IP: Stop the madness!.com

[Dave Farber <farber@cis.upenn.edu>]

Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1999 12:40:10 -0800 (PST)
From: John Wharton <jwharton@netcom.com>
To: farber@cis.upenn.edu
Subject: Stop the madness!.com


Dave--

Okay, so a few years back corporate URLs started showing up in print 
ads.  Next they began appearing on cereal boxes and packaging materials, 
more recently, on television ads.  Practically every ad during last 
month's Superbowl showed the sponsor's URL at the end; I guess that was 
meant to imply the sponsor was technologically-savvy -- if not a true 
"Internet Company".  Indeed, some Superbowl ads seemed to promote 
nothing **BUT** a URL.  

But this is too much.  Here in the Bay Area the Anderson Honda/Isuzu car 
dealership chain has begun running radio ads that advise listeners -- 
over and over -- to contact them at "1-800-ANDERSON.COM".  That's right; 
"One, Eight-Hundred, Anderson-Dot-Com".  (I'm not making this up.)

Never mind that "ANDERSON" alone is already longer than needed for a 
7-digit phone number.  (Dialing 1-800-263-3776 does indeed connect you 
to the Anderson chain of automobile "superstores".)  And never mind 
that telephone numbers have nothing to do with internet domain names.  


What I'm trying to figure out is how to dial the "dot".


  --john wharton