What evidence did William Poundstone, author of the “(insert word here) Secrets” books, have to prove that Ed Zotti and Cecil Adams were the same person? He claimed it in his (I believe) “Biggest Secrets” book, but didn’t have any backing evidence.
I seem to recall he found a pic of Zotti labeled as Adams, or maybe it was vice-versa.
No, the picture you’re thinking about didn’t come out until several years after the book I’m thinking about was published. I believe it had to do with the fact that Zotti does all of Cecil’s publicity apperances, plus the fact that Ed wrote the Straight Dope book for children.
This issue has been dealt with many many times on these boards. I believe the most conclusive evidence was brought out in this thread, most notably by a poster known then as frogstein (currently Running with Scissors).
It has always appeared to me (as noted therein) that the thing is only a half secret, and I’ve seen recent administration comments along those lines as well.
Years ago (ca. 1994) I heard Cecil doing a radio interview/phone-in with KRLD, the local AM radio news show. Obviously, if Cecil was Ed, he couldn’t have done the show, could he?
I tried to call, but I couldn’t get through. 
minty, Ed does the radio shows.
In all seriousness, this is not a legitimate question.
Alright, then I’ll go to a topic I’m running on another board.
Who was the richest TV producer of all time, and how many TV producers were on the Forbes 400 list between 1982 and today?
Nope. The host clearly said it was Cecil.
minty I didn’t mean that your point was not legitimate - rather that there is not legitimate doubt that Ed is Cecil.
But you are also wrong. If you would read the linked thread (worthwhile in any event) you will see that handy posted some sort of government filing which declares that Cecil Adams is not a real person. So obviously your host was merely using the pseudenym.
[Fixed coding. – MEB]
Bah! Heresy! Blasphemy! Slander! Sacrilege! Counter-revol–well, wait, I guess that one doesn’t really work.
Would Cecil lie? Of course not! (The Straight Dope Faq: Who Is This Man Called Cecil Adams?:2)
Also, I have personally spoken with Ed Zotti, and heard him with my own ears refer to Cecil in the third person.
Ed says that Poundstone gave him so much whiskey, he would have confessed to being the long lost Dauphin.
Also, when the hosts and the guests said hello to Cecil, Cecil responded to them.
It was very touching.
Here’s your proof:
ED ZOTTI = IZ T TOED
Clearly, Ed Zotti “is the toady” of Cecil Adams.
Boy, that convinces me right there. :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
Your government never lies and always gets it right? :eek:
Ummm…the “government” didn’t make the filing, IIRC. The Reader filed that Cecil Adams was a fictional character.
Why are people so obsessed about a screen name anyhow? 99% of the people here aren’t posting under their real names anyways.
The fact that Ed == Cecil should not diminish either of them; rather, it should elevate both of them.
Were it not true, I suppose Cecil could’ve sued Poundstone!
What, being called the world’s smartest person is libel? 
As noted by Anthracite, the filing was with the government, by the Chicago Reader. I looked around a bit and couldn’t find the actual stuff posted by handy on the net. But it would seem to have been an application for a trademark on the name which was rejected, as noted here (section 1202.09).
Anyway, the idea of some govenrment conspiracy to conceal the fact that Cecil Adams is a real person is laughable.
I would guess that its because people have this mythical view of Cecil as this distant all-seeing all-knowing genius. Zotti, by contrast, posts here in a mundane administrative role, and is frequently second guessed to boot. The idea that Cecil is none other than Zotti would detract from his heroic image.
MEBuckner: thanks for the edit! 
On the contrary, IzzyR. It is absolutely in the governments interest in these terrible times to obscure the facts about Cecil’s existence.
After all, if it was surely known that Cecil exists, and where he bases his opertations, the Iraqis and Al Qieda would have all their agents out in the field to try and kidnap him. They would then use his awesome brain power to power nuclear plants, formulate strategies for use against the West and invent no-cal pizza and keep the patent for themselves, thus depriving all Americans of thier true God-given birthright (the ability to eat pizza without getting fat). Thus, it is a vital national concern to obfuscate, obscure and otherwise weave a web of deception around the mystery of Cecil’s existence and identity.
Zev Steinhardt
If I say that Poundstones books are better than Cecil’s am I helping the terrorists?