This is a sad day for us all.

Apparently, the ShamWow Guy is a devious character who purportedly beat up a prostitute after she bit his tongue.

More on the story here, here, and here.

I don’t know whether to feel betrayed that my illusions of the ShamWow Guy are gone (I mean, if you can’t believe in the ShamWow Guy, who else might be tainted? That Mr. Clean character has always seemed dodgy. And how can I ever trust those Charmin Bears again?) or to be amazed that so many people have posted about this. When did ours become a culture so concerned about the scandals of infomercial hosts?

Although, I have to admit that I’ve kind of always wanted a ShamWow. And I feel a little let down that the ShamWow Guy is not an upright citizen. Now I suspect his claims about the absorbency of the ShamWow are not to be trusted.

Rats.

Image credit: shamwow

I know I shouldn’t support a site that has a tab called “Lol Builder.”

I know in my heart it is wrong.

But they just make me laugh all the time. It cannot be helped.

It’s the little pointy ears and the big kitty eyes and the asinine captions.

Resistance is futile.

Image credit: lolcat

Taking over the world is best done with company, if only because once you’ve achieved your goal and you’re sitting in your fortress of evil, laughing and eating ice cream, you should have someone to share it with.

Thank you for commenting.

Rachel, Joe Stanganelli, Rebecca, Sarah, James Dowd, Molly, Jon, Dave, Elyse, Michael, Peter R. Wood, and Cass.

This month on AIM Coho, Salmon & Trout Bots:

Jimmie, Twinge, and justusthane.

Click through to blog if you can’t view the video.

Stella

Originally a live comedy act with 3 guys in suits. We made lights in their honor, and hung them up in our hallway. Sometimes we leave one of them off to encourage in-fighting.

Michael Showalter, David Wain & Michael Ian Black.

Flight of the Conchords

Two guys from New Zealand with catchy lyrics and a stalker.

(If you can’t view the video in Google Reader, please click through to the blog)

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog

Doogie Howser, MD trying to take over the world. There is no need for any other incentive to watch this. For further nerd joy, Felicia Day (The Guild) and Nathan Fillion (Firefly) co-star.

(If you can’t view the video in Google Reader, please click through to the blog)

With that in mind, I’m going to take a page from Leo Bottary’s blog, Client Services Insights, and recognize January’s contributors to the Guide to World Domination.

Thank you for being part of the conversation.

Din, Rebecca, Peter R. Wood, Chris C., Rachel, Molly, Jon, Chris, Joe Stanganelli, Cass, Sarah, Caydie Heller, Donn, Danielle, Johanna, and RobCottingham.

This month on AIM Coho, Salmon & Trout Bots:

Tiffany, Krista & justusthane.

Image credit: robots

We watched Obama’s inauguration speech in silence, and, despite the numerous challenges facing our country and this administration, for the first time in 8 years, I felt hope. I thought to the baby, “You’ve picked a good time to come into the world.”

I hope we are entering a time of positive change for our country and our world. I hope that I will be part of it.

Welcome to the White House, President Obama.

View the speech here:

My theory (which is not based on any facts at all) is that he is faking his health conditions in order to sabotage Apple’s reputation and investors’ confidence.

Once everyone’s feeling good and defeated and has unloaded all their stock, he’s going to announce his new position as a senior executive at Google, and then proceed to take over the world.

It would be like Lord of the Rings, when Saruman teamed up with Sauron and there was no hope for Middle Earth.

And if Yahoo is Gandalf, we’re doomed.

Or, if we’re relying on wizards to bail us out, we’re probably still out of luck, because I don’t think Harry Potter has a lot of corporate experience.

Excellent plan, yes? I wish I’d thought of it. Unfortunately, in order to pull this off, I would have to be Steve Jobs.

Maybe I can jump in Smeagol-style and bite off his finger and steal his heirlooms. The great thing about this world is that no matter what you’re selling, someone on eBay will buy it.

Watch your ass, Steve. I’m on to you.

Image credit: original image of Mordor and original image of apple.

This post is for anyone who has ever received an email forward containing a cautionary tale with an unknown origin.

Existing Email Scams

These emails may include the following stories:

• Household items contain agents that will kill you
• Truck drivers will run your car off the road
• Cell phones numbers are being given to telemarketers
• Calling #77 on your cell phone will connect you to the police, no matter where you are
• Vague missing person reports

Why Do These Scams Succeed?

I have been taken in by many of these emails, and don’t doubt that there are valid situations where some of these stories may have occurred.

I also often receive these emails from kind-hearted people who are so concerned about warning their friends that they don’t think to validate the story before passing on the message.

Don’t Be Duped, or Dupe Your Friends

Although you may want to warn others as quickly as possible, it’s worth doing a quick search online before you spread the story and worry the people in your life.

You are a trusted source for most of these people, and receiving this email from you makes others more inclined to trust the story.

Scammers are counting on it.

What Can You Do About It?

Please take 30 seconds to check the facts at snopes.com.

You can search for the subject line or keywords related to the email you’ve received. If it’s a popular forward, snopes will tell you:

1. If it’s true
2. Where the story came from
3. Accurate information that may help you.

For example, the #77 email is a myth – not all states use #77, some use other codes, or no code at all. Snopes suggests that to be safe, you should always dial 911.

How Do I Know Snopes is Accurate?

In their FAQ, Snopes explains, that they are not “the ultimate authority on any topic” but that “the research materials [they've] used in the preparation of any particular page are listed in the bibliography displayed at the bottom of that page so that readers who wish to verify the validity of [their] information may check those sources for themselves.”

If, for your peace of mind, you feel that you should send the email warning just in case, please do. But, you should be aware that the story you’re sending may not be gospel truth, and you may want to indicate that information at the start of your forward.