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Like Piranhas...
Jul. 24th, 2007 03:18 pmSometimes Yahoo! News headlines annoy me in a way that is disproportionate to their actual message or transgression. The headline to this article http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20070724/sc_space/blackholesdevourmatterlikepiranhas for example.
"Black holes devour matter like piranhas, study finds"
At first I read it as: Black holes devour matter, like piranhas (as in, for instance: piranhas). I was wondering about all these little astro-piranhas floating in space, being devoured by black holes...because aren't piranhas, in fact, matter too?
Then I edited out the self-placed subconscious comma and thought, why piranhas? Have they done a comparative analysis of how black holes feed versus how piranhas feed? Or was the writer at a loss for the appropriate anamorphic simile?
I personally find it more appealing to think that black holes devour matter as a giraffe devours the tender leaf buds on a medium sized tree.
Hmph. Science shall one day be able to clear this all up.
"Black holes devour matter like piranhas, study finds"
At first I read it as: Black holes devour matter, like piranhas (as in, for instance: piranhas). I was wondering about all these little astro-piranhas floating in space, being devoured by black holes...because aren't piranhas, in fact, matter too?
Then I edited out the self-placed subconscious comma and thought, why piranhas? Have they done a comparative analysis of how black holes feed versus how piranhas feed? Or was the writer at a loss for the appropriate anamorphic simile?
I personally find it more appealing to think that black holes devour matter as a giraffe devours the tender leaf buds on a medium sized tree.
Hmph. Science shall one day be able to clear this all up.
