Fine details

The last Barcelonian curiousity is the sign in all the Metro carriages telling passengers what is probibited and the fines for breaking the rules. All quite straightforward and clear in three languages. However, I found the fine for smoking to be somewhat curious (sorry no picture). If caught smoking the fine is 30.05 Euro. Why the .05? Will that little extra really discourage those who can afford the 30 Euro?

[Barcelona 26 February 2007]

Barcelona strikes again.

A number of Barcelona's fountains display this fine pair. 'No swimming' is obvious but the other one????

"If you swim here lightning will strike you in a very painful place"?

Suggestions please.

[Barcelona - 25 February 2007]

First, no playing and now - no walking

A number of parks in Barcelona have this trio of signs. 'No football', I can understand; 'No Dogs' is quite clear; but 'No walking in the park' seems a little strict.

[Barcelona - 25 February 2007]

Wouldn't dream of it ...

Play in a park? What a crazy notion! Everyone knows parks are really there for ...

[Snapped by (another) Murray while ignored by Max in Victoria Park, Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka - January 2007]

Is this an international phenomenon?

A question posed by Joe James who snapped and forwarded this matching shot.

Perhaps they are constantly putting out the trash?

The sign on the door says, "No Parking. In Constant Use."

The small green sign says, "Another service provided by Islington Council."

I wonder what that service is?

[Old Finsbury Town Hall, London, UK - 27 January 2007]

So now we know who is responsible!

[Oxford St, London, UK. November 2006]

Warning! Birds evolving in flight.

Other suggestions welcome.
(Maybe a local can translate?)


[Spotted by Laura on summer vacation in the north Fjords of Iceland, 2006]

Now here's a novel idea ...

Who would have thought it? Fancy getting tickets from a ticket office - but only if you haven't already done so.

[Spotted by in Iceland by Laura from Italy,
Stykkisholmur Harbour Summer 2006]

I think it is time for "T"

An explanation of the crack in the hull of the SS Great Britain. Since, as in this notice, ships are referred to as 'she', who is the 'His'? The other interesting thing is that the ship had sat on the sea floor for 33 years without the wind and some 24000 tides breaking her in half so the last sentence is a tad dramatic.

[SS Great Britain exhibition, Bristol, UK - 28 October 2006]

There's this great new tool called Spellcheck!

Again, not a sign, but far too good to not share with you all.

Then again, perhaps it is a 'sign'

Too late! - I looked

Driving west towards Vancouver on Highway 1 there was a motorway information sign, the type they use for variable signs about traffic conditions etc. It read "FOCUS ON THE ROAD", but by then it was too late, I had taken my focus off the road and read the sign!

[9 October 2006]

What is the world record for throwing flies?

How far can the average person throw a fly?

Or, perhaps it is something to do with baseball?

[Thames Festival, London September 2006]

Ummmm, including this notice?

[Haberdasher's Hall, London September 2006]

Braille roadsigns for blind drivers

We can, exclusively, reveal secret tests of the new braille road signs. Remember folks, you saw it here first - this will not be reported anywhere else on the Web.

[Braemar, Scotland - September 2006]

There is something fishy about this sign

[Snapped by Dean Finnie in Cape Town]

Circular gravity discovered

This sign is helpfully placed at the top of a cliff. You will have to take my word for it that there is absolutely nowhere a rock could fall on you from if you can read this sign. Therefore the rocks have to drop off the eroding cliff at your feet, circle up around and fall on your head. Unfortunately climatic conditions were such that the phenomenon was not happening on the day we were there.

[St Andrews, Scotland - August 2006]

I thought it was cakes that were liable ...

These are all over Scotland. Considering the numbers of foreign drivers on the roads I am sure the single word "Ice" would be more easily comprehended than this mouthful. Notice, too, the hinges: these signs were able to be closed when the message was inappropriate yet we saw dozens when we toured in the height of summer!

[Scotland, August 2006]

'All' has been redefined

I guess the fact that the 'All Butter' twists had Cheese in them was a bit of a give-away but even so a look at the ingredient list shows that 'All' now equals 29%.

[At an M&S store near you]

P.S. They are very scrummy

Stating the obvious, but not clear for all to see - 2

Sighted visitors can see that these interpretation boards are written in braille, the blind visitors cannot see the word "Braille" on the post, so what is the point of putting it there?

[National Botanical Gardens of Wales]