English Rules

100 Percent Hybrid

May 8, 2008

Sara got a pair of shoes in the mail from Zappos today. On the shoebox, in big, bold lettering, were the words "100% HYBRID."

Is it just me, or is that an oxymoron? Isn't it like saying that something is completely partial? (And I don't mean partial in the sense of biased.) Anyway, it struck me as kind of funny.

Comments (6)

1Camille DeBoer wrote:

Interesting observation. One of our local news websites this week announced the cancellation of the Tulip Time fireworks as having occurred "two straight days in a row." I guess that's less oxymoron and more redundant but still.... I would tolerate a little more precision.

May 8, 2008 ; 11:59 PM

2Debbi wrote:

I never heard that term in reference to shoes! What kind were they? I think you should take a picture of it and send it to Consumer Reports so that they can use it on the last page of blooper ads!

May 9, 2008 ; 7:35 PM

3Viper007Bond wrote:

Actually, while poorly worded, "100% Hybrid" makes sense. It means that the entire item is a hybrid rather than only part of it being a hybrid and the rest something else.

May 11, 2008 ; 2:16 AM

4kevin wrote:

Christina recently got some shoes of the same brand and same box. I guess I didn't consider what that means or how something can be '100% hybrid.' Buzzwords like 'hybrid' are tossed around so casually these days I seldom notice anymore.

May 12, 2008 ; 2:35 PM

5Diane wrote:

hahaha

May 12, 2008 ; 8:04 PM

6Dennis wrote:

I have seen "100% REPRODUCTION" before, but the hybrid disclaimer's definitely a new one. Oh, where are ye authenticitie?

May 20, 2008 ; 5:53 PM

Post a Comment

(you may use HTML tags for style)

Notify me when others comment on this entry.


Comment Notification

I don't want to comment now, but please notify me when others comment on this entry:

Email:

Notify Me
Stop Notifying Me

In This Section

All Entries

Search

+ Advanced Search

Recently
in my life...


    [CaRP] Unknown document format.

    More of the same

    Recent Comments

    Greg on Cheating Is Bad, but Bad ...: My favorite is when students use a…

    kevin on Obama Fights Back: Hi Karl, while we're on the issue…

    dean on Switzerland Tout Le Monde: Wow, it sounds like you had a…

    Amanda on Obama Fights Back: Just another reason to like Obama.

    Karl on Switzerland Tout Le Monde: Thanks, everyone, for the comments! Yeah, it…

    Site Info

    Elsewhere

    My Bookshelf

    Reading Now
    • unChristian: What a New Generation Really Thinks about Christianity... and Why It Matters
    • Pro Drupal Development
    • Home By Another Way
    • Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software (Addison-Wesley Professional Computing Series)
    • Light: Science and Magic: An Introduction to Photographic Lighting
    • JavaScript: The Definitive Guide
    Just Read
    • The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence
    • The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World
    • I Am America (And So Can You!)
    • Jesus and Nonviolence: A Third Way (Facets)
    On the Shelf
    • Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid
    • Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life
    • The Elephant Vanishes: Stories
    • The Catcher in the Rye
    • The Tenacity of the Cockroach: Conversations with Entertainment's Most Enduring Outsiders

    © Karl Swedberg

    widescreen bonus!

    + Blogroll

    Noteworthy Articles

    Previewing McCain and Obama on geek issues

    Last week, representatives for Barack Obama and John McCain addressed the Computers, Freedom, and Privacy conference on topics ranging from NSA surveillance to net neutrality to the competitiveness of American workers in the new economy...

    Want to Remember Everything You'll Ever Learn? Surrender to This Algorithm (W...

    SuperMemo is based on the insight that there is an ideal moment to practice what you've learned. Practice too soon and you waste your time. Practice too late and you've forgotten the material and have to relearn it...

    David Blaine - This Time, He'll Be Left Breathless (New York Times)

    As a doctor monitored his heart and his blood and breathing, David Blaine filled his lungs with pure oxygen and prepared to hold his breath -- for 16 minutes, he hoped. Mr. Blaine is a famous magician, but he insisted that this was no trick...

    Happiness is the measure of true wealth (Telegraph)

    It comes as no surprise to learn from a study published this week that, although Britons are twice as rich as they were in 1987, they are no happier...

    Daily caffeine 'protects brain' (BBC)

    Coffee may cut the risk of dementia by blocking the damage cholesterol can inflict on the body, research suggests...

    Five Myths About Drinking Water (NPR)

    Is bottled water better for you than tap? Or should you choose vitamin-enriched water over sparkling? Experts say, skip it all. None of these products are likely to make you any healthier...

    Tighten Your Belt, Strengthen Your Mind - New York Times

    Other activities that deplete willpower include resisting food or drink, suppressing emotional responses, restraining aggressive or sexual impulses, taking exams and trying to impress someone...

    The Science Of Sleep (CBS News)

    One of the most exciting new discoveries in the field of sleep research involves learning and memory...

    Literature's self implosion (Times Literary Supplement)

    We need expert evaluative critics ? but our professors keep denying the value of literature itself...

    140-year-old Math Problem Solved (ScienceDaily)

    A problem which has defeated mathematicians for almost 140 years has been solved by a researcher at Imperial College London...

    TV and Computer Limits Make Kids Slimmer (Wall Street Journal)

    Blocking your kids? access to TV and the computer could help them shed weight, an experiment with 70 overweight children showed...

    College applications can be too good (The Boston Globe)

    With the scramble to get into elite colleges at a fever pitch and with a rising number of educational consultants and college essay specialists ready to give students a competitive edge, admissions officers are keeping a sharp lookout for essays that migh

    The Years of Experience Myth (Coding Horror blog)

    Somehow, they've forgotten that what software developers do best is learn...

    Web 2.Over (Slate Magazine)

    What Microsoft's bid for Yahoo! means for the economy and for Google...

    The Autumn of the Multitaskers (Atlantic Monthly)

    Neuroscience is confirming what we all suspect: Multitasking is dumbing us down and driving us crazy. One man?s odyssey through the nightmare of infinite connectivity...

    MPAA Admits Mistake on Downloading Study (Wired News)

    Hollywood laid much of the blame for illegal movie downloading on college students. Now, it says its math was wrong...

    Calvin students protest Isom decision (Grand Rapids Press)

    Calvin College students on Wednesday protested the college board's decision last fall to not waive a church membership requirement for a popular education professor...

    ?None? - (New York Times)

    All the benefits of studying and learning the classics are irrelevant if few students are actually reading or engaged in the material...