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How The Postman Almost Owned E-Mail

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the well-kinda dept.

Thrawn writes "'Imagine that the U.S. Postal Service was in charge of e-mail. Sound absurd? It does to most people until they realize that it almost happened.' " I think the chance of it actually happening are massively overstated in this article, but it's still an interesting "What If". But about as likely, as say, The Confederacy ? winning the US Civil War ? .

18 of 428 comments (clear)

  1. Scary... by Rellik66 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Great, just what I wanted, a disgrunteled postal worker handling all my E-Mail

    --

    Too many zeros, not enough ones

    1. Re:Scary... by $rtbl_this · · Score: 3, Funny

      Great, just what I wanted, a disgrunteled postal worker handling all my E-Mail

      As opposed to one of us happy, well-balanced sysadmins? :)

      --
      "Are you being weird, or sarcastic?" said Emma. I said I didn't know because I get the two feelings mixed up.
  2. may have been a good idea? by jeffy124 · · Score: 2, Funny

    would keep my inbox spam free if they charged 37 cents per email

    --
    The One Rule Of Chess You'll Ever Need: Don't play someone who carries a kit in their bookbag.
  3. No e-mail when it snows? by rtnz · · Score: 2, Funny

    So does this mean we wouldn't get e-mail if it snowed?

    Doh.

  4. think for 2 seconds though... by edrugtrader · · Score: 1, Funny

    government somehow implements the $.05/email they have been trying to pass for years.

    very little spam: cost = $.50 a day

    if the service could guarantee it, it might be worth it.

    obviously this would be an AOL type deal where everyone has to use the goverments mail servers, and nothing would be stopping anyone else from setting up their own mail servers... but it is a pretty good 'what if' in that sense

    --
    MARIJUANA, SHROOMS, X: ONLINE?! - E
  5. Postman by Wrexen · · Score: 5, Funny

    Sorry, I find it highly unlikely that Costner could have "owned" anything

    1. Re:Postman by DEBEDb · · Score: 5, Funny

      The Postman always pings twice...

      --

      Considered harmful.
    2. Re:Postman by Fastball · · Score: 4, Funny

      This is actually one of Costner's better movies. Yeah, I know, he's put forth some real stinkers, but The Postman was thought provoking despite being too long. The point that the post office and the postman help people communicate with each other & thus bring us together is not something that comes out of Hollywood often.

  6. US Postal Email.... by MosesJones · · Score: 3, Funny


    Process..

    Email addresses are in the form

    Name@Address@Town@State@Country

    Printers are "conveniently located" throughout the country. Postal service works include email delivery as part of their standard round.

    Could be worse though, they could have had accountants run it. Then we'd all be told how the value of the network was huge as millions of dollars of Nigerian money was being offered on a daily basis.

    --
    An Eye for an Eye will make the whole world blind - Gandhi
  7. What? by rmohr02 · · Score: 3, Funny
    But about as likely, as say, The Confederacy winning the US Civil War.
    The, ahem, War of Northern Aggression hasn't been lost yet. The South shall rise again!
    1. Re:What? by alizard · · Score: 5, Funny
      The South shall rise again!

      Try Viagra.

      --
      Tech Public Policy stuff
    2. Re:What? by Erwos · · Score: 2, Funny

      Didn't it already? Bill is from Arkansas, Dubya is from Texas. Those damn southerners are running the country! NOOOOOOOOOOOO! *cries in a corner*

      -Erwos

      --
      Plausible conjecture should not be misrepresented as proof positive.
  8. Re:Owned Email? No. First Hotmail. by therealmoose · · Score: 1, Funny

    Are you suggesting that Hemos would DRAMATIZE a news article? Burn heretic!

  9. Re:The Confederacy winning the US Civil War?. by Uncle+Gropey · · Score: 1, Funny

    Them ol' boys, they jest ran out o bullits, or theyd a done an kicked them damn yankees in their blamed nuts.

    --
    My blog can kick your blog's ass
  10. Umm... by TechnoLust · · Score: 3, Funny

    FedEX/UPS/UHL/Airborne Express don't stop regularly
    Neither does my postman!

    --
    "Da ist ein Technölüst in mein Unterpanten!"
  11. Re:If USPS did email... by FredMcGriff · · Score: 2, Funny

    And I'd get all of my neighbor's printouts... and all of the printouts for the previous owners.

  12. The war isn't over ... by The+AtomicPunk · · Score: 2, Funny

    ... we're just re-arming and waiting for the right opportunity.

    If at first you don't secede ...

  13. The Germans? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Didn't know it was 'the Germans'...