How Do YOU Say GIF?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Two things today.

First, GIFS. The inventor of the GIF, Stephen Wilhite, has died. And he certainly left a legacy. Not only the thing (a tiny clip of video that repeats and repeats), but, according to the New York Times, how to say the name of the thing. Here's a clip from the article.

Welp, I put it on social yesterday, and you'da thought the world was ending. (No comment about reality, that's supposed to be hyperbole in this case.) Some people were grateful for the information. Some people already said it like the peanut butter, JIF, (which Wilhite has said in a speech was an intentional reference), and were gratified to be reassured they were correct. 

But other people said that his pronunciation was...wrong. And that they would not say it that way. The theory seems to be that since the "G "stands for "graphic" in "graphics interchange format" it had to be GIF, with the G like in graphics. And, by golly, that's how they were going to say it. And, moreover, that if everyone pronounced it that way, then THAT was right. 

And it kind of escalated to: once it was "public," Wilhite didn't have the right to choose how it was pronounced. (I'm sorry, and it's social media, and I have to say I'm not quite sure whether that person was kidding, and I am afraid to ask.)

So. That's...interesting. And reminds me of a story. When I first met my husband's mother, she said to me: what’s your name again? And I said Hank Phillippi Ryan. And she said--FILL-uh-pea? And I said yes. And she paused for a moment, and then said: That’s not how it's pronounced. It's FILL-uh-pie. 

I was--is this when you use the word nonplussed? 

And since at that time we had just become engaged, I really didn’t want to fight with my future mother-in-law about that, (or anything), but you know, it was my name, and I actually do know how to pronounce it correctly.  I felt like saying "Well, if you don’t like it, your call, and I'll certainly answer to it, but it would be, dare I say it, wrong." 

Instead I just laughed. 

So how do you pronounce GIF? If you've been saying it the non-Wilhite way, will you change? 

Are we allowed to call something by a name WE prefer rather than what the inventor calls it? I can think of lots of examples of why that's perplexing, and even more than potentially confusing, but okay, Reds and readers. Up to you.

Okay, second topic.

It’s national "Joe" Day! Somehow that is so funny to me. Apparently, you are supposed to share a cup of Joe with a friend, or pay homage to someone named Joe or Joey or Josephine or a name like that. Joanne, Joan, does that count? Yay for ‘Joan Emerson’!

Years ago at channel 7 we had a brilliant and beloved political reporter whose name was Joe Day. So we used to call his birthday Joe Day Day. So today would be Joe Day Joe Day?

Anyway. I am a huge fan of coffee, passionately and devotedly. Some days, the only thing that gets me out of bed is the idea of coffee. So every day is Joe day.

 Sometimes, my husband has actually brought me coffee in bed, and I get to read in bed with coffee, and I am almost in tears at how lovely that is. I should’ve done that today, on Joe Day!

I always put skim milk, and real sugar, yes, real sugar, and it is absolutely ambrosial. Iced coffee, too, if it’s well made. And cold brew iced coffee, also ambrosial.

Are you a coffee person? Who would you like to share a cup of Joe with? Or who is your favorite Joe?

And again, thank you to Stephen Wilhite for the GIF gift. We are toasting your memory and legacy with our coffees this morning.