Collectively smarter than all of you put together

December 9, 2004 10:57 AM

It would appear that Metafilter is collectively smarter than Scott McNealy, Mitch Kapor, and a lot of other people ... and quicker than Snopes (as least in this case). Collectively is the operative word, of course, but I thought this was worth a chuckle.
posted by pmurray63 to MetaFilter-related at 10:57 AM (20 comments total)

With the exception of moonbird, right?

Just kidding - I like moonbird. Seriously, though, this is such a bad photoshop I'm amazed anyone ever fell for it. Let's not call sniffing it out a test of intelligence, though.
posted by scarabic at 11:09 AM on December 9, 2004

We're naturally cynical and skeptical of everything. In some cases, such as this, it just seems to fall in our favor.
posted by vacapinta at 11:23 AM on December 9, 2004

In some cases, such as this, it just seems to fall in our favor.

what twaddle.
posted by quonsar at 11:27 AM on December 9, 2004

I can't count the number of times I hear things on MeFi entire days before NPR does a story on it.
posted by odinsdream at 11:31 AM on December 9, 2004

Or if you read fark.com, you would have known right away that the picture was from a Fark Photoshop contest.
posted by driveler at 11:48 AM on December 9, 2004

Fark link here.
posted by driveler at 11:50 AM on December 9, 2004

I can't count the number of times I hear things on MeFi entire days before NPR does a story on it.

That's because half of the crap posted to MeFi comes directly or indirectly from BoingBoing, and BoingBoing is linked to NPR via Xeni Jardin (who was in Starship Troopers with Denise Richards, who was in Wild Things with Kevin Bacon.)

Personally, I loathe them all with the fire of a thousand suns.
posted by Danelope at 11:50 AM on December 9, 2004

In the past week three family members and strangers have tried to show me that computer image, which apparently is a hit with email forwarders now.

Every one of them gets their heart broken when they find out it's a fake. It's like telling kids there is no santa.
posted by mathowie at 11:59 AM on December 9, 2004

Wow that's a terrible PS job. BUT if you believe it, I'd love to sell you a
Zeprad - half zebra/half lepard. First $100 takes it.
posted by joelf at 12:11 PM on December 9, 2004

What about Santa?
posted by yerfatma at 12:56 PM on December 9, 2004

I guess I'm curious why this is coming to the grey now, several months after it was posted?

MeFi should be well ahead of the mainstream (if NPR can be called mainstream) media. I read things here a good week before it gets to guys like Keith Olbermann. Usually more.

Joelf, only if you have the video of the mating process to go along with it. Was the zebra giving or receiving?
posted by fenriq at 1:09 PM on December 9, 2004

Yea, I got this from someone in an email this week. I was going to send her a link to snopes but then I thought, why be such spoilsport. Things like this don't do much harm. *sigh*
posted by octothorpe at 1:24 PM on December 9, 2004

fenriq, I mentioned it here today because:

1) My boss sent me the picture earlier this week (like Matt said, the forwarders have suddenly discovered it). I remembered seeing it here back in September, and was thus able to quickly rain on his parade. Not that anyone here would care, of course, but that primed my attention. Then I noticed that...

2) Scott McNealy used it in a speech yesterday (that's the CNET article I linked to).

3) Mitch Kapor posted it to his blog last week.

In short, it has achieved critical mass within the past week or two. (The magazine added it to their website's home page with the headline, "Don't Blame Us.") And that's why I mentioned it today.

I didn't intend this as a "ha-ha, they're stoopid" kind of thing. I just found it interesting that it surfaced here almost 3 months ago, was debunked, yet has gone on to fame.
posted by pmurray63 at 1:38 PM on December 9, 2004

Yea, I got this from someone in an email this week. I was going to send her a link to snopes but then I thought, why be such spoilsport. Things like this don't do much harm. *sigh*

The relatives I have in the "forwarder" category unfortunately also send me shit like "sign this petition to keep the words 'in God we trust' on the money" and "click here and Bill Gates will donate $10 to Bobby Smith, whose cancerous dog needs surgery"

In their case, liberating them of their internet delusions is a service. I swear sometimes I'm tempted to run my own Nigerian email scam against them. I know their addresses. I know exactly how dumb they are. Must. Restrain. Self.
posted by scarabic at 1:53 PM on December 9, 2004

right, so i got juiced. so did the presurfer. actually, while i didn't stop to question the subject of the post, it was kinda fun in an embarrassing sort of way to watch it deconstructed so quickly.

i've always been gullible. i used to be had all the time with the "cow on the roof" thing. good times for all.
posted by moonbird at 3:24 PM on December 9, 2004

last week my dad informed me that i could soon stop worrying about spam, as congress intends to begin to tax email.
posted by quonsar at 4:51 PM on December 9, 2004

well, there is a gradient of gullibility.
posted by moonbird at 5:16 PM on December 9, 2004

last week my dad informed me that i could soon stop worrying about spam, as congress intends to begin to tax email.

"Don't worry, son. You know this country will be alright so long as a man never gets it in his mind to put fish down his trousers."
posted by Danelope at 5:26 PM on December 9, 2004

i said i had a fish in my pants, i didn't say *i* put it there.
posted by quonsar at 6:29 PM on December 9, 2004

It's like telling kids there is no santa.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN??!!!??
posted by matteo at 2:51 AM on December 10, 2004