THERE鈥橲 NOTHING wrong with dreaming, which is why Feedback enjoyed reading
the patent filing for the 鈥淥ya Glider鈥� at the US Patent and Trademark
Office.
The glider turns out to be a computerised hang-glider that will revolutionise
unpowered flight. Its inventors, Kenneth Earl Gay and Marc Margulies, say it
incorporates advanced technologies such as synthetic feathers, shape memory
alloys and piezoelectric strips for generating power. They go on to claim that
it will 鈥渃ome as close as technologically possible to imitating a bird鈥檚 mastery
of the wind鈥�.
The Oya Glider is undoubtedly an ingenious device, but surely no more than a
flight of fancy for at least one of its inventors. Kenneth Earl Gay is currently
on death row in San Quentin prison in California. But then again. . .
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ONE FOR THE trainspotters department. A friend recently asked Feedback
whether there was a McDonald鈥檚 at London鈥檚 Waterloo Station. Happy to help even
burger addicts, we telephoned the station, one of London鈥檚 busiest, but to no
avail. So we tried the Web. And what came out top was the 鈥淏urger Log鈥濃�攖he
year-long gastro-diary of a person called Az
(www.thisisaz.com/burgerlog/default.htm).
Az鈥檚 life in burgers since the beginning of January has taken him all round
London and out to Essex. In each entry in his log, he records the provider he
purchased the burger from (usually either McDonald鈥檚 or Burger King), where he
purchased it and the type of burger he chose. And that鈥檚 all. There is nothing
else on the page.
A postmodern analysis beckons. Meanwhile, there is only one question we would
like to ask Az: why?
THE FRONT-PAGE headline in a recent issue of The Missoulian
newspaper, whose beat covers western Montana, told surprised readers: 鈥淐ensus
finds Montanans growing older.鈥�
IF YOU LIVE in England, now is your chance to help find the mole cricket.
English Nature has appealed to the birdwatching community and anyone else
interested to report any hearings of the elusive insect鈥檚 night calls.
Why appeal to birdwatchers? Surprisingly, the call of the mole
cricket鈥攁 peculiar-looking creature some 4.5 centimetres long with a
velvety-haired body and spade-like front legs鈥攊s almost identical to that
of the nightjar.
English Nature鈥檚 David Sheppard explains: 鈥淲e are worried that the mole
cricket may be going extinct. However, because it is either underground or out
at night it is rarely seen, but it is quite unmistakable. This is where the
birdwatchers come in. Its call is very similar to the nightjar鈥檚 and if someone
hears what they think is a nightjar in an unusual place, it could be a mole
cricket and we want to know.鈥�
You can hear recordings of both the mole cricket and the nightjar at
www.english-nature.org.uk/MPS/molecricket.mp3 and nightjar.mp3.
SIGNS at the swimming pool at Butlin鈥檚 holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset,
tell swimmers the minimum and maximum depths of water to be found in the various
pools. The minimum depth in one case is given as 鈥�0 m鈥�. To help those unfamiliar
with metric measurements, the sign also converts this to 鈥�0 ft 0 in鈥�.
WE KEEP saying we won鈥檛 do it any more, but every now and then the temptation
to publish an example of nominative determinism鈥攖he tendency of people鈥檚
names to fit the jobs they do鈥攂ecomes irresistible. Here are a couple of
paragraphs from an article in the 1 August edition of the Teesdale
Mercury under the heading 鈥淔oot & Mouth Update鈥�.
鈥淚t has been proposed that two on-farm burial sites, one at Hamsterley and
the other at Tow Law, were to be exhumed and incinerated at a site near Knitsley
Fell. However, an in-depth risk assessment by the Environment Agency has
concluded they should remain where they are.
鈥渀Leaving the animals where they are will have a minimal effect on the
environment or public health,鈥� Rebecca Cowburn from the Department for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs at Kenton Bar has reported to Charles
Anderson, chief executive of Teesdale District Council who chairs the Teesdale
Foot and Mouth Task Force.鈥�
A FEW weeks ago
(28 July), we asked readers to tell us about newsgroups with
offbeat names. Here are four we liked:
alt.conspiracy.im-taking.over.the-world.starting.with-usenet;
alt.possessive.its.has.no.apostrophe;
alt.barney.dinosaur.die.die.die (one of several aimed at the elimination of
unpopular fictional characters); alt.sex.bestiality.hedgehog.ouch.ouch.ouch.
THE LIST of ingredients on a packet of 鈥淣ature鈥檚 Harvest鈥� Japanese rice
crackers from Holland & Barrett includes peanuts and sesame seeds.
Underneath is the warning 鈥淧acked in an environment where nuts and sesame seeds
may be present鈥�.
THE University of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland held an open day last
month. To promote the event, glossy flyers were stuffed into local letter boxes
with a 鈥淔acts and Figures鈥� column that stated: 鈥�89 per cent of graduates are
either working or have chosen to enhance their qualifications with further
蝉迟耻诲测.鈥�
Sounds good, doesn鈥檛 it? Until you work out that this apparently means that
11 per cent of graduates are unemployed and not undertaking further study.
Australia鈥檚 unemployment rate is under 7 per cent.
FINALLY, the Toyota customer-service survey asks owners to indicate their
impression of their vehicle in the following areas: 鈥淧erformance, general
handling, interior comfort, exterior comfort, interior styling.鈥�
Just what is 鈥渆xterior comfort鈥�? Is it to do with how agreeable the car feels
when you lean against it?
THE STICKER ON A 鈥淐HEF CRAFT鈥� PLASTIC SCREW-TOP CONTAINER FOR STORING FOOD
ADVISES OVER-EAGER PURCHASERS TO 鈥淩EMOVE LID BEFORE USE鈥�