Subject: Joke: Internet Cleaning
Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 10:27:54 -0500


Internet Cleaning Notice
========================

DO NOT CONNECT TO THE INTERNET FROM 31-MAR-99 23:59 (GMT) UNTIL 02-APR-99 
00:01 (GMT)

*** Attention ***

It's that time again! As many of you know, each year the Internet must be 
shut down for 24 hours in order to allow us to clean it. The cleaning 
process, which eliminates dead email and inactive ftp, www and gopher 
sites, allows for a better-working and faster Internet. 

This year, the cleaning process will take place from 31-MAR-99 23:59 
(GMT) until 02-APR-99 00:01 (GMT). During that 24-hour period, five 
powerful Internet-crawling robots situated around the world will search 
the Internet and delete any expired data that they find. 

In order to protect your valuable data from deletion we ask that you do 
the following: 

1. Delete your own expired data prior to 31-MAR-99.  This will make our 
job much easier.
2. Mark each file that you wish to protect with the extension ".DND" 
which stands for "Do Not Delete".  (Be sure to mark EVERY file on your 
hard disk, as the robots are actually not that powerful or smart.  You 
may reassign their original 3 letter extensions on 02-APR-99.  Be sure to 
run Windows REGEDIT to do this important step.)
3. Refrain from connecting any computer to the Internet in any way during 
the cleaning period. (This includes logging into AOL, for which we have 
designated one very special and powerful robot, specially programmed to 
look for pornographic and get-rich-quick offers.)

We understand the inconvenience that this may cause some Internet users, 
and we apologize. However, we are certain that any inconveniences will be 
more than made up for by the increased speed and efficiency of the 
Internet, once it has been cleared of electronic flotsam and jetsam. We 
thank you for your cooperation. 

Fu Ling Yu 
Interconnected Network Maintenance Staff Main Branch, 
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

IS Managers and Domain Managers: Since the last Internet cleaning, the 
number of Internet users has grown dramatically. Please assist us in 
alerting the public to the upcoming Internet cleaning by posting this 
message where your users will be able to read it. 

Please pass this message on to other IS managers Internet users as well. 

Thank you. 

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