FEEDBACK鈥檚 mind is boggled, though we should have seen this coming. Readers continually point us to the online outpourings of purveyors of perpetual motion 鈥� many entertaining, some sad. Meanwhile, mass emails, some of them actually in green ink, frequently ask us to consider religiously inspired messages.
鈥淏ooking a flight with Easyjet, Graham Legg was asked for his year of birth 鈥� and offered dates back to 1850. He wonders how 162-year-olds fare when seeking travel insurance鈥�
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Colin Watters has found the intersection of the two genres: World Improvement Through The Spirit Ministries (WITTSM), at witts.ws. We are surprised that this is the first we have heard of an organisation that 鈥減ioneered and introduced everything from motors to lights to computers to CD鈥檚 [sic] to lasers鈥� and that 鈥渄ates back to the time of Michael Faraday鈥�.
Faraday, the scientist who explored electromagnetic induction among other things, grew up as a member of the Sandemanian sect, known for its egalitarian disdain for qualifications and for a strict interpretation of the Protestant doctrine of 鈥渏ustification by faith鈥� rather than by deeds.
WITTSM roughly follows these beliefs, especially the latter one: its range of video testimonials by 鈥渋ndependent鈥� engineers includes one who 鈥渟peaks very passionately about the validity鈥� of the 鈥渢echnolgies鈥� [sic]. These include 鈥渁utomobiles which run totally on water and air, the only exhaust is oxygen, water, and air鈥� and 鈥渁nti-gravity machines that can travel as easily through outer space as through air鈥�.
Apparently, and in capital letters, all this 鈥渄oes not violate any of the laws of physics鈥�. Our faith is, however, somewhat challenged.
SEVERAL readers have separately expressed surprise at the intelligence displayed by the microbes that featured in one of our news stories (New 杏吧原创, 25 February, p 4). In the Atacama Desert in Chile, it seems, 鈥渁n oasis of microbes has been found 2 metres below its surface using an instrument that could one day hunt for life on Mars.鈥�
鈥淭hose clever little devils will take over the planet yet,鈥� comments James Whalley.
DELVING with some trepidation into our piling system, we find a lovely photo sent to us by Kirsteen Brown of a sign somewhere inside a Scandinavian furnishing emporium near Edinburgh, UK. 鈥淚f you find this area below standard, please report to a member of staff,鈥� the sign begins.
We can guess that evasion of the true purpose of the 鈥渁rea鈥� and the possible ways in which it might be 鈥渂elow standard鈥� were uppermost in the signwriter鈥檚 mind. Circumlocution thus led them to go on to produce a classic of quantum signage (21 January). 鈥淭hese facilities,鈥� the sign continues in homage to Henrietta Maria Bowdler, creator of an expurgated edition of William Shakespeare鈥檚 sometimes scatological works, 鈥渁re also located in our Restaurant upstairs and the Exit area.鈥�
READER Ken Zetie believes Feedback likes special offers and thinks we will love this one from Arbico, a company which builds PCs to order. 鈥淪pecial Offer!鈥� it trumpets. 鈥淲as 拢879 inc VAT. Order now and save 拢-50. Now only 拢929.鈥�
Ken鈥檚 right, we do love it, though we didn鈥檛 believe it at first. But we followed the link that Ken gave us at , looked near the bottom on the right of the page as instructed, and there it was.
What would we do without our readers? And what would they do without eccentric copywriters?
FOLLOWING our story about the resident of Queensland, Australia, who was charged with being 鈥渋n possession of a drug utensil and thing鈥� (10 March), Ian Cutter says that this is not just a Queenslandism.
Some years ago he wanted to take a large bean seed across the border into New South Wales. It had to be disinfected, after which he was given its documentation. This was headed 鈥淧ermit for the movement of things鈥�.
THE first page of the contract academic publisher Continuum sent to Dom Watts provided definitions of key terms such as 鈥渁udio format鈥�, 鈥渄igital format鈥� and 鈥渆lectronic book鈥�. The last item on the list was 鈥淭erritory鈥�, the definition for which was 鈥渢he world and the universe鈥�.
Dom thinks it makes sense to ensure that the publisher鈥檚 rights extend beyond the bounds of our home planet, but why stop at the universe? Surely they ought to have specified the multiverse. 鈥淭here may be another (10500)-1 universes out there in which copyright might be flouted with impunity, and we couldn鈥檛 have that,鈥� says Dom.
FINALLY, when booking a flight with no-frills airline Ryanair, Ben Urmston was told that the company was busy 鈥減rocessing your request in real time鈥� and that 鈥渋t may take up to 45 seconds to complete this request鈥�.
Ryanair鈥檚 confirmatory email arrived quickly, but the 45 second claim lingered on Ben鈥檚 screen for 3 more hours. Real time indeed.