This article is classified "Fictional"
It is a widespread rumor that the @, also known as a "Curly a," a "sniarf,"
an "at," an "elephantnose," and even a "going" is simply another ASCII code
meant to make people mental.
That is not true.
It is also said that the reason it is so widely used in connection with
electronic mail of all sorts is that a $ would be misinterpreted, and a "@"
was one of the few signs not yet used for anything else.
That, too, is a lie.
The truth is that it is a religious symbol for a mad sect of carnivoural
badger-worshipping lunatics in the more western parts of Holland. They
have through long and hard pushing at the right people, and pulling the
wrong strings, made their symbol a means of communications.
This is in no way a secret coding of the number 666, as some might think,
this having nothing to do with money.
It is, though, a secret coding of the sentence "Badgers are rather hoopy
froods. Ni!" Their leader, "Bubba the Badger-like Being" made up the sign
while watching "The Wizard of Oz" at 9 times normal speed for the 538th
time that month. It suddenly occurred to him that the religion he wanted to
start needed a sign, and that curly thing at the beginning of the Yellow
Brick Road would probably qualify. He, being a little drunk at the time,
made up the @ and a religion was born.
Very soon now, Bubba is expected to claim his copyright and start charging
people for using the @. He'll be rich, and the Internet Community will be
in trouble.
The religion is classified as: ?D4Z-9A0D
Comments:
No one knows how many badgers exists, therefor the number of
deities is unknown.
No one knows the name of the sect, so there are NO ways to
properly spell it.