Obiter Dicta

Realisation

As I set out to scoop some ice-cream for my nephew (21, visiting from Georgia Tech so not quite a kid), I realised I have not used the scoop for a loooong time.

Then I realised that I never use a scoop because I eat from the tub… :-)  

Efficient queues

foodinmouth:

I am very petty. Stupid shit bugs me. Every time inside a Duane Reade (that’s a NY regional drug store, for those of you who live elsewhere. Think CVS, RiteAid, etc), and there is a crowd at the registers, I get really fucking annoyed. Why? One of the cashiers inevitably screams out, “Separate lines!” There would always be an undertone of indignation, as if the customers are too idiotic and purposefully want to screw up their jobs.

The thing is, separate lines is inefficient for the customers. It bugs me. At my local grocery store, I will skip a certain elderly cashier due to that person’s slow speed, even if that line is half as long as the next one. I always end up making it through faster at the longer line.

If you queue up the customers in a single line, and then funnel them to the open register, that helps the customer better. If you go B&H, which is this ginormous electronics store on 9th ave and 34th st, you see how they do it. That place is efficient.

Duane Reade, you suck.  

Foodinmouth’s post makes an interesting point about queues.

An American friend in England once asked me about British queues (ok, legendary stuff, orderly queues of 1 and all that, we have heard it all before). 

If people queue up in the order in which they came and not in front of specific cashiers based on how swiftly they estimate the queues will move, it is fairer and more efficient. This way of queuing allow them to go to the cashier that gets free next rather than one they chose to stick with based on their judgement of the queue.  

Fairer because people get served in the order in which they came.

More efficient because they do not have to game one queue taking guesses at the cashier’s efficiency and basket loads of stuff people are buying, but because they can benefit from the overall efficiency of the system and not get penalised for choosing the wrong queue. 

If you feel the other queue always moves faster, compare it with your experience in one-queue-only-served-as-cashiers-become-free places. 

curious...

foodinmouth:

earlier sarah posted about some woman having her 18th kid and how she thinks the world is overpopulated. Who here has read Freakonomics? They did a study that showed abortion reduced crime because it reduced the number of unwanted kids who grow up to be criminals.

Here is the question:

Today the magic powers of tumblr makes you the supreme commander of whatever country you currently reside. 

Would the pragmatic nature of legalized abortion be enough for you to support a woman’s right to an abortion? And since this is a discussion about CRIME, if you do not believe such a pragmatic solution is morally justified in your realm of good and evil, HOW would you go about reducing crime?

It’s Friday, what else are you doing besides reading Tumblr? Go.

The Freakonomics explanation is based on correlation. There is not an absolute and simple causal relationship between abortion and crime rates. Therefore foodinmouth is positing a question which, alas, once again confuses causal with contributory factors, a logical fallacy that many students of logic find it difficult to avoid in early days of their pursuits. 

Evelyn Waugh's observations on Guyanese Indians

“The more I saw of the Indians the greater I was struck by their similarity to the English. They like living with their families at great distance from their neighbours; they regard strangers with suspicion and despair; they are unprogressive and unambitious, fond of pets, hunting and fishing; they are undemonstrative … and their chief aim seems to be on all occasions to render themselves inconspicuous.”

From here. 

Wedding Etiquette

emilyposts:

This post is written as a partial rant, but mostly I just want to save my readers from committing some serious wedding faux pas. I had no idea how clueless some people are when it comes to weddings. And I make no apologies for attempting to do things the proper way. My blog title certainly didn’t stem from my lack of interest in manners.

1. If you are invited to a wedding and/or shower and cannot attend, you should still send a gift - this one really irks me because I always abide by this rule, so it’s frustrating when the people who have been recipients of said gifts fail to reciprocate. I do think there is one exception to this rule when it comes to weddings. If you are a member of the bridal party and are being invited to every event under the sun you are not obligated to bring a gift to everything. Or, as I did for a friend’s wedding, you can buy an entire set of towels and just give the bride one per shower. :)
2. RSVPing is not optional - there are no exceptions to this rule. If you can’t attend just check no and pop the card back in the mail. There is nothing more frustrating than trying to get a headcount. And, as Laura pointed out, there is no excuse for avoiding people who were your closest friends just days before their invitation arrived.
3. If your invitation does not say “and guest” you don’t get to bring one - if I wanted you to bring someone I would have said so. Keep in mind that weddings are costly, and try to respect people’s budgets by following the rules. If you don’t have a significant other you shouldn’t expect to bring a guest. In a perfect world money would be no object and you could bring any schmuck off the street, but that’s just not reality. Now, there are some cases where you may have started dating someone recently and they weren’t listed on the invitation. I do think it’s okay to call and ask, but don’t be offended if you’re told no. This rule also extends to children. If the invitation reads Mr. and Mrs. Jones, that isn’t the same as The Mr. and Mrs. Jones Family. Get a damn sitter! And if you are a bride inviting a lot of out-of-town guests, be prepared to provide daycare or don’t be surprised when people don’t show.
4. It is tacky to take a friend/buddy/chum as your “and guest” - this needs no explantion. I can’t believe people even have the balls to ask about this one. No, your college frat brother doesn’t count as your date.
5. Thank you notes are not optional - as a bride/groom you are responsible for being gracious and grateful to your guests. I can’t stress enough how important it is to SEND THANK YOU NOTES! This is especially important in the days of online ordering. If you don’t send a thank you note, how can people be sure their gift arrived? Plus, when people are taking the time to send a gift, come to your wedding and share in your marriage the least you can do is send a heartfelt note of appreciation.

This practical and sensible post from Emily compels me to add some more to this list…

6. When the bride and the groom have been co-habiting for yonks, it is shameless and crass to put expensive dinner sets (think Wedgewood plates for £80 a pop), silver cutlery and lace tablecloths on the ‘wedding list’ at the City’s most expensive store. You sure have enough dinner plates and cutlery by now, including fancy-shmancy ones, don’t you? Remember, it is a wedding, not a chance to loot all your friends and family at an emotional gunpoint.

7. Another one on wedding lists - if you cannot afford to shop at a store with your own money, don’t make your wedding list there. Simple. See above for logic.

8. Continuing on wedding lists - if you would rather have cash instead of presents, putting it as a note on your wedding list is crass. Tell us - discreetly and we will be happy to do so. Your wedding list is seen by many who do not know some of your more redeeming qualities to forget this blooper.

9. If you would rather we make a donation to your child’s trust fund, tell us. If you would rather we bring no flowers, tell us. If you would rather we gave money to some charity, tell us. Nobody - including the person you are marrying - can divine your thoughts and it is best you figure this important one before starting your marriage.

10. If you want a wedding out of town in an exotic locale, go for it! But either foot the travel and hotel bills for your bridesmaids, or be gracious in accepting that not everyone may wish to spend more on your wedding than she would on her own.

Have fun! We will be there with bells on, throwing confetti. We do like you otherwise we could have just walked away instead of ranting about these faux pas.