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

Thanks, Frink. This seems to be my most popular effort so far

I need a snarkle adjustment, too... But you see, the page that has the diagram for the adjustment procedure has been left intentionally blank by the printer... Do you think there's a conspiracy for unadjusted snarkles?

I saw this on many (govt.) classified documents as well. Initially I thought perhaps they were used to prevent an over-zealous inventory clerk from thinking an equally over-zealous spy had lifted the ink right off the page. As for having a blank page in the first place, I agree with Ginger the Fiesty in that often times it's useful to have text face a corresponding diagram, example, etc., so you need to skip a page. I once thought of suggesting that on govt. documents, rather than leave it blank with a message saying as much, we insert a work by some starving artist who could use the exposure. But then remembering some of the work the NEA (Nat'l Endowment for the Arts, not the teacher's union) had sponsored, their idea of "exposure" might be inappropriate . . .

I hate to tell you this, but the story behind "this page intentionally left blank" is much older than that--granted, the phrase might have become more widespread at IBM, but it's been used for quite some time in a similar (yet wholly different) field--

Music.

Sheet music copyists penned that on blank pages in order to keep the page turns at convenient spots. It's much easier to flip a page dring a 19 measure rest than to do so in the middle of a nirtuosic violin solo (or whatever)

I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just remembering things--might wanna look into it.



Triv.

Unfortunately it's not in common practice now.

'Nonnie