Gif passnotes:

Name: Gif.

Age: 26.

Appearance: A cat falling into a toilet, for ever.

Why are we talking about Gifs? Is one trending on Twitter? Is it a girl bouncing on a trampoline without a bra again? Nope, it’s the inventor of the Gif, Steven Wilhite.

Steven Wilhite has been bouncing on a trampoline without a bra? Get your mind out of the gutter. He has been voicing his concern that we have all been mispronouncing the word “Gif” for the past two decades.

Have we? You mean people exist in this world who say the word “Gif” out loud? Yes. And they’ve been using a hard G when they’ve done it, like “gosh” or “gorilla” or “git”.

And presumably it’s supposed to have a soft G? That’s right, like “Germany” or “gin” or “Gee, does any of this even matter?”

Does it even matter? Apparently it does. Wilhite picked up a lifetime achievement Webby for his invention this week and took the opportunity to conclusively state that “It is a soft ‘G’, pronounced ‘jif’. End of story.”

Well, that’s us told. What does Gif stand for, anyway? Graphics Interchange Format.

But “graphics” starts with a hard G. Shouldn’t Gif start with a hard G too? Stop it, you’re only complicating things.

guardian-benefits-diaries:

Being disabled, my biggest fear is the letter will contain a referral to Atos again. Despite having severe mobility problems, amongst other things, I spent the whole of last year appealing the decision on my employment and support allowance (ESA) which when all the way to tribunal despite the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) own paperwork stating that I was “unlikely to work in the longer term”. In fact, on the morning of the tribunal they telephoned me and, with no small amount of incredulity in his voice, told me that I did not have to attend and that my appeal was successful and I was placed in the support group.

Another great post on our benefits diaries Tumblr sharing the realities of the government’s welfare reforms - this one on the dread of what could be in the post, by crazybladeuk

Steve Wilhite, who invented the enduring GIF file format in 1987, will receive a lifetime achievement Webby Award.

He is proud of the GIF, but remains annoyed that there is still any debate over the pronunciation of the format.

“The Oxford English Dictionary accepts both pronunciations,” Mr. Wilhite said. “They are wrong. It is a soft ‘G,’ pronounced ‘jif.’ End of story.”

Gif guff? Or respect to the ‘jif’?