This article is classified "Real"
As a Hitchhiker, you may or may not find yourself someday hitchhiking on
Earth's Information Superhighway, but if you do you are sure to encounter
a phenomenon known as .signature files, also called .sigs. These signature
files are commonly used by travellers on the Information Superhighway to
convey meaningful (and sometimes not so meaningful) information to other
travellers who read their message. Some examples of this phenomenon
follow.
Some .sig files include just the basics, name, organization, ways to
contact the person and possibly an obligatory quote and a small picture,
as in the following.
------ Ryan Tucker (rtucker@worf.infonet.net) -----------------------------
//
( o.o ) .oO (Oh no! I'm outta food! I'll just leave a "note" for Ryan..)
> <
*** Yet another CatSig by Ryan Tucker, rtucker@worf.infonet.net! ***
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
A .sig might include cryptic quotes, the exact meaning of which remains
unknown to the average reader.
------ Kor the Mighty (glouser@leland.stanford.edu) -----------------------
A .sig is like a huge, radioactive potato. Well, no, I guess not.
Kor the Mighty / Grant Glouser / glouser@leland.stanford.edu
qablIjDaq Soj tu'lu'bejchugh, vaj DatIvba'
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
It could contain large ASCII pictures of just about anything.
------ Paul Stacy (stacyp@alpha.acast.nova.edu) ---------------------------
Lt. K'orvette tai-H'Nter ______ ______ Fleet Operations Officer,
Chief Engineer, //____//____ Klingon Legion of Assault
IKV DaH'HoS /.-- / //- --. Warriors (Fourth Fleet)
______.-------(__,-|-|=====|-|-,__)-------.______
.-' bortaS blr -@/-/ Revenge is a dish `-.
(o) jablu'Dl' reH `-----' which is best (o)
' QaQqu'nay' Qapla' served cold `
Naples, Florida, USA, Earth (Sol III), Terran System, Fed. sector 001
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Many .sigs include acronyms, although few contain a description to tell
you what the acronym means.
------ Herve BINDA (hbinda@ensem.u-nancy.fr) ------------------------------
o o
|||/
(o o)
+-------------------------oOO--()--OOo------------------------+
| Herve Binda ( aka corwyn ) |
| E.N.S.E.M | C.R.I.N. |
| 3A I.S.A. | D.E.A. Informatique |
| Informatique industrielle | Equipe RFIA |
| hbinda@ensem.u-nancy.fr | binda@loria.fr |
| ALL IN ALL YOU 'RE JUST ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL (PF) |
| http://www.loria.fr/~binda/corwyn.html |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
A growing number of .sigs include a virus, which is supposed to be copied
into a readers .sig to propagate itself. Also of note in this .sig, is
the double dash (--), also known as a kill line. Since most .signature
files are added automatically by the users computer, this symbol is used
with many anonymous posting systems, nothing after the kill line will be
included in the anonymous message.
------ Paul Clegg (pclegg@cnx.sccsi.com) ----------------------------------
* SLMR 2.0 * Hi! I'm a tagline virus! Join in and steal me!
--
|Fidonet: Paul Clegg 1:266/73
|Internet: pclegg@cnx.sccsi.com
|
| Standard disclaimer: The views of this user are strictly his own.
| From Connections! BBS +1-609-794-8907 ( No Assembly Required ).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note that the following .sig includes the writers address (called Snail
Mail because of its speed relative to Electronic Mail) and phone number.
An important point is that with the phone number is included a way to
find out what time it is at his house, important if you don't want to be
called in the middle of the night.
------ John Quill Taylor (jqtaylor@boi.hp.com) ----------------------------
__
John Quill Taylor / /
Writer at Large / /
Hewlett-Packard, Storage Systems Division __ // /
Boise, Idaho U.S.A. // __
e-mail: jqtaylor@hpdmd48.boi.hp.com / / / /
Telephone: (208) 396-2328 (MDT = GMT - 6) / /
Snail Mail: Hewlett-Packard /
11413 Chinden Blvd
Boise, Idaho 83714 /
Mailstop 230 /
/
"When in doubt, do as doubters do." -jqt
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following .sig is a parody of a national emergency alerting system in
use in the United States of America (Earth, Sol System). Anyone who has
heard this emergency system will understand the parody involved, and
anyone who has not heard it is advised to avoid it, as it is proven to
cause insanity after prolonged exposure.
------ System Administrator (usenet@mv.mv.com) ----------------------------
This is a test. This is a test of the emergency signature system. Your
sys-admin, in voluntary cooperation with local, state and federal
authorities, has developed this test to provide information in the event
of an actual signature. This is only a test. If this had been an actual
signature, the message you just read would have been followed by
disclaimers, witty sayings, and clever ASCII art. This concludes this
test of the emergency signature system.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next .sig contains nothing more than an address, and two apparently
conflicting quotes.
------ John Holzman (holzman@saucer.cc.umr.edu) ---------------------------
holzman@umr.edu John Holzman University of Missouri-Rolla
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"God is dead." -Nietzsche | "Nietzsche is dead." -God
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
These last few .sigs are offered with no explanation, by now it should be
apparent that this system of communication is bizarre to say the least.
------ richard mallender xd/hd 1703 (etlrdmr@etlxd20.ericsson.se) ---------
| | | |
/.. tweet /.. tweet /.. tweet /@@ My mind !
( > ) tweet ( > ) tweet ( > ) tweet ( > ) it's gone
| | tweet | | tweet | | tweet | | blank !
/ | | / | | / | | / | |
------m--m------------m--m------------m--m------------m--m--------------
// // // //
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
------ Suhonen Aleksi (s151716@proffa.cc.tut.fi) --------------------------
"The views above are mine and as I have poor eye sight they may well
be unfocused." -- Aleksi Suhonen
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
------ Kevin Woods (kevinw@n47usb81.nafohq.hp.com) ------------------------
From:
- Kevin ?:^)
, ,
/( )`
__ / |
/- `-/ '
(// /
/ / | `
O O ) / |
`-^--'`< '
TM (.) ) /
| | | | ~|~ / `.__/` /
| | | | | X `-----' /
`__| | | | / <----. __ / __
<----|====O)))==) ) /====
<----' `--' `.__,'
| |
/
______( ( / ______
,' ,-----' |
`--{__________) /
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This .sig includes a code which is intended to tell the reader exactly
how "geeky" the author of the message is.
------ Robert A. Hayden (hayden@vorlon.mankato.msus.edu) ------------------
____ Robert A. Hayden <=> hayden@vorlon.mankato.msus.edu
/__ -=-=-=-=- <=> -=-=-=-=-
/ / Finger for Geek Code Info <=> I do not necessarily speak for the
/ Finger for PGP Public Key <=> City of Mankato or anyone else, dammit
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
(GEEK CODE 2.1) GJ/CM d- H-- s-:++>s-:+ g+ p? au+ a- w++ v* C++(++++) UL++++$
P+>++ L++$ 3- E---- N+++ K+++ W M+ V-- -po+(---)>$ Y++ t+ 5+++
j R+++$ G- tv+ b+ D+ B--- e+>++(*) u** h* f r-->+++ !n y++**
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
By now, you may be either disgusted that such a strange method of
communication could become so widespread on an entire planet, or you may be
wondering "How can I have my own .signature file?" While the former may be
impossible to understand, the latter can be simply accomplished, assuming
you are operating on a UNIX system. Using a text editor, create your
.signature and save it in your home directory with the filename (need I
tell you?) ".signature" (Be sure to include the period -- it is very
important.