Politically Incorrect Speed Signs

It wasn't racist it was simply the realisation that this concept could be easily rememebered through a well known cultural stereotype. Why do I still feel slightly guilty, especially as I don't need to use this memory trick, therefore making the only reason I'm still thinking about this slightly politically incorrect memory trick being the guilt of realising it in the first place.

And on the subject of thinking of things because I'm thinking about them. I managed to spend five minutes wondering what a 60 speed limit sign would look to those from a different culture, possibly when looking at its fossilised remains (or from a volcano- Pompeii, which is probably more likely, pfft fossilised!) in a thousand or so years.

First, I started by imagining the numbers were upside down renedering them meaningless to me... (90 in case you were wondering, yes hindsight is a beautiful thing) and then wondered how I would react to two meaningless symbols enclosed in a circle if I was so far removed from the society and culture of the place. Then I wondered about the odds of someone figuring out its actual purpose. This bought a lovely picture to my mind of a humble junior/volunteer archaeologist timidly suggesting "maybe its meant to have somehow controlled how fast their transportation went... are they numbers?" [here they looked slightly baffled and admittably embarrassed, even before the laughter starts]. His forlorne look as his peers and elders scoffed knowingly and condescendingly adding that "numerical signs from this period were not enclosed in circles" adds a horible sense of irony to an already irony-overloaded scene.

Have you ever looked at a language and not understood it? This should be a pretty common answer with a pretty uniform answer. BUT! Have you ever looked at your native/first and infinitely most used language and not understood it. I'm not talking incomprehensibly long words but actually just looked at a passage of writing (maybe English?) and seen the shape rather than the actual meaning? Or, have you heard English (I'm just going to say English, cause to be honest, thats what's in my head. Substitute where necessary, please) but not understood it (see above for not getting specific words). Both have happened to me, especially the latter. Foreign movies are great for this, especially walking in half way through one, looking for subtitles, hearing exactly what they're saying and just not getting a thing. Its the strangest feeling, especially since the second you realised what's going on, either due to lack of subtitles, or a word finally flagging the "I know what this means" test in your brain, you immediately understand what they're saying.

Anway, that was a bit of deviation.

So many little things are brilliant for looking at from a 'two thousand years later' point of view. Highways.- Obviously outdated, or maybe the world's suffered a bit of a Dark Ages stint and these are just another sign of the ancient's wisdom.
All signs. Especially those like elevator weight capacities.
The internet. Not sure how that's going to fare the millenima. I guess it can try its best though.
Paper shredders.
Waiting rooms.
Staplers. Surely one of the most contested items of the 4060s archaelogical commuinity.
Cat's eyes. (Not the animals, the ones on the road)
Joke songs that may be taken seriously. Or atleast be thought to represent a large proportion of some demographic... eek, Rebecca Black (it should be a joke, I know)
Windmills. When only seen still those things' purpose an inpenetrable to all.

Oh, and Doctor Who! Nothings so loveable yet so funny to explain to outsiders. I think people two thousand years in our future count as Doctor Who outsiders. Then again, he can regenerate.