joke e-mail + alt-8?

Factual Questions
1

I got this e-mail forwarded to me, and I was wondering what sort of deviltry the ‘alt-8’ will do to me.
here it is, anybody know?

> > >> > > > >>> > > This is a joke that is really
> > >> > > > >>> > > funny and it
> > >> > > > >>> > > works!
> > >> > > > >>> > > An old lady walked into a
> > >> > > > >>> > > Grocery Store.
> > >> > > > >>> > > She wanted to buy the best dog
> > >> > > > >>> > > food in the
> > >> > > > >>> > > world for her
> > >> > > > >>> > > little puppy. She went up to the
> > >> > > > >>> > > cash
> > >> > > > >>> > > register
> > >> > > > >>> > > to buy the food.
> > >> > > > >>> > > The sales-lady told her that the
> > >> > > > >>> > > store did
> > >> > > > >>> > > not
> > >> > > > >>> > > allow old
> > >> > > > >>> > > ladies to buy animal food unless
> > >> > > > >>> > > they show
> > >> > > > >>> > > the
> > >> > > > >>> > > actual
> > >> > > > >>> > > animal because a lot of old
> > >> > > > >>> > > ladies like to
> > >> > > > >>> > > eat
> > >> > > > >>> > > the animal food
> > >> > > > >>> > > themselves.
> > >> > > > >>> > > So the old lady went home, got
> > >> > > > >>> > > her dog and went
> > >> > > > >>> > > back to the store to buy her dog
> > >> > > > >>> > > food. The
> > >> > > > >>> > > next day she came
> > >> > > > >>> > > back to buy the best cat food
> > >> > > > >>> > > around. But the
> > >> > > > >>> > > Saleslady told her the same
> > >> > > > >>> > > thing, so the old lady went back
> > >> > > > >>> > > home and
> > >> > > > >>> > > brought her cat to the
> > >> > > > >>> > > Grocery Store to buy the cat
> > >> > > > >>> > > food. The next
> > >> > > > >>> > > day the old
> > >> > > > >>> > > went to the Grocery Store again
> > >> > > > >>> > > carrying a
> > >> > > > >>> > > big
> > >> > > > >>> > > container. She went up to
> > >> > > > >>> > > the sales lady and said, “Put
> > >> > > > >>> > > your hand
> > >> > > > >>> > > inside
> > >> > > > >>> > > here”.The Saleslady
> > >> > > > >>> > > shook her head. “NO”, she said,
> > >> > > > >>> > > “there is
> > >> > > > >>> > > probably something in there that
> > >> > > > >>> > > will bite me!”.
> > >> > > > >>> > > “I promise you that there is
> > >> > > > >>> > > nothing in here
> > >> > > > >>> > > that will bite you.”,the old
> > >> > > > >>> > > lady said. So the Saleslady
> > >> > > > >>> > > stuck her hand
> > >> > > > >>> > > inside the container and
> > >> > > > >>> > > screamed.
> > >> > > > >>> > > To find out what was inside the
> > >> > > > >>> > > container you
> > >> > > > >>> > > must send this to at
> > >> > > > >>> > > least 10 people, when it says,
> > >> > > > >>> > > your mail has
> > >> > > > >>> > > been sent…instead of
> > >> > > > >>> > > clicking OK, hit ALT-8 and the
> > >> > > > >>> > > container will
> > >> > > > >>> > > pop up on your screen.
> > >> > > > >>> > > DO THIS!!! ITS
> > >> > > > >>> > > HYSTERICAL!!!]
> > >> > > > >>> > > This is a joke that is really
> > >> > > > >>> > > funny and it
> > >> > > > >>> > > works!

2

It won’t do anything.

3

The email is designed to spread like a virus. It tricks you into sending to 10 people.

4

kinda like pushing alt-f4 or ctrl-w?

5

yeah, I figured it was to scam you into chain mailing — but what’s the point?

I doubt there was a virus w/it, but I guess I really don’t know.

6

No not a virus virus. I said like a virus. The goose who first wrote it gets an ego kick knowing it is widely seen. Like graffiti I s’pose.

7

yeah, I wasn’t referencing you.
if there was a virus, that would be the point.

I guess the comedy behind a lot of practical jokes is hard to divine.

8

Chain e-mail with a dumb lie to convince more idiots to send it.

9

Dumb plot-line as well-- who doesn’t sell pet food to old ladies?

10

by the way, the punchline is,

Now I’d like to buy some toilet paper. May I?

11

I’ve never even been asked to click OK after sending e-mail. Which mail program do they assume you’re using?

12

Another way that chain email is like a virus is that if enough people within one company forward it to each other within a short period of time, it will grind down their mail server for a period of time. Beyond that, it’s a productivity waste. If 250 employees each waste a minute reading and deleting, saving or forwarding it, that’s like four hours of employee labor down the toilet. Not exactly, of course, but still a waste of company resources.

13

If I remember correctly, AOL does, but it’s been a few years.

Come to think of it, Alt+[number] may have been shortcuts to a set of quickly-accessible links in AOL as well, similar to the Links toolbar on IE. Can anybody out there who uses AOL validate my rusty memory?

I’m sure I don’t need to explain the correlation between AOL and stupid chain e-mails. :wink: