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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 ? .

8 of 428 comments (clear)

  1. 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.

  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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!"
  5. 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.