Hump ahead

From the previous post, Anoop’s comment with the phrase ‘Hump ahead' was just too tempting to my vanity of thought that it had to find its way into the title of this post. We all know what it means: the first meaning to do with road safety and the second being a teenage vernacular to imply that there are 'exciting' times ahead. But I thought I’d draw back my focus and of those who’d be interested towards the third meaning of hump ahead.

But before that, here’s a category-A recommendation. If you’re interested in reading a small story, I have one just for you. My good friend Narayanswamy has authored a story called The chicken that never crossed the road. Any aspiring writer can take away several key elements from this story – just in the way the simple idea is narrated and how it strikes a chord with the reader. Good job, Dobby!

In playing the devil's advocate, I have taken hump ahead to reflect on some of the flaws in the cigarette snipper that were overlooked at the time of design. This is based on feedback I’ve been getting from a couple of smokers; and it’s meaningful enough that I share it with you.

Here are the points in no particular order of importance:
1) There’s always the cigar cutter. They come small and handy. Big deal if they’re meant for cigars. I’m sure the cigarettes won’t mind it.

2) For someone trying to quit smoking, he needs to_feel_the_pain of throwing away half a cigarette. That’ll remind him that he’s throwing away money and hence stands a far better chance to quit smoking out of guilt (but not all cases, of course)than by snipping and saving for an hour later.

3) A smoker friend demonstrated that you can actually put off the burning end by crushing it against a wall without damaging the remaining portion. That was some ignorance on the inventor’s part!

4) Competitive products like nicotine gum, nicotine sticks and so on make more sense than a snipper and lighter with petrol tank in your pocket.

You’re welcome to append to this list. But I’m not sure if anyone’s got the time and mind space to pick faults with a cigarette snipper that'll never see the light of the day.