Certified Genius Once Considered Random Internet 'Asshole'
Another reason to be careful who you call an idiot on the internet: he might be hailed as a genius someday, making you look like the real fool.
Maneesh Agrawala was just awarded a $500,000 MacArthur Foundation award, widely known as a "Genius Grant." But when the distinguished computer scientist and graphics expert was a mere Stanford undergrad, asking about rock music and videogames on the Usenet discussion system, he was once considered a pest.
A moronic "asshole," to be precise, who spoiled movies because he was ignorant of the etiquette on rec.arts.movies:
Well, who's the asshole now, snarler@pine.circa.ufl.edu?? The MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant: it's the ultimate internet comeback. Even better than a Golden Globes speech!
(Full version of the posts below, WITH SPOILERS.)
(We're warning you, dear reader/commenter, as a hedge, just in case we don't get a MacArthur Foundation Genius Grant and are thus left defenseless against your heckling.)
