Useless Things That will Hasten the Demise of Civilisation

Bikerbaboon

bikey2009 wrote:

Health and Safety legistlation.

working at height assesments for working on a 12 inch high platform...........

courses for using a ladder............

assessing the angle of your computer screen and chair................

postmen/women using tight letter boxes.................

no wonder we are being told not to go out in the snow!!

Have to disagree with this one. Health and safety legislation saves lives and livelyhoods.
where are some examples of where HS legislation could have prevented. ( as in the countrys that they happened in did not have any protection inplace.

http://www.moreorless.au.com/killers/bhopal.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kader_Toy_Factory_Fire

If you look at many things the advies given by HS executive is help full ment to keep people safe.

using a ladder, if people have had no training on how to use a ladder or what ladder to use that can cause accedents so in house training for a company to make sure new worker knows how to use a ladder is sensible.

the assesment for angle of the monitor is ment for the entire work space to help prevent bad back and RSI, back pain £335 million lost a year for that.
http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2006/e06107.htm

UndercoverElephant

+1, having dropped a 20 meter aluminium ladder on my head when trying to move it from the vertical to the horizontal, I can vouch that it's worth knowing how you should do that properly.

Sadly I still don't. :oops:

singlespeedexplosif

The iPOD has made public transport intolerable

amend that to.... 'the lousy earphones which come as standard with the iPod have made public transport intolerable' and you'd be much closer to the mark. The iPod itself isn't the problem. Whack a pair of Shures or Sennheisers on it and nobody can hear what you're listening to.

UndercoverElephant

I would say that the iPod has made public tolerable, but actually, it hasn't. It has improved things marginally.

attica

Rolf F wrote:

The iPOD. If I had a choice of uninventing the A bomb or the iPOD, I'd probably uninvent the iPOD. At least there are arguable benefits from the A Bomb. The iPOD has made public transport intolerable and turned most of the population into witless zombies doomed never to have a flash of inspiration and invent something great because their ability to think will have long since been lost. I daren't think how many genuinely great ideas have already not been thought of because people aren't thinking anymore. The zombie of the future won't be the undead - just the iPOD addict!

Hang on, surely there were things that did exactly the same job (albeit with less storage capacity) I think they used to be called personal stereos or if you're insistent on using a brand name:- Walkmans.

MP3 players aren't new really, just better at what they do.

BTW, why tie yourself to iTunes when another MP3 player will let you drag and drop your music at will?

Jay dubbleU

Even with better headphones the iPOD still turns people into shuffling morons - pedestrians who seem totally unaware of their surroundings and just wander in front of you - actually I think people in general seem to be unaware of their surroundings as they shuffle round in herds - its probably this more than anything else that will bring about the downfall of civilisation - look how we have failed to manage after a couple of days of snow

UndercoverElephant

Attica wrote:

BTW, why tie yourself to iTunes when another MP3 player will let you drag and drop your music at will?

There's no point in getting anything other than an iPod. I realised this when I saw that even Sony home stereos come with iPod docks, rather than docks for Sony MP3 players.

Wallace1492

UndercoverElephant wrote:

Attica wrote:

BTW, why tie yourself to iTunes when another MP3 player will let you drag and drop your music at will?

There's no point in getting anything other than an iPod. I realised this when I saw that even Sony home stereos come with iPod docks, rather than docks for Sony MP3 players.

iPod is the best MP3 player by far. Sheer and utter genius.
The Sony one looked good and I bought one, but the interface was/is terrible.....

greg66_tri_v2.0

_Brun_ wrote:

Sadly I have neither the time nor inclination to track back through five pages of this trivial dross.

However, has anyone suggested that the downfall of civilisation could actually be caused by the Bike Radar Commuting General forum?

Me. Almost. I nominated internet discussion forums.

I'll book that as a win.

attica

I love my Creative

Incidentally, Creative own the rights to the menu system showing artist then album then tracks, so Apple must regularly pay them for the privelege of using it - copyright law is rudddy daft sometimes.

Wallace1492

Attica wrote:

I love my Creative

Incidentally, Creative own the rights to the menu system showing artist then album then tracks, so Apple must regularly pay them for the privelege of using it - copyright law is rudddy daft sometimes.

Do all the Jukeboxes in the pubs pay Creative then also? I doubt they have a copyright on an Artist/Album/Track listing, but maybe on their own version of it, which Apple will have a different version.

attica

Wallace1492 wrote:

Do all the Jukeboxes in the pubs pay Creative then also? I doubt they have a copyright on an Artist/Album/Track listing, but maybe on their own version of it, which Apple will have a different version.

Dammit, I read that on The Register the other day and can't find it again now.
If memory serves it was a copyright covering "portable media players", so I guess the answer to the question is no, although now it's all anecdotal because I can't quote anything, bum!

teagar

Neo-cons...


I'll get my coat.

rolf_f

Attica wrote:

Hang on, surely there were things that did exactly the same job (albeit with less storage capacity) I think they used to be called personal stereos or if you're insistent on using a brand name:- Walkmans.

MP3 players aren't new really, just better at what they do.

The point about the walkman was that it was self limiting. Yes, you could wander around in a state of zombiness but only for so long - battery life and the size of the cassettes meant that people didn't get out of bed and put the walkman on for the whole day. Nowadays people seem to listen to the ipod over breakfast, listen to the ipod on the way in to work, listen to the ipod during work, listen to the ipod on the way home, listen to the ipod whilst having tea, listen to the ipod whilst watching the TV, listen to the ipod whilst having sex, then probably listen to it whilst asleep.

Honestly, ipod is evil. Just say no!

attica

Rolf F wrote:

Attica wrote:

Hang on, surely there were things that did exactly the same job (albeit with less storage capacity) I think they used to be called personal stereos or if you're insistent on using a brand name:- Walkmans.

MP3 players aren't new really, just better at what they do.

The point about the walkman was that it was self limiting. Yes, you could wander around in a state of zombiness but only for so long - battery life and the size of the cassettes meant that people didn't get out of bed and put the walkman on for the whole day. Nowadays people seem to listen to the ipod over breakfast, listen to the ipod on the way in to work, listen to the ipod during work, listen to the ipod on the way home, listen to the ipod whilst having tea, listen to the ipod whilst watching the TV, listen to the ipod whilst having sex, then probably listen to it whilst asleep.

Honestly, ipod is evil. Just say no!

So you are insistent on using the brand name then

Self control is what's lacking there, MP3 players have their place.
All things in moderation...


...including moderation

prawny

Attica wrote:

I love my Creative

Incidentally, Creative own the rights to the menu system showing artist then album then tracks, so Apple must regularly pay them for the privelege of using it - copyright law is rudddy daft sometimes.

I used to have the original (I think) Zen, it was great the battery life was much better that the ipod. But as undercoverelephant said you could get any kind of dock or any accesories for it, plus the included software was poo.

Now though I have to have an ipod for capacity there's nothin afaik other than an archos that can match my ipod classic.

Jay dubbleU

Rolf F wrote:

Attica wrote:

Hang on, surely there were things that did exactly the same job (albeit with less storage capacity) I think they used to be called personal stereos or if you're insistent on using a brand name:- Walkmans.

MP3 players aren't new really, just better at what they do.

The point about the walkman was that it was self limiting. Yes, you could wander around in a state of zombiness but only for so long - battery life and the size of the cassettes meant that people didn't get out of bed and put the walkman on for the whole day. Nowadays people seem to listen to the ipod over breakfast, listen to the ipod on the way in to work, listen to the ipod during work, listen to the ipod on the way home, listen to the ipod whilst having tea, listen to the ipod whilst watching the TV, listen to the ipod whilst having sex, then probably listen to it whilst asleep.

Honestly, ipod is evil. Just say no!

+1

attica

prawny wrote:

Attica wrote:

I love my Creative

Incidentally, Creative own the rights to the menu system showing artist then album then tracks, so Apple must regularly pay them for the privelege of using it - copyright law is rudddy daft sometimes.

I used to have the original (I think) Zen, it was great the battery life was much better that the ipod. But as undercoverelephant said you could get any kind of dock or any accesories for it, plus the included software was poo.

Now though I have to have an ipod for capacity there's nothin afaik other than an archos that can match my ipod classic.

Ah that was my original point, with the Creative I don't need software.

I'll give you that capacity is lower but (correct me if I'm wrong) your iPod has a hard disc in it. All of the Creatives these days have flash memory which is far better at dealing with the rigours of daily knocks and shaking etc.

DonDaddyD

There are some miserable people in the World.

prawny

Attica wrote:

prawny wrote:

Attica wrote:

I love my Creative

Incidentally, Creative own the rights to the menu system showing artist then album then tracks, so Apple must regularly pay them for the privelege of using it - copyright law is rudddy daft sometimes.

I used to have the original (I think) Zen, it was great the battery life was much better that the ipod. But as undercoverelephant said you could get any kind of dock or any accesories for it, plus the included software was poo.

Now though I have to have an ipod for capacity there's nothin afaik other than an archos that can match my ipod classic.

Ah that was my original point, with the Creative I don't need software.

I'll give you that capacity is lower but (correct me if I'm wrong) your iPod has a hard disc in it. All of the Creatives these days have flash memory which is far better at dealing with the rigours of daily knocks and shaking etc.

You are correct on the memory, but I've not had a problem with the hard disc, I don't use it for sport or anything though just walking PT or in the car.

I accept the point on the need for software, but i tunes works fine for me, I use it as my media player on my pc too. I don't like window media player.

I'm not commited to the ipod though, if someone came up with a suitable alternative I've get one, isn't there one creative with wifi and expandable memory? If I could get one with at least 50gb I'd be interested.

EDIT; Hold the phone http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-Video- ... B001C9RY3Y

biondino

Rolf F wrote:

Waddlie wrote:

It's not the actual iPhones I hate, it's the people that own them. And if you dare to suggest you don't want one, they think you're jealous! They need D-locking, the lot of them. Charlie Brooker had it about right:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/aug/10/charlie-brooker-iphone

Wise words from Charlie Brooker there - and only Apple could make the mere sound of a harmless 3 letter abbreviation intensely irritating. Hear this Apple - it is an application; that's a-p-p-l-i-c-a-t-i-o-n. You don't have to use the twee abbreviation ALL the time.

Food for thought, this. I shall consider it further when I take my luncheon from the refrigerator, assuming there are no good situation comedies on the television (though I could always watch something on a digital versatile disc, or perhaps stream something on the information superhighway).

Christophe3967

prawny wrote:

Attica wrote:

I love my Creative

Incidentally, Creative own the rights to the menu system showing artist then album then tracks, so Apple must regularly pay them for the privelege of using it - copyright law is rudddy daft sometimes.

I used to have the original (I think) Zen, it was great the battery life was much better that the ipod. But as undercoverelephant said you could get any kind of dock or any accesories for it, plus the included software was poo.

Now though I have to have an ipod for capacity there's nothin afaik other than an archos that can match my ipod classic.

We have several of both - for most children it seems iPods are de rigueur - and the sound from the Creatives is noticeably better. Docking stations are very good too. And they do come in pink....

DonDaddyD

biondino wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

Waddlie wrote:

It's not the actual iPhones I hate, it's the people that own them. And if you dare to suggest you don't want one, they think you're jealous! They need D-locking, the lot of them. Charlie Brooker had it about right:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/aug/10/charlie-brooker-iphone

Wise words from Charlie Brooker there - and only Apple could make the mere sound of a harmless 3 letter abbreviation intensely irritating. Hear this Apple - it is an application; that's a-p-p-l-i-c-a-t-i-o-n. You don't have to use the twee abbreviation ALL the time.

Food for thought, this. I shall consider it further when I take my luncheon from the refrigerator, assuming there are no good situation comedies on the television (though I could always watch something on a digital versatile disc, or perhaps stream something on the information superhighway).

My virtual self is standing, clapping to the brilliance of that post.

I can't believe there are people still claiming negatives of the iPod, iPhone or Apple in general. They've done nothing but benefit life. A perfect fushion of functionality and fashion that dances between the irony of individuality and conformity- an iPhone, Pod or Mac is unlike anyof their competitors, which is partly why people want them and yet the majority of people own them. Genius.

I thought natural selection would have done away with Apple/Apple Macintosh haters or "those people" by now.

lost_in_thought

Jay dubbleU wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

Attica wrote:

Hang on, surely there were things that did exactly the same job (albeit with less storage capacity) I think they used to be called personal stereos or if you're insistent on using a brand name:- Walkmans.

MP3 players aren't new really, just better at what they do.

The point about the walkman was that it was self limiting. Yes, you could wander around in a state of zombiness but only for so long - battery life and the size of the cassettes meant that people didn't get out of bed and put the walkman on for the whole day. Nowadays people seem to listen to the ipod over breakfast, listen to the ipod on the way in to work, listen to the ipod during work, listen to the ipod on the way home, listen to the ipod whilst having tea, listen to the ipod whilst watching the TV, listen to the ipod whilst having sex, then probably listen to it whilst asleep.

Honestly, ipod is evil. Just say no!

+1

So, what, anything people can use all the time is evil because it's not self-limiting? Right, that's TV, computers, cookers, landlines.... actually anything mains-powered out the window. In fact, let's make everything AA battery powered.

What about bikes? They don't even need batteries. You can use them whenever you feel like it. Get rid of them immediately. I wonder if we could convert them to AA batteries...

prawny

Christophe3967 wrote:

prawny wrote:

Attica wrote:

I love my Creative

Incidentally, Creative own the rights to the menu system showing artist then album then tracks, so Apple must regularly pay them for the privelege of using it - copyright law is rudddy daft sometimes.

I used to have the original (I think) Zen, it was great the battery life was much better that the ipod. But as undercoverelephant said you could get any kind of dock or any accesories for it, plus the included software was poo.

Now though I have to have an ipod for capacity there's nothin afaik other than an archos that can match my ipod classic.

We have several of both - for most children it seems iPods are de rigueur - and the sound from the Creatives is noticeably better. Docking stations are very good too. And they do come in pink....

This was mine, too heavy for a trouser pocket too unfortunately.

DonDaddyD

lost_in_thought wrote:

Jay dubbleU wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

Attica wrote:

Hang on, surely there were things that did exactly the same job (albeit with less storage capacity) I think they used to be called personal stereos or if you're insistent on using a brand name:- Walkmans.

MP3 players aren't new really, just better at what they do.

The point about the walkman was that it was self limiting. Yes, you could wander around in a state of zombiness but only for so long - battery life and the size of the cassettes meant that people didn't get out of bed and put the walkman on for the whole day. Nowadays people seem to listen to the ipod over breakfast, listen to the ipod on the way in to work, listen to the ipod during work, listen to the ipod on the way home, listen to the ipod whilst having tea, listen to the ipod whilst watching the TV, listen to the ipod whilst having sex, then probably listen to it whilst asleep.

Honestly, ipod is evil. Just say no!

+1

So, what, anything people can use all the time is evil because it's not self-limiting? Right, that's TV, computers, cookers, landlines.... actually anything mains-powered out the window. In fact, let's make everything AA battery powered.

What about bikes? They don't even need batteries. You can use them whenever you feel like it. Get rid of them immediately. I wonder if we could convert them to AA batteries...

+1

With that logic I reckon genius inventions like the clockwork radio and torch need to be binned as well. :roll:

biondino

DonDaddyD wrote:

My virtual self is standing, clapping to the brilliance of that post.

Thank you - I hope everyone on the bicycle radio detection and ranging full stop company internet forum feels the same way.

Attica wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

Attica wrote:

Hang on, surely there were things that did exactly the same job (albeit with less storage capacity) I think they used to be called personal stereos or if you're insistent on using a brand name:- Walkmans.

MP3 players aren't new really, just better at what they do.

The point about the walkman was that it was self limiting. Yes, you could wander around in a state of zombiness but only for so long - battery life and the size of the cassettes meant that people didn't get out of bed and put the walkman on for the whole day. Nowadays people seem to listen to the ipod over breakfast, listen to the ipod on the way in to work, listen to the ipod during work, listen to the ipod on the way home, listen to the ipod whilst having tea, listen to the ipod whilst watching the TV, listen to the ipod whilst having sex, then probably listen to it whilst asleep.

Honestly, ipod is evil. Just say no!

So you are insistent on using the brand name then

I think Rolf works for an Apple street team, and his posts dissing it here are designed to make as many people as possible come to its aid, sing its praises and discuss its excellent features.

Jay dubbleU

lost_in_thought wrote:

Jay dubbleU wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

Attica wrote:

Hang on, surely there were things that did exactly the same job (albeit with less storage capacity) I think they used to be called personal stereos or if you're insistent on using a brand name:- Walkmans.

MP3 players aren't new really, just better at what they do.

The point about the walkman was that it was self limiting. Yes, you could wander around in a state of zombiness but only for so long - battery life and the size of the cassettes meant that people didn't get out of bed and put the walkman on for the whole day. Nowadays people seem to listen to the ipod over breakfast, listen to the ipod on the way in to work, listen to the ipod during work, listen to the ipod on the way home, listen to the ipod whilst having tea, listen to the ipod whilst watching the TV, listen to the ipod whilst having sex, then probably listen to it whilst asleep.

Honestly, ipod is evil. Just say no!

+1

So, what, anything people can use all the time is evil because it's not self-limiting? Right, that's TV, computers, cookers, landlines.... actually anything mains-powered out the window. In fact, let's make everything AA battery powered.

What about bikes? They don't even need batteries. You can use them whenever you feel like it. Get rid of them immediately. I wonder if we could convert them to AA batteries...

You're missing the point LiT - computers,cookers, landlines etc don't turn people into zombies for me to run over

lost_in_thought

Jay dubbleU wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

Jay dubbleU wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

Attica wrote:

Hang on, surely there were things that did exactly the same job (albeit with less storage capacity) I think they used to be called personal stereos or if you're insistent on using a brand name:- Walkmans.

MP3 players aren't new really, just better at what they do.

The point about the walkman was that it was self limiting. Yes, you could wander around in a state of zombiness but only for so long - battery life and the size of the cassettes meant that people didn't get out of bed and put the walkman on for the whole day. Nowadays people seem to listen to the ipod over breakfast, listen to the ipod on the way in to work, listen to the ipod during work, listen to the ipod on the way home, listen to the ipod whilst having tea, listen to the ipod whilst watching the TV, listen to the ipod whilst having sex, then probably listen to it whilst asleep.

Honestly, ipod is evil. Just say no!

+1

So, what, anything people can use all the time is evil because it's not self-limiting? Right, that's TV, computers, cookers, landlines.... actually anything mains-powered out the window. In fact, let's make everything AA battery powered.

What about bikes? They don't even need batteries. You can use them whenever you feel like it. Get rid of them immediately. I wonder if we could convert them to AA batteries...

You're missing the point LiT - computers,cookers, landlines etc don't turn people into zombies for me to run over

Right, I see. Well, that's it, I think we're just going to have to ban stupidity. That's the only way forward. And possibly daydreaming too.

Wallace1492

Update on Topic:

An iron
A hoover or rather a vacuum cleaner
Big Brother
Johnathon Ross
Russell Brand
Self Service Checkouts
Pressing loads of number options when trying to call some sort of help desk
Shipping prawns to Thailand to be peeled then shipped back
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6189870.stm
Call Centre Offshoring