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Dear Readers,

I was watching a documentary recently when something appeared on screen for maybe three seconds. It wasn't what the narrator was discussing. It was just a small detail in the background that seemed strangely out of place.

I rewound it. Then I paused the screen. The documentary carried on perfectly well without explaining it, which somehow made me more curious. Why was that there if it wasn't important enough to mention?

There's something interesting about anomalies. When ninety-nine things fit the explanation and one doesn't, we're usually encouraged to focus on the ninety-nine. But investigators, engineers and researchers often become interested in precisely the opposite thing.

That's why certain stories are worth following beyond their opening premise. You can ignore the odd detail—most people probably will—or you can look once and find out whether there's actually something behind it.

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It starts like an engineering story—but where it eventually leads is what makes it difficult to forget.

If the opening discovery gets your attention, follow the entire sequence before deciding what you think. The later pieces are what give the first one its significance.

I've forgotten most of that documentary now. Strangely, the three seconds nobody explained are the part I still remember.

Until next time,

Alex R

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