Adminspotting
the T-shirt
In January 1997, Gary Barnes posted his spoof of the Trainspotting "Choose life" poster to the USENET newsgroup alt.sysadmin.recovery.
Newsgroups: alt.sysadmin.recovery
Subject: ADMINSPOTTING
Message-ID: <5cl3le$q24@infoserv.aber.ac.uk>
From: gkb@aber.ac.uk (Gary Barnes)
Date: 28 Jan 1997 14:49:18 -0000
Organization: Ripoffs R Us
X-No-Archive: Yes
Subject: ADMINSPOTTING
Message-ID: <5cl3le$q24@infoserv.aber.ac.uk>
From: gkb@aber.ac.uk (Gary Barnes)
Date: 28 Jan 1997 14:49:18 -0000
Organization: Ripoffs R Us
X-No-Archive: Yes
Choose no life. Choose sysadminning. Choose no career. ***** Choose no family. Choose a fucking big computer, choose hard * * disks the size of washing machines, old cars, CD ROM writers * A * and electrical coffee makers. Choose no sleep, high caffeine * D * and mental insurance. Choose fixed interest car loans. Choose * M * a rented shoebox. Choose no friends. Choose black jeans and * I * matching combat boots. Choose a swivel chair for your office * N * in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose NNTP and wondering why * S * the fuck you're logged on on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting * P * in that chair looking at mind-numbing, spirit-crushing web * O * sites, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose * T * rotting away at the end of it all, pishing your last on some * T * miserable newsgroup, nothing more than an embarrassment to * I * the selfish, fucked up lusers Gates spawned to replace the * N * computer-literate. * G * Choose your future. * * Choose sysadmining[1]. ***** Gaz [1] It might fuck you up a little less than heroin[2]. [2] ObFootnote. -- /\./\ gkb@aber.ac.uk (Gary "Wolf" Barnes) ( - - ) "Do not ask any lady to take wine, until you \ " / see she has finished her fish or soup." ~~~ - Hints on Etiquette and the Usages of Society
We reworked the idea a bit and I produced a T-shirt for the group.
The spoof became quite famous. My original website was slashdotted on several occasions, and the shirt was sold commercially for a few years, with my royalties going to Alliance for Childhood and Mind, the mental health charity.
Gaz still produces new batches occasionally. He has his own website at: https://www.adminspotting.org