Monday 21 August 2006

Pic of the day: Don't try this at home, kids.

Fast forward

These days, when you buy a new MP3 player, there is a text under the shrink wrap saying "don't steal music". This is something I agree with in principle. However, it would also be nice after I have legally bought a soundtrack online, if I didn't have too download an illegal copy in order to play it on my MP3 player. But that is a minor irritation.

What happened, naturally, was that I began to think. If they write this on an MP3 player, what would they write on a crowbar? "Don't break into homes or bash heads in"? And on a steak knife: "Don't use on living humans or pets". On the car: "Don't run over pedestrians". And I think I actually once saw something like this on an imported plastic bag: "Don't put over the head of infants"... although, perhaps it only said to keep away from small children, because they might suffocate. I can definitely imagine a label on sleeping bags: "Always enter with feet first".

And then, of course, they should print a warning on the spoons: "Don't gouge eyes out after reading too many stupid labels".