IT Insights Blog — Holidays

Here in the United States, TestOut Continuing Education's beloved land of origin, we are creeping up on the first Tuesday in November. That's Nov. 6, to be exact. This is a date of great import in 2018, an opportunity for citizens everywhere to participate in one of the most fulfilling rituals of our proud democracy. On Nov. 6, millions of Americans will head to the nearest microwave oven, or perhaps to Taco Bell or Del Taco, to scarf down a hearty serving of nachos.

Today is National Kick Butt Day, which is alleged to occur each calendar year on the second Monday in October. In 2018, National Kick Butt Day happens to also fall on the same day as a holiday created to honor the "discovery" of the Americas by Italian explorer Christopher Columbus. We're not sure what to make of the convergence beyond the fact that Columbus has come in for a bit of a historical butt-kicking in recent years.

There was a big scare in the pancake community earlier this year when International House of Pancakes announced that it had decided to officially change its name to International House of Burgers, making a one-consonant transition from IHOP to IHOB. Rarely has a single letter generated so thunderous an outbreak of hysteria and consternation. A month later, the IHOP braintrust was all, "J/K, LOL, U ppl R so fragile and unequipped to deal with our hilarious marketing stunt."

It's funny how we attach romantic allure to things that aren't really all that appealing. Take pirates, for example. Today is Talk Like a Pirate Day, because sometimes people are silly like that. And, yes, pirates as they exist in pop culture, as well as in the popular imagination, have a distinctive and amusing way of talking. And sometimes we probably all want to say more things using fun S-words like "scurvy," and "scalawag," and "scurrilous."

In the post-television age of streaming video in which we live, everyone watches everything online. Don't give me "cable channels" this, or "satellite package" that. Come on, people. It's 2018. TV is dead. Everyone watches everything online. If you can't watch all the old episodes on Hulu, or stream it on Amazon Prime, or burn through an entire season in three nights on ...