Friday 12 June 2009

are you happy?

If no, then here is the solution; if yes, then here is something that will make you realise that you only thought you were happy: finally I have got round to buying Will Cuppy's The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody, and now I will start quoting it to you at regular intervals. Viz.

In modern times much thought has been devoted to the methods used in constructing the Great Pyramid. Egyptologists marvel that such a task could have been accomplished before they were born, and our engineers say they would not have undertaken it with only some old copper tools and a complete lack of stainless steel machinery. It hardly seems possible that the ancient Egyptians were as smart as these experts. Still, they went right ahead and did it, and you can draw your own conclusions.

The fact is that building a pyramid is fairly easy, aside from the lifting. You just pile up stones in receding layers, placing one carefully upon another, and pretty soon you have a pyramid. You can't help it.*

*You can get a stone facsimile of the Great Pyramid made to order for $156m [1950 prices]. It is cheaper to do it yourself--then you know it's done right.

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