As a Canadian who predated the Vanity Plates phenomenon, and who was unaware of the British system of Registration Numbers on plates, the associating of cars, their owners and the plates was new to me when I encountered it in Guyana, so the local habit of remembering car numbers, and thus the gossip-driven tracking the travels of car and motorbike owners, and the attendant embarrassment or scandal were totally new to me. Now, long back in Canada, I wonder why the holders of Vanity Plates WANT to be able to be identified all over town!
Off on a tangent: I have to a degree retained my old Guyanese habit, however, even so many years later, in that I almost unconsciously learn several digits of the licence numbers of select neighbours and friends, and thus can know or guess whether they are “in residence” or at their country houses/cottages. (Canadian English varies provincially and even regionally within provinces, for the term used for such second abodes and their locales — Southern Ontario tends to say “cottage”, I believe Northern Ontarians say “camp”, as do East Coasters, while when I was growing up in Montreal we named the place not the structure, and said “going to” or “in” “the country”. The small children next door, with 1 set of Montreal grandparents and 1 set of Ontario grandparents, each with “vacation” houses, use “going to the cottage” or “… the country”. depending on which side of the family they will visit!)
Yes, but is she a child of the eighties? Anyone older was too mature to be preoccupied with such interests. For anyone younger, the novelty of pocket calculators had worn off and they soon had new pocket-size devices that were disappointingly limited in the words their display font made possible. If she was born in the seventies, the mortification is fully justified - unless, of course, she can at redeem herself by at least typing 'hello' on a calculator.
We're both Generation X, born shortly before 1980. With this in mind, I solemnly approached her and asked, "If I handed you a pocket calculator, would you know how to type 'hello?'"
Her answer was "01134?"
The skills are there, she just lacks the motivation to fully apply herself.
Interesting enough i own F11GLY "FUGLY" so it was odd to see it on a US website
Actually, I think it's a UK site (see: https://www.motorpunk.co.uk/features/spotted-the-b35t-of-the-worst-private-plates/), so if you own a maroon Ssangyong Musso, congratulations: you're officially internet famous. Or, at least, your car is!
Thank you for the tribute!
As a Canadian who predated the Vanity Plates phenomenon, and who was unaware of the British system of Registration Numbers on plates, the associating of cars, their owners and the plates was new to me when I encountered it in Guyana, so the local habit of remembering car numbers, and thus the gossip-driven tracking the travels of car and motorbike owners, and the attendant embarrassment or scandal were totally new to me. Now, long back in Canada, I wonder why the holders of Vanity Plates WANT to be able to be identified all over town!
Off on a tangent: I have to a degree retained my old Guyanese habit, however, even so many years later, in that I almost unconsciously learn several digits of the licence numbers of select neighbours and friends, and thus can know or guess whether they are “in residence” or at their country houses/cottages. (Canadian English varies provincially and even regionally within provinces, for the term used for such second abodes and their locales — Southern Ontario tends to say “cottage”, I believe Northern Ontarians say “camp”, as do East Coasters, while when I was growing up in Montreal we named the place not the structure, and said “going to” or “in” “the country”. The small children next door, with 1 set of Montreal grandparents and 1 set of Ontario grandparents, each with “vacation” houses, use “going to the cottage” or “… the country”. depending on which side of the family they will visit!)
Mrs. Apple Pie is mortified to admit that she never knew the meaning of 5318008 until I read this to her aloud.
Yes, but is she a child of the eighties? Anyone older was too mature to be preoccupied with such interests. For anyone younger, the novelty of pocket calculators had worn off and they soon had new pocket-size devices that were disappointingly limited in the words their display font made possible. If she was born in the seventies, the mortification is fully justified - unless, of course, she can at redeem herself by at least typing 'hello' on a calculator.
We're both Generation X, born shortly before 1980. With this in mind, I solemnly approached her and asked, "If I handed you a pocket calculator, would you know how to type 'hello?'"
Her answer was "01134?"
The skills are there, she just lacks the motivation to fully apply herself.