FEEDBACK is, as regular readers have noticed, much preoccupied with signs. But we have not until now felt the need for a word denoting excessive politeness in a sign. Then a colleague spotted one in Guy鈥檚 Hospital, London, that said: 鈥淲ay Out 鈥� apologies for temporary sign鈥�. It was neatly printed on A4 paper, although admittedly rather loosely taped to the wall.
But it worked. The way out was to the left, as legibly indicated. That is all we require of a sign 鈥� is it not?
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Was someone apologising for something else 鈥� the decorating work to the right, perhaps? For not having commissioned an etched laminate sign, or even a beautiful Victorian cast-iron fingerpost?
Does anyone have any more examples of鈥� hmm鈥� what shall we call it?
Feedback has previously coined the term 鈥渟emiopathy鈥� for signs which evince or evoke inappropriate emotions (6 October 2001). We noted back then that you can translate this reassuringly sciency word as 鈥渟ign-sensitivity鈥� or 鈥渟ign-suffering鈥�, depending on your reaction, the latter being a more plausible reading of the Greek roots. So this special case could be 鈥渟emioeugeneia鈥�, gaily shoehorning in the Greek for politeness, eugeneia.
We are somewhat concerned that we risk confusion with 鈥渆ugenics鈥� 鈥� the word that 19th-century polymath made up for his human breeding programme, which had notoriously awful consequences in the mid-20th century.
However, we think Galton got it wrong in more ways than one. Eugeneia may have originally meant 鈥渨ell-born鈥�, but over time it simply came to mean politeness, which wasn鈥檛 quite what Galton was thinking about.
Meanwhile, have any of you, high or low-born, spotted other semioeugeneia?
The medicinal potassium citrate Fiona Wain bought was 鈥減roudly packaged for Sunray Health Products, Brendale, Queensland, Australia鈥�. Then the label adds: 鈥淔or Extemporaneous Use Only鈥�
FEEDBACK recently bewailed the loss of the 鈥渟now鈥� background shown on analogue televisions when there is no signal, but predicted we would soon see it again in the form of a dyskeuomorph 鈥� an anachronistic recreation of a flawed technology (11 August). Toby Thorne was one of several readers who hastened to inform us that this prediction has already come true.
Toby and the rest describe how they attempted to watch a video on YouTube. When it failed to play, the screen displayed an error message encouraging the user to try again later. The message background was black, with a faint depiction of analogue snow. It even had the occasional line scanning down the screen to make it more convincing.
For Toby, that this should occur so soon after Feedback鈥檚 prediction is 鈥渟lightly concerning鈥�. He wonders if 鈥渘ext week you could predict some lottery numbers鈥�.
Meanwhile, for those who want to see a dyskeuomorph of snow without waiting for a video to fail, Andy Johnson-Laird points us to the intro of the HBO entertainment group promo at .
Simpler still, Juliet Bullimore says that although her analogue service was switched off some months ago, she still gets 鈥渢he familiar cosmic microwave snow effect鈥� without any trouble if she inadvertently pushes the TV button instead of the DTV button on her remote control.
Perch-hundredweight-fortnight system
A MONTH ago we ran a story about a scientist at an atomic research establishment who, fed up with all the different systems of units in use there, started reporting pressures in stones per acre (4 August).
This reminded Ian Walton of his days at the UK chemicals firm ICI back in the 1970s. Ian and his colleagues were frequently required to write mandatory reports on their work which, they were convinced, nobody ever read. So they started presenting their results using the perch-hundredweight-fortnight system of units. There was, Ian says, 鈥渘o discernible reaction鈥�.
OUR sympathies go to Dave Luddington, who had his American Express Card stolen. He was not greatly helped by the directions in the 鈥淕eneral Card Information鈥� section of Amex鈥檚 online UK contact list: 鈥淟ost & Stolen: 01273 696 933 鈥� (From abroad: +44 (0)1273 696 933) 鈥� Available 24/7鈥� Please have your Card to hand when calling us.鈥�
Go to hospital if your heart stops
SECTION 4 of the information leaflet for the drug Cordarone X that Bob Stephens has been taking lists its possible side effects. Under the section headed 鈥淰ery rare (affects less than 1 in 10,000 people)鈥�, users are encouraged to stop taking the tablets if: 鈥淵our heartbeat becomes very slow or stops beating. If this happens, go to hospital straight away.鈥�
鈥淧resumably,鈥� Bob speculated, 鈥渙ne should call in at the undertakers on the way.鈥�
FINALLY, Mike White notes the 鈥渋mpossible restriction鈥� of a sign at a Waitrose supermarket at a UK service station on the M40 motorway: 鈥淎lcohol purchased in this motorway service area can not be consumed inside or outside the premises.鈥�