...that a relatively intelligent American (yes, I flatter myself) can with 5 months practice in the Japanese language walk into a train station, slay the language barrier with mental pitchforks, stride confidently through the ramparts of the toll system with nary a thought that he's paid over or under the price required, possibly outwit the evil Witch of Season Tickets to gain multiple entry rights to yon steamless carriage, and be reasonably certain that he's going to the proper station on the proper train, all in less time than it will take that same American to make a train change at Reading.
Admittedly, this is easier in a station like Umeda where the place names are listed in Japanese and Roman characters, but even in Arashiyama it was easy to find my way around. Those timetables seem designed solely for railway fetishists or old folk who have nothing better to do with their time, a sort of unchanging shipping forecast. I'm afraid that the comment above, 'just another example of someone deciding that the best beta testing is real life' misses the point a bit: beta-testing implies the intention to do a release phase and test the bugs.
My only conclusion is that British Rail, or its various post-privatisation forms since it's not gotten any better since then, is controlled by a cabal of evil wizards who gain their power through the frustration of others. I admit, it seems unlikely, but it's the old Holmesian maxim of discarding all other possibilities: such a brainless system requires more than just incompetence, it demands a level of malice.
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timeasmymeasure
It should be a sign of shame to the British...
Date: 2002-12-09 11:41 am (UTC)Admittedly, this is easier in a station like Umeda where the place names are listed in Japanese and Roman characters, but even in Arashiyama it was easy to find my way around. Those timetables seem designed solely for railway fetishists or old folk who have nothing better to do with their time, a sort of unchanging shipping forecast. I'm afraid that the comment above, 'just another example of someone deciding that the best beta testing is real life' misses the point a bit: beta-testing implies the intention to do a release phase and test the bugs.
My only conclusion is that British Rail, or its various post-privatisation forms since it's not gotten any better since then, is controlled by a cabal of evil wizards who gain their power through the frustration of others. I admit, it seems unlikely, but it's the old Holmesian maxim of discarding all other possibilities: such a brainless system requires more than just incompetence, it demands a level of malice.
(Yeah, I had to take the train this weekend too.)