With all the talk of the origins of this, that and the other thing going on, I hope you enjoy this humorous look at the history of the internet. I know we are a group with IDIC (infinite diversity, infinite combinations) and I mean no offense to anyone's beliefs. This is just humor. Betty Ann mailto:[log in to unmask] "In a cat's eyes, all things belong to cats." English Proverb > >And, lo, it came to pass that the trader by the name of Abraham Com did take >unto himself a young wife by the name of Dot. And Dot Com was a comely woman, >broad of shoulder and long of leg. Indeed, she had been called Amazon Dot Com. >And she said unto Abraham, her husband, "Why doth thou travel far from town to >town with thy goods, when thou can trade without ever leaving thy tent?" > >And Abraham did look at her as though she were several saddle bags short of a >camel load, but simply said, "How, dear?" And Dot replied, "I will place drums >in all the towns and drums in between to send messages saying what you have for >sale and they will reply telling you which hath the best price. And the sale >can be made on the drums and delivery by Uriah's Pony Stable (UPS)." > >Abraham thought long and decided he would let Dot have her way with the drums. >And Dot said, "There will be a lot of banging in the land". And Abraham >replied, "It is my most fervent wish that this be so". And the drums rang out >and were an immediate success. Abraham sold all the goods he had, at the top >price, without ever moving from his tent. > >But his success did arouse envy. A man named Maccabia did secrete himself >inside Abraham's drum and was accused of insider trading. > >And the young did take to Dot Com's trading as doth the greedy horsefly to >camel dung. They were called Nomadic Ecclesiastical Rich Dominican Siderites, >or NERDS for short. > > And, lo, the land was so feverish with joy at the new riches and the deafening >sound of drums, that no one noticed that the real riches were going to the drum >maker, one Brother William of Gates, who bought up every drum company in the >land. And indeed did insist on making drums that would only work if you bought >Brother William's drumsticks. > >And Dot did say, "Oh, Abraham, what we have started is being taken over by >others". And as Abraham looked out over the Bay of Ezekiel, or as it came to be >known, "eBay", he said, "We need a name of a service that reflects what we >are." And Dot replied, "Young Ambitious Hebrew Owner Operators". > >"Whoopee!", said Abraham. > >"No, YAHOO!", said Dot Com. > > >Mr. Cole's Axiom: The sum of the intelligence of the planet is a constant. >The population is increasing.