The Universal Law of Caulk

Something wonderful happened on the internet recently, which is that a person tried to perform a simple home repair. This is a story about systems, incentives, and the fundamental human urge to not read the directions. A hero on the subreddit r/tifu decided to re-caulk their kitchen sink, a noble pursuit foiled by the fact that the tube of silicone sealant, like a financial derivative, contained hidden complexities that were not immediately apparent to the end user. The user’s failure to read the instructions—a perfectly rational choice, as reading instructions has a time cost and a high probability of being boring—led to the predictable outcome: a “gooey mess everywhere.” As one top commenter, a poet of our time, noted: “Tale as old as time.”[^1]