[3] Thorne gained public recognition in late 2008 for an email exchange[4] in which he attempts to pay an overdue bill with a drawing of a seven-legged spider.

[7] Thorne says that he has been a long-time fan of satirists such as Ross Amorelli, Mil Millington, Chris Lilley, and Shaun Micallef, stating that they have all been a "constant source of amusement over the last few years".

"[17] The spider email has also been featured on several television and radio programs,[18] including BBC's Have I Got News for You[19] in the UK and the Late Show with David Letterman in the United States.

[20] Thorne has also had international success with many of his other articles from the 27bslash6 website such as "Missing Missy",[21] a series of correspondences between Thorne and a secretary who requires a missing poster designed for her lost cat, "Strata Agreement",[22][23] and "Party in Apartment 3",[15] which became so popular that it was read out during a prime time broadcast on BBC Radio[24] in the United Kingdom and reprinted in more than 300 newspapers worldwide.

[25] Thorne's article regarding a former client contacting him for pro-bono work titled "Simon's Pie Charts"[26] (November 2009) became such a viral hit[27] due to being passed on by email and social networking sites[28] that it has been described as one of the most passed on viral emails of all time and has been mentioned on Twitter by many celebrities, read out on radio throughout the UK, United States, and Germany, and featured on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Australia's The 7pm Project and Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

[34] Thorne maintains, "The email articles are verbatim although I do fix spelling errors, as is my prerogative, and bad grammar prior to posting.

[36][37] The hoax event, a birthday party for an Adelaide woman named Kate, was supposedly accidentally left open to public security settings, allowing anyone to RSVP.

Thorne created an "I Attended Kate's Party" T-shirt and began selling it on his online store, whilst numerous Facebook groups were spawned in reference to the event.

The cover changed for a second time to feature a cat dressed as an astronaut, holding a snowboard after a sarcastic negotiation with Penguin Group which was published on the 27bslash6 website.