When I was a junior in high school, I took a course on European history. We had a final paper to write, and I picked the Spanish Inquisition. After a three-page introduction, and a three page conclusion, I filled the center of my report by inventing and describing torture techniques supposedly used during the period to provoke confessions. I got an A, and I’m sure Mr. Benton never read most of the paper.
My friend, Tom, had a different technique. We were all convinced that the teacher really did skip reading most of the assignments, or skimmed them at best. So, in the middle of Tom’s paper, he put a parenthetical comment with a box to check, Check hear if you are reading this paper. Tom also got an A, and the box was never checked.
Okay, Jim, why the heck are you telling this story?
Well, I really have no idea who is reading this weblog. My refererer logs are mostly search engines. I’d like to know more about you. If you want to check the box, please leave a comment by clicking on Comments below. Thanks!
