K-Squared Ramblings » warning

Egg Nog: Do Not Use As Infant Formula

Kelson — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:00:14 +0000

I know this is just a blanket disclaimer/warning label left over from the standard rice milk carton…but who would use (even imitation) egg nog as infant formula in the first place?

I half expected to find another warning label saying, “Not to be used for the other use.”

Swoop Warning

Kelson — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 22:29:23 +0000

Well, that’s encouraging. I mean, nothing makes lunchtime better than worrying you might be about to star in a Hitchcock remake.

Icy?

Kelson — Sun, 07 Oct 2007 22:37:42 +0000

I found this photo while looking for the UCI Student Center pic. This was taken on the way back from a camping trip with UCI’s Campuswide Honors Program in the Angeles National Forest in April 2000. IIRC it was along Angeles Crest Highway.

A permanent sign isn’t necessarily the best way to indicate a transitory condition.

Positive Spin

Kelson — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 04:02:00 +0000

Bumper sticker spotted on a Corner Bakery delivery van:

It reminds me of the warnings you see on cardboard coffee cups that say things like, “The beverage you are about to enjoy is extremely hot.” Though my favorite is still one from the late, lamented* Diedrich Coffee that said, “Of course it’s hot!”

*OK, they’re not completely gone—there are still two stores left in Orange County since Starbucks bought them out and either closed or converted the rest. *grumble*

Wet Floor: This Means You

Kelson — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 16:26:14 +0000

I have to wonder, were people ignoring the Caution sign until they scrawled “for you” on it?

Edit: I also can’t help but think of S*P’s emo catgirl drawing (disturbing image warning).

Useful warning labels

Kelson — Wed, 20 Jul 2005 22:16:17 +0000

Forget “Coffee is Hot!” and its variations. What they really need is a warning on iced blended drinks that anything larger than about 12 ounces may separate and require frequent re-mixing unless drunk rapidly. And those are the ones that are mixed well. Let us not speak of the ones you get at the café downstairs from the office, or at rush hour when everyone else in town wants a Frappucino NOW and the baristas are just trying to get through with the blenders as fast as they can. You know, the ones that end up like a coffee-flavored snow cone with a straw.

For some reason, coffee just doesn’t seem to blend with ice as well as fruit does.

Allergen-free? Try again!

Kelson — Mon, 20 Jun 2005 03:05:08 +0000

Saw this sign on a display in Whole Foods the other day:

Okaay… but what if you’re allergic to fish?

Small parts will be what?

Kelson — Fri, 15 Apr 2005 07:17:38 +0000

Here’s a candidate for Engrish.com if I ever saw one… except it’s aimed at the US market. This is from the back of a small metal Justice League figurine:

OK, I understand what they’re saying, it could break into small parts that could be a choking hazard. But the phrasing is awkward at best, and sounds like it belongs in a tech manual, not on a simple toy.

Manual off-topic

Kelson — Mon, 28 Feb 2005 17:37:38 +0000

I picked up a new mouse to use at work yesterday, mainly because I wanted a scroll wheel that actually turned. (The old one was jammed.) I figured I’d go optical as well, since I much prefer optical mice. I ended up getting a basic $15 Microsoft mouse, though I would have gone for a more expensive Logitech if I were getting one for home.

When I plugged it in this morning, I was surprised to find that it skipped all over the place. Not constantly, as if the KVM had gotten its signal mixed up, but enough that it would be a real pain to use. (Oddly, it worked more smoothly on my Linux box than the Windows box. I have no idea why.)

So I pulled out the manual, looking for a troubleshooting section. Something like “If your mouse skips, it may be caused by XYZ.” Nothing. The contents were:

One page on how to plug it in
One page on which button does what.
One page on cleaning instructions (half of which was for ball mice).
Five pages on ergonomics and how to arrange your chair, desk, monitor, keyboard and mouse to avoid eyestrain, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc.
One page titled “Be Healthy,” advising you to eat a balanced diet, get plenty of rest and exercise, see your doctor on a regular basis, etc.
The usual radio interference and legal information. And another health warning about RSI.

Useful information to be sure, but not quite what I was looking for.

As it turns out, I just tossed away my mouse pad and tried the mouse directly on the desk. It works like a charm now. I guess the pad was too reflective or something.

Allergy labeling

Kelson — Wed, 21 Jul 2004 17:08:30 +0000

Congress has passed passed the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act, mandating the top 8 food allergens appear on labels in plain English! The voluntary labeling over the past few years has been very helpful. Well, some of it has — the “processed in a facility that also processes XYZ” labels mainly amount to a CYA statement, although I’m sure there are people sensitive enough that it does help.

The NPR story provided some examples of why this matters, including a story of a college student who had a very similar experience to one I had a few years ago: he bought a chocolate chip cookie from a vending machine — a brand he had been eating with no problems for several years — but they had added peanut flour to their mix without labeling the change. He died within 15 minutes. When it happened to me, I had enough medication to stop it. But I don’t eat anything from Famous Amos anymore.

Some other nice provisions include having the FDA do a study on cross-contamination [archive.org], and having the CDC track allergy-related deaths.

Further reading: The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, The Food Allergy Initiative