Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!ames!netsys!vector!telecom-gateway From: idacom!danny@uunet.uu.net (Danny Wilson) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Urban Legend Message-ID: Date: 27 Mar 89 02:56:49 GMT Sender: news@vector.UUCP Organization: IDACOM Electronics Ltd., Edmonton, Alta. Lines: 31 Approved: telecom-request@vector.uucp X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@vector.uucp X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 110, message 5 of 6 In article , ucla-an!denwa!bongo!julian@seas. ucla.edu (julian macassey) writes: > In article , GUYDOSRM%SNYPLABA.BITNET @CORNELLC.CIT.CORNELL.EDU writes: > (There follows the usual story, deleted here for brevity, of how dog is > chained up, gets electric shock from phone ringing, urinates, sends ground > to the phone line, etc....) > This tale is waht is known today as "Urban Legend", such stories used to > be called "Old Wives Tales". I have heard this story from telco people all > over the world. For what its worth, these urban legends have been studied for some time now by the academic community. I heard a radio interview with an author that searched the origins of such stories. Although I can't remember that authors name, a while back another newsgroup furnished the following reference to urban legends: "The Vanishing Hitchhiker" by Brunvand Although I would really like to read this book, I haven't actually gone out and bought it yet. Has anyone read it? Danny Wilson danny@idacom.uucp IDACOM Electronics Edmonton, Alberta C A N A D A