I'm Batman

I sometimes have to send broadcast e-mails at work, to let people know about security concerns, or facilities issues, or departmental protocol, or whatnot. It has long been my practice to try to make these bread-and-butter notes interesting, and funny in a snarky sort of way, to encourage people to actually read them. Also to vent a little spleen when there's a failure of collegiality or RTFM. I once sent out a note explaining how to tell the difference between a hardcover and a paperback book, since people kept discarding paperbacks in the Hardcover-Only Recycling toter, and I had grown tired of dumpster diving to fish them out. (Yes, we were recycling books. It was a dark time.) The approach seems to work pretty well -- I occasionally get notes or comments back, some even claiming to look forward to my little pearls. They tell me that I'm funny. The lurkers support me in e-mail.

Today I ran into one of the graduate students on the street. He stopped me to introduce to a friend whom he forwards my notes to -- her face lit up: "Oh, you're The E-Mailer?!" "Yep, I reckon so." Andre also explained that he's keeping a file of my e-mails that he occasionally reads through to cheer himself up. Which I guess I am a force for good, in my small way. That was kinda the idea.

So there you have it folks. I have achieved a secret identity. I'm The E-Mailer. And the lurkers support me not just in e-mail but on the mean streets of the city. I'm Batman.