October 7: Smiling Cigar Guy

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past week, you have probably heard or read of the smiling cigar guy at last week's Ryder Cup. A photographer captured the picture of a lifetime when he had the misfortunes of having his camera placed in the immediate trajectory of a Tiger Woods' shot. The ball is beautifully blurred as it approaches the lens while a focused Tiger and group of fans watches its flight.

A man from Channel 4 balances his camera on his shoulder while another raises his arms to keep the crowd quiet. A man in a white cap and t-shirt crosses his arms as he follows the ball and another keeps his hands calmly thrust into the pockets of his pressed, blue slacks. This last man sports a navy blue jacket, long red hair pulled into a ponytail, and oh yeah - a terrific Zapata mustache. While every face in the crowd behind Woods possesses a look of concentration and attentiveness, our protagonist is calm and relaxed while chewing on an unlit cigar. His countenance suggests nothing shy of a euphoric jubilation.

Five years ago, the photo would be the subject of countless chain-letter emails. Ten years ago the picture might find its way to a rudimentary Sports Illustrated website before being the subject of desire in the physical magazine and various daily newspapers. In October of 2010, however, it has become a "web sensation" in a matter of days.

The mere fact that a photographer was able to so clearly capture such a fast moment is brilliant. That alone would make the image a thing of wonder, but to have this anomalous character in the front row of onlookers makes it a classic. People aren't talking about the ball, though. They aren't tweeting about the pristine crowd or the in-the-moment moment. It's the smiling cigar guy everyone wants a piece of and thanks to the wonders of technology and Photoshop, every computer-sitting geek is putting his creativeness on the World Wide Web.

People have discarded the action shot of golf and crowd. They've taken this unusual man and his cigar, cropped him off of the fairway, and inserted him into our more revered moments of history. Suddenly, the smiling cigar guy has found himself on the cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club. He's casually standing in the corner of the ring as Muhammad Ali looks down at a KOed Sonny Liston. He's in Times Square celebrating the victory of Japan with a horny sailor and nurse. Somehow, he even managed to pose next to Neil Armstrong while cruising the craters of the moon!

Whether it's a lack of general activity or something else, people have really taken creative advantage of technology. It's absolutely amazing and entertaining to witness what people can do with their computers. The fact that these avenues of expression are open to the public intrigues me and awes me at the same time. A complete stranger and unknown can become an Internet sensation just by being at the right place at the right time; and that 'stache helped too!