Meridian Coffee Error

Spotted online recently, this:

…which really made my geographical OCD senses tingle.

What? A mildly blurred image of a disposable takeaway coffee cup?

Well, yes. But one which has come from the Greenwich Coffee Company in Greenwich Turkey, and one upon which the 0o Prime Meridian very definitely doesn’t go through Greenwich.

Or Turkey.

In fact, their 0o Prime Meridian is actually very much 18o.

Oops.

And, if you choose to ignore Stockholm (but then again, why would you?), then the only other major city on this line is right here: Cape Town. Quite why a business choosing to name itself after the accepted home of the Prime Meridian (since 1884, at least) has chosen to put the Prime Meridian going nowhere near… well… the Prime Meridian, is a little baffling.

And it gets even more confusing when you look at the decor in one of their outlets:

What now?!? Another Prime Meridian, this time again ostensibly at 0o, but actually sitting somewhere about 6o east of the actual Greenwich Meridian*, despite the big orange lettering suggesting otherwise.

But maybe there are other clues on that wall. Ireland being joined to Wales and Scotland. New Zealand only having one island. Hudson Bay being Hudson Lake. The easterly migration of Rwanda and Tanzania. And the misspelling of Guatemala.

Perhaps it’s just that they’re not actually very bothered about geographical accuracy. And I guess that’s fine, as long as they are putting a bit more effort into their products and their service. And they do get 5 stars on their one review on Tripadvisor, and that despite the coffee being rubbish:

For me though, it’s just a bit disappointing that I’m not going to be able to stick a straight bit of metal on my patio and then charge tourists a hefty fee to take photos of themselves standing astride it.

Perhaps I should be considering a campaign – potentially fronted by the Greenwich Coffee guys – to move the Greenwich Meridian to Cape Town. For a while, at least.
Just while they use up the last stock of that bulk order of geographically incorrect takeaway cups, and I get to make some decent money from the temporary rehoming of the big North-South line, thus paying for the therapy I will need from having had to see it come through here anyway.

Cow signs

Yep. A Mastodon thread of “Beware of Cattle” signs from around Europe, rated for… I dunno… “artistic impression” (and a bit more?)?

Sure, why not?

Useful for your Geoguessr experience, as well.

It’s interesting that there are so many different variations on what is a very simple message. In many ways, it’s like the Stockholm Metro and New Mexico Rail Runner post I did last week. I mean, we all see any of these and we know what we are being warned about, so they do their job, just like the air vents and the door closing noises, but there are stylised images, detailed images, horns, no horns, udders, no udders, even some cows that actually look quite unwell.

…and then there’s Poland’s effort.

You’ll have to click through on the link above to look at that one: I’d hate to spoil the surprise. But I was instantly thinking 1960s Hanna-Barbera background art. And yes, that might sound terribly niche, but as soon as you see it, you’ll know…

Using a 108 Year Old World War 1 Lens

One of those Youtube videos that makes you stop and think. I initially watched it because I was interested in the technical aspects of attaching a 108 year old lens to a modern digital camera, but actually that bit was overlooked almost completely, and I was drawn instead by the history, the storytelling and the powerful images that they managed to create in the video.

Absolutely worth 5 minutes and 20 seconds of your day.

Not much more to add to this – the video itself does most of the talking – but I will say that while there are many places on Youtube that are horrifically puerile and unsophisticated, I’m (thankfully) finding more and more channels with great ideas, telling interesting stories, and with really high quality production values. And because of these discoveries, I’m learning more, I’m enjoying the site far more, and I’m using it more too.

Is this finally the thing they call “growing up”?!?

Admyt hiccup

Heading into the V&A today to smash MARBLE, Hinthunt‘s latest escape room, (<20% success rate in the 8 weeks it’s been open), we overcame the initial challenge of actually getting to the room to escape from, despite the horrific traffuck on the way into town. Buoyed by this early success, I confidently drove up to the car park barrier and waited for Admyt to do its thing.

But nothing happened. Eek.

However, I did immediately get an email telling me that nothing had happened, and also explaining how to sort the situation out:

So even though it didn’t recognise my number plate, it also clearly did recognise my number plate enough for it to send me an email saying that it didn’t recognise my number plate.

And yes, attached to the side of the ticket machine was an admyt QR code, which clearly circumnavigates the need for full on recognition of your number plate.

All’s well that ends well, then. And this did end well.

A reminder that you can get the app on Apple here, or Google here. Then use this code:

TRE162273

to get R10 off your first parking bill. And look like a superstar as you sweep into car parks nationwide.

(Oh, and yes, we nailed the escape room with almost 10 minutes to spare… Dangerous Rodney Dream Team Massive.)

No good story ever started with this line…

And this is a very sad story, relating to the death of a man allegedly at the hands of another. But honestly

According to Matilda Cochrane, her son left their home in Westlake at 11.40pm Sunday January 28 to sell a vintage bicycle to the accused’s father in a nearby street.

Clearly, this is not the safest neighbourhood in what is not a very safe city, in what is most definitely a very unsafe country. And it’s horrendous that this woman’s son – he was 40 years old – has lost his life.

But couldn’t the sale of the vintage bicycle maybe have waited until Monday morning?

Was it absolutely necessary to go out onto those dangerous streets and seal the deal before midnight? Is this some sort of Cinderella scenario whereby the vintage bicycle turns back into a sweet potato when the clock chimes 12?

I am absolutely not victim-blaming, but it’s not like we don’t know where we live. You take precautions and modify your behaviour accordingly. And that surely includes maybe delaying the sale of classic veliocipedes for maybe 8 hours until Monday morning, when the nastiest, most dangerous people are at least less likely to be out and about causing mischief. And after all, waiting just those few hours longer means that your vintage piece is actually that little bit more vintage, perhaps even allowing you to push for a better price.

Because no good can ever come of heading out at a quarter to midnight to sell and old bike to a neighbour.

Believe me.