I received a letter from Cambridge Who's Who which said I am being considered for inclusion in the newest volume. Thought One was that this is a scam. But look, it says right here, "there is no cost to be included". If they're not trying to get money out of you, it must be on the level, right? I am getting to be pretty well known in my field; obviously, someone heard of me / nominated me / wrote my name on a bathroom wall.

I've been busy, so I let the application form sit for awhile. But I just now googled it, and oh my! yes, it is a scam. Apparently they don't charge you for inclusion in the data base; they just charge you for access to it, to the tune of $1000. I can feed my ego for a lot less than that!

I told this story at a meeting last night and I think it's worth repeating here. A while back, I had gone to see someone at an engineering firm, at one of several buildings they have scattered around town. After I met with the man I had gone to see, I asked the receptionist to call another man who I thought worked in the same building. She did not recognize the name and asked me to describe him. "Oh, you'd remember him" I said, "he's young and very good-looking..."

The receptionist interrupted me in her best and-that's-final tone: "There are NO good-looking men in this building!"