SC - OOP, OT Fw: An Appreciative Child

[Par Leijonhufvud]

On Thu, 13 Apr 2000, Izzy wrote:

> Hi evryone.  Sorry to bring this here, but you might like to help this
> young girl with her experiment.  I know the girls parents so I can garuntee
> that it's not one of those terrible chain letters.  It is a legit science
> experiment.
> Please don't flame me.

I won't flame you. But I *will* point out why I think it is a
spectacularly bad idea to begin with, and and (almost)? as bad to
comply with the request.

1. Assuming this works as well as she hopes it will, have she checked
that her email system can handle the load (thousands of emails a day
is unfortunately quite possible)?

2. There is no start or end date for the project. She'll get email to
that address for years to come.

3. The address goes to a college. Is it her address? If I understand the
Canadian educational system a fifth grade student is not attending
college.

4. Just how is it different from one of the *other* "terrible chain
letters"? It is advocating us to send things off to "AS MANY PEOPLE AS
POSSIBLE", which pretty much is the definition of a terrible chain
letter, and in a years time it will be one of them.

/UlfR

> --------------------------------------------------
> Will you help me with my Science Experiment?
> 
> My name is Alexa and I am a Grade Five Student in Lethbridge, Alberta
> Canada (that is about two hours south of Calgary, Alberta where the 1988
> Olympics were held).  In grade five were are expected to do a Science
> project and I am doing one on how the internet has opened up the world.
> I got this idea from some other students that were doing a Social
> Studies geography project.
> 
> I am really curious to see where in the world my e-mail will travel on
> the internet and how fast I get responses.  I am going to map out the
> places I get e-mails from as well as how many and how fast.
> 
> So,  I would like your HELP!!!
> 
> I am asking that you do these two things:
> 
> 1)  E-mail me and tell me your location so that I can plot it on my
> world map.  (city/town, state/province, country)
> 
> 2)  Forward this letter to AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE!!  (even if they
> live in the same town as you)
> 
> Thank you for any help that you can give.
> 
> My e-mail address is:  stone at uleth.ca
> 
> I hope you will help me.
> 
> Alexa
> ---------------------------------------------------


- -- 
Par Leijonhufvud                                      parlei at algonet.se
Documentation: (n.) a novel sold with software, designed to entertain the
operator during episodes of bugs or glitches.  
		-- Tonkin's First Computer Dictionary