A cool head and good impulse control can serve as a great threshold for retaliation; even in “CYBER ATHLETICS”.

“TOMMY HEARNS-DETROIT” and “SUGAR RAY LEONRD-NEW YORK” are both champions because the many low blows they encountered didn’t deter them from achieving “CHAMPIONSHIP STATUS”.

The “MIND GAME” is like “CHER’S” signature song: “THE BEAT GOES ON”; or, in a very strange way we can substitute: “THE BEATING GOES ON”; it’s like tossing the dice for a “SEVEN” or “CRAPPS”.

Being the techno-dork that I am, I forged email headers to make my response appear to be from Bill.Gates@microsoft.com … and explained in rather colorful language that such offers were a bunch of horsehockey, that Dave was a fool, and that I (Bill) didn’t even KNOW Dave, or know Jack, for that matter.

Someone of course had to “reply all” so the thread then went to “Bill.Gates” … and some fellow who know doubt was paid serious stock options to answer email addressed there responded that yes, the whole Disneyland offer was a scam, but that while Mr. Gates did not know Dave, he certainly did know Jack.

Dave never did figure out how Microsoft was reading his email, and began wandering about in a tin-foil hat, muttering about conspiracy theories.

Hear hear. I would love to give John Petrucci my $20 for his solo album. But it’s out of print and impossible to find, and my paying two or three times that much to a collector doesn’t put any more money in the artist’s pocket. So I downloaded it.

Oh, urban legends. I’m more fascinated by how easily people still believe stuff like this based on a single e-mail. I wonder how many people are still waiting for their checks from Microsoft or AOL “just for forwarding this e-mail!”