Some much needed humor from the 'Net:

Subject: New Problem: the 100GB Bug

Firebringer News Service (FBNS) - Experts warned today of a new and deadly threat to our beleaguered civilization: the 100GB Bug.

As most people know, McDonald's restaurant signs show the number of hamburgers the giant chain has sold. That number now stands at 99 billion burgers, or 99 Gigaburgers (GB). Within months or even weeks, that number will roll over to 100GB.

McDonald's signs, however, were designed years ago, when the prospect of selling one hundred billion hamburgers seemed unthinkably remote. So the signs have only two decimal places.

This means that, after the sale of the 100 billionth burger, McDonald's signs will read "00 Billion Burgers Sold." This, experts predict, will convince the public that, in over thirty years, no McDonald's hamburgers have ever in fact been sold, causing a complete collapse of consumer confidence in McDonald's products.

The ensuing catastrophic drop in sales is seen as almost certain to force the already-troubled company into bankruptcy. This, in turn, will push the teetering American economy over the brink, which, finally, will complete the total devastation of the global economy, ending civilization as we know it, and forcing us all to live on beetles.

"The people who know -- the sign-makers -- are really scared of 100GB,"one expert said. "I don't know about you, but I'm digging up a copy of THE FIELD GUIDE TO NORTH AMERICAN INSECTS and heading for the hills."

-- Paul Neuhardt (neuhardt@ultranet.com), November 10, 1998

Answers

what is really funny is I NEVER THOUGHT THIS STUPID CRAP WAS FUNNY!!! just a mocking attempt at downplaying serious issues, are you writing this crap Paul? If so, maybe you should stick to your day job.......

-- Eat Me (Veggie@Carrot.com), November 10, 1998.

I've received this joke in about 4 e-mails and seen it posted recently in at least 4 forums. It's kinda funny at first, but it's getting old fast. Whoever wrote it hasn't seen a McD's sign recently, as they stopped counting years ago.

-- Buddy (DC) (buddy@bellatlantic.net), November 10, 1998.

Well, I hadn't seen it before, and I thought it was funny. I'm surprised it didn't also say that many people were starting to hoard Big Macs!! (Yes, it sort of makes fun of deadly serious issues -- and I mean that literally -- but if we don't find some humor in all this, we truly have no hope!) Thanks, Paul, for the chuckle.

-- Jack (jsprat@eld.net), November 10, 1998.