Today is International Snailpapers Day! What are snailpapers? Something about snail mail? Or maybe a snail crawling across a piece of paper? Do a Google image search for ‘snailpaper’ and you’ll get a bunch of origami snails. My wife thought snailpaper was some sort of stationary that you mail.
I asked the three popular AI programs: “Do you know what a snailpaper is?”. Only one got it correct.
Chat GPT:
I’m sorry, but I am not familiar with the term “snailpaper.” It is possible that it is a colloquial term or a term specific to a certain field or community. Could you provide more context or information about what you are referring to?
Google Bard based its response on the domain snailpapers.com (a cigarette rolling paper site):
Snailpaper is a brand of rolling papers that is known for its high quality and unique designs. The company was founded in the early 1990s by a group of students who were passionate about making high-quality smoking papers with new, interesting designs. Snailpaper papers are made from natural, unbleached hemp and are free of any harsh chemicals or additives. They are also vegan and gluten-free. Snailpaper papers are available in a variety of sizes and flavors, and the company also offers a custom rolling paper service that allows customers to create their own unique designs.
Bing AI:
Yes, I found a definition of snailpaper as “the print edition of the daily newspaper which arrives in the morning on your doorstep with news that is already old and stale by at least 12 hours”. [1] Is there anything else you would like me to help you with?
Yup. Snailpaper is the print edition of a newspaper.
If you buy a print newspaper on Snailpaper Day, there should be some bonus inside the newspaper. A few ideas:
- A historical reprint from their archives, providing a glimpse into a pivotal moment in history.
- A free coffee or tea at a local cafe. This would be a great way to start your day and enjoy a delicious beverage while you read the news.
- A temporary tattoo that is a crossword puzzle. Put the tattoo on your arm. Then solve the puzzle using a washable marker. Readers would be encouraged to post their solved puzzle on social media with the tag #ilovesnailpaper Include a raffle prize for those who solve the puzzle. Maybe even part of the solution in the puzzle could spell out ilovesnailpaper.
Chat GPT helped me with the first idea about the historical reprints. Google Bard was great with coming up with the coffee idea. Bing’s AI… well, it kept suggesting ideas with snails. A snail with a newspaper shell, A snail reading a newspaper, A snail delivering newspapers. That or crossword puzzles. To help Bing along, I asked what are some toys that could be mailed in an envelope. Then it came up with some fun ideas. Custom stickers, temporary tattoos, puzzles, mazes, candy, and balloons. The temporary tattoo stood out, so in my head, I combined tattoos with a crossword puzzle.
If you aren’t a subscriber to the print edition of a newspaper, and you decided to buy one for International Snailpapers Day, what sort of surprise would you like to see inside?
(image of the origami snail is by Nguyen Hung Cuong, Creative Commons license, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
If I’m understanding this correctly, mom and dad used to get snailpapers: an early edition newspaper in the morning followed by a “regular”(?) newspaper (Detroit Free Press) later in the day. I will offer, however, that snailpapers.com is also correct since that product actually exists (though I don’t partake)
I find it so amusing that after 23 years of working in the newspaper industry, and seeing the business change from print to online… that I haver never once heard the term snailpaper.