2012-03-30
Veckans ord: skurgummor
Stammens regndanser utfördes av högutbildade kvinnliga specialister, s k skurgummor.
2012-03-28
Currently a bit spartan
Honeybuns and I went to see what our future home looks like at the moment. Well, there’s a bottom floor there:
2012-03-27
Late to work
What with various appointments, my flex-time bank has been shrinking a lot lately, so time to put in some long workdays. However, on the way to work the train stopped between stations. A very soft-spoken driver announced to straining ears that the overhead line had been pulled down; technical staff were on their way, but in the meantime we were under no circumstances to try to exit the train. Well-tried commuters didn’t bother getting upset, but just picked up their phones and laptops and started informing their various appointments that they would be late. The network was so saturated it took me four tries to get my own text message transmitted. And then we waited. Luckily I had a thick book with me. Occasionally we would have to shush loud telephone speakers as we got new quiet assurances that help was on its way and admonishments not to try to get out of the train.
About an hour after the stop we saw guards in day-glo vests outside the train and soon two doughty fellows entered the car and broke out the escape ladders. Evacuation proceeded smoothly, but I noticed as we got out that our car was the only one being emptied—apparently they were still worried about masses of people running around without control, so they let only one car-ful of passengers out at a time. The next thing I noticed was that we were in fact only a hundred meters or so from Norrviken station where a fresh train just arrived, so a few quick steps got me on that and to a rather late arrival in the office.
About an hour after the stop we saw guards in day-glo vests outside the train and soon two doughty fellows entered the car and broke out the escape ladders. Evacuation proceeded smoothly, but I noticed as we got out that our car was the only one being emptied—apparently they were still worried about masses of people running around without control, so they let only one car-ful of passengers out at a time. The next thing I noticed was that we were in fact only a hundred meters or so from Norrviken station where a fresh train just arrived, so a few quick steps got me on that and to a rather late arrival in the office.
2012-03-23
2012-03-21
Back to square 1
I got the results from the latest biopsies. No abnormalities found, so clearly no cœliac disease, no indication of anything else either. The physician explained that most of the time Irritable Bowel Syndrome does not have any identifiable explanation, so there we are.
2012-03-17
Showing off
I was sitting with Carl when I noticed a bag with plastic parts on the table.
Whose is this?
“I don’t know, they were just lying here. [expectantly] Can you tell what they are?”
Uuh, looks like floats.
“But for which aircraft?”
Oh, ah, Junkers F.13 I’d say.
”Yes, yes they are. Oh, hi, Stieg, can you see what these are?”
Oh, looks like floats…, for a Junkers F.13.
Carl looks a bit put off. Rick comes by, sees the bag.
“Oh, who’s left all these Junkers F.13 floats here?”
Carl is dejected:
“What’s a man gotta do to show off around here!?”
Whose is this?
“I don’t know, they were just lying here. [expectantly] Can you tell what they are?”
Uuh, looks like floats.
“But for which aircraft?”
Oh, ah, Junkers F.13 I’d say.
”Yes, yes they are. Oh, hi, Stieg, can you see what these are?”
Oh, looks like floats…, for a Junkers F.13.
Carl looks a bit put off. Rick comes by, sees the bag.
“Oh, who’s left all these Junkers F.13 floats here?”
Carl is dejected:
“What’s a man gotta do to show off around here!?”
No sale
A phone number I didn’t recognise called me. It turned to be so-and-so from my ISP calling me.
“Do you have a minute?”
Depends, are you trying to sell me something?
“Eh, no, no, I’m, eh, doing a survey.”
Well, OK.
“So, have you heard of the new TV channels we carry, ch…”
[bluntly] I don’t watch TV.
“Er, uh, you have a TV set, but don’t watch it?”
Have no TV at all.
[baffled] “Why?”
Nothing interesting to watch.
[rallying] “But these new channels…”
No.
“Ah, uh, right, I see that I’m calling you on a mobile phone. What about your home phone?”
This is it.
“Oh, ah. It looked like a mobile on…”
Correct, I have no landline. This is my home phone.
“Oh. Uh, how much do you pay for it a month?”
About a 100 SEK.
“Uh, so you don’t call a lot…”
No, I don’t.
“Ah, uh, well, thank you for help then.”
“Do you have a minute?”
Depends, are you trying to sell me something?
“Eh, no, no, I’m, eh, doing a survey.”
Well, OK.
“So, have you heard of the new TV channels we carry, ch…”
[bluntly] I don’t watch TV.
“Er, uh, you have a TV set, but don’t watch it?”
Have no TV at all.
[baffled] “Why?”
Nothing interesting to watch.
[rallying] “But these new channels…”
No.
“Ah, uh, right, I see that I’m calling you on a mobile phone. What about your home phone?”
This is it.
“Oh, ah. It looked like a mobile on…”
Correct, I have no landline. This is my home phone.
“Oh. Uh, how much do you pay for it a month?”
About a 100 SEK.
“Uh, so you don’t call a lot…”
No, I don’t.
“Ah, uh, well, thank you for help then.”
2012-03-03
Cultural transfer
Among the things that once confused me in the advertising in Byte and other US magazines was that some companies had telephone “numbers” that contained letters, and I wondered what US telephones might look like. An article in Dr. Dobb’s Journal gave away that there apparently were letters associated with the digits on the dial. Very strange, but eventually, as mobile phones appared, they also had letters on the handset, but they were used for texting, not phone numbers. Until now. This is the first occurrence of alphabetic phone numbers I’ve seen in Sweden, has anyone else seen them earlier?
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