Feedback is our weekly column of bizarre stories, implausible advertising claims, confusing instructions and more
Now here was the news
WITH typical topicality we turn up a message Lance Andrewes sent in January. It being about the 鈥渕ost read鈥� section on the , our delay is appropriate. When Lance looked, the second slot was occupied by 鈥溾�� 鈥� a story from CBBC, the British broadcaster鈥檚 service for children, published in December 2006.
Typically, we concluded with Lance, such things happen when someone on an over-popular website says 鈥淟ookee here!鈥� and the throng follows. We cannot rule out campaigns to make stories reappear from the past.
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Lance thinks the phenomenon needs a name. 鈥淩epopular鈥� sounds, he concedes, 鈥渓ame, but it鈥檚 all I can think of. I鈥檓 too busy reading old stories.鈥� Feedback is torn between 鈥渞evenant news鈥�, 鈥渞evenant kittens鈥� and 鈥渙lds鈥�. Any better ideas?
鈥淣on-urgent X-rays hit by 鈥� read a Dundee Courier headline on 13 October. Ian Davidson knows the subject is serious, but he still likes the idea of lackadaisical light
Google Truth鈩�
ANACHRONISMS will become ever more frequent with the advent of displays that provide people with 鈥渋nformation about the landmarks, buildings and businesses they are looking at in the real world鈥�, as predicted in our report on Google鈥檚 Knowledge Vault (23 August p 18).
Erik Wahlstr枚m wondered how this system will be financed, and concludes: 鈥淏y advertising. Of course.鈥� This may be fun. We hope for a software plug-in inspired by the 1988 John Carpenter film , whose hero discovers a pair of sunglasses that automagically display billboards鈥� real messages: 鈥淐onsume鈥�, 鈥淥bey鈥�, 鈥淲atch TV.鈥�
Pains and needles
IT IS not often that Feedback receives a message from a reader that contains the phrase 鈥渕y acupuncturist鈥�. John Cleveland explains that he has a painful condition. The US Medicare scheme will not pay for newer and more expensive patented pain relievers. The state of Indiana, ever vigilant in case drugs should be enjoyed, or used to relieve non-physical pain, last year imposed on doctors prescribing opioid drugs.
So in order to continue his prescription John is required to see 鈥渁 pain manager, a psychiatrist, a psychologist, an acupuncturist/massage therapist, and others鈥�. He 鈥渃annot say that acupuncture works. It is just a hurdle I must clear.鈥�
There must be a better way. There is, and it reminds Feedback to value the UK鈥檚 National Health Service.
Flashlight rebuffed
WE CAN now turn to the tale of a salescreature trying to sell John Cleveland鈥檚 acupuncturist (above)a 鈥淗ealing System鈥� that 鈥渃reates photon and amplified negative free electron energies passing through vials of multi-botanical solutions鈥�. The curious device, at , bears a remarkable superficial resemblance to a chrome flashlight.
How might it work? 鈥淧hoton energy is capable of carrying the harmonics or vibrational frequencies of the contents of any liquid through which it passes,鈥� the website assures us. It is reticent about claiming cures: but apparently the salescreature said it could cure concussion. To the acupuncturist鈥檚 credit, John reports that 鈥渟he gently showed them the door鈥�.
Can鈥檛 read email? Email鈥�
SUBSCRIBERS to the British Film Institute鈥檚 magazine are told that 鈥渨e are unable to make the printed index a continued resource鈥�, but it will be available to download. 鈥淚f you do not have access to a computer,鈥� the BFI continues, helpfully, 鈥渢hen please contact us and we can arrange for a printed copy to be posted to you鈥�. And how would you make contact if you lack access to a computer? By emailing s&s@bfi.org.uk of course.
Liverish Francophobia
(PETA) crows that catering for London鈥檚 Somerset House ice-skating rink is now 鈥溾�� and that this 鈥渦ndoubtedly reflects the wish of the majority of the members of the public, who want to see the sale of this vile French product banned in the UK鈥�.
Hang on. Why overshadow an argument about harm to animals by stressing that the product is French? We feel incited to form a popular society for the ethical treatment of France, to be known by its nearly-pronounceable French acronym, SPTEF.
Symmetry on a plate
INTRIGUED by our consideration of the properties, if any, of 鈥渋neffable numbers鈥� (1 November), a reader requests permission to 鈥渓ower the tone of your numbers discussion鈥�. Their car, registered in 1960, bears the identifier 鈥淟SL 929鈥�. This, they observe, is 鈥渁 double palindrome鈥�. Further, 鈥渢he number part is the highest palindromic prime below 1000.鈥� Do any readers also have interesting numbers?
What is the hidden danger?
ANONYMITY seemed best for the reader mentioned above. People have been exercised enough about car number plates being publicly associated with a name or location for them to campaign successfully for plates to be blurred out in online imagery.
Feedback had presumed that there is some risk of identity theft, or similar. But we now realise that we have no idea how the feared scam would work. Purely in the interests of logical completeness 鈥� can you help?