Posted on 09/13/2004 5:37:40 PM PDT by TheBlindPig
In one of my previous posts on my blog, I theorized that the forger of the now infamous Rathergate memos used a lower case "L" instead of the numeral "1" to trick Microsoft Word into not automatically superscripting number/letter combinations. I even included a screen shot in an yet earlier post of both so people could see for themselves.
Now, from Captain's Quarter's Blog comes a quote (orginally fromRatherBiased) from Dan Rather during tonight's CBS news broadcast:
Rather: Richard Katz, a software designer found other indications in the documents. He noticed the lower case l is used in documents instead of the actual numeral one. That would be difficult to reproduce on the computer today. If you were doing this a week ago or a month ago on a normal laser jet printer, it wouldn't work. The font wouldn't be available to you.I hate to gloat (no I don't), but what the heck was Dan Rather talking about? "That would be difficult to reproduce on a computer today."
Sure, Dan, all one would have to do is to open Microsoft Word, using the default font of Times New Roman, press "1" and the keyboard and then press "L". Prestidigito! - two different characters that look virtually the same. Of course, I suppose one could mess up with the Caps Lock or something. That might make it slightly harder.
Rather has descended into somewhat of a joke on this.
I, on the other hand, am feeling pretty good. I think I am going to start calling myself a "Forensic Wordologist". Any objections?
I remember your post - it was the first thing to convince me that the documents were forged. As you showed what Rather brought up tonight was an issue that shows the documents are forged.
Why would the guy use an "l"? The guy used an "l" so Word wouldn't produce a superscript. This whole thing is insane!!
Very interesting but I have one question. Were you in your jammies when you figured this out?
I don't understand how Rather is using this as "proof". Is he totally insane or am I just incredibly stupid?
My keyboard seems to have a lowercase 'l'. See I just used it. Why would it not be available to me? This makes no sense. My brain hurts. Please help.
What can I say? An unemployed computer nerd is a dangerous thing.
That didn't help me understand Rather's case any better.
Maybe you could replace Richard Kaatz.
Another Jammy Whammy!!
For that you'd have to have be then denizen of an opium den. It's Xanadu, you know.
Rather is claiming that a computer-user would not use an "L" instead of a "#1"
This is a STUPID, STUPID, STUPID claim, because we're talking about DELIBERATE FORGERY.
While a normal user of MS Word would not mix up "L" and "#1", a forger might do it on purpose! Duh!
Dan doesn't have a point. He's treading water, desperately.
How utterly inept do you have to be not to know how to use < Ctrl > Z to veto auto-formatting? Some criminal mastermind at work here.
Dan, Dan, trust me retirement beckons. You've pulled the load long enough, let some sixty-year old kid have a crack at it.
This was not a sophisticated forgery. These documents appear to be a very amateur job by someone who was not particularly knowledgeable about Microsoft Word and how to deal with some of the features Microsoft put into the program to "help" with document formatting. (Note: Nothing personal Mr. Gates. I love Word, warts and all). The crude way the author of the forgeries dealt with the "th" problem leads me to guess that they were someone a bit older, who did not have the either the time, knowledge, or patience to figure a way around their AutoFormat problem. (Word Help, as is typical, is not much help to the casual user in figuring out how to turn this option off) Perhaps someone who has a computer (or access to one) and who has someone always make their Word docs for him or her (say, by a secretary) or whose knowledge is limited to turning the thing on and checking his or her email.
Well said. In short, a real Jamoke.
CBS had a Word-wrote malfunction.
Dan Rathers entire explanation today was so lame, no that word implies too much competence....PATHETIC, that's the word!
Don't you mean you have L question?
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