Another "Talk Like a Pirate Day" rolls around

David Heath
Sunday, 18 September 2011 22:35

Opinion and Analysis

What goes, "pieces of seven, pieces of seven?"

The answer to the opening question (but only for the morbidly curious) will be delivered at some later point in this otherwise pointless meandering.

Ever since 1995, September 19th has been adorned with the label "International Talk Like a Pirate Day (ITLAPD)."  This is the day where we're all expected to don our tri-cornered hats, our navy blue jackets with gold trimming and to adopt a Cornish accent.

Hang on, isn't that Sydney's Mardi Gras?  Oh, of course not, pirates never rode Harleys with their breasticles on show.  Sorry.

Setting that to one side, we're told that the date was selected as it was the birthday of the ex-wife of one of the founders - seemingly it was memorable to him, but he no longer had anything else useful for that particular date.

Never mind the ex wife's opinion.  But hey, any excuse for a party!

Sometimes the excesses of the geek are openly flaunted for the non-nerd to experience - certain (unnamed) TV shows are famous for this.  But this is a celebration of the geek that will probably be confined to programmers' sweat shops and server rooms (fortunately).

But hey, if you do stumble across your favourite geek, summon up your best Cornish accent and wish him a happy ITLAPD, the scurvy dog!

Oh, and for those that endured this humourless prose right to the end?  The answer to the opening question is, of course... "A pirate with a parroty error on his shoulder."

Eight data bits, one stop bit, even parity.  No point.