h a l f b a k e r ySuperficial Intelligence
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It is a source of continuing irritation to me that I cannot hear the tinkling of the ice-cream van on the street from inside my flat.
What I would like to see is ice-cream van owners utilising RDS (Radio Data System) technology to allow people to receive notificiation, through their radios, that
there is a van in their area.
Currently the RDS is used to keep people up to date with traffic reports - the traffic report is picked up by the RDS system and interrupts whatever is playing, be it radio, CD or tape.
If, as the van came to within, say, half a mile of my house, the broadcast was interrupted and a little tinkly tune (or a recorded message, perhaps a tinkly tune would be too annoying) was played to let me know there was a van in the vicinity, I would have time to grab my purse and head out to purchase my favourite sweeties, or even a lovely ninety-niner. As with the current RDS, this option could be disabled by those people not afflicted by a sweet tooth.
RDS Technology Explained
http://www.bbc.co.u.../docs/radio_rds.pdf
I don't know how it works, but these people seem to. [salachair, Mar 25 2002]
Clue as to the meaning of "salachair"
http://www.dublinco...%20info/dogfoul.pdf
One of the very few google hits for "salachair." [NB - pdf] [calum, Mar 27 2002]
[link]
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An excellent idea. Could only be improved by including a "we need ginger boatils" message in the transmission,informing me of the opportunity to get a choclate skull and a Freddo for effectively nothing. |
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Note: "ginger boatils" means "returnable fizzy pop bottles" and are a form of currency among Glaswegian wastrels such as salachair. |
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Glaswegian?! You can take the girl out of the Highlands, but you can't take the Highlands out of the girl, calum. I am but an amateur Glaswegian. |
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I note that you do not dispute the "wastrel." |
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Thinking about this further, I reckon that this would be especially useful to those sugar-addicted children who live in double-glazed towerblocks, high above the vertical range of the tinkling. |
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And we all know what happens when you tinkle upwards |
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Was thinking the other day about this idea, as it is now eminently bakeable by way of "Marinetraffic but for ice cream vans". |
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There really should be an app for this by now. |
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Marinetraffic still relies on each ship transmitting its location so what is new? Are you suggesting that ice-cream-van operators switch from using vans to ocean going cargo ships? Could prove a little inconvenient for anyone not living on the docks. Also would take quite a bit longer to do the round. On the plus side the increased potential freezer capacity would ensure it never ran out of ice cream. |
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