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He's quite enamoured now about blogs, it appears. That's him on the right in a nightie or something, his son Matthew in the middle and me on the left. I can't explain the yellow tinge to this photo.
Anyway, today, I gather, in his super important job as the big poobah and snake oil salesman in charge of luring rich Americans to a place in Northwestern Ontario called Sunset Country, he received this email.
And he says I should put it on my blog.
I had another post almost ready to go, but seeing as I put his image on my last post without seeking his permission, I figure I owe him something besides a kick in the ass.
Can you read this?
You can't spell?
That's perfectly OK.
I Could Read this. Can You?
If yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too. Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg.
The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae.
The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh?
Yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!
If you can raed tihs forwrad it.
---
So...CAN you read it? I actually can and my brother says he can. If you can't, fear not...45 per cent of the population can't, according to this.
Of course, we in the 55 per cent couldn't begin to tell you what difference this might make to our lives, but hell...it's something!
Now it's your turn. What can you do that most of the population can't? Bodily contortions? Recite the Bhagavad Gita backwards? Predict When George Bush will invade Iran?
Do tell...
Hey yeah I can read it!!! However,I am unsure about what the rest of the population cant do that I can!!
ReplyDeletePerhaps it could be,being the first to comment here!
Laura
Pleased to meetcha Gerry. We're all getting kind of tired of C, anyway! :)
ReplyDeleteAny primary teacher who uses a particular programme of teaching reading knows well that the only two letters that count in a word are the first and last. It's the key to reading 'sight' words -- the ones whsoe spellings have absolutely no bearing on reality (that would [also] be about 55% of the English language). People who learned to read early to average are the ones who can read this passage. Those who had some trouble learning to read and had to break each word down in order to decode it are the ones who can't read it at a glance. 55% to 45% sounds just about right to me.
So where can we find your blog, Gerry? I want to defect!
(Just kidding old man. We still lurve you.)
Yes, I can read it. I've seen this email before though - about a year ago or so.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I have any stupid human tricks - at least none that I can think of right now.
Laura:
ReplyDeleteCmon, think...there must be something besides being the first to comment on a lame post...
Andrea:
Ohhh, Andrea! You cut like a knife! It's like a dagger through my heart!
Thanks for basically blowing this post and whatever premise it purported to have out of the water...
You want to defect...sob...
Anna:
Thanks. Actually, I thought I was perpetually a decade behind real time, but if I'm only a year behind, I can accept that...
Think harder about what you can do that few others can...look into my eyes...sleep, sleep...I am the count, mideow, mideow...
Chris,I cnnot think at this time of night!
ReplyDeleteLaura
Yes, I can read it. I think I've seen something like that before.
ReplyDeleteYour brother looks a lot like you.
Waht is worng wtih it? Ntohnig aeparps asmis to me. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI can read it. This made the round of emails before so I've seen it already.
ReplyDeleteAs for what I can do that the rest of the population (to my knowledge) can't do, well, I can bend all my fingers backwards (on both hands) and make them touch the back of my hands.
If you don't believe me, Ces dared me to post a picture and here's the link below:
http://menchie.blogspot.com/2006/11/here-it-is.html
Laura:
ReplyDeleteCop-out! Excuses, excuses...;-)
Pamela:
Yeah, I know, apparently this is older than the hills...which is how old he says I am.
When I get hold of him, he's not going to look a lot like anyone...
Liraue:
Vrey ceevlr. Tsaee.
Menchie:
OK, the girl from the Phillipines wins tonight's big prize for breaking my squeamish meter!
How the heck do you do that? Ewwwwww!!! Does that freak out hubby or what?
I bet you've taught that to your kids...
Anyway, you win the grand prize for being the only person to actually answer my question!
You'll receive something in the mail in 6-8 weeks. We're not sure what yet...
WW,
ReplyDeleteLOL! Told ya! Don't know anybody else who can do it.
I've been able to do it since I was little -- have no idea why I can do it. And no, it doesn't freak my hubby out.
There's a prize???!!!!!
Just in case the cyber goblins think I'm anonymous...I'm Dinahmow.
ReplyDeleteAnd Andrea got in with the teaching comment before me.This email pops up from time to time purporting to be from a Language Dept. at Cambridge University.Wherever it's from, it's not doing much to stop the dumbing-down of education!In last year's class of 30 I'd say the pecentage was higher.Sad, isn't it?
Oh! Welcome to Gerry.Are you guys going to be like Batman and Robin?
I can do something interesting with my tnouge. Does that count?
ReplyDeleteOne yaer ago I cuolnd't eevn slepl
ReplyDeleteBoglger and now I are one!
My sutipd hmuan ticrk is to cnvocnie mslyef taht I wlil cunoite to bolg and not hvae a cpmotele fkuicng mlteowdn uinsg tihs new vroiesn of Boglegr!
I can read it. I can't do anything that nobody else can, but there is something I can't do that everybody else can.
ReplyDeleteI can't wink.
Menchie:
ReplyDeleteWell, it freaks me out.
Yeah, there's a prize. It's in the mail (well, not really, but let's just pretend).
However (and see Stace's post below), the judges have advised me we'll require a tiebreaker vote.
Dinahmow:
You mean the percentage was higher of those who could or couldn't read it?
OK, so we know you're a teacher...
And no, Gerry and I will not be Batman and Robin. We'd be more like Eeyore and Piglet.
But after his big appearance on my blog, he appears now to have turned into the Invisible Man, so I dunno...
I guess I'll just have to return to being a solo superhero, like Flash or Mickey Mouse.
Laurie:
Should I ask? What is it that you can do? Depending on that answer, yes it would count.
Hmoo Espcoaens:
YOU can do it! We know you can!
Stace:
OK, you've turned the judges' panel on its head with your amazing reverse revelation.
Why can't you wink? (Panel tries to avoid uproarious laughter, assuming that's in taste).
In the panel's view, your honesty and intelligent response at the very least rates a tie with Menchie (see the link above in her first comment).
However, the panel is continuing to deliberate.
Great, it even works in English. Hm ...... no, no extraordinary qualities to report.
ReplyDeleteI can't explain it...I'd have to show you.
ReplyDeleteHildegarde:
ReplyDeleteCmon, girl, think!
So, then, are you adding yourself to the long list of visitors to Spaceship Orion who have seen this (yawn) before...even in Flemish?
I was thinking about what I could do that was extraordinary...and all of them have to do with bodily functions.
The ones I'll tell you about are that I can squirt water and whistle through the space between my front teeth.
But not at the same time.
And with my tiny male brain, I can suspend all logical thinking for hours at a time.
OK, maybe that's not extraordinary.
Laurie:
Doh! Uh, er, when...and how?
Yup, showed it to the hubby again this morning and it doesn't freak hime out. Which, considering that he finds everything I do (mostly) adorable, I am not surprised.
ReplyDeleteSigh! So let me know what the outcome of the deliberations are so I can pretend to wait for something in the mail if I win. :D
Menchie:
ReplyDeleteYou're super intelligent. The key word is "pretend."
I'm sure hubby does find most everything you do adorable, but that...
Bodily functions? Please elaborate.
ReplyDeleteI can read that WW :) Nice family pic there!
ReplyDelete**What can you do that most of the population can't?
Be Keshi :)
Keshi.
I could read that thing. I'm with stace -can't wink either. Can roll tongue. No special abilities I'm afraid. Oh, can go for days without sleep ;).
ReplyDeletei can read it!
ReplyDeletebut um, would someone who can't- actually admit it?
as for something i can do- speak backwards!
Good point, Angel...
ReplyDeleteBut now I want to hear you talk backwards!