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SURFPUNK Technical Journal 077
Date: Thu, 8 Apr 93 11:49:24 PDT
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From: surfpunk@osc.versant.com (pbzchgre fcrpvnyvfgf va fcnpr)
To: surfpunk@osc.versant.com (SURFPUNK Technical Journal)
Subject: [surfpunk-0077] 1APR: Sun just got HAD by their russian counterparts
A SURFPUNK correspondent writes:
> This is absolutely fantastic. Sun just got HAD by their russian
> counterparts. It's amazing how far up the chain of command this prank
> got before it was discovered.
>
> Some background info: Sun has a great tradition of April Fool's
> jokes. The company has recently hired a fairly large and respected
> group of scientists in Russia. This group is is headed by Boris
> Babaian, who is sometimes called "the Russian Seymour Cray." Boris is
> a very big deal and a very respected scientist in his country. Boris
> also seems to have perfected the art of the prank.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
>From: dave@cisc (Dave Ditzel)
To: sunlabs@smli
Subject: Russian April 1
Perhaps the best April 1 joke I saw this year was provided by our
team in Russia. Best because the joke was taken very seriously
by several people for quite a while. For those of you who weren't
in on it, here is the replay of Russia's offer to put a person
from Sun Microsystems on thier next space flight.
- dave ditzel
>From: Boris A. Babaian <bob@ipmce.su>
To: bill.walster@Eng, bruce.crawford@Eng, dave.ditzel@Eng
Cc: dc@Eng, malcolm.wing@Eng
Subject: contest
Dave, Bill and Bruce!
Several minutes ago we had a very important phone talk with the NPO
"Energia" (research & development enterprise "Energy") Deputy
designers-in-chief V.N. Branets and V.G. Kravets informed us that the
new Space expedition is preparing now. It was decided that the
computer specialist should take part in this team. The expedition
managers have decided to suggest the Sun Microsystems representative to
participate in this flight.
Now very urgently they ask you to organize some kind of contest to
choose the best candidate.
We are looking forward your agreement.
More information after your positive answer.
Boris, Sasha.
04.01.93
(the following after being told the first time that this was a joke)
>From walster Thu Apr 1 12:30:25 1993
To: walster@gww, jek@tools
Subject: Re: contest
Cc: schmidt@tools
No, its real.
I talked to Boris on the phone. He is going to alert the Yeltsin
team. I have sent the information through Dave Birnstein to
the Clinton team, so it is possible we may hear something about
this at the summit.
Later ...
I just got off the phone with Lew Franklin, a colleague of Dave
Birnstein. He is going to contact Dan Golden the director of
NASA, who is a personal friend. Dan and Scott know each other.
Lew suggested that we should give Scott a heads up so he knows what
is in the works when he gets a call from Dan. Lew thinks Dan
might call and say something like: "Hey Scott, what do you think
about .... ?"
Lew also said that we should try to keep this confidential because
we do not want this in the press prior to the summit meeting, in
case something breaks there.
He gave me a list of questions to ask Boris tonight when I call
him, so that he can give Dan Golden more detailed information about
the parameters of the flight.
Dave Ditzel and Bruce Crawford want to meet today at 1:00. I'll
fill them in on everything I know.
-- Bill Walster
>From: walster@gww
Date: Fri, 2 Apr 93 08:34:23 PST
To: bob@ipmce.su
Subject: Re: contest
Well Boris,
You got me. I bought the whole idea. In fact, after I got your email,
I immediately called you to get more details and to find out if there
was a possibility that this might come up at the summit this weekend.
You were totally convincing. (During the day when people raised the
possibility that it might be an April Fool's joke, I said, "But I
talked to Boris on the phone!") After I talked to you, I called David
Birnstein at the Center for International Security and Arms Control at
Stanford and convinced him. He then referred me to a colleague, Lew
Franklin, who is involved in the space program and who knows the
director of NASA, Don Golden. He put in a call to Don and suggested
that we make sure that Scott be informed, because Don might give Scott
a call - they know each other. In addition, he thought it might be
important to let the Clinton administration know about this
possibility, in case it came up at the summit this weekend. I had
already called you about this possibility.
Bruce Crawford alerted his management and I alerted Jon and Eric and
Pattie Walters in our PR department. Jon and Eric were skeptical.
Bruce, Dave Ditzel and I then had a meeting at which Dave raised the
real possibility that this was a joke. Once I found the date at the
bottom of your original email, I began to believe it might be as well.
I called Dave Birnstein and Lew Franklin to alert them and then, when
I called you last night, I found out. Lew had asked me to call him at
home to give him the news, in case he got a return call from Don
Golden.
No harm was done. Sun has a tradition of April Fool's pranks. You may
have seen some of them in the 10 year anniversary book. Yours is right
up there with the best. Next year I think I will stay home on April 1.
-- Bill Walster
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
The SURFPUNK Technical Journal is a dangerous multinational hacker zine
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________________________________________________________________________
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