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The Internet is a Playground

3.85 of 5 stars 3.85 · rating details · 1,891 ratings · 313 reviews

The complete collection of articles and emails from 27bslash6 such as Overdue Account, Party in Apartment 3 and Strata Agreement plus articles too litigious to be on the website.

218 pages

Published by Fontaine Press (first published 2009)

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Jun 26, 2011 Ceridwen rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: america-and-environs, books-about-books, memoir, mind-if-i-call-you-bruce, reviewed, not-for-me-maybe-for-you

Didn't so much read as page through, much like one would a website! Man, am I clever that way, as this started as bits from David Thorne's site, www.27bslash6.com. Thorne is one of those guys who you never want to get on his bad side, or work with, or possibly even know. His pranks are awful and hilarious, except when they are boring and pointless. Awful and hilarious: the one where he photoshopped Justin Bieber's face onto all of a co-worker's stock photos, just because he could. (This was not...more Didn't so much read as page through, much like one would a website! Man, am I clever that way, as this started as bits from David Thorne's site, www.27bslash6.com. Thorne is one of those guys who you never want to get on his bad side, or work with, or possibly even know. His pranks are awful and hilarious, except when they are boring and pointless. Awful and hilarious: the one where he photoshopped Justin Bieber's face onto all of a co-worker's stock photos, just because he could. (This was not in the book; more on that later) He did not back those photos up, of course. Pointless and boring: stories about going camping with his kid. I don't care who you are, anecdotes about what you did on summer vacation are not worth printing. Regaling Grandma and people who love you enough to smile and nod, that is the audience for that. (Unless you get your arm trapped under a rock and have to saw it off. Then that's good television.)

Some of the exchanges listed in this book are as funny or funnier than the Bieber trick, but sometimes it's stuff about Australian minor celebrities and/or politicians of whom I have never heard. So Australians, this may be more for you. I did have an attack when he listed email exchanges where he answered co-workers only with a Magic 8 ball, because it reminded me of this fucking Chemistry teacher I had in high school who had all of these annoying verbal tics. Stuff like the thing where teachers think it is funny to answer "Can I go to the bathroom?" with "You can, but you may not." Oh, burn! Much like my bladder! Only the teacher took it to this infuriating extreme, where if you asked that jackass an either/or question, he would answer "Yes." There were others too, but I can't remember them. I still want to punch that guy in the throat. So the Magic 8 ball trick was too similar, and I freaked out.

...which is probably the thing. All of these transcripts and pranks are purported to be true, which is why they work at all. Otherwise it's just some guy cold dissing really stupid Internet trolls he imagined. You root for Thorne taking down a semi-official chaplain to the public school about the separation of church and state, or people at the video store, or whatever. Those people are irritating. But when Thorne goes after co-workers and the like, I start getting skeeved out, because it's all to easy to imagine getting punked at work just because I was convenient. Comedy happens to other people, thank the tremendous heavens.

Anyway, unlike the website where this originated, this book is rendered in glorious black and white. Seems a shame, because then you can't see the full glory of this:

description

(less)

24 likes · like · see review

May 19, 2011 Mike rated it 3 of 5 stars

A round-up -- a lot of okay gags and writing, a few gems. The allure for me was Thorne's transcripts of email conversations, where he basically annoys the crap out of co-workers, bureaucratic functionaries, and internet trolls. I laughed a few times, and generally enjoyed the book, 'though reading at Thorne's website might reap the same benefits while allowing you the comfort of skipping past anything that isn't quite working.

Meanwhile, I love to play pranks. Here is a sample of my tomfoolery:

--...more

11 likes · like · see review

Feb 01, 2011 Belinda Guiness rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Please do future readers a favor by placing a warning on the cover of the book. The warning needs to state something to the effect of: "Warning. Do not begin this book if you have anything important scheduled in the next several hours. Also, do not begin reading this book in a public place where you may be the victim of scorn for laughing so hard you snort. Please do not read this book at bedtime, as loss of sleep will result. Further, please do not read this book if you have no sense of humor a...more

19 likes · like · see review

Dec 04, 2012 oriana is currently reading it · review of another edition

mid-read: So hmm. This very well illustrates one of the big issues with the blog-to-book phenomenon. David Thorne is a hilarious dick, and he's known mostly for these ridiculous email exchanges he (supposedly) has with actual hapless morons, like the Blockbuster clerk, the volunteer chaplain at his son's school, his new neighbor, his building manager, etc. And as short quick standalone pieces, these really are awesome (provided you don't think too hard about his poor naïve prey).

But the publish...more mid-read: So hmm. This very well illustrates one of the big issues with the blog-to-book phenomenon. David Thorne is a hilarious dick, and he's known mostly for these ridiculous email exchanges he (supposedly) has with actual hapless morons, like the Blockbuster clerk, the volunteer chaplain at his son's school, his new neighbor, his building manager, etc. And as short quick standalone pieces, these really are awesome (provided you don't think too hard about his poor naïve prey).

But the publisher I'm sure could sense that having them all chockablock like that would dilute the humor, plus of course you have to have some new stuff for the book that's not on the blog—otherwise why would anyone buy the cow when you can get the milk for free on teh internets? So they've interspersed the seemingly effortlessly funny emails about piecharts and missing cats with a lot of little listicles and essays and things, most of which feel forced and therefore not very funny.

Plus anyway, even with the added variety, it all begins to feel a bit samey, all these short pieces illustrating that David is very funny and fairly cruel and not at all someone you'd want to spend much time with. He's a troll, is what, which is funny for a little while but not that long.

So I dunno. Probably I will finish it? But I think I'll take some time off and read something a little more substantial first.

before reading: I want this now. Have you heard of this guy? He does this hilariously cruel website, www.27bslash6.com, where he has email correspondences with awful, demanding, idiotic people. I have no idea if they're real or imagined or some combination thereof, but oh god they are delicious. Did I say I want this book now? Now, dammit!!

In case you are not convinced that this crazy man is a comedic genius, here is a random few sentences where he talks about why he does not miss living in Australia:

The four seasons in Australia consist of "Fuck it's hot", "Can you believe how fucking hot it is?", "I won't be in today because it is too fucking hot", and "Yes, the dinner-plate-size spiders come inside to escape from the heat. That is a fucking whopper though." I hate spiders. If I am reincarnated as a spider, I will bite myself and not seek medical assistance. I have actually only seen one in the entire time I have been in the US and it was the size of a well sucked on m&m. I flicked it into the sink. In Australia, the presence of a spider involves combat gear and improvised weapons.(less)

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May 03, 2011 Jennie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Tucker Max fans, /b/tards

Shelves: humor, non-fiction, satire

Thorne's humor is decidedly hit or miss. His shenanigans with religions demagogues and a pompous blowhard of a coworker (who demands he makes a logo. With pie charts. For free) are laugh out loud funny, but many of the pranks are juvenile, crass, mean-spirited, or just simply not funny.

Personally, I'm not a fan of humor had at the expense of others if it's easy. Someone who satirizes power, like Colbert in his now infamous 2006 White House Correspondence Dinner address, is brave. Someone who pic...more

8 likes · like · see review

Jul 19, 2010 Lyndon rated it 5 of 5 stars

Let's face it... David Thorne is some kind of genius. Part hilarious visonary of the absurd, part utter bastard, the book lives up to its title in every way. David shows us that the internet is taken too seriously, and with anonymity comes a chance for trickery. His fake profile pages, his hilariously scathing emails... it's laugh out loud funny stuff. Up there with Robin Cooper's The Timewaster Letters as one of the classics of prankster writing.

2 likes · like · see review

May 03, 2011 Dave Espionage rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I discovered that David Thorne had a book around the same time that I had discovered that reading the phrase "cactus with a hat" inspired mild asphyxiation in me. The specific article that lost me a good hour was "Missing Missy," and for some reason the idea of having that in book form sounded just dandy.

For starters, the table of contents amuses me endlessly. Be warned, however, that for many, this book will annoy your spouse. If your sense of humor does not overlap with your spouse's in the v...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 24, 2011 William Bentrim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Internet Is A Playground by David Thorne

David Thorne is impossible to critique. I suspect you will either love him or hate him as I don’t see a lot of middle ground. This is a collection of his musings on his website noted below.

This book reads like the diary of a bi-polar satirist. Thorne appears to do all the things that we often wish we had to courage to do. He responds to inanity with insanity. I suspect that hospitalization may have been necessary for some of the recipients of his bran...more

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Sep 22, 2010 Scott Millington rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ok, David Thornes book The Internet is a Playground is hilarious. It is hard to write a review for this book as there is two versions, this edition and the much larger "Black Label" edition available only from his website which contains more articles. I have both versions and recommend the black label edition but regardless, this is without a doubt the most hilarious book I have ever read. Not just funny, laugh out loud, sides hurting funny. There is some swear words throughout the book but noth...more

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Jun 06, 2010 Christine rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Trolls, people who enjoy Schadenfreude

Recommended to Christine by: Jeremy

Shelves: read-fiction

On the internet, it's not hard to find people that use the anonymity to be a contrarian, absurd, or just an asshole. What is rare to find someone who is so committed to being a smartass that they will place enough identifying information to attract anger (and lawsuits) to their real life. He does acknowledge some friends in the preface, although I can't imagine they really exist.

This book is a collection of material from the website 27b/6, from south Australian graphic designer David Thorne. It...more

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May 13, 2013 Leon rated it 3 of 5 stars

David Thorne has quickly established himself as the world s leading internet troublemaker. Since his emailed efforts to settle an overdue bill with a drawing of a spider achieved massive worldwide online exposure in 2008, millions of people have followed Thorne s hilarious exchanges with unwitting victims reported via the mainstream media, online and email inboxes globally. Thorne s razor-sharp writings, compiled in his first book The Internet is a Playground say something about everyday life we

...more

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Apr 15, 2013 Lauren Hollister rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Okay, I’m going to be completely honest here. If you didn’t choke on your food or drink while reading this, I think there might be something wrong with you. This book was stocked full of humorous Internet pranks and I admit that I had a few freaked out people, turning their children’s eyes away from me on the bus, but I digress. This book was a fantastic choice for me to read. I thank my friend Emma for forcing me to read the first Chapter (or rather, the first set of emails) titled, the Overdue...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Holly rated it 5 of 5 stars

Reviewed for In-Interest

Never before have I been occasioned by the inner conflict to give a book either a rating of one or five. Common sense would dictate that I rate it a 3, but a 3 states 'it's okay' which does not, sufficiently, depict the juxtaposing feelings this book aroused.

I am going to start with the negatives: I feel like I have been scammed out of the £5/6 I spent on the digital edition of the book. Usually, I will not spend more than around £3 on a Kindle book so just that I was wil...more

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Mar 31, 2013 Septemtrionis rated it 3 of 5 stars

I was not aware of David Thorne or its 27b/6 website before reading this book. It actually popped out at Goodreads as I was writing a review for Emails from an Asshole Real People Being Stupid Certainly, both books share the same purpose / motivation, but that's all about it. "The internet is a playground" is not only about trolling other people. For one, there are more than emails on it, and some of the short texts are much better than the actual emails.

On the other hand, David Thorne never st...more

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Dec 05, 2012 Jenny Stanfield rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: comedic-humour

This book is really hard to review, because it's very polarizing and pointed in it's humour. Whether you love Thorne or hate him, though, you have to give him two things (1) he is masterful at manipulation, logic, and weaving a great fake story, and (2) he is original.

David Thorne is an internet mischief maker, graphic artist, and founder of the hilarious website 27bslash6.com. This book is made up of mostly email exchanges between him and idiotic people in his life where he creates ridiculous s...more

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Jul 27, 2012 Stefanie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've read a lot of Throne's stuff on the internet, which isn't surprising because I spend a lot of my time there. On the internet. Which is totally a physical location in space and everything. Anyway, I did that thing again where I aimlessly wander around Harold Washington Library and hope that I'll find something to read, and this was fortunately sitting out in the open in the "New non-fiction" shelf. Of course, I recognised that spider, so I picked it up, knowing that, if nothing else, I'd get...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Karin rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: funny, internet, internet-narcissism, boredom, work, inciting-riots, stupid-people, letters, email-correspondence, borrowed-from-the-library, blogs-blogging, satire

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 10, 2012 Susan Howson rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

1. Some people deserve to be messed with, and some don't. A person doing their job and collecting an unpaid bill, or a cop doing due diligence, or a cat owner who is worried sick...I'm not sure there's any reason to be so self-congratulatory about making their lives miserable.

2. Speaking of self-congratulatory, the entire book could just say "I'm really proud of myself" over and over, and it would have had the same effect.

3. While many parts are funny, and Thorne knows how to write, cleverness...more

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Jan 20, 2012 Teena in Toronto rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was recommended to me back in September by a fella in Winnipeg and I just read it this week. I'd never heard of David Thorne but it sounded like a fun book ... at it was. At times, I actually laughed out loud.

It's a collection of rambling emails back and forth with the intent of Thorne to see how far he can push the other person. And in most cases, they keep writing back, obviously pissed off. I don't know if the emails are real or not but most are funny and silly.

My favourites include:

Mis...more

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Jun 06, 2011 Scott rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favourites

One of the most influential literary works of our time! THE INTERNET IS A PLAYGROUND is a dazzling and original achievement by the masterful David Thorne. This is the first piece of literature since the Book of Genesis that should be required reading for the entire human race....David Thorne has done nothing less than to create in the reader a sense of all that is profound, meaningful, and meaningless in life.

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Jun 30, 2012 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Big fan of David Thorne's blog, so I was psyched to read the book. Sad that I'd already read several of the email exchanges from the blog, but what the hell did I expect? Still lots of stuff I hadn't encountered, so definitely worth it.

Thorne is half evil half genius, a sort of benign internet terrorist whose main weapon is the childish delight he clearly takes in wearing shitheads down. Basically, his MO is that if someone whom he thinks is an idiot/annoying/deserving either asks him to do some...more Big fan of David Thorne's blog, so I was psyched to read the book. Sad that I'd already read several of the email exchanges from the blog, but what the hell did I expect? Still lots of stuff I hadn't encountered, so definitely worth it.

Thorne is half evil half genius, a sort of benign internet terrorist whose main weapon is the childish delight he clearly takes in wearing shitheads down. Basically, his MO is that if someone whom he thinks is an idiot/annoying/deserving either asks him to do something stupid for them/sends him hate mail/reprimands him for something that others would be scared about, he basically acts like a massive idiot who misunderstands them, repeatedly telling long insane rambling stories about 'once when i was (a kid/in college/whatever), and always thanking them cheerfully for how delightful they are (even if they are overtly threatening) - over and over again until they give up.

It's pretty goddamn funny to see how mad people get and how he wears them down - every time. I don't know if there are times when he doesn't win in these exchanges and those just don't make it on the blog, or if he has basically figured out a way to fuck with the assholes of the world and always win. IF the people he's fucking with aren't assholes/deserving, then there is no way you don't feel bad for them/that Thorne is an asshole. For example, there's a chick who works with him who's asking him to do a Missing Cat poster for her missing pet. Now, if she's not a total asshole, then he is for not helping her out. So basically, you have to assume that everyone he gives this treatment to deserves it, or else he's kind of a huge dick. But let's just assume she's a terrible shitty annoying person and who the fuck does she think she is asking him for help?

The best part is the balls this guy has when dealing with like police officers and the management company for his apartment complex and stuff like that. I'm going to assume these are situations in which he feels he is being unjustly fucked with, and let's all hope that he was indeed being unjustly fucked with. Because if so, this guy has totally figured out how to stick to the man. Either way, it takes a massive set of balls to give this treatment to authority figures and I would like to employ him to annoy several people on my behalf.

Anyway, basically, as long as you assume everyone he fucks with deserves it, he's hilarious. If not, then there is some moral ambiguity involved. I'm going with option A and getting his next book.(less)

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Feb 10, 2011 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I got this as an ARC, and I thought, "Hm, this might make a fun bathroom book." After about thirty seconds reading, I was hooked. I carried it around with me and read it every time I had a free second. It only lasted a couple of days, but they were a hilarious couple of days. My favorite piece is definitely about Missy's Lost cat. I giggle just thinking about it.

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Jan 06, 2013 Kevin Rayfield rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: stopped-reading

Ugh. I remembered enjoying the famous Spider e-mail exchanges and the bit about the lost cat, but I could only make it through 17% of this book. Just some really unfunny stuff, almost all of which makes you ask "Why?". The setup for most of the bits are the author recieving a piece of mail, then responding to it with arbitrary wackiness. The straight man of each bit is usually just a normal person doing something justified and not worthy of the annoying responses. That's the winning formula.

Oh,...more

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Jun 08, 2012 Leanne Kinkopf rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: humor

The Internet is a Playground is a very good book for what it is: a collection of some light comedy, mostly in the form of email correspondences and short stories mocking those the author knows. It isn't high literature, but it's damned amusing. I laughed out loud multiple times, particularly at the copied emails, which are the real gems in the book. However, I had read a great deal of it before on Thorne's website, 27bslash6.com. It wasn't a case of a few reprinted articles, either. A good hunk...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Kezermezer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Internet is a Playground is a collection of emails correspondences and articles from 27bslash6.com, the website David Thorne created for his pieces that were being removed from other websites.

The humor here is irreverent, amusing, witty and boorish by turns. Although there are a couple duds, there are many more laugh-out-loud moments. However, the distinct style can become grating after awhile and is best enjoyed in small doses - convenient, given the format.

What never became clear to me w...more

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Nov 20, 2012 Eric T. Voigt rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fall-twelve

Special thnax to Nick Meshkin, who still hasn't gotten a goodreads, for owning and lending this to me. Although his version has the graphic image of David Thorne being raped by someone demanding cheap as free design work on the cover, I could not find that edition to say I'd "read," so this cute little seven-legged spider-blob will do. Funniest book I've ever read. I apologize to all the coffee shop attendees and roommates I annoyed with my non-stop giggling, but if you were reading what I was r...more

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May 06, 2011 Tina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I don't much laugh out loud while reading. And I certainly never "LOL". But this book had me snorting with laughter time and again. Thorne's pranks, cranks and comebacks are perfect for the more cynical and sarcastic among us.

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Feb 04, 2013 Kerry rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: funny

I love David Thorne. I want to hang out with him and be his BFF! He's such a smart-ass and so funny. There are his real emails (or so he claims) between him and his co-workersn and "fans" of his blog (http://www.27bslash6.com) in which he just messes with their heads until they concede and go away. My favorites are "Missing Missy" where his distraught co-worker asks him to create a missing poster for her cat, "Simon's pie charts" (So effing funny)were Simon wants help on a work assignment...for...more

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Apr 03, 2012 Ed Wagemann marked it as to-read

http://generation-add.blogspot.com/20...

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Sep 02, 2011 Michael Mize added it

This book was LOL funny but a complete waste of my time.
Given that, if you like British authors you'll appreciate the extra "u" in some of the words.

1 like · like · see review

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About David Thorne

David Thorne is an Australian humourist, satirist, Internet personality and New York Times best-selling author. His work has been featured on the BBC, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien. Thorne gained public recognition in late 2008 for an email exchange in which he attempts to pay an overdue bill with a drawing of a seven-legged spider....more

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Books by David Thorne

I'll Go Home Then, It's Warm and Has Chairs. The Unpublished Emails.

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Quotes from The Internet is a Play...

“Opinions are like nipples, everybody has one. Some have firm points, others are barely discernible through layers, and some are displayed at every opportunity regardless of whether the audience has stated "I am interested in your nipples" or not.” — 19 people liked it

“While I do not have a boyfriend, I do have a friend who is homosexual and I once asked him "Do you ever think about having sex with me because you are gay?" to which he replied "Do you ever think about having sex with Rosie O'Donnell because you are straight? Same thing.” — 9 people liked it

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