From: Alan Horowitz	<alanh@infi.net>
Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 12:49:53 +0800
Subject: No Subject
Message-ID: <199608190239.WAA03658@larry.infi.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


On Sat, 17 Aug 1996, Faun A. Skyles wrote:

> Are the typical "mom & pop" mail forwarding companies going to understand
> snail-mail gateways?  Some of them refuse to use a computer!

   Oh my God. A business that didn't computerize itself. Don't they know, 
that modern situational ethics require a business to place itself at the 
mercy of a computer, whether or not the old, manual systems were working 
JUST FINE.  And then they have to upgrade their hardare every two years, 
so that they can balance their checkbook in 256 colors. And then they 
have to upgrade to the latest version of WordPerfect every two years, 
whether or not the old typewriter and manila file folders were working 
JUST FINE.

Oh how superior we young squirts are to those antiquarians. Hey, let's 
sit around and make fun of them and criticize them.



> For example,
> many charge $2 - $3 to transcribe a telephone message for you, then they
> snail mail it to your next location.

    Oh my God. Charging the customer for each service rendered, so that
those who place demands on the time of the business - pay for it. Oh my
God, someone using the Postal System, which is still head-and-shoulder
above the Internet in universal accessibility on the road, entry costs and
security. Hey let's sit around and criticise that. After all, we don't 
want to admit that not every message in the world needs to be delivered 
to the recipient in ten minutes or less.





> It's pretty low-tech.  I'd like to offer a high-tech alternative.

    And who's stopping you? I've got ten dollars that says that you 
don't have the balls/intestinal fortitude to do it, and keep it going 
for  - oh, let's say the five years that the IRS uses to judge a 
business's profitability?




> My grandparents are still using old forms of communications too! 

   Well that's the final straw. What a useless and meaningless life they 
have. We couldn't admit or accept that they've got a completely happy 
life, could we.