HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: lawson@acuson.com (Drew Lawson)
Subject: Re: Counterfeiting
Reply-To: lawson@aldia.UUCP (Drew Lawson)
Organization: ACUSON, Mountain View, CA
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1992 21:01:31 GMT

In article <1992Aug28.012336.26921@midway.uchicago.edu> thf2@midway.uchicago.edu writes:

>I'm under the understanding that nothing smaller than $20 bills gets
>counterfeited because it simply doesn't pay.

I think I've heard of $10 bills being faked.

You rarely get anything larger than $20 bills being faked, as fewer people
will accept them (50's, 100's, etc).

-- 
Drew Lawson                      If you're not part of the solution,
lawson@acuson.com                you're part of the precipitate
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: ceb@dbrus.Unify.Com (Caroline E. Bryan)
Subject: Re: Counterfeiting
Organization: /usr/lib/news/organization
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 92 19:53:09 GMT

In article <1992Aug31.093111.6305@news.columbia.edu> lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner) writes:
>In article <1992Aug28.012336.26921@midway.uchicago.edu> thf2@midway.uchicago.edu writes:
>>
>>ObUL: The $1 bill is the smallest denomination of paper money in
>>      the developed countries.
>
>Is the U.S. a developed country?  1863-5 US 50 cent and 25 cent paper money
>exists (I have one of each of the socalled "fractional currency").

Mark it false anyway.  This summer I briefly had in my possession a 20-escudo
bill.  At the time US$1 was about equal to 130$00, so 20 escudos was worth
about 15 cents.


Carrie		ceb@rechenau.unify.com	x6244
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|      A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle.  -- Anon.      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,alt.religion.kibology
From: kibo@world.std.com (James "Kibo" Parry)
Subject: Re: flash pictures of the sunset
Organization: Between a rock and a type specimen sheet, Boston.
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 08:09:44 GMT

Oh, the joy of the Freudian slips the human perceptual system makes late
at night.  I thought the Subject: line said

Subject: Re: flash pictures of the usenet

"Okay, alt.* groups kneel in front, and then you comp.* guys line up
behind them... that's in... no, you go in the corner, talk.bizarre..."

In article <1992Aug27.065843.19645@tigger.jvnc.net> keithd@bigguy.timeplex.com (Keith Dickinson) writes:
>Actualy on 474's and the such I like to sit a couple of rows behind the wing
>so I can watch it flap. 

I wear one of those pop-up ties to make the other passengers think the
plane's upside down.
								-- K.

Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: pashdown@javelin.sim.es.com (Pete Ashdown)
Subject: Re: So, what IS the shelf life of Twinkies?
Organization: Evans & Sutherland Computer Corporation
Date: Fri, 4 Sep 1992 17:01:57 GMT

jcopelan@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (James c Copeland) writes:

>OK, I have heard that Twinkies could last for 20 years?  What is the  basis
>for this claim?  What is the REAL shelf life of these things?
>(I have a steak dinner riding on this one).

Actually this was part of a discussion I was having with a friend the other
night.  She read a quote recently that stated that Twinkies do not have a
shelf-life, they have a half-life.  There were a couple of other foods that
have half-lifes as well, but I can't remember any of them at the moment.
-- 
			  orb be in u, orb be out u

DISCLAIMER: My writings have NOTHING to do with my employer.  Keep it that way.
Pete Ashdown    pashdown@slack.sim.es.com    ...uunet!slack.sim.es.com!pashdown
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: nolan@twg.com (Doctor Science)
Subject: Metrics (was Peter? What Peter?)
Reply-To: nolan@twg.com
Organization: National Bureau of Obfuscatory Measurement Standards
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 17:33:38 GMT


In article <BtK4xv.1KG@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG>, phil@zorch.SF-Bay.ORG 
 (Phil Gustafson) answers the Great Question of Life, the Universe, and
Everything, to wit: Where's the Great net.Peter?

|>PvdL has chosen to absent himself from a.f.u for the nonce, probably because
|>the high recycling rate got to him, and partly because he's writing yet
|>another book.
|>
|>He did take the time to snipe at hsr4 last week, so there's still hope.
|>
|>Phil "How long is a nonce, anyway?" Gustafson

A nonce is just about long enough to reach the ground, if you're headed West
on cenTral Expressway. otherwise it's about 35 picoseconds.

--
Nolan "Metrics for sale" Hinshaw
Internet: nolan@twg.com			Dingalingnet: (415)962-7197	
"If you don't know how to do something, you don't know how to do it
 with a computer." David Wittenberg, in Risks Digest 13.70
"Boy, was I in for a dose of reality." Randall K. Abler
"... necrophilia doesn't really hurt anybody."  Rick Gordon
"Well, first of all, your stance is too wide"
From: dolf@echo.philips.nl (Dolf Grunbauer)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Sex on the Train
Date: 1 Sep 92 07:20:34 GMT
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation, E.C.H.O. development department

nichol@asc.slb.com (Bruce Nichol) writes:
>	I read a short story in a recent international edition of
>Newsweek about a couple in a train in England.  Apparently they were
>having oral sex on the train and were pretty much ignored by the other
>passengers.  However when they were finished, the lit up cigarettes.
>This caused much dismay among the other passengers, some of whom
>complained to the conductor.  "I say, you can't smoke here!"  They
>were later arrested for indecent exposure or something like that.  

I think this is a joke. The version I heard was of a man masturbating
and afterwards asking the old lady next to him if it was ok if he smoked..
-- 
   _ _
  / U | Dolf Grunbauer    E.C.H.O. Development    Digital Equipment Enterprises
 /__'<  dolf@echo.philips.nl  dolf@toet.echo.tds.philips.nl
88  |_\ mcsun!echo.philips.nl!dolf                         Was Dat voor niets ?
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: eugene@wilbur.nas.nasa.gov (Eugene N. Miya)
Subject: Re: The Flat Earth Society???
Organization: NAS, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
Date: Fri, 28 Aug 92 00:35:52 GMT

I used to have their address, they have something around 100 members.

Their beliefs were the basis of the film Capricorn One, a conspiracy
to land on Mars film (conspiracy films are always popular).  I
recommend seeing the film is you believe the earth is round.
Note: these are MY opinions and not those of my employer.  Ahem.

During the summer of 1969 when Armstrong was landing on the Moon,
I had an honor's science class in junior high summer school.  In our
very first four hour class, we spent 2 hours trying to "prove" to the
teacher (James Gladson on Eagle Rock High) that the earth was round.
We should have paid for his membership in the FES.

18 screaming kids can cover alot of the arguments in two hours:
lunar eclipses, wells in Egypt, celestial positioning, various curvature
effects, etc. but all are based on some set of assumptions and presumptions
[p.s. I have also now been North of the Arctic Circle near solstice,
and may soon travel to help a friend's research in Antarctica].
A skeptic can make a model for every piece of evidence you can come up with
and in fact our language is peppered with flat earth analogies (face it
maps are bad, the only true model of the earth is a globe, you only have to
change country colors 8^).  One must remember who's setting the comparison
criteria here.

The thing is that our education on matters for things like this is so bad,
it is incredibly sorry.  I have taken to asking knowledgeable people if
you know the latitude of the North Pole [P.S. My JHS was named after
Robert Peary].  I have seen more than one published wrong answer by experts
in their respective vocational and avocational fields: 0 deg. 100, deg. etc.
Even PhDs here at NASA ("You mean it ISN'T 0 degrees?" "Ahhhhh, Suz!").
This bodes ill for systems like Global Positioning when used on certain scales.

The scientific community needs to throw support to the FSE if nothing more
to give Devil's Advocate support for scientific literacy.

I would certain join the Flat Venus Society.

--eugene miya, NASA Ames Research Center, eugene@orville.nas.nasa.gov
  Resident Cynic, Rock of Ages Home for Retired Hackers
  {uunet,mailrus,other gateways}!ames!eugene
Second Favorite email message: Returned mail: Cannot send message for 3 days
A Ref: Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning, vol. 1, G. Polya
From: cromar@math.rutgers.edu (Scott Cromar)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Soc Security Number theory
Date: 4 Sep 92 20:47:07 GMT
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.

hal@HQ.Ileaf.COM (Hal Wadleigh) writes:

> It's the MIDDLE digits that tell where the card was issued.  Those with a
> leading "0" are railroad retirement numbers (and some others, too).

My middle two numbers are 02, and I never worked for the railroad.

I'd say you're on the wrong track.

--Scott "still working on that coffee cup thing" Cromar
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: cldavies@nyx.cs.du.edu (cindy davies)
Subject: Re: You are humble and loveable.  CHOMP!
X-Disclaimer: Nyx is a public access Unix system run by the University
	of Denver for the Denver community.  The University has neither
	control over nor responsibility for the opinions of users.
Organization: Nyx, Public Access Unix at U. of Denver Math/CS dept.
Date: Sat, 29 Aug 92 15:06:10 GMT

In article <1992Aug29.085423.21991@news.columbia.edu> lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner) writes:
>
>Aren't there current coins in some parts of the world that seem to be made
>out of an alloy that resembles plasticized aluminum?
>
>cjl (I wouldn't bite them either)
Some of the old East German coins were so soft you didn't have to bite them, you
could fold, spindle, or mutilate them with a fingernail.

--
Life among academics has taught me that a well-expressed opinion is
usually better than a badly expressed fact, so far as professional
advancement goes.  --Gabaldon, Outlander.
cldavies@silver.sdsmt.edu        cldavies@nyx.cs.du.edu
From: wilcox@vax.oxford.ac.uk
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Sex on the Train
Date: 3 Sep 92 13:57:10 GMT
Organization: Oxford University VAX 6620

In article <1992Aug31.073309.8438@asc.slb.com>, nichol@asc.slb.com (Bruce Nichol) writes:
> 
> 	I read a short story in a recent international edition of
> Newsweek about a couple in a train in England.  Apparently they were
> having oral sex on the train and were pretty much ignored by the other
> passengers.  However when they were finished, the lit up cigarettes.
> This caused much dismay among the other passengers, some of whom
> complained to the conductor.  "I say, you can't smoke here!"  They
> were later arrested for indecent exposure or something like that.  

You know, it's odd that you should mention that. This story apparently 
appeared in the Independent a few weeks ago. I did not see it, but I was told
about it by a friend. It also appeared as a quiz question on the News Quiz on
the Radio, which confirms that the paper published it as a true story. The only
things I can add are that the couple were both employed by Sainsbury's, one of
Britain's largest supermarket chains, that they actually had full intercourse
and that the carriage was packed with commuters.

Now for the odd bit. This story was told as a joke by the comedian Victoria
Wood in her show "Victoria Wood as seen on TV", which must have been first
broadcast about two years ago. Since then I have heard the same show twice on
the Radio, most recently about a fortnight ago, just after the newspaper story.
Is this life imitating humour, or is this a gullible newspaper editor being
taken in by a practical joke? Has this been reported anywhere outside these
supposedly staid islands?

-- 

Stephen Wilcox             |   Remember what happened to the dinosaurs!
wilcox@maths.oxford.ac.uk  |    I did---and look what happened to me.
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: acase@reed.edu (Andrew Case)
Subject: Re: What makes an urban legend work?
Organization: Reed College, Portland, OR
Date: Tue, 25 Aug 1992 23:50:21 GMT

         In _Metamagical_Themas_, Douglas Hofstader talks about things he
calls "memes". These are basically ideas which are transmitted from one
mind to another. Memes which are particularly high in survival and 
transmission charecteristics are passed from one person to the next.
Those which are not, die out. This is essentially the same idea as the 
virus concept. In this view, memes resemble the cellular automata in
the game 'life', where the cells are minds rather than little squares
on a computer screen. 
         OK. Fine theory, but where do we go with it? Start up a number 
of stories, and see which ones are still around in 12 months? I don't
think this would go anywhere. It has occurred to me though, that it
would actually be possible to track the progress of a meme if the
presence of the meme caused the host to report its existence to
some central point. Which, of course, brings us to Craig Shergold.
Anyone want to raise some money so I can go to the UK and read
Craig's mail?

Just an idea ... :-)

Andrew Case
acase@reed.edu
Organization: Penn State University
Date: Tue, 1 Sep 1992 09:58:31 EDT
From: <WCE2@psuvm.psu.edu>
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: 666 (was Re: Highest Channel)

One commentary on Revelation that I read (Anchor Bible) suggested that 666
corresponded to the Aramaic for "Caesar Nero" and 616 corresponded to
"Caesar Caligula," the two emperors who most fiercely persecuted the early
Christians.  The fact that apparently the book was updated to include the
latest anti-Roman rumors (there's a fairly clear reference to the rumor that
Nero didn't die but was spirited away to the territories and would return)
puts some light on the curse at the end of the book on anyone who adds
(anything else) to the received text.

Bill Ellis
FOAFtale News
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: mjg51721@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Michael James Gebis)
Subject: Re: Mnemonics
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Sat, 29 Aug 1992 23:43:34 GMT

rocher@husc8.harvard.edu (Jean-Marc Rocher) writes:
>have any similar stories of mistranslations in advertising (or anywhere else,
>for that matter)

>					...Jean-Marc Rocher

>"If we took the bones out it wouldn't be crunchy, would it?"

I was told that Coca-Cola means something rather disgusting in China, so 
the company introduced it as Choco-Chola (Or something similar, this was
word of mouth) which means something like "Drink of the heavenly."

Mike "Yes, I'm happy to pass along another urban legend that sounds
dubious even to me" Gebis
From: lawson@acuson.com (Drew Lawson)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Viruses: was(Re: aids started by cia?)
Date: 27 Aug 92 21:17:59 GMT
Reply-To: lawson@aldia.UUCP (Drew Lawson)
Distribution: world,local
Organization: ACUSON, Mountain View, CA

In article <1992Aug25.160703.10475@news.cs.brandeis.edu> st890270@pip.cc.brandeis.edu writes:
>>Has a virial infection ever been *CURED*?
>
>close enough - the small pox virus is now extinct.

Only because all its victims are dead.

-- 
Drew Lawson                      If you're not part of the solution,
lawson@acuson.com                you're part of the precipitate
From: woody@praxis.co.uk (Paul Woodman)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Thomas Crapper and Spread Spectrum
Date: 1 Sep 92 07:51:12 GMT
Organization: Praxis, Bath, U.K.

twcaps@tennyson.lbl.gov (Terry Chan) writes:
>  
>mcirvin@husc8.harvard.edu (Mcirvin) writes:

>  +It's more complicated than that, apparently; I believe that some hint of
>  +the story is in the FAQ.  "Flushed with Pride" was a hoax, but Crapper was
>  +a real person who did manufacture toilets.


>This is supported by field research by our own Jack Campin (who is
>seen much too infrequently these days) who visited the Gladstone
>(or was it Disraeli?  Oh, never mind) Pottery Museum in Stoke-on-Kent,
>England and viewed a number of items relating to Crapper and his
>firm.  Jack also notes that what Crapper did invent was the modern
>valve flushing mechanism.

 Well, for what it is worth, I have had many an excellent meal at
the Inn at Manaton on the edge of Dartmoor, England. The bar is 
"decorated" with many objects. An antique one arm bandit, various
copper pots etc - english readers will know the sort of stuff that
decorates these places.

 At one table where we ate, there was an antique toilet cistern
mounted on the wall. The cistern appeared to have been cast and the
manufacturers name - Thomas Crapper - was cast into the front. 

Now it could of been a fake for sake of effect, but I have never 
seen another one. If you were going to go to the effort of making
and marketing a cast iron toilet cistern as a novelty item for
pub walls (I don't know what else you would do with it), I can't
see the possibilities for particularly large sales.

The English have been known to have three flying ducks above the
mantlepiece but a cast iron toilet cistern ?

                        Best wishes,
                          Woody.

                                Paul Woodman  

                                Praxis plc, Software Engineers,
 \          /           |       20 Manvers Street, Bath, BA1 1PX, UK.
  \        / ___  ___  _|       Tel +44 225 444700 xt228
   \  /\  / /  / /  / / | \  /  Fax +44 225 465205.
    \/  \/ /__/ /__/ /__|  \/   woody@praxis.co.uk
  _________________________/                           
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
From: motani@watson.ibm.com (Muiz Motani)
Subject: Re: Highest Channel
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1992 16:54:39 GMT
News-Software: IBM OS/2 PM RN (NR/2) v0.037 by O. Vishnepolsky and R. Rogers
Reply-To: motani@vnet.ibm.com (Muiz Motani)
Disclaimer: This posting represents the poster's views, not necessarily those of IBM
Organization: IBM T.J. Watson Research Center

In  <1992Aug31.122437.29212@geovision.gvc.com>  pt@geovision.gvc.com (Paul Tomblin) writes:
> dtasman@dante.nmsu.edu (Dan Tasman) writes:
> >stations were from the States, however.  When I went on a ride to Toronto, all  
> >the rooftop antennas were pointed toward Buffalo, which gave me some sort of  
> >indication about what Canadians thought of CBC and CTV.  
> 

Just how many roof antennas did you see? I doubt you saw too many, because here 
in Toronto, almost all homes are wired with cable.


________________________________________________________________________________
Muiz Motani                     
IBM Canada Lab                  motani@vnet.ibm.com
Distributed System Products
From: banks@vax.oxford.ac.uk
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Spaghetti trees
Date: 27 Aug 92 09:49:27 GMT
Organization: ISCA

Concerning spaghetti trees, ekman@netcom.com writes:

>I believe it was produced by the BBC in the late 50s.  At least that's
>when I first (and last) saw it, in London.  In addition to showing the
>spaghetti being harvested, I believe it also had scenes from the great
>Spaghetti Harvest Festival, with the participants dressed  in
>appropriate folk costumes.

This is true.  The film, which was I think just an item rounding off a
news/current affairs programme (probably Panorama), was narrated by
Richard (?) Dimbleby (the father of the current Dimbleby presenter - one
is David and one is Richard, I forget which).  As Dimbleby pere had
established himself with serious news reports for years (including during
the war), and the item was shown on a serious programme, few thought to
question it.  The crucial thing was the date ... 1 April.

Linking up with the flat earth thread, do any Brits or ex-Brits remember the
show which the newly-founded Central TV featured in the 70s.  There was a 
big build up to it for days if not weeks in mysterious trailers.  The show
itself was an investigative documentary into the space program, revealing the
mysterious disappearance of certain scientists (complete with footage of
cars standing abandonned in public car parks and people slamming doors in
the reporter's face, saying "I don't want to talk about it"), and
claiming that the landing craft pictures of Mars had been taken in a studio.

Finally it was 'revealed' that the US, the USSR and the UK had been
cooperating on a space program for years and had a fully functioning Mars
base established, only for some reason I now forget, had kept the whole 
thing secret.  Although broadcast at another time of year, the closing
credit revealed that the film had been made on April 1 197x.

Marcus Banks,
Oxford
Xref: sparky alt.folklore.urban:22459 rec.radio.amateur.misc:14722
From: cromar@math.rutgers.edu (Scott Cromar)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,rec.radio.amateur.misc
Subject: Re: Cellular Frequencies
Date: 30 Aug 92 17:33:15 GMT
Followup-To: alt.folklore.urban
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.

carndt@zeus.calpoly.edu (Chris Arndt) writes:
> Can't have been that long ago, either, that it changed. We have a remote
> control 13" Sharp TV w/ electronic tuner that goes all the wat to 83, and
> it's not more than 5 or 6 years old.

I have a 2-year-old Radio Shack portable TV that goes all the way to
83.  I haven't noticed any cellular chatter, though.  Do you need a
descrambler or something?

--Scott
From: dternes@duke.cdc.com (David Ternes)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Flat Earth Society
Date: 4 Sep 92 17:51:49 GMT
Reply-To: dternes@mips.COM (David Ternes)
Organization: Advanced Product Development

In article <1992Sep3.000917.23656@news.columbia.edu> lasner@watsun.cc.columbia.edu (Charles Lasner) writes:
>
>as I traverse the world
>I come back to the same place, passing over that portion of the rest of the
>surface that is consistent with a somewhat round shape?  Or is that "the
>Devil's work"?
>
They have answers for questions like these.  Maybe someone could post more.

As I understand their explanation, it's something like you flew in a great
big circle with the North Pole as the center.  I'm not sure what they say
about the South Pole.

And the reason the earth looks round from space is because the atmosphere
distorts the view much like a 'fish-eye' lens does on a camera.

E. David J. Ternes                                       dternes@udev.cdc.com
Goal: To live either in obscurity or in competance.
From: IQTI400@INDYCMS.IUPUI.EDU (macphil)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: Re: Sinking libraries
Date: 1 Sep 92 15:43:37 GMT
Organization: IUPUI

In article <1992Sep1.065514.25299@wixer.cactus.org>
guppy@wixer.cactus.org (Jennifer Mery) writes:
 
>In article <1992Aug31.151829.14520@hubcap.clemson.edu> jlysagh@hubcap.clemson.edu (james joseph lysaght) writes:
>>If a band performs the
>>song "Looey looey" (sp?) then the people start swaying back and forth
>>and this happens to hit the frequency that gets the deck rocking.  I was
>>in the Clemson Band when we played this song at their stadium and sure
>>enough we saw the decks waving up and down.  It is amazing!  The now
>>have a rule banning that song and some others that hit that smae
>>resonant frequency from being layed in their stadium and the inform
>>every band performing there i advanc ethat these songs are banned.
>
>Well, what I heard was that the song was banned because it has obscene
>lyrics. :)
>
 
*snicker* Have you ever read the lyrics?  Nothing obscene about them
(I think Cecil even printed a copy in one of his books).  It was
thought obscene at the time because everyone figured if the words
were mumbled, there was a reason:  obscenity.
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,aus.general,aus.wanted
From: chris@state.COM.AU (Chris Keane)
Subject: WANTED: Spaf's Shergold killer
Organization: Group Treasury, State Bank of NSW
Date:  1 Sep 92 04:15:44 GMT

Yowsers! I've just seen a real live infestation of the Craig Shergold
legend at the Commonwealth Bank PC Group. If anyone has a copy of 
Gene Spafford's explanation of this legend, please send it to me
ASAP. I definitely need it before Thursday 3rd September, so if
you see this after then, don't worry about it.


regards...                                                 
Chris Keane.                    State Bank NSW             ph. +61 2 259 4459
Unix Systems Administrator     (Group Treasury)      chris@rufus.state.COM.AU
Famous Gravitational Joke: It must have been density that brought us together
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban,rec.arts.tv