It's at times like this 2
... that I feel an overwhelming sadness at the future of humanity.
There I was on a flight out to see my friend over the Easter break when the two seats in front of me were taken by two early twenties girls. There was, of course, the irritating linguistic tic of not being able to reduce the number of ‘likes’ per sentence to below three. There was, as well, an inability to realise that you can talk on an aeroplane without resorting to foghorn like volumes. Finally, there was the following conversation which sealed the deal and made me see red:
Air hostess: Can all passengers please turn off all electronic equipment, including mobile telephones, laptops and personal audio devices.
Plane starts to taxi and I watch one of the pair send a last text and then sit there waiting for a return text to arrive.
Air hostess: Madame, could you turn off your mobile phone please
Girl: Why, like, should I?
Air hostess: Because it may interfere with navigation equipment during take off.
Girl: But I’ve been on, like, ‘planes where they let you, like, use them during, like, flight
Air hostess: You may well have been madame, but I’m sure that they didn’t let you use it during take off and landing and also we do not have the equipment on this aeroplane that will let you use your telephone during the flight. Turn it off.
The girls sighs loudly and turns the phone off and the air hostess walks off, presumably quite glad that she didn’t have to ask the pilot to get involved (which may have escalated to him aborting the takeoff). As she walks away…
Girl: Fascist.
TCSOTD 2007-11-09
TCSOTD 2007-06-19
Marc Andreessen’s top ten Science Fiction reads of the 00s
... I have a very similar unfinished post on these lines.
Indy Film ‘Four Eyed Monsters’ released on You Tube for free
Natalie Portman: cognitive neuroscientist
German teen unplugs pensioner’s ‘noisy’ life support machine
What happens when British Airways loses your luggage? Pretty much nothing…
Girls just aren’t turned on by man boobs: Yet another waste of NHS money
Liam Byrne: ID Cards to be ‘great British institution’ on a par with the railways in the 19th Century
... good, so totally ruined by political interference and mismanagement then?</sweeping generalization>
TCSOTD 2007-05-08
Blogging Magistrate: Just a Few More Steps to Meltdown
Privacy International announces global privacy invaders
... “Winner: The United Kingdom”
Taking Liberties, in cinemas June 8th
The amazing colour changing card trick
U.S./Canadian Dispute over Border Crossing Procedures
... ”’The Attorney General’s office really just wants to grab as much biometric information as it can,’ said the source.”
Impressive demo of skin rendering on new Nvidia 8800 Ultra
Mystery revealed: Poppy quarter led to U.S. spy warnings
Computer scientists working on machines that can match Wall Street traders
TCSOTD 2007-05-02
Pilot denies ‘rape by deception’
... ’...by saying intercourse could cure an infection…’
‘Illegal Number’ Triggers Flood of MPAA Cease-and Desist Letters
Charlie Stross puts ‘Missile Gap’ Novella online
... in honour of International pixel-stained technopeasant day
TCSOTD 2007-03-28 2
Bizarre hexagon circles Saturn’s north pole
3,500 British schools fingerprinting their children
... [20:23] a quick follow up on how these idiot schemes break all four laws of identity
Australia posters ruled offensive
... “should not be seen by children”
One year of unnecessary censorship
Mind how you walk. It could be a crime
John McCain’s MySpace Page ‘Enhanced’
Lords scupper Manchester Casino Plans
... by just three votes
Gizmodo Tokyo Flash Giveaway
... just a competition, and tokyoflash.com is currently being gizmodo’d, but the watches are cool…
TCSOTD 2007-03-13
Aide alleged Levy ‘lie’ request
Watch as advertising idiocy gets caught out and commented on
... it clearly isn’t the day yet when it is no longer amusing to watch advertising agencies completely fail to Get It.
Questioning Gill Sans
... ‘In 1928, Eric Gill set about to improve on Edward Johnston’s type for the London Underground. The result was Gill Sans.’
FACT Off: It’s time to say no to F.A.C.T.
... campaigning against those patronising, unskippable anti-piracy adverts on DVDs
