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From: preece@uicsl.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: arming airliners - (nf)
Message-ID: <2888@uiucdcs.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 19-Sep-83 22:45:05 EDT
Article-I.D.: uiucdcs.2888
Posted: Mon Sep 19 22:45:05 1983
Date-Received: Tue, 20-Sep-83 16:58:11 EDT
Lines: 22

#R:houca:-39100:uicsl:5400024:000:933
uicsl!preece    Sep 19 11:47:00 1983

		I am GLAD that he didn't put one of those moronic ":-)"
	symbols on the article.  If your article is funny, it doesn't need the
	":-)"; if it does need the ":-)", it isn't funny and should never have
	been posted.
----------
I can agree that the presence of the joke symbol vitiates the humor, if
only slightly, but I have less faith than tim in the ability of the
net's writers to generate unambiguous humor. The article in question (about
arming airliners) was well within the bounds of serious comments we've
seen here and the author has, in fact, followed it up with a supporting
note that implies that the original was at most whimsical and certainly
not sarcastic.

The ittle joke bug (":-)") helps avoids  misunderstandings and should
be used, if discreetly, for anything short of python-esque absurdity.

scott preece
pur-ee!uiucdcs!uicsl!preece
(If i understand the situation now, this should be in net.followup, i hope).