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Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008

    Time Event
    12:43p
    The evolution of a third hand
    There used to be a Black&Decker advert that never failed to get me shouting at the screen. It had an image of a man struggling with some DIY task, and the voiceover said, "Because the evolution of a third hand is taking a bit too long..." (buy this gadget that will free up a hand for you.) Yes, yes, funny and light-hearted and everything, but everyone who talks about evolution as if it was something you could hand a shopping list to is playing right into the creationists' hands.

    After loudly contradicting the television a few dozen times, I came up with another objection. We already did evolve something that's a sight more useful than a third hand: the ability to co-operate. Who needs a third hand hanging around all the time when your mate can lend you one whenever you happen to need it? (Of course, you may then have to put up with the mate hanging around all the time and drinking your beer, but nothing's perfect.)

    The other night, I realised something else we've evolved that's relevent. We've evolved the ability to make hand-freeing gadgets (as well as annoying adverts for them, *sigh*). Any time we spot a deficiency in ourselves now, we don't have to wait a hundred generations and hope evolution irons it out. We can use technology to fill the gap in a fraction of the time. We've evolved the ability not to be limited by evolution.

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