Date:         Sat, 31 Jan 1998 11:47:25 EST
From: "too early..one mroe ting" <mbarker@MIT.EDU>
Subject:      Re: [WRITERS] SUB: TECH: Virus

(I'm going to leave the topic tags alone so that the same people get
to see this...if someone feels moved to continue this, please change the
topic--probably to FILL:)

Unfortunately, this is a hoax.  Thank you for the concern that led to
you posting it.

for this particular one, see:
http://ciac.llnl.gov/ciac/CIACHoaxes.html#joincrew

in general, take a look at
http://ciac.llnl.gov/ciac/CIACHoaxes.html
for many, many, many wonderful falsehoods of the internet...

In general, this displays at least a few of the markers of the
internet hoax--it requests that you send it to everyone you can (the
desire for an email epidemic) and it alludes vaguely to "authorities"
(IBM, AOL) as somehow legitimitizing the claim, without providing any
way to check on it (neither web page nor serious direct email).

sorry, but this has been a hoax.  take two logical fallacies and
discuss their use in writing...and write a Valentine's Day Contest
entry!

tink