Any autograph experts in the house?
October 21, 2007 2:07 PM Subscribe
Last week in DC, I was at a hotel and happened to bump into actor Terrence Howard. I'm very good with faces, this was most definitely him. He was kind enough to sign an autograph for me but when I looked at it I couldn't recognize his name there at all. Finally I flipped the page over and saw that the reversed image reads "Terry Howard". I'm just curious as to whether he does that with his signature very often? Are there other celebrities who sign backwards? Seems like an odd but amusing affectation.
This ability (or predilection) may be linked to handedness and/or synesthesia.
Did you notice if Howard was a southpaw? (I am, and I used to be able to do this without much practice.)
posted by rob511 at 2:32 PM on October 21, 2007 [1 favorite]
Did you notice if Howard was a southpaw? (I am, and I used to be able to do this without much practice.)
posted by rob511 at 2:32 PM on October 21, 2007 [1 favorite]
I'm quite sure he does this simply to freak out the squares. I salute his audacity, and wish that other minor celebrities would act in a similar fashion.
posted by killdevil at 2:41 PM on October 21, 2007 [51 favorites]
posted by killdevil at 2:41 PM on October 21, 2007 [51 favorites]
I promise to sign my next autograph backwards and report the reaction...
posted by asavage at 2:54 PM on October 21, 2007 [23 favorites]
posted by asavage at 2:54 PM on October 21, 2007 [23 favorites]
I promise to sign my next autograph backwards and report the reaction...
How long will we have to wait for that to happen? Ohhhh... burrnnnnn... (kidding i'm a big fan)
posted by null terminated at 2:56 PM on October 21, 2007 [3 favorites]
How long will we have to wait for that to happen? Ohhhh... burrnnnnn... (kidding i'm a big fan)
posted by null terminated at 2:56 PM on October 21, 2007 [3 favorites]
What the hell? How did you do that, killdevil? And why did my computer start writing backwards when I tried to copy your comment?
posted by backseatpilot at 3:01 PM on October 21, 2007
posted by backseatpilot at 3:01 PM on October 21, 2007
If you see him again, please tell him I thought he was aces in Dead Presidents.
And I think a lot of people who have to sign their names many many times like to have fun with it.
posted by dobbs at 3:07 PM on October 21, 2007
And I think a lot of people who have to sign their names many many times like to have fun with it.
posted by dobbs at 3:07 PM on October 21, 2007
For quite a long time, Berke Breathed used a backward signature on his "Bloom County" strips.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 3:08 PM on October 21, 2007
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 3:08 PM on October 21, 2007
killdevil: " I'm quite sure he does this simply to freak out the squares. I salute his audacity, and wish that other minor celebrities would act in a similar fashion."
That's cool, it reverted if I used the mefiquote userstyle, but copy and paste made my stuff turn backwards. Must be an embedded instrcution of some sort.
I'm quite sure he does this simply to freak out the squares. I salute his audacity, and wish that other minor celebrities would act in a similar fashion.
Delete also turns into backspace by whatever he did.
posted by Mr. Gunn at 3:17 PM on October 21, 2007 [1 favorite]
That's cool, it reverted if I used the mefiquote userstyle, but copy and paste made my stuff turn backwards. Must be an embedded instrcution of some sort.
I'm quite sure he does this simply to freak out the squares. I salute his audacity, and wish that other minor celebrities would act in a similar fashion.
Delete also turns into backspace by whatever he did.
posted by Mr. Gunn at 3:17 PM on October 21, 2007 [1 favorite]
What the hell? How did you do that, killdevil? And why did my computer start writing backwards when I tried to copy your comment?
There is a unicode character that does it. If you view the source, it's the character at the beginning (what appears to be the end). It just looks like whitespace (and yeah, the HTML appears is backwards too, at least in firefox)
x202B;x05F4;x202B;x05F4; should do it, I think
posted by delmoi at 3:22 PM on October 21, 2007 [1 favorite]
There is a unicode character that does it. If you view the source, it's the character at the beginning (what appears to be the end). It just looks like whitespace (and yeah, the HTML appears is backwards too, at least in firefox)
x202B;x05F4;x202B;x05F4; should do it, I think
posted by delmoi at 3:22 PM on October 21, 2007 [1 favorite]
Or not. See here for more info, including what characters do it
posted by delmoi at 3:25 PM on October 21, 2007
posted by delmoi at 3:25 PM on October 21, 2007
I promise to sign my next autograph backwards and report the reaction...
Yeah, me too.
posted by amro at 3:55 PM on October 21, 2007
Yeah, me too.
posted by amro at 3:55 PM on October 21, 2007
(Having been at the same hotel the same weekend, I can reasonably confirm that it was indeed Terrence Howard -- or, as a friend of mine who actually saw him [I did not] put it, "Holy crap, the Hustle & Flow guy!" I was kinda bummed to learn he wasn't there for SPX, but was instead apparently in someone's wedding.)
posted by kittens for breakfast at 3:56 PM on October 21, 2007
posted by kittens for breakfast at 3:56 PM on October 21, 2007
I promise to sign my next autograph backwards and report the reaction...
Yeah, me too.
I suspect you'll get a chance before I do.
posted by Kickstart70 at 5:19 PM on October 21, 2007
Yeah, me too.
I suspect you'll get a chance before I do.
posted by Kickstart70 at 5:19 PM on October 21, 2007
My computer did not do anything cool with killdevil's comment. Someone please tell me what it was. (I'm on a 6-yr-old not very bright Mac, and, full confession time, um Netscape. Don't hurt me.)
posted by nax at 6:41 PM on October 21, 2007
posted by nax at 6:41 PM on October 21, 2007
I posted an AskMe about mirror writing a while ago. You might be interested in some of the links the commenters left.
posted by maryh at 7:00 PM on October 21, 2007 [1 favorite]
posted by maryh at 7:00 PM on October 21, 2007 [1 favorite]
Wow. That's pretty cool.
posted by limeonaire at 9:02 PM on October 21, 2007
posted by limeonaire at 9:02 PM on October 21, 2007
I know those crazy kids who work at Macaroni Grill will sign their names UPSIDE DOWN in crayon on your table.
posted by Unsomnambulist at 12:18 AM on October 22, 2007
posted by Unsomnambulist at 12:18 AM on October 22, 2007
This thread is closed to new comments.
A little googling suggests he does this often:
"Terrence Howard wrote his comment backwards, so you have to read it in the mirror to know what it says." (From here)
"Terrence Howard - Did you know that when he signs his autograph, he signs completely backwards" (From here)
posted by stray at 2:14 PM on October 21, 2007