Pentagon to test digital audio device to `play’ taps at military funerals
The Pentagon, chronically short of musicians to play taps at military funerals, is going to test the use of a new “push button” bugle that can be operated by an honor guard member. A small digital audio device inserted into the bell of the bugle plays a rendition of taps that the Pentagon says is “virtually indistinguishable” from a live bugler. The person using the bugle merely pushes a button and holds the bugle to his or her lips. [thanks to Follow Me Here]
Some sci-fi story I read long ago included robo-priests that heard confessions, something that evolved as a response to a shortage of real priests. What highly skilled performance is next to be replaced by gadgetry? Teaching? Nah.
So the 16th Party Congress is meeting in Beijing to set policy for the next few decades, the core of which involves enshrining capitalism as A Good Thing™. This, I think, will affect life for the rest of my days, starting today. With wondrous synchronicity, this morning’s mail brought me this:
Dear Sir,
How are you doing? I saw your information on the your web site and our main products is Sodium citrate and Calcium Citrate,Potassium citrate,Sodium DL-malate ,Kojic acid, Itaconic acid, etc..It’s best, in China, either the quality or the pricing or the annual output and after service and I have a lot of confidence to my product. If you are interesting to them, you can find all the detailed things from our web site (www.zhongshun.com) or fell free to mail me or fax me. Please do not hesitate to contact me, if you have any questions or enquiry. I hope we could have the further cooperation and hope our product is your need.
My English is not good enough,I wish do not give you any troble.
Waiting for your prompt reply. Wish you a good day!
Best regards!
Chuanyong Song
Shandong Zhongshun Sci.& Tech. Development Co,. Ltd.
This is just the beginning. The fact that there is nothing in any of my web sites to indicate my need for potassium citrate won’t stop them. I’ll soon be getting solicitations, no doubt, for iron ingots, tea caddies, plastic valves, and small stuffed animals. Actually, I’ve already gotten all of those, some of them completely in Chinese. It’s a nice break from all the letters from Nigeria and offers to increase the size of my manhood.
But think of adding all those hard working entrepreneurial Chinese to the mix. E-mail is going to collapse under the load. We’ll all need unlisted addresses.