Mark's Notebook


	Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt. - Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

Small acts of rebellion offer big doses of relief

New York Times

Thursday 16 June 2005, 12:04 pm
Keywords: News Articles

To examine the little weapons people use for everyday survival is to be given a free guidebook on getting by, created by the millions who feel that they must. It is a case study in human inventiveness, with occasional juvenile and petty passages, and the originators of these tips are happy to share them.

At Starbucks, order a "medium" instead of a "grande."

Press zero when you hear a computerized operator on the telephone.

Cut up magazines, heavy bond paper, and small strips of sheet metal and stuff them into the business reply envelopes that came with junk packages.

To coexist with loud cellphone talkers, the Web offers hand-held jammers that, although illegal in the United States, can block all signals within a 45-foot radius.

Get a key-chain-size zapper called TV-B-Gone, which can be used discreetly to switch off televisions in public places.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/15/nyregion/15annoyances.html?ex=1268542800&en=5a
77805b2fcc1e66&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland

Mark says: Now, when are they going to come up with a zapper for the loud music in the car next to me?