# How old is Cecil? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 13, 2003, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-cecil/148276 "2003-01-13T10:43:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![whitetho](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whitetho/32/1059_2.png) [@whitetho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whitetho)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-cecil/148276/21 "2003-01-16T19:25:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Phlosphr \* > \*\*Photo of Cecil Adams [here](http://www.ipass.net/~whitetho/edcecil.htm) . \*\* More accurately, “ **Purported** photo of Cecil Adams”. (It’s my web page, so I should know) ---
**Author:** ![Bongmaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Bongmaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bongmaster)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-cecil/148276/22 "2003-01-16T19:31:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Phlosphr \* > \*\*Photo of Cecil Adams [here](http://www.ipass.net/~whitetho/edcecil.htm) . \*\* I saw that one too on Google, but if you read the text its questionable as to who the photo is really of. So how about it Mr. Adams? Can we get a glimpse of a verified photo? I’m sure everyone would be willing to share if you do. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jack\_ss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c77e96/32.png) [@jack\_ss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jack_ss)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-cecil/148276/23 "2003-01-16T20:00:30Z")
I just ran a google images search for Cecil Adams. I got the picture of Ed & his kid, Schroedinger, an empty chair, a drawing of a robot, a battleship. I know this is gonna get me in a lot of trouble, but since the first column I read, about 1981, I always pictured a Robert Crumb self-portrait talking when I read _The Straight Dope_. ---
**Author:** ![femtosecond](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f08c70/32.png) [@femtosecond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/femtosecond)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-cecil/148276/24 "2003-01-16T20:12:46Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Cecil Adams_ > **My IQ ain’t the only thing we gotta express in scientific notation, bubba.** Ask me, if you need help with those negative exponents. ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-cecil/148276/25 "2003-01-16T20:17:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cecil Adams \* > \*\*My IQ ain’t the only thing we gotta express in scientific notation, bubba. \*\* ::In Green M&Ms voice:: “He does exist!” I’ve been thinking, and I’ve realized a strange connection exists here. Follow me for a minute: Cecil Adams, the man knows everything, right? Right. How could this be? We could take the “logical” route and assume that he actually “learned” in school and other educational establishments. Psssttt, I say. I prefer the supernatural, no facts needed, highly psuedo-approach. As I stated earlier, he is **Obviously** an ancient vampire. “Perfect Master”, indeed. Gee what sort of people use this name…Vampires. Plain and simple. A “Master” vampire would have lot’s of “assistants” who do his bidding. I think we can check off that in the “Cecil has” column. Another interesting thing is the lack of photo’s, which I mentioned earlier-CLEARLY evidence that no picture _could_ be taken. If you are indeed a vampire (and an ancient one at that), it would explain your vast amounts of knowledge. After all you would have lived through history and you would’ve picked up quite a bit along the way. Also, I noticed that you didn’t clear up the matter of your age at all; instead you choose to steer the conversation away from your age. This could be because you would have a hard time explaining how you are 6000+ years old without revealing you are an immortal vampire. Cecil, you’ve got some explaining to do 😃 , don’t worry, we won’t reveal your presence to Buffy… ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-cecil/148276/26 "2003-01-16T20:24:33Z")
Cecil is ageless. Cecil is timeless. How can the Perfect Master be otherwise? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-cecil/148276/27 "2003-01-16T20:25:15Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally Posted by Meatros_ > Don’t worry though, Cecil’s not evil, per se. He does require the blood of mortals, but because of his age, he only needs it about once every six months. When his blood urge arrises he does what anyone in his position would do; he picks the author of the most inane and pointless letter and snuffs the life out of the person, figuring rightly that the person was too ignorant to live and that his ignorance might infect others. Nah, not authors of inane and pointless letters. I’m thinking more along the lines of “Oh, so this is what they do with banned posters!”😃 ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-cecil/148276/28 "2003-01-16T20:36:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by norinew \* > \*\*Nah, not authors of inane and pointless letters. I’m thinking more along the lines of “Oh, so this is what they do with banned posters!”😃 \*\* You know, that’s a startlingly good point… I’ve been trying to get a figure on “who” Cecil is, and I think my vampire theory has merit… [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=154918&highlight=Cecil](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=154918&highlight=Cecil) In this thread, I mentioned he might have been a “Matrix”-type person, thus explaining his intelligence (it was downloaded). [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=148905&perpage=40&highlight=Cecil&pagenumber=2](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=148905&perpage=40&highlight=Cecil&pagenumber=2) In this thread, I speculated that he was actually an android. I mean, it does fit the facts. Once again, knowledge could have been downloaded. But Cecil didn’t show in either thread. He showed in this one. This leads me to believe that I have secretly cracked the mystery that is “Adams”…Yes…that must be it…😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-cecil/148276/29 "2003-01-16T21:50:10Z")
By what logic is someone born in 1964 considered a baby boomer? ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-cecil/148276/30 "2003-01-16T21:56:16Z")
By what logic is someone born in 1964 considered a baby boomer? ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-cecil/148276/31 "2003-01-16T22:06:30Z")
By what logic is someone born in 1964 considered a baby boomer? ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-cecil/148276/32 "2003-01-16T22:19:35Z")
Once… Twice… Three times a poster… ---
**Author:** ![Hazel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Hazel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazel)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-cecil/148276/33 "2003-01-16T22:39:00Z")
Are not the boomers those born between 1946 and 1964? I’d assumed that that includes those born in '46 and in '64. Easy to remember: began in 46, ran through 64 (46 reversed). If I might ask off topic quesitons… After the boomers came Gen X, presumably born 65 through ?? – what birth year marks the end of Gen X? And what do we call the post-Gen X gen? ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2003, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-cecil/148276/34 "2003-01-16T22:58:00Z")
I was always under the impression that the “Baby Boomers” were kids that were born as a direct result of their dads coming home from WWII and being so excited to see their moms that the first thing they did was get her pregnant. I also remember back in 1995 there were tons of news articles and magazine covers that said “Baby Boomers Turn 50.” 19 years is a hell of a long time to wait for “I’m glad you’re not dead so let’s have sex” sex. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-cecil/148276/35 "2003-01-17T00:20:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cecil Adams \* > \*\*My IQ ain’t the only thing we gotta express in scientific notation, bubba. \*\* Well I’ll be damned – the Boss _does_ read GQ from time to time. How 'bout helping with a question from time to time, big guy? ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-cecil/148276/36 "2003-01-17T01:19:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cecil Adams \* > \*\*My IQ ain’t the only thing we gotta express in scientific notation, bubba. \*\* :eek: HE’S HERE! Quick! Everybody look busy! ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-cecil/148276/37 "2003-01-17T03:11:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cisco \* > \*\*I was always under the impression that the “Baby Boomers” were kids that were born as a direct result of their dads coming home from WWII and being so excited to see their moms that the first thing they did was get her pregnant. I also remember back in 1995 there were tons of news articles and magazine covers that said “Baby Boomers Turn 50.” > > 19 years is a hell of a long time to wait for “I’m glad you’re not dead so let’s have sex” sex. \*\* > [@](#): > > Baby boomers comprise the cohort of Americans born between 1946 and 1964. They are referred to as a post-war bulge in population. > > Sweeping societal change is virtually guaranteed when a population includes an unusually large number of people in a single birth cohort. As the boomers have aged, changes in American society have been obvious. In the 1960s, youthful boomers drove changes in mores, from sexual freedom to antiwar sentiment. In the early 2000 decades, retirement-aged boomers will likely drive changes in consumerism, health care, and retirement funding. Source: [http://www.unt.edu/cpe/module1/deffile/def7-02.htm](http://www.unt.edu/cpe/module1/deffile/def7-02.htm) > [@](#): > > The Baby Boom generation-the cohort of Americans born between 1946 and 1964-has long commanded the attention of demographers, politicians, marketers, and social scientists. Seventy-six million strong, Baby Boomers represent the largest single sustained growth of the population in the history of the United States. Their mass alone has had an enormous impact on the national psyche, political arena and social fabric. From the youth culture they created in the 1960s and 1970s to the dual-income households of the 1980s and 1990s, this generation has reinterpreted each successive stage of life. Source: [http://research.aarp.org/econ/boomer\_seg\_1.html](http://research.aarp.org/econ/boomer_seg_1.html) Yeah, well my post doesn’t _specifically_ address the OP, but how often can one be part of the **Perfect Master’s** thread, eh? **Chandeleur** , does this qualify as looking busy? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![mudcrutch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@mudcrutch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mudcrutch)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-cecil/148276/38 "2003-01-17T03:30:45Z")
:eek: Hot damn! I summoned the **Perfect Master**! [sub]Does this make me an Official Doper™ yet? Am I part of the clique? Do I get a coffee mug? Anything? hmm… maybe I should go make a sig line or something…[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![jack\_ss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c77e96/32.png) [@jack\_ss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jack_ss)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-cecil/148276/39 "2003-01-17T03:32:30Z")
1946 through 1964…that puts me & my mother in the same generation. ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2003, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-cecil/148276/40 "2003-01-17T06:06:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hazel \* > \*\*If I might ask off topic quesitons… After the boomers came Gen X, presumably born 65 through ?? – what birth year marks the end of Gen X? And what do we call the post-Gen X gen? \*\* Depends on who you ask. [Fortune.com](http://Fortune.com) makes reference to 1966 - 1975, which would overlap with the babyboomer generation. However, other assorted sites make passing reference to the years 1961 - 1981; [1964 - 1981](http://www.singergrp.com/presentations/karens-genx.pdf) (caution: PDF);[1963-1977](http://www.washtenaw.cc.mi.us/knowledgeworks/atoz_courses/index.php?thechoice=course_BMG1530); and [1965 - 1980](http://www.jour.unr.edu/outpost/specials/genx.overvw1.html). The [American Heritage Dictionary](http://www.bartleby.com/61/3/G0080350.html) tells us the expression originates from the Douglass Coupland\* novel “Generation X” and means:\*\* > [@](#): > > The generation following the post–World War II baby boom, especially people born in the United States and Canada from the early 1960s to the late 1970s. \*\*Commonly, the generation following Gen X is imaginatively named “Generation Y”. (Generation “Why?”, for the witty.) (And “Generation neXt” for fans of Pepsi and the Spice Girls. ;)) - Isn’t it “Copeland”? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-cecil/148276.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-old-is-cecil/148276.md?page=3)