I received the best email in the world yesterday. It was even better than the Mr Chicken email which I lost years ago. This may require a short introduction to give you some context.

I casually collect fountain pens; it’s not a serious collection and I don’t collect old ones. Mostly I just like to try and find ones that I like and am happy using and that’s not an easy task. There is a chap in China called Alan Koo who is a much more serious collector, and seller than I am. He collects and sells all the original, fakes and cloned pens that the Chinese made over the last 50 or so years and his stuff is good and cheap. He sends a newsletter out every couple of weeks, and this email message was one of these.

So, for your delight:

Date: 18th April 2007
From: Alan Koo
Subj: Inside the Mind of a Korean Killer

BLACKSBURG, Va. – Between his first and second bursts of gunfire,
the Virginia Tech gunman mailed a package to NBC News containing
what authorities said were images of him brandishing weapons and a
video of him delivering a diatribe about getting even with rich
people.

Colleges nationwide are reassessing how to alert students during
emergencies, with hundreds of schools seeking advice from campus
safety experts Tuesday, the day after the Virginia Tech shootings.
Private security firms also fielded scores of calls.

Students at Virginia Tech were informed of the violence via a mass
e-mail about two hours after the first shooting, and about 20 minutes
before the second.

Security experts Tuesday urged universities to use a variety of
techniques to reach students. Many already deploy website postings,
voicemail, public address systems, phone trees or even bullhorns.
Some, such as USC, are considering text messages and podcasts.

What happen to the student of these days, willing to buy a gun and
unwilling to spend on a fountain pen. Maybe future fountain pens
can be designed in this way to serve their killer instinct, see
here:

http://www.yichengtrading.com/catalog/item/4299241/4232878.htm

Alan Koo (Dr. China)
Your China Pen King
www.yichengtrading.com

Unfortunately, the link doesn’t work – If I find the pen he means, I will update it.