For those of you who don’t get to the local papers each day, you might want to take a look; there’s an Post-Gazette article and a Tribune-Review article about the mysterious letters project. Associated Press has also done an article that has gone out to media outlets across the country. KDKA is also planning a segment on the letters which will air this evening at the end of the 5:00 newscast. WTAE is also doing a story, but we haven’t gotten word on when that will air–probably tonight, too.
Some Internet research quickly solved the mystery of the letters; the artist’s blog explains the project and shows photos all of the letters they sent out. But some of our residents are still convinced there is more to it than this. The discussion continues; perhaps for some people it will never be fully resolved.
According to the news article and their own websight, the state objective is to send a letter to everyone in the world. At their present rate of writing letters (70 letters in 10 hours) let’s do the math:
70 letters/10 hours = 8.5 minutes per letter
6 billion people (we’ll be conservative with the estimate)X 8.5 minutes = 51,000,000,000 minutes
51,000,000,000 minutes = 850,000,000 hours
850,000,000 hours = 35,416,666 days
35,416,666 days = 97,031 years
If you follow my math, you will realize I didn’t include the extra day in the leap year: I suppose a day off every 4 of continuous writing is not TOO generous.
Unless these two have discovered immortality, there is no other way to interpret these eager beavers’ impulses than to chalk them up to a transitory whim, and a soundly good-natured, although grossly overextended, artistic passion for being seen and felt. At least, let us all hope this is just a whim; our own good-natures would, I think, never wish ninety-seven thousand and thirty-one years of continuous letter-writing upon anybody. For their sakes, as well as our collective sanities, let us give them a hearty “hello” in return, then let they and us return to our own humdrum world. Although, I hope we return the better for it because though lost, letter-writing is an art and in this age of electronics and season of good-will, not just Santa, but our dear friends, occasionally enjoy finding something other than bills in the mailbox.