I am dumbfounded that I continue to receive email from people that is so readily obviously and readibly provable as false. From smart people, too. People who should know better.

All anyone needs to do is go to Snopes.com to verify that. (Or are you all too fat and lazy to do that?)

C'mon people, its 2004 -- get a clue:

Bill Gates isn't sending you money for forwarding an email, nor will sending a plea to 10 people help cure a little girl with cancer. No, the ACLU isn't stopping Marines from praying before they go into battle. Al Gore did not claim he "invented" the Internet, Neil Armstrong never said "Good luck, Mr. Gorsky!," President George W. Bush never proclaimed, "The problem with the French is that they don't have a word for entrepreneur." Did Kurt Vonnegut give a commencement address at MIT where he advised the graduating class: "Wear sunscreen"? No. Is Disney giving you an all expense paid trip to Disneyland for forwarding an email? No. And toilets do not flush clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere.

On the other hand:

a Canadian radio commentator Gordon Sinclair did deliver a stirring, pro-American editorial -- but it was in 1973. Yes, a couple rented a video camera and VCR, taped themselves having sex, then accidentally left the tape in the player when they return it to the video store. Hermann Goering did proclaim that although "the people don't want war," but they "can always be brought to the bidding of their leaders." Monkees band member Michael Nesmith's mom did invent Liquid Paper correction fluid. Yes, in 1973 Monty Python released a 3 sided record album. And a speeder caught by a photo radar trap did send in a photo of $45 for his fine -- and yes, the police did send back a photo of handcuffs (the speeder paid the fine). And yes, there is a town in Austria called 'Fucking' (Its pronounced "fooking").

The point is that -- thanks to Snopes and Google-- all these stories are very, very easily disproven or verified.

Before you blindly lurch to forward some idiotic email, ask yourself this simple question: I am that gullible? Am I so naive that some 13 year old is playing me for a chump?

Goof emails are the modern equivalent of the phony phone call. So ask yourself:

• Do I have Prince Albert in a can?
• Is anyone here's name "Dick Hurtz?"
• Is that a bag of flaming poo on my front porch? (better stomp on it).

People, its 2004. Get a clue . . .

Posted at 08:10 AM in Web/Tech | Permalink

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