Thursday Jul 26 2007
At first I thought this was another Google spelling error. Given the other instances I’ve noticed and occasionally posted over the past year, such as this and this, I wouldn’t be surprised if Google hasn’t fired their atrocious proofer yet.
But then I realized it’s too clumsily worded to be a mistake. It’s a joke by Google News. Is it funny? I don’t go to a major news collection site to be entertained. In that regard I find it inappropriate, irritating, and stupid. Not that I’m against sick humor. I still break the ice at parties with a good Challenger joke. But when I want to read serious stories I don’t want witty quips.
In further research this headline was actually taken from this more irreverent Register article - in which Google borrowed the headline for the rotation of this story. But still, for an enormous news aggregator I don’t want crass and tacky puns. That’s exactly why I READ the news rather than watching it on local TV.