TLJ wrote:
...last Tuesday I got an e-mail just as I was passing Currys....

Like you do. Are you one of those poseurs with an iPhone or a Blackberry by any chance? Or even one of those really silly Bluetooth ear thingies - you know the cheap ones that are the size of a banana, that the big fat guys who wear vests and have lots of tatoos wear whilst shopping in Asda?

Is yours the One with XP? I rather fancied the One with Linux but I'm in two minds about how it will fit with my other kit. I dropped my Dell Axim a couple of weeks ago and broke the screen but I should get it back this week. It's a great gadget and I lurve how it synchs with my PC at work and keeps my diary and address book up to date although it took a lot of messing about to get it to do that reliably. It won't like a machine with Linux. My Axim runs sat nav too and I'm a complete convert to that now. Although the Navteq software it came with wasn't great. I've got Tom Tom on it now and that's very good.
If you have an idle moment between emails on the move do keep us posted about your new toy. I've told my wife I want one but she says I'll have to save up.

What a bunch of geeks!

I travelled Glasgow to Kings Cross recently with thousands (ok I exaggerate, but not much!) of them on the same train. Laptops, mobile phones, the lot. The noise was intolerable. Please Train Operators. Have Geek Carriages and throw them all in together and give the rest of us peace. Alas they are also about to invade aeroplanes too.

I would have another carriage for young children and their parents. The weans can scream their heads off while the rest of us get peace.

Seriously tho is there nowhere these days where it is possible to avoid being completely invaded by noise generated from new technology. By all means work on the move but surely it doesn't have to involve the moving work-place completely taking over buses, trains, aeroplanes et al? And don't say "the quiet carraige". There is usually only one and it just isn't enough.

Clare wrote:
What a bunch of geeks!

I travelled Glasgow to Kings Cross recently with thousands (ok I exaggerate, but not much!) of them on the same train. Laptops, mobile phones, the lot. The noise was intolerable. Please Train Operators. Have Geek Carriages and throw them all in together and give the rest of us peace. Alas they are also about to invade aeroplanes too.

I would have another carriage for young children and their parents. The weans can scream their heads off while the rest of us get peace.

Seriously tho is there nowhere these days where it is possible to avoid being completely invaded by noise generated from new technology. By all means work on the move but surely it doesn't have to involve the moving work-place completely taking over buses, trains, aeroplanes et al? And don't say "the quiet carraige". There is usually only one and it just isn't enough. We all suffer from these intrusions on trains Clare. It's called progress, coupled with the up and coming executive showing of his/her toys and how clever they are at it.
I read a recent article that these "high powered types" are now sleeping less hours than a few years ago, just deserts perhaps?
Keep smiling Clare.

Levenax wrote:
TLJ wrote:
...last Tuesday I got an e-mail just as I was passing Currys....

Like you do. Are you one of those poseurs with an iPhone or a Blackberry by any chance? Or even one of those really silly Bluetooth ear thingies - you know the cheap ones that are the size of a banana, that the big fat guys who wear vests and have lots of tatoos wear whilst shopping in Asda?

Gosh. You've caught me shopping !

My phone is a Nokia 81 which allows me to access e-mails. I was checking them when I was out at lunchtime.

Levenax wrote:

Is yours the One with XP? I rather fancied the One with Linux but I'm in two minds about how it will fit with my other kit. I dropped my Dell Axim a couple of weeks ago and broke the screen but I should get it back this week. It's a great gadget and I lurve how it synchs with my PC at work and keeps my diary and address book up to date although it took a lot of messing about to get it to do that reliably. It won't like a machine with Linux. My Axim runs sat nav too and I'm a complete convert to that now. Although the Navteq software it came with wasn't great. I've got Tom Tom on it now and that's very good.
If you have an idle moment between emails on the move do keep us posted about your new toy. I've told my wife I want one but she says I'll have to save up.

It's the 512mb/120Gb linux version.

It's tough. I dropped from a seat in it Wick railway station today. No damage <phew>

Clare wrote:
What a bunch of geeks!

I travelled Glasgow to Kings Cross recently with thousands (ok I exaggerate, but not much!) of them on the same train. Laptops, mobile phones, the lot. The noise was intolerable. Please Train Operators. Have Geek Carriages and throw them all in together and give the rest of us peace. Alas they are also about to invade aeroplanes too.

I would have another carriage for young children and their parents. The weans can scream their heads off while the rest of us get peace.

Seriously tho is there nowhere these days where it is possible to avoid being completely invaded by noise generated from new technology. By all means work on the move but surely it doesn't have to involve the moving work-place completely taking over buses, trains, aeroplanes et al? And don't say "the quiet carraige". There is usually only one and it just isn't enough.

Hell, Lev has me on bluetooth in ASDA and now you have me making tinny noises on the train.

I'm one of those who will ask folk to turn their noise down in trains and I'm dreading when mobiles are allowed on planes.

I wanted something lightweight to allow me to access the web and e-mails when I'm away on business (I'm not allowed to use my work machine for personal purposes and, for security reasons, I can only use dial up if I need it for business reasons). This is the answer !

So, this geek is currently sitting in the bar, 200 miles away from home, contributing to Scotgait at no cost to the public purse....

I WANNA BE A GEEK in red or maybe pearly white with quiet buttons that won't annoy Claire. I could use it for the kids to play on so they too will stay quiet.

I am not sure about the dongle thing it sounds like a swear word.

Clare wrote:
What a bunch of geeks!

Well at least you don't catch horrible diseases because you're a geek.

Clare wrote:
I would have another carriage for young children and their parents. The weans can scream their heads off while the rest of us get peace.

Seriously tho is there nowhere these days where it is possible to avoid being completely invaded by noise generated from new technology?

Yes! The perfect geeky girl's toy for you Clare is a pair of Bose noise cancelling headphones You can either just block out the loud phone calls and whining weans or plug them into your MP3 player and enjoy some soothing music as well.
Not cheap but really brill.

Lev, I'm kind of old fashioned that way. I miss the art of just making pleasant conversation with others or simply watching the world go by and I mourn the fact that these days so many wander around oblivious to anyone else because they are in a world of their own due to the earphones being worn.

I love to travel by train, especially the new Virgin trains as they are just fab! (My recent Kings Cross debacle was just awful by comparison!) I feel tho that the experience is now completely ruined due to all these contraptions people carry with them and I'm serious about putting them in specific carriages and banning the use of mobiles in other carriages. I travelled with my family to Belgium on Friday for a wedding in Leuven. Since it was just a two day trip really, Fri till Sun, I didn't get much of a chance to see a great deal but I liked Leuven very much. The architecture was just amazing. I will definitely go back but I'll just fly next time.

Even cyclists now wear ear phones, some even head phones, which I feel should actually not be permitted. I'm sure it was once illegal to wear such things when driving a car because one was then not fully aware of what was going on in traffic because hearing was seriously restricted. Cyclists are getting away with it.

LYDIA REID wrote:
I WANNA BE A GEEK in red or maybe pearly white with quiet buttons that won't annoy Claire. I could use it for the kids to play on so they too will stay quiet.

I am not sure about the dongle thing it sounds like a swear word.

Unfair Lydia. I was a child once myself. Difference was there were rules then and screaming like banshees on public transport was not acceptable.

I had wonderful parents tho. Those who now allow their children to use trains as a play area are stupid. We had a woman on our train, yes, she had to be Scottish, who "lost" her wee boy. He was four! He had wandered from the carriage and made his way right to the very end of the train. She had the train turned out looking for him. (And incidentally she was half cut too!) He was found eventually in the first class carriage! I'm sure she was so relieved she went back and had another few drinks to celebrate. The big worry was we'd just stopped at Newcastle and were moving again when she noticed he was missing. She was in the coach at the other end of the train so he had been gone for some time to have made his way all the way back to first class.

The design of trains doesn't help when the main issue is to get as many bodies on there as possible. The same applies to the Eurostar. Luggage and people simply aren't catered for and space is extremely limited. I was disappointed with Eurostar. Not the speed, the speed was incredible! But the design, the space, that lack of comfort, ugh! Who designed these headrests on trains? They're murder!

And don't even start me about the loos!

Clare wrote:
LYDIA REID wrote:
I WANNA BE A GEEK in red or maybe pearly white with quiet buttons that won't annoy Claire. I could use it for the kids to play on so they too will stay quiet.

I am not sure about the dongle thing it sounds like a swear word.

Unfair Lydia. I was a child once myself. Difference was there were rules then and screaming like banshees on public transport was not acceptable.

I had wonderful parents tho. Those who now allow their children to use trains as a play area are stupid. We had a woman on our train, yes, she had to be Scottish, who "lost" her wee boy. He was four! He had wandered from the carriage and made his way right to the very end of the train. She had the train turned out looking for him. (And incidentally she was half cut too!) He was found eventually in the first class carriage! I'm sure she was so relieved she went back and had another few drinks to celebrate. The big worry was we'd just stopped at Newcastle and were moving again when she noticed he was missing. She was in the coach at the other end of the train so he had been gone for some time to have made his way all the way back to first class.

The design of trains doesn't help when the main issue is to get as many bodies on there as possible. The same applies to the Eurostar. Luggage and people simply aren't catered for and space is extremely limited. I was disappointed with Eurostar. Not the speed, the speed was incredible! But the design, the space, that lack of comfort, ugh! Who designed these headrests on trains? They're murder!

Claire I was joking, but if you want to discuss this, my point is I would take a middle road.

I think many let their children run riot, and allowing a child to disappear on a train I certainly would not.

I know though it is very hard to keep children occupied on long journeys particularly babies. I find the very little ones get bored. The norm is playing on the floor or in a walking chair and we are asking them to sit still in a buggy or on our knee for possibly hours. With older children, it is possible to take games to keep them occupied, I do remember taking a pack of cards and we were all playing snap, and I got a complaint on a train. My point, the children were having fun a bit noisy and I participated fully in the game and made noise too but it was a harmless occupation, which kept many around us, occupied watching the children having fun.

If adults have respect for children, I find they return that respect. If any child in my charge annoyed an adult, my response would be to try to be a bit quieter but I don’t believe children should be expected not to talk or laugh. We pay a fare for children on the train too.

Lydia I wasn't suggesting children shouldn't talk or laugh. Not remotely.

The "If adults respect children................" approach typifies the new thinking that has put children in charge today I think. In my day I was taught to respect adults and it wasn't on my terms. And as I said before I had great parents, we children simply knew what the rules were.

On long distance, fast moving (and now tilting) trains small children fall over all the time and often hurt themselves because the aisle is the "playground". It doesn't help either if one is trying to get through carriages to reach, say, the buffet bar or the toilet, having to climb over children to get there

It is difficult I know on long journeys for children but trains are also dangerous environments when used as playgrounds because they just aren't playgrounds. I'm not sure what changes could be made to redesign carriages and make some of them more children friendly as I daresay the operators will want to stick with the same "just jam as many bodies in as possible" philosophy.

Clare wrote:
Lydia I wasn't suggesting children shouldn't talk or laugh. Not remotely.

The "If adults respect children................" approach typifies the new thinking that has put children in charge today I think.

Exactly how are children "in charge" ?


Clare wrote:

On long distance, fast moving (and now tilting) trains small children fall over all the time and often hurt themselves because the aisle is the "playground". It doesn't help either if one is trying to get through carriages to reach, say, the buffet bar or the toilet, having to climb over children to get there


Well, you're lucky ! Most trains I travel on, you can't get up the aisles because of the amount of luggage strewn around the place.....if children have the room to play, the train can't be that crowded.

LYDIA REID wrote:
TLJ wrote:
LYDIA REID wrote:
Thank you but how can you use the Internet on the train and stop hinting I will not loan you my new handbag.


(I've taken my wife's latest Mulberry bag. Hopefully, she'll not notice...)

I quite like the sound of that

I'm not guilty of this, BTW !

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7592214.stm

TLJ wrote:
LYDIA REID wrote:
TLJ wrote:
LYDIA REID wrote:
Thank you but how can you use the Internet on the train and stop hinting I will not loan you my new handbag.


(I've taken my wife's latest Mulberry bag. Hopefully, she'll not notice...)

I quite like the sound of that

I'm not guilty of this, BTW !

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7592214.stm

Well now we know why you are taking the train how long will your car take to be fixed.

I do think the description fits they were taking about a man with a very wee laptop and a dingle dongle thing attached to it.
Fess up TLJ