<s>
Mark	B-Protocol
V	I-Protocol
.	I-Protocol
Shaney	I-Protocol
is	O
a	O
synthetic	O
Usenet	B-Application
user	O
whose	O
postings	O
in	O
the	O
net.singles	O
newsgroups	B-Application
were	O
generated	O
by	O
Markov	O
chain	O
techniques	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
text	O
from	O
other	O
postings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
chose	O
to	O
apply	O
it	O
to	O
the	O
net.singles	O
netnews	B-Application
group	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
quotations	O
from	O
Mark	O
's	O
Usenet	B-Application
posts	O
are	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
The	O
Usenet	B-Application
Handbook	O
Mark	O
Harrison	O
writes	O
that	O
after	O
September	O
1981	O
,	O
students	O
joined	O
Usenet	B-Application
en	O
masse	O
,	O
"	O
creating	O
the	O
USENET	B-Application
we	O
know	O
today	O
:	O
endless	O
dumb	O
questions	O
,	O
endless	O
idiots	O
posing	O
as	O
savants	O
,	O
and	O
(	O
of	O
course	O
)	O
endless	O
victims	O
for	O
practical	O
jokes.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
,	O
Rob	O
Pike	O
created	O
the	O
netnews	B-Application
group	O
net.suicide	O
as	O
prank	O
,	O
"	O
a	O
forum	O
for	O
bad	O
jokes	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
But	O
ultimately	O
,	O
Pike	O
deleted	O
the	O
newsgroup	B-Application
because	O
it	O
was	O
too	O
much	O
work	O
to	O
maintain	O
;	O
Bimmler	O
messages	O
were	O
created	O
"	O
by	O
hand	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
"	O
obvious	O
alternative	O
"	O
was	O
software	O
,	O
running	O
on	O
a	O
Bell	O
Labs	O
computer	O
created	O
by	O
Bruce	O
Ellis	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
Markov	O
code	O
by	O
Don	O
Mitchell	O
,	O
which	O
became	O
the	O
online	O
character	O
Mark	B-Protocol
V	I-Protocol
.	I-Protocol
Shaney	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kernighan	O
and	O
Pike	O
listed	O
Mark	B-Protocol
V	I-Protocol
.	I-Protocol
Shaney	I-Protocol
in	O
the	O
acknowledgements	O
in	O
The	O
Practice	O
of	O
Programming	O
,	O
noting	O
its	O
roots	O
in	O
Mitchell	O
's	O
markov	O
,	O
which	O
,	O
adapted	O
as	O
shaney	O
,	O
was	O
used	O
for	O
"	O
humorous	O
deconstructionist	O
activities	O
"	O
in	O
the	O
1980s	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dewdney	O
pointed	O
out	O
"	O
perhaps	O
Mark	B-Protocol
V	I-Protocol
.	I-Protocol
Shaney	I-Protocol
's	O
magnum	O
opus	O
:	O
a	O
20-page	O
commentary	O
on	O
the	O
deconstructionist	O
philosophy	O
of	O
Jean	O
Baudrillard	O
"	O
directed	O
by	O
Pike	O
,	O
with	O
assistance	O
from	O
Henry	O
S	O
.	O
Baird	O
and	O
Catherine	O
Richards	O
,	O
to	O
be	O
distributed	O
by	O
email	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
program	O
was	O
discussed	O
by	O
A	O
.	O
K	O
.	O
Dewdney	O
in	O
the	O
Scientific	O
American	O
"	O
Computer	O
Recreations	O
"	O
column	O
in	O
1989	O
,	O
by	O
Penn	O
Jillette	O
in	O
his	O
PC	O
Computing	O
column	O
in	O
1991	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
several	O
books	O
,	O
including	O
the	O
Usenet	B-Application
Handbook	O
,	O
Bots	O
:	O
the	O
Origin	O
of	O
New	O
Species	O
,	O
Hippo	O
Eats	O
Dwarf	O
:	O
A	O
Field	O
Guide	O
to	O
Hoaxes	O
and	O
Other	O
B.S.	O
,	O
and	O
non-computer-related	O
journals	O
such	O
as	O
Texas	O
Studies	O
in	O
Literature	O
and	O
Language	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Indeed	O
,	O
after	O
reading	O
the	O
output	O
of	O
Mark	B-Protocol
V	I-Protocol
.	I-Protocol
Shaney	I-Protocol
,	O
I	O
find	O
ordinary	O
writing	O
almost	O
equally	O
strange	O
and	O
incomprehensible	O
!	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
noted	O
the	O
reactions	O
of	O
newsgroup	B-Application
users	O
,	O
who	O
have	O
"	O
shuddered	O
at	O
Mark	B-Protocol
V	I-Protocol
.	I-Protocol
Shaney	I-Protocol
's	O
reflections	O
,	O
some	O
with	O
rage	O
and	O
others	O
with	O
laughter	O
:	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Outraged	O
,	O
they	O
urged	O
that	O
someone	O
"	O
pull	O
the	O
plug	O
"	O
on	O
Mark	B-Protocol
V	I-Protocol
.	I-Protocol
Shaney	I-Protocol
's	O
monstrous	O
rantings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
few	O
may	O
even	O
have	O
thought	O
that	O
Mark	B-Protocol
V	I-Protocol
.	I-Protocol
Shaney	I-Protocol
was	O
a	O
real	O
person	O
,	O
a	O
tortured	O
schizophrenic	O
desperately	O
seeking	O
a	O
like-minded	O
companion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Concluding	O
,	O
Dewdney	O
wrote	O
,	O
"	O
If	O
the	O
purpose	O
of	O
computer	O
prose	O
is	O
to	O
fool	O
people	O
into	O
thinking	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
written	O
by	O
a	O
sane	O
person	O
,	O
Mark	B-Protocol
V	I-Protocol
.	I-Protocol
Shaney	I-Protocol
probably	O
falls	O
short.	O
"	O
</s>
