For example, consider this helpful folk remedy:

“If you have lost a finger, numb the pain with a poultice of goose grease and pine needles.  Leave the poultice on the finger stump until it becomes sticky.  Now find another finger.  Stick it on there and seek no further treatment.”

This is Hodgman’s second faux-almanac, and it’s his uncanny ability to lie convincingly that has turned Hodgman into a star.  His first book landed Hodgman a guest appearance on Jon Stewart’s “The Daily Show.”  His funny interview led to a recurring gig on the show, which then led to his role as “PC” in the Apple computer commercials.

CNN interviewed Hodgman about his book and his improbable rise to the status of, in his words, “famous minor television personality.”

CNN: How do you go about researching your book?

Hodgman: I compile it by not doing any.  My research generally involves me sitting down and thinking of all the half-truths and common misperceptions I’ve picked up along the way, and then I’ll supplement that with a little bit of surfing the Internet, which is my favorite repository of dubious scholarship, and then I fuse that into the kind of world-complete knowledge that only my book can provide — unresearched, largely fictional and entirely true.

CNN: The Apple computer commercials in which you star have been a big hit.

Hodgman: Are you asking me for a free computer? Is that what this is all about?  

Check out the rest of CNN’s interview with John Hodgman

Related posts:

1. How the World Works Lately
2. Hello, I’m a Mac
3. Apple Sues the World for Patent Infringement

Microsoft is apparently tired of being portrayed as a dumpy has-been in Apple’s "Hello, I’m a Mac" commercials.  The software giant has just launched a new $300 million ad campaign with Jerry Seinfeld as its celebrity pitchman.  Seinfeld will appear in the some of the ads with Microsoft founder and chairman Bill Gates and will receive about $10 million in payment.  The ad campaign will debut September 4 and is one of the largest in the company’s history.

The new ads will use the slogan "Windows, Not Walls," which really speaks to me as a computer user because I’m always running into walls and… wait, WTF does that mean?  Apparently the point is to break down the barriers that prevent people and ideas from connecting.  Hmm, hasn’t Microsoft ever heard of that thing called "The Internet?"  As Homer Simpson once said, "Oh, they have the Internet on computers now." 

Microsoft’s latest attempt to overhaul its battered image comes as Microsoft executives privately acknowledge that the Windows brand has grown stale.  This is the result of Apple’s catchy "Mac vs. PC" ads, as well as the negative publicity and poor acceptance of Windows Vista.  Windows is Microsoft’s largest profit and revenue source, accounting for 28% of the company’s $60.4 billion revenue in the last fiscal year.  Vista has sold well, mostly because it is bundled on all new PCs, and Microsoft continues to dominate with 95% of the operating system market.  But Apple is surging, and the share of Macs in large enterprises grew from 3.7% in January 2008 to 4.5% in June.

I can already imagine what the commercials will be like.  Seinfeld will sit down at his Windows Vista computer and attempt to launch a program, when suddenly UAC throws up a barrage of confirmation dialogs.  Then it will cut to Seinfeld on a dark comedy club stage with a "bump da dump boom" bass line playing in the background.  Seinfeld will muse, "So what’s the deal with Vista always asking if I want to do something?  I just clicked the mouse, didn’t I?  There’s nobody here but me.  If I wanted someone to question everything I do, I would call my mother-in-law."

Related posts:

1. Microsoft Sets Windows 7 Pricing and Upgrades
2. Microsoft Shipping Windows 7 in September?
3. Windows Vista: 3GB or 4GB RAM?

As you might expect, these successful Mac vs. PC commercials have spawned a legion of spin-offs and parodies. 
 

United Kingdom

Did you know Apple customizes its commercials for each region?  Check out “The Naughty Step” commercial showing in the U.K.:

Japan

And the Japanese Ninja version:

Christmas Animation

Apple used stop-motion animation to honor the classic Christmas TV shows:

South Park

Speaking of animation, here is the South Park version:

Web Ad

This commercial never made it on TV:

Parody

Comic Chris Elliott busts on file sharing:

PC’s Revenge

In this animated parody, PC finally gets its revenge:

Political

In the upcoming U.S. presidential elections, the Democrats represent change, and what better way to show “change” than with a Mac?

Anti-Mac

Rumor has it this funny anti-Mac rant originally inspired the Mac vs. PC ads (warning–adult language):

Mac in Love

And in real life, the “Mac” guy is apparently in love with the “E.T.” girl, Drew Barrymore:

“Mac phone home…”

Related posts:

1. Your PC is Lying, aka John Hodgman’s New Book
2. "Hello, I’m a PC," says Seinfeld
3. Christmas Computer Programming