Internet shutdown message

[Thomas Dowling]

The 1988 cleanup was such a fiasco that they didn't even try
it in 1992... 

I guess April 1st came early this year.  Such a joke can't even 
be counted as a hoax.  Think about it: who could have such 
centralized power over such a decentralized beast as the Internet?  
And if all the servers are turned off, where will the robots find 
data to delete?  Reflecting back and forth on fiber optic cables?

Thomas Dowling


======================================

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From: 	Michael Watson[SMTP:mwatso at gopher1.library.lsumc.edu]
Sent: 	Thursday, February 22, 1996 9:15 AM
To: 	Multiple recipients of list
Subject: 	Internet shutdown message

One of my friends forwarded this message to me from one of his listservs.
I feel certain that it's a hoax, but was curious to see how widely it has
spread--has anyone else seen it?

-Mike Watson
mwatso at gopher1.library.lsumc.edu 
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>*** Attention ***
>
>It's that time again!
>
>As many of you know, each leap year the Internet must be shut down for 24
hours 
>in order to allow us to clean it.  The cleaning process, which eliminates dead 
>email and inactive ftp, www and gopher sites, allows for a better-working and 
>faster Internet.
>
>This year, the cleaning process will take place from 12:01 a.m. GMT on Feb. 29 
>until 12:01 a.m. GMT on March 1.  During that 24-hour period, five powerful 
>Internet-crawling robots situated around the world will search the Internet
and 
>delete any data that they find.
>
>In order to protect your valuable data from deletion we ask that you do the 
>following:
>
>1.  Disconnect all terminals and local area networks from their Internet 
>        connections.
>
>2.  Shut down all Internet servers, or disconnect them from the Internet.
>
>3.  Disconnect all disks and hardrives from any connections to the Internet.
>
>4.  Refrain from connecting any computer to the Internet in any way.
>
>We understand the inconvenience that this may cause some Internet users, and 
>we apologize.  However, we are certain that any inconveniences will be more
than 
>made up for by the increased speed and efficiency of the Internet, once it has 
>been cleared of electronic flotsam and jetsam.
>
>We thank you for your cooperation.
>
>Kim Dereksen
>Interconnected Network Maintenance staff
>Main branch, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
>
>Sysops and others:  Since the last Internet cleaning, the number of Internet 
>users has grown dramatically.  Please assist us in alerting the public of the 
>upcoming Internet cleaning by posting this message where your users will be
able 
>to read it.  Please pass this message on to other sysops and Internet users as 
>well.  Thank you.
Michael Watson
mwatso at gopher1.library.lsumc.edu