Flickering
Posted: Tue 4 March, 2014 Filed under: Commuting, Cyclists, Driving, Health, People, Stupidity, Technology, Weirdness Leave a comment »As I’m now working in Cambridge, I’m seeing a lot more cyclists. And a question occurred to me…
If a cyclist has one of those flashing/strobing LED cycle-lamps at a high-flash-rate, and they ride towards a driver prone to epilepsy through strobing (which isn’t something one would normally/usually expect to encounter while driving) who is responsible for any damages etc. should that driver suffer a fit at the wheel?
I’ve seen four or five cyclists already with these super-bright LED lamps set to a *very* high strobe rate, and it just made me wonder…
Giving The Game Away
Posted: Mon 3 March, 2014 Filed under: Advertising, Cinema, Domestic, Films, People, Seeing Films, Thoughts Leave a comment »Yesterday, for want of anything better to do, I went to see Ride Along at the cinema. I expected it to be bad – but screw it, it was free (although if it hadn’t been, I’d have been wanting my money back. Hell, I considered asking for a refund anyway)
It’s definitely an early contender (in my opinion) for the Worst Film of the Year (Mainstream / ‘Comedy’) category, but (as said) I pretty much expected that. Hated it. Although others in the audience at least laughed, so I guess that’s something.
What did surprise me though was how many of the key ‘jokes’ and scenes had been given away in the trailer – but also how many people still laughed at them.
It made me wonder if they’d actually seen the trailer before going to see the film, and if so, had forgotten them in the intervening time.
All very strange.
You Smell
Posted: Mon 24 February, 2014 Filed under: Driving, People Leave a comment »I saw this last night, and it made me laugh. I’m not usually all that fond of personalised number plates, but at least this one’s amusing…
Reasons to Kill
Posted: Mon 17 February, 2014 Filed under: Domestic, Noise, People 4 Comments »In some ways, I’m pretty sure I’m actually getting less tolerant of things over the years. I know that’s a bit of a challenge in comparison to how I used to be when I was living in Manchester (and ranting about train journeys every damn weekend) but I’m noticing it more and more.
In particular, when I’m at home, there are a couple of things that mean it’s probably a good thing I don’t have access to a baseball bat.
The first one is done by a few people, but drives me bananas. People pull up in their cars outside my house (which is on a main road through the village, but has parking spaces right outside) and sit there with the engines running. I don’t quite know why it drives me as barmy as it does, although I do know it’s the noise of the engine that does it. Yesterday it was a British Gas van that sat outside for a good hour, engine running, and audibly trying to use his hands-free phone. (You know it’s too fucking loud when you can hear that from not just outside the car, but inside the house!) If I’d had a baseball bat, I’d have gone outside and tapped on his bloody windscreen with it. Dickhead.
The other one is more specialised, although still related. When I’m at home in the mornings (not an altogether common occurrence, but all the same) it gets busy with the school run – the local school isn’t far away, and the car-park opposite my house is the nearest place for all the parents. Every day, every damn day, one particular parent pulls up in their 4×4 that’s never been off-road in its life. They take their spawn out to go to school, turn on the alarm on the car, and fuck off.
And every damn day, the alarm goes off, and keeps going off. There’s obviously something wrong with it, and the owner doesn’t give a shit.
Again, at some point I’m going to walk over and give it something to actually fucking beep about.
Valentine
Posted: Fri 14 February, 2014 Filed under: Advertising, Cynicism, Marketing, People, Valentine's Day Leave a comment »As regular readers know, this is one of my least-favourite days of the year. I waver between which is most loathed between Valentine’s and Christmas – I think Valentine’s generally comes higher, because it really is far more of a marketing event. At least the Festering Season has a basis in something older (even if it is religious and thus still utterly fictional) whereas Valentine’s really is just about making single people feel bad.
I know, it’s originally the official day for St Valentine, and it’s always been related to love – but it does seem to have been appropriated by marketing, chocolate and flowers over the years.
As usual I’m avoiding as much of it as possible.
Information Security
Posted: Mon 3 February, 2014 Filed under: 1BEM, Cynicism, London, People, Security, Thoughts 1 Comment »While commuting in London the last few days, one thing that has really surprised me (although I know it shouldn’t) is how much information people give away unconsciously, and their general lack of consideration of their own security.
Standing on the tube, every day I see people using their phones without lock codes, as well as reading confidential emails etc. while on the train. I know, I know, some of it is just that I’m a nosy bastard – but all the same, it’s pretty surprising (to me) that people are so unaware of people around them who could be getting information etc.
It’s not just the emails and phones, of course. Standing in the local sandwich shop, I can see the PIN numbers people use on the Chip+PIN machines. (And of course the odds are that people use the same PIN number for their card transactions and for their phone unlock codes) Then they go and sit down, putting their bags beside them.
And I’ve lost count of the number of people I’ve seen carrying laptops in laptop bags, with the strap just over one shoulder – easy to slip off in a crowd and get away with into the distance.
If I were criminally inclined, I would have been able to easily nick two or three iPhones a day – and know which ones were unlocked with no PIN lock at all, or what the PIN code is. I’d be able to take handbags or wallets and know what those PIN codes are in order to make cash withdrawals etc. And I could probably get away with a laptop bag or two as well.
It gobsmacks me how little people seem to think about their own security, and the security of their information. It’s not even an “It won’t happen to me” attitude – I think most people aren’t even conscious of those potential risks.
I don’t have any answers to it. People just don’t seem to take it seriously. It’s the same with passwords (we’re always seeing lists of weak passwords that are in use, but even so they don’t change) and many other things. How we change it, I truly don’t know…