April 1st, 2009

Fail Whale

When Twitter is overloaded (and it often is), they put up this picture:


It has been dubbed “The Fail Whale” by Twitter users, and the image is absolutely fascinating to me. Its message is two-fold and conflicting. His very presence indicates failure and hopelessness, but his demeanor is one of peace and contentment. Look at him there, borne aloft by birds, out of his natural environment, and enjoying every second — even though any of those seconds out of water might be his last.

It’s hard to tell from his expression whether he is smiling or releasing a happy sigh. Whatever the case, this is a whale at peace, and his message to us is simple:

“Everything’s fine, even when nothing is.”


The story of the Fail Whale is here. (Thanks, TheBon!)

One Comment on “Fail Whale”

  1. daniel says:

    I'm reminded of The Hitchhicker's Guide to the Galaxy – though I know the picture isn't really representative of the actual events that this brings to mind. There's also a sequence in the third book where Arthur attempts to learn to fly by throwing himself towards the ground and missing.

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