BS: Things only YOU notice

Subject: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Donuel
Date: 08 Feb 20 - 08:43 AM

I don't know, maybe we share some, maybe we don't, but I wouldn't look too hard.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 08 Feb 20 - 08:55 AM

The tattoo on the inside of my right eyelid

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Mo the caller
Date: 08 Feb 20 - 09:31 AM

But maybe other people do notice and are just too polite to say.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Senoufou
Date: 08 Feb 20 - 11:32 AM

I often notice things other people don't, especially various creatures in the fields on either side of the road when we're driving along. My husband of course is concentrating on his driving, but I see kestrels, foxes (even during the day!) a barn owl, muntjacs...
Just today I noticed the same little pied wagtail bird in the doorway of Morrisons supermarket. He's always there looking for scraps, but nobody seems to notice.
I also tend to make phrases out of car number plates (usually rude ones!) and I'm always the first to notice someone struggling in the supermarket to reach something on a high shelf.
I hear tiny sounds too.

My sister tells me this is a classic aspect of Aspergers, and that I'm on the autistic spectrum, which may well be true.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 08 Feb 20 - 11:42 AM

Didn't you just see that..???

I did...

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 08 Feb 20 - 03:27 PM

I don't know, maybe we share some, maybe we don't, but I wouldn't look too hard.

If we 'share some' then the premise of the thread title is false.

Time to close/delete?

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Donuel
Date: 08 Feb 20 - 04:21 PM

Mo I know what you mean, pfr lol, Nigel thats terribly Welsh of you.
In the summer I can see those little scarlet micro mites.
I see a smidge in the UV spectrum, strong bright black to weak violet.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 Feb 20 - 05:09 PM

My prescription is etched on the lenses of my eyeglasses. Bugs the hell outa me.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Donuel
Date: 08 Feb 20 - 05:46 PM

They all have that but I can't see it.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 08 Feb 20 - 06:19 PM

Ah, car number-plates: i invent mnemonics to help me remember mine and my husband's. My present one includes LD13 (Lethal Dose 13 - unlucky for some!) and his is GXP - (Great eXPense!)
I see' al'l tho'se s'tray apostrophe's that no-o'ne el'se se'es.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Joe_F
Date: 08 Feb 20 - 06:31 PM

Inconsistencies in song lyrics.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 Feb 20 - 07:01 PM

Now, if you want to talk about some things I DON'T notice, I look back in guilt at some really glaring mistakes I glossed over when proofreading. And they were so easy to find once the book was in print....

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 08 Feb 20 - 07:22 PM

I am the Picky Proofreader (our motto - we aim to please other pedants) & pick up stray spaces & other typos. When I joined the Public Service after school in 1970 we had to sit a Clerical Selection Test & proofreading was part of it & I've done a lot of proofreading over the decades.

I'm putting off creating minutes as the minute taker always leaves spaces & LibreOffice shows them as blue squiggles (so they don't really count as proofreading) however my email doesn't so those spaces have to be found. Why the minute taker has to hit the spacebar several times when he also uses Return to get to a new paragraph is beyond me & as to why he sometimes puts a space before a full stop (period) is also beyond me ... (grumble, grumble)

Latest email from a friend who contributes articles to several newsletters only had 2 stray spaces & one missing capital! She got a gold star.

A few years back I was second proofreader on a book & found a few things the first proofreader missed. I hope no-one follows me & sees glaring mistakes!

sandra

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 08 Feb 20 - 07:32 PM

I see humour in everything..

no matter how dark or despairing.

That is both strength and failing..

Nothing is off limits, no subject taboo..
It's a strain keeping a grim smile off my face,
and my mouth shut...

It is a constant awareness.....

I should have pursued a career in comedy,
but lacked all the necessary work ethic,
and other vital qualities such as arselicking networking, and talent..

At least some of my old school and student mates did go on
into sustained careers in media and entertainment [including politics..]...

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 08 Feb 20 - 08:33 PM

Well, Sandra, proofreading your latest post was hardly an edifying experience. Another time, perhaps...

I like the idea of seeing humour in everything. I went to London yesterday to the funeral of an amazing old lady who was a teacher in the East End at the same time as me and who I used to drive to work in the seventies. She never married, so never had kids and all that, but she was as far removed from the image of the staid old spinster school ma'am as you could wish to encounter. We had so many laughs back then at the expense of so many people that I feel sort of gleefully guilty.... Not too many folks at the funeral, but a lot more at the celebration the next day, and I can't tell you how many laughs we've had. A tear or two as well...

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Joe Offer
Date: 08 Feb 20 - 09:48 PM

Sandra, next time I work on a songbook, I'm going to recruit YOU for proofing....

Monique did a great job on French, Italian, and Spanish songs in Rise Again. On the Pete Seeger Songbook, I was on my own.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Mr Red
Date: 09 Feb 20 - 05:49 AM

And they were so easy to find once the book was in print....

This happens often when proofreading onscreen. When printed out locally the errors are more visible. When coming back from the printers, glaringly obvious.

My reasoning is that the more temporary/interim/changeable the less importance you put on the task of checking. It is psychological imperative. How final is the stage? The change of texture and subtle changes in the font certainly factor-in too.

Things I notice? minutia, detail. But then I am an engineer, and programmer, detail errors can be binary in their consequences.

Proofreading requires more grammatical &/or syntactical knowledge of language, not my forte! And certainly not on my own texts!

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Iains
Date: 09 Feb 20 - 06:02 AM

When communication is global, correcting grammar and spelling is a minor consideration. The name of the game is to be understood. I regard spelling or punctuation errors a minor inconvenience, the same as difficulities fully understanding Geordie or Nigerian English. In the days of globalism who sets the rules anyway? The greatest concentration of those using English as a first language is north america. Surely thay shouldset the rules!

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 09 Feb 20 - 06:38 AM

"&"? Bah. Belongs in "M&S", otherwise eschew.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Donuel
Date: 09 Feb 20 - 08:08 AM

When ressurecting some old talents to support veterans I noticed that I could not bring back a naivite' and a purity of confidence that were helpful in my youth. It is too easy for me to accept defeat now.

When I see self serving motives in people who believe they are entirely altruistic, I am more likely to address it, causing needless conflict.

These may be symptoms of crumudgeonitis.
I know Biden has it, Bernie might have it
but Pete is crumudgeon free.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: leeneia
Date: 09 Feb 20 - 12:22 PM

I notice babies and small children more than most people do, and I assess the way they are being treated. My husband is the same.

We both notice birds. A friend said to us, "You two can see birds out of the backs of your heads!"

From time to time, I get hurt by loud noises, but funnily enough, almost nobody ever sees me flinching, closing my eyes or covering my ears. Odd, that.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Gurney
Date: 09 Feb 20 - 01:06 PM

The way many people drop the 'H' nowadays but allow for the vowel which follows it. It's an orrible thing to do. An urtful one, too, when I was a schoolboy.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: DMcG
Date: 09 Feb 20 - 02:00 PM

A nice touch of black humour.

One of the singers at a club I went to was especially interested in music hall songs. ahe recorded some for his funeral, after around of year of cancer.

Pride of place went to
Ain't it grand/To be bloomin' well dead.

====÷=÷

I would hardly say I am unique in this but almost the instant I am in a theatre I have counted the seats in a row, looked how many rows and levels and so on, and formed a fair estimate of its capacity. If I go in a hotel, I do something similar. Or getting on a train It is hardly OCD but I have this 'numerical awareness' of where I am almost all the time.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: peteglasgow
Date: 09 Feb 20 - 02:12 PM

i like this thread. i find a constant need to pun and play with words. correct grammar etc. it's a bit of a curse really and i keep telling my self to shut up. i do notice many people who can't talk about anyone else but themelves and just can't listen or respond. i know we all do it but once i notice that someone is doing it i become a right irritable bugger. i hate it when people will not answer a simple question. and i hate the way that elected politicians will quite happily ruin the environment, ruin people's lives and start wars.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 09 Feb 20 - 02:17 PM

My dad got a rousing blast of Peanut Vendor by the Stan Kenton band

as his coffin entered the cremation...

That's our family's sense of humour...
Fortunately everyone else attending could see it our way...

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Donuel
Date: 09 Feb 20 - 02:52 PM

WOW a 10 piece blast of brass was a brash smash

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Senoufou
Date: 09 Feb 20 - 02:55 PM

I think being a retired teacher means I'm always on the lookout for spelling and grammar mistakes in any text. I actually go through the Daily Mail and correct their errors with a red pen! I know this is weird, but I find it very satisfying!

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: BobL
Date: 10 Feb 20 - 02:18 AM

But do you send it back to them, Sen, with marks out of ten?

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Senoufou
Date: 10 Feb 20 - 03:42 AM

Oh yes, BobL, and they get a Detention and have to stand in the Naughty Corner for ages! (Best place for the Daily Mail really isn't i? I only buy it for the double page of puzzles)

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 10 Feb 20 - 05:15 AM

I notice everything, everywhere, all the time, then forget to take the right turning, or even forget where I was supposed to be going. Trees, flowers, birds, clouds, hills. I'm rapidly learning how to spot speed cameras at three hundred paces. I have this irritating habit of suddenly pulling up and jumping out of the car to take a cloud photo. I also do DMcG's counting thing. I love it when someone criticises someone else's grammar or spelling then makes their own mistakes for me to pounce on. I absolutely hate it when people say things such as "razed to the ground," "he was at the epicentre...", "it grew to a resounding crescendo," "prior to" or "albeit". And I still don't know whether those commas should go inside or outside those speech marks. Please don't tell me. I love uncertainty.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 10 Feb 20 - 07:05 AM

I only notice what I need to see. When I'm driving, I will see the blue flashing lights of emergency vehicles way in the distance; the pedestrian using the crossing; the motor bike waiting to turn out of a side street. What I don't see is the car on its roof in the farmer's field. Why would I need to see it? It's not in my way!

If I need a pen, I search through the drawer where we keep odd bits of stationery. Eventually, I find the pen elsewhere and ask my wife where I might find a ruler, only to be told that it is in the drawer that I have only just been looking through ..... but I wasn't looking for a ruler at the time - I was looking for a pen. I didn't see the ruler.

Once, I was walking on a city street with friend, much more observant than me, when he suddenly stopped and said "Look! An owl". What owl? Where? It was right next to us, sitting on top of a telegraph pole. My eyes never ventured above street level. I like to walk in the coutry but by the time I see a bird, unless it hangs around, it's normally too late for me to identify it. Even when things are pointed out, if they are at all camouflaged, I struggle to see them.

DC

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Senoufou
Date: 10 Feb 20 - 08:21 AM

We have quite a little collection of homeless people we try to help if we can, with a small offering of cash. My husband is a 'noticer' too, and one of these chaps is sometimes at the huge Tesco store we use, looking at the trolleys to find one with a pound coin in that a customer has forgotten to retrieve. So sad.
Just yesterday, my husband leapt out of our car (we had loaded up our goods and were about to leave) brandishing a tenner. He'd spotted 'our' skinny little man miles away, and ran right across the large car park to get to him. Luckily, the man is used to this smiling black chap, and was pleased to see him.
Meanwhile, I was busy looking at a rather plump old lady pushing a loaded trolley, and wondering if I was as fat as that or not...

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Charmion
Date: 10 Feb 20 - 10:09 AM

As the primary driver of our twosome, I spend my time in the passenger seat practising what in convents is called "custody of the eyes". I notice anything and everything that moves, but my depth perception is wonky when I'm on that side of the car -- I'm blind in one eye and, therefore, lack the slightest schmick of stereoscopic vision.

Himself says I'm hyper-vigilant, which makes perfect sense. I think hyper-vigilance is a rather useful trait, if not particularly restful.

For the record, I have been driving since 1975 and have precisely three impacts on my record: I backed into a bulkhead in a parking garage (above the roofline until the critical last nano-second) and a stanchion beside a historical marker in Flanders (below the bottom edge of the back window), and I sideswiped the barrier around a tight roundabout on my first day of driving a clunky Vauxhall on the British side of the road.

Himself notices all cats and dogs. I'm better at noticing wildlife than he is, especially birds. He notices two kinds of birds: cardinals, and all the other ones.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 10 Feb 20 - 11:12 AM

I have noticed an absence of naked women on the highway. I hear truck drivers and road crew workers talking about getting flashed by female passengers (or even drivers) all the time, but it never happens to me.

I'm not saying I'm the only guy who's never been flashed, but I may be the only one who has actually noticed it.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 10 Feb 20 - 11:35 AM

Considering the trend for couples to live-stream themselves on the internet
having sex while driving,
There must be instances when they are so distracted they have crashed,
or distracted other drivers into having accidents...???

All broadcast live to worldwide viewers, as evidence...

If a couple were killed and emergency services had to photo and extract
corpses in unseemly state of undress and positions;
That'd be a tough decision for cops what to tell the next of kin...

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Bill D
Date: 10 Feb 20 - 03:12 PM

Yeah, I notice spelling and grammar errors too... and various other things mentioned above: but because of years of philosophy and logic classes, I see the egregious flaws in reasoning so many use to defend or promote their ideas and attack the ideas of others. The problem is: It takes 5 times as long to explicate the basis for criticizing logical errors than to make them! Then the perpetrator simply dismisses my efforts with more of the same.

My other habit, because of years of working in grocery stores in high school & college is noticing prices and the changes over the years. It even began when I was in 1st grade in 1946! The pedal cart ice cream vendor came down our street in New Orleans, and fudgesicles and popsicles were 6¢. One day it was 7¢! I was insulted... and even though there was no way to raise the price without making it a penny more, the % of increase was huge! Now??? Well, I can barely stand grocery aisles with most of the prices ending in .99. I KNOW that a company calculates its costs and overhead and has a certain expectation of what it needs to make a fair profit. But if the retail price of an item needs to be, say, $1.73 to give them what they "need", you know it will usually be marked $1.99.
    Sometimes, if an item is normally around $3.50, a sale might be $2.99, but .99 is most often just a way to give them an extra edge and hide the fact because *shrug* people just expect most things to end in .99! And when I see a TV set for $999.99, they aren't gonna get ME to think..."Gee... it's under $1000." And car for sale at $29,999? Ha!
   I actually have the end of a roll of high-end paper towels from about 5 years ago that I saved when I 'noticed' that the new rolls were not as soft. Side-by-side comparison is clear.

.... well, even though I have wound down my business of woodworking and craft shows, I do still notice interesting piles of wood on the streets. "Gee, that looks like spalted Maple!" "No, Bill...you don't need it."


I also notice when sizes, volumes and quality diminish.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Mr Red
Date: 10 Feb 20 - 04:13 PM

I actually go through the Daily Mail and correct their errors

Yes but who is going to correct their errors in reportage? (!-)

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 10 Feb 20 - 05:41 PM

Brilliant, Bill...

Worryingly, I've started to notice grammatical errors creeping into the Guardian. Back to the good old days, eh!

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 10 Feb 20 - 08:00 PM

I proof-read for all of my family: my husband is moderately dyslexic but writes match reports for his rugby club every week, which go on the club website, so it's good to be accurate. He also wrote a book, and I checked all that, but was only shown the text, not the photo captions: after the book was published, there it was, sticking out like a sore thumb, under one of the pictures - Rhodydendrons! That's probably because that is how all of his family pronounce the name of said plant!
My kids too, although now well into adulthood, still ask me to read over anything important they have written: they went through school at a time when being over-strict with spelling, punctuation and grammar was frowned upon as suppressing their freedom of expression and creativity!
My mother was a teacher of English and made sure all my SPG was correct!

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 10 Feb 20 - 08:14 PM

She did a damn fine job!

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: meself
Date: 10 Feb 20 - 08:18 PM

There are lots of things I don't notice - don't ask me what the price of gas is, even though I just filled up. However, I do have a degree of 'situational awareness' relating to my physical safety. Nobody's going to get the drop on me at an ATM, for example. They might rob me, but it won't be because I didn't see them coming. As a young man, I developed the habit of glancing around when I entered a bar, and identifying potential threats - and finding a seat against the wall. Etc., etc.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: meself
Date: 11 Feb 20 - 11:08 AM

Oh - another thing I notice is how often I kill threads. If anyone else noticed, I would long ago have been barred from several internet fora/ums.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 11 Feb 20 - 12:32 PM

I notice it's always the poster before me who kills a thread...

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: mayomick
Date: 11 Feb 20 - 04:09 PM

All year round I see Santas,lightbulbs and reindeers waiting for the end of Halloween and electricity

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Mo the caller
Date: 12 Feb 20 - 09:22 AM

I notice ambiguities. The road sign Heavy Plant Crossing always has me looking for triffids or ents.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Senoufou
Date: 12 Feb 20 - 10:00 AM

Haha yes Mo. My husband used to laugh at the many triangular warning signs around our village about deer crossing. He thought it very funny to say, "Oh dear!" until I could stand it no more and the 'joke' was banned!
Here in Norfolk we have many mad signs, such as 'Turn Right Twice' and Nowhere Lane, not to mention Fustyweed, a village next door to ours.
Most folk take no notice, but I always smile a bit.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: leeneia
Date: 12 Feb 20 - 12:53 PM

Hi, Senoufou. I've been bothered by your first post. I doubt if you are on the autism spectrum, because you post coherent and sociable posts here on the Mudcat. And you are interested in people, as shown by the attention you've paid to your husband's jokes.

As for noticing tiny sounds, that probably means you have good hearing. Since you probably never worked around noisy machinery and never put earphones on and blasted rock music, you have preserved your hearing.

I believe you used to teach school children. Now there's a job that will sharpen your hearing - a sudden sharp sound, no matter how soft, means that a pupil may be doing something naughty. I used to work in public libraries, and library staff develops the same skill. Trucks may roar by, babies may scream, but the sound of tearing paper galvanizes the staff.

I've been on the Building & Grounds Committee of two aged churches, and that's another thing that develops acuity. When there's a sharp crackle, I'm examining the ceiling.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 12 Feb 20 - 01:00 PM

leenia - many a times you must have had to turn a blind ear
to a muffled fart in the library, or church...

"The vicar's been on the chilli beans again..."

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Senoufou
Date: 12 Feb 20 - 03:23 PM

leeneia, you're probably right. I've been lucky all my life to be in tranquil surroundings, and my hearing is indeed very good.
Teachers do develop a 'second sense' to spot any trouble before the class gets out of hand.
Speaking of vicars with ...er...wind. Once during the Consecration of the Host, our vicar genuflected and let out the loudest fart I'd ever heard. It reverberated round the church, and all the pews started vibrating as people shook with suppressed laughter. That was something impossible not to notice!

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 12 Feb 20 - 05:39 PM

“Thirty-all” is, in effect, “deuce”...from my poem, in WalkaboutsVerse, "Paradigms"

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 12 Feb 20 - 08:39 PM

Road signs, yes, I notice them, but my husband doesn't so if he's driving, I'm definitely the navigator: but then, he doesn't know right from left either, so many a U-turn or complete revolution of a roundabout we've done in our time!
As for the farts, we had lentil soup for lunch, and baked beans for tea, so prrrrrrrrrpppp to all of you! Luckily no smell over the internet..........is there????

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Donuel
Date: 12 Feb 20 - 10:11 PM

Someone has confused aspergers with dyslexia and autism even if you force all forms of cognitive conditions into the 'spectrum'.

Thats as bizarre as associating wilson's syndrome with a Cast Away soccer ball. :^/

Senofou I think you are just a rare practitioner of the golden rule.
If you would like a mental diagnosis you can have the fictitious pollyana syndrome.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Black belt caterpillar wrestler
Date: 13 Feb 20 - 03:36 AM

Why do I always here the announcement of the Radio 4 program "crossing conti

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Black belt caterpillar wrestler
Date: 13 Feb 20 - 03:40 AM

Strange, it posted by itself!

Why do I always hear the announcement of the Radio 4 "crossing continents" as "cross in continents".

Also there is an advert for, I think, dishwasher tablets that has the stark advice "keep away from children". A useful consideration for many circumstances.

Robin

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Senoufou
Date: 13 Feb 20 - 03:58 AM

I've always laughed at that advert which finishes with 'Keep away from children' and I always reply 'Very good advice mate!'
And wasn't there a large sign near one of our ports which said 'Dover for the Continent'? Some wag had written underneath 'Harwich for the Incontinent'.
Hahaha Donuel, 'Pollyanna Syndrome'!! I think my diagnosis could also include Chronic Crumpetitis!

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Mo the caller
Date: 13 Feb 20 - 11:55 AM

"Why do I always here the announcement of the Radio 4 program "crossing conti "

Sounds like the radio 4 programme which I always turned off as soon as I could get to the wireless. So much so that when we were passing a house where the signature tune for Petticoat Line was playing my toddler son piped up "It's called Petti".

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 13 Feb 20 - 01:01 PM

I like the sign that sez "This door is alarmed." I'm going to have a photo of myself standing next to it holding a sign that sez "And I'm bloody terrified."

And I wonder what foreign drivers with limited English would make of the sign at the temporary traffic lights at our current roadworks in Bude that sez JOINING TRAFFIC NOT LIGHT CONTROLLED... "Je n'ai pas un ferqueing CLUE quoi le ferqeuing 'ell ceci means..."

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 13 Feb 20 - 02:52 PM

Hi Senofou. That sign was at Manningtree Station, and said "Harwich for the Continent, Frinton for the incontinent" (Frinton being full of care homes!)

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Michael
Date: 13 Feb 20 - 05:16 PM

A sign that confuses me "This door must be kept closed/locked at all times" so why have a door then?

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Black belt caterpillar wrestler
Date: 13 Feb 20 - 05:31 PM

The second time I saw the traffic sign "merge in turn" it was on a straight bit of road and it was only then I realised it meant "take it in turn to merge"; the first time I saw it was on a bend.

Robin

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 13 Feb 20 - 06:47 PM

And my sat-nav tells me to "leave at the exit"! Well, where else would I leave?

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Donuel
Date: 14 Feb 20 - 04:09 PM

I notice that most people consider themselves to be homo sapiens which is in fact an ancient stone tool maker. It is more likly they are actually
homo sapien sapiens

https://old-www.wsu.edu/gened/learn-modules/top_longfor/timeline/32_h_sapiens_sapiens.html

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 14 Feb 20 - 06:59 PM

Saw a sign at the bottom of the escalator that said DOGS MUST BE CARRIED. I couldn't find a dog anywhere, so I missed my bloody train...

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 14 Feb 20 - 07:08 PM

We had an M&S Gastropub lasagne this evening. The instructions said to loosen it after cooking by running a sharp knife round the edge. Then "Remove it using a suitable implement."

Well there was me wondering whether I should eat it by sticking my face into the foil tray...

Packet of Sainsbury's own-brand salted peanuts, a few years ago, said on the side "May contain nuts..."

Bought a build-it yourself barbecue a few years ago which consisted of a load of steel sheets that you had to bolt together yourself then place on your own brick construction. The kit came as a flat pack in a box about half an inch thick. On the side it said "Bricks not included."

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Black belt caterpillar wrestler
Date: 15 Feb 20 - 02:10 AM

There used to be a product that said on the lid "pierce and push off".
Well I did, but when I came back the lid had not opened itself.

Robin

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: DMcG
Date: 15 Feb 20 - 02:30 AM

I think I have mentioned this before, but many decades ago I got one of those Tetrapak containers of milk with the instructions "Lift flap press and tear." It struck me that in the wondrous way of English, almost every word could be a verb, noun or adjective. I imagined a lift/elevator, for example, where the panel in the roof was a flap, and the machine to make it was a press, so that machine was a 'lift flap press'....

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Donuel
Date: 15 Feb 20 - 07:22 AM

My lasagna had sausage with ground fennel? which gave it a hint of anise.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Bill D
Date: 15 Feb 20 - 11:54 AM

The parking garage at my HMO building has 7 'levels'... 2 below the entry or 'ground' level, and 4 above. There is a elevator/lift and also a set of stairs for those who choose exercise. It can be confusing when you park partway up the curved ramp between stairway/elevator entrances, so inside each door to the stairs, there is a sign reminding you,,"Remember you are parked on Level 2." or 3.. or lower level 1... whatever.
   This very nice... but if you walk down from, say, level 2 or 3 to the door that leads out to the path to the main building, there is a sign saying "Remember, you are parked on Level Ground."... which sounds a bit odd to begin with, but also is totally useless, as you did NOT park on the ground level. If you see the sign at all, it means you arrived there FROM some other level or are entering the stairs to walk TO some other level.
   Once you ignore this and walk up or down, the nice signs will tell you when you have arrived at the relevant door.

This is the sort of detail I notice. There is no use bring it to the attention of the management, as they would just say... "Oh, you know what it means!" and yes, I do.... but had I been in charge of signs, that one would merely say "Ground Level" to tell walkers they are where they need to be.
Oh well....

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 15 Feb 20 - 04:49 PM

Confusing signs in multi-storey car parks are wrong on so many different levels...

I'll get me coat...

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Mrrzy
Date: 15 Feb 20 - 08:56 PM

I am reminded of that spoof where the Charlie-Chan-alike asks, Did you see that? And upon getting a No, says, Neither did I!

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Mo the caller
Date: 16 Feb 20 - 04:31 AM

"The second time I saw the traffic sign "merge in turn" it was on a straight bit of road and it was only then I realised it meant "take it in turn to merge";"
There is a roundabout with a sign that says 'Use both lanes'. Might annoy other drivers if I did.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 16 Feb 20 - 05:39 AM

There are at least two merge-in-turns going through the middle of Truro. I love it when I'm on the outside trying to merge in when a hothead on the inside is determined to not let me in. I always win because I have all the road and all he has is the gutter and the kerb. Adds spice to life.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Donuel
Date: 17 Feb 20 - 08:03 AM

I watch TV 25% of the time in a large mirror. It makes US cars UK cars and vice versa but slows reading.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 17 Feb 20 - 11:16 AM

Americans working/living in UK bases need a bit more help with 'driving on the proper side of the road' skills...

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 17 Feb 20 - 11:34 AM

Bottles labeled "Still Spring Water"

You can sit there hours watching them, yet they never change into anything else.....???

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 17 Feb 20 - 11:51 AM

Bean soup...?

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 17 Feb 20 - 05:17 PM

Wish I'd taken a photo of this , but was in the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow today, downstairs in the Cafe/Library area, and there's a sign that says at the library entrance:
"P.C.'s not working" - and someone has crossed out the apostrophe and written "Nae apostrophes needed". Well, it could mean "P.C. is not working" (one P.C.) as well as "P.C.s (several) not working"?

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Mrrzy
Date: 18 Feb 20 - 08:30 AM

Anybody else notice that New Directions is pronounced exactly like Nude Erections? I snicker whenever a politician, especially, uses the former phrase, or tries to.

I worked at an answering service back in the early 80s that had a counseling service called, as I always answered, Nude Erections For Men...

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Donuel
Date: 18 Feb 20 - 11:07 AM

Outstanding!

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Senoufou
Date: 18 Feb 20 - 12:07 PM

Hahahahahaaaaagh Mrrzy! That's so funny tee hee!!

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Mrrzy
Date: 19 Feb 20 - 08:03 AM

Now you'll never hear it right again!

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Tunesmith
Date: 19 Feb 20 - 08:13 AM

The famous musical movie" An American in Paris" opens with panoramic views of Paris's most iconic views BUT there is not one shot of the Eiffel Tower. What's that all about?

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Mrrzy
Date: 20 Feb 20 - 08:31 AM

Wait, isnt that its most iconic view?

Sorry, Tunesmith!

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Donuel
Date: 20 Feb 20 - 09:29 AM

I notice continuity mistakes in movies. I am a tough sell for suspension of belief, like why Starship Troopers are super vulnerable with all that white and black armor while the good guys are running around in shirtsleeves or naked like Chewbacca.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 20 Feb 20 - 08:19 PM

The first "Trainspotting" film was a bit disorientating for those of us who know Edinburgh and Glasgow well: supposed to be in Edinburgh, but mixed locations between the 2 cities!

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 20 Feb 20 - 08:46 PM

I'm always spotting horticultural anachronisms in films and costume dramas, such as mature sycamores and cedars in the 18th century and buddleias before the late Victorian. Drives Mrs Steve mad...

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 20 Feb 20 - 09:12 PM

See how many scenes set in London show Bulgarian or Romanian trains passing by...

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 21 Feb 20 - 05:22 AM

Then they go too far the other way, by spreading suspiciously dry earth all over tarmac roads (where's the mud and horse shit?) and sticking rusty tin Turog signs up on the sides of buildings...

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Senoufou
Date: 21 Feb 20 - 05:47 AM

I expect they have no end of bother covering up the single- and double-yellow lines down the sides of modern streets when filming a period drama.
When I was young (groan groan) there were lots of horse-drawn vehicles (no, I'm not quite Victorian, this was in the fifties) such as the rag-and-bone man, the milkman and people out riding. There were piles of manure left everywhere. People did pop outside and scoop it up for their vegetable gardens, but one still had to watch one's step when crossing the road.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Ebbie
Date: 23 Feb 20 - 03:33 AM

A person (I) has no way of knowing how many other people are also aware of errors and anomalies of speech and who may be just too polite to indicate awareness but being me, I have to interject a 'huh'? or a rude noise while everyone else, it seems, is oblivious.

Things like the song "The Brand New Tennessee Waltz" where he sings of "literally dancing on air"- What? Is he being hanged? Or at a staff meeting when my boss said, Well, we've suffered a lot of bumps and grinds this year. And she also said, Well, I was kind of hoping one of you would take that ball and roll with it.

Each time, of course, I choked out a HUH? It must be politeness that keeps other people silent because no one ever mentioned it to me. I suspect I have a bad reputation in more places than I'm aware of.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Senoufou
Date: 23 Feb 20 - 04:19 AM

Hahahaaa Ebbie, your boss is an absolute scream!
I'm a terrible giggler, and I'd be in fits at some of those howlers!

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Donuel
Date: 24 Feb 20 - 04:01 PM

I'm gonna throw a platter of baby elephant walk on the phonograph machine and cut a rug. Thats because I feel so young. Then I'm gonna go to the icebox, grab a Yoo Hoo and settle down in front of the boob tube to watch John Wayne. I love the way he protects that whippersnapper who lost her dad. But if you ask me about Trump I'll tell you he is a low down double dealing no good lieing pony soldier that is full of malarkey. And that ain't just whistlin Dixie.

This is how Biden sounds to me like his "The first rule of hair club is to not talk about hair club". I don't think I'm the only one who notices that he is a full fledged fogey.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Bill D
Date: 24 Feb 20 - 04:06 PM

... and regarding movies, I always noticed in Westerns when chasing the villains on horseback, how many times they'd pass the same rock formation. I'll bet that location was used for dozens of films.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: G-Force
Date: 24 Feb 20 - 05:19 PM

Ah, westerns! Like when a horseman is riding along, someone shoots him, and the horse falls over too.

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Mr Red
Date: 25 Feb 20 - 12:54 PM

I rate how good** a movie was by the number of continuity errors I perceive. Low number - I must have been too enthralled to notice.

** "School of Rock" is an anomaly. Hardly edifying, but only one discrepancy noticed. Smoking van got better, not worse!

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Mr Red
Date: 25 Feb 20 - 01:13 PM

One glaringly obvious one, was more about poor judgement but filled with scientific boffins.

A TV prog about a cemetery (outwith the churchyard) full of skeletons from specific eras. These eras were charcterised by poor harvest, volcanoes etc.

At such times, poor people would have ate whatever was available, and rye for breadmaking that had been stored too long would be raided. Rye contains ergot (think LSD) and if left the fungus grows. The "trip" that ensues would have made those people look like demons possessed. In those days they would be poor, outcast and considered unholy. Even if they survived (& tainted) they would not ultimately been buried in a churchyard.

Yet the boffins never hinted at the distinct possibility. They concluded "unknown"!

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 25 Feb 20 - 01:59 PM

I saw four blokes carrying a coffin meandering round a graveyard for four hours. I thought, those guys have really lost the plot...

Subject: RE: BS: Things only YOU notice
From: punkfolkrocker
Date: 25 Feb 20 - 02:31 PM

we watched an episode of "Dogs Behaving Very Badly" last night..

One case study concerned a couple having problems with their 4 dogs..
From edit to edit within scenes, one of the dogs kept changing
from a small black terrier to a much bigger brown beagle like pooch..
Without any mention or explanation...???

Something [terrible...???] must have occurred during filming
that the producers had no hope of fixing in the edit,
but just had to rush on with the show
hoping most of the Channel 5 audience would be too thick
to notice the perplexing mysterious shape shifting dog...