Noting dead famous people's birthdays (and live ones as well) is a waste of time at best. Appreciate their work, but who cares about the birthday?

I don't think celebrating the birth of another, family or not, is wasteful in and of itself, as it's merely an additional expression of joy or admiration. Now, one may believe that expressing joy or admiration is a waste of time, but I think Orwell wrote about that too...

And if anything, this is a time when we should be thinking of George Orwell.

It might jog the memory, bringing back a self-promise to read something the Author wrote, and in that case the notice would have value.

Talk of Big Brother can be found here daily.