Thursday, July 10, 2008
The best birthday card ever
Thank you Ben! Jimmy Saville failed when I was 6 to get me in the TARDIS with Peter Davison. You have succeeded. There is a shell suit in the post.
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
TARDIS for sale, one careful owner..
Well, now I've built a TARDIS, what comes next. I promise that there is no sawdust in the gearbox. I'll sell it in exchange for a house overlooking the sea in Scotland.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Letter to the Mayor
Dear Sir,
As a Londoner and a regular user of the transport facilities, one cannot miss the ‘communications’ from ‘Transport for London’. Clearly your communications team would not be doing their job if Londoners and visitors were missing the posters, leaflets and announcements.
I do, however, believe that there is a gap in your communications team for an Editor, who would make sure that communications are correct when presented to the public. Consider this poster as an example:
A big poster that is supposed to engage Londoners with the improvements taking place, and keep them informed of the changes to their network. This was clearly not checked – you cannot have ‘less delays’ – it does not make any grammatical or linguistic sense. It should, of course, be either ‘fewer delays’ or ‘lesser delays’ depending on what you are trying to say. Similarly just a bit further down, the poster says ‘a multi-billion pound upgrade’ – this tells us that the Jubilee Line is being made heavier, or that the coins used to pay for it are to be refurbished. Naturally, it should be ‘a multi-billion-pound upgrade’. My purpose in writing is not to lecture on language, but I would be happy to explain both of these further should you wish me to.
Another example might be on the Jubilee Line. The digital announcements regularly say: ‘Ladies and Gentlemen, there is currently a good service operating on the Jubilee Line this morning’. This is linguistically impossible because it is tautologous – it is like me saying: ‘I am right at this moment going to buy a car this morning’ – totally nonsensical.
My last collected example is that when I passed through Kings Cross Underground Station last week, an announcement said ‘The Victoria and Hammersmith and City Line is running with minor delays’. Again, this is nonsensical – there is no such line as the ‘Victoria and Hammersmith and City’.
As I have mentioned, I am a Londoner; I am also an Editor for a publishing house and I firmly believe that London should have a transport system that is world-leading. Regardless of how people might generally perceive the importance of English grammar and language, I do not think it is right for an organization that needs to command the respect of people across all spectra, to be slack and incorrect in its home language. It is fine when creating a trendy and catchy pun/play on words – but to me and to doubtless many others, the examples I give just look and sound messy and amateur.
Should it be of interest to you, I am looking for a change of direction in my own career. If the situation were mutually suitable, I would happily work for TfL as an Editor making sure all public communications were correct and professional. If you have someone doing this job already, it is clearly not being done satisfactorily. I suspect you do not have someone in the position ¬– maybe if you did, it would stop annoying letters like this one, and command you greater respect with powers that be.
With good wishes
Yours sincerely
Jonathan Lee.
As a Londoner and a regular user of the transport facilities, one cannot miss the ‘communications’ from ‘Transport for London’. Clearly your communications team would not be doing their job if Londoners and visitors were missing the posters, leaflets and announcements.
I do, however, believe that there is a gap in your communications team for an Editor, who would make sure that communications are correct when presented to the public. Consider this poster as an example:
A big poster that is supposed to engage Londoners with the improvements taking place, and keep them informed of the changes to their network. This was clearly not checked – you cannot have ‘less delays’ – it does not make any grammatical or linguistic sense. It should, of course, be either ‘fewer delays’ or ‘lesser delays’ depending on what you are trying to say. Similarly just a bit further down, the poster says ‘a multi-billion pound upgrade’ – this tells us that the Jubilee Line is being made heavier, or that the coins used to pay for it are to be refurbished. Naturally, it should be ‘a multi-billion-pound upgrade’. My purpose in writing is not to lecture on language, but I would be happy to explain both of these further should you wish me to.
Another example might be on the Jubilee Line. The digital announcements regularly say: ‘Ladies and Gentlemen, there is currently a good service operating on the Jubilee Line this morning’. This is linguistically impossible because it is tautologous – it is like me saying: ‘I am right at this moment going to buy a car this morning’ – totally nonsensical.
My last collected example is that when I passed through Kings Cross Underground Station last week, an announcement said ‘The Victoria and Hammersmith and City Line is running with minor delays’. Again, this is nonsensical – there is no such line as the ‘Victoria and Hammersmith and City’.
As I have mentioned, I am a Londoner; I am also an Editor for a publishing house and I firmly believe that London should have a transport system that is world-leading. Regardless of how people might generally perceive the importance of English grammar and language, I do not think it is right for an organization that needs to command the respect of people across all spectra, to be slack and incorrect in its home language. It is fine when creating a trendy and catchy pun/play on words – but to me and to doubtless many others, the examples I give just look and sound messy and amateur.
Should it be of interest to you, I am looking for a change of direction in my own career. If the situation were mutually suitable, I would happily work for TfL as an Editor making sure all public communications were correct and professional. If you have someone doing this job already, it is clearly not being done satisfactorily. I suspect you do not have someone in the position ¬– maybe if you did, it would stop annoying letters like this one, and command you greater respect with powers that be.
With good wishes
Yours sincerely
Jonathan Lee.
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Good moods
It occurs to me that I should very probably be in a horrendous mood at the moment, if not that, almost certainly depressed. I'm not.
I wouldn't say I'm in a good mood – that would be overstating the fact, but I should be in a bad mood because:
1. I picked up food poisoning at the weekend and I am still not able to eat much let alone drink alcohol. It has also interrupted my half-marathon training, meaning I will have to nearly start again when I can actually run.
2. Orange, in their wisdom have managed to cut me off from their system and don't know how or why. They won't be able to fix it for a week. I can't phone or text and people cannot get hold of me.
3. I have no money. I have survived since Sunday on £30. I'm down to £20 and am not paid until 22nd.
4. I've been presented with a rather large tax bill for £1437. Even though last year I ticked the box saying I would like it taken through PAYE, Inland Revenue won't do it. So I need to find that money somewhere – perhaps I should offer them £2 from my remaining bank balance.
That's enough for the time being. As I say, surprising how I remain in a reasonable mood!
JL
I wouldn't say I'm in a good mood – that would be overstating the fact, but I should be in a bad mood because:
1. I picked up food poisoning at the weekend and I am still not able to eat much let alone drink alcohol. It has also interrupted my half-marathon training, meaning I will have to nearly start again when I can actually run.
2. Orange, in their wisdom have managed to cut me off from their system and don't know how or why. They won't be able to fix it for a week. I can't phone or text and people cannot get hold of me.
3. I have no money. I have survived since Sunday on £30. I'm down to £20 and am not paid until 22nd.
4. I've been presented with a rather large tax bill for £1437. Even though last year I ticked the box saying I would like it taken through PAYE, Inland Revenue won't do it. So I need to find that money somewhere – perhaps I should offer them £2 from my remaining bank balance.
That's enough for the time being. As I say, surprising how I remain in a reasonable mood!
JL
Monday, February 04, 2008
Idle surfings whilst at home ill...
Although some may see it as bad taste, I have found the very best excuse for being single possible - oh yes.
Click here for revelation
JL
Click here for revelation
JL
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