ÿ@SUBJECT:alt.shenanigans - FAQ and guidelines for posting ÿ@PACKOUT:02-01-94…Fr Message-ID: <2icrsk$qsh@xmission.xmission.com> Newsgroup: alt.shenanigans,alt.answers,news.answers Organization: XMission Public Access Internet (801 539 0900) Archive-name: shenanigans-faq Last-modified: 1993/12/31 Version: 1.08 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- - alt.shenanigans - FAQ and guidelines for posting - ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This newsgroup was created for the discussion of harmless practical jokes, known herein as "shenanigans". Other practical jokes, pranks, tricks, randomness, and generally just acting silly, are also discussed. Obviously I can't control what is posted, so there are no rules - but this document should give you some idea of what the group was intended for. The entirety of the alt.shenanigans newsgroup, from day one, is preserved in the alt.shenanigans archive. For information on this, and on the shenanigans mailing list, see topic #5 below. This FAQ is maintained by michael moncur (mgm@xmission.com) with help and/or suggestions from: Charles Perkins (perkins@admn1.law.utah.edu) Thomas Lund (tlund@news.weeg.uiowa.edu) Daniel Reinker (dementia@cheshire.oxy.edu) Curt Siffert (siffert@spot.colorado.edu) Also, thanks to the following for their suggestions and corrections: Scott Flanagan John Wolter Aaron L Dickey Blake P. Wood Jim J Moskowitz Constance L. Villani Jacob Solomon Weinstein Russell Schulz Jorn Barger [ and several folks whose addresses I've lost track of ] If you have any additions, corrections, or condiments for this FAQ, please send them to me (mgm@xmission.com). This FAQ, and many others, are available via anonymous FTP at the site rtfm.mit.edu. This one is /pub/usenet/news.answers/shenanigans-faq. It's also available from the alt.shenanigans archive at the site elf.tn.cornell.edu as /shenanigans/shenanigans-faq. ============================= CONTENTS: 1. What exactly is a shenanigan? 2. What ISN'T a shenanigan? 3. What NOT to post in alt.shenanigans (Frequently Annoying Questions) 4. Shenanigans We've All Heard Before 5. Books relating to shenanigans 6. Resources for useful materials 7. Shenanigan info available online, related newsgroups, etc. ============================= --------------------------------- 1. What exactly is a shenanigan? --------------------------------- A shenanigan is something that is done for no purpose other than to confuse or fool its intended victim. Shenanigans differ from the mainstream usage of "practical jokes" or "pranks" in that they are, above all, harmless. Throwing eggs at someone's car is a prank; Handing out eggs with odd sayings written on them at a mall is a shenanigan. I hate to use this example, but most of the things you see on "TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes" are shenanigans. Although there is much overlap between practical jokes, pranks, and shenanigans, I would like to make this distinction: The victim responds to a prank by saying, "Damn those kids!" or "I'll get you for this." (Or by taking legal action.) A shenanigan, on the other hand, receives a response such as "Why would anyone go to the trouble?" or "I don't get it." from 'normal' citizens, or is responded to in kind by a fellow shenaniganist. In short, if you laugh at it, even if you're the victim... It's probably a shenanigan. Obviously different people laugh at very different things, so use your judgement and know your victim. It should be noted that this is strictly "my" definition of the term, and any similarity to your definition or the dictionary's is entirely coincidental. ----------------------------- 2. What ISN'T a shenanigan? ----------------------------- - Physically harmful things, such as putting Nair in a shampoo bottle, ex-lax in someone's food, or sugar in their gas tank. - VANDALISM. Putting bubble-bath in a fountain, breaking things, repainting people's mailboxes or houses. Sometimes funny, but these are pranks, and usually illegal, and not shenanigans. - THEFT. Switching price tags (if you actually BUY the things), stealing books from libraries, etc. - RUDENESS. Saran-wrapping toilets. Throwing water balloons at someone who wasn't expecting them. Anything that forces someone to change their clothes. Bear in mind that there can not be a solid list of "what is/isn't a shenanigan", since it varies depending on the victim. For example, throwing water balloons at businessmen is not a shenanigan, but throwing them at your brother may be okay; throwing water balloons at me is okay, but throwing them at Bill Clinton is a Felony in the United States. One final rule... When in doubt, post it anyway. The worst that can happen is a silly flamewar, and when a flamewar happens on alt.shenanigans, it's hard to tell if it's real or fake. Also, notice that every time a flamewar erupts someone will make the classic "So, was your posting supposed to be a shenanigan?" post. Watch for it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 3. What NOT to post in alt.shenanigans (Frequently Annoying Questions) ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Once again, I'm not in any control - but these are some things that you may regret if you post them. 1. I'm really annoyed with X. Could everyone do me a favor and send really huge files to his email address? There are two major reasons not to post this: first, it's stupid, blatant, and harms everyone by overrunning the bandwidth of the net. Second, this is alt.shenanigans - if you're foolish enough to post this, expect the mail to come to YOUR address instead. However, if you see such a post, PLEASE just ignore it. You don't really know if the person who posted it was even using his own account, and everyone will suffer. 2. What can I do about the guy who always parks in my parking space? I don't know why, but these questions keep coming up. The answer is simple - ask him not to. If that doesn't work, you're on your own. A shenanigan might confuse him, annoy him, or make him mad, but I doubt it will convince him to stop parking there. 3. You can't even spell 'honorificabilitudinatatibus', so why do you think you know so much about shenanigans? Well, I know that all newsgroups are plagued by spelling flames, but I can dream, can't I? --------------------------------------- 4. Shenanigans We've All Heard Before --------------------------------------- There are certain things that get posted about once a month by different people. Perhaps this is a shenanigan itself; If not, here are some of them so that you can avoid being the one to post them. [alt.shenanigans veterans: I'm probably forgetting a few of these. Suggestions are welcome.] 1. Dorm Pranks. I'm sure there are some creative ones - I've heard some great ones - but there are certain ones that haunt us: "Pennying" someone into their dorm; rearranging their furniture; bricking up their doors; and so on. If you've got an original one... By all means post it. 2. Using "Business Reply Mail" cards to mail, say, for example, BRICKS... Not only is this not a shenanigan; it's also illegal and simply doesn't work. Here's a quote from a United States Postal Service bulletin: "When someone attaches your business reply envelope to a larger package (or even to a brick), you don't have to accept it and pay postage. Postage is due on non-letter size pieces only if the sender affixed your business reply _label_." ...So the only victim in this case is the Post Office, and the last thing we need are more angry postal workers with bricks in their hands. -------------------------------- 5. Books related to shenanigans -------------------------------- [This list is by no means complete. If you've got any such books, or can clarify something about these ones, kindly mail me the info as below. Dates and Publishers would be nice, too.] - Richard P. Feynman, "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" Feynman was one of the world's greatest theoretical physicists and was awarded the Nobel Prize in physics; but this is not a book about science. It's a collection of stories from his past, ranging from scientific discovery to meeting girls - and many of them are first-rate shenanigans. An excellent book, particularly if you think that scientists are boring. - Richard P. Feynman, "What Do _You_ Care What Other People Think" A second book by Feynman, this one is mostly serious. It includes some stories from his past, and the latter half of the book tells of his experience in the committee that studied the "Challenger Disaster". Despite a more serious tone, it's a funny and enjoyable book. Feynman died in 1988, and will be missed. - Penn Jillette and Teller, "How to Play With Your Food" A collection of food-related magic tricks, shenanigans, pranks, and humorous stories. Includes props for some of the tricks. - Penn Jillette and Teller, "Penn & Teller's Cruel Tricks for Dear Friends" Another collection by Penn and Teller, again with props included. - Don Novello, "The Lazlo Letters" ...and "Citizen Lazlo: The Lazlo Letters volume 2" Workman Publishing, NY, 1977 and 1992 Don Novello (who played Father Guido Sarducci on Saturday Night Live) has collected a series of letters written by himself under the pseudonym of Lazlo Toth. The letters are to world leaders, corporate giants, and others, and most include a reply. A humorous inspiration to the literary-minded shenaniganist. - There are also two other books of similar letter-writing pranks: "Outrageously Yours" by Bruce West, 1986 "Modest Proposals" by Randy Cohen, 1981 Specifics on these would be appreciated. - Harry Anderson, "Games you can't lose: A guide for suckers" Pocket Books, 1989 Harry Anderson, the magician, comedian, and sometimes actor on Night Court and lately Dave's World, wrote this collection of sucker bets and such. I haven't actually seen it, but I suspect it's good. - Peter van der Linden, "The Official Handbook of Practical Jokes," Signet, ISBN 0-451-15873-3, 1989 and "The Second Official Handbook of Practical Jokes," Signet, 1991, ISBN 0-451-16924-7 Two collections of practical jokes, urban legends, and delightfully bad illustrations. This is yet another one that I haven't seen - I should really get out more often, shouldn't I. - "Legends of Caltech" and "More Legends of Caltech", authors unknown This details both Rosebowl shenanigans, the Hollywood sign changeover, and a bunch of other random shenanigans done by Caltech students. Caltech is also where Richard Feynman taught and goofed off for many years. I think the books are available from the Caltech bookstore: (818) 395-5121 - at least, they used to ship them everywhere... - Neil Steinberg, "If At All Possible, Involve A Cow" ISBN: 0-312-07810-2 St Martin's Press, 1992 A book about college pranks in general; it covers a number of different universities, and has a chapter devoted to comparing MIT pranks to Caltech pranks. RE/Search Publications, RE/Search #11 "Pranks" ISBN 0-940642-10-7 RE/Search Publications, 20 Romolo #B, SF CA 94133 Interviews with: Tim Leary, Abbie Hoffman, Paul Krassner, Mark Pauline (!), Boyd Rice, Monte Cazazzo, Jello Biafra, Bruce Conner, John Waters, and Henry Rollins. More about pranks than shenanigans... but there's a fine line. - The Journal of Irreproducible Results (periodical) This Journal publishes parodies of scientific studies. It is conceivable that any shenanigan with the pretense of scientific rigor or possible technological utility could be sent in for publication. Here's the submission address: Marc Abrahams, Editor The Journal of Irreproducible Results c/o Wisdom Simulators, Inc. PO Box 853 Cambridge, MA 02238 [send a SASE for writers' guidelines] - Games Magazine (periodical) Games has a lot of puzzles, brain teasers, contests, and information on gaming in general. It also, however, presents a lot of dirty tricks including fake ads, practical jokes (every april issue), and even a really evil Penn & Teller trick. Some of the past articles have discussed practical jokes, carnival gaffs, and sucker bets. ---------------------------------- 6. Resources for useful materials ---------------------------------- Since creativity is at the heart of shenanigans, there is no set of "tools" that one needs; What one needs is merely the right attitude. Nonetheless, some items just inspire shenanigans, and it's nice to keep a few handy. [ Please send additions to this list to mgm@xmission.com ] Johnson Smith Company 4514 19th St. Court East PO Box 25500 Bradenton, FL 34206-5500 This company sells all of the "classic" practical joke items - joy buzzers, water balloons, fake parking tickets, ad infinitum. Send for a catalog. Oriental Trading Company P.O. Box 3407 Omaha, NE 68103-0407 (800) 228-2269 OTC doesn't sell anything that is intended for practical jokes - but it's a goldmine for the creative shenaniganster. Balloons, rubber balls, plastic fish, funky toy sunglasses, stickers... All sold by the dozen or by the gross, at incredibly good prices. Call and ask for their catalog - they'll ship it UPS for free. American Science and Surplus PO Box 48838 Niles, IL 60714-0838 (708) 982-0870 A catalog with scientific-type stuff, possibly useful for shenanigans. I haven't actually seen this one yet. Edmund Scientific Company 101 E. Gloucester Pike Barrington, NJ 08007-1380 (609) 547-8880 Another scientific supply house. A bit on the expensive side, but they do have alot of useful items for the technically-oriented shenaniganist, and a few bizarre novelty items - magnets of all sorts, telescopes and lenses, weather balloons, and of course Sea Monkeys and jumping quarters. Gall's Inc. 2470 Palumbo Drive Lexington, KY 40555-4658 (800) 477-7766, fax (800) 944-2557 These guys are THE place to order all sorts of neat-o police equipment, everything from breathalyzers to police car light bars and sirens and firefighting equipment, etc. It's a GREAT catalog to flip through no matter what, and just about the only things the public isn't allowed to order is car entry tools and police badges. (Don't forget the POLICE LINE: DO NOT CROSS tape) Of course, don't forget the produce section at your local supermarket. You'd be amazed at how many strange looks you can get just by carrying the right fruit or vegetable. Try talking to it for added effect. --------------------------------------------------------------- 7. Shenanigan info available online, related newsgroups, etc. --------------------------------------------------------------- Related newsgroups: alt.folklore.urban is a newsgroup that deals with "urban legends", and many shenanigans are urban legends - the kidnapped garden gnome that sent postcards from throughout the country, the students who stole all of the barber poles in a town... Of course, these might have happened, probably more than once. You may also want to check out alt.folklore.college, alt.folklore.computers, alt.fan.lemurs, and of course alt.fan.henry-j-tillman. The alt.shenanigans archive: All of the posts, good and bad, from alt.shenanigans - down to the first post - are in this archive. It's usually within a week of up-to-date. It's at elf.TN.Cornell.EDU, in the /shenanigans directory. If you have trouble accessing it, or don't have FTP access, send mail to mgm@xmission.com, and we can possibly make other arrangements. You'll also find the latest version of this FAQ at this site. [NOTE: The archive is being regularly updated again, and at present is current through December 27th.] The shenanigans mailing list: This mailing list exists independently of alt.shenanigans, and is used for planning 'unpublicized' shenanigans. For further information, send mail to siffert@spot.colorado.edu . ------------------------- This FAQ is Copyright (C) 1993, michael moncur. It may be distributed in any form as long as the file, including this notice, remains intact. Actual mileage may vary. Do not hang from towel or insert head into towel loop. Cooking time may vary depending on size, shape, and variety of potato. Do not read this FAQ while asleep or in the shower. -- ~` michael moncur, BC, OEADM - mgm@xmission.com - mgm@world.std.com ~` "Talking much about oneself can also be a means to conceal oneself." -- Friedrich Nietzsche -------------------------------------------------------------------------------