Feedback is our weekly column of bizarre stories, implausible advertising claims, confusing instructions and more
Licensed not to drive
BUYING some cake in a late-opening shop recently, Feedback encountered a pile of leaflets encouraging young people to apply for a 鈥淰alidate UK鈥� card to prove their age. Inside, we made the interesting discovery that in the UK you must show that you are 18 or over to buy an axe or crossbow.
This took us back to arriving to work in Pennsylvania some years ago 鈥� starting with a trip to the Department of Motor Vehicles to obtain a 鈥渘on-driver鈥檚 license鈥�, not least for the purposes of being 鈥渃arded鈥� to get into clubs and so on. This card would be an alternative in the UK, where not driving is less eccentric than in the US.
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The application procedure involves getting a 鈥渞eferee鈥� to attest to the validity of the applicant鈥檚 passport, birth certificate or driving licence. But the referees vouch for themselves鈥�
Maynards candy pieces 鈥渨e are made with natural colours鈥�. Simon Freeman ask what 鈥渦n-natural鈥� colours exist. Feedback finds talking confectionery equally troubling
Traditions of the youth
ILLUSTRATING the ID card leaflet discussed above are three diverse young people, at least two of whom seem to be brandishing a card borrowed from someone else 鈥� unless they鈥檝e undergone fairly major cosmetic procedures since the photos were taken.
We are amused to see this tradition among young people down the ages being portrayed by , a company that declares its scheme to be government-approved.
Editorial practice practice
FEEDBACK鈥橲 inner pedant is stressed by the title that Adrian Smith forwards: 鈥淚s mind-body relaxation by yoga is effective to combat with lifestyle stress?鈥� He received it in an email from publisher Wolters Kluwer, who added that this was the most popular article in the series of journals that includes the Annals of Medical & Health Sciences Research.
In promoting its 鈥渂est practice in editorial practices鈥�, this email also invited Adrian to join an 鈥渁ssociation of Indian Journal Medical editors鈥� (The article鈥檚 title currently appears correctly at ). The problem we face here is that if we point at anyone鈥檚 possible mishandling of the English language, something is likely to go dreadfully wrong with our own use of it nearby. It occurs to us that this phenomenon should be called 鈥減rosaic justice鈥�.
Reader, he married Australia
WHILE we鈥檙e tempting prosaic justice, we pass on Chris Williams鈥檚 observation from UK newspaper the Daily Telegraph. It recently claimed that, in 1955, UK politician Greville Janner 鈥渕arried Myra Sheink, an Australia鈥�. If this is an unusual unit, we dread to think of what.
Rest in peace Enigma
RESPONSES to the demise of our Enigma competition after 1780 puzzles over nearly 34 years were roughly summarised by Mike Wright: 鈥淭he last Enigma? Say it ain鈥檛 so!鈥� David Cooper 鈥渁lways thought doing it regularly would be a good thing to do when I have more spare time, and I suppose too many other people thought the same鈥�.
Dennis Chesters suggests that our 鈥渄eath notice鈥� on the leader page had insufficient gravity (21/28 December 2013, p 5). He suggests 鈥渁 proper Victorian black-outlined box, listing: birth/death dates, offspring, famous accomplishments, and interment location鈥� 鈥� and one last puzzle, with no solution.
Bad vibrations
SURELY it cannot be coincidence that several readers have independently informed us of a marvellously bonkers conspiracy alarm. Trevor Cox, as a professor of acoustic engineering, has special reason to be concerned. Apparently, the standard pitch for orchestras, which is the note middle A at 440 Hz, was foisted on the world by Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels.
It must be true. It鈥檚 on the internets. At least, it鈥檚 either Nazis or the ever-elusive Illuminati, or Bad People generally. At we learn that 鈥淭his unnatural standard tuning frequency鈥� removed from the symmetry of sacred vibrations and overtones, has declared war on the subconscious mind of Western Man.鈥� This thought is credited 鈥� as so often with conspiracy 鈥渢heories鈥� 鈥� to a website with anti-Semitic links.
Ralph Finch, meanwhile, has lost all record of why he has the newer-age interpretation of this from , which informs us that 鈥淎=432 Hz鈥� is an alternative tuning that is mathematically consistent with the universe鈥� it is a pure tone of math fundamental to nature.鈥�
That sounds like 鈥渧ibrations鈥�, a precursor of 鈥渜uantum鈥� as an indication of fruitloopery.
Apparently people have been investing in kit that can play their recordings at 432/440ths the intended speed, to achieve a pure harmony with the universe thingy. Have they tired of simply playing them backwards and listening for hidden messages?
Grand unification on tower
FINALLY, reader Paul Baron informs us that on the uppermost observation deck of Auckland鈥檚 Sky Tower in New Zealand, visitors are advised that 鈥渙n Jupiter, you would weigh two and a half times [as much] as you do on Earth because of the planet鈥檚 strong magnetic field鈥�.
Paul says visitors are also informed that the tower weighs the equivalent of 6000 elephants and asks 鈥渟o what would it weigh in Tesla?鈥�
