14 February 2012 - illustrating illustration

I love instruction manuals, because you can always tell which parts were written by lawyers. When they say “the illustrating illustration is for illustrative purposes only” (this example is for exemplary purposes only), I imagine the disappointed readers: “Oh, that’s why the story didn’t make sense.” But that’s what law is—bending the rules of the game so that it’s somebody else who’s breaking them.