Archive (former "Communicate" page)
2002.08.08 12:12
In my personal quest to improve communication...
...I've created this section to keep in touch with friends and family.
Instead of letting you sift through my dozens (yes, dozens) of email addresses, here's just one I bet you can remember:
blair -i*at*i- blairwillis.com
But before you go adding me to your address book, have you heard my theory on email viruses, forwards, and the meaning of life? In short, the most deadly virus on the internet is the dreaded "forward"... that endless cycle of forwarded emails on various subjects as virus warnings, urban legends, lousy jokes, top ten lists, and the impending-doom chain letter.
Perhaps you thought it was important, funny, disgusting, or life-threatening. So much perhaps that you couldn't bear not to send it to everyone in your address book, including me.
Next time... don't... please.
Imagine the compounded waste of human time spent reading about some nitwit who was so stupid he died driving his car 180mph at 3 AM in Louisiana with his headlights out and wearing night vision goggles to evade the state troopers. I can't say I haven't done that a time or two myself. And do you really believe that Micro$oft and AOhelL are going to pay you $14,376 for sending a "test marketing" email to everyone you know? Or that for every person this email gets sent to in the world, WallofChina-Mart will donate $1 to save this kid who has a rare form of elephantitis where his pinky toe has to be carried around in a wheelbarrow. Then there's the virus warning about the virus file you need to delete immediately that exists in your Windoze directory (upon deletion of which your entire system comes to a screeching halt...get a Mac and be done with it). And if I don't forward this "good luck" message to at least 10 friends in 10 minutes, I risk bodily harm and financial ruin.
But I really don't care. Or maybe I'm just recounting this story and this entire "theory" in fact just to perpetuate the meaningless waste of life known as the World Wide Wait.
Really. Wake up and stop forwarding useless email. Let's use this too-powerful medium for something meaningful. Purposeful communication, perhaps?
Enough said. I'll now dedicate this website to a higher communicative purpose.