There Are A Lot of Chris Duffys Out There

And only one of them is me. Plus recs for Dave Eggers at JPL, Big Ol' Flag, and Senegal's new president.

One of the occupational hazards of having a common name like Chris Duffy is that people are going to get you confused with the other Chris Duffys sometimes.

Over the years, I’ve learned that alternate versions of me exist as:

• a raccoon expert

• a professional baseball player with disappointing statistics

• an ESPN anchor

• a cartoonist/illustrator

• a Canadian professor

And, of course, the professional weight lifter and adult film star who, for years, made searching for my name in Google Images a real rollercoaster ride:

Amid a sea of oiled up pectoral muscles, my smug little grin saying “Please sign up for my improv classes!!!”

At one point, I received a very angry email from the person who had claimed chrisduffy at gmail dot com (I wasn’t an early enough adopter to get that handle). He also cc’ed every combination of chris/christopher/christian/christine duffy at gmail that he could think of. We all received an aggrieved email demanding that we do better at giving out our email address because it was driving him crazy to get our misdirected emails.

I responded to the group, thinking that was a fun gathering, and said, “For someone who is me, you’re kind of a jerk.” I never received another forwarded email from that address again.

In retrospect, that was a mistake.

In contrast, the very kind Canadian professor who has christopher duffy at gmail dot com frequently sends me work emails and gig requests that have landed in his inbox by error. But even he once had to send an email pleading with the other Christophers Duffy (we pluralize like Attorneys General) to be more cautious when filling out forms.

He said, and I quote, “Every now and again I get an email that should not have been misdirected - credit card statements, car loan statements, requests for gigs, information about on going litigation, information about gas main construction.”

Truly an all-star lineup of email genres.

He went on to finish the email with this hall of fame sign off, “I ask you. I beg you. I implore you! Please try to be more diligent when sharing your email address with others. It would be greatly appreciated by me, and others who I am sure are receiving email that isn't for them.”

May we all treat our alternate selves with such care and grace. You know what they say: Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about.

Sorry, I got that mixed up. I mean: Be kind, for everyone is involved in ongoing litigation and gas main construction.

My projects and upcoming events:

TED TALK: How find laughter anywhere - My TED talk is out now! Please watch it and share it. Link

LOS ANGELES: Wrong Answers Only at Dynasty Typewriter - Wednesday, October 9th at 7:30 p.m. Join me, Aparna Nancherla, Rob Haze, Jared Goldstein and a food scientist working on all kinds of out there edible innovations. If you’re not based in LA, you can watch the livestream from anywhere in the world with a free RSVP. Details and tickets here

PODCAST: How to Be a Better Human (TED/PRX) - Jonathan Menjivar’s Classy is one of my favorite shows I’ve listened to in years. He talks about wealth and class in a way that I haven’t heard anyone else discuss it. I was very excited that he agreed to come on our podcast and get deep into the uncomfortable awkwardness of talking about money. You can listen to the conversation here (or wherever you get podcasts)

This week’s list

GREAT:

Dave Eggers visits Caltech’s Jet Propulsion Lab and comes to the conclusion that we’re much closer to finding life on other planets than you might expect. This is an incredible article about the hard-working, self-effacing scientists who are changing the way we understand the universe. The Searchers

FUNNY:

I love a comedy bit that is just pure silliness. It’s fun when there’s a big idea, but it’s also fun when the joke is just that it’s a literal big idea. My friend Sam Weiner got me laughing with his new business: Big Ol’ Flag

INTERESTING:

When it comes to international affairs, so much of what’s broken is rooted in antiquated ways of understanding global power. I’m always curious to hear from leaders who are charting new ways forward, especially when those leaders come from regions whose voices have often been ignored. Senegal’s new president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, is decades younger than most other world leaders and he’s not willing to accept the current state of affairs. “In his first interview with Western media since becoming president… [he] said the United Nations has to change to reflect changing world demographics.” Africa’s Youngest Elected Leader Wants a New World Order

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That's it for this week. Thanks for reading! Please share Bright Spots with anyone you think might enjoy it.

Working on a physique to match my Google image results,

Chris Duffy

This has been Bright Spots, a newsletter.

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…wait, who are you?

I'm Chris Duffy, a comedian, TV writer, podcast host, and both a former fifth grade teacher and a former fifth grade student. I’m currently writing a nonfiction book about humor for Doubleday.