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September 21, 2017 10:23 AM Subscribe
This Post is Intentionally Left Blank "Common in all areas of publishing, the phrase “This Page is Intentionally Left Blank” has been found in peer-reviewed academic articles costing $30 to access. To the best of our knowledge, this paper represents the first known review of Intentionally Blank Pages (IBPs)."
"We looked at the variations in samples from the existing literature, and quantified the amount of blankness on such pages using a new metric, the “Blankness Defect Rate” (BDR). After showing that most blank pages are defective, we suggest a number of alternatives, factually correct or less ambiguous. Finally, we offer some possible explanations for this phenomenon, including “editor’s block”, a creative impairment similar to the well-known “writer’s block”, and identify avenues for future research on this critical topic.'"
"We looked at the variations in samples from the existing literature, and quantified the amount of blankness on such pages using a new metric, the “Blankness Defect Rate” (BDR). After showing that most blank pages are defective, we suggest a number of alternatives, factually correct or less ambiguous. Finally, we offer some possible explanations for this phenomenon, including “editor’s block”, a creative impairment similar to the well-known “writer’s block”, and identify avenues for future research on this critical topic.'"
It should read "Our intention was to leave this page blank, but we failed."
posted by Kirth Gerson at 10:28 AM on September 21, 2017 [37 favorites]
posted by Kirth Gerson at 10:28 AM on September 21, 2017 [37 favorites]
This page contains no useful content. Seriously. Stop reading. We recommend the next page instead. (Wait, that recommendation could be taken as useful content. Please disregard. (Ugh, now we're having a dialogue with the reader. Don't engage in this dialogue. Just be completely passive, and turn the page. (Okay.)))
posted by allegedly at 10:35 AM on September 21, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by allegedly at 10:35 AM on September 21, 2017 [2 favorites]
David Toub has a minimalist piece called THIS PIECE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK.
posted by wittgenstein at 10:39 AM on September 21, 2017
posted by wittgenstein at 10:39 AM on September 21, 2017
This page intentionally has a picture of Batman riding an elephant.
posted by Strange Interlude at 10:47 AM on September 21, 2017
posted by Strange Interlude at 10:47 AM on September 21, 2017
posted by Foosnark at 10:54 AM on September 21, 2017 [6 favorites]
We used to use "This Page Intentionally Left Bank," for that bohemian touch.
posted by GenjiandProust at 11:09 AM on September 21, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by GenjiandProust at 11:09 AM on September 21, 2017 [9 favorites]
For HTTP standards compliance, the page should say "204 No Content".
posted by allegedly at 11:20 AM on September 21, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by allegedly at 11:20 AM on September 21, 2017 [5 favorites]
My first introduction to this concept was a throwaway joke in Infocom's Zork I, back in the early 80s. There was a wooden door in the kitchen of the white house (the one that was east of West of House), and the door had engravings that translated to "This space intentionally left blank". Later on it was possible to get a cyclops to smash through that door but luckily the engravings were still legible afterward. As I recall this became a running gag in their other games and even in their Invisiclues® hint books (where you'd sometimes waste a little of that magic Invisiclues-revealing marker ink just to see this phrase).
It wasn't until much later that I ran across the phrase actually being used in earnest, I think probably at the end of a tax booklet, the first time I filed taxes. That process wasn't much fun but the sight of it made my day anyway.
posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 11:26 AM on September 21, 2017 [3 favorites]
It wasn't until much later that I ran across the phrase actually being used in earnest, I think probably at the end of a tax booklet, the first time I filed taxes. That process wasn't much fun but the sight of it made my day anyway.
posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 11:26 AM on September 21, 2017 [3 favorites]
I wonder if the calculation “This Page Intentionally Left 99.855% Blank” is based on A4 or US letter?
posted by fregoli at 11:27 AM on September 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by fregoli at 11:27 AM on September 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
Such "blank" pages should be replaced with a picture of Lt. Frank Drebin.
posted by likethemagician at 12:06 PM on September 21, 2017
posted by likethemagician at 12:06 PM on September 21, 2017
Someone needs to invent a new symbol to represent this, something like a sideways ampersand perhaps with an arrow added.
posted by Lanark at 12:11 PM on September 21, 2017
posted by Lanark at 12:11 PM on September 21, 2017
12 comments and no "This comment intentionally left blank"? Hrmph.
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:30 PM on September 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Greg_Ace at 12:30 PM on September 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
_______________________________________________________________
posted by aspersioncast at 12:32 PM on September 21, 2017
posted by aspersioncast at 12:32 PM on September 21, 2017
(aims to please)
posted by aspersioncast at 12:33 PM on September 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by aspersioncast at 12:33 PM on September 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
This blank intentionally left as a comment.
posted by oneswellfoop at 12:36 PM on September 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by oneswellfoop at 12:36 PM on September 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
Somewhere I still have a UC Press-published book on probability that was bound, with a dustjacket, but contains only blank pages. I'll post a pic if I can find it tonight.
Needless to say, I love this.
posted by aspersioncast at 12:37 PM on September 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
Needless to say, I love this.
posted by aspersioncast at 12:37 PM on September 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 1:10 PM on September 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
^ intentional
posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 1:11 PM on September 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 1:11 PM on September 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
This reminds me of the University of Chicago's law review article reviewing the new edition of the Blue Book (legal citation style manual published by Harvard law).
posted by janey47 at 1:30 PM on September 21, 2017
posted by janey47 at 1:30 PM on September 21, 2017
oop, correction, I linked to the U of C's link to it but they link to it because it was written by Posner, a U of C professor. It was originally published in the Yale Law Review.
posted by janey47 at 1:32 PM on September 21, 2017
posted by janey47 at 1:32 PM on September 21, 2017
This page is not a page of honor.
No highly esteemed text is printed here.
Nothing valued is here.
posted by dirigibleman at 2:08 PM on September 21, 2017 [12 favorites]
No highly esteemed text is printed here.
Nothing valued is here.
posted by dirigibleman at 2:08 PM on September 21, 2017 [12 favorites]
This page, by intent,
Has no content worth reading.
It has been left "blank."
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 2:36 PM on September 21, 2017
Has no content worth reading.
It has been left "blank."
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 2:36 PM on September 21, 2017
This server is intentionally unable to serve this request.
posted by Roger Dodger at 2:39 PM on September 21, 2017
posted by Roger Dodger at 2:39 PM on September 21, 2017
This comment comprises only filler.
posted by sandettie light vessel automatic at 2:50 PM on September 21, 2017
posted by sandettie light vessel automatic at 2:50 PM on September 21, 2017
Such "blank" pages should be replaced with a picture of Lt. Frank Drebin
"This page intentionally left Frank"?
posted by Greg_Ace at 3:56 PM on September 21, 2017 [3 favorites]
"This page intentionally left Frank"?
posted by Greg_Ace at 3:56 PM on September 21, 2017 [3 favorites]
This was my first web page.
posted by Obscure Reference at 7:02 PM on September 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Obscure Reference at 7:02 PM on September 21, 2017 [1 favorite]
I am patiently waiting for someone wittier than I myself to do something Pythonesque with the phrase from TFA, "purposely bereft of content."
Also, came for the "This page is not a page of honor" joke, was not disappointed.
posted by bryon at 9:13 PM on September 21, 2017
Also, came for the "This page is not a page of honor" joke, was not disappointed.
posted by bryon at 9:13 PM on September 21, 2017
Ahem.
posted by this field intentionally left blank at 9:25 PM on September 21, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by this field intentionally left blank at 9:25 PM on September 21, 2017 [4 favorites]
Quantity of content was involved in a page-related incident.
posted by runcifex at 9:57 PM on September 21, 2017
posted by runcifex at 9:57 PM on September 21, 2017
I am patiently waiting for someone wittier than I myself to do something Pythonesque with the phrase from TFA, "purposely bereft of content."
THIS. IS AN EX-. PAGE.
"It, er...it's not blank, it's restin'."
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:38 PM on September 21, 2017 [2 favorites]
THIS. IS AN EX-. PAGE.
"It, er...it's not blank, it's restin'."
posted by Greg_Ace at 10:38 PM on September 21, 2017 [2 favorites]
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I guess it takes all kinds.
posted by Billiken at 10:26 AM on September 21, 2017 [2 favorites]