Factoid - Did you know?

[mick]

CHINESE NEW YEAR: Tonight's new moon, because it is the second new moon of winter, marks the beginning of a new year--in China. According to the Chinese calendar, Wednesday, Feb. 9th, is the first day of the year of the
rooster.

[Jurassic Referee]

My wife went to our family doctor today- who happens to be Chinese. He told her that he was celebrating Chinese New Year this evening with some traditional Chinese delicacies that he wife puts together every year. Samples were:
1) dried oysters
2) bird sputum(seriously, folks- 2 ounces of bird spit)
3) some special kind of goat that he told my wife cost about $300US an ounce over in China.
4) a bunch of other things that I don't even wanna think about

True story.

[mick]

Sounds marvelous, JR!
Were you invited?

...Me, this is paczki night.
mick

[imaref]

"Gung Hee Fhat Toy!"

wl

[bob jenkins]

Factoid: A piece of unverified or inaccurate information that is presented in the press as factual, often as part of a publicity effort, and that is then accepted as true because of frequent repetition

(From dictionary.com)

I've always thought it was interesting that CNN (?) called all those brief snippets "factoids" -- it was the first time I'd seen such widespread acknowledgement from the media that the information was unverified or innacurate. I was also amused that the very fact that they called it a "factoid" caused so many people to think that meant it must be true.

[His High Holiness]

Originally posted by bob jenkins
Factoid: A piece of unverified or inaccurate information that is presented in the press as factual, often as part of a publicity effort, and that is then accepted as true because of frequent repetition

(From dictionary.com)

I've always thought it was interesting that CNN (?) called all those brief snippets "factoids" -- it was the first time I'd seen such widespread acknowledgement from the media that the information was unverified or innacurate. I was also amused that the very fact that they called it a "factoid" caused so many people to think that meant it must be true.

Bob;

The word factoid has recently evolved into something else. Go to the following url to take a look. In short, the word has come to mean a useless or trivial fact. I believe that this is the definition that CNN is using.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=factoid

Peter

[bob jenkins]

Originally posted by His High Holiness

Bob;

The word factoid has recently evolved into something else. Go to the following url to take a look. In short, the word has come to mean a useless or trivial fact. I believe that this is the definition that CNN is using.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=factoid

Peter

I'm aware that the usage has changed. I think it only changed, though, because CNN used it "incorrectly".

I'm also not arguing against the change -- it happens all the time. One not-so-recent example is the word "awful" it used to mean "full of awe" -- a church described as "awful" was a compliment. Then "someone" (one can imagine a group of schoolkids on a field trip here) started using it sarcastically ("yeah, awful -- gag, cough, yeck" and now the word means just the opposite.

One can imagine the day when calling someone "His High Holiness" is a real insult.