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A L S O__T O D A Y Kosovo's "cyber-monk" and his mailing list By Don North E-mails from an ancient monastery offer rare independent news from a region under siege 21st Log Invasion of the dancing hamsters!   T A B L E__T A L K Providing user support for Mom and Dad. How badly do you want to get your parents on the Net? Join the discussion in Table Talk - - - - - - - - - - R E C E N T L Y Bringing mailing lists to the masses By Janelle Brown We'll make running your list easier, new companies say -- just take our ads (03/25/99) Silicon Follies By Thomas Scoville Chapter 4: The claw and the classifieds (03/25/99) The king of computer labs By Andrew Leonard Xerox PARC invented the modern PC but couldn't sell it. A definitive new history explores why (03/24/99) Let's Get This Straight By Scott Rosenberg Readers fill us in on personal information software -- the good, the bad and the discontinued (03/23/99) Coming soon to computer games -- advertising By Janelle Brown Before you splatter that alien, a word from our sponsor! (03/19/99) - - - - - - - - - - BROWSE THE 21ST CHALLENGE ARCHIVES - - - - - - - - - - _______

[THE 21ST CHALLENGE NO. 20] Luddite testimonials BY CHARLIE VARON AND JIM ROSENAU - - - - - - - - - - - - B A C K G R O U N D "I don't own any electronic instruments, and I don't actually long for them. The most modern thing I own is an answering machine and that's only because I can't afford a maid to answer the phone for me ... I write with a pen." -- Writer Fran Lebowitz, quoted in the New York Times, Dec. 17, 1998 - - - - - - - - - - - - T H E    C H A L L E N G E The above quotation exemplifies the phenomenon of techno-refuseniks. Readers are invited to create personal anti-technology testimonials. You may write as yourself or someone else, and you may situate yourself in any historical moment, opposing any contrivance past, present or yet to be invented. Keep it under 75 words, please. - - - - - - - - - - - - R U L E S Send your submissions via e-mail only to salon21st@salonmagazine.com. Please include your full name and an accurate e-mail address so we can contact you if you're a winner. By submitting your entry you give Salon permission to publish it. Deadline for entries is April 5, 1999. - - - - - - - - - - - - P R I Z E S The winning response will receive a copy of Salon technology correspondent Andrew Leonard's book, "Bots: the Origin of New Species." In two weeks we'll publish a winner and some selected entries -- then start over a couple weeks after that with a whole new challenge. SALON | March 26, 1999 Charlie Varon is a humorist and playwright. His works include "Ralph Nader Is Missing" and "Rush Limbaugh in Night School." Jim Rosenau is a writer, editor and software designer in Berkeley, Calif. Jim and Charlie are also co-founders of the citizen group Californians for Earthquake Prevention and partners in Mockingbird Media, which offers a full line of comic services.