The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
I have been improving my watercolour technique over the years working mainly from books. Last year, I bought three new videos and have made considerable progress. Recently, I saw another three videos advertised and wondered if they were different from the first. So, I phoned the number and was told to wait. After a short while, I was asked to hold the line while Vivaldi's Seasons played softly in the background. This was repeated Ñ twice and eventually I was told that I was being connected to an operator who would take my order. "Would I have my credit card handy" Ñ a statement not a question. "But," I said, "I only want to know Ñ" Too late they had gone. Ah! Then another operator asking me to quote the reference number in the advertisement, which I did. Then she said, "What is the initial of your first name?" "Look," I replied, "I want to know ifÉ" I was cut off by another question. "Could you repeat the initial please?" I realised that nobody was there. I was talking to a machine. It wasn't interested in my needs. It just wanted to know my name and credit card number. I hung up. Things haven't changed much. Many years ago, I was interested in buying some family insurance and unwisely perhaps, answered a press advertisement. The friendly insurance salesman arrived one evening without an appointment and asked if he could come in. Well, it was not convenient, but yes. In the sitting room, he opened his case, took out a small tape recorder, pressed a switch and it started talking. "Stop!" I called loudly to the startled salesman, "just a moment." I left the room and returned a minute or so later, and placed my object on the table. "What are you doing?" He looked completely nonplussed. "You can start now," I said, "and your machine can talk to my machine," as I pressed the start button on my tape recorder. I walked out of the room and called back to him, "Let me know, when they've finished." I never bought any insurance from him.
