DAVID ADAMS writes about the odder side of life…
• The sound of a screaming infant has been known to irk many a long-haul plane traveller but help may finally be at hand. Japan Airlines has reportedly introduced an online booking tool that indicates where babies and toddlers are seated and allows passengers to select a seat, ahem, as far away as possible. The tool uses child icons to show where those aged between eight days and two-years-old are sitting on an online seating plan leaving passengers to then choose their own seat accordingly. But the system is not foolproof – the airline has warned that there are no guarantees a person will be able to sit out of earshot of a crying baby (of course, that depends a lot on volume).
Sound of a crying baby getting you down? Japan Airline’s new booking system may help. PICTURE: Morre Christophe/Unsplash
• Like garlic bread? Domino’s Pizza in Australia is seeking a “chief garlic bread taster” to give feedback on its garlic bread for a day, according to a post on LinkedIn. The applicants for the job, which pays $A30 an hour over the 7.5 hour day, must have a minimum of five years’ experience in garlic bread consumption, working taste buds and have “burned their fingers at least once not being able to wait for the garlic bread to cool down”. Wannabe garlic bread tasters must complete a survey and explain in 200 words or in a 30 second video why they’re the perfect candidate for the job. The job, which is located in Brisbane, also comes with a return flight from within Australia if the successful applicant doesn’t live within driving distance of the city (and a night’s accommodation if a same day return flight is not available). Entries close 7th October, so be quick.
• Gary, Indiana, has taken the title of “most miserable city in America”, according to a new list published by Business Insider. The website compiled the list based on population change (“because if people are leaving it’s usually for a good reason”), the unemployment rate, median household incomes, the percentage of people without healthcare, median commute times, and the number of people living in poverty. “Often, these cities have been devastated by natural disasters,” says a story on the website. “They’ve had to deal with blight and with high crime rates. Economies have struggled after industry has collapsed. These cities also tend to have high rates of addiction.” California was the state with the most miserable cities – 10, followed by New Jersey (nine) and Florida (six). After Gary, the next most miserable cities were Port Arthur in Texas, Detriot and Passaic, New Jersey.
