I have to believe there is a thread like this out there, but I can’t seem to find it.
Have any of you been published in the regular printed column, or even in any of the books?
My answer should be pretty obvious (at least I imagine you’ll figure it out), but maybe it would be interesting to see who had the earliest question answered.
Yes, but not for asking a question. Parts of my website (at http://www.teemingmillions.com) were printed in one of the books.
Kind of.
So I’m the only one here to ever been responded to by Cecil in print? That’s pretty hard to believe.
Maybe I should be more patient.
In the meantime, can no one even figure out what column/book my question appears in?
curwin,
what is your question? If we know that YOU were in print? It’s obvious from your sig that you asked the question “What does America mean in English?” right?
With what?
Lots of people on this board have been in the books. The last two or three of them have had whole sections of threads in them.
sigh, sadly, I have not been a chosen one.
jarbaby
Like I said in the OP, my question was easy. I was saying that I should perhaps be more patient in waiting for responses to the thread. I know that the books have sections from the various boards, but I was wondering if anyone had a response in the column. Since people generally signed their letters to Cecil with their real names (not their user names) it is hard to tell if anyone has been published.
In general this question is interesting for me, since I started reading Cecil in 1993, and emailed him my question early in 1994. But the column has been around for many years, and I wonder if even the veteran participants on the board are only followers from the “internet era”.
And in any case, be patient – you never know when your question may be answered.
Several years ago, I had the honor of being ridiculed by Cecil himself in print. Major milestone in my life.
I’ll never forget the thrill when I punched up the Straight Dope web site one day and finding the text strangely familiar…
It was me!!! And here it is (I’m the last one down on the page): http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_214.html
It was later published in “The Straight Dope Tells All” (that’s the blue book).
My only complaint is that my letter was edited such that it didn’t make my point as completely as I would have liked. But, then it sounds better if Cecil gets to make fun of you. 
Certainly gives me something to talk about at the Dopefests…
I used to carry the address for this column around in my sig file. But you can toot your own horn for only so long before you run out of breath. My question is the lead one. It’s also the one Slug decided to illustrate. I was so flattered!
Best part was that JillGat sent me the column by email two weeks before it was published. I was able to take it to a SoCal Doper gathering and show it off.
My fifteen minutes of fame… SIGH
I’ve had a couple of questions answered by Cecil, but how would I know if it made it to the printed column? They showed up on The Straight Dope home page, but does that mean they’ve been printed?
I’m so sorry for this super dumb question.
katie
My brother and I had a question answered by Cecil, too – dunno where it is in the archives, but it’s the one asking about Dianetics. Even got printed in one of the SD books, though offhand I don’t remember which one.
Woo-hoo!