Just in from Cyber Central. We are not alone.:
Koko the gorilla logs on to Internet chat session
10.15 p.m. ET (216 GMT) April 27, 1998
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - If Koko the gorilla has anything to do with it, America Online may soon stand for "Animals Online.''
Koko, a western lowland gorilla with a high I.Q. and a 500-word sign language vocabulary, ventured into cyberspace for a chat session Monday night. A translator fielded questions and interpreted Koko's responses online.
When questioned about her favorite drink, Koko responded with "apple drink.'' She also was asked about her pet cats, her dreams and her human companions.
Koko occasionally signed and responded, said Penny Patterson, her handler and translator.
"She was really relaxed,'' Ms. Patterson said. "She was really thinking about these questions.''
Koko covered her face when asked if she would ever like to have a baby. Ms. Patterson said Koko couldn't quite conceptualize events in the future well enough to address them.
Regardless of short answers, Koko was a big online hit.
As many as 8,000 AOL members logged on to participate in the chat session with Koko at the Gorilla Foundation in Woodside, 26 miles south of San Francisco. At least 13,000 questions were submitted, though Koko only addressed little more than a dozen.
foxnews.com
I guess that e-mail queue is a little stacked up. |
