Merlin Mann speaking on household hacks, make-believe help, and how to figure out who you are.
A gynecologist had become so fed up with malpractice insurance and HMO paperwork and was burned out. Hoping to try another career where skillful hands would be beneficial, he decided to become a mechanic. He went to the local technical college, signed up for classes, attended diligently, and learned all he could.
When the time for the practical exam approached, the gynecologist prepared carefully for weeks and completed the exam with tremendous skill. When the results came back, he was surprised to find that he had obtained a score of 150%. Fearing an error, he called the instructor, saying, "I don't want to appear ungrateful for such an outstanding result, but I wonder if there is an error in the grade."
The instructor said, "During the exam, you took the engine apart perfectly, which was worth 50% of the total mark. "You put the engine back together again perfectly, which is also worth 50% of the mark." This equaled an A. After a pause, the instructor added, "I gave you an extra 50% because you did it all through the muffler, which I've never seen done in my entire career.
So, I think like everyone else this morning, I was a bit shocked to see that our president had received the Nobel Peace Prize. Reading through a few of the articles throughout the world, I came across this comment from a reader on the Times Online UK. This actually may be reasoning as to the nature of today's events:
I am now confident that we are in an alternate universe as opposed to the one that we went to sleep in yesterday. This morning NASA launched rockets into the moon looking for ice. I am convinced that these actions have compromised the space-time continuum and have altered the very fabric of the universe thereby changing our existence as we know it. The proof of this altered reality is that we find out this morning that President Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize and Marge Simpson is going to appear nude in Playboy.
I can find no other explanation for these events. I am utterly terrified. I will be selling tin foil hats later today.
God help us all.
(Jason Cordell)
