Friday, April 16, 2010

Antithesis of Anectdotal Evidence

I dedicate this article to the old and senseless sayings that have been thrown my way since I remember.

To start off with, I got this recently from someone saying that repetition is always boring and change is always welcome. Hmm.... and I think to myself that over the last two years Katrina's skirt has remained at the same length and I havent heard so much as a peep from anyone??

Anyways, I had this idea of trying to have a conversation with myself using as many idioms as I could think of and each conveying the opposite of the other. So here is how it went.. the theme being me trying to convince myself to open a Demat account

Me: You should make hay while the sun shines
Myself: But shouldn't I look before I leap
Me: All I am saying is you should start now, Rome was not built in a day
Myself: But shouldn't I do as the Romans do when only in Rome
Me: No, doesn't matter. All roads lead to Rome anyway and Time and Tide wait for none
Myself: But I think its better to be safe than sorry
Me: Action speaks louder than words
Myself: But You know a fool and his money are quickly parted
Me: But A rolling stone gathers no moss.
Myself: All that glitters is not gold
Me: A stitch in time saves nine
Myself: Beggars can't be choosers
Me: A man's got to do what a man's got to do
IRENE: Wise men argue cases, fools decide them
???????????????.....

Not to mention a saying that has always had me confused. A watched ketttle never boils. What??

The specific of water is 4.186 joule/gram °C. So under standard temperature and pressure it is always possible to calculate the amount of heat needed to boil water and that can be equated to the time taken given a knowledge of the heat source. Till date I haven't come across an equation that factors in "watching" and its relation to the time taken but surprisingly I have heard this adage a lot.

Well, let me end it here with a quick note. You shouldn't believe everything you hear :-)