Sunday, February 25, 2007

Students devise an alternative postal system

Macalester College's newspaper, The Mac Weekly reports on a campus underground postal operation called "The Experimental Post Office" or EXPO for short.

According to the St. Paul, Minnesota, student run paper, EXPO was "originally created as an inside joke inspired by the pleasure of exchanging creative mail... but now aims to emphasize the importance of human contact in a world where roommates often e-mail one another to communicate...and breaks the norm as a radically unpredictable postal system in a society obsessed with speed and efficiency."

"EXPO is a small-scale postal system powered by human social networks, walking, and biking. Virtually anything portable can be sent through the system including letters, gifts, and random objects. The sender has three options to send mail. Relay mail is passed from person to person using mutual friends and acquaintances as a means of delivery. Foot mail is directly delivered to the recipient via walking. Kabuki mail gets delivered directly via bicycle and is specifically meant for local off-campus deliveries. All services are free."

Sounds like a good idea!

To read the entire article, click here.
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posted by Don Schilling at 12:01 AM