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 `It's been replaced by total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"