Date: Mon, 29 Dec 1997 19:46:37 +0100 (CET)
To: amerika@altx.com (Mark Amerika)
From: amerika@altx.com (Mark Amerika)
Subject: Re: Telepolis Journal: Amerika Online

On Dec 22 1997 an article was published in my name in the
on-line journal Telepolis. The article in question was
listed as the 5th in my series, "Amerika Online" and was
entitled "Countdown To Ecstasy: The Disappearance of The
Interface."

http://www.ix.de/tp/english/inhalt/kolu/3145/1.html

I could not have written this article, as I have been away
>from my computer and modem celebrating the holidays, and
have just come back to find this play-goirism of my name and
reputation. This misdirected use of what I like to call
"surf-sample-manipulate" practice here is not reworking any
creative content whatsoever, but simply using my identity
for mainstream marketing propaganda purposes. I think those
that have been following recent events in some minor net.art
publications can guess which people wrote this article
attempting without much success to appropriate my style of
writing, to once more publicize their own and friends works,
although claiming it to be part of a anti-investment
disinformation campaign. Rather than use this limited space
to publicize their works further, I choose to not name
names. I think that they have had enough (over) exposure. I
have said before that the great thing about the Net is that
if you see something you like, whether that be "content" or
"source code," many times you can just download the entire
document and manipulate it according to your anti-aesthetic
needs. However this act in question is not anti-aesthetic,
aesthetic, or radical, but just an appropriation of an
already appropriated name for blatant self promotion.

Although I would like to add that I am fully in support and
endorse net play-goirism, I think that remaining anonymous
in such an act is on the cowardly side, unless of course
identity is the target. I also think self promotion for its
own sake is passˇ and overdone and can only be justified
when a tactical disguise. It also should be obvious to
anyone who knows my style that there is no way this article
could have been written by me. I will leave it at that.

Happy New Year to all.

Mark Amerika