The Perils of Imperfect Information

Can you read what this message says?

The “danger” part is easy. But danger of what, exactly?

So here’s a missing piece of information: I saw this warning yesterday on the door of a storage shed next to a hotel swimming pool.

Did “chlorine” jump instantly to mind?

Context changes the meaning of messages—and the complexity of understanding (and solving) communications challenges.

Ignore both of these rules at your own risk.

Update on Wed, June 16, 2010 at 08:07AM by Frank J. Oswald

I’M NOT QUITE GETTING THE MESSAGE. Here’s an even better example I saw driving across Pennsylvania earlier this week. Not even the context of “rest stop” can help decipher this one.