See Stephen King's novel, _Cell_. It happens there, and drives most of the world even crazier than they are now.
Unfortunately, the novel falls apart quickly (like the world). Barry Wellman _____________________________________________________________________ Barry Wellman S.D. Clark Professor of Sociology NetLab Director Centre for Urban & Community Studies University of Toronto 455 Spadina Avenue Toronto Canada M5S 2G8 fax:+1-416-978-7162 wellman at chass.utoronto.ca http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman for fun: http://chass.utoronto.ca/oldnew/cybertimes.php _____________________________________________________________________ On Wed, 18 Apr 2007, Michiel de Lange wrote: > Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2007 23:50:55 +0200 > From: Michiel de Lange <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: mobile society list <[email protected]> > Subject: [mobile-society] Re: A Killer mobile phone virus spread panic in > Kabul > > > Hi everybody, > > This reminds me of the story of "deadly numbers" in Nigeria (below). > Telecom operators went as far to assure their customers via SMS and > advertisements that they had nothing to fear. > > http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3906607.stm > > > Nigerian mobile phone users have been anxiously checking who is > > calling them before answering them in recent days. > > A rumour has spread rapidly in the commercial capital, Lagos, that > > if one answers calls from certain "killer numbers" then one will > > die immediately. > > A BBC reporter says experts and mobile phone operators have been > > reassuring the public via the media that death cannot result from > > receiving a call. > > ..... > > I guess every culture or society has its own fears with the arrival > of new technologies. > > Michiel de Lange > > > On Apr 18, 2007, at 10:15 PM, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Hello all > > > > There is an interesting story going around at the moment on a > > killer virus being spread via mobile phones in Kabul. It seems to > > be a version of Steven Kings book CELL. The interesting thing is > > that it is a rumor being spread in a pretty stressed out country > > where there is also a good dose of skepticism towards the US, > > Europe etc. Regardless of how far fetched the idea is, the context > > in which it is being spread perhaps fosters this kind of thought. > > > > Rich L. > > > > A piece form zone-h is as follows: > > > > > > Fear is high in Kabul, and it is not only because of war and > > terrorism: citizens are deadly worried about a biological virus > > that can be transmitted by mobile phone, Reuters reported today. > > > > Mobile phone users are fearful that a killer virus is spreading via > > mobile phone calls and, according to rumours there have already > > been several deaths. > > > > "Don't answer any strange number because it contains a virus that > > will kill you," said the shop-owner Mr. Ahmad Fawad. > > > > Nobody knows how this news spread out but it rapidly reached any > > street and alley in kabul, producing so much panic that Afghan > > Government had to intervene and reassure the public. > > > > This story, which has got all the characteristics of a metropolitan > > legend, seems to come from Pakistan and in two weeks it swiftly > > spread throughout a country that is still bearing the effects of a > > devastating war. > > > > Officials from the Afghan Interior, Communications and Health > > ministries had to hold a speech on television and appeal for calm, > > trying to convince people about the impossibility of such a story. > > > > http://www.zone-h.org/content/view/14714/31/ > > > > > > > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "mobile-society" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/mobile-society?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
