What a lovely idea, but in my mind not very practical – the flying car. There have been a number of reports of late, also the display of prototype models. They refer to the provision of future travel by the pile with wheels in the garage, so that it can take wings and leap over the travel congestion, taking the owner to where they wish, quickly, smoothly and quietly.
The thought is a little mind-blowing, visualising the queue at the end of the street as the neighbours take it in turns to use the roadway as a runway, so their vehicle can get airborne to take the possessor to their intended destination.
That does not seem practical to me, one might as well get in the line at the traffic lights, on the other hand perhaps these things will be designed to take off vertically.
That is an interesting thought, can you imagine eight o’clock in the morning a street of detached houses coming to life with flying cars lifting off from their front drives, the downdraft from the rotors causing dust to rise, smothering the flower beds, and if someone was keen enough for an early start, having laundry fluttering in the wind with the smut scattering over it. That last bit is a bit of nonsense; who hangs out washing these days.
What is the point of the flying car, I suppose useful on long journeys flying above the traffic jams on the motorways and on arrival at the seaside instead of queuing on a major road to enter the complex, one could fly over the car parking lot and lower the rig down on an available vacant spot?
Whilst the boffins are studying how to create a car to fly, I read in a report that there are other boffins in the three big names in the electronic industry, Apple – Google – Samsung, all are planning their own excursions into the motor industry, with gadget adorned passenger vehicles.
I guess the future is sitting in a car and controlling it with your mobile phone! Of course, the cars will be made by the people who have designed the complexity of the ‘all singing and dancing row of buttons in your pocket,’ no doubt there will be frequent upgrades to the vehicle and after a few years you will need to buy a new one as the one you have will not respond to the new format.
WHAT A LOAD OF BANKERS
One of the names I have written about in the past is the banking industry who it seems on a daily basis create further restrictions of services to its customers. Sadly, honesty is secondary to these hoarders of wealth as they are not beyond laundering money, as proof, a few banks recently have been fined heavily for doing exactly that.
As they are busy wining and dining the wealthy – my words – the man in the street is finding it more difficult to deal with an organisation which by its very name is dealing with money. Ah, but when it comes to cash, no, no, no in many instances it is not acceptable.
Strong words! However, I am referring to charities, those remarkable groups who with volunteers are dedicated to promote the cause they are involved in, and go out of their way to raise money, which on many occasions is in small coin. With hardly a smile on their face some banks refuse to accept it. Then, what is the charity going to do with hundreds of Euros in small change, which is part of the life blood of its enterprise? That leads to the question how long before small change ceases to be legal tender?
MEDICAL STAFF GOING THE EXTRA MILE
The medical profession performs wonderfully in the care and promotion of good health. In the current Covid crisis I have felt gratification of the stories of how over stressed medical staff go the extra mile in their efforts to care for the unwell.
Not similar to bankers who keep regular hours, and on a regular basis close branches and other facilities to their customers. The twenty-four-hour health service, comparable to other amenities in the service industry that do not have regular hours. From the day of commitment by the new recruit, surely there is an understanding that whilst on duty the days are twenty-four hours long without division, and they are on call when those magic three numbers on the telephone are used to get in touch with them.
One problem is that those numbers are used for occasions when there is no real emergency.
A true story: It is Boxing Day morning and after a wonderful Xmas day the family retired to their beds. I awoke early with a stunning headache and feeling poorly. Everyone in the house was feeling ill, the worst case was laying on the bathroom floor unconscious with very little in the way of a pulse.
We called an ambulance, their response, they would not attend unless authorised by a doctor. The doctor would not attend either and he moaned about being disturbed that early in the morning.
We tried the ambulance again to no effect – my guess they were swamped with the aftereffects of the Christmas festivities.
Fearing for the life of the one who was seriously ill we took her to the hospital, when they saw her, they did not worry first about paperwork they rushed her immediately into intensive care. She spent six weeks getting over Meningitis. We were lucky everyone else in the house had symptoms of the dreaded illness, but recovered.
Those three numbers on your keypad are promoted to call in an emergency – but what is an emergency? That can only be decided by the individual. However, please be careful calling the service when there is no real need; it only clogs up the system, leaving it powerless. Take care.
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