Summer Frisson 2007 Humourous Gleanings From Various Sources

article from Issue No. 31/2007 for Sunday 5th August

Origins of the Internet

An old shepherd with a crooked staff stood at a pulpit and said, '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 Com. And she said unto Abraham, 'Why dost thou travel with thy goods when thou canst trade without leaving thy tent?' And Abraham looked at her as though she were several saddles short of a camel load, but simply said, 'How, dear?' 'I will place drums in all the towns and between all the towns to send messages saying what thou hast for sale. They will reply telling thee which hath the best price. The sale can be made on the drums and delivery by Uriah's Pony Stables (UPS).' Abraham decided he would let dot have her way with the drums. And they were an immediate success.

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 brought up every drum company in the land. And did insist on making drums that would work only if beaten with Brother Gate's drumsticks.

And Dot said 'Oh Abraham, what we have started is being taken over by others.' And as Abraham looked out over the Bay of Ezekiel, or 'eBay' as it came to be known, he said, 'We need a name that reflects where we are', and Dot replied, 'Young Ambitious Hebrew Owner Operators'.

'Woopee,' said Abraham.
'No. YAHOO!' said Dot.Com . . . and that's how it all began . . .