Susan Byrne and Susan Boyle

May 6, 2009

I confess that I was the main author of an e-mail to all SCL members about forthcoming SCL events which went out this week. I supplied the copy that preceded the list.

In the course of a (pretty desperate) comparison with Britain’s Got Talent, Jonathan Zittrain’s forthcoming lecture ‘The Future of the Internet: Private Sheriffs in Cyberspace’ was covered. Jonathan Zittrain was compared to Susan Byrne.

Given the context in which this comparison appeared, it is understandable that some think that I got mixed up with names and meant to compare him to Susan Boyle, the wonderful songstress of unprepossessing appearance who has made such an impact internationally. But is it conceivable that I would make such a stupid error?

Susan Byrne was in fact the first of my contemporaries in the first year at Fleetwood Grammar to develop breasts. She was thus ahead of her time and held in awe by me, and all the other boys (and girls) in my class. The comparison with Jonathan Zittrain was clear and totally apt. I suppose though that I should apologise for not realising that Susan Byrne wasn’t more widely known.