Surely they don’t mean it?

Sometimes, what matters is not what is said, but how it is said. Notice in a Japanese hotel:You are invited to take advantage of the chambermaid. In a Bangkok dry cleaner’s:Drop your trousers here for best resultsIn an East African newspaper:A new swimming pool is rapidly taking shape since the contractors have thrown in the… Read More »

Why airline food tastes bland

No, it isn’t your imagination. Airline food really is quite tasteless. This is not because it actually is without taste but because your taste buds are dulled by high altitude and the cabin pressure, so food that probably would have been perfectly acceptable if it were eaten with your feet on the ground loses flavour… Read More »

Historic moments in office automation

3,000 B.C.The Chinese invent the handheld calculator. They call it ABACUS (short for “automatic business accounting and calculation utility system”). The invention enables the Bronze Age Man to count higher than 10 without removing his shoes. Other advantages include portability and a battery-less design. But it has one major drawback: no print-out capability. 600 B.C.The… Read More »