Push

Monday, 30 July 2001
There is no such thing as pulling. There is only pushing.

To demonstrate the thesis, I hook a finger inside a salad bowl and push it towards me.

The guests at the regulars' lunch table pause in their lunch to digest this.

Yes, but, what if you put a string around the bowl? The string would push the back of the bowl.
Yes, yes, but how about pulling with a sucker? The air on the inside of the bowl pushes harder than the relative vacuum of the sucker.
Hmm, how about putting both sucker and bowl into a complete vacuum? The sucker won't stick.
Hmm, hmm, how about attaching a string with a cellotape? It took me some time to digest this option.

But I've found the answer:
Cellotape and bowl are one. The string pushes against the sticky side of the cellotape.

I maintain my thesis There is no such thing as pulling. There is only pushing. and say goodbye to the regulars at the lunch table with a cryptic riddle for insiders: What pushes a Verseput (verseput.com) towards Schiphol airport (schiphol.nl)?

!ovloV A :rewsnA

Till next week,
Nut

Mr. Verseput, congratulations on the succesful landing. Welcome home!