Stubborn Things

For an era of human history often referred to as The Information Age, I am constantly amused (and occasionally alarmed) by the sheer volume of MISinformation that all this wondrous technology makes available to us 24/7/365.

Consider, for instance, this:

I've seen this motivational poster (or others like it) hanging in more schools than I can count. What's wrong with that, you may ask? Stubborn Fact No. 1:  The words being attributed to Shaq on this poster are not his words. He is actually quoting someone else, by way of explaining why he chose the nickname "The Big Aristotle." If you track down the whole transcript of the interview, he even says as much. Yet if you use the tools of the Information Age (i.e., doing a Google search for "Shaquille O'Neal + excellence") you will find this mis-attribution all over the place, including on sites which purport to be archives of noteworthy or famous quotations. So, thanks to the wonders of technology, millions of people believe this thought originated in the mind of a professional basketball player. 

That's not the end of the lesson, though. Lots and lots and lots of people get up on their high horses about this particular misconception, expressing their dismay at the uneducated souls who don't know that the quote is from the ORIGINAL Aristotle (O'Neal says this in the interview, by the way). And whenever I encounter such a person, I laugh my ass off. Why? Stubborn Fact No. 2: Aristotle didn't say it either!

"True. But in fairness, I did say a lot of OTHER smart stuff."

Yes, Ari, you certainly did. But what was it Winston Churchill said? Oh, yeah...

Jolly good! Except...

"I call 'bullshit' on this one."

 As well he should...

Oh, well. Thank God for Snopes, JunkScience, Quote...unquote, etc. Truth be told, they're trying to drain the ocean with a teaspoon, but God bless them all nonetheless...

More (MUCH more) on this topic in the days ahead. Sadly, misinformation never sleeps, even though I must...

Things That Make Me Happy: Bathroom Edition

Easily one of life's most annoying rituals is shaving. I hate it, have always hated it, and have even grown horrendous-looking beards from time to time in my life in order to avoid having to do it. How nice, then, to have come across a company that makes the chore more bearable. Say "hello" to Harry's...

Pictured at left is one of the sets I own, a special one they produced last year in cooperation with the Movember Foundation, a group devoted to men's health issues globally. I have others as well...




Why Harry's? Well, I have to admit that their advertising pitches are well done, and I have found their customer service folks to be top-notch. But they hooked me for life with a single sentence printed on the back of their shaving cream tubes:

"Please don't eat it."

 I still hate shaving, but I do love me some drollery...

Have I Mentioned That Red is My Favorite Color?

Please support Red Nose Day! It is a worthy cause...

I'm IN!

Me too!

Me three!

Until Next Time...

One week ago today, the world lost one of the great musicians AND human beings ever, the marvelous B.B. King. Here he is on PBS's Austin City Limits performing a blues classic on his beloved "Lucille." Enjoy!