h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

You ever seen the episode of 'Worst jobs in history' with Baldrick where he trys his hand at being a Fuller?
I didn't think it was possible to laugh that much at a man retching

Oh dear ***wipes eyes***

PH: People not getting their surnames from the job they carry out anymore

Yeah, but do you really want the world to be full of "Mr. Sales Representative" and "Miss Operational Administrator"?

Hmmmm, needs more work now you point it out.

That was never that big in Ireland anyway - they went in more for patronymics here.

O' ?

Yeah - son/grandson/daughter of wotsisface.

Yep, I'm Ms Quality from now on

Does Miss control sound too dominatrix?

Just a tad

(always thought that smiley was whip like)

PHotD: the phrase "There's nothing worse than..." because usually there is.

My PHoD ... pedestrian crossing ... which bright spark had the idea that it's good to take away the beeping noise, put the red man/green man on the where you press the button and to put the box on the side of the crossing away from oncoming traffic?

So instead of being able to watch the traffic while still glancing at the red/green man, see it slowing down and judge whether it's safe to cross for yourself when you hear the beeping; you now just stare at the box on the pillar in the opposite direction of where the traffics coming from ...

Oh yes! It is the most blatant example of meddling with a concept that already works just fine, just for the sake of changing something. It has always been such an intuitive thing to look across the road to watch for the green/red man. Now there's nothing to see across the road, you have to gaze down or back at the pole you're leaving as you cross! Total madness. I'de *love* to meet the brains behind that idea, I really would

Wow!! That was a lightbulb moment! I knew SOMETHING had changed at crossings, and they were harder to use but hadn't worked out what it was.
Why not have BOTH systems, so if your view is obscured accross the road you look down to the button?
Cost saving you think?

It must be a national 'initiative' as it seems to be happening across the country. Wonder how to find out who to complain to

These 'new' crossings (they've been around since 2006, apparently) are called PUFFIN crossings - Pedestrian User-Friendly INtelligent. There's a sensor in the little box with the button that senses when somebody is waiting to cross. This is to get round the occasions when somebody pushes the button and then crosses before the lights change. If that happens, the request is cancelled.

Apparently there are two reasons for the green man appearing on the same side as the person waiting to cross. One is that somebody reckons its easier to monitor oncoming traffic when the green man is on your side of the road. The other reason is that it's for visually impaired pedestrians. I can accept the second reason, not so sure about the first.

My main objection to these new crossings is the loss of the beeper. OK, they've put the green man where visually impaired people can see it when the lights change, but they've taken away the beeper that tells them the lights are changing back. Somebody hasn't thought this through.

The "I've got a BMW so I don't have to indicate" mentality.

Thanks CD for the update.

I looked again today and I was wrong about the location of the box. It is, as you say, placed on the side of the oncoming traffic. But you know what, that didn't help me. I like to look both ways. I don't want to get out to the middle of the road and discover some maniac is still racing towards me - unlikely but 40 years of crossing roads has ingrained the habit of making sure both directions are clear.

And as for the intelligent sensor ... I actually pressed the button yesterday ... all the traffic pulled up ... I stood there looking at the red man for about 5 seconds ... then I realised all the car drivers must have been thinking "What is this guy waiting for?" so I crossed. Some distance away I looked back and the button was still indicating that it was pressed ...

Well yeah; the beep beep beep, was always there for the visually impaired Problem solved (many decades ago). Now they've (badly) re-invented the wheel.

I am more than fed up - so the hate is not really petty - with my (relatively) new touchscreen phone. The camera function cuts in when it's just laying on the table, and out of nowhere it phones people or tries to send texts. And writing texts is a nightmare.