Saturday, July 19, 2008

Random Thoughts

I'm doing some proof-reading. Do I not like "On the one hand, on the other hand" expressions. One the one hand they are padded, inexact and cliched, on the other hand they are still padded, inexact and cliched.

Stop offering me lifts! I actually enjoy going by bicycle, even when it's raining. I get fresh air and exercise, and am mostly free from worrying about petrol prices. On the other hand, if my bicycle has a puncture I might retract this statement and crawl into your car.

On the one hand, you might want to look at this video. On the other hand you might not. If we'd been born with three hands would we use "on the third hand"? Does our physiology limit us to binary thinking?

On the one hand, that's an interesting thought. On the other hand it might be bollocks, and a misrepresention of cause and effect. On the third hand, I could google "on the third hand" and see if someone already wrote a science fiction book about it.

Anyway, that video. I've not laughed so much in ages. Check out the guy in the blue suit.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

It could be worse. On the one hand, people often use this expression. On the other hand, it is quite popular. On the one hand, Germans like it very much. On the other hand, they tend to use it as punctuation, or to enumerate lists. On the one hand, I work with a lot of Germans. on the other hand, I am often asked to proof read things....turkey!

phil said...

Glove (noun).

On the one hand it fits, on the other hand it doesn't.

phil said...

Give me a one-handed economist! All my economists say, On the one hand on the other.

Truman, Harry S