John Hodgman to Obama, "Live Long and Prosper!"

[Clio the Leo]

Tonight at the Radio and Television Correspondents' Dinner, comedian John Hodgman attempted to apply a purity test to determine if the President was REALLY a nerd .... whether he was really the geek we all thought he was. And when the President seemed to fail his very obscure tests in his attempt to PROVE he really was a nerd, (METAPHOR ALERT!!!! METAPHOR ALERT!!!) what he finished with was, although couched in humor, very apropos of the moment I think. If I didn't know better, I'd think he was a lurker here ....

You are clearly NOT the person we hoped you would be... and perhaps it was wrong and impractical and unrealistic for us to lay such hopes upon you. The realty is, we are geeks. We are defined by our passions and our enthusiasms, but also by our open mindedness. Now is not a time for purity tests. But I am nervous. I am nervous because this is a beginning. Princess Irulan (from Dune) said, "A beginning is a delicate time." And it is unsettling to realize that the difficult time we are in is NOT a triumph of the nerds, this is not the END of something happening. This is the BEGINNING of a long journey. And many of the categories that we have used to define ourselves and DIVIDE ourselves are evaporating. And while that is exciting, it is also unsettling and scary.

In many ways, the talk radio show hosts are correct, the President IS a complete mystery to me but no more so than the future itself. And as I am a geek, I am obliged to embrace the future. So I am happy to turn to the President and extend what I consider to be the most American of greetings.

Sir, though we may not always agree, "I have been, and shall always be, your friend. Live long and prosper!"

[Cha]

1. On this..John Hodgman and I totally agree..

"Sir, though we may not always agree, "I have been, and shall always be, your friend. Live long and prosper!"

[silverweb]

2. Just watched it.

That was totally awesome. I loved every bit of it and I'm betting Obama did, too.

[Clio the Leo]

3. Yes he did.....

... after it was over, the President got up and gave Hodgmon a big handshake. HUGE smile on his face.

[silverweb]

4. Excellent.

All I saw of the whole program was Hodgman via the clip on Maddow's show and the President via the clip on Olbermann's show, but I missed the before and after.

[comrade snarky]

5. Obscure? Those questions weren't obscure!

The Fremen call the sandworms Shi'hulud
A sandworm is called with a "thumper"
The liquid is called the "water of life"

and

Wait. Oh no, I've outed myself again haven't I? Crap...


Love the John Hodgman.
His book "The Areas of My Expertise" is hilarious. There's a section on the various tattoos of actuaries, a list of 500 hobo names, a spreadsheet of portents\omens and an additional appendix with 200 bonus hobo names.

[peekaloo]

6. I brought that book along with me while I had some work done on my car

last week. Periodically I would have to put it down and walk outside because my unsuppressed laughter was clearly making the other customers nervous. :-)

deep owls and haircuts through the ages. :rofl: