Date: Sat, 12 Aug 1995 12:12:43 -0500

From: Alan Williams vanyel[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]RHF.BRADLEY.EDU

Subject: Re: speed (fwd)



(Another forwarded message from my friend and coworker.)



Date: Fri, 11 Aug 1995 17:23:28 -0700

From: Sylvia Swift madonna[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]VIOLET.BERKELEY.EDU

To: Multiple recipients of list ADS-L ADS-L[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UGA.CC.UGA.EDU

Subject: Re: speed



i can't point to a print source for this, but i did see tv report

(_dateline_ segment? _c/net_?) in which it was stated that ibm purposely

chose the "warp" part of its new product name "os/2 warp" (sorry,

technoheads, if i got the punctuation wrong) as a nod to _star trek_ fans

and a signal that this product will be fun to use (if i am not mistaken,

this is what they were advertising with that series of subtitled

commercials, including "we shipped shore slop" and the polish(?) nuns

with beepers). the implication was (ok, so maybe it was the inference i

drew) that roddenberry or someone connected with the original series had

coined the term; an implication whose validity i remember doubting. but

_star trek_ undoubtedly popularized the term, and ibm's new whateveritis

may make it even more so. and after all, how impressive is lightening speed

in today's world? do they still say superman is faster than a speeding

bullet and more powerful than a locomotive?



"Lightning speed" is, from what I can tell, still considered pretty

impressive. It's still faster than human. And yes, they *do* still

occasionally use the "Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful

than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!"

references to Superman, even in the comic books. It's usually when

the writer's trying to emphasize something dramatic about Superman or

the story itself, and the nostalgic appeal can't be beat.





--

____ Alan Williams \ `Chivalry is dead,' Rowena thought mor-

\ / vanyel[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]rhf.bradley.edu.edu \ osely. `It's been replaced by total

\/ awilliam[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]heartland.bradley.edu\ idiocy.' --Mercedes Lackey & Elisabeth

\ Waters, "A Dragon in Distress"