{
  "export": {
    "source": "https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/urth/702",
    "note": "Exported from an unofficial mirror of a public mailing list. Copyright in each message remains with the person who wrote it.  Email addresses are obscured as `user at host`, the form the original archive published. This file was rebuilt from parsed fields rather than retained headers, so it is faithful in content but not byte-exact.",
    "addresses": "obscured as 'user at host'"
  },
  "archive": "urth",
  "thread": {
    "id": 702,
    "subject": "5HC: Who Is Number One?",
    "messages": 2,
    "voices": 2,
    "first": "1998-06-01T20:56:09+00:00",
    "last": "1998-06-02T19:39:35+00:00"
  },
  "messages": [
    {
      "message_id": "<urth-v0012-0042@digest.urth.net>",
      "from": {
        "name": "adam louis stephanides",
        "address": "astephan at students.uiuc.edu"
      },
      "date": "1998-06-01T20:56:09+00:00",
      "subject": "(urth) 5HC: Who Is Number One?",
      "in_reply_to": null,
      "reply_link": null,
      "blocks": [
        {
          "kind": "text",
          "depth": 0,
          "text": "Earlier this year (in vol. 9 of the archives) the question was debated:\nassuming, as the consensus seems to be, that Number Five's designation\narises from his being fifth in a series which also includes his \"father,\"\n\"grandfather,\" and \"great-grandfather,\" who is the other member of the\nseries?  Robert Borski argued it was Mr. Million, while Tony Ellis argued\nit was an otherwise unmentioned predecessor of the great-grandfather, (I'm\ngoing to drop the scare quotes from now on, because they're irritating to\nlook at) whose clone the g-g was.  I'm doubtful about both these\nsolutions.  My feeling is that the g-g was the first in the \"line\"; had\nthere been a predecessor, it seems likely that the father would have\nmentioned him in his oft-quoted speech: \"'You are here because I did and\ndo, and I am here because the individual behind me did -- who was himself\noriginated by the one whose mind is simulated in Mr. Million.'\"\n\nNor am I satisfied with the Mr. Million solution, though I can't disprove\nit.  My problem is not that I believe, as Tony Ellis does, that Mr.\nMillion *is* the g-g.  It's simply that Mr. Million is not one of the\nseries extending from the g-g to Number Five.  He's an offshoot.\n\nAnyway, a few hours ago I got an idea.  While I'm not sure of it, given\nthe way (our) Mr. Wolfe's mind works, I think it's plausible.  It's based\non three facts:\n\n1) There is no evidence that anyone but Number Five is ever designated by\nhis number outside of the father's mind.  In fact, if the consensus\nabove is true, Aunt Jeannine must never have heard any of the other\nnumbers used.\n\n2) We know that both Number Five and the father are both named Gene Wolfe,\nand it seems likely that the grandfather and great-grandfather are\nalso.\n\n3) The colony is acquainted with twentieth-century science fiction.\n\nGiven all this, couldn't it be that Number One is our own Gene Wolfe?\n\n--Adam"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "message_id": "<urth-v0012-0059@digest.urth.net>",
      "from": {
        "name": "Derek Bell",
        "address": "dbell at maths.tcd.ie"
      },
      "date": "1998-06-02T19:39:35+00:00",
      "subject": "Re: (urth) 5HC: Who Is Number One?",
      "in_reply_to": "<urth-v0012-0042@digest.urth.net>",
      "reply_link": "subject",
      "blocks": [
        {
          "kind": "text",
          "depth": 0,
          "text": "\tYou are Number Six... Ooops! Wrong topic!!! ;-)\n\n\tDerek"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}