[758] in Humor
HUMOR: on mice
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Andrew A. Bennett)
Wed Mar 8 14:19:19 1995
To: humor@MIT.EDU
Date: Wed, 08 Mar 1995 14:14:02 EST
From: "Andrew A. Bennett" <abennett@MIT.EDU>
This is what thesis & propals are like, too... :)
-Drew
Date: Tue, 07 Mar 1995 22:44:59 +0000 (GMT)
From: Espacionaute Spiff domine! <MATOSSIAN@aries.colorado.edu>
From: bostic@CS.Berkeley.EDU (Keith Bostic)
Forwarded-by: David Boyce <dave@abyss.demon.co.uk>
Management Review of Writing Style (courtesy of Bob Dolan).
QUESTION: How many feet do mice have?
Original reply: Mice have four feet.
Management comment:
Elaborate!
Revision 1: Mice have five appendages, and four of them are feet.
Comment: No discussion of fifth appendage!
Revision 2: Mice have five appendages; four of them are feet and one
is a tail.
Comment: What? Feet with no legs?
Revision 3: Mice have four legs, four feet and one tail per unit-mouse.
Comment: Confusing -- is that a total of 9 appendages?
Revision 4: Mice have four leg-foot assemblies and one tail assembly
per body.
Comment: Does not fully discuss the issue!
Revision 5: Each mouse comes equipped with four legs and a tail. Each
leg is equipped with a foot at the end opposite the body;
the tail is not equipped with a foot.
Comment: Descriptive? Yes. Forceful? NO!
Revision 6: Allotment appendages for mice will be: Four leg-foot
assemblies, one tail. Deviation from this policy is
not permitted as it would constitute misapportionment
of scarce appendage assets.
Comment: Too authoritative; stifles creativity!
Revision 7: Mice have four feet; each foot is attached to a small leg
joined integrally with the overall mouse structural
sub-system. Also attached to the mouse sub-system is a
thin tail, non-functional and ornamental in nature.
Comment: Too verbose/scientific. Answer the question!
FINAL REVISION APPROVED BY MANAGEMENT:
Mice have four feet.
