Alt.usenet.kooks
- The title of this article is incorrect because of technical limitations. The correct title is alt.usenet.kooks.
alt.usenet.kooks is a newsgroup established on December 20, 1993 as part of the alt hierarchy, its main focus on discussing Usenet contributors who fit the definition of a "net.kook" as mentioned in its FAQ:
- Anyone who posts uniquely strange, preferably incomprehensible articles, or who manifests a persistent, extreme, and somewhat bizarre obsession, might be a net.kook.
The subscribers to the group regularly hold votes to label people as "recipients" of various mock awards. Past "winners" include people of Usenet notoriety such as Archimedes Plutonium, Sollog, and astrologer Edmond Wollmann, who was voted "Kook of the Millennium", but also prominent people like Bill Gates, Pierre Salinger, Gary Glitter, or Bill Clinton (see below for a full list of award winners).
As its name implies, the main focus is on Usenet posters seen as kooks, though alleged kooks on the World Wide Web and in real life are also discussed, as are more general topics of what motivates posters perceived as kooks by the other subscribers, and what an appropriate response to them might be.
The group receives many crossposts in the form of follow-ups to alleged kookery in other groups, as well as many posts from people who believe they have been falsely accused of being kooks. Because the subscribers are typically anonymous (or pseudonymous) and the group is not moderated, those labeled "kooks" have little chance of redress.
The FAQ attempts to distinguish between "kooks" and other types of irritating people:
- It is important to note the subtle distinction between a net.kook, a net.cretin, a clueless newbie, troll, or garden-variety asshole. The newbie, one hopes, can acquire a clue on the installment plan even if he can't afford to buy one for cash. The cretin is merely stupid and/or irritating. The troll is purposely pulling your leg like it got caught in some heavy machinery. The @$$hole is, well, simply that. But a TRUE net.kook has a special fascination derived from his/her/its utter ineffability. Their behavior is irrational, if not downright weird, but they are seldom merely boring.
See also
External links
- alt.usenet.kooks on Google Groups
- alt.usenet.kooks website
- The Official Alt.Usenet.Kooks Funny Farm—list of award winners