Perhaps for Ms Sherr the call had to do with the Greek mythof Leander, who secretly swam the waterway for a night of romance with his great love, Hero, only for them both to drown.
We in high tech love this myth because it puts us on the side ofthe angels--as much as the idea of bringing the True Faith to the heathens swelled the hearts of our Victorian ancestors as they happily bore the White Man's Burden.