Description

It looks like you're trying to listen to a podcast. Would you like some help with that? Join me and my guest Dana Vannen Anderson for the bizarre and frequently cringe story of Clippy, the paperclip that us helped write a thousand letters. Find out:

• Where we got the notion that your computer should act like a person
• Why Microsoft ditched the idea of Clippy ever shutting the fuck up
• What celebrated actor brought the paperclip to life for Office XP's mortifying launch campaign

References:

• https://arxiv.org/pdf/1301.7385
• https://jesse.cafe/blog/packard-bell-navigator/
• https://guidebookgallery.org/tutorials/packardbellnavigator39/gettingstarted 
• https://web.archive.org/web/20110504005120/https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2008/04/-quot-clippy-quot-update-now-with-organizational-anthropology/8006/ 
• https://web.archive.org/web/20110124023627/http://blogs.msdn.com/b/chris_pratley/archive/2004/01/31/65479.aspx 
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHgzgbLwhKM#t=1m41s 
• https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/nov/07/chatgpt-lawsuit-suicide-coach 
• https://web.archive.org/web/20070212204645/http://lis.dickinson.edu/Technology/Training/Tutorials/MsOffice/assistant.htm
• https://web.archive.org/web/20010812061222/http://www.microsoft.com/office/clippy/
• https://web.archive.org/web/20190214194638/https://blogs.msdn.microsoft.com/techtalk/2005/12/16/pm-at-microsoft/
• https://web.archive.org/web/20121024125147/http://news.cnet.com/2100-1001-255671.html
• https://www.seattlemet.com/news-and-city-life/2022/08/origin-story-of-clippy-the-microsoft-office-assistant 
• https://magnus919.com/2025/05/the-rise-and-fall-of-clippy-from-microsofts-bold-vision-to-internet-legend/ 
• https://spir.aoir.org/ojs/index.php/spir/article/view/10923/9596 
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/1143853682/
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/295620970/
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/770293367/
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/658114957/
• https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/news/2001-05-03-clippy-campaign.htm 
• https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/191666.191703
• https://archive.org/details/g4tv.com-video4080 
• https://hardcoresoftware.learningbyshipping.com/p/042-clippy-the-fcking-clown