Rhetorical Indirection

Rhetorical Indirection is when a programmer uses silly pointers to pointers to pointers when he really could have just used the data directly (or copying it to another variable as is). Sometimes programmers use RhetoricalIndirection for no other reason than to kid with other programmers since they think that somehow only geniuses should be reading their code. They don't have to use the indirection, and even a pointer would have worked.. but instead they purposely use a pointer to a pointer to a pointer. It can be used for performance.. but at what cost of confusion? The bugs that can be caused will lead to a loss of performance, ironically.

In some languages like Algol style ones (Ada, ModernPascal) VAR params (by reference) and classes that do not need to be dereferenced are available to reduce the need for pointers. Yet these languages usually offer some sort of escape system to use pointers if you want.

RhetoricalIndirection is also when in English you continue to answer questions with more questions.. which just point to more questions. For the sake of humor and/or annoyance with the other party, and education (but the listener may never understand why you keep redirecting them to new (or more similar) questions).

What color do you like honey?

The question is what color do you like?

But I asked you which color you like?

The answer is what color do you like?

But I want to know what color you like personally?

Do you like a certain color? It's just a pointer to the first question that I questioned your question with, which is the answer.

Oh sweety!

(Rhetoric and indirection ended, pointer dereferenced, given too many clues away. Or maybe not, for some.).

Here's a little indirection in rhetoric...

"The name of the song is called `Haddocks' Eyes.'" "Oh, that's the name of the song, is it?" Alice said, trying to feel interested. "No, you don't understand," the knight said, looking a little vexed. "That's what the name is called. The name really is `The Aged Aged Man.'" "Then I ought to have said `That's what the song is called'?" Alice corrected herself. "No, you oughtn't: that's quite another thing! The song is called `Ways And Means': but that's only what it's called you know!" "Well, what is the song, then?" said Alice, who was by this time completely bewildered. "I was coming to that," the Knight said. "The song realy is `A-sitting On A Gate': and the tune's my own invention." -- Through the Looking Glass Lewis Carroll

Another form of rhetorical indrection is when the database purists redefine OOP to mean whatever they want, such as Orthogonal Omniscient Pizzas.

NO, THE DEFINITION OF OOP IS ONCE ONLY PROGRAMMING. YOU HAVE IT WRONG.

I am the lizard king, I can do anything --JimMorrison