Mystery Train has no windows, which have been removed and replaced with carriage length high definition monitors.
These are capable of displaying a continuously passing image, synchronised with the train's movement. Most suitable for installation in underground trains, where the more usual window views are the grimy walls draped with electrical cables, rushing past without any relief.
Different panoramas would be featured throughout the duration of each journey, and there would be no commentary, or announcements, except for the stops. The net effect is to create the totally convincing illusion of moving through an alternative landscape.
Particularly soothing on the nerves when the train makes an unexpected halt between stations. Instead of staring out at the same segment of blank tunnel wall for ten minutes, enjoy the spectacle of hundreds of seabirds wheeling around over the unspoiled lakes of Killarney.-- xenzag, Mar 14 2007 Nice. I like the image of glum-looking London commuters, daydreaming, reading newspapers, etc. while the train appears to be crossing a bridge over the Grand Canyon, or weaving through the rings of Saturn.-- hippo, Mar 14 2007 I might even use the tube if they did this.-- wagster, Mar 14 2007 Of course there's always the antitheses of this for trains passing through already pleasant landscapes there will be movies of dismal industrial landscapes playing.... or depictions of scum-bag teenagers pelting the unbreakable windows with bricks (I could film these myself from the train I use every week)-- xenzag, Mar 14 2007 i dont like the title. "mystery train" is just too unspecific. (fixed spelling, lowercase is not an issue)-- erlehmann, Jan 10 2008 so... you want to put giant TV monitors in each car instead of windows.... lovely... care to bet on the time it takes for the "verdant scenes" to be permanently replaced by advertising and abusive PSA's ? measured in microseconds.-- FlyingToaster, Jan 11 2008 I started reading this, wondering what it was. Obviously time to start taking the ginko tablets. [erlehmann] it's too not "to", and I not "i".-- xenzag, Jan 11 2008 //lowercase is not an issue// Why is it not?-- xenzag, Jan 11 2008 // Why is it not? // makes no difference.-- erlehmann, Jan 11 2008 If it made no difference, then there would be no upper case letters as they would be redundant. Capital letters have a clear function and a set of grammatical rules controlling their use. Typographic anarchy can be visually interesting, but seldom is this an aid to comprehension. Consistently using a lower case i instead of an I is just tiresome. It's the sort of thing that Bob Dylan used to do in a desperate attempt to appear to be cool and inventive.-- xenzag, Jan 11 2008 You're fighting an uphill battle with this one (and the spaceless titles, too, by the way) in this crowd, [erlehmann]. Nothing matters more here than proper grammar, spelling, punctuation and, yes, capitalization (or capitalisation, if you like). We consider it our little oasis of good writing in the vast desert of sloppy language that is the world wide web. So, don't bring your low-faluting ways around these parts - we don't take too kindly to all that abbreviating and short-cutting.-- globaltourniquet, Jan 11 2008 i am not fighting a battle, [globaltourniquet]: it's comfortable for me - i can simply write faster this way. also, i try to write as i speak - it keeps things simple. it is no "hard barrier" to comprehension (adobe flash would be).
of course, if the grammar police doesn't want me here i will probably go elsewhere™.-- erlehmann, Jan 11 2008 Bad punctuation, grammar, spelling etc., will always rightly attract corrections and fishbones.What do you mean "go elsewhere"? You mean there is such a thing? If "elsewhere" is populated by folk who tolerate such misdemeanours, then it will consequently be full of crap.
Do you really prefer the company of lazy, semi-literate shit heads or the rigors of this place, where your ideas, along with the way you have described them, are (mostly) scrutinised with fairness, humour, wit, and generosity? Dumbing down finds easy friends.-- xenzag, Jan 11 2008 // scrutinised with fairness, humour, wit, and generosity? //
What ? Are we talking about the HB ? Have you taken your medication today ? You promised Doctor you would take your medication ......-- 8th of 7, Jan 11 2008 "The thing about trains, son, is not where there headed. It's getting on board..."-- RayfordSteele, Jan 11 2008 In our defense, [erlehmann], we do find, as [xenxag] implies, that by enforcing strict grammar, we limit the company here to those capable of following the rules (or at least learning them, as we all are to some degree), which weeds out the general world wide riff-raff. After all, a club is only as engaging as its clientele. Is that elitist? Oh, yes, of course it is. Thanks for asking.-- globaltourniquet, Jan 11 2008 // weeds out the general world wide riff-raff //
Doorman ? Doorman ! Ah, yes, it seems another one has got in.... over there.......the usual, please......yes, kicked down the steps, if you would be so good ..... and his hat after him... thankyou. Oh, and here's a florin for your trouble.-- 8th of 7, Jan 11 2008 [xenzag], i am not an advocate of "dumbing down", i have few (but close) friends.
but i also think that you should judge people on the "content" of their ideas and deeds and not on "formal" things like age, education or preferred grammar style. if many of you think one should be judged on form, i simply do not belong here.-- erlehmann, Jan 11 2008 ... then why did you correct the "too"? You are now contradicting yourself as you also stated that the title of Mystery Train was too unspecific, and I presume boned the idea accordingly.
So you object to my descriptive choice, to the point of boning the idea, because of its title, not its content, but become defensive when I point out the flaws in your annotations using the same criteria?
Having said all that there's worse crimes than insisting on using i instead of I and all are welcome here. ádh mór :-)-- xenzag, Jan 11 2008 <DING>
"End of Round Two !"
<[erlehmann] and [xenzag] retire to their respective corners to rinse their mouths, adjust their gumshields, and be flicked with towels by their seconds>
<DING, DING>
"Round Three !"-- 8th of 7, Jan 11 2008 //weeds out the general world wide riff-raff // If "riff-raff" can be hyphenated, why not "world wide".Are we being broadist here?-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, Jan 11 2008 gr: hyphen-ated-- 8th of 7, Jan 11 2008 [xenzag], spelling has to follow some pattern to be easily recognizable. i just chose a different pattern than you.
i fixed the "too" b/c the word "to" has another meaning. although it is easily understandable in context, there is information lost. with lowercase or uppercase, there's usually no information lost - there is only one word consiting inly of the letter "i", so i think the upper- and lower-case should both have the same denotation.
i can write in formal style, i proved it in school.
p.s.: maybe we should move this discussion to another thread, since it's way OT.-- erlehmann, Jan 11 2008 It's over place the top - the just part of fun of this not. Re-arrange.-- xenzag, Jan 11 2008 //there is only one word consiting inly of the letter "i", so i think the upper- and lower-case should both have the same denotation.//Oh the utter, utter ferrousness.-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, Jan 11 2008 [AWL] Many of my grammar and spelling diversions from the norm are purposeful for a purpose, and "world wide" was one of them. I occasionally put [sic] in to point out that I am aware of the wrong usage and am making a point. In this case, I used "world wide riff-raff" as a way of substituting for the word "web" in a more familiar phrase, which contains no hyphens.
[erlehmann] We're all pretending this is school, because we all want to go back there. That's why you got all those red marks.
[xenxag] there _are_ worse crimes...-- globaltourniquet, Jan 11 2008 [globaltourniquet] now it all makes sense.-- erlehmann, Jan 11 2008 hmm... not that I want to be known for this but...
I often write in incomplete sentences here and in other fora because the media is pseudo-conversational, ie: there exists no pre-defined style suitable towards a "bulletin-board" type of conversation.
Now, when I want to appear authoritative, then I'm quite capable of expressing myself with capital letters, etc.
geddit?-- FlyingToaster, Jan 12 2008 Gee, I didn't know my navel had 3 swirls instead of 4....
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....-- RayfordSteele, Jan 12 2008 random, halfbakery