From: gmcquary@Ingres.COM (George F. McQuary)
Newsgroups: alt.fan.warlord
Subject: September 1992 Field Guide to a.f.w
Keywords: Why there is no FAQ
Date: 2 Sep 92 19:45:56 GMT
Reply-To: gmcquary@Ingres.COM (George F. McQuary)
Organization: Ask Computer Systems Inc., Ingres Division, Alameda CA 94501

From Sven:
>Don't you just hate seeing the same signature baits over and over again ?
>Wouldn't it be nice to tell newbies to just "go away and read the
>archive first" ?

99.9% of a.f.w is, like the sigs that act as its source, largely
derivative.  Frosh feel safest making posts that look similar to what they've
seen already --and so we are swamped by BUF, Bart, Rush quotes and other
categories over and over again. All of which leads to an amazing new 
breakthrough in data compression: The 1992 Field Guide to a.f.w!

Yes, the major classes of sigs are now identified with an actual example
of each. As an aid to the beginner, an attempt has also been made to point out
where a particular family of sigs are most commonly found, where possible.

Happy Hunting!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Major classifications of articles posted to a.f.w.:

BUF:
----

BBBBBBBB     UU     UU   FFFFFFFFF
B       B    UU     UU   F
B	B    UU     UU   FFFFF
BBBBBBBB     UU     UU   F
B       B    UU     UU   F
B       B     UU   UU    F
BBBBBBBB utt   UUUUU gly F ont :

>___        ___     __
> |          |     |  `        | Amiga  3000-16/40 | Utah  State  University
> | RAVIS    | OE  |    ARTER  |                   |  Computer  Engineering
> `        `-'     `--'        | slbfn@cc.usu.edu  |     4.7 YEARS LEFT

Most found in: everywhere

Monograms (branch of BUF family):
---------------------------------
>            _
>        |  / \  |
>        | /___\ |
>        |/ ___ \|
>        | /     |
>        | \___  |
>        |     \ |
>        |  ___/ |

Most found in: everywhere

Chart Junk or Border problems:
------------------------------

>===================================================================
>| Douglas James Deutsch     | EMAIL: djd7889@tm0006.lerc.nasa.gov |
>| 516 East Merry Street #13 |        cb208cs@opie.bgsu.edu        |
>| Bowling Green, OH 43402   |=====================================|
>| (419) 352-????            |=========== 324 more days ===========|
>|=================================================================|
>| Hobbes: 'Don't knock my smock or I'll clean your clock'         |
>| Hobbes: 'Smock smock smock smock smock smock smock smock'       |
>===================================================================

Most found in: everywhere

Disclaimer:
-----------

>========== long legal disclaimer follows, press n to skip ===========
>^L
>Neither the United States Government or the Idaho National Engineering
>Laboratory or any of their employees, makes any warranty, whatsoever,
>implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility regarding any
>information, disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe
>privately owned rights.  No specific reference constitutes or implies
>endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States
>Government or the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory.  The views and
>opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the
>United States Government or the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory,
>and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.

Most found in: sci.*, comp.*

Sig virus:
----------

"This is a sig virus. Put me in your .sig to protect you from viruses."

>Hi! Ani mutacia shel virus .signature. Ha`atek oti letoch .signature shelcha!
>
>Ken Arromdee (UUCP: ....!jhunix!arromdee; BITNET: arromdee@jhuvm;
>     INTERNET: arromdee@jyusenkyou.cs.jhu.edu)


Most found in: comp.*

Amiga Checks:
-------------

>.---------------.-------------------------------------------------------.
>|  ___________  |  MST3000 * Monty Python * Ren&Stimpy * IRC * Erasure  |
>| (__  ., . ._) | Calvin & Hobbes * //\ *  The Muppets  *  Duran Duran  |
>| ___) |\ | |   | Douglas Adams * \X/--\migas * IO10781@Maine.maine.edu |
>`---------------'-------------------------------------------------------'


Most found in: comp.sys.amiga.*

Bart:
-----

/\/\/\/\
|      |

Most found in: talk.*, alt.*

Constellations (Especially the Southern Cross):
-----------------------------------------------

>-Tommy Mac                     .  "                  +
>.------------------------  +                      *       +
>|   Tom McWilliams; scrub       ,     .                        "        +
>|  astronomy undergrad, at     *       +;.     .  '             There is
>| Michigan State University   '                      .    "   no Gosh!
>|   18084tm@ibm.cl.msu.edu                        '      ,   *
>|       (517) 355-2178       ;  +  '                                 *
>'-----------------------

Most found in: sci.astro, sci.space

Triangles, crosses, other secret society stuff:
-----------------------------------------------

>o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
>      Friends don't let       ------  InterNet:  rcbates@cmu.edu
>   Friends vote Republican    \    /  Bitnet:    rb5d@andrew.bitnet
>            --Ron Buckmire     \  /   Prodigy:   fsrr43a
>              buckmr@rpi.edu    \/    Telephone: (412) 422-2416
>o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o
>    Carnegie Mellon University School of Urban and Public Affairs
>                University of Pittsburgh School of Law
>o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Most found in: soc.motss

>============================================================================
>Jeffrey Glen Jackson  _|_Satan jeered, "You're dead meat Jesus, I'm gonna
>jgj@ssd.csd.harris.com |     bust you up tonight."
>x5120                  | Jesus said, "Go ahead, make my day."
>                   ~~~~~~~~~ -- Carman, "The Champion"
>-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
>      A vote for Perot is a vote for the repeal of the Constitution.
>                        Just say NO to Perot.

Most found in: rec.music.christian, talk.religion.christian

Australia in ASCII:
------------------


>--
>   _-_|\    Phil Kernick                E-Mail: phil@adam.adelaide.edu.au
>  /     \   Departmental Engineer       Phone:  +61 8 228 5914
>  \_.-*_/   Dept. of Psychology         Fax:    +61 8 224 0464
>       v    University of Adelaide      Mail:   GPO Box 498 Adelaide SA 5001


Most found in: sci.*

Warlords (Very rare):
---------------------
>-----
>   \\\
>    \\\         BIGGEST SWORD IN THE WEST DUDEZ!!!1
>     \\\
>========|===============================================================\
>=       | There are some things warlords were not meant to know          >
>========|===============================================================/
>     ///       C64S ARE GREAT DUDEZ! ALL OTHERS KISS MY BUT!!!!1
>    ///
>   ///         BIFF@BIFFNET!WORLD!GRASS!FLOWER!DIRT!LAVA!HELL.EDU


Most found in: rec.martial-arts, *.sca, rec.games.*

ASCII Enterprise sig:
---------------------

>+---------------------------------------------+-------------------------+
>|____________________            __           | Jim Hunt, Intel Corp.   |
>|\______NCC_1701_____|) .____.--"--"---._____ | 5200 NE Elam Young Pkwy |
>|             \\       -----._________.----/  | Hillsboro, OR  97124    |
>|     /========\\=====/ /       "--"          | jhunt@ichips.intel.com  |
>|     \==\_____________|-(                    | (503)696-4781 (voice)   |
>|                                             | (503)681-9017 (FAX)     |
>+---------------------------------------------+-------------------------+

Most found in: rec.arts.startrek.*

Ver 1.0
--
George F. McQuary 
"He is mad, bad and dangerous to know." -Lady Caroline Lamb