h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hmm...
This has stopped being a debate, really, hasn't it?

Yes, it kind of has, hasn't it. What shall we do about it?

¦M¦

Start debating again?

That's a very good sensible and rational idea. Why did I think of that?...

Probably because I'm not very sensible and rational...
Oh dear. Anyway: debating.

I would side with the nail I think, after all their ordeals, rusting into non-existance (which Ming might be able to tell us about) must be a terribly painful experience!

>

I'm on the Nail's side too.
Okay then, who's for Hammer?

I'm for the Hammer (and not just because I want to be awkward, either) and yes, it's really a very sensible idea...


¦M¦

Well Ming, as much as I feel for the plight of a hammer, the nails have a worse time. Afterall, they are small and thin, and cannot stand up for themselves. They are considered cheap and are forgotten about - no-one notices if one nail goes missing as they come in packs of hundreds, yet if a hammer is lost, people spend time looking for it.
A nail is unappreciated.

*sniff*

I agree. It must be absolutely terrible. I can see that the hammer would have a tough time, but I think the worst-of is probably the nail...

Why don't we ask *them*?
...
...........Maybe not...

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Hammers get hit a lot lot more in their lifetime than nails, a lot lot lot lot lot lot lot more... and they get hit continuously sometimes all day if a builder or worse, a carpenter owns it. A nail only gets hit a few times, after that it isn't bothered again. And the poor Hammer has the horrible knowledge all the time that it is causing all these nails headaches, while it itself is suffering from a much much worse and longer headache and it feels guilt for the nails' headaches but it knows it cannot do anything about it. If a nail gets lost, it won't be hit at all because they are considered worthless. If a Hammer were to go missing it would be hunted out and be used to hit nails again... The treatment of nails may be cold-blooded and ruthless, but the treatment of Hammers is much much worse.

¦M¦

I see your point...

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But nails are tortured constantly by hammers, and even if they are put in wood they may not relax, but be taken out by claw hammers - an extremely painful process - and re-hit again. With a hammer, it only is hit on a head. Every inch of the nail - it's point, sides and top, are in pain when all of it is forced into a peice of wood, and the pain is much greater.

...but the nail only suffers once. The Hammer suffers constantly.

¦M¦

Does a nail only suffer once? A claw hammer can take out a nail that's been in a board for a long time, if the nail bends a ball hammer can straighten in out again, and a normal hammer can hammer it into another board or plank etc. So a nail can potentially be hammered in and pulled out, hammered in again and pulled out an infinite number of times.
Not all nails are used just once.

Ouch!

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Yes, but not most.
And every hammer is used a lot more than just once.
And probably even more than a nail that is hit an infinite amount...

¦M¦

Huuuum, isn't that impossible - for something to be hit more than an infinite number of times?...

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*wonders whether it's worth bringing up countable and uncountable infinities here*

nah...

No probably not!
What do you think then, MyRedDice? Which one gets the worst bet?

oops, forgot the signature *again*

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*now that she's finally got here, she's forgotten what she was going to say*

Damn!
In the meantime, while I try to remember, MyRedDice do you want to join the Campaign?

Please?

OK.
*tries to remember what she was going to say*
Hmmmmmmm...



Right. I think it was also something about countable and uncountable infinities.
But, it may have been about infinities that are greater than other infinities. Which is pretty much the same thing.
And that if you keep on dragging a nail out and hammering it back in, it will bend too far to use again. So it can't be used as much as a hammer.

¦M¦