Frank and Ernest by Thaves for August 28, 2010

Actually, I’m reading Terry Prachett’s book “Going Postal” today. Good Satire on the subject, as only Discworld can deliver.

Good for you, tbree! Glad to see there are other Discworld fans on this forum. :)

It may the slowest form of wireless communication though.

Still the best postal system in the world.

Try sending a picture postcard by e-mail.

“After having dug to a depth of 10 feet last year, New York scientists found traces of copper wire dating back 100 years and came to the conclusion, that their ancestors already had a telephone network more than 100 years ago.

Not to be out-done by the New Yorkers, in the weeks that followed, in California an archaeologist dug to a depth of 20 feet, and shortly after, headlines in the LA Times newspaper read: ‘California archaeologists have found traces of 200 year old copper wire and have concluded that their ancestors already had an advanced high-tech communications network a hundred years earlier than the New Yorkers.’

One week later, a local newspaper in North Carolina, reported the following: After digging as deep as 30 feet in his pasture near Henson Cove, Haywood County North Carolina, Bubba Rathbone, a self-taught archaeologist, reported that he found absolutely nothing. Bubba has therefore concluded that 300 years ago, North Carolina had already gone wireless.”

(If “Bubba from NC” offends you, please make the appropriate substitution and enjoy the joke.)

I can send my nephew in Iraq cookies at domestic rate and he’ll have them within 3 days. Now tell me about this Google. Oh, for 44 cents I can send him a handwritten letter, and if he was transferred to Afghanistan, it will follow him there free. And God willing, I he got sent home it would follow free. If by some chance the USPS couldn’t find him. they would return it to me with an explanation. I’m Sure Yahoo will offer this someday, what USPS has done for 200 years. Does Google, Yahoo, AOL, Fed-ex, and UPS deliver to every US citizen, even if they live in W. Wasteland Al? Go ask UPS about deliveries in a town of 18 that is 800 miles from the nearest airport. Your postmaster can help you. And it hasn’t cost taxpayers a dime in over 30 years.

Um… Yes, UPS will deliver to the town of 8 that’s 4000 miles from the nearest airport, so I’m sure they’ll deliver to your little village. It may take a while (most donkeys and mules don’t like brown paint), but they’ll deliver - worldwide! I can’t say the same about FedEx - I’ve had them claim they delivered too many packages I never got - until I scoured the neighborhood, that is.

RadioTom-will UPS charge the same to deliver to that small isolated town as to a larger market? might they delay delivery several days if that town gets few parcels? and might they actually pay the USPS to deliver it, paying less for that than they charged: answers are no, yes and yes.

BTW; incidences of violence involving postal workers are no more common than among any other work group. which i consider a testament to my restraint.

Knock, knock, ding dong…I am your postal person and have mail for you at two AM or 9PM that was sent 15 seconds ago from someone very close to you. And as always it is free. You can pick it up any time that is convenient for you.