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Fantasy » alt.fan.pratchett » Experience with Mr Pratchett
| Re: Experience with Mr Pratchett [message #24185 ] |
Tue, 26 April 2005 00:40 |
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"Napoleon" <lbeyer [at] gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1114457964.267251.123300 [at] l41g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
>
> Eric Jarvis wrote:
> > Cyber Omega cyber_omega [at] nospam.com wrote in
> > <gf6861hfi0gerl4clel8636p17q1v313is [at] 4ax.com>:
> > >
> > > I thought I'd share that with you all and maybe see if anyone else
> > > would like to share their stories on how they got started reading
> > > these wonderful books.
> > >
> > I was aware of the books quite early on, around 1987, but didn't get
> > around to reading them for a while.
>
> My dad was reading them for a couple years before I picked one up. It
> was TCM, I think, and I didn't finish it. (I was about 11 at the time.)
> Then I read Mort, and was hooked. I have read everyone since then,
> usually more than once. I've had to resort to borrowing some, when I'm
> short on cash. Luckily I have a friend who buys them as soon as they
> come out, so I often can read them before they come out in paperback or
> I get a paycheck.
>
> My sister, who is 10, just discovered Wee Free Men. She reads
> everything under the sun, but I think she won't go on to the others
> until she's a little older.
>
(I've probably mentioned this before, but what the hey...)
Years ago I came across TCOM as offered by the Science Fiction Book Club,
and I liked the description of a flat world on the back of a turtle (or they
may have mentioned the elephants between the two; it's been awhile), and
that it was humorous fantasy. I maintained then, as I maintain now, that
there's not enough humorous fantasy of sf out there. I ordered TCOM and put
it on the to-be-read pile. Then TLF came out, and I ordered *that*, since at
the time I felt that completing a series was important - finish what you
started and all that - and it went on the TBR pile. Several books later, I
got around to actually reading them, and I enjoyed them tremendously. I
figured Discworld was worth following, and I haven't been disappointed.
Paul
--
"Who reads, learns, lives the Ferret Way becomes keeper
of light, ennobling outer worlds from one within."
- a prophecy from the Ancients
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| Re: Experience with Mr Pratchett [message #24192 ] |
Tue, 26 April 2005 01:48 |
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Paul E. Jamison wrote:
> "Napoleon" <lbeyer [at] gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1114457964.267251.123300 [at] l41g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
>
>>Eric Jarvis wrote:
>>
>>>Cyber Omega cyber_omega [at] nospam.com wrote in
>>><gf6861hfi0gerl4clel8636p17q1v313is [at] 4ax.com>:
>>>
>>>>I thought I'd share that with you all and maybe see if anyone else
>>>>would like to share their stories on how they got started reading
>>>>these wonderful books.
>>>>
>>>
>>>I was aware of the books quite early on, around 1987, but didn't get
>>>around to reading them for a while.
>>
>>My dad was reading them for a couple years before I picked one up. It
>>was TCM, I think, and I didn't finish it. (I was about 11 at the time.)
>>Then I read Mort, and was hooked. I have read everyone since then,
>>usually more than once. I've had to resort to borrowing some, when I'm
>>short on cash. Luckily I have a friend who buys them as soon as they
>>come out, so I often can read them before they come out in paperback or
>>I get a paycheck.
>>
>>My sister, who is 10, just discovered Wee Free Men. She reads
>>everything under the sun, but I think she won't go on to the others
>>until she's a little older.
>>
>
> (I've probably mentioned this before, but what the hey...)
>
> Years ago I came across TCOM as offered by the Science Fiction Book Club,
> and I liked the description of a flat world on the back of a turtle (or they
> may have mentioned the elephants between the two; it's been awhile), and
> that it was humorous fantasy. I maintained then, as I maintain now, that
> there's not enough humorous fantasy of sf out there. I ordered TCOM and put
> it on the to-be-read pile. Then TLF came out, and I ordered *that*, since at
> the time I felt that completing a series was important - finish what you
> started and all that - and it went on the TBR pile. Several books later, I
> got around to actually reading them, and I enjoyed them tremendously. I
> figured Discworld was worth following, and I haven't been disappointed.
>
> Paul
>
Myself, I got into it with Good Omens about 15 years ago. My then-10yo
son read the Johnny series and was mildly amused, but got into the
Discworld itself about 2 years ago and has also read everything from go
to whoa. Several times. I find it interesting that he was motivated to
read the "adult" novels, but not the "teenager" novels. The Bromeliad
was never seen as a child's book by either of my kids, so they enjoyed
it rather than read it out of duty.
--
John S. Wilkins, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Biohumanities Project
University of Queensland - Blog: evolvethought.blogspot.com
"Darwin's theory has no more to do with philosophy than any other
hypothesis in natural science." Tractatus 4.1122
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| Re: [I] Experience with Mr Pratchett [message #24197 ] |
Tue, 26 April 2005 02:38 |
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Flesh-eating Dragon wrote:
> richard e white wrote:
>
> > Well I don't read them. I did not find these books until after I lost my
> > sight. I lost my sight while going through colege.
>
> Suddenly or gradually?
I will answer you here as I hit the wrong key and lost your post. It was
slow. I can still see some light and color but that is all. best decription
is looking through a craked ice cube for what little is left. there are also
large areas where I don't see but my brain puts in what it thinks is there. So
in my room I can feel like I can see as I know where every thing is. But when
I go to pick up something that some one has moved I find that it is not realy
there. either that or gnomes run off with it when I go for it.
>
> I have one good friend who is blind in the sense of not being able to
> see anything at all, but he's been blind since birth. His name's Ian
> and he works on a telephone switchboard about twelve thousand
> kilometres away. I get long, conversational phone calls from him every
> now and then, every year or two he visits my family (often to coincide
> with cross-country tours that he likes to go on), and he's always
> happy to talk about his disability. Also, my grandfather, whose name
> is David, is legally blind due to macular degeneration. But I don't
> think I know anyone who lost their sight early in life.
It was not early in life as I had to work between school and colege. But I did
go blind at an odd time. the form of macular degeneration and R.P. I have
normaly hits at birth, early teens or old age. Mine kicked of at about 28 and
was mostly gone in ten years.
It is much ruffer on people that go blind after they could see as they try the
old ways of doing things before giveing up and relearning. blind at birth just
learn the blind way from the start. I don't know how bad it is on some one who
suddenly went blind as I have not talked to one to compaire. I know that
people who slowly go blind have to keep relearning as they get worse. The to
things that are the hardest to give up are driveing your self in a place that
has poor public transport and no longer being able to read. the next thing
after thoes two is when you stop being able to tell if what the crosswalk
signal is doing.
>
> I imagine it would be very scary. Among other things, I think I would
> be very worried about the loss of privacy if I were no longer able to
> read the often very sensitive memorabilia and other documentation in
> my possession. Like most of us, I live on the assumption that tomorrow
> I will have as much control over my life as I do today, and I don't
> know how I would cope if that turned out to be wrong.
I hope you don't have to find out. But basicly you go nuts with the
frustration for a while. Once the anger and frustration lives you you wind up
adjusting. If you are lucky you still have some friends around to patch things
up with.
I am rather surprised that more people that are going blind don't flip out and
kill serten people in there rage. The people that prefur to belive that you
are fakeing rather then admit that someone might be going blind. and there is
always someone in this group.
> That is one of the reasons I like this set of books. If I did not find
> there comady at the right time I would most likely be locked up some were.
>
> Adrian.
--
Richard The Blind Typer
Lets Hear It For Talking Computers.
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<html>
Flesh-eating Dragon wrote:
<blockquote TYPE=CITE>richard e white wrote:
<p>> Well I don't read them. I did not find these books until after
I lost my
<br>> sight. I lost my sight while going through colege.
<p>Suddenly or gradually?</blockquote>
<p><br>I will answer you here as I hit the wrong key and lost your post.
It was slow. I can still see some light and color but that is all.
best decription is looking through a craked ice cube for what little is
left. there are also large areas where I don't see but my brain puts
in what it thinks is there. So in my room I can feel like I can see
as I know where every thing is. But when I go to pick up something
that some one has moved I find that it is not realy there. either
that or gnomes run off with it when I go for it.
<blockquote TYPE=CITE>
<br>I have one good friend who is blind in the sense of not being able
to
<br>see anything at all, but he's been blind since birth. His name's Ian
<br>and he works on a telephone switchboard about twelve thousand
<br>kilometres away. I get long, conversational phone calls from him every
<br>now and then, every year or two he visits my family (often to coincide
<br>with cross-country tours that he likes to go on), and he's always
<br>happy to talk about his disability. Also, my grandfather, whose name
<br>is David, is legally blind due to macular degeneration. But I don't
<br>think I know anyone who lost their sight early in life.</blockquote>
<p><br>It was not early in life as I had to work between school and colege.
But I did go blind at an odd time. the form of macular degeneration
and R.P. I have normaly hits at birth, early teens or old age. Mine
kicked of at about 28 and was mostly gone in ten years.
<br>It is much ruffer on people that go blind after they could see as they
try the old ways of doing things before giveing up and relearning.
blind at birth just learn the blind way from the start. I don't know
how bad it is on some one who suddenly went blind as I have not talked
to one to compaire. I know that people who slowly go blind have to
keep relearning as they get worse. The to things that are the hardest
to give up are driveing your self in a place that has poor public transport
and no longer being able to read. the next thing after thoes two
is when you stop being able to tell if what the crosswalk signal is doing.
<blockquote TYPE=CITE>
<br>I imagine it would be very scary. Among other things, I think I would
<br>be very worried about the loss of privacy if I were no longer able
to
<br>read the often very sensitive memorabilia and other documentation in
<br>my possession. Like most of us, I live on the assumption that tomorrow
<br>I will have as much control over my life as I do today, and I don't
<br>know how I would cope if that turned out to be wrong.</blockquote>
<p><br>I hope you don't have to find out. But basicly you go nuts
with the frustration for a while. Once the anger and frustration
lives you you wind up adjusting. <i>If you are lucky you still have
some friends around to patch things up with.</i>
<br>I am rather surprised that more people that are going blind don't flip
out and kill serten people in there rage. The people that prefur
to belive that you are fakeing rather then admit that someone might be
going blind. and there is always someone in this group.
<blockquote TYPE=CITE> That is one of the reasons I like
this set of books. If I did not find there comady at the right time
I would most likely be locked up some were.
<p>Adrian.</blockquote>
<br>
<br>
<p>--
<br>Richard The Blind Typer
<br>Lets Hear It For Talking Computers.
<br> </html>
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| Re: [I] Experience with Mr Pratchett [message #24213 ] |
Tue, 26 April 2005 09:38 |
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richard e white wrote:
> I know that people who slowly go blind have to keep relearning as
> they get worse. The to things that are the hardest to give up are
> driveing your self in a place that has poor public transport and no
> longer being able to read. the next thing after thoes two is when
> you stop being able to tell if what the crosswalk signal is doing.
Where you live, is it common for pedestrian crossings to make noises?
It's quite common here - slow beeps mean "red" whereas fast beeps
mean "green" - but I really wish that it were *more* common. It's
useful for everyone, because that way you don't have to keep staring
at the lights.
Driving was very difficult for my grandfather to give up. He lives in
the country, so for a long time he would drive on the other side of
the fence, inside the paddock (I'm speaking Australian English here -
a paddock is what the English would call a field). His macular
degeneration may have been partly a consequence of pipe smoking. He
still clings to the little sight that he has left.
> I am rather surprised that more people that are going blind don't flip out and
> kill serten people in there rage.
For a moment there I thought you were talking about killing
*seventeen* people. :-) Not a bad quota.
Adrian.
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| Re: Experience with Mr Pratchett [message #24236 ] |
Tue, 26 April 2005 15:05 |
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mcv wrote:
> Daibhid Ceannaideach <daibhidchenedelh [at] aol.com> wrote:
>
>>"Puck" <Kormos.4 [at] osu.edu> wrote in
>>news:d419j0$a15$1 [at] charm.magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu:
>>
>>
>>>>I thought I'd share that with you all and maybe see if anyone else
>>>>would like to share their stories on how they got started reading
>>>>these wonderful books.
>>>
>>>Sure thing, although it is not at all interesting.
>>
>>Mine's even less interesting.
>
>
> Mine's pretty standard. My brother said it was like The Hitchhiker's Guide,
> except with fantasy instead of SF. It turned out to be quite a bit more
> than that, but it was enough too get me hooked.
>
>
> mcv.
This is showing my age, but I had 'The Colour of Magic' as an adventure
game on the ZX Spectrum back in the early-mid 80's. Some rotten swine
pinched the paperback which was supposed to accompany the thing, so I
had no idea what was going on. We emigrated to Australia. I was broke.
The local library had one or two Pratchett books but never the first
one. I was determined to start at the beginning. Finally, about
seventeen years later, I saw Colour of Magic in the local bookstore and
bought a copy. Then I read Mort, and last week I read Night Watch. I
have MR somewhere, but I don't get a lot of reading time these days.
(Why is that when you're a student you have time to read and nothing to
buy books with. When you have the means, you no longer have the time.
Someone, somewhere really loves screwing with our lives.)
Cheers
Simon
--
http://www.spacejock.com.au/ - Hal Spacejock, science fiction with NUTS!
http://www.andromedaspaceways.com/ - Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine
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| Re: [I] Experience with Mr Pratchett [message #24238 ] |
Tue, 26 April 2005 15:15 |
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Michael Schuelke wrote:
> Anke wrote:
>
>
>>It was exactly the other way for me. I liked Terry Pratchett,
>>and first heard of Douglas Adams on the backs of DW books.
>>When I saw an edition of the Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy
>>with all five books in one volume I got it because of that, and
>>was very disappointed. The basic premise and tone of "humanity
>>is stupid/worthless" got on my nerves.
>
>
> Have you tried Douglas' other books -- the Dirk Gently novels and Last
> Chance to See? The Hitchhiker's Guide series is fun to read (extremely so
> in places), but those are (IMO, of course) his better books. Its a pity
> there aren't more like them.
>
> Michael
It's funny, but while I enjoyed the first 2 HHG books I just couldn't
get into Dirk Gently. I've got both of them on the shelf not 10 metres
away from where I'm sitting, and I don't think I got past the second
page of book one. Perhaps I was expecting HHG with different characters.
Maybe it's time for another look, eh?
Cheers
Simon
--
http://www.spacejock.com.au/ - Hal Spacejock, science fiction with NUTS!
http://www.andromedaspaceways.com/ - Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine
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| Re: [I] Experience with Mr Pratchett [message #24272 ] |
Wed, 27 April 2005 00:00 |
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> It's funny, but while I enjoyed the first 2 HHG books I just couldn't
> get into Dirk Gently. I've got both of them on the shelf not 10 metres
> away from where I'm sitting, and I don't think I got past the second
> page of book one. Perhaps I was expecting HHG with different
> characters.
>
> Maybe it's time for another look, eh?
Assuming that you are being serious with the "second page of book one" then
I think I spot your problem. The first Dirk Gently book does begin on a
rather odd note and takes a few chapters to settle into what any HHG fan
would think of as "typical" Adams. In many ways the Dirk Gently books are
more pure science fiction then HHG is. The basic plot of either of them (the
first in particular) would be pretty hard to explain to anyone who doesn't
like the idea of multiple impossibilities happening all at once. Although
Pterry has at one time or another used aliens, time travel, ghosts, psychic
abilities and quantum physics in his stories, I don't think he has ever used
them all at the same time.
However, Dirk Gently *is* very funny and deserves a chance, if only because
it is so unique. There is plenty of HHG style humor in it, just with all the
knobs turned up to eleven.
--
Puck (onstage): I am that merry wanderer of the night!
Peaseblossom (in audience): I am that merry wanderer of the night,
indeed! "I am that
giggling-dangerous-totally-bloody-psychotic-menace-to-life and limb,
more like." -Neil Gaiman
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| Re: [I] Experience with Mr Pratchett [message #24289 ] |
Tue, 26 April 2005 23:00 |
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On Tuesday, in article
<d4kqfu$jct$1 [at] groundhog.korenwolf.net> dragon [at] netyp.com.au
"Flesh-eating Dragon" wrote:
> richard e white wrote:
>
> > I know that people who slowly go blind have to keep relearning as
> > they get worse. The to things that are the hardest to give up are
> > driveing your self in a place that has poor public transport and no
> > longer being able to read. the next thing after thoes two is when
> > you stop being able to tell if what the crosswalk signal is doing.
>
> Where you live, is it common for pedestrian crossings to make noises?
> It's quite common here - slow beeps mean "red" whereas fast beeps
> mean "green" - but I really wish that it were *more* common. It's
> useful for everyone, because that way you don't have to keep staring
> at the lights.
In the UK, light-controlled pedestrian crossings emit an electronic
beep-beep-beep when the little green man is showing. WHen they're at
read, there is no sound. ISTR there was a famous visual gag (on Not the
Nine O'Clock News) with a blind man waiting to cross and someone else's
wristwatch alarm happening to go off; this would have been 20 or so years
ago, when both the lights and such wristwatches were both newish.
I noticed when I visited Stockholm 10--15 years ago that all their
pedestrian crossing emit a continual dull "tick"; it sounds like an
electromechanical relay hidden inside the pipe that supports the traffic
light. When the lights change to safe for pedestrians to cross then the
ticking speeds up about threefold. I assumed that this dull clicking is
less obtrusive to nearby residents than an electronic beep would be.
--
Brian {Hamilton Kelly} bhk [at] dsl.co.uk
"Je n'ai fait celle-ci plus longue que parce que je n'ai pas eu
le loisir de la faire plus courte."
Blaise Pascal, /Lettres Provinciales/, 1657
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| Re: [I] Experience with Mr Pratchett [message #24297 ] |
Wed, 27 April 2005 04:18 |
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Brian {Hamilton Kelly} <bhk [at] dsl.co.uk> wrote:
>
> I noticed when I visited Stockholm 10--15 years ago that all their
> pedestrian crossing emit a continual dull "tick"; it sounds like an
> electromechanical relay hidden inside the pipe that supports the
> traffic light. When the lights change to safe for pedestrians to
> cross then the ticking speeds up about threefold. I assumed that
> this dull clicking is less obtrusive to nearby residents than an
> electronic beep would be.
It may be an UL, but I've heard that a city somewhere had installed lots of
beeping zebra crossings, but had to replace them all. The problem was that
the beeping things had never been tested out on the group that needed them
the most, and emmitted shrill ultrasounds that scared the shit out of dogs,
including otherwise quite stoic guide dogs.
Having seen the reaction of my dogs on Belkin KVM switches, I'm willing to
believe it.
Regards,
--
*Art
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| Re: [I] Experience with Mr Pratchett [message #26209 ] |
Wed, 27 April 2005 07:35 |
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Post removed (X-No-Archive: yes)
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| [I] noisy pedestrian crossings (was Re: Experience with Mr Pratchett) [message #26219 ] |
Wed, 27 April 2005 09:42 |
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Brian {Hamilton Kelly} wrote:
>
> I noticed when I visited Stockholm 10--15 years ago that all
> their pedestrian crossing emit a continual dull "tick"; it
> sounds like an electromechanical relay hidden inside the pipe
> that supports the traffic light. When the lights change to
> safe for pedestrians to cross then the ticking speeds up about
> threefold. I assumed that this dull clicking is less
> obtrusive to nearby residents than an electronic beep would be.
>
That sounds reasonable to me.
We've got ticking pedestrian crossings around here (Southwest
Germany), albeit it seems to be not yet a standard. What confuses
me a bit is that in some towns they only tick if a special button
apart from the normal one was pushed, and the light shows green,
and in other towns they tick all the time, faster when it's
green.
You'd think they would have agreed on one standard before building
the things.
~Anke
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| Re: Experience with Mr Pratchett [message #26222 ] |
Wed, 27 April 2005 10:04 |
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Aleks A. -Lessmann wrote:
> On Tue, 26 Apr 2005 18:00:35 -0400, Puck wrote:
> >However, Dirk Gently *is* very funny and deserves a chance, if only
because
> >it is so unique. There is plenty of HHG style humor in it, just with
all the
> >knobs turned up to eleven.
>
> I agree with this psot.
>
> Its not HAHA-funny, but more smirk-worthy funny, and the humor last
> longer than that of H2G2.
>
> Regards
> Aleks
> --
> "I have no doubt that the fundamental problem the planet
> faces is the enormous increase of the human population"
> David Attenborough
I had some trouble with those books because I read them in t6he wrong
order at first. Heh, it reminds me of when I first started on
Discworld... it'd been reccommended, i think i borrowed a paperback off
someone, and I wanted moremoremore, and I got to the library and there
were like twelve huuuuge hardbacks with OMGWTF cover illustrations full
of nobbly bits, and I was like... umm... my elevenyearold brain go
pop... and then I spread them all out on some chairs and went hunting
through the inside covers for signs of which one came first, becaus reI
couldn't tell.
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| Re: [I] Experience with Mr Pratchett [message #26223 ] |
Wed, 27 April 2005 10:06 |
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Puck wrote:
>>It's funny, but while I enjoyed the first 2 HHG books I just couldn't
>>get into Dirk Gently. I've got both of them on the shelf not 10 metres
>>away from where I'm sitting, and I don't think I got past the second
>>page of book one. Perhaps I was expecting HHG with different
>>characters.
>>
>>Maybe it's time for another look, eh?
>
> Assuming that you are being serious with the "second page of book one" then
> I think I spot your problem. The first Dirk Gently book does begin on a
> rather odd note and takes a few chapters to settle into what any HHG fan
> would think of as "typical" Adams. In many ways the Dirk Gently books are
> more pure science fiction then HHG is. The basic plot of either of them (the
> first in particular) would be pretty hard to explain to anyone who doesn't
> like the idea of multiple impossibilities happening all at once. Although
> Pterry has at one time or another used aliens, time travel, ghosts, psychic
> abilities and quantum physics in his stories, I don't think he has ever used
> them all at the same time.
>
> However, Dirk Gently *is* very funny and deserves a chance, if only because
> it is so unique. There is plenty of HHG style humor in it, just with all the
> knobs turned up to eleven.
>
Yes, I was being serious. I came to HHG via the TV series, which was
shown on the ABC in Australia in 1984 or so. I got the books next, and
after that I got hold of the Dirk Gently books. After a couple of pages
I realised it wasn't the same thing and I started work, got married, had
kids, bought a house, etc and still didn't take them up again.
Cheers
Simon
--
http://www.spacejock.com.au/ - Hal Spacejock, science fiction with NUTS!
http://www.andromedaspaceways.com/ - Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine
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| Re: [I] Experience with Mr Pratchett [message #26234 ] |
Wed, 27 April 2005 13:21 |
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On Tue, 26 Apr 2005 22:00:07 +0100 (BST), Brian {Hamilton Kelly} wrote
in <20050426.2100.59819snz [at] dsl.co.uk>, seen in alt.fan.pratchett:
[...]
> In the UK, light-controlled pedestrian crossings emit an electronic
> beep-beep-beep when the little green man is showing. [...]
That's "_some_ light-controlled pedestrian crossings". It seems to
depend on what the installing authority's preferred specifications
are, as it varies from area to area.
I've not yet encountered a Puffin crossing (combined pedestrian and
cyclist [1]) crossing with audible warnings, and yet they're the
newest type of crossing and I would have expected audible warnings to
be standard by now.
[1] I think they're called Puffin crossings. Or are they something
else entirely?
--
Ross, in Lincoln
Reply-to address will bounce; replace "junk-trap" with "me" for e-mail
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| Re: [I] noisy pedestrian crossings (was Re: Experience with Mr Pratchett) [message #26260 ] |
Wed, 27 April 2005 19:44 |
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In message <1114587760.278746.120470 [at] g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>
"Anke" <anke.wehner [at] gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Brian {Hamilton Kelly} wrote:
> >
> > I noticed when I visited Stockholm 10--15 years ago that all
> > their pedestrian crossing emit a continual dull "tick"; it
> > sounds like an electromechanical relay hidden inside the pipe
> > that supports the traffic light. When the lights change to
> > safe for pedestrians to cross then the ticking speeds up about
> > threefold. I assumed that this dull clicking is less
> > obtrusive to nearby residents than an electronic beep would be.
> >
>
> That sounds reasonable to me.
> We've got ticking pedestrian crossings around here (Southwest
> Germany), albeit it seems to be not yet a standard. What confuses
> me a bit is that in some towns they only tick if a special button
> apart from the normal one was pushed, and the light shows green,
> and in other towns they tick all the time, faster when it's
> green.
> You'd think they would have agreed on one standard before building
> the things.
>
> ~Anke
>
In the UK we have fairly strict rules, but with choices that can be
made. Also, when there are new ideas they have to be tried out and so,
possibly, the one with (or without) the special button is an
experimental type, which is too costly to change to the standard.
Also, in the UK we are moving away from noises, partly because they are
noisy, partly because they can be confusing if there is more than one
crossing in the immediate area and finally because the deaf and deaf
blind cannot benefit from them. (many elderly people can be effectively
deaf and blind as far as seeing little lights and hearing high pitched
sounds).
The solution is to use a rotating tactile (that is rough) cone which is
on the underside of the push button box and which rotates (moving the
user's hand away) when the green man shows. Thus giving a clear
indication to those who cannot see and hear adequately to use other
methods without disturbing residents late at night.
--
Mark Foweraker
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| Re: [I] Experience with Mr Pratchett [message #26268 ] |
Wed, 27 April 2005 21:55 |
|
On Tue, 26 Apr 2005 22:00:07 +0100 (BST), bhk [at] dsl.co.uk
(Brian {Hamilton Kelly}) jotted down:
>I noticed when I visited Stockholm 10--15 years ago that all their
>pedestrian crossing emit a continual dull "tick"; it sounds like an
>electromechanical relay hidden inside the pipe that supports the traffic
>light. When the lights change to safe for pedestrians to cross then the
>ticking speeds up about threefold. I assumed that this dull clicking is
>less obtrusive to nearby residents than an electronic beep would be.
If you touch the little box on the pole you can also feel
when the faster tick starts - there's a panel that had bumps
on it where you can feel how many lanes there are and what
way the traffic moves, and it sort of starts to throb.
--
Elin
The Tale of Westala and Villtin
http://tale.cunobaros.com/
The Oswalds DW casting award - Vote Now!
http://www.student.lu.se/~his02ero/Oswald/index.html
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| Re: [I] noisy pedestrian crossings (was Re: Experience with Mr Pratchett) [message #26426 ] |
Fri, 29 April 2005 23:11 |
|
Hi there,
On Wed, 27 Apr 2005 18:44:26 +0100, Mark <mark [at] foweraker.com> wrote:
>Also, in the UK we are moving away from noises, partly because they are
>noisy, partly because they can be confusing if there is more than one
>crossing in the immediate area
There's a couple of crossings close to each other down here in
Portsmouth, but they make different noises to avoid this problem.
One makes the standard "beep, beep, beep" noise, the other goes
something like "bip, bip, bip, whooop" where the "whooop" is a rising
tone.
Cheers,
Graham.
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| Re: [I] noisy pedestrian crossings (was Re: Experience with Mr [message #26432 ] |
Sat, 30 April 2005 01:44 |
|
in article 7885719jplf80d25r0hokk5uen02sf0gl9 [at] 4ax.com, graham at
graham [at] DELETETHISaffordable-leather.co.uk wrote on 29/04/2005 2:11 PM:
> Hi there,
>
> On Wed, 27 Apr 2005 18:44:26 +0100, Mark <mark [at] foweraker.com> wrote:
>
>> Also, in the UK we are moving away from noises, partly because they are
>> noisy, partly because they can be confusing if there is more than one
>> crossing in the immediate area
>
> There's a couple of crossings close to each other down here in
> Portsmouth, but they make different noises to avoid this problem.
>
> One makes the standard "beep, beep, beep" noise, the other goes
> something like "bip, bip, bip, whooop" where the "whooop" is a rising
> tone.
Here the crossings at major intersections make different noises for either
of the roads being safe to cross now. They use bird calls - a loud trilling
similar to a wren in winter for one and a cuckoo for the other; there are no
cuckoos here, but I'll bet the starlings have picked it up, though I haven't
heard them at it yet.
--
Lesley Weston.
Brightly_coloured_blob is real, but I don't often check even the few bits
that get through Yahoo's filters. To reach me, use leswes att shaw dott ca,
changing spelling and spacing as required.
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| Re: [I] noisy pedestrian crossings (was Re: Experience with MrPratchett) [message #26439 ] |
Sat, 30 April 2005 04:43 |
|
Lesley Weston wrote:
> in article 7885719jplf80d25r0hokk5uen02sf0gl9 [at] 4ax.com, graham at
> graham [at] DELETETHISaffordable-leather.co.uk wrote on 29/04/2005 2:11 PM:
>
> > Hi there,
> >
> > On Wed, 27 Apr 2005 18:44:26 +0100, Mark <mark [at] foweraker.com> wrote:
> >
> >> Also, in the UK we are moving away from noises, partly because they are
> >> noisy, partly because they can be confusing if there is more than one
> >> crossing in the immediate area
> >
> > There's a couple of crossings close to each other down here in
> > Portsmouth, but they make different noises to avoid this problem.
> >
> > One makes the standard "beep, beep, beep" noise, the other goes
> > something like "bip, bip, bip, whooop" where the "whooop" is a rising
> > tone.
>
> Here the crossings at major intersections make different noises for either
> of the roads being safe to cross now. They use bird calls - a loud trilling
> similar to a wren in winter for one and a cuckoo for the other; there are no
> cuckoos here, but I'll bet the starlings have picked it up, though I haven't
> heard them at it yet.
>
> --
> Lesley Weston.
>
> Brightly_coloured_blob is real, but I don't often check even the few bits
> that get through Yahoo's filters. To reach me, use leswes att shaw dott ca,
> changing spelling and spacing as required.
We have a bird around here who has picked up the diffrent walk sounds. and one
little wacko does cell phones, video games, car allarms, door bells and many
other. he has several hunderd calls. The first time I ran into him was about
3am when I was comeing home late and suddenly relized that I was hearing a
pokemon game. But then I realized that the sounds where comeing from a nabors
now unused Old TV antena. so either some one was sitting up there playing the
game at 3am or it was a bird. Then after it did the pokemon game it did the car
alarm and something that sounded like that old space invader game before it did
a standerd bird call.
That was a few years ago and he keeps adding to his sound effect list. By the
way I have been told it is a mocking bird by some one who can see it.
--
Richard The Blind Typer
Lets Hear It For Talking Computers.
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| Re: [I] noisy pedestrian crossings (was Re: Experience with Mr Pratchett) [message #26453 ] |
Sat, 30 April 2005 11:58 |
|
On Fri, 29 Apr 2005 23:44:07 GMT, Lesley Weston
<brightly_coloured_blob [at] yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
>
>Here the crossings at major intersections make different noises for either
>of the roads being safe to cross now. They use bird calls - a loud trilling
>similar to a wren in winter for one and a cuckoo for the other; there are no
>cuckoos here, but I'll bet the starlings have picked it up, though I haven't
>heard them at it yet.
Can you usually hear them "at it"?
I'll get me coat....
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| Re: [I] noisy pedestrian crossings (was Re: Experience with [message #26487 ] |
Sat, 30 April 2005 23:28 |
|
in article 4272F0E9.2C71EE67 [at] cox.net, richard e white at chiphead [at] cox.net
wrote on 29/04/2005 7:43 PM:
> Lesley Weston wrote:
>
>> in article 7885719jplf80d25r0hokk5uen02sf0gl9 [at] 4ax.com, graham at
>> graham [at] DELETETHISaffordable-leather.co.uk wrote on 29/04/2005 2:11 PM:
>>
>>> Hi there,
>>>
>>> On Wed, 27 Apr 2005 18:44:26 +0100, Mark <mark [at] foweraker.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Also, in the UK we are moving away from noises, partly because they are
>>>> noisy, partly because they can be confusing if there is more than one
>>>> crossing in the immediate area
>>>
>>> There's a couple of crossings close to each other down here in
>>> Portsmouth, but they make different noises to avoid this problem.
>>>
>>> One makes the standard "beep, beep, beep" noise, the other goes
>>> something like "bip, bip, bip, whooop" where the "whooop" is a rising
>>> tone.
>>
>> Here the crossings at major intersections make different noises for either
>> of the roads being safe to cross now. They use bird calls - a loud trilling
>> similar to a wren in winter for one and a cuckoo for the other; there are no
>> cuckoos here, but I'll bet the starlings have picked it up, though I haven't
>> heard them at it yet.
>>
>> --
>> Lesley Weston.
>>
>> Brightly_coloured_blob is real, but I don't often check even the few bits
>> that get through Yahoo's filters. To reach me, use leswes att shaw dott ca,
>> changing spelling and spacing as required.
>
> We have a bird around here who has picked up the diffrent walk sounds. and
> one
> little wacko does cell phones, video games, car allarms, door bells and many
> other. he has several hunderd calls. The first time I ran into him was about
> 3am when I was comeing home late and suddenly relized that I was hearing a
> pokemon game. But then I realized that the sounds where comeing from a nabors
> now unused Old TV antena. so either some one was sitting up there playing the
> game at 3am or it was a bird. Then after it did the pokemon game it did the
> car
> alarm and something that sounded like that old space invader game before it
> did
> a standerd bird call.
> That was a few years ago and he keeps adding to his sound effect list. By the
> way I have been told it is a mocking bird by some one who can see it.
The better the song the more sexually attractive the bird, so this one must
have children all over the place, all of them with their Daddy's uncannily
large repertoire after their first season or two. I read somewhere that
starlings were on the decline in the UK until everybody suddenly bought
mobile phones and put different ring-tones on them. Now the male starlings
have all these wonderful new songs to mimic, and the population is rising
again.
--
Lesley Weston.
Brightly_coloured_blob is real, but I don't often check even the few bits
that get through Yahoo's filters. To reach me, use leswes att shaw dott ca,
changing spelling and spacing as required.
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| Re: [I] noisy pedestrian crossings (was Re: Experience with Mr [message #26488 ] |
Sat, 30 April 2005 23:30 |
|
in article 5ll6711fu4ku1hgqdkfklofa09896ujovp [at] 4ax.com, Lister at
misterlister169 [at] gmail.com wrote on 30/04/2005 2:58 AM:
> On Fri, 29 Apr 2005 23:44:07 GMT, Lesley Weston
> <brightly_coloured_blob [at] yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
>
>>
>> Here the crossings at major intersections make different noises for either
>> of the roads being safe to cross now. They use bird calls - a loud trilling
>> similar to a wren in winter for one and a cuckoo for the other; there are no
>> cuckoos here, but I'll bet the starlings have picked it up, though I haven't
>> heard them at it yet.
>
>
> Can you usually hear them "at it"?
>
>
> I'll get me coat....
Yes, well, I did rather walk into that one, didn't I? Very noisy birds,
starlings, so I wouldn't be surprised if one could, if one were interested
in such things.
--
Lesley Weston.
Brightly_coloured_blob is real, but I don't often check even the few bits
that get through Yahoo's filters. To reach me, use leswes att shaw dott ca,
changing spelling and spacing as required.
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