FT185

[Bilderberger]

Rrose, thank you. I thought I was the only one. I mean, what's contained therein is interesting...it's just trying to decipher it from all the unnecessary text.

(Barry also wrote a book review that I couldn't make heads or tails of a few issues ago -- dropped in historical references without any explanatory context -- that I'm sure even the learned in the subject area would have a hard time unravelling.)

I think there's a simple solution for the Classics Corner -- loose all the paranthetical footnotes. A very unfortean thing to suggest, I know, but...gee whiz!

Polterdog.

To quote early Alan Partridge....

"By George - he's got it"

Even as a classical historian - I would entirely agree with your solution. Put the notes down the bottom - and it would be more readable. The section would become half footnotes - but the half left over would be more easily accessable...and those who want to pursue the subject would have the information ready to hand.

Makes perfect sense to me.

 

[Beakmoo]

Good idea. And they could also put it on a plain background as well. And if all else fails, get someone else to write it.
I wonder if Barry thingy reads this?

 

[Polterdog]

Perhaps the name Charles B. Horn is a clue? I can't see any anagrams that ring a bell.

Unless one considers the simple phrase "I'm on the horn" as some kind of tip of the hat or knowing wink. I'm not sure if in England you use that phrase at all ("I'm on the horn" meaning "I'm on the telephone") but it may be something to consider if, in fact, we're sure that this is a hoax piece.

S'funny, I just conducted my own odd interview with a Danish woman who claimed to be the offspring of a fairy mother and demon father and, as such, had all sorts of magical abilities and powers attributed to her. She further claimed that if scientists tried to capture her she'd "have to kill them probably." I doubt now that I could ever publish it, like the Charles B. Horn interview, without anybody believing that such a person actually existed.

Polterdog.

 

[Bilderberger]

Unless one considers the simple phrase "I'm on the horn" as some kind of tip of the hat or knowing wink. I'm not sure if in England you use that phrase at all ("I'm on the horn" meaning "I'm on the telephone") but it may be something to consider if, in fact, we're sure that this is a hoax piece.

S'funny, I just conducted my own odd interview with a Danish woman who claimed to be the offspring of a fairy mother and demon father and, as such, had all sorts of magical abilities and powers attributed to her. She further claimed that if scientists tried to capture her she'd "have to kill them probably." I doubt now that I could ever publish it, like the Charles B. Horn interview, without anybody believing that such a person actually existed.

Polterdog.

I presume that you do not need an English person to explain the double entendre of the word "horn" at all?

It certainly does not involve the telephone!

 

[Polterdog]

I presume that you do not need an English person to explain the double entendre of the word "horn" at all?

I was kinda trying to tie it into the whole telecommunications angle...but if it is a hoax then using the surname "Horn" in the additional context that you have in mind is, ahem, a stroke of genius. Triple word score.

Polterdog.

 

[Anome]

The article on D-Day and Operation BODYGUARD (and FORTITUDE and COPPERHEAD, etc) were fascinating.

Anyone know where I can get a .gif of the Fourth Army insignia? (The FUSAG one is all over the place, but I prefer the Fourth Army.) I may have to scan it in from the magazine.

(There's a thought, I'll go check the FT site.)

 

[Tyger_Lily]

At school we're doing a big display in History about D-Day and I took the mag in for the head of the dept. She thought it was fantastic and explained it to the children who were enraptured.

 

[Anonymous]

I was kinda trying to tie it into the whole telecommunications angle...but if it is a hoax then using the surname "Horn" in the additional context that you have in mind is, ahem, a stroke of genius. Triple word score

It isn't a hoax. It's a pointless spoof. Badly done. Which is why we can all look up and see that the site is registered to an employee of the FT.

If they'd been trying slightly harder they would have, at least, registered the domain with private individual whose email address wasn't with the magazine publishers.

 

[Polterdog]

It isn't a hoax. It's a pointless spoof. Badly done. Which is why we can all look up and see that the site is registered to an employee of the FT.

I'm not disagreeing with you (semantical differences on what constitutes a written hoax or a spoof notwithstanding). In fact, I'm impressed that you actually investigated the matter as thoroughly as you did and were able to turn up the information that you presented here. What I am saying, however, is that before I cry 'foul', I'd like to see if the editorial staff addresses the situation and what they will say in their defence, given the evidence that you have submitted. In other words, I'm fence-sitting, as any good fortean would do.

I have the sneaky suspicion myself that the Charles B. Horn article, combined with the "The Modern Mentalist", "Bodyguard of Lies", "Magic Goes to War", and "The Cosmic Joker" pieces, having all been cut from the same cloth, make up the theme of FT 185: Trickery. Am I saying that the FBI piece on Horn belongs in the issue, given your findings? No, but, again, let's see what David has to say on the issue before we burn him in effigy, okay?

There may be a logical explanation that hasn't been considered -- that doesn't have to do with test-marketing or anything sinister along those rather dubious commercial lines.

Benefit of the doubt. That's all that I'm saying...

Polterdog.

 

[Daftbugger1]

When I read the article, I realised that it's the 2nd time in 2 issues that FT have done a 'point and laugh at the idiot' article, the other one being the numberology guy in issue 184. I think it's getting a bit sad.

I think since the author wrote a book called 'Meetings with Strange Men' says it all really.

 

[Rrose_Selavy]

Am I the only one who thinks that "Privately published" "papers" (the "references" at the end of the Senders article) is a contradiction in terms?







I could say i've got Jesus Christ's autobiography but it's privately published, (ie i printed it off my computer) but it ain't much use to the rest of mankind let alone FT readers.........

 

[songhrati]

Choice of Photos used in Spam article?

While I concur with people about the veracity (or lack thereof) of the Spam Sender theory article, what I couldn't understand was why the article was illustrated with photos of two former Chief Ministers of the Northern Territory (of Australia). The photo purporting to be of Horn is actually of Denis Burke MLA, (see http://www.clp.org.au/parliamentary wing/bios/burke_bio.htm for photo and bio) while his former partner Bill Stone is in fact a photo of Marshall Perron (see http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/2002/May02/Perron.htm for photo of Mr Perron).

While I'm merely amused by the article, I'm slightly worried about what Mr Burke (and his lawyers) thinks about being identified as a man who thinks that aliens want him to have bigger erections.

Zane

 

[Anome]

I'm afraid I wouldn't have recognised any former Chief Ministers of NT. (I have problems remembering what the Federal MPs round here look like.) It does, however, provide an interesting spin to the article.