Deep-Rethinking with Jack Handey

"I remember how, in college, I got this part-time job as a circus clown, and how the children would laugh and laugh at me. I vowed, then and there, that I would get revenge."
--Jack Handey


The deep-thinkers at RethinkIP, hosts of the forty-eighth edition of Blawg Review, have rethought the concept of Blawg Review entirely this week. Gone is the "bloated, link-whore-optimized versions of the original vision for what a carnival should be"; in its place are the three -- yes, three -- best items from the week that was. The Rethinkers describe their motivation thusly:

Remember the carnival experience of your youth? Your parents only took you to the travelling extravaganza when you were good. If you went to the carnival every week as a kid... you were a carnie. And if you were a carnie, I assure you that the carnival would lose some of it "specialness" - it wouldn't be about the lions, tigers and bears - nope, it would be about the whining children, the drunken sailors and the bearded lady who won't quit grabbing your behind.

No arguing there. I remember that many years ago, I came to a crossroads in my own life and had to decide between becoming a carnie and starting law school; in all the days since, I've always never regretted my decision to become a lawyer.

Still, with the notable exception of the host, all of us who traffic weekly carnivals are not the carnies but the kids. As a kid, what do you think of a bloated carnival? Some think it's great; some find it overwhelming. Regardless, you experience what you want to and skip the parts you don't. While you can build a great carnival around three great rides, three great rides do not a carnival make.

Notwithstanding, to their credits, the Rethinkers point us to, as Paul Harvey would put it, "the rest of the story" -- all those posts which didn't make the top three are enshrined over at Blawgr.com. There are some great posts over there, including a survey of the wheelings and dealings of three titans of the modern economy -- Microsoft, Google, and Fluffernutter. Whatever your feeling might be about the rethought Blawg Review this week, I don't know if any previous host has posted all of the recommended links received (I know I didn't the week I hosted).

Some might point and say that this week's emperor has no clothes; others will marvel at the new, high-concept wardrobe. In whichever camp you find yourself, next week brings a new emperor and a new wardrobe when Jim Calloway hosts Blawg Review #49 at his Law Practice Tips Blog site. The deadline for submissions for next Monday's issue is this coming Saturday. You've been good, so review the submission guidelines and join the travelling extravaganza!