Snippets and Swarf

     Before "examining the legacy" of Neil Armstrong -- pompous journalese for a Johnny-no-readers, I present, as a piece of displacement activity if nothing else, a bits-and-bobs page; a home for those random and trivial jottings which, even by my lax editorial standards, would not be deemed worthy of a full page.

     Why does a small car need a reversing alarm? I'm sick and tired of people looking round and scanning the horizon, no doubt expecting to see a dustcart bearing down on them, only to burst out laughing at the sight of my tiny Toyota. Next time I have the car serviced I shall ask if the wretched thing can be switched off -- surely a matter of a few key-strokes once it's plugged into the diagnostic computer. Of course, my insurers might regard this as a "modification", so I'd better consult them first, in case they decide that it warrants an increase in premium. I'm not prepared to pay to save my blushes.     4/9/2012

     One of the weirdest obsessions of the left is the idea that inanimate objects can be dangerous. It's also one of the most pernicious, since it reinforces the natural human tendency to pass the buck; to shift responsibility for one's actions onto someone or something else. The most fatuous example has to be the expression "dangerous road". How can a road be dangerous? Will the Tarmac Monster suddenly morph out of the blacktop and devour your car? I think not. What the term actually means is this: a road on which, if you drive negligently, you are less likely to escape the consequences of your own negligence than you would be on most roads. Of course, lefties hate having this pointed out because it raises a question which they don't want raised: is it really desirable that the negligent should be protected from the consequences of their negligence?

28/11/2012