Boiled & angry

George C. Smith, Ph.D., Editor-at-large
Wednesday, 15 May 2002 SUCH BOILED AND angry stuff, strong enough to poison even poison, came washing into the electronic mailbox of Vmyths upon publication of "Oh, you milk-fattened ninnies!" I was cast as the toad, ugly and venomous, spraying a stinking ichor of hurtful words on too many innocent and good computer-using folk. Vultures should grip my guts, said some.

Well, I don't think I've achieved the towering heights of being a milk-fattened ninny, as I lack sufficient techno-savvy. However, you do have a certain verbal flare with a modicum of cynical humor. Oh, — you and the horse you rode in on. [Signed,] A helpless, unemployed technophobe...

Shucks, don't be so quick to undersell yourself.

I was offended by George C. Smith's insulting and condesending [sic] column Oh, you milk-fattened ninnies! I really resent the "I know so much about computers and everybody who dosn't [sic] is a ninnie [sic]" attitude. Well, we all aren't idiot savants. Most of us don't have time to do anything but use our computer's applications. As someone who just spent about 15 hours getting rid of the Klass [sic] virus ... I have to say that this virus presents a real threat to home users, some or most of whom just want to do something with their computers [sic] not spend all of their time finding out how it works. One of the people I know who got this virus was an old lady in [California] who was trying to write her biography for her grandchildren. She lost about a months work and says she can't remember some of what she wrote. She is 86. Yes, I know she should have backed up her work and she should have upgraded her virus checker (she didn't even know what a virus checker was) but she's only been using a computer for about 6 months. Have a little sympathy. I know this virus is not much of a treat [sic] to corporate uses but it is a real treat [sic] to people like me. I'm a high school English teacher and I use my computer for lessons, e-mail, and printng [sic] digital photos. I don't have time for this crap!

High school English teacher, eh? Misspelled: -Klass- That's Klez. Or was Milk-fattened ninnies unclear in this matter? Misspelled: -dosn't-. Misspelled: ninnie. Ninnies is the plural of ninny — the singular form. Usage: "Dear ninny:"... Error: treat. You mean threat, as in "Klez virus: Threat or menace?" — not "Klez: The multi-flavored ice-cream treat." Mistake: corporate uses. You mean corporate users or, perhaps, corporate losers. Misspelled: condesending. You meant condescending, as in: "I was in such high dudgeon over rat bastard George C. Smith's horribly condescending essay, I dashed off this error-riddled screed in less time than it took to remove Klez virus from some old lady's computer."

With regards to your recent essay on vmyths.com — the one [about] milk-fattened ninnies — I'm not sure to what extent you're serious and to what extent not...

Yep.

You apparently are quite full of your own vision of self-worth...

I will long bear the weight of your blunt upbraidings and bitter scoffs.

At least, I must be a ninny. Your article was rather globally insulting. Except, well, as a long-time cynic, it was refreshing. Bravo.

Excelsior! KLEZ WILL GET YOU AND SEND YOU TO THE MOON!!!!!!! Aaaaiiiiieeeeeee!