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From: abs@newton.umsl.edu (Angie Schultz)
Newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban
Subject: AFU: Booked
Date: 3 Mar 1995 01:33:49 GMT

I have following this newsgroup religiously for about eight months, and don't remember seeing this mentioned. However, I was out of town for three weeks, and when I came back my newsfeed was screwed for a couple more, so I might have missed any posts on this topic. Apologies if so.

I have just come back from the bookstore[*] where I saw a tome entitled _Surfing on the Internet_ by J.C. Herz (ISBN: 0-316-35958-0). I was giggling my way through it when it occurred to me that AFU may well be included, and so it was. Got its own chapter, as a matter of fact, "Campfire Tales".

In the chapter are quoted such AFUistim as Dan Case, Ewan Kirk, Terry Chan, and J**l F*rr. The chapter also quotes an unnamed UC Davis student's version of the "Oregon blows up whale" story. Unfortunately, this story is almost *word for word* the one in _Dave Barry Talks Back_, down to the key words "a textbook whale removal". I wonder if this will break new ground in the field of plagiarism law. Were any of you contacted for permission to be quoted?

Disturbingly, the chapter paints AFU as (as the title suggests) a place where people gather to say, "Have you heard the one about..." "Yeah! But the way I heard it was..." "Oooh, that's a good one. But did you hear...". It also says that AFU is one of the few places on the net where newcomers are welcome, and cites some Hat's (sorry, I was in a hurry and do not remember who it was) comment about new blood being necessary ("blood, blood," the Old Hats panted, "give us newbie blood!")

Despite its dubious voracity about AFU, the parts of the book I had time to read were pretty damn funny. I courageously resisted the urge to buy it, though ($19.95).

Angie "off to the library" Schultz

[*] for South Bay Aryans, this was Printer's Inc in Mountain View.


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