I love this.

British “graphologists” thought they were critiquing British prime minister Tony Blair’s doodles and handwriting, but were, in fact, looking at a page of scribblings left behind by the boss of the boss of the boss of the boss of the boss of the boss of the boss of my boss. As in: Bill Gates.

For those of you who don’t know, “graphology” is a pseudo-science with about as much validity as astrology or reading tea leaves. The idea is that all sorts of personality traits and characteristics can be revealed through the handwriting of the person in question.

If you were to study my handwriting, the only thing you’d learn (simply because I’d tell you why it’s so bad) is that I don’t write anything anymore: I type. I type, type, type, type, and type some more. The only time I ever write anything is when I’m signing checks.

The last time I really wrote anything on a page was during some training in Vegas when I found myself doodling a bit. I stopped and realized what I was doing. It was exciting. It was a novelty.

I imagine that, for someone who has spent the vast majority of his life working with computers, the act of writing something down using those “pen things” on “that paper stuff” is equally exciting. If Gates’ handwriting seemed erratic, it’s probably just because he was having a lot of fun.

The best part of all, though, is what the graphologists and psychologists determined about Gates (when they thought they were judging Blair):

– “Struggling to concentrate”

– “Not a natural leader”

– “Struggling to keep control of a confusing world”

– “An unstable man who is feeling under enormous pressure”

Whether these things are true or not, it’s interesting to note that they apply to one of the richest people in the universe, the guy who started a company that rakes in billions, and who’s giving away billions more to charity.

To paraphrase Ezra Pound, it’s a waste of time to listen to critics who haven’t produced anything of value themselves.

In other words, what in the hell could a bunch of modern day witch doctors possibly know about Bill Gates or Tony Blair?