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From John Melesky, Software Engineer:

When first approached by one of my esteemed colleagues to write a "Letter From Tripod," I feared the worst. What could I possibly have to say which could entertain millions upon millions of viewers? So, my thoughts drifted towards the big issues of the moment... Year 2000? Too techie. Family Values? Too controversial. 8-track vs. cassette? Still haven't made up my mind on that one. Paranormal activity? Now there's potential...

It's true. I've discovered evidence of psychic communication. It started out pretty mundanely, as these things always do. I was at my girlfriend's brother's 30th birthday party, trying to blend in with people who were easily 50 or 60 Web-years older than myself, when someone suggested we play "Celebrities." That's when the first shiver flew up my spine.

For those of you who don't know, "Celebrities" is a lot like "Charades." You write the names of a bunch of celebrities down, and stick them in a hat. Everyone splits up into two teams, and you take turns trying to get your teammates to say as many celebrities as possible (picked from the hat) in 60 seconds or less. You can say anything as long as you don't say the name of the celebrity you're trying to coax from your teammates' collective gray matter. Everyone gets their 60 seconds, and at the end, all the points are added up and you see which team wins.

Some of them were very straightforward and showed no particular signs of psychic phenomena:

• "First name is something that comes from the sun. Last name is like an Italian cheese."
• "Ray Romano?"
  
  
• "Captain Picard."
• "Patrick Stewart?"
  
  
• "That guy, you know, with the cross..."

The list goes on... But some of the exchanges showed a clear psychic link — all attempts to explain them logically have failed to date:

• "First name is like how you make money."
• "Earn? Ernie? Ernest?"
• "Yeah. Last name is like... like Star Wars."
• "Ernest Borgnine?"
• "Yes!"
  
  
• "Ok. Composer. 'Da da da dum'" (Editor's note: "Da da da dum" is the first few notes of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, in case you can't hear me humming as I type.)
• "Mozart!"
• "Right!"
  
  
• "That actor... old... does lots of cameos... his first name starts with the same letter as my first name..."
• "Jason Robards!"
• "Yup."

The last of those exchanges was particularly worrisome. I was the one giving clues, and thus, so clearly involved in a psychic exchange. At the end of the night after two intense games, we were utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally. We retired for the eve.

It wasn't until the next day that I realized the weight upon my shoulders. Clearly one of two things were true: either I was part of a secret government/alien/illuminati experiment in psychic phenomena; or "Celebrities" creates a subtle, but exploitable, psychic opening through which all sorts of suggestions can fly. Or maybe, "Celebrities" is a secret government/alien/illuminati experiment, created to study latent psychic ability. Or maybe, just maybe, it's all disinformation covering up a greater secret...

Try it. Play "Celebrities." The truth is out there.

-johnnnn melesky, Software Engineer, Tripod (2/19/99)

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Read more "Letters from Tripod" in the archive.

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