| Costello: "Hey Abbot!!!"
Abbot: "Yes, Lou?"
Costello: "I just got my first computer."
Abbot: "That's great Lou. What did you get?"
Costello: "A Pentium III-500, 256 Megs of Ram, 12 Gig hard Drive, and DVD!"
Abbot: "That's terrific, Lou."
Costello: "But I don't know what any of it means!"
Abbot: "You will in time."
Costello: "That's exactly why I am here to see you."
Abbot: "Oh?'
Costello: "I heard that you are a real computer wiz."
Abbot: "Well, I don't know..."
Costello: "Yes-sir-ee. You know your stuff. And you're going to train
me."
Abbot: "Really?"
Costello: "Uh huh. And I am here for my first lesson."
Abbott: "O.K. Lou. What do you want to know?"
Costello: "I am having no problem turning it on, but I heard that you should be very careful how you turn it off."
Abbot: "That's true."
Costello: "So, here I am working on my new computer and I want to turn it off. What do I do?"
Abbot: "Well, first you press the Start Button, and then..."
Costello: "No, I told you, I want to turn it off."
Abbot: "I know, you press the Start button.."
Costello: "Wait a second. I want to turn it Off. I know how to start it. So tell me what to do."
Abbot: "I did."
Costello: "When?"
Abbot: "When I told you to press the Start button."
Costello: "Why should I press the Start button?"
Abbot: "To shut off the computer."
Costello: "I press Start to Stop?"
Abbot: "Well Start doesn't actually stop the computer."
Costello: "I knew it! So what do I press?"
Abbot: "Start."
Costello: "Start what?"
Abbot: "Start button."
Costello: "Start button to do what?"
Abbot: "Shut down."
Costello: "You don't have to get rude!"
Abbot: "No, no, no! That's not what I meant."
Costello: "Then say what you mean."
Abbot: "To shut down the computer, press.."
Costello: "Don't say, "'Start!'"
Abbot: "Then what do you want me to say?"
Costello: "Look, if I want to turn off the computer, I am willing topress the Stop button, the End button, Cease and Desist button, but no one in their right mind presses Start to Stop!"
Abbot: "But that's what you do."
Costello: "And you probably Go at Stop signs, and Stop at green lights."
Abbot: "Don't be ridiculous."
Costello: "I'm being ridiculous? Well, I think it's about time we 'started' this conversation."
Abbot: "What are you talking about?"
Costello: "I am 'starting' this conversation right now.
Good-bye." |
