What do you think?
Rate this book
This is True [v4]: Artificial Intelligence Like Real Thing: And 500 Other Bizarre-but-True Stories and Headlines from the World's Press
+ "You'll never believe the stuff he's dug up. ...Truly stranger than fiction." --USA Today
+ "Its popularity comes from Cassingham's shrewd selection of subject matter." --Wired
+ "It's nearly impossible to read these and not laugh out loud." --Philadelphia Daily News
This is True is one of the first Internet-based features, created by Randy Cassingham as an e-mail newsletter in early 1994. TRUE's mission is to provoke thought through social commentary. But if readers aren't entertained by the stories, they won't read very many. Thus its vehicle, weird-but-TRUE news from legitimate news sources from around the world. The result spans the gamut of the crazy things we humans think we can get away with: this collection of jaw-dropping examples of the human thought process, and the realization that we can do better -- a LOT better!
What sort of stories?
+ People upset by the stormy "El Nino" weather find "Al Nino" in the phone book, and call him to complain.
+ Library study reveals the most-commonly stolen books: the Bible and the Koran.
+ Wife has husband's ashes made into an egg timer when he dies so he can still "help" in the kitchen.
The weird-but-TRUE stories come from all over the world, each one punctuated by Randy's wild commentary -- a tagline that is humorous, ironic, opinionated, or (with luck) some combination of the three. "Truth is stranger than fiction," Randy likes to say, "because fiction has to make sense."
This is Volume 4 of the series, collecting the fourth year of stories and headlines from mid-1997 to mid-1998. The newsletter is still active, too: see www.ThisIsTrue.com for details.
+ "Its popularity comes from Cassingham's shrewd selection of subject matter." --Wired
+ "It's nearly impossible to read these and not laugh out loud." --Philadelphia Daily News
This is True is one of the first Internet-based features, created by Randy Cassingham as an e-mail newsletter in early 1994. TRUE's mission is to provoke thought through social commentary. But if readers aren't entertained by the stories, they won't read very many. Thus its vehicle, weird-but-TRUE news from legitimate news sources from around the world. The result spans the gamut of the crazy things we humans think we can get away with: this collection of jaw-dropping examples of the human thought process, and the realization that we can do better -- a LOT better!
What sort of stories?
+ People upset by the stormy "El Nino" weather find "Al Nino" in the phone book, and call him to complain.
+ Library study reveals the most-commonly stolen books: the Bible and the Koran.
+ Wife has husband's ashes made into an egg timer when he dies so he can still "help" in the kitchen.
The weird-but-TRUE stories come from all over the world, each one punctuated by Randy's wild commentary -- a tagline that is humorous, ironic, opinionated, or (with luck) some combination of the three. "Truth is stranger than fiction," Randy likes to say, "because fiction has to make sense."
This is Volume 4 of the series, collecting the fourth year of stories and headlines from mid-1997 to mid-1998. The newsletter is still active, too: see www.ThisIsTrue.com for details.
158 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Read
April 18, 2023""
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2, 2013
Lots of strange-but-true stories. Five hundred, even.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews