce Clement) writes:

>You can help make his wish come true by wrapping up a ream of unused A4 
>photocopier paper and mailing it to:
>
> Copy Papers 'R Us
>  666 Lower Snopes Lane
>  Kiborough
>  England 17-23-FRAUD

Is that near Kiborough Community College?

cjl (KIBO never greps for these things)
From: "ted trost" <ted.trost@canrem.com>
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: college pranks (was r
Date: 29 Jul 92 22:05:01 EST
Reply-To: "ted trost" <ted.trost@canrem.com>
Distribution: alt
Organization: Canada Remote Systems


BN>There are a couple of big flaws with this story. First of all, the outside
BN>doors cannot open inward - such doors are illegal in public buildings. It
BN>is against fire codes in all 50 states.

BN>Second, the water would have been running quite strongly under all the doors.
BN>None of them can seal well enough to stop water under pressure.

Not to mention that sprinklers are connected to the fire alarms,
which would have gone off with the first flow of water.

Ted "Hey! Don't open that doo..." Trost
VE3TTD  ted.trost@canrem.com
---
  DeLuxe 1.21 #10288  It's not the thing you fling, but the fling itself
--
Canada Remote Systems  - Toronto, Ontario/Detroit, MI
World's Largest PCBOARD System - 416-629-7000/629-7044
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson)
Subject: Re: NetNews/CD - USENET News Available
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Corvallis, Oregon USA
Date: Fri, 24 Jul 1992 18:32:07 GMT

hallam@zeus02.desy.de (Phillip M. Hallam-Baker) writes:
: |>
: |>The printed matter on the wrong side is of little import: you can't
: |>see it when the disc is in the drive.  One-sidedness is a cynical
: |>marketing ploy.
: 
: Rubbish, a CD is produced by pressing out holes in a very thin sheet of
: metal. It is an inviolate rule that holes on one side will be holes on
: the other. The cost of making the CD is the cost of the presser and the
: rest of the parephinalia. The only reasonable way of making a 2 sided cd
: would be to make 2 ordinary ones and stick them together. This would not
: save money.

Nope. The data is pits in the metal - not holes. There are holes, but they
are incidental, and just cause errors on playback. 

I seem to recall that the CD is made by first pressing the pits into the
plastic, then overcoating the plastic with aluminum. The aluminized surface
is then sandwiched with another protective plastic sheet.

As such - it would be no harder to press a two sided CD as what is currently
used. The same type of press would be used as with an LP record.

Bill
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: njs@scifi.uucp (Nicholas J. Simicich)
Subject: Re: Banks + Short Term Car Loans = Scam?
Organization: Nick Simicich, Peekskill, NY
Date: Tue, 21 Jul 1992 12:56:11 GMT

In article <1992Jul20.144905.16811@PA.dec.com>
mikkelson@breakr.enet.dec.com (snopes) writes:

>That's all beside the point.  If the bank sells off your car below market value
>in order to recover only the amount owed them, they're not making a profit,
>and thus they have no reason to repossess your car rather than allowing you to
>pay off your loan.

Conjecture: A bank follows the legal minimums in terms of advertising
the vehicle, and *suprise* they are the only bidder at the legally
required public auction.  They bid what you owe on the car and thus
they are now the legal owner of the car, and owe you no money.  Now
they own the car free and clear, and can sell it through normal
channels and make a profit on it.

Or they bid even less than the amount you owe, and now you owe the
difference (unsecured) and auctioneers fees and the like.

I heard someone relating this as happening to a friend of a friend,
honest!

-- 
Nick Simicich - uunet!bywater!scifi!njs - njs@watson.ibm.com
SSI #AOWI 3958, HSA 318, NAUI #14065
Join the movement ---  turn 'to bush' into a verb.
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: ejohnso@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Eric Johnson)
Subject: Anastasia Romanov - Not Found!
Summary: Anastasia's body not found in Czar'sfamily's grave
Keywords: Anastasia princess Russian
Organization: University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 16:42:13 GMT

According to an AP article, the grave containing the bodies of Czar Nicholas II
and his family did not contain any bones that could have belonged to either
his daughter Anastasia or Alexis, the crown prince. Also, the manuscript of
the chief assassin tells of Alexis' "strange vitality" during the shooting
and that bullets bounced off the girls' bodies and zinged around the room.
Apparently there were 8kg of crown jewels hidden in their corsets.

So, should there be a remake of Anastasia with Isabella Rosellini?

-- 
_______________________________________________________________________________
	Eric Johnson	         |  Commit random acts of kindness
	ejohnso@ccu.umanitoba.ca |        	and
	BITNET:ejohnso@UOFMCC    |        senseless beauty.
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,alt.religion.kibology
From: kibo@world.std.com (James "Kibo" Parry)
Subject: Re: SHOCKING STORIES
Organization: Between a rock and a type specimen sheet, Boston.
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 05:44:57 GMT

In article <CONSP03.92Jul30010340@bingsunb.cc.binghamton.edu> consp03@bingsuns.cc.binghamton.edu (Kriston J. Rehberg) writes:
[various talkes of microwave burns]
>install ground-based microwave transmitters in mountaineous areas.  He
>was telling stories of people who would stick their hands in front of
>the dishes and getting nasty burns (like microwave ovens, they cooked
>their hands from inside).  Now I know why there is a lightning bolt
>sticker applied to most microwave transmitting dishes.  Ouch!

At RPI, one physics lab experiment was to polarize a low-frequency beam
with a set of metal rods about an inch apart (not unlike, say, a
barbecue grill).  I discovered that I could stick my hand in and
polarize them with my fingers.

I stopped when someone told me it was a microwave beam.  Must've been
very low power, though.  Darn.  I could've sued!

							-- K.

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson)
Subject: Re: Anyone heard this one? New UL?
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Corvallis, Oregon USA
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 1992 09:34:27 GMT

pt@geovision.gvc.com (Paul Tomblin) writes:
: billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson) writes:
: 
: The best signal to noise ratio helper I've ever heard:
: "If there is no original text in the first page, don't read the posting!"

: My corollory:
: "If the user take offense when somebody complains about them not editing the
: quoted text - plonk them! ESPECIALLY if they're posting from a .edu site."

You will notice I was not taking offense over the complaint about my editing.
I was commenting on the gratuitous insult.  It added even less to the thread
than my poor editing.

Bill
From: fnord@panix.com (Cliff Heller)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Anyone heard this one? New UL?
Date: 23 Jul 92 15:07:25 GMT
Organization: Right Bleedin' Church of Libertine Obfuscatology

In <1992Jul22.233225.10021@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com> billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson) writes:

[ full quoted original article (not even 1 day old) deleted ]

>The bit about the ambulance attendants dropping the stretcher
>and injuring the patient is also classic UL. It appears in
>many forms in many stories.

>bill "Don't snake up on my or I will pit my viper on you" Nelson

What about the bit about the dip-shit usenet user who quotes 100 lines of
included text only to stick a three line reply after it?

I see that one everywhere.



-- 
    / \      Reverend fnord   	            | "King Kong died for your sins!"
   /   \     fnord@panix.com                | 
  / <0> \                                   | "Don't just eat a hamburger, 
 /_______\   Church of Obfuscatology, Inc.  |  eat the HELL out of it!"
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: fehr@ms.uky.edu (Jeff Davis)
Subject: Re: Agnostics and Athiests
Keywords: Believe in Infant Baptism? Why, I've seen it!
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1992 15:16:10 GMT
Organization: Loose Affiliation of Millionaires and Billionaires and Baby

>	If you had a bet to take, either for a god and go to 
>'eternal bliss', or that there is no god and take your chances...
>where would your money be?

This is typically called Pascal's Wager (after Joe Pascal, not Blaise,
BTW) and the mathematically soothing effects of backing God vs Not
God have been demonstrated to be not-so-soothing. On the one hand:
Not God. On the other there is God, Jahweh, Allah, Zeus, Odin etc.
Also, within the God category there is the Catholic God ('the one,
true, catholic, and apostolic church.' No need to go in to that 
here.), John Calvin's pre-determination God picking up the check
only for the Elect, the Lutheran God, etc. Within, the Catholic God,
you got your various heretics, your schismatics, your apostates,
your mortal and your venial sins, your sins against the Holy Spirit, 
your violations of Canon law, your sins of ommission, your sins attendant 
upon propinquity to a place where you have sinned frequently in the
past. In short, the road to heaven is narrow, the gate has
teeth, your shoes have stones in them, and your feet got blisters.

Limbo lower now. How low can you go? 
-- 
Jeff Davis <davis@keats.ca.uky.edu> Older than before.
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,connect.audit
From: billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson)
Subject: Re: Boating on the left side (was Re: Driving on the right side)
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Company, Corvallis, Oregon USA
Date: Fri, 31 Jul 1992 19:14:01 GMT

dogbowl@dogbox.acme.gen.nz (dogbowl) writes:
: billn@hpcvaac.cv.hp.com (bill nelson) writes:
: > : 
: > : little planes tend to slowly go out of line. it just takes finger 
: > : pressure to keep it flying straight and level. 
: > : It's quite amusing to read a map, hear the wind noise increase, look up 
: > : and find yourself in a full blown spiral dive. Easily gotten out of 
: > : though...
: > 
: > I was taught a slightly different approach, taking advantage of the
: > slight instability of the airplane. When I want to read a map, without
: > going anywhere, I just trim for a very slow climb, then put the plane
: > in a gentle turn. If done right, the plane will settle down into a
: > slow climbing turn - giving plenty of time for map reading - without
: > having to continuously check to make sure the ground is not approaching
: > much more rapidly than desired.
: > 
: > Check which direction the plane likes to turn - the one I flew the most
: > was rigged so it turned to the left. 50 feet per minute or so of climb
: > should be plenty.
: > 
: 
: I'll have to try that one. Usually when I'm mapreading, I'm going from 
: point A to point B. New Zealand is about 1500 miles long by 200 miles 
: wise at the widest, so you've got to keep an eye on where you are. If you 
: get lost, 9 times out of 10 you'll end up flying into mountains.

This was with Cessna aircraft. I assume the same thing would work with
low wing aircraft also.

Bill
From: moroney@ramblr.enet.dec.com
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Anastasia Romanov - Not Found!
Date: 31 Jul 92 02:38:52 GMT
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation

In article <1992Jul29.164213.17295@ccu.umanitoba.ca> ejohnso@ccu.umanitoba.ca (Eric Johnson) writes:

> According to an AP article, the grave containing the bodies of Czar Nicholas II
> and his family did not contain any bones that could have belonged to either
> his daughter Anastasia or Alexis, the crown prince. Also, the manuscript of
> the chief assassin tells of Alexis' "strange vitality" during the shooting
> and that bullets bounced off the girls' bodies and zinged around the room.
> Apparently there were 8kg of crown jewels hidden in their corsets.

Another article (or perhaps the same one) also mentioned the Soviets kept a
man in one of their insane asylums that claimed to be the crown prince.
Certain details (I forget what) supported this, that is, he wasn't just a
nut who thought he'd be Alexis since Napolean and Jesus were already "taken".
He died in 1960, I believe.

Also, someone who would have been next in line for Czar after Nicholas's family
died fairly recently (april) in Florida, and was buried in the royal tomb in
St. Petersburg (Russia, not Florida)

-Mike
Organization: The American University - University Computing Center
Date: Thursday, 23 Jul 1992 17:36:25 EDT
From: RABBI CHARLES ARIAN <CARIAN@auvm.american.edu>
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: chow mein sandwich
 <1992Jul23.145019.15311@acuson.com>

Nathan's in New York used to sell Chow Mein sandwiches; it was
chow mein ladled over a hamburger bun. I've no idea if they still
do so as I haven't been to Nathan's in about a zillion years.
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.misc
From: denebeim@brtph254.bnr.ca (Jay Denebeim P025)
Subject: Re: Mandatory negatives (was Re: Agnostics and Atheists)
Organization: Bell-Northern Research
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 23:18:52 GMT

In article <1992Jul27.042232.21973@clarinet.com> brad@clarinet.com (Brad Templeton) writes:
>between the theist and atheist.   When it comes to examining your life, your
>morals, almost everything that matters, the agnostic is the same as the
>atheist.   Not halfway at all.

Excuse me?  Just what, pray tell, does religion have to do with
morals?  Just because my morals do not necessarily agree with your
morals doesn't mean my morals do not exist.  The same could be said of
followers of different religions.  For instance in Judaism
proselytizing is a sin, in most Christian cults, er, sects its a good
thing.

BTW what the heck is this silly thread doing on AFU anyway?
From: manley@optilink.UUCP (Dave Manley)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Time Zones (was Re: Mis-applied physics in advertising)
Keywords: Does anybody really know what time it is
Date: 24 Jul 92 23:30:23 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: DSC/Optilink Access Products

In article <mcirvin.711817304@husc8> mcirvin@husc8.harvard.edu (Mcirvin) writes:

>I know that the New Mexico part of the reservation contains most of
>the fascinatingly numbered Route 666.  One of the Lodges (small houses
>which are part of student housing) at William and Mary once had a
>US 666 route marker on the front door.  At the time I didn't know
>such a highway actually existed.

ObNit:  Route 666 is completely in Arizona.  I've been on about 95%
        of Route 666.  It starts near the Mexico border and heads
        North, terminating at I40.  I40 mostly follows the old 
        Route 66.  So at one time you could meet someone at the
        crossroads of 66 and 666 (I'll add a weasly maybe). 

ObFact: Route 666 does not cross Diablo Canyon.

--
Dave "I'd rather be on Route 666 then posting to afu" Manley
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban