I signed a few autographs at a show the other day, and it occurred to me that it's a bizarre ritual. Fellow humans want you to sign your name and give it to them as a remembrance of the encounter. I have never asked fans for their autograph in return, but they want mine anyway. Perhaps to document that I actually exist outside a DVD? It’s a keepsake that proves:

a) I’m not illiterate, and

b) They are willing to humble themselves and ask for a piece of me to take home.

One wonders if there is any criterion that ...   more »