Ghost in the Machine

Over at The Critic, the good doctor recounts a recent incident with his unresponsive printer. This may not be the most earth-shattering of events, but I think most of us here would happily read Theodore Dalrymple describing buttering his toast in the morning.

Why not just say, The printer failed to print your document? This might suggest a mechanical or other breakdown. The wording used, by contrast, suggests that I should feel sorry for my printer for having placed unreasonable demands on and expected too much of it. No wonder the printer is feeling stressed out.

One thought on “Ghost in the Machine

  1. TMay

    Maybe poltergeists have kept up with the times and can affect computers, phones, and printers, etc…
    “poltergeist activity—also known as “recurrent spontaneous psychokinesis” or RSPK—is the result of psychic energy generated (usually unconsciously) by a person, referred to as an agent.”

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.