October 2007 Archives

This is kind of old news, but nonetheless amusing:

McDonald's Germany decided that, after 36 years, Germans probably had figured out how to pronounce the chain's signature sandwich, and that spelling it phonetically in German would no longer be necessary. OK, well, officially it has to with "global unified branding"—The "FishMäc" has also become the globally-known Fillet-o-Fish.

Granted the above is probably not worth more than a shug. We're talking about Germany after all, the country that has invented more English words than hip hop.

More amusing about the Welt article that brought this post all about is a paragraph about the contents of the Fillet-o-Fish in Germany. Here's my translation, and trust me, it's better than Babel Fish's:

The rumor, that the [Fillet-o-Fish] consists of everything but fish, won't be laid to rest. In reality, three different kinds of fish are used in Germany: Atlantic cod, Alaskan sea salmon, Merlucciidae. The [choice of fish] is seasonally dependent. [PR Person Eva Maria Haas]: However, it is important for us that there is no noticeable taste difference." The balancing of the taste is enabled through an extra "spritzer" of tarter sauce.

Of course, the Fillet-o-Fish's taste is further balanced by the use of breading and a deep fryer.

Whenever I take the L-Train in the morning, I expect claustrophobic conditions such as those in the picture to the right. However, whenever the cab drivers strike, the packing extends to the last part of "Option A" for my commute, the E-Train.

Drivers were protesting plans put in motion by Mayor Michael Bloomberg under which all drivers must equip their cars with global satellite positioning systems and machines to take credit cards, partially at their own cost.

The satellite system includes a monitor for passengers to follow their route, check news and weather, view advertisements, and pay their fare by bank card.
&ndashNew York taxi drivers 'regroup' after lackluster strike

There are many things I don't understand about the changes that are being required that have the cab drivers in an uproar:

1. Why GPS for the passenger but not for the driver? How come I still have to inform the driver of every single turn once we enter the fine borough of Brooklyn? Besides, the system is so lagged that one night the driver found the correct turn before I did as a result of the fact that I was navigating by the screen, which was five blocks behind.
2. Probably half of the cabs I've ridden in since I moved here in March already had some kind of cheap-looking credit card reader on the back of the separation glass. Were those fee-free for the driver?
3. The union(s) are claiming that the changes are also disadvantageous to the passenger. I don't see that at all. I have ridden in the newly retrofitted cabs on several occasions already, and while hearing Jim Cramer scream at me about the stock market was a little annoying at three in the morning, I do remember there being an "off" button, which contradicts what I heard in an interview with a cab driver yesterday. And the credit card thing? That'll make me more likely to actually take a cab, which should offset any fractional losses. Come on, it's 2007... I pay for $2 coffees with a card. Why shouldn't I be able to do so for a $20 cab ride?

As for this soon-approaching morning? I am seriously contemplating "Option B" again: "G to the C."

Photo Credit:

1. Getty Images via "Too Many Hipsters Bring Down L Train Grades" - New York Magazine
2. "NY Taxis want no GPS" - NaviGadget

When is Starbucks going to redesign their lid? I complained about this over a year ago and mentioned the specific location of a Starbucks where I was burned, spawning a tirade of hate mail by that location's baristas. Since then, I have been burned and stained by Starbucks coffee on several occasions.

Dunkin Donuts has had a new lid out for around two years now, that snaps shut. It's about time Starbucks comes up with something similar.

Not much has changed. The weather is still great, the job is going great, and the weekends are going great.

I spent over an hour last Saturday in line at the only Time Warner Cable customer service establishment in Brooklyn. There is one establishment with two customer service windows for 2.6 million people.

Subsequently I received a parking ticket in Brooklyn Heights for returning to my car twenty seconds after the meter expired. I know it was twenty seconds because the meter maid told me that she “just saw it expire twenty seconds ago.” Subsequently she had to nerve to have me wait while she finished typing in the info into her machine.

Thursday I got up early and took a trip to the Austrian Consulate to apply for a new passport. Well, first I had to have photos taken. I had these taken at eight at the consulate’s recommended photographer on 42nd Street (the consulate is on 69th).

It turns out the photos were not up to specs, and I had to travel back down to the photographer and have them retaken. Apparently my eyes were slightly too low and the color was bad. At least the representative at the consulate called the photographer so I could have them retaken for free.

So yeah… That’s what’s new.