Every child knows that postage stamps are affixed to the top right corner of the envelope. You lick the stamp, and you press it to the envelope at that corner. And it stays there. Or does it?… I was sending greeting cards recently, putting them in the envelopes they came with. Some of them sported … Read more
We all know the paper towel dispensers that you crank to get the required length out. The more sophisticated ones dispense with the crank action and use an electric motor actuated by a proximity detector: wave your hand in the air in front of the machine and out comes the preset length of paper with … Read more
We saw that Newark Liberty International airport has some serious problems keeping its electronic signs straight… here, and here. Well, here’s a third and (for now) last installment. This is the baggage claim area at the Continental domestic terminal where I landed coming in from San Francisco. See the nice colorful sign identifying this baggage … Read more
We’ve discussed Engrish before… it’s always hilarious, but this one beats them all. Read it through! This is from a very nice flannel shirt imported by Azouri Clothing Ltd, and manufactured in China. The amazing part is that in addition to mangling the spelling and grammar, as in “You can’t using bleash”, which is fairly … Read more
We saw how the electronic boards at Newark Liberty airport made the ridiculous omission of adjusting for the Daylight Savings move. Evidently this is not an exception: something is very wrong with that airport’s electronic signage. These guys have an “Airtrain”, an internal elevated light rail system for moving between terminals. The train has two … Read more
Had to take a flight out of Newark airport on the morning after the move from daylight saving to winter time. The preceding evening I took good care to set my alarm clock and wristwatch back the required hour, and took off to the airport in the morning. And when I got there, I was … Read more
One gripe I have with the help systems in many consumer software applications: they’re written with the assumption that we users are all clueless newbies. Take the Microsoft Office tools: they have many advanced and powerful capabilities; it is both interesting and useful to know what exactly they do. But the Help system only gives … Read more
My relatives returned from a trip to wonderful Firenze, and shared some terrible experiences trying to get their rental car back to the rental office in that ancient city’s dense traffic. Which brought to mind my own experience in the matter some years back. I was trying to steer a course through all the one-way … Read more
Recently Elite, a major manufacturer of chocolate, candy and coffee in Israel, launched a campaign to prepare us all for “the same beloved familiar taste in a new packaging”. Every instant coffee can had a sticker heralding the change, then the new cans came out with stickers extolling it. Now actually, the change is minimal … Read more
This morning I get in the good ol’ red Renault Clio, put it in reverse and start backing out, when the car emits a persistent beep. I stop and scan the dashboard, and there I see a message on the alphanumeric display: Select Park. I do put the gear in Park, and everything is back … Read more
