Goto this link.
Client: We don’t want to do this full-page newspaper ad in color. It’s not about the money. We just don’t want the ad to attract too much attention.”
Customer calling book and video store where I work… Hello, I am a high school teacher here in town. I am looking for a video of the Gettysburg address. And I do NOT want a reenactment! I want the REAL Lincoln!
Below is a call I placed to a tech support line for for an issue with a piece of mission critical hardware. Me: Thanks for calling me back. Tech: No Problem. Me: We are having issues with your virtual network adapter drivers. For some reason when I enable the network adapter all the COM ports on the system lock up. Tech: Oh yea, we know about that issue. Me: Ok, is there an updated driver? Tech: Nope. But we are working on that now. Me: What is the estimated date of arrival? Tech: hold please…music…Sir? We really don’t know. Me: Ok, is there a workaround? Tech: Definately! Me: Ok, what is it? Tech (dead serious): Don’t use the network adapter if you want to use your other COM ports!
“can you guys make it more like a power-point presentation, you know, with the sliding text stuff and all?”
I just dropped in, searching for other people have blogged about the Address, and I’ve found tons of sad stories about how people don’t know what it is, or have tried to simplify the language so it is more understandable…
I’m not sure whether any of the horror stories you’ve listed are true. My own experience with the Gettysburg Address leads me to believe that they are: what is characteristic of our age is not so much stupidity, as much as stupidity from a total lack of awareness, a total non-concern for what is around us.
Shameless plug: My own thoughts on what some people want on videotape are here.