Adobe hates people using "Photoshop" as a verb. They have extensive training and guidelines for their reps to try to stop this practice. Perhaps one day they will also have reasons of national security.

Reuters had to retract their own doctored pictures of Beirut in the Lebanon war of 2006. Apparently they didn't have a problem with embellishing reality, until they got caught. AP has battled claims that much of their mideast coverage is staged. Like the Ubiquitous "Green Helmet Guy" (google it).

By the way, libs, AP last week semi-participated in a Taliban 'event' where they summarily executed two Afghani women thought to be prostitutes. They didn't have to doctor those photos, they just rode along and filmed it up close. Snuff movies are great.

for the record, the 'agency' that released those Iranian pictures is the media wing of the IRGC (Iranian Revolutionary Guards Council) in case you were wondering why anyone would do this and/or why a news outlet like AP or Reuters would accept them w/o question or attribution.

Aren't you the folks obsessed with the credibility of the news here in the US? Why? Why bother, faking it is good enough for everyone else.

Do you really think Iron Man and the Starship Enterprise couldn't take care of that gigantic guy from 300 before he reached our shores?

All this gnashing of teeth and an impassioned plea for credibility in reporting, and yet not a word about the Bush campaign's instantly-enlarged crowd, probably the most grievous abuse of Photoshop in political history:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2004/10/27/22442/878

Damn, Electro, either that somehow slipped your mind the fact that your president is the worst culprit of this phenomenon ever, or you're a rank hypocrite. Which is it?

You used some great Cliff Notes.

I'll have this framed for the V.A.

The wall where YKW's photo's hang.

The part I like was after the storm.

The toupees hanging in the trees.

This needs to be a NYT insert ad.

That's all I have to say.

They want people to not institutionalize "Photoshop" into the English language, so like Xerox and Kleenex their brand becomes irrevocably associated with the entire class of software? Are they insane? How could the world using "photoshop" as a verb meaning "to digitally alter a picture" be anything but the most awesome of language-wide free advertising?

Also, sorry, Adobe, that's just how English works. Pretty much any noun can be turned into a verb. In fact, I'm going to call that process verbing a noun. Hold on while I google that.

I'll assume that Capt. Kirk was presenting his little diatribe against Reuters and AP as some sort of half-assed attempt to correlate those actions with Fox's standard operating procedures (although I don't think those include questioning Amahbinijad's flag pin credentials). Fair enough, I guess, if you feel it necessary.

My question is, where can I get a look at that footage of the Taliban offing those chicks? Is it hot?

I know I don't know how to spell the Iranian dude's name, and didn't take the time to check.

The USS Enterprise has me giggling.

How could the world using "photoshop" as a verb meaning "to digitally alter a picture" be anything but the most awesome of language-wide free advertising?

Because when a protected brand name becomes a common English word, it loses its protection. Eventually you could have competing software producers say "Use our product for all your photoshopping!"

Dear Mr. Kirk,

Thank you for referring to everyone reading your post as "libs". That really elevated the discourse and made your point more clearly than anything else you wrote.

Perhaps as a shorthand for future posts, you can just write "LOL @ Libs" and save all of us a lot of time.

Sincerely,

Monkey Pants

Thank you for taking time out of your busy day of being a tool to address me personally. I feel so honored. Do I get a tiara?

But you totally 'deserve' to be 'awarded' you an 'imaginary' 'medal' for your 'exemplary' use of 'sarcasterizer' 'quotation' marks.

No more bla bla bla!!!

I'm wondering if in addition to the Constitution Class starship in the sky, if the battleship in the water is also the Enterprise. Hmmm...

GLohman - I think the immortal Bill Watterson got there first, with a Calvin and Hobbes strip that ended with the line "Verbing weirds language."

Eventually you could have competing software producers say "Use our product for all your photoshopping!"

You could, but why would a competitor do their opponent that favor? I've never seen a Canon ad talk about using their machines for all their Xeroxing needs.

I guess your spleen really does need a weekly venting, as the original story really had no particular right/left slant, just the usual international propaganda war. Do you really love Fox so much you had to actually lift a finger & do some RESEARCH to find another news agency to slag?

And by the by, nice going! For once, you actually presented a fact or two in your screed, instead of your usual drive-by "Fuck you, commies!" Welcome to the grown ups' table. Hope you can stay.

Re photoshopping (or 'shopping): many brand names have been subsumed into common English, losing their protection much more so than Xerox: mimeograph, windsurfer, aspirin, band-aid, astroturf, plus several I can't recall; brands which became victims, according to the brilliant adman, Terry O'Reilly, of their own success.

I see Adobe's concern but I doubt they will be able to protect it for very long without appearing to become the litigious pricks Disney has made of themselves. It's too good a word.

I think Adobe's big problem with this use of their trademark is how it's almost always seen as a negative ("those faces/missiles/whatever aren't real, they're just Photoshopped"). While it's probably true that every image we're exposed to has been processed in Photoshop at some point, it's only the obvious fake-looking ones that people refer to that way.

James T. Kirk may go to a papal mass to ask the chaplain's Photo-Shop clerk for a red tear tattoo? Then you will be a real fool? huh.

A tear can help "libs" want how to smirk.

A red drip tear looks like a blood drop.

A cheeks flowing with red blood drips?

Smoke a Kool menthol cigarette. puff.

heh. The "libs" will think Kirk is cool.

May the Pope say:`Kirk is a hooey.

May the Pope say:`Laud bless you.