Although I’m as bugged by spam e-mail as you are, I recommend signing up for a very funny newsletter from Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert. (Sign up at the Dilbert web site.) It only arrives three or four times a year, and it frequently has several things that make me laugh out loud. Here’s a sample from the newsletter that arrived today:
Most observers believe that the Enron executives are devious, unethical crooks. The only other explanation is that they are the biggest idiots in the solar system. No matter how outraged you feel about this situation, you have to be amused by what’s coming next: To avoid jail, the executives will have to convince a jury that they are astonishingly incompetent. That’s their only defense. Watch in delight as the executives spend two years and most of their fortunes auditioning for the lead role in “I Am Sam.” I’d like to be a fly on the wall when they hire their lawyers.
Defense Lawyer: “My fee is a million dollars an hour.”
Enron Executive: “Is that a lot? I’m not good at accounting.”
Defense Lawyer: “It’s cheap. In fact, you’ll actually be MAKING money.”
Enron Executive: “Woo Hoo!!”
If the Enron executives are lucky, I’ll be picked for the jury. I have a natural bias toward assuming managers are incompetent. And I believe in being nice to people who have hundreds of millions of dollars and a track record of contributing to anyone who might help them. Personally, I wouldn’t accept a bribe in exchange for casting a not-guilty vote. But I might accept a “donation” that would improve their “access” to me. There’s nothing wrong with improving someone’s access.”
