Wish I'd written that: on language

A little classical conditioning could go a long way toward alleviating this nasty habit [of ending a spoken sentence with a question mark. A short sharp shock - via a subcutaneous electrode - every time an uptalking young person intones a statement as a question could rid the world of this onerous speech pattern.

Administering a full Taser pulse whenever a response to a question begins with the word 'So,' would make the world a better place."

- A commentor at Lileks this week. I've known several people who begin their answers with "So," and it invariably sounds half-affected, half-ignorant. So let that be a lesson to you!