Was it really unavoidable that at this point I'd check whether a Boidem column title with a question mark merits some sort of answer to that question at the column's end? For some reason I felt compelled to do so, though I'm far from sure why. It turns out that a bit over 15% of the titles of Boidem columns have question marks at their ends, though not all of these are really questions. A quick review of the final paragraphs of those columns that seem to have posed actual questions shows, somewhat to my surprise, that although they don't reach definitive conclusions, on the whole they do attempt to reach some sort of denouement.

Frankly, I view this as somewhat of a failing on my part, a capitulation to a form of writing from which over the years I've hoped to break free. After all, if the hypertextual nature of a column suggests that it's possible to simultaneously present conflicting and perhaps even contradictory points of view, it's only one small step toward leaving the end of a column dangling. What's more, if anyone reading these columns is looking for some sort of definitive statement, they're obvious looking in the wrong place.