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Googling French Military Victories-Fledgling UL?

J

JurekB

Gone But Not Forgotten
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Sep 25, 2001
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It appears we have a fledgling UL here.

For anyone who doesn't know, type 'French Military Victories' into Google and then hit 'Im feeling lucky'. This will then take you to the Google error page and will ask if you meant, 'French Military Defeats'.

In actual fact the 'Im feeling lucky' key takes you to the first website Google finds which is infact a mock up of the google error page set up by some amusing prankster.

This is nothing more than brilliant misuse of a search engine however I'm hearing a number of people taking it seriously.

For instance, Jeremy Vine mentioned it on his BBC Radio 2 programme but without the bit about the prankster, thus causing him to recieve a number of emails pointing out that the French have had lots of military victories.

I have also just recieved an email from a newsgroup where someone has again posted this story as fact:

TRYING TO HELP - by DENNIS MILLER
>
>ALL THE RHETORIC ON WHETHER OR NOT WE SHOULD GO TO WAR AGAINST IRAQ HAS GOT
>MY INSANE LITTLE BRAIN SPINNING LIKE A ROULETTE WHEEL. I ENJOY READING
>OPINIONS FROM BOTH SIDES BUT I HAVE DETECTED A HINT OF CONFUSION FROM SOME
>OF
>YOU.
>
>AS I WAS READING THE PAPER RECENTLY, I WAS REMINDED OF THE BEST ADVICE
>SOMEONE EVER GAVE ME. HE TOLD ME ABOUT THE KISS METHOD (KEEP IT SIMPLE,
>STUPID!) SO, WITH THIS AS A THEME, I'D LIKE TO APPLY
>THIS THEORY FOR THOSE WHO DON'T QUITE GET IT. MY HOPE IS THAT WE CAN
>SIMPLIFY
>THINGS A BIT AND RECOGNIZE A FEW IMPORTANT FACTS.
>
>HERE ARE 10 THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN VOICING AN OPINION ON THIS
>IMPORTANT ISSUE:

>3) IF YOU USE GOOGLE SEARCH AND TYPE IN "FRENCH MILITARY VICTORIES," YOUR
>REPLY WILL BE "DID YOU MEAN FRENCH MILITARY DEFEATS?"
Click to expand...


Appologies for the shouting but that is how it was sent to me. Could someone enlighten me as to who Dennis Miller is, (he didn't send it to me you understand.) as I believe the article was meant to be tongue in cheek but my point is that it's still helping to perpetuate the myth.
 
Didn't they have some geezer call Napoleon who was apparently quite good at the war stuff? :rolleyes: :D
 
erm, possibly didn't quite make myself clear, there is no denying that the French won the odd battle, the point is, the UL that may be germinating claims that Google can't find any French military victories which unfortunatly makes google look a bit silly.

The last couple of replies, with the greatest of respect to Inverurie and Adrian, are the exact sort of responces that Jeremy Vine received which made me wonder if this was the start of a UL.

Don't tell me respected members of this board have been taken in by this? :blah:
 
In the spirit of experimentation I had a look at the French victories thing. When the page first loads you do get the joke picture, but then this pops up:
 
What I forgot to say was that it would be so easy for people to take his joke as serious. I do believe that it has probably become an UL already.
 
Adrian Veidt said:
Didn't they have some geezer call Napoleon who was apparently quite good at the war stuff? :rolleyes: :D
Click to expand...

Why, I do believe they did...the French have a long history of being good, but not brilliant, at war (the lack of brilliance often being their undoing against opponents who possessed it). Indeed, had the French not sided with the rebels, that little spot of bother in the colonies would have been utterly crushed. The United States should thank the French for their very existence.
 
Adrian Veidt said:
Didn't they have some geezer call Napoleon who was apparently quite good at the war stuff? :rolleyes: :D
Click to expand...

Napoleon wasn't really French though, he was Corsican and Corsica only came under French rule in 1769 (coincidently the year of Boanparte's birth). The Corsican's have been ruled by many races but certainly didn't consider themselves French (the French looked down their noses at them), in fact they tried to secede as soon as the French were looking the other way and trying to cut their aristocrats' heads off.

My point? Well, uh...obviously that the best French warrior wasn't French, so, therefore, the French are still rubbish at war...or something...;)
 
By that token:

All the best 'English' generals were Irish or Scottish...
 
Re: By that token:

Inverurie Jones said:
All the best 'English' generals were Irish or Scottish...
Click to expand...

Ah, but the best British generals would still be just that, British!
 
You're in fine English baiting form today IJ ;). Don't suppose we can claim Montgomery or Wellington as English, can we? (I'd Google to find out where they were born, but I'm leaving work in 5 minutes)
 
Apparently, Monty was born in London of Northern Irish stock, in 1887, so we've got our sticky little mitts on him.
(Although technically, he was a Field Marshall, is that higher ar lower than a General, and does he still count?)
 
I suppose you lot get himon a technicality. Field Marshall was higher than General. I say 'was' because as a rank it is only really needed in times of war when the Army is of greatly increased size. The rank has been done away with for the time being.
 
JurekB said:
[/b]

Appologies for the shouting but that is how it was sent to me. Could someone enlighten me as to who Dennis Miller is, (he didn't send it to me you understand.) as I believe the article was meant to be tongue in cheek but my point is that it's still helping to perpetuate the myth.
Click to expand...

Dennis Miller is an extremelt witty, sarcastic, funny comedian/commentator/talk show host. I'm not sure if he actually said this or not, but he may have said it as a joke and then someone made a webpage after hearing his joke.

http://www.hbo.com/dml/

members.aol.com/thisnite/dennis.htm

http://www.angelfire.com/ky/apocryphajj/

sureshot
 
Inverurie Jones said:
Wellington was Irish. Not sure about Monty...
Click to expand...

And when asked about his glorious Irish heritage he replied:

"Just because one is born in a stable, it does not make one a horse."


(ok, agreed, i shouldn't have said British and should have spoken of the brave armies of the United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - that should rope in all the good 'uns);)

edit: we've got the Duke of Marlborough, T.E. Lawrence (Welsh - and not a general i know), General Gordon (or am i clutching at straws now?)
 
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